Yes, Peyton Manning was an exception to the rule, but there were potholes along that road. Manning’s tour put the plans of five teams (the Broncos, Niners, Titans, Cardinals and Dolphins) on hold. The Titans missed out on a number of their free agent targets as a result. The Cardinals wound up worse (pushing pause on the position meant going into with Ryan Lindley and John Skelton — GM Rod Graves and coach Ken Whisenhunt were fired at season’s end). If Brady does, say, a one-week tour, teams would be held hostage in a similar way. He is Tom Brady
Simply put, his value to the team has been immense. That explains why, when denied the extra years last summer, and told that the team had to be careful because he was heading into “uncharted territory, he would be miffed. Almost anyone, in Brady’s spot, would look at it in like, After all I’ve done for you? Which is where, I think, respect comes in, and respect can be shown in a lot of different ways. Respect can be shown in a team operating with an urgency to win now, it can be shown in money and years on a contract, and it can appear in supporting a player’s off-field interests in the twilight of his career. Accordingly, I think respect will a factor here. And showing respect should start with Belichick sitting down with Brady, one-on-one, and giving his quarterback the forum to explain what it’ll take for him to stay in New England. [Ezra]
To wrap up the combine — and we had some big winners in indy (Alabama WR Henry Ruggs, Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor, Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons, Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs, Louisville OT Mekhi Becton) —I wanted to give You a good look at how the guys in the building wi th the stopwatches around their next saw the week.
So I sent out a bunch of texts asking for guys’ biggest takeaways from Indy, be it from the field at Lucas Oil Stadium or anywhere. Here’s what I got back. AFC exec: “To me one story coming out is the athleticism and depth of tackles. You got top tier guys like Wirfs, [Jedrick] Wills, Becton, [Andrew] Thomas. Then [Ezra] Cleveland, and another tier of size and athletic ability. Some of these tackles are ready to go now, and play at a high level. Overall, best tackle class in quite a while in my opinion. ” NFC exec: The thing that jumped out is the depth at WR. There’s more depth at OL than I thought, and corner depth may be 3–4 rounds deep. Schedule was strange and need to look at difference in results compared to years past to understand, not a lot of free agent news [because] everyone was waiting on CBA info and very few projected numbers thrown around. ” AFC GM: “The [inside linebacker] group has some speed in it. [Justin] Herbert looked good, [Jake] Fromm not so much. The RB group looked slow. ” NFC exec: LBs were fast, also DTs. Obviously, the OTs showed out. I did not meet too much on [free agents] due to the new schedule, heard some big numbers though. ”
“My biggest takeaway is a lot of agents are shooting for the moon on average players. I think some are gonna be surprised at what their market truly is. ”
AFC exec: “Edge class isn’t very deep, but interior pass rushers are more important and it’s a good class. More obvious, but it’s a rare free agent period, since it’s a starter market. Backups are trying to get signed ahead of it. Wide receiver is historically deep. Should be able to get a starter in round 3. ” NFC exec: “Good corner” class. Lots of big guys that ran fast. Think almost (guys 4.) or faster. ”
AFC scouting director: One thing that stands out is hearing some teams’ cap situations affecting their ability to keep some of their FA players. ”
(NFC scout: “Herbert looked good. Not much of an opinion on the other QBs that threw though. [Justin] Jefferson impresses me a lot. I think he’s a first-rounder, and going to be really good. Taylor had a great week and I think it’s not crazy to think he goes round 1. I didn’t think he got enough credit all year and people slept on his speed. Dobbins will have work cut out for him to pass him. And the top of the tackle group is ridiculous. Can see them all going top 20. The interior DL were much better than the edge players. The edge group was about the most unimpressive group I’ve seen since I’ve been going. LBs could all run. Really fast group and it’s good to see that because they have to do it. Safeties ran well too and i think there’s some good depth there. ” We should have more coming in the afternoon column. And speaking of combine winners.…
THE NEXT SAQUON? Forget the 41, what Jonathan Taylor was really concerned about going into Indy was his interviews with teams. And so it was that his favorite memory came from inside one of the suites at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the interviews were held.
The Wisconsin running back was ready for off-the- wall questions. He got none.
Barkley: 6 ‘, 300 pounds; 4. () ; 36 bench reps; 0 vertical; 4. (short shuttle.) And if you compare their on-field production in three college seasons — Barkley rushed for 3, career yards and 49 touchdowns on a 5.7-yard average, Taylor went for 6, (yards and) touchdowns on a 6.7-yard average — Taylor far outpaces his Penn State counterpart.
