Tag: NFL Network

Charley Casserly lists Broncos among possible fits for Colin Kaepernick

Should the Broncos take a look at Colin Kaepernick as a backup quarterback?

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In the above video, an NFL Network panel discusses possible fits for free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Charley Casserly lists the Broncos among teams who could use the veteran quarterback.

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WATCH: Charley Casserly breaks down next step for Broncos QB Drew Lock

NFL Network’s Charley Casserly breaks down what Drew Lock needs to improve in 2020.

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In the above video, NFL Network’s Charley Casserly discusses what Broncos quarterback Drew Lock needs to improve for the 2020 season.

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WATCH: Gregg Rosenthal praises Broncos QB Drew Lock

NFL Network’s Gregg Rosenthal breaks down what impressed him about Broncos quarterback Drew Lock last season.

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In the above video, NFL Network’s Gregg Rosenthal breaks down what impressed him most about Broncos quarterback Drew Lock’s rookie year.

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Ex-Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson reveals best decision, biggest regret during career

LaDainian Tomlinson’s best decision during his NFL career might come as a surprise.

Chargers legend LaDainian Tomlinson will go down as one of the greatest players to walk through the franchise’s doors.

Tomlinson, who put together a polished career in the blue and gold, is now working as an analyst for NFL Network.

Recently, Tomlinson along with eight other former players and current analysts for the outlet reflected on their playing days, sharing the best decisions that they made and their biggest regrets.

Tomlinson said that the best decision that he made was signing with the Jets the year after he posted a career-low 730 rushing yards.

“The following offseason, I knew it was time to leave San Diego and start a new chapter in my career,” Tomlinson said. “The best decision I could have made was signing with the New York Jets at that time. I was able to bounce back with a good season.

I helped my team get to the AFC Championship Game. I was featured in a national commercial. That season justified my decision to join Rex Ryan and the Jets — forgoing a deal with Minnesota — and that was a great feeling.”

By no surprise, Tomlinson said that his biggest regret was not be able to hold up the Lombardi Trophy during his professional career. Even though the Chargers made five postseason appearances, including the AFC Championship in 2007, they were unable to reach the Super Bowl.

“So many things have to go right to win a team championship, and injuries seemed to pop up at the wrong time,” Tomlinson said. “I realize that winning a title isn’t technically a decision, but it’s the one thing that eluded my football career.”

Tomlinson’s nine seasons with the Chargers included eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and five Pro Bowl selections. He holds a handful of franchise career records, including rushing yards (12,490), rushing touchdowns (138), total touchdowns (153) and yards from scrimmage (16,445).

Watch: Shaq Thompson talks about the Panthers’ virtual offseason program

Watch him talk about this offseason with Colleen Wolfe from NFL Network.

This offseason has presented unprecedented challenges for NFL teams. New coaches like Matt Rhule haven’t been been able to meet their players as they prepare for the 2020 season, which is part of the reason the league is working on scrapping two preseason games.

One of the players who will be forced into a greater leadership role for the Panthers is linebacker Shaq Thompson. Watch him talk about this offseason with Colleen Wolfe from NFL Network.

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Bills’ Trey Adams predicted as impact-making UDFA

Buffalo Bills rookie UDFA offensive lineman Trey Adams named an ‘instant-impact UDFA’ by Bucky Brooks.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane admitted following the 2020 NFL Draft he tried to trade up to select an offensive lineman at some point, but failed to do so. This failure of sorts probably helped the Bills add someone who was recently given some very high praise.

Washington offensive lineman Trey Adams was once viewed as an early draft pick early in his college career, but he suffered an ACL injury in 2017 which set him way back. He proved last season he was healthy though, starting every game. In terms of what he can do on the field, Pro Football Focus ranked Adams as their 38th best available UDFA following the draft.

Now NFL Media’s Bucky Brooks has put the bar even higher now. Of all the undrafted rookie signings across the entire league, Brooks picked three that could make an impact as early as next season. Adams was among them.

