Tag: timeline

Timeline for Chiefs-Bengals AFC Championship Game

All the important game information for fans set to attend the #Chiefs – #Bengals AFC title game on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to host the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday, Jan. 29, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship Game.

Below you’ll find important fan information, including a look at the team’s timeline ahead of kickoff.

Report: Michael Thomas working to return within 2 to 4 weeks

The New Orleans Saints will be without star wide receiver Michael Thomas while he recovers from an ankle injury for the next 2 to 4 weeks.

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Despite some early-week optimism that wide receiver Michael Thomas could battle through a high-ankle injury (reports differ on whether he suffered a full-on sprain) and join the New Orleans Saints in their Week 2 kickoff with the Las Vegas Raiders, he was ruled out on the final injury report. But he’s determined to get back on the field as soon as his body (and Saints team doctors) will allow it, and the latest report from NFL Network suggests his return could come quickly.

“My understanding is he saw a second opinion on his high-ankle injury and was told he is out two to four weeks,” said NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “So a little less than usual, which means he probably has an outside shot at maybe playing against the Packers, but could potentially return against the Lions [in Week 4].”

The Saints will face the 2-0 Green Bay Packers on “Sunday Night Football” next week, and they’d likely love to have him on hand. The other end of this projection would have Thomas missing four full weeks, returning after the Saints’ Week 6 bye for a game with the vulnerable Carolina Panthers defense.

But until he’s given the green light to return, New Orleans must rely on a combination of veteran weapons like running back Alvin Kamara, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, and tight end Jared Cook.

They also have some younger, still-developing options on the roster like wide receivers Tre’Quan Smith and Deonte Harris, and rookie tight end Adam Trautman. Don’t forget about former Packers pass-catcher Ty Montgomery, too. That’s more than some teams can say. Hopefully everyone can help Drew Brees hold down the fort until Thomas is back on top of the depth chart.

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Superdome renovations, naming rights sponsor search not slowed by Covid-19

The New Orleans Saints are renovating the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and recruiting new naming-rights sponsor despite the Covid-19 coronavirus.

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The New Orleans Saints have played games inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for nearly a decade, but their home stadium will wear a different name after the 2021 season.

As first reported by Nola.com’s Jeff Nowak last year, Mercedes-Benz’s 10-year naming-rights sponsorship with the Superdome will soon expire. And the Saints are busy recruiting new partners for one of the most iconic venues in American sports.

Forbes reports that an internal memo stresses a desire for regional benefits tied to a new sponsor’s cooperation, such as a “Hurricane Preparedness Pep Rally” planned to help residents stockpile supplies before the summer storm season. The Saints are always active in their community outreach, and they clearly plan to increase those efforts once they’ve acquired more resources.

Meanwhile, the Superdome itself is having some work done under the hood. A $450 million renovation and expansion project is in the works, designed at easing congestion for fans exiting the stadium and improving behind-the-scenes logistics like new service elevators and food preparation facilities. The most noticeable change for fans watching from home might be the addition of field-level box seating near the end zones, which can be seen in other stadiums around the NFL.

That work began immediately after the LSU Tigers’ victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and it hasn’t been impeded by the novel coronavirus pandemic. WDSU-New Orleans reports that construction is moving ahead on schedule, with different phases of activity planned around the upcoming Saints seasons, the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, and landmark music festivals like Essence Fest.

While it’s unfortunate that many of these events have been postponed or canceled while the country’s healthcare system combats the coronavirus, this might be an opportunity for the Superdome renovations to move a little quicker with fewer stops and starts. Maybe it’ll all wrap up ahead of the stated goal: 2024’s Super Bowl LVIII, the next NFL title game hosted by New Orleans.

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Report: Sheldon Rankins on track to be ready for Saints training camp

The New Orleans Saints reportedly expect to see defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, an injured co-starter, on the field for training camp.

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Here’s a big piece of offseason news for New Orleans Saints fans: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is working towards a training camp return from surgery last December. This was the third lower-leg injury Rankins has suffered in his first four years in the NFL, and this report suggests an answer for why Rankins has struggled so much with Achilles tendon issues.

Underhill also reported that Rankins deals with Haglund’s Deformity, basically an enlarged bone spur on the heel that puts added tension on the Achilles tendon. That constant irritation results in athletes who are more prone to rupturing that tendon, which Rankins experienced late in the 2018 season. In 2019, the Saints medical staff noticed that his other leg was at heightened risk for the same injury, and recommended he undergo preventative surgery.