Yet, for one reason or another, Taylor hasn’t been seen in quite the same light as the super elite backs that have come out of college the last few years, guys like Barkley, Zeke Elliott and Todd Gurley. Instead, he came into this combine battling Georgia’s D’An dre Swift and Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins for pole position among the tailbacks. And what he did with his eye-opening 42 was affirm that he took all of that as a challenge. “You’re off of football for about three months and everyone knows you’re basically interviewing for the next level, ”Taylor said. “Everyone really wants to see, What’s the work you’ve been putting in ? They had their guesses and their opinions — it’s just like a football game . Everyone has their guesses and opinions of who’s going to win, everyone has their guesses and opinions of how certain people are going to do at the combine. “So, of course, if someone does well, there’s going to be a lot of buzz around it.” (And Taylor got that buzz. But he’s been building towards breaking old stereotypes of big Wisconsin backs — that they’re plodders, which is one reason why Taylor thinks this was not expected of him coming in. (It is really started with his college coach, Paul Chryst, selling him on the idea before his junior year that the Badgers would turn 77 of his carries into catches. They did not get there, but Taylor wound up with (receptions for) yards (more in both categories than his two-year total coming into his final season), and that both opened up the offense, made Taylor better in space and, naturally, set up him for the pros. And after the season, he took that approach to training for the 49. Because he has a track background, Taylor has a natural glide as he runs, which can work to fool people into thinking he’s not moving that is fast. But he knew all along he was. While he did run the 42 much as a Badger, he’d clocked in the mid-4.4sa couple times and was around there in January, when he started pre-draft training at EXOS in Arizona. Two weeks ago, he clocked a 4. 41, which prompted his goal to get into the 4.3s at the combine. On his first run, the broadcast showed an unofficial time of 4. 43. And eventually, the official time posted: 4. 42, topping what Barkley did three years ago. Does that mean he’s as good as Barkley? It doesn’t. But he sees himself in that class.
“Todd Gurley was a playmaker on the field, Zeke was a playmaker on the field, Saquon was a playmaker on the field,” Taylor said . “Same thing with myself: playmaker on the field. I’ve been constantly able to make plays for three years, and that’s something I really wanted coming into college. I wanted to make sure for the three years I was here, that I was consistent, coaches knew what they were getting out of me every single practice, game, rep. “They knew that Jonathan Taylor was going to play at a high level and that he was doing it consistently. Same thing with Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliot, I’m sure their coaches knew every single day, that player was going to play at a high level. ” for as he hopes coaches take from it, Taylor said he wants NFL teams to view his performance as a window into his preparation, since there’s no question he was ready for the moment here.
(KATCHING UP WITH KLIFF) I had a blast working with Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury on this story last week
– about where the NFL missed with Patrick Mahomes. But that wasn’t the only subject we touched on, so I figured I’d roll out a few other things from our meeting in Indy. Here goes.… MMQB: Biggest adjustment you had to make, or biggest difference you noticed, coming to the pros? KK: Two biggest things that jump out. [First,] consistency day-in, day-out. It’s a long season, you’re gonna have some down moments. There are games where the best team has one of those games and they lose by points, like, ‘How did that happen?’ It’s such a long season, you gotta be consistent in your approach, and those guys respond to it. And the second thing is situational football, because each game is so close. Really getting you team dialed in on that is a big deal. (MMQB:) So the scheme translates right over? MMQB: Is Kyler Murray where you thought he’d be? Yeah, he is. He’s just figuring it out, he’s never been a fulltime quarterback in his life. So I think he’s figuring that out, being the face of the franchise. But his skill set, competitive nature, even the information he can gather and give back to you on the field — it’s top notch. MMQB: So since he’s got all that time now, not playing baseball, have you guys worked on a plan for what he’ll do leading up to the offseason program. () (KK: We’ve talked through it, the expectation, where we want to take this thing. I’m excited because of that, because he’s never had an offseason where it’s just been film study, it’s just been preparation, footwork, throwing. I think he can really take a big jump. (MMQB) : Have you gotten to think how, with the spread offense and shorter quarterbacks , you guys have been on the front end in breaking down some barriers? KK: Yeah. I think more than anything, I’m excited for those players having an opportunity, because I think people are starting to wrap their minds around different ways of approaching the NFL. That’s what’s exciting. To see Kyler have an opportunity, to see a guy like Pat playing at the level he’s playing at, that makes it fun for me. WHERE WE STAND ON THE CBA This week will be another critical one as the NFL and NFLPA try to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement . As those involved wake up this morning, eight or nine days away from the NFLPA electing a new president, and days from the start of the League Year, lawyers from both sides are continuing to chip away at the language of the 823 – page document. (There’s not a timetable on its completion, but when that happens, it’ll be sent to the league’s 2, 04 (or so) players, who will then get a few days to review the document before voting on it. A simple majority is needed to ratify it. So that’s what everyone’s waiting for now. Want some more on where we are? • Last Tuesday was a long day for the players. The NFLPA’s executive committee and a select number of player reps met for four hours with the league in the early evening in downtown Indy, with the remainder of the player reps (all teams were represented) holed up in a hotel suburban Carmel. Then, those downtown retreated to the suburbs, where the larger group of players met for five hours. The result of that was the 21 – – 1 vote in favor of the CBA by the player reps. That vote was taken at 1: (am) • The league made a couple minor concessions during the meeting downtown to sweeten the pot for the players. They agreed to remove the $ , cap on the extra game check, in the event the league adds a th game, and added tweaks to the work rules to further lighten the players’ offseason load. • The NFL also agreed to a plan to form a committee made of union leaders ahead of the league adding 21 th game, and that committee would engage with management in researching the effects of adding to an already arduous schedule, with the idea being that all concerns would be addressed before the change is made.
