ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Most coaches and players are fine with the way the camp has evolved over the past decade or so, moving away from remote college campuses and back to regular facilities team practices. For coaches, there is simply too much infrastructure to relocate a football operation – from technology to weight room amenities and sports science resources. For players, it’s easier, and more comfortable, at home.
So you can call Patrick Mahomes an outlier on this one too.
He likes that the Chiefs are stuck in a remote location an hour north of downtown Kansas City, and that’s not why he misses his days as a freshman in Lubbock, Texas. There are very functional reasons.
And it’s pretty clear every day at the sixth camp of his rewarding career in Canton. Andy Reid effectively runs the show here. The players practice in the morning, meet, watch the tape, then come back out for a walk. After that come special team meetings, when, traditionally, you’d find the older vets and quarterbacks who don’t have to attend treatment, getting a lift in or just going back to the dorms to rest.
“You’re starting to see when special teams starts and even finishes, Pat goes into the room with Travis [Kelce], JuJu [Smith-Schuster], MVS [Marquez Valdes-Scantling], and says, We’re going to watch on more. tape,” Chiefs GM Brett Veach said after a recent practice. “That’s just the growth of the leader.”
Mahomes has found leadership opportunities this summer, and not just in training camp.
In some ways, Mahomes is the same man he was when he reported to Missouri Western State last summer — one of the best players in the NFL, coming to fulfill his birthright over his four years. as a starting quarterback and compete for a championship. In other ways, he, and so much around him, is different now than then.
This year, we all get Mahomes 2.0, and that, as I see it anyway, looks like one of the most underrated storylines this NFL summer.
And that’s why what Mahomes loves about coming here is so important. Because the reasons Mahomes is so excited to be here, and to be rolling with a very different offense around him, are really critical, in his mind, to where he’s going.
“We get on that same page, and I think that’s why it’s special to be here in St. Louis. Joe—because it’s different,” he said, in a quiet moment after practice. “Dorm rooms are a bit dirty to sleep in. But at the same time, you’re with these guys all day every day, and you build those relationships, and you know when you come to game day, you know exactly what they’re into. . will do.”
For the past four years, the rest of the NFL had a pretty good idea what Mahomes would do and everyone was powerless to stop him. If things go as planned here, now, they will have to prepare for something else entirely. That’s a scary thought, even without Tyreek Hill on the roster.
Wilson: Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports; Mahomes: Jamie Sabau/USA TODAY Sports; White: Mike Dinovo/USA TODAY Sports
Seventeen camps down, and I’m back home for a few, with a whole notebook to pour you guys in the column. In this week’s MMQB column, we…
• Dive into the growing relationship between Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett.
• Why the Chargers have changed more than you think in two years under Brandon Staley.
• How James White is unique, and the Patriots’ Super Bowl LI hero is walking away from the NFL.
But we’re starting with Mahomes, now a month short of his 27th birthday, and in a different place than he was.
During my day at St. Joseph, in the context of Mahomes, I was made aware of how different it is for the son of a football player growing up than it is for the son of a football player. The division? A football player’s kids are rarely in the locker room, except maybe for a few minutes after games. On the other hand, the son of a baseball player can be very much in the clubhouse because there are so many players and the atmosphere is so calm.
His contribution to that was a big one for Mahomes, over his dad’s 12 years pitching for the Twins, Mets, Red Sox, Rangers, Cubs and Pirates, many. And there was one lesson in particular that he took from that time that he has really enjoyed over the past year, as he gradually moves from one stage of his career.
“I mean, those guys never wanted to find ways to get better,” Mahomes said. “Even Derek Jeter, A-Rod [Alex Rodriguez], all those guys. And so I think, yeah, it’s a different sport but the same thing – you can be at the top, and if you’re not finding a way to improve, people are going to catch you.”
And more than the fact that those guys kept working, he saw how the great ones were doing it.
“The biggest thing I saw,” he continued, “I remember being at the stadium three and a half hours before the game and I went down to the cages to hit, and I saw A-Rod hit warm And I remember when I was young, I was like, ‘I’m not hitting off the tee. I want my dad to throw me every single time.” And he’s in there hitting the tee by himself. Those little things are something that have stayed with me throughout my life.”
Last year, as Mahomes and I discussed back in March, the 2018 NFL MVP and four-time Pro Bowler was educated on how that singular quality can be—obsessed with finding a way to stay. lead the opposition – make or break a season. .
Prior to his fifth NFL season, Mahomes had never had consecutive games with a passer rating below 80. It happened five times in a six-game stretch in 2021, and six times in an eight-game stretch, one that began with Week 1. 5 losses for the Bills all the way into December. The obvious question followed: Did Mahomes know about the NFL?
The truth was important for Mahomes to tackle. Because there was actually a blueprint that was being drawn to fight the Taoiseach. In fact, Kansas City has been the target of a league-wide trend to play with two tall safeties, to slow down offenses built more on the big strike, and, as the three-inning numbers showed last fall, it was . actually working for a while.
“A lot of single-safety-center his first few years, zone and mainly man [coverage] — different types of man, just a man,” Reid said. “And then in the last few years, it’s this shell casing. So variations on it, and he’s just embraced it and tried to distribute it all. There probably isn’t much he can see that he hasn’t already seen in some combination. And when you show him something, he’ll study it and look at it and look at it and look at it.
“And that’s the way it’s wired. So I think the last few years have been great for him.”
But it wasn’t always great.
Mahomes admitted to me earlier in the season that he got jittery inside the pocket as teams forced him to be a more patient, thoughtful player and challenged him to lead his offense on 10-, 12- and 14-point drives. play to reach the end zone. , rather than relying on big shots down the field to shorten the process of getting the ball over the goal line. The thing is, even going forward, Mahomes knew the experience would pay off.
That’s already been found to be true of how things turned out down the stretch last year — Mahomes had a passer rating in the top 105 in four of last season’s five regular season games and his first two playoff games while posting 20-. 2 TD-INT ratio over that seven game run. He did it by learning to take what the defense gave him and knock it down more consistently to make defenses pay for their favors playing in other ZIP codes.
Which laid the foundation for where he and the Taoiseach are going in 2022.
Hill was Mahomes’ primary wide receiver for his first four seasons as a starter.
