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Senior Analyst Since 2004 New Jersey
NFL Offseason - Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals are bound together in either the most toxic relationship in NFL history or the most actualized.
Sure, adding a "u need 2 study da playbook moar" clause into Murray's $230-million contract was like slipping a weight clause into a prenup. But that's all in the rearview mirror. The Cardinals ripped out the independent study clause, Murray complained about it, and the team website publicly acknowledged (and therefore tacitly endorsed) Murray's complaints. And it all apparently happened in that order, backwards though that sounds. From a relationship standpoint, it sounds like the Cardinals and Murray are doing the hard emotional labor necessary to resolve a conflict, with the NFL news cycle serving as couples therapy.
Imagine if other teams and quarterbacks hammered out their miscommunications and mistrust so publicly and thoroughly. The Colts and Eagles could have tied Carson Wentz's contracts to him maturing into less of an oblivious toddler man. The Packers could have installed a "no passive-aggressive press conferences or podcast appearances" clause into Aaron Rodgers' latest contract. The Browns could have done something, anything, to protect themselves and society from Deshaun Watson. Then, when the sports talk uproar boiled into a froth, all sides could back down, come to terms with the others' point of view, and agree to disagree. Well, everyone but Rodgers.
Relationship dramas are on Walkthrough's mind because I'm just back from shepherding 60 teenagers across Central Europe, and golly were some of the travelers high-maintenance. But enough about my fellow adult chaperones! NFL decision-makers aren't known for their emotional honesty, which is why the quarterback compensation structure is built upon wishful thinking, financial apologies, and if you find the secret message in your playbook you win a prize bonus clauses. It takes either courage or foolhardiness to tell a franchise quarterback how you really feel about him, particularly in contract language. The Cardinals are certainly guilty of the latter, but it's charitable to think they deserve credit for the former.
The Cardinals and Murray aren't the only NFL power couple airing their dirty laundry these days. Novice Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah admitted to USA Today's Jori Epstein recently that he was "nervous about not burning it down at quarterback," admitting that Kirk Cousins was no Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes. Such refreshing honesty: Kirk, we love you, but sometimes we wish Tony Soprano would light team headquarters on fire with you locked in the weight room so we can collect the insurance money. Better to lay such cards on the table now than to pretend through gritted teeth to be completely satisfied with another season of Cousins' signature heroic comebacks from two touchdowns down to nearly cover the spread.
Alas, that truth bomb turned out to be a dud. Adofo-Mensah tried to unpop the balloon a day later with a confusing clarification which boiled down to I accidentally said what I meant instead of what I meant to say. Adofo-Mensah also overcompensated with a baffling statement about how Cousins goes "Zero Dark LeBron" in the offseason, the scrambled, labored metaphor akin to a chastened husband trying to talk his way off the couch by calling his wife "Sailor Marilyn Beyoncé Madonna Moon."
Rest assured that Adofo-Mensah will reach a crossroads sometime next winter, when the Vikings are celebrating their 34-7 wild-card loss to the 49ers, during which he will prepare to extend Cousins' contract for another cap- and expectation-massaging year, only to close his eyes and fantasize about his world being engulfed in cleansing flame.
Speaking of the 49ers, their brass finally sat down and cleared the air with Jimmy Garoppolo last week, just in case their former franchise quarterback hadn't read the subtle clues that they were eager to move on over the last two years. By the standards of NFL communications and honesty, the 49ers' last-possible-moment confab with Garoppolo was a big step up from just disabling his key fob and then watching from behind drawn blinds on the first day of training camp for him to finally give up and pull out of the parking lot.
In the wake of Murray's homework clause, endless speculation about Lamar Jackson's next contract (more on that in a moment), and some boilerplate anonymous racially charged slander, Patrick Mahomes was pressed into thankless service last week as the unofficial spokesperson for all black quarterbacks, and he handled the task with admirable firmness and tact. "We've got guys that think just as well as they can use their athleticism," Mahomes said. "So it always is weird when you see guys like me, Lamar, Kyler kind of get that on them, and other guys don't. But at the same time, we're going to go out there and prove ourselves every day to show that we can be some of the best quarterbacks in the league."
