Tag: NFL Network

Philadelphia Eagles named a 2019 playoff team with the toughest road back

Eagles named a 2019 playoff team with the toughest road back

The Philadelphia Eagles won four straight ball-games to finish the 2019 NFL season at 9-7 on top of the NFC East as the division winner.

The Eagles would eventually bow out in the Wild Card round after another 17-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at home.

With free agency and the NFL draft now in the rearview mirror, the 2020 playoff picture is starting to take shape from a hypothetical standpoint.

NFL.com took a look at one AFC and one NFC team that made the tournament in 2019 but could have a tough time repeating their fortunes.

Former Patriots pass rusher and analyst, Willie McGinest dubbed the Philadelphia Eagles as a team that will have the hardest time returning to the playoffs.

Like so many others, McGinest harped on the Eagles limping into the playoffs last season, while not fully addressing the receiving corps until the NFL Draft.

With Darius Slay and Javon Hargrave as notable additions, plus the playoff format moving to 7 teams from each conference, the Eagles will have an interesting yet favorable journey ahead of them.

[lawrence-related id=634214,634204,634193]

[vertical-gallery id=633998]

Nate Burleson says Broncos are ‘in a great place’ with Drew Lock

Former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson thinks the Broncos have done a great job building around quarterback Drew Lock.

Last week, the ‘Good Morning Football’ crew on NFL Network discussed which second-year quarterbacks they are most excited to watch in 2020.

Former wide receiver Nate Burleson picked Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, who went 4-1 as a starter last season.

“The Broncos used their first two picks on wide receivers . . . then you add the fact that Courtland Sutton is literally just figuring out his powers . . . so now they have one of the youngest groups of wide receivers — guys that are still on their rookie deals — and you can build on that plus the quarterback,” Burleson said on NFL Network.

“I feel like the Broncos are in a great place over the next few years to start to add to what Drew Lock can potentially become in this league.”

In addition to Sutton, Lock will also have Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam, Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon to work with this season. Denver’s offense appears poised to have a breakout year.

[vertical-gallery id=639499]

Chargers’ Pep Hamilton gives first impression of QB Justin Herbert

Pep Hamilton is already working on improving some of Justin Herbert’s weaknesses from college.

The Chargers made two changes to the quarterback room this offseason. They drafted Justin Herbert in the first-round of this year’s draft, and followed that up with giving him a mentor by hiring Pep Hamilton to fulfill the duties as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

So what does Hamilton think of his new project? NFL Media’s Jim Trotter recently spoke with Hamilton to get an idea how Herbert is doing in (virtual) rookie minicamp thus far.

“I asked him [Hamilton], what did you learn about your quarterback about you didn’t know before? He said, ‘Look, we knew about his intelligence, we knew about his athletic gifts but what I didn’t know is how important football is to him.’

And he told me that with Justin, one of the things is he wants more. He wants to understand all the conceptual things behind a play design. He wants to know the why, as opposed to just the what. And Pep told me that’s important because you have to understand and see the big picture to succeed at the position,” Trotter said.

One of the things that Herbert struggled with in college was not seeing the entire field and being late to locate coverage. In Oregon’s system, he did benefit from pre-determined reads at times, but that will have to change at the next level.

To work on this, Hamilton has already given Herbert an assignment during the offseason training.

“What Hamilton told me is that he’s given Herbert an assignment. And he wants him to basically make a mental checklist of everything he goes through while watching NFL defenses.

Pep said, ‘when you see a little, you see a lot. When you see a lot, you don’t see anything’ and by that, what he means is that Herbert should be focusing on certain keys pre snap to know what a defense is going to do and what that coverage is going to be,” Trotter said.

Hamilton has worked with many NFL and some college quarterbacks, including Andrew Luck at Stanford and with the Colts. The Chargers are hopeful that he will help elevate Herbert’s game as he looks to be the long-term answer at the quarterback position.

NFL Network’s Mike Silver praises what the Khans are building

Some have been critical of the Khans during their time in the Jags’ from office, however, NFL Network’s Mike Silver likes what they’re done.

If there is one thing fans already know about the Jacksonville Jaguars it’s the fact that the team has more than enough critics. However, NFL Network’s Mike Silver is one of the few who believes in what the Khans are building — at least in the distant future.

The veteran writer joined Jags senior writer John Oehser for his latest episode of the “O-Zone Podcast” to discuss the Jags’ outlook. Unlike many of his other comrades in the field, Silver praised the Jags’ leaders in Shad and Tony Khan as the two have made some drastic personnel changes since 2019.

“I’m a big fan of what the Khans have done,” Silver told Oehser, later adding that the Khans are committed to winning.

“I know the Khans want to win and want to do it the right way, and I know their instincts are good,” Silver said. “I know they’ve made a lot of decisions for the right reasons. I think like any new owners in the NFL, sometimes they make decisions they think are right and say, ‘OK, maybe they’re not.'”