All you need to know about Reid’s confidence in Mahomes is this: He gave the quarterback his blessing to essentially run the first phase of the team’s offseason program — the first two of nine weeks in April, May and June where coaches can work. with players—for the Chiefs’ skill players down in the Dallas area.
The concept is logical. The players can’t do any on-field football work during that phase of the offseason program, and Mahomes wanted to build chemistry and rapport between the lines with new guys, like Smith-Schuster and Valdes-Scantling. Doing it this way would give the players a few weeks on the grass with their teammates that they wouldn’t otherwise have, because of the rules.
But it’s not the same as a coach signing to let it happen, especially when you consider how other job groups would view it. So Reid’s approval meant he was comfortable handing Mahomes the lead, for a few weeks anyway, and also believed the locker room’s respect for Mahomes would ensure he wouldn’t cause any problems. with those who were there. there.
“And even though he’s accomplished so much and has the contract,” Veach said, when I brought it up. “The fact that he doesn’t take anything for granted, and because he knows these little details in everything you do, they’re going to pay off in the end, especially this year they have a new receiver room . I don’t think there’s any element of, Hey, even though I’ve achieved all of this, accepting any part of it.”
It feels a little more like the opposite, really—like last year’s ups and downs, and losing Hill, it just gave him something else to prove.
Part of that has to do with his own performance, of course, and how it fits with what he’s already achieved with Hill and a band of track-star types around him over the past four years. Another one, he knows, will show how he can help the players integrate new skills into the offense, a task he and his teammates went through last year with a blown-and-rebuilt lineup. At least he understands who is running to make it work.
That would be the guy with the almost half-a-billion dollar contract.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s my job to show how we practice and show how we do things here,” he said. “And it’s different than a lot of other places. We are practicing fast. We get a lot of reps in. And I think the best thing about the guys we brought in is that they’re smart. They ask the right questions. They’re always asking questions about every single route, and you see that out there today. We talk about things right on the sidelines right after the game, and they ask what I want, and I ask what they’re thinking.”
And that’s where last year’s experience begins, too. Teams preparing to slow down explosives from Hill didn’t just force Mahomes to look down last year. It also forced him to look away from Hill.
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The result was, by the end of the year, going from playing the position almost like a shooting guard to playing like he was running the point. In the epic win over the Bills, Hill and Kelce certainly got theirs, but Jerick McKinnon and Byron Pringle also had five catches each. The week before, in the wild card win over the Steelers, Mahomes had six great skill players with at least four catches, and only one of them with six (and that one was McKinnon, not Kelce or Hill).
When did the Leaders finally go down? Kelce and Hill had a combined 17 catches, and no one else had more than three. So, going through all that, the good and bad growth, forced from Mahomes, and he is now even seeing it show up in the way he practices.
“My decision-making is quicker, being able to get the ball out of my hand,” he said. “Obviously, when we’ve had guys like Tyreek, you’re always looking for that game. And if you had it, you would take it. But when you get rolling coverage of defenses, like what they’ve been doing in training camp, especially going deep, it’s just getting through to the second and third reads and getting the ball off my hand and let guys make plays. .
“The thing about this adopted core that we have — it’s deep. There are guys everywhere. So there isn’t one you’re aiming for every time. You’re just making reads, making the right decision and letting those guys make plays.”
The Mahomes should do better individually, and the Taoiseach, in the end, collectively better as well.
With all this established, this only comes together if Mahomes is getting better on his own – and those here have little doubt that the kid coming into the league was criticized for being raw coming from The Texas Tech Air Raid offense did just that. .
Because of all the off-field passing camps and kumbaya training camp moments, for Mahomes to lead a more balanced offense at the NFL level, he needed to be a more developed quarterback.
“I think it’s a big part of that as a quarterback, their maturity in the offense and then for them to speak it, because he’s done it,” Reid said. “He’s done it live now against most of the different covers, so I want to hear it, I want the players to hear what he’s thinking. I think that is important. So we do that. And I try to do it with all the quarterbacks, but with our two older guys, it helps.
That’s where Mahomes’ own development came into play – in order for him to be able to make the offense his own, and truly speaking, he needed to be able to master the reasons for each call and the how they were determined to do whatever the defense wanted to do. make him
“I’m a lot better at identifying coverages and knowing where to get the ball out and when to get the ball out in certain situations,” he said. “I think when I was a little younger, I knew what the progression was, but I just wanted to go through that progression and throw the ball to whoever was open. I wasn’t necessarily looking at coverage, seeing what the defense was doing, doing all that different stuff.
“There’s a happy medium I have to find where I’ve seen some things sometimes. I feel like I get through my reads almost too quickly, because I know what the defense is going to do. But at the same time, they are not always right. So you want to make sure you’re going through your studies and giving everyone a chance. And that’s something I’ve struggled with, how to be aggressive and not be too aggressive.”
Then Mahomes brought up an incident last year in which he defended himself for a potential touchdown in a September game against the Chargers, a few weeks before he hit his midseason slump, and just as defenses were starting to play back on him and his Arsenal of major. play receivers.
Quickly, after the jump, he recognized that the defense was focused to prevent a shot down the field. So quickly, he dismissed the idea of a person being there. So, as he would find out watching the tape later, it was a missed opportunity.
“They were playing two types of coverage high. I thought Tyrone had no way open, because why would it be open?” Mahomes said. “He was running a little bit, we call it a circle post, where he fakes like he’s going out and back up. And the safety drove the linebacker, which he wasn’t supposed to do. But I had already given up because I had already decided that was to be covered.
“So those are things that I feel like I don’t ever want to take away from the attack. I think that’s what makes me who I am. I am aggressive. I’ll take the chances. So he’s able to recognize covers and go through my decisions quickly, but not too quickly.”
And so in the same way that he used practice to work on being a distributor rather than a gunner at the position, he is also constantly using it to test his limits.
With his coach’s blessing – “Coach Reid gives me the freedom to try everything” – he could try something that wouldn’t be recommended by the book during camp so that by the time he’s written his own book the season begins. Because there’s a science to playing quarterback, as Mahomes sees it, there was an art to finding a way to straddle that line between progressing in a traditional way and keeping everything that made the unconventional parts of his games so that’s tough. protect even the best series of defenses.
