Tag: NFL Network

NFL Network reportedly cuts 4 big on-air names, including Andrew Siciliano and Melissa Stark

Awful news out of the NFL Network.

The changes that happened at the NFL Network back in 2023 are reportedly continuing in 2024.

Per a report from Andrew Marchand at The Athletic, four on-air personalities will be out: Melissa Stark, Andrew Siciliano, Will Selva and James Palmer are all out.

Stark is still at NBC as the sideline reporter for Sunday Night Football. For Siciliano, it’s the end of a run that included hosting the Red Zone channel, which finished up in January of 2023. Palmer and Selva have been staples all over the network including on Good Morning Football, which is moving to Los Angeles.

As of publishing this, only Palmer has addressed the news, and we’ll update as we hear more.

UPDATE: Here’s Stark:

Former NFL QB thinks Drake Maye to the Commanders is the best fit

David Carr sees big things for Drake Maye.

It was a big week for two of the 2024 NFL draft’s top quarterback prospects. Jayden Daniels (LSU) and Drake Maye (North Carolina) held their pro days on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

By all accounts, things couldn’t have gone better for Daniels and Maye. Of course, it’s tough to say a pro day can improve or drop a quarterback’s stock. Much of a quarterback’s evaluation is the college tape. Everything else is mostly about the interview process that each team spends with the prospects.

The Washington Commanders and New England Patriots hold the No. 2 and No. 3 selections in next month’s draft. Both teams need a quarterback. Throughout the pre-draft process, Maye and Daniels have been linked to the Commanders and Patriots. Most often, Daniels has been projected to Washington at No. 2.

After Maye’s pro day performance, former NFL quarterback David Carr of the NFL Network was asked which quarterback was a better fit for the Commanders.

He chose Maye.

“That actually makes the most sense to me,” Carr said when told that NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has the North Carolina quarterback going to Washington in his latest mock draft.

“If Caleb Williams does go to Chicago, this is the natural pick. Drake Maye just fits right in. With his ability to move, with Kliff Kingsbury and the offense they’re going to run.”

Carr then breaks down some of Maye’s throws while explaining why he fits Washington.

“That offense is going to be spread out,” he said. “You’re going to get extra pressure. Can you make a play? Can you push the ball down the field? Can you identify that its zero coverage and a one-on-one opportunity? And push the ball down the field with sustained accuracy. Can you do it on the run? Can you escape?”

Carr is showing examples of Maye doing all of these things, including throwing a left-handed pass for a touchdown while under pressure. The 2002 No. 1 overall pick says Maye has it all and is the perfect prospect to mold.

There are some who believe Maye has the highest upside of each of the quarterbacks, including Caleb Williams. While there are some things Maye must continue to work on, such as his mechanics and footwork, they are correctable.

As Washington GM Adam Peters said earlier in the week, the Commanders are under no pressure to start a rookie immediately since they signed veteran Marcus Mariota.

Kyle Brandt and the Good Morning Football crew had 1 last emotional sign off before leaving New York

Good Morning Football is making its move.

For years, Good Morning Football fans have woken up in the early mornings to see the crew talking about the latest in the football world on NFL Network. The biggest changes to the show have been its different crew members, but it’s always just generally been the same show.

Starting today, that show will be going away for a while.

Good Morning Football is going on an indefinite hiatus as the show moves across the country to a new studio in LA. The GMFB crew announced the move on the show earlier this month.

While the move doesn’t seem like a big deal to most of us, it is for the folks working on it. GMFB has been based in New York City for its entire existence. Now, everything is changing.

That’s why Kyle Brandt, Jason McCourty and the rest of the GMFB crew seemed so emotional during their final sign-off from New York on Friday.

Brandt addressed the show’s future himself from the streets of New York for the final time.