If you need Mahomes to explain the racial semiotics of Murray's homework clause, then you aren't inclined to listen to Mahomes' explanation in the first place. The Cardinals should have thought twice before inserting a clause making them sound like Alabama school board members from the 1950s. Murray, it should be noted, should also have balked at signing a document that made him sound like a tenth-grader trying to remain academically eligible. Agent Erik Burkhardt, who wanted a $230-million headline and his cut even if it embarrassed his client, shouldn't get to walk away from this T-boning unscathed, either. But all's well that ends well: Murray is rich, the Cardinals aired their grievances, and Burkhardt's culpability will be forgotten by the time he pursues next year's first-round quarterbacks.
The real takeaway from the homework-clause brouhaha is that Murray now knows what type of people he works for and where he stands with them. After all, quarterback contracts aren't marriages. They are business transactions. You don't have to love who you work for to succeed. Everyone merely needs to be clear about the terms and conditions. And Murray, who will probably go through this process at least two more times during his NFL career, will never enter negotiations naive about the Cardinals' or any other team's true feelings.
News 'n' notes from training camps around the NFL…
Lamar Jackson hopes for a contract extension before the start of the season.
Jackson is not a good negotiator. He's signaling that he's in a hurry, which is like telling a used car salesman that you have no way of getting to work on Monday if you don't purchase a preowned Pinto today. Jackson should be leaning back and claiming that there is no urgency now that the season is near: he's willing to play for $23 million in 2022 and then test free agency in 2023, daring the Ravens to apply a franchise tag which (based on an average of the top five quarterback salaries in 2023) will be around $45 million. The Ravens, who would benefit from trading a proratable signing bonus for some 2022/2023 cap flexibility, are the side that should be eager to get a deal done.
Fortunately for Jackson, Steve Bisciotti and Eric DeCosta are too old-school professional to draft a contract that ties $100 million in incentives to Jackson hiring an algebra tutor or something. But the Ravens will surely try to build a contract that says $240 million on the cover page but is loaded with trapdoors and escape hatches of the sort Josh Allen doesn't have to worry about.
Jackson's reluctance to retain an agent is understandable after Erik Burkhardt's hide-the-diaper-in-the-laundry routine with Kyler Murray. But if Jackson is savvy enough at age 25 with a communications degree to negotiate a nine-figure contract for his true market value during his training camp free time, perhaps he should leave the NFL and become Secretary of the Treasury or something. It's more likely that Jackson will end up with a phonebook full of hard-to-reach incentives and voidable bonuses, then earn praise for "betting upon himself." But at least he will get it done by September.
Matt Rhule says "it's not my job to pick the starting quarterback," saying it's up to the players to prove themselves.
Rhule said the following day that the Panthers are "nowhere near evaluating who's where," which is not necessarily contradictory to his earlier remark but does betray the sort of cloudy reasoning that has rapidly become Rhule's trademark.
It's sad to see a gifted gladhander and gaslighter like Rhule flail so helplessly while trying to extract himself from his latest finger puzzle. The savvy move for Rhule would be to anoint Baker Mayfield as the Panthers' starter, then either reap the benefits of making what was clearly the best choice or blame upper management for forcing his hand if Mayfield fails. Rhule is probably toast no matter what unless Mayfield goes full Josh Allen, but blaming a meddling owner could help him immediately land on a soft cushion at some ACC program.
Unfortunately, poor Rhule either feels committed to making Sam Darnold work to soothe his own ego, is attempting some sad little mini-mutiny over being forced to acquire Mayfield, has some ill-conceived 4-D chess gambit up his sleeve, or sincerely does not realize that Mayfield is undoubtedly the better quarterback. He has therefore resigned himself to babbling and glitching daily to the media about a quarterback controversy that only exists because of his daily babbling and glitching.
