– Ill state this about the practice I saw in Philly– Doug Pederson had those people in 11-on-11 a lot. And it was very, really competitive, which should assist the team restore the edge its played with when the Eagles have been at their best.
– Good for Trey Lance, getting the chance to at least play one more video game before the 2021 NFL draft. As my buddy Pete Thamel first reported, North Dakota State had the ability to schedule a video game for the fall– after the Missouri Valley Conference moved its football season to the spring– versus fellow FCS powerhouse Central Arkansas. The move will permit the Bison to practice more than they wouldve otherwise under NCAA guidelines and, presuming Lance doesnt decide to opt out of the fall entirely, offer the quarterback a minimum of one more shot at starring on the college stage. Lance is seen relatively consistently by scouts Ive spoken with as a top-half-of-the-first-round possibility, and a worthy challenger to the more well-known Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields in the 2021 class.
– I can completely have compassion with Bills coach Sean McDermott, and comprehend his point on the injustices looming throughout the NFL– with some groups preparing to invite fans into their arenas while others, due to state policies, actually cant. The NFL and the 32 groups are going to do everything they can to preserve every last piece of revenue possible in a year when theyre anticipating to lose a lot. Competitive balance is important to the NFL and the players.
– Great news out of Washington today, with coach Ron Rivera informing the media that Alex Smith is moving closer to being cleared for 11-on-11 work. Ill go on record stating it again: If that guy takes a genuine game snap this fall, simply give him Comeback Player of the Year right there.
– Finally, good to see the Packers being thoughtful in resolving the cops shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. Coach Matt LaFleur called together the players on his management council on Monday, which led to a psychological conference. “I believe like I stated in the video and like we talked about in the video that we put out, theres a systemic problem, and until the issue is repaired, this is going to be an all-too-common sighting in this country.
In other words, a team must approve another team qualifications if that team is playing it or its opponent the following week. And it can be 2 weeks out if the team being hunted has a bye ahead of a game against the group asking for the credential.
Last year, the team released Brandon Carr as a corner/safety swing player which assisted it get through some attrition, and veteran Jimmy Smith must fill that role this year. – I can completely sympathize with Bills coach Sean McDermott, and understand his point on the inequities looming throughout the NFL– with some groups preparing to invite fans into their stadiums while others, due to state policies, literally cant. The NFL and the 32 groups are going to do whatever they can to preserve every last piece of income possible in a year when theyre anticipating to lose a lot.
FLORIDA– Yup, thats right. A lot of Florida today, from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale. Im concluding my camp trip, so lets dive in …
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports (Brady); Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports (Thomas); Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports (Jones).
– One thing that continually came up when I was with the Bucs the last two days: how Tom Brady is instilling self-confidence in the groups more youthful skill people. And as I heard this, I kept thinking about how, in New England, ability gamers would show up from somewhere else and, if they clicked with Brady early, pretty quickly put up huge numbers. Its one factor to believe that when we get to September, a bunch of good players will be much better than they were in the past.
Over the nine-day duration from Aug. 12-20, the league administered 23,260 tests to gamers, and had absolutely no– thats right, no– positives come back. And the number of players league-wide, with 2,600 or so of them in camp, on the COVID-19 reserve list is down to 3. Partners of group employees could return to work.
– While were here, the NFL did release some protocols for scouts in 2020 last week, with the recognition that some could alter with time. Some highlights from the memo:.
1) Advance hunting will be restricted to, in essence, your next opponent. Simply put, a team needs to give another group qualifications if that team is playing it or its opponent the following week. And it can be two weeks out if the group being searched has a bye ahead of a game versus the team asking for the credential.
2) That expands late in the routine season and the playoffs, where, undoubtedly, groups are handling scouting several potential opponents. In playoff settings, groups will be able to send 2 advance scouts, rather than simply one.
3) Scouts from other leagues arent enabled at club centers.
4) Until additional notice, clubs are restricted from checking out college schools to hunt gamers (with allowance to go to schools for family reasons, like dropping a daughter or son off at school).
5) NFL scouts can go to college football video games, however can not access the field, and need to keep social distancing standards and use PPE.
– So if were turning the page on Earl Thomas in Baltimore, Ive got 2 things for you to chew. The Ravens integrated positional versatility on defense, a bedrock of DC Wink Martindales system, will help. Last year, the group released Brandon Carr as a corner/safety swing player which assisted it survive some attrition, and veteran Jimmy Smith must fill that function this year. Second, the group simulates third-year security DeShon Elliott.
– I had a great talk with Giants quarterback Daniel Jones a few days ago, and something he discussed was his effort to get more powerful this offseason, which wound up amounting to the 22-year-old packaging on a few more pounds of excellent weight. “Overall strength was a goal of mine,” Jones told me. “Im not sure I felt deficient at anything, but I understood I could use the time I had, utilize the offseason to make strides and continue to enhance athletically. Footballs a physical game, and I was making certain my body remained in position to play at a high level, simply trying to improve athletically across the board.”.