“Maybe it’s a practice choice. Not the one I threw in the end zone today — it was bad,” he said, laughing. “But there might be an option in practice, where he wants me to try to throw those deep ones whenever we get those chances because those are the ones that will change football games. At the same time, when the defense drops back and it’s third-and-4 and I throw to halfback and we get a first down, he knows those situations as well.
“So it is to be aggressive whenever you can be aggressive, but at the same time, I know the situation to move the chains.”
How much progress is he making in achieving that balance? He is going there.
Tom Brady has been in the NFL since Mahomes was in preschool. Aaron Rodgers was drafted while finishing third grade. When fellow Texan Matthew Stafford was drafted No. 1, he was in secondary school. So, yes, of course he watches them—“I always am. I’ve always looked at boys like that. Like early, I looked at Stafford, Aaron and Tom. And now, I watch guys like Josh [Allen], I still watch Aaron. I look up to Dak [Prescott] a lot.”
Which brings him to the broad strokes of where his game is going, and why he knows the work he’s done this offseason won’t be done for him as a quarterback, as much as it gives him a shot to stay ahead of so many others at a. post.
“I think even Tom would say this; You can always get better at reading coverage, finding ways to get the ball out of your hand and get it to the right guy even faster,” he said, before pausing and adding. “But I think the next thing is to go out and win football games. At the end of the day, we’ve won a lot of football games here, but let’s just say we wanted to win more Super Bowls than we already have.
“And I think everyone is like that. There’s only one winner every year, but I’m going to find ways to win football games, no matter the situation, which is what I’m going to try to do this year.”
That describes a rather complex process that has been imposed on itself.
But in a way, as – Herm Edwards said – it’s a perfect reflection of why he’s so excited to take on a bigger leadership role this season, why he’s pumped to add new layers to his game and why it really is. he loves being on some college campus on the edge of Machairmore so much.
That’s also why Veach is so confident that Mahomes, along with Reid, is going to use what he’s seen over the past year to make himself more complete, and even more dangerous, as a quarterback.
“They’re going to put these people in a position where they might have a situation where it was, okay, Tyrone was a primary school in these six ways; now, it could be the same six concepts, it will be JuJu in that role on both, MVS on both and Mecole [Hardman] on both,” said Veach. “And together they will get the spot that’s sweet.”
As a result, with the knowledge that Mahomes can work both situations, he and his team have an advantage as well. “That’s the cool thing; we don’t have to go out there and find specific players for Pat, because he can play any style of football with any type of receiver.” Which, as Veach sees it, is a credit not only to Mahomes being able to do things with football that no one else can do, but also to whoever is pulling his receivers into a meeting room when they could otherwise expect some downtime in a dorm. room.
“It’s his DNA,” Veach continued. “Some people are blessed like that; they are wired that way. You wish all your guys were like that. He already has a Hall of Fame resume, but you wouldn’t know it if you came here. You’d think it’s just begun. It is true. I know for sure that we do not take it for granted, because that is not everywhere; that’s not every player. But that’s who he is. It’s great for one, from the coaching staff’s point of view. And it’s really exciting for my team and our organization in general.
And it’s pretty clear, to the people here, anyway, that being a leader will be a big part of Mahomes taking his game wherever he goes.
About where is that? Buckle up.
After 10 years in Seattle, Wilson is starting over with a new coach and a new system.
Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports
THE ROOTS OF DENVER’S CO-OP OFFENSE
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Give this to Russell Wilson: He’s not playing the aw, shucks game in his new home. On the same subject : JUL-AUG 2022 – Music – The Brooklyn Rail. That was made abundantly clear to me when I asked him about the race he’s moving into in his new home, where John Elway and Peyton Manning once played in Denver.
“That’s why I play the game, man,” he told me. “I play the game to win. I also play the game to be iconic. The first 10 years were great, let’s make the next 10 years even better.”
From the outside looking in, there’s a lot about this that feels like a different marriage than the one Wilson walked away from in Seattle. As a Seahawk, he came in as an underdog and the missing piece for a young, rising roster that needed to be effective and move the chains to become a true contender. In Denver, he’s viewed as the missing piece in a different way — with the hope that he can be a guide to a rapidly improving young core.
Then there is a link with the coach. Wilson got to Seattle two years after defensive end Pete Carroll arrived, and Carroll had 15 seasons of head coaching experience, at that point, at four different positions on the bench. Instead, he now lands in Denver with Nathaniel Hackett, who has a background in offense and is a first-time head coach.
And Wilson, as we talked, was very careful not to say that anything was better than it was before. “It’s not about anybody else, it’s about us, it’s about us this year,” he said. But, again, it’s different, and a lot of that starts with what he and Hackett have accomplished over the past five months as they try to build the right offense.
In that way, this is really pretty much what Wilson wanted forever, a kind of equity share in the construction of the scheme that has always been guys like Manning and Tom Brady. Wanting that, of course, is one thing. A coach involved in the idea is another idea, and Hackett certainly doesn’t just pay lip service to including Wilson in every part of the build. He believes in doing it that way, especially after working with Aaron Rodgers for the past four years in Green Bay.
This is Wilson’s show, the same as Hackett’s. And the idea is, after those five months of work, to blend those two things more tightly so that no one can tell the difference.
“We’ve gone over and over everything we’re doing, from the whole playbook we put together, to making sure everything he’s done or is comfortable with or would want to do [he is accounted for],” Hackett said. “That’s our main focus: What is Russ trying to do? And now he’s kind of focused on what the guys around him can do. Where can we die? What can we pass? What can we pass? But yeah, everything in my world is 100% based on him.
“Russell likes it, Russell wants it, we’re probably doing it.”
It took a lot of work together, of course, and for Hackett he not only wanted to learn Wilson, but to find out more about how he learns.
That’s a big reason why there’s a man named John Vieira in the building. Vieira has known Hackett since college — he now says Denver defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, a UC Davis teammate, was his “football buddy” and Vieira was his “neurobiology buddy.” Vieira went on to become a high school teacher in the South, and in recent years her conversations with Hackett began to focus on teaching methods and how children learn.