Walkthrough is seeing +300 odds for Rhule to be the first NFL coach fired. That's not enough meat on the bone at this point. If Darnold starts the season opener and throws an interception, Rhule could get fired at halftime.
Seahawks sign DK Metcalf to a three-year, $72-million extension.
Once merely a one-dimensional king-sized deep boundary threat, Metcalf has turned into a capable possession receiver. Metcalf caught 40 passes for 472 yards and six touchdowns in the range of 5 to 15 air yards in 2021; his 32 first downs on targets of such length ranked 13th in the NFL. Metcalf will be there to help the Seahawks develop their quarterback of the future in 2023, once they stop screwing around with Tweedle-Gee and Tweedle-Drew.
The structure of the Metcalf deal suggests that the receiver market has stabilized in the wake of the Davante Adams/Tyreek Hill explosion. Metcalf and Terry McLaurin now represent an "upper middle class" on a rung below the elite receivers, and the status quo probably won't be upended again until Ja'Marr Chase arrives at the table in two years. History tells us that all NFL compensation markets stabilize quickly except for the quarterback market.
49ers sign Deebo Samuel to a three-year, $71.5-million extension.
See above. Deebo coming in below Metcalf on the bottom-line contract value is somewhat surprising, but let's see where things wind up when all the guarantees are made public. (This story broke on Sunday night and I'm still a little jet-lagged.)
Ultimately, the only real losers in this offseason's young wide receiver contract drama may be the Titans, who essentially slammed their Super Bowl window shut by trading A.J. Brown when they might have seen his asking price dip toward McLaurin/Metcalf/Deebo levels if they had kept their powder dry.
Jamal Adams plans to play with a "special cast" on his surgically-repaired fingers.
Adams didn't single-handedly (no pun intended) sink the Russell Wilson-era Seahawks. That lifeboat was already leaky when Pete Carroll decided to trade two bailing buckets and a caulking gun for a pint-sized anvil.
The Seahawks are carving out a whole new spot on the roster for Adams: SC. That doesn't stand for Slot Corner. It stands for Sunk Cost.
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs says he wants to "beat my 11" interceptions next year.
It would be much more reassuring to hear that Diggs plans to cut down on his five touchdowns or league-high 916 yards allowed in coverage (per Sports Info Solutions), but whatever: Diggs' whole quote suggests that he is indeed focused on broad-based improvement, with double-digit interceptions as a narrative hook or reach goal.
The last player to record 10 or more interceptions in back-to-back seasons was Tom Keane for the Dallas Texans in 1952 and Baltimore Colts in 1953. Keane was not traded after a 10-interception season; the Texans folded and their assets were assumed by the expansion Colts. However, Keane was traded before his 10-interception season, as part of an eleven-player package from the Rams to the Texans to obtain the rights to draft future Hall of Fame linebacker Les Richter. Anyway, it would be truly amazing for Diggs to do something that Ronnie Lott, Ken Riley, Night Train Lane, and hundreds of other all-time greats could not do. But the Cowboys would happily settle for a few less mistakes.
Jerry Jones says that Ezekiel Elliott "has to be the focus" of the Cowboys running game.
Jones has been yammering about the Cowboys running back rotation since the day Emmitt Smith left for Arizona. It's somehow reassuring to think that after 30 years at the highest levels of NFL power, Jones still comprehends football at the level of a late-night sports talk caller.
Michael Gallup says that he won't be ready for Week 1.
Cowboys fans are coping by talking themselves into believing T.J. Vasher is the next Michael Irvin based on one training camp highlight.
Everything will be fine. Burrow has real health insurance, not the Bengals' Orange Cross and Shield plan, where the only in-network physician is Dr. Jackson Carman.
Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen expected to miss "months" with a knee injury.
If a chartered TB12 V-22 Osprey hasn't landed in JC Tretter's backyard by the time you read this, then either: a) Bryan Glazer has run out of money (nope); b) Tom Brady plans to protect himself with pure hubris (possible); c) Tretter has made some truly powerful enemies as NFLPA president (he's a moderate, but NFL owners aren't too keen on opposition/consequences/inconveniences), or d) backup center Robert Hainsey is secretly the second coming of Mike Webster (Patriots fans would insist this was the case.)
