Mike Florio took disrespectful shots at Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson
The Baltimore Ravens are gearing up to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the postseason’s Wild-Card Round. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson’s playoff track record has been the subject of plenty of conversation, and some criticism is warranted.
However, other discourse gets out of hand regarding the quarterback’s playoff record, such as that of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Florio has had issues with Jackson in the past. He did not credit the former Louisville star for owning up to his postseason struggles, choosing to attack him instead.
Mike Florio goes in on playoff Lamar Jackson
“Lamar Jackson has a history of failing in the postseason. When Lamar Jackson tries to talk his way out of his history, he only puts more pressure on himself…You will feel the pressure, oh yes you will” pic.twitter.com/rtZBao1Jsk
Jackson had a 2-4 record in the playoffs throughout his career, a mark that undoubtedly must get better. However, he takes the blame for almost all of his team’s struggles in January, something that should not fall solely on him.
The Minnesota Vikings are definitively one of the best teams in the NFL after four weeks, and their ascent up NFL power rankings shows that.
Very few people anticipated the Minnesota Vikings being one of just two undefeated teams after Week 4 when the NFL season started. Yet, that’s where quarterback Sam Darnold has the team sitting. Add in a sweltering defense commanded by defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and it’s undeniable that the Vikings are one of the best teams in the league this season. This stance is reflected in many outlets’ power rankings heading into Week 5.
Brian Flores’ defense has been one of the NFL’s best stories this season, and there are no glaring issues. But after the group allowed 22 points in the fourth quarter to the Packers, it’s worth thinking about age and snap counts. Of the 10 defensive players who have started all four games, three are 30 or older and six are 28 or older. So far this season, the Vikings’ defense has played the league’s third-most defensive snaps (272). Safety Harrison Smith (35), cornerback Stephon Gilmore (34) and No. 3 corner Shaq Griffin (29) constitute one of the NFL’s oldest secondaries. — Kevin Seifert
Sam Darnold has maximized the offensive pop with Justin Jefferson and the rest of the receivers. The defense continues to dictate terms with big plays, sacks, and takeaways. Kevin O’Connell easily has the best team in the NFC so far. — Vinnie Iyer
Like clockwork, the Seattle Seahawks are being counted out to begin a season. What’s new? In the latest power ranking from ProFootballTalk (PFT) to start Week 1, NBC’s Mike Florio seems to have the Seahawks down in the lower echelon of teams in this league.
Right now, Florio and PFT have Seattle sitting at the lowly No. 22 position. As of now, only the Arizona Cardinals rank below the Seahawks.
Understandably, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams rank higher than Seattle. The Seahawks went 0-4 against both of those teams last year, as they also made the postseason. San Francisco, being the reigning NFC Champions, is among the top five.
But this is nothing new for the Seahawks, or for the 12th Man to read about. Pick a season in the last few where they didn’t think Seattle was going to be one of the worst teams? Most notably prior to the 2018 and 2022 seasons, where all the “experts” predicted the Seahawks were going to be picking towards the top of the next draft. Instead, in both years, the Seahawks made it to the playoffs.
With a new head coach, a returning defense that has been abysmal for a few years, and plenty of new pieces, I can see why there are those who think Seattle might be headed for a rebuild. But full-blown rebuilds are not in this team’s nature. There is simply too much talent on both sides of the ball, as well as strong coaching, for the Seahawks to crater if they are healthy.
Seattle will get their first opportunity to prove the doubters wrong (again) on Sunday, when they host the Denver Broncos.
While the average annual value of Campbell’s extension matches $19.125 million as initially reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, its average yearly worth dips to $15.9 million while accounting for the 2024 season, the final year of his rookie contract.
“The contract basically covers, and exceeds, a pair of franchise tags, even though Campbell has one year left on his rookie deal,” Florio wrote.
Find the full details below.
1. Signing bonus: $16 million.
2. 2024 base salary: $1.5 million, fully guaranteed.
Campbell’s deal includes $31.4 million fully guaranteed at signing and a $175,000 Pro Bowl incentive for the 2025-28 seasons, per Florio.
$44.516 million becomes fully guaranteed next year, and unless he is released before, Campbell will reach the $53.4 million fully guaranteed in his contract by 2026.
“I’m blessed to stay in Jacksonville and thankful God is allowing me to continue building something special with my brothers on the field and in the community,” Campbell said in a release after signing the contract.
“I want to thank the Jaguars for making my NFL dreams come true three years ago and for still believing in me today.”
Jacksonville’s second-round, No. 33 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Campbell has posted 203 tackles with six for loss, six interceptions, 30 defended passes, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, including one scoop-and-score, in 43 games with the Jaguars.
The NFL wants to expand to an 18-game season, and NFL players are reportedly willing to accept it by expanding teams’ rosters:
It feels like it’s only a matter of time until the NFL expands its regular season again, having already made the switch from 16 games to 17. League commissioner Roger Goodell has already begun campaigning for it in public, suggesting the preseason could be trimmed down to just two exhibition games while adding another week to the regular season.