Conversations naturally turned into Vieira eventually becoming a critical part of how Hackett would build and sell his offense, with things taking off during the early days of COVID-19, when that build and sell to happen over Zoom as Hackett retires from his first year. with the Packers.
“Then it started building, building,” Hackett said. “And then when Matt [LaFleur] said, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but go ahead and do it; all hell broke loose.”
The Green Bay results led to Hackett’s plans to bring Vieira with him whenever he got his shot at being the head coach – Hackett raised his name in interviews – and that’s exactly what happened. Vieira pulled up stakes and moved to Denver, where he holds the title of “assistant to the head coach,” but is more often referred to by his boss and friend as the Broncos’ instructional designer.
“It’s just about giving [the players] the wow factor every time you go out there,” Hackett said. “And it’s hard, because you have to keep that thing up as a coach. But that’s why he’s here. … It is How many different ways can you do that? It is essential to have an in-house man to build it, who understands some football, who understands the art of teaching. That’s why he’s here. It is brilliant.”
What they have learned about Wilson, after all, is that he wants a reason for everything. And so while so many of those hours between Wilson and Hackett were about, yes, building the offense, it was also about learning from each other, and how best to learn from each other.
“The passion for the game, the obsession with it – he has a wild obsession with it, it’s obviously in his pedigree,” Wilson said. “And for me, this is my second decade, the beginning of the year, so I want to make the second decade even better than the first decade, and the first one was great. Now, we need to make it even more special, so how do we do that?”
One day, Wilson thinks, he might be looking at film from Hackett’s father, Paul’s hero, an archive that includes such greats as Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Another thing, it might be meeting Paul himself. The next one, it could be an animation of a play.
And over time, Hackett knew that Wilson, because he had the skin of the game, would be such an evangelist that they were building, and passing it on to the other Broncos. That came to life when Wilson brought his new teammates to his place in San Diego in the spring, and then again just before training camp, with all the work through OTAs already in the bank. It is also evident during camp – one example is how Wilson brought Jerry Jeudy into the quarterback room, in an attempt to get Jeudy to see the game through his eyes.
“He’s definitely investing in other situations,” Wilson said. “The thing about leading and serving is being able to give everything you have to others. When you can do that, you get a lot more. And I think that through my career, I’ve always given practically everything I’ve had to other people, in terms of preparing guys, and now it’s a new set of guys. Whenever I leave this game, 10, 12 years from now – hopefully 12 years from now – I want my teammates to say, Man, you gave everything you had every day.”
Hackett hopes to be able to do the same for Wilson, and as Wilson describes his experience so far with Hackett he declares that part of what he needs is getting the why. “It’s the creativity, but it’s also the foundation,” Wilson continued. “Everything has a reason – this is why they did it then, this is why we do it now. This is what it looks like. That trip was amazing.”
The great thing for both men is that it’s just getting started, so there’s a lot of this to come. In fact, when I told Wilson that 12 was a particularly odd number for how many more seasons he wanted to play, he laughed.
“Yes,” he replied, “I think 45 is a good number.”
And if it continues that long, and that long in Denver, that surely means that a lot of this has worked in a big way.
Year 2 under Staley will be a new look for the Chargers.
BRANDON STALEY’S OLD-SCHOOL OUTLOOK
MESA COAST, Calif. – To most people, the way the 2022 Chargers look, at least on paper, isn’t that different from last year’s team. The offensive skill talent returns mostly intact. Derwin James and Joey Bosa are still around to lead the defense. This may interest you : Best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in June 2022. And sure, Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson here. But the core of the Chargers? To outsiders, it’s the same.
So when I was at their camp last week, Brandon Staley challenged me to really watch the team, in the most literal way.
What he thought I found was what he pointed out: It’s a really big football team, and a lot bigger than it was as recently as January, when which Staley’s group lost a de facto elimination game on the final night. of the regular season. And so it is, after another season of building from Staley and longtime Chargers GM Tom Telesco, it’s no accident.
“The way we play is a 180 from how they played on defense,” Staley said. “There are many ways to play, but the way we believe in playing is with size beforehand. We knew the move was going to happen, and we were going to do it in the second year. Like the second year solidified our O-line a little bit, in terms of getting Zion [Johnson]. I think next year, you’ll be able to see the depth and quality where we expect it to be.”
This is what is philosophical about all this for Staley.
Because as much as last year was about Justin Herbert, and he made it about what Staley calls “advantage situations” quarterbacks (he doesn’t like to refer to them as gambling), what it was really want to build, and it continues. to try to build, a team is guided by the tenet of the oldest school of NFL team building. And that principle holds that the game is won and lost by the boys closest to the ball.
“That’s the way the game is,” Staley said. “Now, it’s getting a lot more outside — jump shooting, three-pointers, high-wire action. But I know that’s not what sustains and stands the test of time.”
When you look closely at the Chargers’ investments and acquisitions over the past 18 months, there is 100% support for how the team is being built.
He started last year with the idea of flipping the offensive line upside down, and that much was evident in the big-ticket addition of Corey Linsley and the first-round pick spent on left tackle Rashawn Slater. This year, the team doubled down on using another first-round pick on a lineman (Zion Johnson) while throwing to bolster the defensive front, with a trade for Mack at the heart of the effort. So, yes, they dealt Mike Williams, and poached Jackson from New England, but what started in 2021 carries over into ’22.
And as long as Staley is at the helm, that scrimmage pipeline won’t run dry for any lack of effort in trying to fill it.
“When we got here, the offensive line was the worst part of this team,” he continued. “We signed Corey, Matt Feiler, who drafted Rashawn, so we were halfway there, pretty much. Then this year, we were able to get Zion, and then Jamaree Salyer from Georgia, so we feel like we have a lot more depth up front, and really high quality. And then on defense, it all happened this year.
“Joey [Bosa], of course, coming back, but then [signing] Khalil, Austin [Johnson], Sebastian [Joseph-Day], Foxy [Morgan Fox], Otito [Ogbonnia] draft. That’s what we wanted to do when we came here, when me and Tom got together.”
Of course, investing to make it work, and making it happen are two different things. And therefore, if you put all that knowledge and experience in the trenches you will, in a month’s time, come to life in the most solid way that Staley is looking for.