Chiefs sign Carlos Dunlap to a one-year deal.
The Chiefs should craft one huge contract for Frank Clark and Dunlap and tell them that the one with the most sacks wins it, with second place getting a set of steak knives. That would keep both of them from taking September and October off.
Matt Canada says that Mason Rudolph "has a great shot" of winning the Steelers starting quarterback job.
Matt Canada has a great shot at being Matt Rhule's quarterback coach at Boston College in 2023.
Aaron Rodgers tells reporters a secondhand story from 2018 about the Packers front office mistaking Kenny Clark for a rando they planned to cut during training camp, which results in Clark being forced to discuss the embarrassing four-year-old incident with the press a day later, all so Rodgers can take his umpteenth passive-aggressive shot at his bosses.
Aaron Rodgers is the Aaron Rodgers of being an asshole.
We begin with a reassuring sight for Dolphins fans: Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill for 65 yards, about 55 of them air yards:
Tua ➡️ Tyreek Hill for 65 yards 👀pic.twitter.com/813wyrRjZa
That's Noah Igbinoghene in coverage. You can see him thinking, "Nah, Tua can't throw it this far. Or can he? Oh crap, I'm one-on-one with Tyreek. Oh noooooooo!" But the best supporting actor in this highlight is the fan in the Tua jersey jumping up and down at the end. "Hooray! I won't be using this jersey as a garage rag by Christmas!"
And now a not-at-all reassuring sight for the Bills Mafia: Josh Allen slipping and falling on a keeper, then briefly playing dead in the end zone.
Josh got jokes 😅 #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/VANEQgE2Mn
Not at all funny, Josh. But at least you aren't responding to unnecessary contact from a defensive teammate by getting in his face and ending up in the middle of a dangerous-looking ruckus ... oh dear.
BAH GAWDD… Tensions are high in Buffalo.. although there wasn’t any tables broken.. and there was no bildos on the field.. Josh Allen setting the tone..
🗣🗣 YOU AIN’T GONNA PUSH ME LATE
This is not a big deal at all.. this is just a “OH.. IT’S FOOTBALL SZN” pic.twitter.com/mh5nnB1yUA
Hitting Allen during practice should be punishable by an immediate trade to the Texans.
Meanwhile, in Ashburn, Virginia, Jahan Dotson earns top billing in this Commanders-posted highlight by hauling in a Carson Wentz heater.
👀 OKKKKKAAAYYY @JahanDotson pic.twitter.com/CWQb1rvYzR
Whenever I read "Jahan Dotson," my brain thinks "Josh Doctson," and I think that Commanders fans, fantasy gurus, and draft hipsters are going to spend the next four years waiting for this guy to break out. That's unfair, of course. As you can see in this photo by friend-of-Walkthrough Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, Doctson has electrified both of the fans at Commanders camp:
The fan turnout for day 2 of Commanders training camp. pic.twitter.com/1gbYxOgnMA
Now, there's some palpable energy you can only get when Danny Deposition is your team's owner, Carson the Orchid is the new quarterback, and training camp is held on a choked stretch of charmless highway in the shadow of an airport.
Back here in Jersey, friend-of-Walkthrough Mike Kaye of Pro Football Network posted this video of Sauce Gardner blanketing a receiver and picking off a pass.
Everything Sauce Gardner does draws a Hulkamania pop from the #Jets fans. #PFNTCTour pic.twitter.com/kn1hVikssT
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) July 30, 2022
Gardner is covering fellow cornerback D.J. Reed during a split-squad drill, FWIW, and the pass was probably thrown by a coach. That's what July training camp highlights are made of.
