Extra Points: Los Angeles, Raiders, Titans
It appears that the league is getting a little more stringent on Adderall prescriptions, as Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Today, the NFLPA sent a reminder to agents today on players needing to have a certified psychiatrist evaluate them to get therapeutic use exemptions for ADHD. Players wanting to use the popular ADHD medication have to have TUEs for it renewed by August 10th, otherwise they will not be able to take the medication. Over the years, we have seen several players suspended for using Adderall and similar ADHD meds, including Bruce Irvin, Aqib Talib, and Haloti Ngata. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Despite some reports over the weekend to the contrary, the NFL is not considering delaying the Los Angeles relocation process by a year, a source tells Daniel Kaplan of the Sports Business Journal (on Twitter).
- At some point, Oakland will probably have to choose between the Raiders and the Oakland Athletics, Phil Matier and Andy Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle write.
- Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com wonders if Kenneth Adams IV is becoming the face of the Titans‘ ownership group. Rumors continue to fly of the team ultimately being sold, but Kuharsky gets the feeling that Adams wants to remain an NFL owner. Adams is the lone person in the five-member ownership group who works for the team and who is a Nashvillian.
- The trial for Saints cornerback Brian Dixon has been pushed back again and is now scheduled for Aug. 3, according to online court records obtained by Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune. Dixon was arrested March 29 for resisting arrest without violence following a traffic stop in Miami Beach. The 25-year-old, who signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2014, played in all 16 games for New Orleans last season.
NFC Mailbags: Cardinals, Bucs, Vikings, Saints
We checked out ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift focus to the NFC…
- Josh Weinfuss believes Cardinals offensive lineman Ted Larsen, Earl Watford, Bradley Sowell and Bobby Massie could be moved because of the depth at their positions.
- The Buccaneers have been active in their spot atop the waiver wire, claiming Tim Wright and D.J. Swearinger. Pat Yasinskas says the team could make five or six more claims before the start of the season.
- If running back Doug Martin has a big season, Yasinskas thinks there’s a good chance he’d re-sign with the Buccaneers.
- 2018 is the earliest the Vikings would have to invest a longterm contract into a quarterback, writes Ben Goessling. That means that team shouldn’t have an issue signing their younger core players, including Harrison Smith, Matt Kalil and Xavier Rhodes. The one player that the writer could see the organization move on from is wideout Cordarrelle Patterson.
- Mike Triplett says it’s “safe to assume” that Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan can’t survive another bad season. If the defense continues to struggle, defensive assistant Dennis Allen could also receive part of the blame.
NFC Links: Saints, Seahawks, Lions
Let’s take a look at some notes from around the NFC on this Saturday morning…
- Taking a payout is never easy, especially for a 31-year-old veteran. However, Saints offensive lineman Jahri Evans understands that it’s part of the business, and he has no animosity over having to accept less money for this upcoming season. “It worked out in the end. You know, it’s part of the business, obviously. And I’m glad to be here,” Evans told ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett.
- Seahawks rookie Frank Clark recognized that his team was criticized for selecting him in the second round of this past year’s draft. A domestic violence arrest ended his career at the University of Michigan, but the organization was apparently satisfied with the defensive end’s character. Despite the backlash, Clark said he wasn’t affected by the negative press. “It didn’t affect me in no kind of way, because after the Seahawks drafted me I dedicated my game to them,” Clark told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I dedicate everything I did as far as on that field to them because I owe them a lot because No. 1, some people say they took a risk, I say they just gave me an opportunity to show what I can showcase and they had faith in me the whole time.”
- Undrafted offensive tackle La’el Collins ultimately signed with the Cowboys, but the rookie told Birkett (in a separate story) that he seriously considered signing with the Lions. “I talked to coach Caldwell briefly, like, a day after the draft,” Collins said. “First of all, he just wanted me to know he was here for me and that if I needed anything, I could talk to him or if I needed to talk to him, things like that…And honestly, I went on a visit to Detroit and I had a great talk with coach Caldwell while I was there, I had a great meeting with them. We connected in a big way. It was nothing but love and respect for him. I think he’s a great coach; I think they’re going to be a great team.”
NFC Rumors: Brees, Rams, Moeaki, Locke
The city of St. Louis and the development commission tasked with extracting funds to finance a new Rams stadium along the Mississippi River front continued their arguments in court Thursday.
At the crux of this is a St. Louis city ordinance that requires a public vote for city funds to be used to finance a stadium, and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (curiously referred to as the RSA) insists that ordinance is restricting its ability to keep the Rams in St. Louis, according to John Henry of KSDK, a local TV station.
What the RSA refers to as “broad” language in the 2002 city ordinance prompted the commission to sue the city in order to ask a judge if the law is constitutional, and St. Louis mayor Francis Slay said the city would defend the ordinance “vigorously.”
This is just one of the many disconnects between cities and their football futures occurring right now as the Los Angeles market appears set to re-open.
Here are some other notes from the NFC this afternoon.