But at least the team here is showing more of the vision that Staley and Telesco had for it, a vision that is a little different than some might expect.
“You can be a whole football team. And that’s what I felt was missing last year; we are not a complete football team,” he said. “Offensively, we were very good, but to be a complete offensive football team we can play but we have to play, run game and pass. And then on defense, the different styles of play you have to match up against, all the different quarterbacks, to do that you have to have a front that can stand up.
“If you have to play Baltimore or [Kyle] Shanahan or the Titans, and it’s a slugfest, you’re built to play against that. Or you’re playing [Josh] Allen, Mahomes, Deshaun [Watson] and it’s spread out, it’s going fast … you have to rush these guys; you have to be able to play that game, too. To do that as a football team, it starts up front. Then, of course, you have to have the quarterback. Coming here, you have a quarterback. Then, it’s OK, get our faces on both sides of the ball where we need to be.”
Staley smiled and said, “I think we’re a lot closer to being a full team.”
And, again, he would tell you to simply look at the team itself.
White was a hero in Super Bowl LI and one of many Patriots to thrive in a specific role.
Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports
JAMES WHITE CALLS IT A CAREER ON HIS TERMS
Before we get to the takeaways, I didn’t want to let the week go by without getting in a good word for James White—in part because almost every word about the retiring Patriots over the past few days has been a good word. See the article : Miami football recruitment: Four-star QB Jaden Rashada commits to Hurricanes over Florida, LSU, Texas A&M. .
There’s a reason for that, of course, and a reason why his teammates and coaches talked so much about who he was before and didn’t mention an interesting player in the last eight years. It was also one of the first things White and I talked about on Friday night, because I thought it was a special way to leave the game.
After the Patriots’ preseason opener the day before, New England captain Devin McCourty said, “He’s one of those guys, someday, if my daughter finds a guy and she says, ‘I’m going to bring a guy home with me. ; he’s like James White, ‘I’d be excited.’ Another long-time captain, Matthew Slater, said, “He’s a true patriot, but he’s a better human being.”
“He would love to see him,” said White. “I always wanted to earn the respect of my teammates and coaches, firstly, with the hard work I put in, and with my performance, and by the way I carried myself on a daily basis with my attitude. I’m not really the loudest person, but I’ve always tried to lead by example. … I wanted them to know that they could count on me on a daily basis.”
There’s no question he’s achieved that, and that approach has, over time, helped White grow into a role previously held by Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead, Shane Vereen and Dion Lewis in Foxboro. And it’s remarkable that he grew into that role based on where he came from.
White told me that he always considered himself a strong receiver and route runner, and that he worked on it a lot with his father growing up. But at Wisconsin on the ground and punt, he just got the chance to show it as a senior – when he caught 39 balls to complement the 1,444 yards he wanted.
So he never thought his NFL career would play out this well.
How then? He’s the rare back who walks away with more career catches (381) than carries (319), which is a true reflection of the role he played for Tom Brady, Cam Newton and, briefly, Mac Jones. But perhaps it’s just as indicative of his story of a self-made player, a man who redshirted as a rookie during the Patriots’ title year in 2014, and only got on the field the following year after Lewis to be injured.
“My senior year of college, we started getting more of the backs in the passing game. I started to build a little more confidence there,” he said. “I never imagined I’d go to the NFL and have more catches than I carry, but that’s the role they got me. I accepted that role and tried to be the best at it. That was my goal. I tried to take it and run with it, and be reliable, and do my job at a high level.”
And he was the best at it when it mattered most. Brady, of course, was the MVP of Super Bowl LI, after a dramatic comeback from a 28-3 deficit against the Falcons. But White was right there with him when it came to heroics. The third-year cornerback thought he would play a good role in the game, since Atlanta ran the same defense that Seattle did, and Vereen went wild in the Super Bowl against the Seahawks two years earlier.
But no one could have guessed he would put up a Super Bowl-record 14 catches for 110 yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime (he also ran for two more scores in the game).
“I figured I’d probably have seven, eight catches,” he said. “Obviously I didn’t expect the crazy impact I had, the result. But we ended up in passing situations when we were so many points down, and the ball kept coming my way, and I was trying to do anything I could to scream and crawl for us put back into the game.”
Five seasons later, White found himself fighting back from hip surgery, the result of a serious injury he suffered in September. He told me that he had been making steady progress over the past few months. Bill Belichick called him in March before the start of free agency and told him he’d love to have him back, and White signed a new two-year deal, another boost to come back completely.
But as camp drew to a close, White began to stage and couldn’t get back to where he felt like himself on the field. So he started thinking about everything. Doctors told him that while he was not in danger of injuring his hip, per se, continuing to play could hasten the eventual need for a hip replacement, which would interfere with his daily life with his two children. And he had spent that life last year, being on crutches for four months.
“That’s definitely a factor,” he said.
So he and his wife talked, and they kept talking, and in the end, he says, it wasn’t that hard to pull the trigger – because logically it was the right thing for everyone.
“I knew how much I was hurt,” he said. “I was talking to my wife all the time, about the process, so it wasn’t too difficult. The hardest part is actually saying the words, OK, I’ve done it now. But I will sit back and watch the games. I still like to watch football. I know the first year will probably be the hardest, especially since I was in the locker room all the time, working with the guys.
“It probably bothers me even more, because I know what’s going on.”
As for what’s next, White said it will take some time now, then he’ll probably think about coaching or going into the media, or even working in some aspect of the shoe business.
Whatever he chooses, he’ll have a lot of people rooting for him.
A settlement remains a possibility in Watson’s case.
Phil Masturzo/Akron Beach Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK
TEN TAKEAWAYS
I think there was a subtle pendulum swing in Deshaun Watson’s case this week. If you remember, we wrote several times just before July 4th that the NFL was strongly pushing its position going forward – that it would not accept a settlement with a suspension of less than a year, and that it was pursuing a settlement. indefinite suspension, no settlement — and how it happened likely because the hearing may not have gone as far as the league expected the original arbitrator, Sue L. Robinson, to come down on Watson as he would have liked the NFL. . And Robinson wasn’t, levying a proposed six-game suspension. Now, it feels like the opposite is happening.