While Gardner shines, fellow first-round pick Kyle Hamilton gets smoked in one-on-one coverage against legendary Ravens teammate Bailey Gaither at a "fan's night" practice:
Kyle Hamilton on fire at camp 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/HIMSITIV8P
Those of us who watch lots of practice see this sort of humiliation all the time, especially when a rookie safety is lined up in one-on-one coverage against someone smaller and quicker. Those 1-on-1 drills are designed for the receiver to win. My only real worry watching this is Hamilton's lack of catch-up speed and urgency once beaten.
Finally, here's Patrick Mahomes with a behind-the-back option pitch to Clyde-Edwards Helaire.
Starting to think Patrick Mahomes is really going to do this in game, the more he keeps practicing it. #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/X9OfXFGHts
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) July 30, 2022
When the Chiefs season ends with the Chargers stuffing this play at the goal line in the playoffs when Kansas City could have won by just handing off up the middle behind their offensive line full of Pro Bowl behemoths, don't act like you didn't see it coming.
40 comments, Last at 05 Aug 2022, 9:19pm
by Aaron Brooks G… // Aug 01, 2022 - 10:29am
Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals are bound together in either the most toxic relationship in NFL history or the most actualized.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/rhabdo/default.html
The Packers could have installed a "no passive-aggressive press conferences or podcast appearances" clause into Aaron Rodgers' latest contract.
Passive-aggressively inserting a non-passive-aggression clause? Benoit Mandelbrot sits up.
"Sailor Marilyn Beyoncé Madonna Moon."
That's the information-densest kink I've ever encountered in the wild, and perhaps the most specific. Now I wonder what it would look like.
Which era of Madonna? Or do you mean the mother of Christ? Or if we go fully-1989, both?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79fzeNUqQbQ
The Cardinals should have thought twice before inserting a clause making them sound like Alabama school board members from the 1950s.
If the Cardinals knew what they were doing, they wouldn't be the Cardinals.
The alternative could be worse. The prior Oklahoma QB who transferred from his original, lesser Texas team, was dismissed and replaced by a suspected rapist. There are worse things than snarky commentary accompanying your $230M.
When the Chiefs season ends with the Chargers stuffing this play at the goal line in the playoffs
I can believe Mahomes running that play. The part I can't believe is Chargers and stopping a run and in the playoffs.
Somehow, they would intercept the pitch, only to fumble the ball back to KC, and somehow Ertz would advance the Chargers' fumble for a TD.
by SandyRiver // Aug 01, 2022 - 2:17pm
In reply to Kyler Murray and the Arizona… by Aaron Brooks G…
Eons ago on a highlight reel, I saw Sonny Jurgenson do this successfully in the regular season - the defender in his face left no other choice but eating the ball.
by LionInAZ // Aug 05, 2022 - 2:20pm
In reply to Kyler Murray and the Arizona… by Aaron Brooks G…
You mean Kelce, not Ertz, right?
by Pat // Aug 01, 2022 - 10:40am
See above. Deebo coming in below Metcalf on the bottom-line contract value is somewhat surprising,
They're extensions. Metcalf was a late second round pick, Samuel is an early second round pick. The silly difference in total value is probably completely made up for in the difference in their current year. At least by OTC their contracts should be practically within rounding errors.
Contract reporting is terrible as it is, but I'm at least glad that agents have stopped the funny-money crap that the agents of Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams were pulling. We all know a $50M salary for a 30+ year old WR is just a void year.
by theslothook // Aug 01, 2022 - 11:22am
I would love to know why Murray allowed the.language to be in there. I assume agents are smart and would never agree to such an unprecedented insertion of language unless A) his client agreed to it, probably because it's not even enforceable and would never make it past the union and B) he never thought it would be made public.
I just don't understand what the Cardinals are doing either. Whoever leaked it, it back fired on them spectacularly. Murray became the butt of jokes by every major sportscaster.
And no this isn't going to go away for Murray. He now has to deal with these kinds of questions every time he throws an interception or misreads a blitz.
by Aaron Brooks G… // Aug 01, 2022 - 11:38am
In reply to I would love to know why… by theslothook
I would love to know why Murray allowed the.language to be in there.