“I know you have questions, because I’ve seen them. Why is this happening? Who’s going to LA? Why would you take something that you got so right and change it? Some of those answers I don’t know. Some of them are not mine to give. And, candidly, I have a lot of questions myself. Here’s what I know. I, personally, will be intensly involved in Good Morning Football moving forward and I want to spend the rest of my career with the NFL. And Good Morning Football is not ending — it’s expanding.” 

Meanwhile, to end things, Jason McCourty gave us one final emotional sendoff.

“Very hard to say goodbye to a lot of people here. And Kyle talked about Good Morning Football continuing on the west coast. When it continues on the west coast, everybody has asked if the four of us will be there or not. There’s going to be a lot of people behind the scenes who won’t have the opportunity to go to LA. And those are the people who have been very close to me for these past 20 months.” 

The show will be back, but we don’t know exactly when. Brandt also said the show will be covering the draft, so we can assume it’ll be back in time for it at the end of April.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Ian Rapoport hints Broncos will stick with Jarrett Stidham instead of trading up for QB

Ian Rapoport thinks the Broncos are more likely to stick with Jarrett Stidham than to trade up for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft.

During an appearance on NFL+ last week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was asked by Daniel Jeremiah if the Denver Broncos (No. 12) or Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) are more likely to trade up for a quarterback during the 2024 NFL draft.

Rapoport indicated the Raiders are more likely to move up the board, and he hyped up Jarrett Stidham as a possible starter for the Broncos this season.

“Sean Payton has won with a lot of quarterbacks who are not as good as Jarrett Stidham,” Rapoport said. “You know, I do think they’ll add a quarterback, but I don’t know that the urgency is there. Because he’s so good that I think they say, ‘You know what, we can take some raw materials and he [Payton] will get that person to perform.”

Stidham went 1-1 as a starter last season, completing 60.6% of his passes for 496 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. He was sacked seven times in those two contests and Denver averaged 15 points per game.

While it’s possible this notion of sticking with Stidham is accurate, it’s worth noting that Rapoport works for NFL Network, the league’s in-house media network. He works for the NFL and its 32 teams, including the Broncos.

Denver has seemingly used NFL Network (and Rapoport) in the past to put out information the team wanted known. In 2017, as a potential example, Rapoport reported that the Broncos had “received calls” about safety T.J. Ward. In reality, the team wanted to trade Ward but ended up cutting him when no team was interested in making a deal.

So Rapoport’s reporting — and informed takes presented as guesswork — should be taken with a grain of salt. There’s always the possibility that NFL Network is saying what Denver’s front office wants the network to say.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
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Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi talks kickoff rule change proposal

New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi discussed his kickoff rule change proposal on Good Morning Football:

The NFL is considering another change for its kickoff rules this offseason, and the latest effort is being led by New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. With fewer kicks being returned than ever after pre-snap positioning and other procedures were changed in the name of safety, Rizzi hopes his new proposal will make the play more impactful without sacrificing player safety.

Rizzi made an appearance on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football show to discuss the proposal. He said that he’s collaborated with other special teams coaches around the league to come up with a solution that’s both safer for players and more exciting for viewers.

They drew inspiration from all levels of the game. Rizzi said: “We looked at it, not only the XFL but the USFL, the CFL, the arena leagues, college. The number one goal here was to make the play safer. We wanted to eliminate some of the space and speed. If you can imagine our current kickoff in a condensed version, that’s kind of what we’re doing.”

Rizzi’s proposed format would keep kickoffs from the 35-yard line, but allow players on the kicking team’s coverage unit to line up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. The receiving team would have blockers positioned between their 35- and 30-yard lines with two returners allowed to start further back. The kicking team can’t move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by the return team. There are more rules involved, which you can read about in greater detail here.

“I should say this as well. The NFLPA, they’re on board, the players love this,” Rizzi continued. “This is a play that’s going to add more plays for the returner, for the core players. It’s more strategy for the kickers. There’s a lot of exciting things. Once the fans understand what we’re doing here, they’re going to be excited too, because you’re going to see a lot of your favorite players with the ball in their hands significantly more.”