The Jags will look drastically different than the one fans watched in 2019 (on and off the field). They got rid of executive Tom Coughlin before the season could end after the NFLPA singled them out for the treatment of certain players. Afterward in the offseason, they released nose tackle Marcell Dareus, then traded veterans Calais Campbell, Nick Foles and A.J Bouye. Each move had its critics, but losing the aforementioned players made fans especially concerned about the teams management.

While many will disagree with Silver, he is one of the journalists who has followed the Jags closely over time and has covered the league for three decades. That being said, he’s seen more than enough football to form such an opinion of the Khans.

When going into details about some of the positives to take from 2019, Silver pointed out the Jags comeback victory against the Oakland Raiders, another team he watches closely.

“People looking at it from afar may not have appreciated how important those last few games were,” Silver said […] “Beating the Raiders in Oakland was not a small thing. That was a huge, huge, huge game thing for the Oakland Raiders. They really, really wanted that for the fans they were abandoning. It meant a lot to the coach and to the players.

“That was a pretty impressive thing for them [the Jaguars] to do, and then to win again at the end and to have Minshew look good […] They came out of that saying, ‘You know what? Maybe we have something to build around here.'”

Even dating back to general manager Dave Caldwell’s and coach Doug Marrone’s first offseason presser, it felt like the Jags thought there was something in Minshew as Silver stated. They stuck to the plan to build around him throughout the offseason, and in a matter of months, they will get to see if he’s the franchise’s guy (if there is football). If so, the Jags can get trending in the right direction and the Khans will be well off to proving their doubters wrong.

Larry Warford seeking about $7 million per year in free agency

The New Orleans Saints released Pro Bowl guard Larry Warford, who is looking to cash in on his opportunity in late-spring NFL free agency.

[jwplayer 1FVq3fON-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints cut ties with right guard Larry Warford, but it appears he’ll be landing on his feet with a new team in the near future. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Warford’s asking price is close to $7 million in annual earnings.

That’s comparable to what he would have earned from the Saints in 2020, between a $3.1 million base salary and a $4.375 million signing bonus. New Orleans was able to recoup $7.75 million after releasing Warford, whose salary cap charge had ranked second-highest on the team.

As for where he might play next: the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears were each initially linked to Warford, but just about every team in the league should have some level of interest in adding him. It’s all the more frustrating that the Saints were unable to find a trade partner for him, but suitors must have been unwilling to give up a draft pick on top of paying his high salary. Keep an eye on this situation as it develops further.

[lawrence-related id=33434,33428]

[vertical-gallery id=33239]

Bill Belichick will appear on NFL Network’s schedule release and may bring a friend

The coach and his dog may stop by the show.

As the world is seemingly at a standstill, the NFL is still planning on having a season come September. While it’s already a unique with the move to digital offseason activities, the league is preparing the season as they normally would.

NFL Network’s schedule-release show begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. As the name implies, all teams and fans will officially learn their week-to-week match-ups for the upcoming season. The show, which is set to be three hours in duration, will have representatives from 24 teams joining the broadcast including players, general managers and coaches.

From New England, coach Bill Belichick will be appearing in some capacity, according to the list tweeted out by NFL Media.

The last time Belichick was seen was in his virtual war room on Nantucket during the draft. There, he was accompanied by his dog, Nike, who gained quite a following after his appearance.

The NFL put in a request to have Nike featured on their program, according to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal.

Senior VP of programming and production for NFL Media Mark Quenzel confirmed the request to the Sports Business Journal.

“Yes we made a request for the dog,” Quenzel said. “We don’t know if we’re going to get the dog. The dog may be the star of the whole darn show.”

It’s not clear if Nike will actually make an appearance on the show, but the head coach will be there. That should be incentive enough to tune in, adding Nike would just be the icing on the cake.

[vertical-gallery id=86136]

NFL Schedule Release ’20, NFL Team Schedules, TV Channel, Live Stream, How to Watch

The NFL will be releasing all team schedules tonight in a three-hour television spectacular on the NFL Network.

It’s that time again when the NFL will be releasing all team schedules tonight in a three-hour television spectacular on the NFL Network. The league will release the full 17-week, 256 game schedule tonight and are hopeful to have the season start on time.

NFL Schedule Release ’20

  • Date: Thursday, May 7, 2020
  • Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
  • TV: NFL Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Roger Goodell has announced that he will be allowing clubs to release their individual schedules a half hour before the show starts. As always there will be leaks throughout the day, but we won’t know fully until the league releases each team’s schedule this evening.

The schedule release show will analyze all 32 teams and profile the best matchups for opening day. They will discuss offseason moves for each team and how they see next season panning out.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.

Jaguars come in dead last spot of NFL Network’s post-draft power rankings

The Jags continue to get no love despite a solid 2020 NFL Draft haul.

