Free agent DE Jadeveon Clowney’s search for a new team has to be hindered by his low sack production in 2019- which was 3, and Seattle finished tied for the second lowest number of sacks in the league, as a team. For a player billed as a premier pass rusher, he didn’t exactly create for himself or others. That’s hard to overcome. He has drawn interest, as of late- Cleveland made a strong offer but he turned them down, Seattle and Tennessee both remain interested, but only if the price is right and there were rumblings the Jets were interested. I think he is best suited back in Seattle where he knows the defense and getting more comfortable makes him more productive in year 2. Plus, they are a solid team which meets his criteria of playing for a playoff contender. Let’s face it, he overplayed his hand. These factors should lead him back to Seattle once the Covid-19 path for players to report clears.
Jets DS Jamal Adams- His demands for a new contract are falling on deaf ears except that the story continues to get a lot of media attention but let’s not lose track of the facts. 1. The Jets don’t have to trade him. 2. He doesn’t get to pick who he gets traded too even if they did elect to do so. 3. The Jets control his status for 2 more years and he has an already negotiated contract for those two years, per the CBA- that provides that 1st round picks can sign 5 year deals and are not obligated to tear that deal up. 4. The Jets also have a TAG available to them for year 6 that can be used to franchise him and protect their rights while paying him at an average of the top 5 at his position on that one year deal. Needless to say, Jamal can make this ugly by involving the media, which some players elect to do, but at the end of the day- He has to play for the Jets or not play at all. This is all part of the business of Pro Football. Some handle it better than others, not placing blame or picking a side, just saying. His leverage comes only with trying to keep the story in the media and pressure the Jets to see it his way. “Been there, done that”. Everyone’s tolerance level will be tested :/
COVID-19- NFL teams are trying to lock in policies and procedures for their teams to return to work and ready themselves for the season. We are going to have positive tests, not my opinion, just a fact. It’s happened some already (see the Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott). Until we can perfect the process of how to handle these and try to predict issues that these positive tests will cause, including the tracing mechanism, we can’t move forward. Also, teams must be given expanded “active” rosters and “practice squad rosters”. You might even have to have a holding pen of “trainers, equipment people, scouts” to act as pinch hitters when you have positive tests on those departments. Nonessential personnel can’t be around players, coaches and essential personnel. This is going to mean a lot of “lonely days” for a lot of people. Teams and leagues no doubt are brain storming all the possibilities- it’s like finding a vaccine and being in the clinical trials portion- that’s why it feels like we are still in a holding pattern and taking forever to move forward. Other sports, i.e. NBA, WNBA, NHL are all going thru this now. The good news is, the NFL can learn from these other leagues and even NCAA teams who are experiencing bunches of positive tests currently after recently restarting workouts. They have an advantage, just because of the way the calendar is laying out.☺
Fans can expect to see this next year, as well. The NFL as a whole, will kneel for the National Anthem next year. These teams are just that, TEAMS. This will all be worked out ahead of time. I would think leadership will all be on the same page. I’d look for players, coaches and sideline staff to kneel in unison and make it public that it’s about a protest to aid and reform/curb police brutality and other forms of racial injustice. Not meant as disrespect or to be unpatriotic but just as a joint message to affect change. I would hope that the agenda here will help to bring people together and not create factions or walls between teammates. Everyone will be on the same side in a unified way.
Kansas City should win the AFC West and be favored to repeat as Super Bowl Champs but here are the teams, in order that I think will give them a run for their money as Division winners. Just my opinion but after looking at rosters, offseason moves and scheduling here is how I see it.
New Orleans Saints -NFC South
Baltimore Ravens - AFC North
Green Bay Packers - NFC North
Dallas Cowboys - NFC East
Indianapolis Colts - AFC South
Seattle Seahawks - NFC West
Buffalo Bills - AFC East
* Next week I will post some more specifics on numbers that interest me that are associated with our friends in the dessert.