In the middle of last week, he learned, via the AP, that Watson was willing to accept an eight-game suspension and a $5 million fine; followed by Watson’s interview during the team’s broadcast of the Browns’ season opener, in which he apologized for the first time to the women who reported him for sexual harassment and assault. “I’m really sorry for all the women I’ve affected in this situation,” he told Aditi Kinhabwala on the WEWS-TV pregame show. He also mentioned that he wants to “continue counseling,” which goes back to what he told the media at his initial press conference in March.
So what about the time? Peter C. Harvey’s decision is coming, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he wants to encourage a settlement before he issues a ruling. When Robinson created a five-week window for the league, the union and Watson to reach one goal in July, they came closer to a deal — Watson was willing to accept a six- to eight-game suspension, and the league offered a 12-game deal with $10 million fine. My understanding is that treatment was part of that offer as well, and something the NFL would insist on in any settlement. For it to be out there now that Watson is willing to accept a fine and receive further treatment, it feels to me like an effort to do what it takes to avoid a one year suspension. And part of that may be the union and Watson’s camp coming to the kind of realization the league did more than a month ago — that an arbitrator wasn’t going to rule in his favor. Either way, these developments at least create the appearance of a realistic deal between the sides.
I have two more takeaways from Watson’s start to the season. And those two are in two very different departments.
1. I wouldn’t worry too much about his uneven numbers through nine appetites. He hasn’t played in 19 months. Starting line Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin and Chris Hubbard did not play. Neither were Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt or Amari Cooper. And the Jaguars played all their starters. The idea here was to get Watson’s feet wet in game action and take him through the Browns’ game day operation, from pregame to kickoff to game action. That was achieved, ugly as it may have been (it ranked well with the coaches). As long as a year-long suspension doesn’t come this week, which would send him home, I’d expect him to be a little less rusty next Sunday against the Eagles. And, remember, this was just a play for Cleveland now. It’s always been about the unique opportunity to find a long-term answer at quarterback.
2. The reception the Browns got in Jacksonville is what they expected, and should expect for the rest of the year – and maybe even for games in which Watson doesn’t play. fortunately, Browns underdog. They fully understand how this will change how they are perceived and received, outside of Cleveland for the foreseeable future.
Baker Mayfield did a little bit of what the Panthers were looking for in trading for him on Sunday against the Chiefs. As we’ve said in this space, a big part of the trade for Carolina was the belief that Mayfield could, at least, bring the team up to where the position would play average, which could not be certain. for staging a Sam Darnold vs. Matt Corral contest. And one way to give them Mayfield was what Darnold couldn’t bring last year – part of the issue with the latter is that he doesn’t see it fast enough, and as a result he doesn’t play fast enough. In that way, Mayfield’s first throw on Saturday showed what a difference he can make.
You can see Mayfield moving his head and getting the ball out there quickly, and that kind of efficiency should allow Carolina to get a little more out of what it believes is a talented group of skill players. The other positive that came from the game, then, really involved the three quarterbacks. The team between Mayfield and Darnold responded in the game, and there was good energy between the two of them on the sideline (they talked a lot), as it happened during the camp. And the two helped coach up Corral when he was there. Which, overall, even with the competition, proved to be the kind of healthy room the team was hoping for when they pulled the trigger on the trade for Mayfield (who I’d say has a fair lead in the Derby quarterback now).
So far, so good for Carson Wentz. It’s early, of course. And no one thought, even in the middle of the season last year, that the Colts were going to dump Wentz as quickly as they did. So no comprehensive judgment should be drawn from this. That said, I thought the Chiefs did a good job of getting Wentz going. One thing the Washington coaches noticed when watching his Indianapolis tape was how the play calling late in the season, following a dominant running game, seemed to throw him out of rhythm. So it makes sense that, in his first game action since last year’s Week 18 meltdown, Chiefs offensive coordinator Scott Turner would try to build a little momentum early, and he did so with seven pass calls over the first nine play from the team from scrimmage. Wentz ended up settling in, commanding the offense nicely and playing three clean, efficient series, connecting on 3-of-4 third-down throws, all of which moved the sticks. It’s a small step forward, to be sure, especially with Carolina sitting out Jaycee Horn, Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson. But a step nonetheless.
George Pickens is one to watch, in more ways than one. Let me be very clear here: You would have a hard time finding a single scout out there who is even remotely surprised that he already looks like a second-round star. The Georgia product has had the eyes of the NFL since he was a freshman. Talent was not the issue.
“I thought it was so good,” said one NFC executive. “He’s so explosive and big and physical. You saw the video. It probably should have been a penalty, but he barely touched the corner [during the pre-season game the other night] and the corner fell over. You can see how strong and physical he is. It’s a beast.”
So why did Pickens fall in the draft? One reason is that he barely played last year for the national championships, coming off an ACL tear he suffered in the spring. Another thing was that there were character issues going back years that scared some teams. But the talent attracted everyone – in fact, the evaluator above believed Pickens’ baggage was the reason Drake London and Treylon Burks went as high as they did, because they were cleaner options as bigger receivers. Pickens was clearly the more talented of the two, and would likely be in the top-10 mix absent the questions. And now, it’s with Mike Tomlin, who is a master of getting the best out of guys with past problems. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pickens become a real problem for defenses quickly – and then we’ll see how much growth he’s made off the field over the past few years.
Garoppolo now has two teams that could make sense.
This could be an important week for Jimmy Garoppolo. Jets QB Zach Wilson will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Once the docs go in, they will determine if a meniscus dressing or meniscus repair is needed. The team are confident it will be a crack – which would require a two to four week recovery. But there is a chance that it will need repair, and that would be the end of the season. Meanwhile, the Watson decision could come down this week. If the suspension stays where it is (unlikely), then I think Cleveland will stick with the plan to roll with Jacoby Brissett. If it’s for the whole season, or even the majority of the season, I bet they’ll consider their options.
And in the worst-case scenario for either team, Garoppolo would fit. Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was Garoppolo’s position coach in San Francisco, along with Robert Saleh. And Kevin Stefanski’s offense in Cleveland is one he built with Gary Kubiak in Minnesota, so Garoppolo, who played for Kubiak’s former assistant Kyle Shanahan for those four years with the Niners.