Here’s Brooks’ breakdown on Adams:

“Trey Adams was a guy that man of us were expecting to be draft, but he some how fell through the cracks. You talk about a big-body tackle, who has length, he was toughness, he has the ability to move people off the ball in Buffalo, which should still continue to be a run-heavy system. He is going to be a great fit. And you think about being able to develop linemen, what you’re looking for are key traits… he has size, he has strength, he has power and that’s going to give him an opportunity to have success.”

Saying Adams will make an impact as a rookie is a pretty tall task. While perhaps talented, he’s coming into an O-line room that’s pretty packed at the top. All five starters for the Bills are returning on the line. However, the Bills should always take a best-man win approach. While Buffalo is hoping the continuity on offensive will help the unit improve, if someone’s better, they’re better.

In college, Adams was a tackle, but perhaps a move to the side could help on a personal level, and give him a chance to find a starting spot with the Bills. Buffalo already has some youth at their tackle spots with Dion Dawkins and Cody Ford, but on the interior of the O-line, Quinton Spain, Mitch Morse and Jon Feliciano are not old, but are not as young, either. Regardless, the Bills under head coach Sean McDermott have shown they love a versatile offensive lineman, so that would go a long way for Adams.

 

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NFL Network’s Mike Rob on Pats favorite over Bills: ‘Hell to the no’

NFL Network analyst Mike Rob on the Buffalo Bills, AFC East, Cam Newton, New England Patriots.

Over the course of the NFL offseason and really recent memory, NFL Network’s Mike Rob has been a big Buffalo Bills backer. Many have jumped on the Bills’ bandwagon this offseason, but now all of a sudden, some are starting to look for the exit.

The reason is Cam Newton. The Patriots added the former Panthers quarterback and some are predicting the Pats are now the favorite to win the AFC East once again. For most of this offseason, it’s been the Bills as the favorite.

Among those certainly not looking for the exit on the bandwagon is Rob. The NFL Network analyst went head-to-head with two others from the outlet, Mike Garafolo and Brian Baldinger. In a recent segment, those two went on to pick the Pats, but Rob insisted otherwise.

“Hell to the no,” Rob said. “No, no, no, no… no, and no again. The Buffalo Bills will still win the AFC East. C’mon, Bills Mafia, I know you’re out there with me.”

Rob goes on to credit three members of the Bills as the reasons why Buffalo will have the edge on New England and Newton. Player-wise, it’s safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Then Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott, who spent numerous years with Newton in Carolina, is also mentioned as a reason the Bills have the edge.

Check out the full segment from NFL Network’s NFL Total Access here:

 

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Peter Schrager: ‘I think there’s going to be a giant leap for Haskins in year two’

The NFL Network crew had some great things to say about Dwayne Haskins, expecting him to take a giant step forward in 2020.

Fans of the Washington Redskins have been tuned into the workings of the team for the entire 2020 offseason, so it’s not news to them to hear that quarterback Dwayne Haskins has shed some weight while picking up a leadership role in the locker room; that he’s spent his time outside of football attending rallies for Black Lives Matter and working to become a leader in the community as well.

While Redskins fans have seen this plenty across their timelines, the national media is starting to pick up what the second-year QB is putting down, and a bunch of them are starting to buy-in.

The roundtable on NFL Network’s ‘Good Morning Football’ recently discussed the improvement that Haskins has made this offseason, and Peter Schrager had a lot of ‘attaboy’s’ to offer.

“I’ve spoken to folks in the D.C. organization with the Redskins and it’s been astounding to me, hearing the rave reviews about Dwayne Haskins this offseason,” Schrager said. “The weight-loss is one thing; the leadership on Zoom is another thing. Then there’s somebody saying ‘Hey, I’m the face of the franchise.’ When the George Floyd murder occurred, everybody was looking, ‘What’s going to happen in the NFL, How’s this going to be handled?’ Dwayne Haskins went to Doug Williams, the first African-American quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, who is the VP with the Washington Redskins, and said ‘How can I make a difference? How can I go out and do something?’ Haskins then went out and attended the protest, and was a part of it. He was in the streets, and he was living and breathing it.”