It turned out film wasn't the only thing he didn't study outside the building.
by serutan // Aug 01, 2022 - 2:14pm
In reply to I would love to know why… by Aaron Brooks G…
Just out of curiosity, has he been rumored to not be enamored of file study?
by Aaron Brooks G… // Aug 01, 2022 - 2:22pm
In reply to Just out of curiosity, has… by serutan
That was a vile and pernicious typo.
by serutan // Aug 01, 2022 - 3:11pm
In reply to That was a vile and… by Aaron Brooks G…
by Noahrk // Aug 02, 2022 - 1:10pm
In reply to That was a vile and… by Aaron Brooks G…
I wouldn't have caught it if you hadn't said something. Good one.
by theslothook // Aug 01, 2022 - 3:16pm
In reply to Just out of curiosity, has… by serutan
by Noahrk // Aug 02, 2022 - 1:09pm
In reply to See his draft comments by theslothook
I don't know about those, but he himself admitted so last year.
by Pat // Aug 01, 2022 - 11:40am
In reply to I would love to know why… by theslothook
I would love to know why Murray allowed the.language to be in there.
I'm sure it's the same reason he allowed the rest of the language to be there. Because his agent told him it was fine and a good contract.
Also I disagree with your assumption. The fact that Murray's apparently been talking about firing his agent implies that he wasn't very smart.
Whoever leaked it, it back fired on them spectacularly
I don't think anyone leaked the clause specifically. The whole contract was leaked. I also don't think it had to be either Murray or the Cardinals.
by KnotMe // Aug 01, 2022 - 1:20pm
In reply to I would love to know why… by Pat
Well, the point of having an agent(they get a % IIRC) is so he doesn't have to read the fine print.
The team probably viewed it like exercise clauses. They just stick them in everywhere and they never, ever come up. Can't imagine such a clause ever being enforced.
by serutan // Aug 01, 2022 - 2:16pm
In reply to Well, the point of having an… by KnotMe
Well, the point of having an agent(they get a % IIRC) is so he doesn't have to read the fine print.
To Mike's point, Murray's would be neither the first nor last agent who prioritized his percentage over what was best for his client.
by Pat // Aug 01, 2022 - 2:24pm
In reply to Well, the point of having an… by KnotMe
Exactly. I mean, to be honest, it's the Cardinals. Their GM's a 50-year old multi-millionaire who was too dumb to make sure he had a ride home when he was drunk. Keim probably got uppity with all those younguns and their video games and wanted to institute a hard-workin' environment or some other bull. The guy probably thought he was being an NFL trendsetter or something.
by theslothook // Aug 01, 2022 - 3:19pm
In reply to Exactly. I mean, to be… by Pat
Except Kyler Murrays own comments suggests this is something he doesn't prioritize, so I doubt it's totally unfounded.
I say that fully aware that inserting ridiculous and unenforceable language into contracts is a crappy motivational tool.
by Aaron Brooks G… // Aug 01, 2022 - 11:37am
Rhule is probably toast no matter what unless Mayfield goes full Josh Allen, but blaming a meddling owner could help him immediately land on a soft cushion at some ACC program.
I don't think that matters.
Rhule could set himself on fire on the sideline and still get a Tier 1 NCAA job.
Relatively few guys are good at both -- they are separate skills. As a for instance, Bruce Arians was an excellent pro coach and a terrible college one. Nick Saban, Bobby Petrino, and Lou Holtz were some of the stinkiest dumpster fires ever in the NFL, but were excellent college coaches.
Bobby Ross was both pretty good and both and very similar in nature at both. It was a rare skill.
by CuseFanInSoCal // Aug 01, 2022 - 7:04pm
In reply to Rhule is probably toast no… by Aaron Brooks G…
He was 9-7 his first year then 6-10 in pretty tough division when he was getting asked about Alabama all the time. Certainly nowhere near as bad in the NFL as Petrino or Holtz.