I thought it was interesting that Lamar Jackson quietly set the Week 1 deadline to make a long-term deal. Details have been sparse, as the Ravens have kept a small circle on this one (they know how important Jackson’s trust is), but I heard in the last few weeks that last year Baltimore matched the $43 million APY they got Josh Allen at the start of the 2021 season. Presumably, that number has since increased. It’s unknown what Jackson is looking for, but guarantees, and maybe even Watson-level guarantees, would be a big part of the request. If he doesn’t get it, and Week 1 goes well, the franchise tag is likely next winter. Would that be good for Jackson? Let’s jump into it…
• The Ravens could give Jackson the non-exclusive tag, which is currently projected to be around $31.5 million. That means on two tags, he would make a shade under $70 million, with the third and final tag in 2025 set at more than $54 million (So about $124 million as a three-year total). The risk is that someone, for the price of two first-round picks, could swoop in and steal Jackson. What would prevent that…
• … Assigning it the exclusive tag, currently projected at around $45.5 million. Two tags in that case would come to just over $100 million, and a third tag in 2025 would then cost around $78 million.
These figures are, of course, subject to change with new contracts and restructuring that will take place in the coming months. But that gives you a rough idea of what lies ahead if the Ravens and Jackson can’t bridge the gap. And although I think they still will, I would have told you a few months ago that it would be done now, and it’s not, which is interesting—especially since the sides have admitted that they tried, recently. (where before they were all waiting).
The story of Tom Brady is interesting to me in its lack of precedent. I’d say the Bucs probably should have faced this one a little better than they did – but as far as I can tell, his 10-day absence from camp was indeed pre-planned, and cleaned up, and family is Brady is fine. (i.e., it is not an emergency). And so when you think about this one, it’s hard not to appreciate how aggressive teams have been in giving veterans a day off.
When I was at Cardinals camp the other day, it was pretty clear how Arizona was swinging some older players, like J.J. Watt, on his roster. To me, it wasn’t just an acknowledgment that these guys could use a break physically to help prepare themselves for the grind of 17 games ahead. He was also basically saying that those guys don’t get enough out of every single practice to justify them not getting these breaks – and it would mean that older guys would need that work more than guys do. younger.
So if that’s true for a man in his late 20s or early 30s…what does it mean for a man who’s 45? Brady seems to be showing us now. And I’ve talked to a bunch of personnel people and coaches over the last few days about this. It’s safe to say that none of them were offended that Tampa Bay would give the greatest quarterback of all time a few days off of camp (remember, Brett Favre showed up in mid-August 2009 for a new team and it ended up being fine) .
I think everyone needs to listen to NFLPA president J.C. Tretter on the conditions of the NFL’s playing surfaces, because it is becoming more of a problem. Here’s what the former Browns center said after Saturday’s Bears-Chiefs game on a less-than-ideal patch of grass at Soldier Field: “The NFL said this field met minimum testing standards. It is clear that we need to reassess the acceptable surface for players to compete on. We need new testing metrics that look at performance and safety in all areas. The NFL can and should do better.”
Now, I’m not going to pretend to know whether or not the conditions in Chicago were acceptable this week. What I do know is that I have heard about these questions over and over again from players. The vast majority of boys do not like to play on FieldTurf. And grass surfaces in northern climates look like crap way more often than they should. To me, this comes down to money, as it does with so many other things in the NFL. Teams are trying to squeeze more and more events into these stadiums to justify their costs, and that means teams are either going to the artificial surface or letting the natural surfaces take a beating. What I do know is that the Packers seem to be the only team that has found it – using a hybrid natural surface that is woven together, and somehow withstands winter Wisconsin. The problem is that the system, which is widely used for soccer pitches in the Premier League, is expensive and requires a lot of maintenance. The Packers don’t have an owner to answer for that. The other 31 teams do. And maybe this is just me, but that doesn’t seem like a good enough reason not to give elite athletes the highest level possible surface to run around on. Especially when the cost of not doing it, paid by those athletes, can be so high.
The first part of my camp trip is done, and we have a notebook to unload here. Let’s jump into that, with my quick hitters…
• Along the way, we brought you some UDFA sleepers in my “five out of …” series (Chargers S Raheem Layne was one) on the site. Here’s another one – Cowboys S Markquese Bell. He has the size and length that Dan Quinn likes in his DBs, and has a good shot to make the team and carve out a role on the line.
• I mentioned Maxx Crosby in the series, too, and I’m considering making him my pick for Defensive Player of the Year. After seeing a lot of these guys over the past three weeks, I’d put Joey Bosa and Nick Bosa in that mix as well, along with second-year stars Micah Parsons and Patrick Surtain II.
• I remember saying that the Bills’ biggest issue was at punter. And then rookie “Punt God” Matt Araiza went on and put his foot in an 82-yard bomb against the Colts and, well, maybe the biggest question then is, “Can the team stay healthy? ” Everything is in place there.
• Many smart NFL people who know the Patriots well think Bill Belichick is going to stop calling the offensive plays in Foxboro at some point this season.
• I don’t think the Bears will be in the thick of offers for Roquan Smith. And that’s not to say he’s not a really good player. It is one. But he’s an off-ball linebacker in an undervalued era, and he’s not big or long enough to fit a good number of teams. And if you trade him, you’ll have to give him a top-of-the-market deal on top of the draft compensation.
• Malik Willis is exciting to watch, and Ryan Tannehill’s 2023 money is not guaranteed. Tannehill’s cap number for ’23 is $36.6 million; Willis has $1.173 million. So if Willis continues to grow through his preseason game experience, and Tannehill stumbles when the season begins, it probably won’t take long for people in Nashville to start calling the rookie.
• While we’re at it, Sam Howell (in Washington) and Desmond Ridder (in Atlanta) had a nice start.
• Justin Fields made a few eye-openers for the Bears against the Chiefs. He was also on the run a lot and took a big shot or two. Which brings us to the obvious: Chicago offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will have to manage his offensive issues to get the most out of Fields over the next five months.
• Speaking of offensive line issues, the one in Tampa isn’t getting the attention it should. Breaking through three new starts between tackles Donovan Smith and Tristan Wirfs won’t be easy, no matter which quarterback is behind them.