This proposal has already been approved by the NFL Competition Committee, and it will go to a vote before league ownership when they convene for offseason meetings next week in Orlando, Fla. Rizzi and his team have put a lot of work into this proposal. Let’s see if it crosses the finish line.

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NFL Films: 10-best throws from Bills QB Josh Allen in 2023

Worth everyone’s time to watch this:

It was a strong season for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in 2023.

You can’t really argue that, he was a finalist for the NFL MVP award last season.

Need proof he played well? The NFL released a video this week that was counting down his 10-best throws from 2023.

Who are we to argue with that content?

Check out Allen’s 10 best tosses from last season in the clip below:

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NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport breaks down long week for Bills (video)

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport breaks down long week for #Bills (video):

The Buffalo Bills had a crazy week. All-Pros are no longer with the teams after being released because of salary cap restraints.

Fan favorites got the axe, too.

Cuts weren’t just apart of the operation, either. Pass rusher Von Miller took a pay cut and other players restructured their deals.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport did his best to breakdown all that happened at One Bills Drive this week.

Rap Sheets analysis can be found below:

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Chiefs DT Chris Jones responds to rumors that he will join the Raiders in free agency

Kansas City #Chiefs DT Chris Jones responded to rumors that he will join the Las Vegas #Raiders in free agency.

The free agency frenzy is underway with the official start less than a week away. The many scenarios regarding some top players, including Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, continue to be discussed.

The star defensive lineman responded to an article suggesting he would consider signing with AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders with a cryptic handshake emoji. Jones seemingly responded to an idea from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo during a roundtable discussion about the upcoming free agency period.

“Multiple teams in the AFC West need help on the defensive line; I’m just saying, the place where he played his last game as a Chief may be his first game as somebody,” said Garafolo, hinting at Allegiant Stadium’s NFL tenants. “I don’t know, I’m just saying. I dunno. Who knows. I’m just trying to find a way to not allude to the fact that it’s the (Las Vegas) Raiders I’m talking about.”

Jones has historically had fun with the media regarding his decision-making, so this can be a joke. Chiefs fans wouldn’t laugh if this became a reality and had to see a franchise favorite wearing silver and black next season.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero: Bills’ Gabe Davis ‘maybe wants a fresh start’ (video)

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero: #Bills’ Gabe Davis ‘maybe wants a fresh start’ (video):

The writing seemed to already be on the wall regarding Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis as free agency approaches.

Davis posted a semi-goodbye message to Buffalo on his social media accounts. That was telling.

So was this take from NFL Network’s insider Tom Pelissero. He noted that Davis is probably going to get paid somewhere between $12 to $15 million as a free agent. That’s about expected, Pro Football Focus noted the $12M mark as well.

That’s out of Buffalo’s current ballpark.

But Pelissero added a nugget while speaking on the team’s radio show, One Bills Live. He noted that Davis might want a “fresh start.”

The clip can be found below:

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Vikings take Combine standout in latest NFL Network mock

Minnesota Vikings take NFL Scouting Combine standout in latest NFL Network mock draft

NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein released his post-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft based on what he saw and heard in Indianapolis. There were a few surprising selections in the top ten, but not for Minnesota Vikings fans. Zierlein gave defensive coordinator Flores a new weapon in Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah recently rejected the idea of dealing Justin Jefferson, but if he changes his mind, then this pick could easily become Rome Odunze. For now, we add a pass rusher who tested off the charts at the combine and comes with a winning pedigree.

While the talks of trading Jefferson dissipate, the need for an edge rusher, either opposite or replacing Danielle Hunter, is paramount. Turner put on a show for the scouts and coaches in attendance last week. He turned some heads in Indianapolis as he ran a blazing 4.48 40-yard dash, but Turner wasn’t done there. He also showed off his explosiveness with a 40.5″ vertical and a 10’7″ broad jump.

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