• The election of a new union president should not be ignored. Typically, that is done on the final day of the rep meeting, so it’ll happen either next Wednesday or Thursday. Chargers OT Russell Okung is the only player to have publicly declared his candidacy thus far, and he’s be an ardent critic of the deal. So if there are any hiccups over the next days, and uncertainty remains post-election, the dynamic within the union ranks could change.
So how does this go? Two things make me think the CBA will pass when the union actually votes. First, some 100% of the union ranks are on the minimum, and those guys benefit most from the deal: It’ll mean an immediate $ 250, raise for each of them. So I’d think the great majority of those guys will probably vote for it. Second, we haven’t seen the normal explosion of criticism from agents, which could be read as tacit support of the deal.
Either way, it won’t be too long until we know. THE ALL – The (ers) ‘impending negotiation with George Kittle figures to be a little complicated, just because tight ends aren’t paid like other skill spots. The highest-paid guy at the position (Jimmy Graham) makes $ million per, and he might get cut. There are only two others making even $ 9 million per (Travis Kelce, Kyle Rudolph). For context, making $ (million per would make you the NFL’s) nd-highest-paid receiver , and making $ 9 million per would tie you for 29 th. Maybe Kittle can blow up the paradigm here. But to do it, you’d think he’d have to play out the final year of his deal, because generally if a team’s willing to go a year early, they’re looking to get a little back. That might be why Kittle’s agent said he’s ready to be “very patient” with the negotiation. (Speaking of tight ends, I’m not saying (Bears) won’t go forward without supplementing at the position, but word is they’re OK with Trey Burton being the headliner there, on the belief that He just had a lot of bad injury luck the last couple years. One relationship the (Bengals) can pull on with Joe Burrow: Third-year defensive end Sam Hubbard was actually roommates with Burrow at Ohio State. My understanding is they’ve tapped into that resource, enabling the team to get a feel for where Burrow is on coming to Cincinnati. Additionally, I’ve heard that Burrow has actually asked other teams about their impressions of the Bengals, so he’s doing his homework too. For what it’s worth, the Bills spent a significant time with the top receivers in the class at Indy — including Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb. Those sorts of things aren’t always a tell, but Buffalo could use a No. 1 to pair with complementary weapons Cole Beasley and John Brown. And they’re picking at , right around where there could be a run on them. Easing the (Broncos) ‘decision to tag Justin Simmons? The safety figure will be reasonable — it’ll probably come in under $ 16 .5 million — which will make doing a long-term deal with a player Vic Fangio loves easier, in an environment where four safeties (Kevin Byard, Tyrann Mathieu, Landon Collins) got around $ million per last offseason. Another interesting twist to this: Simmons’ old agent from CAA, Rich Hurtado, is now Denver’s lead negotiator. If I’m the (Browns) , I approach Myles Garrett about an extension now. And I know that sounds crazy. But he’s going to be very expensive. Doing it now, while he’s coming off a suspension, would constitute buying low on a star, and this may be the spot where he’s inclined to take a little less to secure his financial future. I’d be very surprised if the (Buccaneers) don’t tag LB Shaq Barrett. I also think they’d be comfortable going forward with him playing on his one-year tender, given the one-year explosion in his production. I think the Cardinals ‘decision to give tackle DJ Humphries a three-year, $ million deal will look wise once we get through free agency, given what guys like Jack Conklin, Joe Thuney and Graham Glasgow should pull in on the market.
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