• I don’t know if Jalen Hurts is worth megabytes after this year or next year. But I can say that I am very impressed with the improvement that has come in the last five years, from Alabama to Oklahoma and now the Eagles. There was a point when scouts thought he was a glory running back. No one I know thinks that anymore.
SIX FROM THE SIDELINES
1. I’ve been going to Ohio State games for almost a quarter of a century. I’m not sure there’s been a hotter ticket than this year’s Notre Dame game – set for the Saturday before Labor Day. And I guess, because of how close South Bend is to Ohio, and because Notre Dame’s stadium is much smaller than Ohio State’s, the 2023 ticket has a chance to be even tighter.
2. So Kevin Durant wants to fire the Nets GM and coach … but isn’t he the one who built the team and picked the coach?
3. Great effort by the NPA retiring Number 6 Bill Russell. He is as big a winner as there has been in North American team sports and has had a big impact off the court as well.
4. Surprised to hear Fernando Tatis Jr. accidentally took an anabolic steroid. It’s really wild that all these athletes who surround themselves with the best nutritionists and trainers continue to step on that same banana skin!
5. The Netflix documentary on Woodstock ’99 was much better than the HBO one, and the reason, in my opinion, was that the former didn’t try to jump to conclusions about an entire generation of people (who happen to be my own). generation) through the disaster in upstate New York. In the ’90s, we played pranks on people. We broke things. We got out of control and messed up at times. As children of a time that was quite peaceful and successful, it’s not more complicated than that… so stop trying to make it more than that.
6. She won’t read this, but maybe I’ll show it to her down the line: Three happy birthdays to our beautiful daughter, Ginny. We’ve already learned so much from you, Gene, and I can’t wait to see where you’re headed.
BEST OF THE NFL INTERNET
Still just behind Bama in the coaches poll, though.
An epic tribute to Boobie Miles from Hurts. Amazingly well done. The only thing that would be better is a Darnell Jefferson jersey.
By the way… these two are about to do some damage. Derek Carr has been ripped in camp (not picked all summer, my understanding), and Davante Adams looks great.
It’s worth your time. Good job, Bills.
No lie…this was great.
There are a lot of big guys at the end of the day in the NFL. Still, this is an amazing piece of work from the Patriots quarterback.
Ja’Marr Chase has a mocking tone. But it’s not missing Denzel Ward, either.
The Bills social team had a good week.
During Mahomes’ rookie year, the Chiefs staff had video of him from practice that looked like a borderline fake; it was so wild. This is in that category.
Kudos to Kyler Murray for taking care of a young fan who found his jersey at practice.
I can relate to this a bit – it’s pretty amazing when your child starts to get what you do for a living.
A wonderful tribute to Texans rookie John Metchie III, who has leukemia.
I don’t blame J.J. I freak out snakes, too.
Here are the Bills taking care of their roster hole alone.
And finally… yeah. Luck seems like a nice coincidence. French Fries are pushing it.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Tuesday marks the first big roster cut, from 90 to 85. And while that won’t mean much to a lot of people, it’s worth paying attention to because it could spark some action on the trade market, especially on weekends. of preseason tape out there.
So … we have maybe 30 or so fairly interesting hours (depending on when you read this) ahead of us.
Who is the richest quarterback in the NFL?
| Degree | Player | Average annual value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Rodgers | $50.3 million |
| 2 | Deshaun Watson | $46 million |
| 3 | Patrick O’Maine | $45 million |
| 4 | Josh Allen | $43 million |
Who is the richest NFL player? Roger Staubach has a net worth of $600 million as of 2022, making him the richest NFL player in the world. Staubach is also the richest post-retirement NFL player.
Who is the top five richest quarterbacks in the NFL?
These are 30 of the richest quarterbacks in history.
- Troy Aikman €60,000,000.
- Alex Smith – $55,000,000. …
- Dan Marino $50,000,000. …
- Ryan Tannehill €50,000,000. …
- Drew Bledsoe – $48,000,000. …
- Carson Wentz $45,000,000. …
- Terry Bradshaw €45,000,000. …
- Patrick Mahomes $40,000,000. …
Who is the richest NFL QB of all-time?
Staubach was also selected for the Pro Bowl six times during his 11-year NFL career and when he retired, he retired with a net worth of $600 million dollars, the richest quarterback ever in the NFL.
Who is the NFL highest paid player?
1. Joey Bosa, $102 million
- Joey Bosa, $102 million. Signed: July 2020 (Contract ends in 2025)
- Myles Garrett (CLE), $100 million.
- Khalil Mack (LAC), $90 million.
Who is the highest paid NFL player? $46.1M per year. Patrick Mahomes has the biggest contract in NFL history in terms of total value as he signed a 10-year deal worth $503 million in 2020 coming off his Super Bowl win.
Who is the highest paid NFL player this year?
#1 – Aaron Rodgers – $50.3 million.
Who is the highest paid player in the NFL 2022?
Highest Paid NFL Players of 2022: Tom Brady leads the list for the first time ever. Brady’s lucrative off-field earnings helped push the competition. Tom Brady is the highest-paid player in the NFL for the first time since Forbes began ranking pro football salaries in 2010.
Who is the only rookie QB to win a Super Bowl?
Youngest QB to win a Super Bowl Pittsburgh Steelers veteran play caller Ben Roethlisberger is now the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl.
How many rookie quarterbacks have made it to the Super Bowl? And as the long history of the NFL reminds us, no rookie quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl. In fact, no rookie quarterback has ever reached a Super Bowl, and the few intrepid youngsters who have reached their conference championship games have been able to take the final step.
Has there ever been a rookie QB to win the Super Bowl?
Russell Wilson: First Rookie QB to Lead Team to Super Bowl Win. Russell Wilson will do what no starting quarterback has done in his rookie year: win the Super Bowl.
Has a 2nd year quarterback ever won the Super Bowl?
Without Adam Vinatieri delivering the greatest field goal in NFL history against Oakland in the playoffs, there is no list referring to the 2001 Patriots. It was very much a team effort in New England in 2001, which is why Brady, one of three quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl, is only ninth.
How many second year QBs have gone to the Super Bowl?
Burrow became only the seventh quarterback to take a team to the Super Bowl in his second season. 2020 pick No. 1 too loose compared to Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