Because Rankins chose to go under the knife again so soon rather than after the season, he’s benefiting from both that decision and the abbreviated recovery timeline that follows this procedure (as opposed to a full-on ruptured tendon). It all means that he should be back in action when the Saints meet for training camp, which usually kicks off in late July but may be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a situation to watch out for.

So what does this mean for Rankins’ role in 2020? If everything goes the way it’s supposed to, he should again play as a co-starter with David Onyemata at the three-technique position, seeing about 30 to 38 snaps each week. That leaves plenty of room for nose tackle Malcom Brown and backups like Shy Tuttle and Mario Edwards to rotate into the game.

But if Rankins suffers another setback or is outplayed in training camp by another lineman, it’s possible he ends up seeing a reduced role. The Saints have enough depth up front to where he shouldn’t start ahead of a better player just because of his draft status or the success he found several years ago. In a contract year and with his injury history, it’s time he stood out for the right reasons.

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NFL extends tag deadline until after CBA vote, countdown begins

It appears the NFL now has a firm schedule for the beginning of the new league year, the ratification of the proposed new CBA and the all-important to the Dallas Cowboys law regarding the use of one or two restrictive tags available to use on …

It appears the NFL now has a firm schedule for the beginning of the new league year, the ratification of the proposed new CBA and the all-important to the Dallas Cowboys law regarding the use of one or two restrictive tags available to use on pending free agents.

On Tuesday morning, the NFL and NFLPA made a joint agreement to extend the franchise and transition tag deadlines once again. Already moved once, the sides are doing what they can to adjust to the ever-changing landscape surrounding the player’s vote on the new collective bargaining agreement.

On Monday, the NFLPA extended the voting window for the players, which has to have 50%-plus-1 approval to ratify the league’s proposal. That window for all votes to be tallied is now Saturday, March 14 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

As new understanding of the CBA’s finer points have been realized, several players have petitioned the NFLPA’s executive board to re-cast their votes, but those requests have been denied. The NFLPA is also going to be holding elections.

More to come.

If the NFL offseason seems a bit longer this year, it’s because it is

There is such a thing as story fatigue. We can only review where Tom Brady is going to end up so many times until all the angles are covered. That’s been one of the consistent stories of this offseason and by consistent that means it’s been about …

There is such a thing as story fatigue. We can only review where Tom Brady is going to end up so many times until all the angles are covered. That’s been one of the consistent stories of this offseason and by consistent that means it’s been about the only thing major that’s been talked about for weeks now. The thing is, people love the NFL. They can’t get enough NFL talk, articles, takes, and Twitter posts. The fact that Tom Brady’s impending free agency is a huge focus when the NBA is in the full throes of a playoff race, NCAA basketball is hitting conference tournament time, MLS is starting, MLB teams are gearing up for the regular season, and the NHL is getting close to its playoffs, is a testament to how strong and popular the NFL is today. It just seems like this offseason is lasting a lot longer than normal. Let’s get on with the free agency period, franchise tags, and really delve into the draft.

There’s good news for those who think this dead time is dragging. That’s the fact that this year, the NFL added an extra week to its calendar. That means for the next 11 days, there won’t be much real news or real action. It was designed that way.

The NFL needed to figure out a way to own the entire calendar and the easiest way to do that was to push free agency back a bit and extend the calendar. They did exactly that, and it’s played out perfectly.

So if you’re sick of Tom Brady news or the latest tidbit on the CBA, there’s good news: it’s coming to an end on March 16. After that free agency should provide enough content along with the latest draft projections and news. Once we get to the draft, there’s a bit more downtime, but we all need a break at some point. The real problem for the NFL will be next year if there’s nothing major to fill the dead time. The last thing the league wants is people taking time off. They don’t want the NBA to catch momentum. They don’t want eyeballs anywhere else but on NFL content.

By the way, if you do need content, there’s a bunch of interesting stuff here. We have Mark Schofield’s latest mock draft. There are 20 things we learned from the combine from Doug Farrar. There’s in-depth football content to be had and its location is pretty easy to find. Yes, ESPN, Fox, and NFL Network may be pushing the latest Tom Brady conjecture, but that won’t mean anything in 11 days when a decision is probably made. It’s fine. Draft season is upon us. Football content is coming. It’s exactly how the NFL designed things.