But it would take some concessions to convince the NFL players association to agree to this. NBC Sports’ Mike Florio reports that the NFLPA would ask for expanded rosters to accommodate another regular season game, going from 53 roster spots to 55 with 50 players active on game days as opposed to 48.
Florio adds that “greater freedom for teams to make practice-squad elevations” would be another priority. Right now teams are allowed to bring up two players from their practice squad each week, but only three times during the regular season. Expanding the regular season would add to the workload so it makes sense to have more players available on game days.
Whenever the season expands again (and there’s enough support, it seems, to make that a case of when rather than if) we’ll experience some big changes. Adding a second bye week has also been floated as a possibility. How teams build their rosters may change. But for now, all we do is parse through what’s being told to reporters and speculate. The season can’t expand until the current collective bargaining agreement expires in 2030, so there’s plenty of time to find a solution that makes both sides happy.
The top three projected to possibly throw for the most yards in 2024 were Washington’s Jayden Daniels, Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy.
Williams: “I think the Bears have a real problem if it is not Caleb Williams. It means he was either hurt or not as good as everyone thinks he is. I would expect him to have a huge year with the offense that he is stepping into. No rookie quarterback has ever stepped into an offense with two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-thousand-yard running back like D’Andre Swift. So, he has the offense. Now, it is up to him to get it done. With those weapons, I don’t see how he is not going to have a big year.”
Florio: “I’ll go Williams just because I think Jayden Daniels may end up pulling the ball down and running it more because he’s going to be able to run around guys. He’s the guy when we were at the Scouting Combine talking to defensive players from the SEC, ‘Who is the toughest player you faced in college?’ And they would say Jayden Daniels simply because he is there, and then he is gone. When you have that level of physical separation, where you can just take off, he may end up having a lot of passing yards turn into running yards. That’s going to be the challenge, I think, to strike a balance. When do you run, and when do you throw? He’s going to be inclined I think, especially as a rookie to just show what he can do and he’s going to do some great things on the ground and that’s going to take away from his passing.”
Williams: “I was just going to say it’s going to be like Kyler Murray, probably with Jayden Daniels (in Kyler Murray’s first year). So you do have to find that balance.”
Indeed, Daniels’ rushing numbers were phenomenal in his last LSU season. In 2023, he ran the ball 135 times for 1,134 yards (8.4) and ten rushing touchdowns.
Simms even called this group “The Ready Rookies.” Interestingly enough, he was discussing his ranking of current NFL quarterbacks from 26 through 30.
Where was the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels in the Simms’ rankings? Daniels the rookie from LSU, drafted second overall by the Commanders, was ranked No. 28 by Simms.
26. Will Levis
27. Michael Penix, Jr.
28. Jayden Daniels
29. Bo Nix
30. J.J. McCarthy
Florio asked the obvious question, seeing Daniels was drafted second, why did Simms rank Penix Jr. ahead of Daniels?
“Because my quarterback rankings are where I think they are going to be two or three years down the road. I don’t want to judge it all right now about the rookie year.”
“I think Penix has played a little more of the pro way,” continued Simms. “Jayden Daniels, I think there is going to be a little bit more of an adjustment at first. The offense he played in college? I think there is going to be more of a versatility to the offense that he is going to get used to.”
“We know he is a special runner and all that, but he’s got to grow as far as being in the pocket. Guys like Bo Nix and Caleb Williams are better scramblers to throw the ball than Jayden Daniels.”
“He (Daniels) could learn to slide in the right places and maybe be a little more patient in the pocket, too.”
“My belief is that Jayden Daniels will be better at some point, but at this moment, with this exercise, I take it like we are in Week 1 or 2 in the regular season. I think Michael Penix is a little further along as far as being NFL-ready right now.”
Well, Daniels is going to be playing, so he will, thus, have every opportunity to prove Simms wrong in his evaluation that Penix is more ready to play.
More nonsense from from Washington’s favorite critic.
Pro Football Talk blasted the Commanders on Friday.
The Commanders had entertained multiple players, including four quarterbacks, earlier in the week. It was a job interview, and apparently, Josh Harris and the Commanders were really out of line, according to Mike Florio and Myles Simmons.
“I think it is imperative to bring in these guys (quarterbacks) one at a time, know everything you can about them, get them all in with you. And that is where this has kind of gone off the rails for the Commanders. Because I’m hearing belief that maybe Jayden Daniels is not all that interested now in going to the Commanders,” Florio said during Friday’s installment of “PFT Live.”
Simmons replied: “You can pick up another asset (not picking Daniels and trading down), but is that going to be worth it if you are playing games and you don’t get the exact quarterback that you sensibly have fallen in love with throughout this draft process? To me, that would not make much sense. But, there are a lot of things about the way the Commanders have gone about, let’s call it, the last week that have not made much sense to me.”