While Haskins took a big part in standing up as a warrior against social injustice in the minority community, his work in the film and weight room has been just as impressive. You’ve all read the reports that he’s dropped 10 pounds this offseason alone and toned his body, shedding a layer of baby fat that was present in 2019; he’s also become a film junky who has stepped up in the QB room.

“This is his team, and Dwayne Haskins has taken this team under his wing this season,” Schrager said. “Stuff like him being the leader in the QB room and on Zoom, we roll our eyes at it but that matters when it’s Haskins who last year couldn’t get on the field because of Case Keenum and Colt McCoy. He is the No. 1 guy; he is the voice in the room, and I think there is going to be a giant leap for Haskins in year two, and a lot of it may be maturity and leadership off the field, which is as important as anything when you’re a young quarterback in the NFL.”

The biggest test for Haskins will come on the field, where he’s going to have to prove himself when it gets to be third down and long, and the team is relying on him to make a play. But with the confidence that he’s shown, and his willingness to tell those around him, ‘Hey, I’ve got this,’ I believe those will be converted more and more going forward.

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NFL Network analyst argues for Dolphins to start Tua Tagovailoa Week 1

NFL Network analyst argues for Dolphins to start Tua Tagovailoa Week 1

What to do with a rookie quarterback? That’s always a hot button topic. Start or sit? Protect them or throw them into the fire. If you over-expose them to the NFL game, you may scar them beyond repair. But if they are so easily influenced, were they ever really “the guy” to begin with?

There are no easy answers. But NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks supports the idea of teams tossing their rookies into the fray — including the Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa — from the jump. Why? His argument is centered around three key points.

You don’t learn from the sideline

This argument aligns with the point made by Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians — you don’t learn by holding the clipboard. Instead, as the starter a quarterback commands not only all of the game day reps but also all of the practice reps. Those repetitions are essential to acclimating to the speed of the NFL, according to Brooks. And you only get them once you become “the man” in the backfield.

The transition to the NFL has never been easier 

Speaking of acclimating to the speed of the game, Brooks refers to the current NFL landscape as the “golden era” of NFL quarterbacks due to the vast collection of college concepts in the game today. “Spread and shred”, as Brooks words it, allows young quarterbacks to assimilate to life as an NFL quarterback easier than ever before — mainly because they have had so much exposure to spacing concepts. The NFL was late to the game, but that will benefit the Miami Dolphins now that they’ve secured one of the more consistent and effective RPO passers in recent memory to pass through the NFL Draft process.

Economically responsible to get snaps on a rookie deal

Rookie quarterbacks are cheap. And to spend a year of paying a quarterback to not play, especially when a second contract will feature seven or eight times the annual average salary, is leaving a valuable year of development in a prime Super Bowl winning window on the table. The Dolphins won’t be one to compete for a championship in 2020 — that still feels a way off. But the groundwork set in 2020 could help see a deep postseason run materialize a year quicker than we would if Tagovailoa sits out his rookie year. That is, of course, according to Brooks’ point of view.

NFL Network: Falcons have 2 potential breakout players

It’s commonly believed that if a player doesn’t develop by their third year in the league, it may never happen.

Adapting to the NFL game takes time for all players, regardless of draft status, 40-yard dash time or how many bench reps they can do. It’s commonly believed that if a player doesn’t develop by their third year in the league, it may never happen.

Of course, there are always exceptions. For example, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones each played extremely well as rookies. In 2020, Atlanta will have two former first-round picks entering that crucial third year.

Wide receiver Calvin Ridley has made steady progress, but has yet to hit the 1,000-yard receiving milestone. Meanwhile, tight end Hayden Hurst hasn’t made much an impact over his first two years with the Ravens. Both players are expected to have major roles on the Falcons’ offense when the season begins.

During a segment on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football program, Ridley and Hurst were named as potential breakout candidates. Watch Nate Burleson and Mike Garafolo debate which Atlanta player’s stock is about to rise, as shared by GMFB’s Twitter account below.

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