With the 2020 NFL Draft in the books, the Jacksonville Jaguars continue to get no love from the national media. Despite landing solid draft grades, many aren’t high on their chances to make some noise in the regular season as they try and rise from the cellar of the AFC South.

Those sentiments apply for NFL.com as the Jags came in the last spot of their most recent post-draft power rankings by Dan Hanzus. Below is what he had to say about the Jags who went heavy on the defensive side last week:

32. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars are starting over, and the draft focused on defense at the top. Cornerback CJ Henderson (No. 9 overall) is an important add to a secondary that lost both Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye over the course of six months. K’Lavon Chaisson, selected 20th overall, was one of the best pass rushers in this class and could fill the void if/when the team finds a trade suitor for Yannick Ngakoue. The Jags did not select a quarterback with any of their nine picks in the first five rounds, more evidence that Gardner Minshew will get a full-season audition to be The Man. 2020 will be an audition for a lot of people in Jacksonville.

While the Jags situation feels like a rebuild, there are some parts of the team that state that may not necessarily be the case. A prime example is keeping their offensive line intact and electing not to add any new starters on the unit. While their actions to part ways with several veterans would state differently, those moves could also be viewed as the team simply wanting to reallocate money, as insider Ian Rapoport put it to us.

As for Minshew, he’s right, 2020 is a trial year for him. After going 6-6 as a starter last season, he certainly earned his shot and if he continues to improve as he did in 2019, the Jags could have something in him.

As for the lack of love the Jags are getting, one can’t certainly blame the media. At the same time, it’s really hard to envision the Jags acquiring the worst record in football after seeing how Minshew and their 2019 class fared and the success the 2020 class could have, too.

Will Bill O’Brien be the reason the Texans repeat as AFC South champions?

“Good Morning Football” had to answer who would win the AFC South, and the Houston Texans seemed to be a safe bet because of Bill O’Brien.

[jwplayer PlhI5Q4d]

The AFC South is up for grabs in 2020 with the Tennessee Titans back-dooring their way to the AFC Championship Game while the division champions, the Houston Texans, stalled out in the divisional round.

On the Friday edition of “Good Morning Football,” the panel kicked around the question of who would win the AFC South in 2020. Peter Schrager, who was impressed with the Titans’ playoff run, said that he still likes Houston. Schrager also implied that one of the reasons the Texans would repeat is because of the leadership of Bill O’Brien.

“I will give the nod to the Houston Texans right now, and Bill O’Brien has been parodied as some clown this offseason because he traded DeAndre Hopkins,” Schrager said. “Look, Bill O’Brien has been around football long time. He’s been around Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and those guys. He knows what works in a locker room. He knows what he’s looking for. Does it seem like he’s got too much power because he’s the coach, he’s the GM, and he dictates all the personnel moves as well? Well, as long as they are going to the playoffs every season and as long as they are winning, I feel like Bill O’Brien is going to have that position there.”

Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair mentioned in late January that one of the reasons the club decided to give the full-time general manager duties to O’Brien was because of the progress the team showed in repeating as division champions from a season ago and adding a wild-card playoff win at NRG Stadium. Since the disastrous 4-12 season, technically, the Texans have done nothing but improve under O’Brien, though the progress has been one step at a time and not journeying through some football success wormhole as the Titans have done.

“So, I would say they are the team to beat in the division because they are the reigning champions for the past two seasons,” said Schrager. “DeAndre Hopkins or not, they seem to be getting into those games in January, and last year had a 24-0 lead in Kansas City before the Chiefs came roaring back. So, yes, I will say that, even though I love what Tennessee did last January.”

[vertical-gallery id=48893]

Could the Texans play on Saturdays this fall?

The Houston Texans could play more Saturday games this fall if college football postpones its season and Saturdays in the fall are free for the NFL.

[jwplayer lDoAGgGZ]

The Houston Texans could play part of their regular season slate on a handful of Saturdays in 2020.

According to a report from the New York Post via the Touchdown Wire, the NFL is exploring the possibility of playing games on Saturdays if college football decides to postpone its season due to complications from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though the NFL would like to keep the majority of its games played on Sundays, there is a possibility the league could take advantage of Saturdays and have tripleheader action, akin to what occurred in Week 16 when the Texans kicked off a three-game slate on NFL Network.

The NFL could go to more extremes if Saturday is freed up for its whole season. It could have a triple-header with games at 1 p.m., 4:30 and 8, or just have one Saturday game of the week.

… It is an interesting idea that won’t be resolved when the schedule is announced by May 9, but the NFL likely will give itself some flexibility.

If the NFL decides to play games on Saturday, because of an absence of college football, it would give the Texans the chance to pad their stellar Saturday regular season record. Houston is 3-1 on Saturdays with the lone loss coming in the 2005 season in a 38-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16 at then-Reliant Stadium.

[vertical-gallery id=47435]