Added Florio: “Here is the other thing I’ve picked up from somebody that I trust immensely, who is very plugged into the ownership scene. Josh Harris? A lot more involved than they thought he would be. … They brought them all in on the same day because that’s the day Mr. Harris was available to see them. That’s the only plausible explanation for having them there.
“Here is the danger, the David Tepper danger. This is when the owner is involved in any way. … At the end of the day, if you get it wrong, you better get it wrong with the guy the boss wanted. Your worst-case scenario is, the boss wanted this guy, and you went with that (other) guy, and that guy stinks. … Your long-term job prospects are best suited by giving the boss what you think the boss wants, and it all comes down to how vocal the boss is.
“You are the No. 2 guy. The people who know what they are doing, have Jayden Daniels as the clear No. 2 guy. So, when you have your visit to this team, that wants you supposedly, and the day is diluted by the three other quarterbacks being there. At some level you are going to be pissed. … There’s red flags there, and it all flows back to how the Commanders have handled it. It’s not anything about Jayden Daniels. It’s how the Commanders have handled Jayden Daniels.”
Wow, has it not yet occurred to Florio that comparing Harris to Tepper is extremely unfair to Harris? If Harris proves himself to be a Tepper, then yes. But for now, doesn’t that seem like attacking Harris prematurely?
Second, do Florio and Simmons fail to comprehend the Commanders have not presented any signs whatsoever that Daniels is obviously their guy?
Third, they are flat-out wrong because several analysts also think Drake Maye should be the second selection. The situation is not as simple as Florio and Simmons erroneously believe it to be.
Fourth, are any of the other quarterbacks who visited complaining about the process? So how can Florio and Simmons logically conclude it has to be the Commanders at fault in how they handled Daniels this week?
Simmons then proceeded to say twice the Commanders’ process was “disrespectful” to the prospective quarterbacks, expressing, “I am confused by this approach.”
Though Adam Peters and Lance Newmark stated there were both individual meetings and group time, this simply does not satisfy Florio and Simmons. Florio then called it “the strategy the Commanders concocted; I know people and am a student of the human condition. It’s disrespectful, it’s disrespectful to all of them.”
Florio then said the Commanders were treating the quarterbacks “like lab rats in a weird sort of way. … Let’s just put them in a room together and see how they act. Maybe one will kill the other three, and that will clearly be the right choice for us. … There is an element of evil scientist that comes through this, that is just offputting to me as an outsider.”
Florio then called it “this weird power-trip [expletive].”
Chris Simms told “Pro Football Talk” that the #Bills wouldn’t allow Stefon Diggs to seek a trade with the #Chiefs
The saga of exciting games between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have been must-watch events for the NFL. The stars on both sides have amazing games while remaining loyal to their side of the rivalry until possibly this offseason.
The Bills shocked the football world when it was announced that they had traded their top wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, to the Houston Texans earlier this week. Diggs, who had expressed his displeasure with the team at times during last season, was moved, but there appears to be more to the story, and it involves Kansas City.
Chris Simms and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk spoke on a recent podcast episode about an intriguing rumor that indicates Diggs was blocked from ever being dealt to the Chiefs.
“From what I do know, he was allowed to seek a trade from anybody in the league except the Kansas City Chiefs,” said Simms. “That’s what I’ve been told by multiple people that he was allowed to do that (and) the Chiefs were the only team they weren’t going to trade for him.
The Chiefs and Bills have had a fierce rivalry over the past few seasons, with Buffalo falling to Kansas City each year in their postseason meetings. Diggs being unable to pitch a deal to Kansas City sounds realistic but is another exciting chapter in the two teams’ competitive struggle for superiority in the AFC.
Florio opened “PFT Live” by suggesting that when Harris said, “I’m going to really be somewhat flexible around talent,” that he was signaling “if I decide I want Bill Belichick to be my head coach and I have to give him the keys, though there will be someone who is called the head of football operations, Bill Belichick will still be in charge if that is what it takes.”
Florio went further and questioned the integrity and honesty of Harris.
“Josh Harris is in charge. Is he setting up this network, this table of people who will be advising him to truly, objectively advise him? Or is this all just a way to make it look like what he wants to do anyway, is the right thing to do?” Florio asked.
He then concluded: “It just looks like a meddling owner who’s coming in saying, ‘This is what I want to do.’ ”
Florio expressed a warning to future Washington coaches.
“I don’t know that it’s real attractive to me as a coach if I got to go to a place where I am answering to this person, this person, that person, then I got this person over here, this person over here. That makes it harder not easier for me. There are more people I’ve got to worry about. Who’s on my side? Who’s behind me? Who’s working against me?”
Why is Florio attributing improper motives to Harris like this? Doesn’t this allow Florio to interpret everything negatively that Harris says, painting a very pessimistic, oppositional portrait?
Harris has remained mostly quiet all of his first NFL season. Doesn’t he deserve a more fair hearing? Has Harris, up to this point, done anything to warrant such skepticism, suspicion and mistrust?