- In speaking with ESPN.com’s Ed Werder, Drew Brees is “very convinced” the Saints will win another Super Bowl before he retires (Twitter link). The presumptive Hall of Famer also iterated he was “heartbroken” after the team shipped Jimmy Graham to Seattle on Day 1 of free agency, noting that there were “big plans” for Graham in the ensuing years of the star tight end’s contract. Stripped of key weaponry and coming off a disappointing 7-9 season, the Saints are not an attractive pick to challenge for an NFC title this season. But the 36-year-old quarterback hasn’t missed the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns since the 2007-08 bracket absences, and it’s not like the NFC South is teeming with juggernauts.
- Housing one of the league’s worst tight end stables, the Falcons are the latest team to give the injury-riddled Tony Moeaki a chance. Despite making just $744K this season, Moeaki will compete with Jacob Tamme — the Broncos’ third-string tight end last season who signed a two-year, $4MM contract in March — to be the Falcons’ top pass-catching tight end, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Incumbent Levine Toilolo received the worst pass-receiving grade from Pro Football Focus among 67 qualified tight ends last season, opening the door for an odd Tamme-Moeaki battle.
- At special teams coach Mike Priefer‘s request, the Vikings declined to bring in competition for Jeff Locke at punter, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. A fifth-round pick in 2013, Locke ranked 25th in yards per punt (39.2) last season and dropped just 8% of his boots inside the 10-yard line, which was 30th.
NFC Notes: Morris, Benson, Haslett
The addition of third-round rookie Matt Jones clouds the future of running back Alfred Morris in Washington, writes John Keim of ESPN.com, noting that a source said in the spring that the odds of Morris signing an extension before the season were about 50/50. According to Keim, however, the team still has room to make a deal happen for Morris, who is worth keeping even if he’s not elite.
Here are a few more Wednesday notes from around the NFC:
- The attorney for Tom Benson‘s heirs announced today that his clients are filing an appeal after the Saints owner was declared mentally competent last week, tweets Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. The battle among the Benson family over ownership for the NFL franchise – along with the NBA’s Pelicans – has been ongoing for several months.
- Former Saints head coach Jim Haslett, who spent the last several year in D.C. as Washington‘s defensive coordinator, has joined the Penn State staff as a consultant, tweets Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports. Haslett was replaced by Joe Barry in Washington following the 2014 season.
- Former NFL running back Herschel Walker recently declared that he could still play in the league at age 53. While Walker’s comments weren’t taken all that seriously, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn was asked if his team would have room for the former Georgia back and replied in the affirmative, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details. “He’s one of my all-time favorite players. Yeah, we have room for him,” Quinn said. “For him, the legacy he left at Georgia. … He’d definitely fit in great from a competitive standpoint.” In spite of Quinn’s response, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for the Falcons to offer Walker a spot on their 90-man roster.
NFC Notes: Martin, 49ers, Saints, Bears
Let’s round up a few Tuesday notes from around the NFC….
- Having struggled since his massive rookie season, Buccaneers running back Doug Martin had his best offseason in three years, writes Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. The upswing in Martin’s play couldn’t come at a better time for the running back, who had his 2016 option declined in the spring, meaning he’s eligible for free agency at season’s end.
- The 49ers expect to lose some players due to free agency this year, but several early retirements have left San Francisco’s roster more depleted than anticipated. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com takes a look at how those retirements will affect the franchise going forward.
- The Saints‘ “walk on a salary cap tightrope” caught up to them this offseason, says Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap in a piece for The Sporting News. The team began confronting its cap issues by trading and releasing some high-priced players, and renegotiating multiple contract, but more moves will be necessary to get New Orleans’ cap into better shape, according to Fitzgerald.
- With the Bears transitioning from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 look under a new coaching staff, the club made a handful of changes on the defensive line over the last few months. John Mullin of CSNChicago.com takes stock of the results, examining what the Bears’ reworked line will look like this season.
NFC Notes: Wilson, Cowboys, Galette
In an interview with North Carolina’s 99.9 The Fan (audio link), quarterback Russell Wilson may have given an indication that he’s comfortable with moving on to a new team if necessary.
“At the end of the day I trust the process,” Wilson said. “I know God’s going to take me and put me where he wants to have me. I hope that’s Seattle. I love it there, it’s a great place. But I’ve also gone through the ups and downs and been moved around before. I loved N.C. State and loved playing there and then having to go somewhere else [Wisconsin] and start new.”
Later on, Wilson said that he hopes that things will work out with the Seahawks. As the two sides continue to wrestle with what appears to be a sizable gap, however, that’s far from a certainty. Here’s more from the NFC..
- The Cowboys‘ stable of running backs has the unenviable job of trying to replace the production of DeMarco Murray this season. Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News has run down all of the candidates to step up and replace last year’s rushing leader in a five part series, ending today with a glance at Joseph randle. Randle was arrested twice in a four-month period, dating back to last October. Despite his questionable judgement off the field, he’s arguably Dallas’ best option on the field now that Murray is suiting up for a divisional rival.
- The Saints have a tough decision to make. On one hand, they’re probably eager to rid themselves of Junior Galette in the wake of the most recent allegations against him. On the other hand, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes, they’d face a big cap hit if they cut him. If the Saints drop Galette, they’d keep his cap number at $5.45MM for 2015 while dealing with $12.1MM in dead money against next year’s cap.
- Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams believes that the Rams D has a chance to be special thanks in part to some new faces, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
Video Of Junior Galette Striking A Woman Emerges
Saints’ pass rusher Junior Galette was arrested in January in relation to allegations of battery. Galette was set to meet with league officials at the NFL office, but will have more to talk about than originally thought, as a video has emerged that shows Galette using force against a woman from 2013, writes Larry Holder of NOLA.com.
The video portrays an unrelated incident, in which a fight breaks out and Galette strikes a woman with his belt. It can be found on YouTube, under the name “Spring Break 2013 South Beach Brawl.”
The team and league are both aware of the video and Galette’s participation in it, according to Holder.
The charges from this past January were dismissed, and although a civil suit was filed, it hasn’t moved forward since March. Galette and his camp tried to push the incident as a one-time thing.
“Really, at this level, you can conduct yourself as good, as choir boy as you want, sometimes the trouble comes to you,” Galette said on Wednesday, in regard to the recent arrest. “In that situation, there was nothing I could do. Everything, if I could do it all over again, there’s not much different that I can do as far as what this person wants for me out of my life.”
The video from 2013 does not shine a good light on Galette, and with other recent domestic violence incidents and suspensions around the league, the NFL will likely use this video as strong visual evidence to hand down a suspension and eventually uphold that suspension in case of an appeal.
NFC South Notes: Saints, Panthers, Falcons
A judge on Thursday ruled 87-year-old Saints owner Tom Benson mentally competent and fit to continue running his business empire, but that doesn’t mean he’s in the clear. Benson announced in January that he was cutting his daughter and her children out of Saints ownership and leaving the team to his wife of 10 years, which led to lawsuits in both Louisiana and Texas. Those lawsuits were filed by his daughter, Renee, and her children, Rita and Ryan LeBlanc, who tried to prove that Benson was incapable of running his businesses. That failed, but his daughter and grandchildren might appeal, writes Andy Grimm of NOLA.com, and it could set off a years-long fight for ownership of both the Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.
Here’s more on the Saints and two of their NFC South rivals:
- Even though the Panthers signed quarterback Cam Newton to a mega-deal earlier this month, general manager Dave Gettleman told Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer that he doesn’t want the 26-year-old to change his dual-threat playing style to avoid potential injuries. “He’s got to be Cam. You don’t hold back a thoroughbred, you don’t,” said Gettleman. Newton has established himself as an elite running QB during his four-year career, piling up over 2,500 yards and 33 touchdowns.
- One of Newton’s go-to targets, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, struggled with weight issues at Florida State and has tacked on some pounds this offseason after a stellar rookie year, but Gettleman isn’t concerned. “It really is much ado about nothing. Right now he’s only five pounds off his playing weight. That’s it,” Gettleman told Person.“He’s a few pounds over, that’s all. He’ll be fine.”
- Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan‘s sack total dropped precipitously last year, going from 12.5 the previous year to 7.5 for a defense that had the third-fewest sacks in the NFC. Defensive line coach Bill Johnson believes Jordan is primed for a return to his 2013 form.“There’s two or three things that we’re going to go after and he’s made improvement on those things. At this time in the year you break down each guy individually and try to give him their needs and I think he accepted them well,” Johnson said, according to Andrew Lopez of NOLA.com. “He’s been consistent on the practice field. It’s a coaching eye. I’ve looked at him going on five years; I know what I’m seeing.”
- Falcons coach Dan Quinn wouldn’t comment directly Thursday when asked about free agent offensive guard Evan Mathis, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter (via Twitter). The Falcons, like many other teams, are a potential fit for Mathis – a two-time Pro Bowler whom the Eagles released last week.
Judge Rules In Favor Of Tom Benson
Saints owner Tom Benson has been ruled mentally competent and fit to run his businesses by Judge Kem Reese, according to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). The official ruling is expected to come down this afternoon.
The ruling is expected to have major implications on the future of both the Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. Years ago, the Saints owner designated granddaughter Rita Benson LeBlanc as his handpicked successor. Then, in January, he announced that he decided to instead transfer ownership of the city’s two major pro sports franchises to his wife, Gayle, when he dies. Meanwhile, LeBlanc’s offices at the teams’ Metairie headquarters were vacated and her company-issued Mercedes-Benz and cell phone was seized. LeBlanc, who was less than thrilled by all of this, filed a lawsuit claiming Benson is mentally incompetent and is being manipulated by his wife.
Benson, 87, was forced to undergo evaluations by three different doctors to determine whether he remains competent to control his NFL and NBA franchises. One doctor was appointed by Benson, one by his daughter Renee, and the third was named by those first two physicians.
While the ruling was of significant importance to the Saints’ future, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com recently wrote that relocation was not in the cards regardless of who was put in charge. The Saints are locked into their current stadium lease until 2025.
Over the past five months, the battle has been nothing but ugly both in the courtroom and in the press. Today’s resolution, barring an appeal, should bring the circus to a close.
For more on how the ruling affects the NBA’s Pelicans, head on over to Hoops Rumors, our sister site for the NBA.