Also arguably good at both - Pete Carroll (who was basically an average NFL coach before USC and pretty good one after).
by ImNewAroundThe… // Aug 01, 2022 - 11:58am
Justin Jefferson will be eligible next year.
by NYChem // Aug 01, 2022 - 12:48pm
In reply to Probably don't have to wait for Jamarr by ImNewAroundThe…
was thinking the same. Given his trajectory and age, he could top both Hill and Adams, pending Vikes trajectory, and might legit be the best of all 4 (including Chase...).
by Pat // Aug 01, 2022 - 12:16pm
Ultimately, the only real losers in this offseason's young wide receiver contract drama may be the Titans, who essentially slammed their Super Bowl window shut by trading A.J. Brown when they might have seen his asking price dip toward McLaurin/Metcalf/Deebo levels
Oh, for sane contract reporting...
Brown is signed through 2026 at a total cost of $104.22M. Metcalf is signed through 2025 at a total cost of $76.56M.
NFL contracts are non-guaranteed, right? What happens if Brown is cut after the 2025 season? The 31M he's due to earn that year in unguaranteed money goes poof. So if the Eagles feel like it, Brown's contract can become a "through 2025" contract for 104.22M minus 31M.
What's 104.22M minus 31M? Less than 76.56M.
Brown's contract is less than Metcalf and Deebo's.
by BigRichie // Aug 01, 2022 - 12:20pm
Number of white QBs with a 'do your homeowrk clause'? 0
Number of black QBs with a 'do your homework clause"? 1
This is only proof of structural racism/semiotics/whatever the hell term you want to use if you really, really, really want it to be so.
by ImNewAroundThe… // Aug 01, 2022 - 12:53pm
In reply to racial semiotics by BigRichie
Never been a stereotype of black people being dumb and lazy.
by HitchikersPie // Aug 02, 2022 - 6:05am
In reply to Yea that's why Jamarcus was randomly trending when news broke by ImNewAroundThe…
Wasn't this also continuously levied at Jay Cutler for simply not caring?
by ImNewAroundThe… // Aug 02, 2022 - 7:45am
In reply to Wasn't this also… by HitchikersPie
Guess that means it's not a thing.
by Aaron Brooks G… // Aug 02, 2022 - 8:02am
In reply to Wasn't this also… by HitchikersPie
Just lazy; he did graduate from Vanderbilt.
by LionInAZ // Aug 05, 2022 - 9:19pm
In reply to Wasn't this also… by HitchikersPie
Since they're all basically attitude problems, you might as well include Carson Wentz too.
by Pat // Aug 01, 2022 - 12:59pm
In reply to racial semiotics by BigRichie
To be fair, it's also the Cardinals, who aren't exactly the model for a functional NFL franchise. I mean... they're actually the model for a dysfunctional NFL franchise. Like, the ultimate model.
by Aaron Brooks G… // Aug 01, 2022 - 1:13pm
In reply to To be fair, it's also the… by Pat
I say this as a Lions fan -- the Cardinals franchise is a joke.
by Tracy // Aug 01, 2022 - 2:28pm
In reply to racial semiotics by BigRichie
This is only proof of structural racism/semiotics/whatever the hell term you want to use if you really, really, really want it to be so.
I'd have been with you if you'd have used the "racial bias" instead of "structural racism" here. The fact that you chose the term you chose makes me wonder whether you see any distinction between these two things.
Non-standard contract language selectively applied might constitute racial bias; but as you've pointed out, when that language has only been used once, it is insufficient to prove bias.
But a charge of structural racism alleges that a system produces disparate outcomes based race, even when many individual actors within that system are not motivated by racial bias. Example: Suppose the Cardinals always included boilerplate language that voided guarantees to players who were cited for traffic violations. And this language was included in all contracts, regardless of the race of the player or the position they play. Now suppose that this language triggered voids for black players at a rate of 2 times the rate of the white players. The Cardinals' treatment of players is consistent, but that contract language nonetheless produces a racist result, not because of bias on the part of the persons enforcing the contract language, but because of system dynamics which may or may not have been clear to the actors when action was taken.
by JacqueShellacque // Aug 03, 2022 - 6:02pm
In reply to This is only proof of… by Tracy
Parking violations are not in any way controlled by the party creating the contract (the Cardinals in this case). The 'system' in this case would be whatever creates parking violations. This may or may not be random, true. However I'm familiar enough with the work of Delgado, Matsuda, Crenshaw, et al to know that pinning this results-oriented hooey on a party with such a term in its contracts is not a sign of refinement, legal or otherwise, but nonsense processed through legal peer-review as knowledge.
by luisguilherme // Aug 01, 2022 - 3:35pm
In reply to racial semiotics by BigRichie
As I don't think any sanction against Watson is racism.
No one would ever think of adding such clause to tape nerd Russell Wilson contract. Murray said that he doesn't need to study tape. Of course, I'd welcome such clause to Mayfield's contract, since like Murray, he doesn't like to study.
by young curmudgeon // Aug 01, 2022 - 12:51pm
Pat McAfee tweet re Josh Allen--"there are no bildos on the field." I so don't want to know what a "bildo" is that I did NOT google it! But whatever they are, I'm glad they are not on the field.
by Mike B. In Va // Aug 01, 2022 - 1:34pm
In reply to Bildos? by young curmudgeon
That's been a slang term for a dildo thrown on the field since the infamous incident against NE.
by NYChem // Aug 01, 2022 - 12:55pm
but Canada saying Mason could be the starter is due to him having a chance to be the starter. The situation of Mayfield:Darnold is quite a bit different from Trubisky:Rudolph. It's not just Canada saying that Rudolph is in the running for the starter position, it's pretty much everyone paying attention at Steelers training camp. Rudolph didn't curl up in a ball after the Trubisky signing and Pickett drafting.
Sure it may be a case of 'if you have 3 QBs, you have no QBs,' but its also possible Rudolph is better than he looked after the Earl Thomas-induced mega concussion and then the Myles Garrett assault in 2019. Of the top 6 QBs picked in 2018, he is definitely not the worst. Probably not the second worst. And may not even be the 3rd worst.
by serutan // Aug 01, 2022 - 2:12pm
Metcalf will be there to help the Seahawks develop their quarterback of the future in 2023, once they stop screwing around with Tweedle-Gee and Tweedle-Drew.
At this point it would read more accurately as "... of the future once Pete Carroll retires"
by Pat // Aug 01, 2022 - 2:56pm
For reference, here are the (non-funny money/bullcrap year) versions of the WR contracts. I basically consider a year an effective void year if it's totally non-guaranteed and the salary results in a significant jump in flat cap percentage (at 6% growth). So for instance, Hill's 2025 year is not an effective void year because $23M/yr in '26 is the equivalent of 19.3M/yr this year, which is actually even less than his flat cap average. But his '26 year absolutely is, Brown's '26 is, as is Adams's '25 and '26.
Non-QB contracts are always awkward because of course teams are much less likely to ride them out. But this list is kindof like "assuming these guys keep playing at a high level" which of course isn't exactly likely for some of them.
The whole "effective void year" thing is just annoying, so it's nice to see that agents aren't all doing it. So you can see the upper end inflation from Adams/Kupp/Hill. But it's really surprising that Samuel/Metcalf/Brown/McLaurin are all soo close.
by theslothook // Aug 01, 2022 - 3:22pm
I should also add. Murray is not the only QB to be called out for film study nor is it exclusively aimed towards black quarterbacks.
After Jerry Jones signed Romo, he publicly declared it was time for Romo to get serious and start putting, "Peyton Manning" time on the job.
by Shylo // Aug 04, 2022 - 8:19am
A Sailor Moon reference, nice!
I wish A.J. Brown was still a Titan but A.J. Brown did not want to be a Titan. He wanted to be an Eagle. His demands of the Titans were much higher than what he got from the Eagles, to the degree that you can't just say "Oh, you have to start high in negotiations."
I am confident in Burks but recognize he is an unproven, but if he spends less time on the training table and can be effective I see that as a win. Plus, rookie contract.
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