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NFL Draft 2024 ‘The Beast’ Guide: Dane Brugler’s scouting reports and player rankings

14Apr

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NFL Draft 2024 ‘The Beast’ Guide: Dane Brugler’s scouting reports and player rankings

Finally! It’s here. I’m thrilled to share this year’s draft guide with everyone. I don’t remember who first referred to it as “The Beast,” but I use that moniker as motivation to make sure this annual primer lives up to the nickname — and I don’t think I’ve let you down this year.Every NFL prospect is a puzzle. And it is a scout’s job to find the puzzle pieces to create as clear a picture of each player as possible. Those puzzle pieces include everything from the player’s physical traits to his mental makeup to the details of his upbringing — and everything in between.That’s precisely how I attack this draft guide. Over the last 18 months, I’ve collected as many puzzle pieces as I could dig up, through countless hours of tape study and conversations with prospects, scouts and other source...

Joe Flacco is finding love again in Cleveland

31Dec

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Joe Flacco is finding love again in Cleveland

CLEVELAND — Before Joe Flacco ever threw his first pass in a Browns jersey, tight ends coach T.C. McCartney tried warning them. Nobody knew what to expect from a 38-year-old quarterback who looked like his best days in football were 10 years and three teams ago, but McCartney still believed. He spent the 2019 season as Flacco’s quarterbacks coach in Denver and knew the old man could still spin it. Then Flacco walked onto the practice field to run the scout team and quickly scored a touchdown against the Browns’ league-leading defense. Then he did it again. And again. And again. Depending on who you ask, Flacco tore up the defense for five or six touchdowns running the scout team. Or maybe it was seven or eight. Flacco’s brief time running the scout team is already legendary, just like the...

NFL’s best touchdown celebrations of 2023: A favorite from all 32 teams

28Dec

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NFL’s best touchdown celebrations of 2023: A favorite from all 32 teams

Scoring touchdowns during each offensive possession is the unspoken goal for every NFL team. For decades, celebrations have been the norm in accompanying touchdowns. It goes back all the way to the 1960s with Homer Jones and his touchdown spike.Touchdown celebrations have become a choreographed production for some teams. Think back to the 1980s when Washington’s “Fun Bunch” made enemies after its group of players participated in a jumping high-five after a score. And think recently when the Seattle Seahawks did their best New Edition and *NSYNC impersonations, or when the Minnesota Vikings decided to play a game of Duck, Duck, Goose in the end zone.GO DEEPERThe NFL's most memorable TD celebrations: Deion Sanders' high-step, the Ickey Shuffle, moreThe 2023 NFL season has had its share of m...

NFL playoff picture after Week 16: Ravens close in on AFC’s top seed; NFC up for grabs

26Dec

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NFL playoff picture after Week 16: Ravens close in on AFC’s top seed; NFC up for grabs

The Baltimore Ravens scored their most impressive victory of the season Monday night, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 33-19. Along with making them look like worthy Super Bowl contenders, the victory puts them in a fantastic position in the AFC. At 12-3, they’re a game ahead of Miami and have a chance to clinch the top spot next week in a game against those very Dolphins.Meanwhile, the 49ers’ loss sends them to 11-4 and a three-way tie atop the NFC with the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. The 49ers own the tiebreaker over both, but with two games to go, there’s still time for the Eagles or Lions to make a move.As for the rest of the NFL, Week 16 saw plenty of movement in the playoff picture. Let’s take a look at where things stand as we enter Week 17.Listed odds to make the playo...

NFL Power Rankings Week 16: 49ers, Ravens on top, plus a surprise from every team

20Dec

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NFL Power Rankings Week 16: 49ers, Ravens on top, plus a surprise from every team

We’re coming down the stretch of the NFL season, and the playoff seedings and Power Rankings are starting to sort themselves out, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some surprises along the way. Today, we’re going to look at one surprising aspect of each team’s season.And then we’re going to start looking forward to a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in Week 16 of the season.(Last week: 1)Sunday: Beat Arizona Cardinals 45-29Surprise: Brock PurdyWe’ve let all the talk about whether the second-year quarterback is a top-10 quarterback in the league or even possibly the MVP obscure what remains at its heart the most remarkable story in the league. Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 draft, is now 16-3 as a starting quarterback. His passer rating (119) and expected points added per dropback (.32) le...

Jets get embarrassed again, and Robert Saleh’s team future grows more tenuous

19Dec

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Jets get embarrassed again, and Robert Saleh’s team future grows more tenuous

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Garrett Wilson leaned against a locker, clenched his fist, and then unclenched it, over and over. He grabbed his left hand and went finger by finger, squeezing each one, veins popping. Wilson’s frustration has been simmering for weeks. Now it’s boiling.It took Wilson three quarters to receive his first target Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.“I’m aware,” Wilson said, cutting off a question before it was finished.Across the locker room, New York Jets players bemoaned the team’s poor effort in a 30-0 loss. Wide receiver Allen Lazard took it even further.“I think they just played a better game,” Lazard said. “They outschemed us, out-efforted us.”Effort. Scheme.Wilson didn’t disagree with the assessment.“Yeah,” Wilson said. “If Allen said it, it’s probably true.”Last we...

NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Chaos in the AFC, plus a fantasy spotlight for every team

14Dec

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NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Chaos in the AFC, plus a fantasy spotlight for every team

It’s Week 15 in the NFL, which means millions of Americans are sweating their fantasy football team’s playoff positioning because this is the week the playoffs begin in most leagues. Pride, cash and the dreaded last-place punishments all are on the line.The Power Rankings is getting into the spirit with a fantasy focus for this week’s theme. We’re going to look at one notable fantasy football player (or unit) from each team and how he is helping — or hurting — the real-life team’s season. (We’re using the standard league scoring points accumulated by TruMedia.)(Last week: 1)Sunday: Beat Seattle Seahawks 28-16Fantasy spotlight: Christian McCaffreyJust like on the field, it’s tough to pick which 49er to highlight, but McCaffrey is the San Francisco MVP at least in fantasy (259.4 points) wit...

NFL Power Rankings Week 14: 49ers make a statement, plus worst-case scenarios

8Dec

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NFL Power Rankings Week 14: 49ers make a statement, plus worst-case scenarios

Last week, the Power Rankings looked at the best-case scenario for all 32 NFL teams, but it’s late in the season and we’ve had to watch so many bad Jets quarterbacks that it’s taken all the optimism out of us. So this week, we’re looking at the worst-case scenario for each team as the season heads down the stretch.Obviously, the real answer for most teams would be an injury to their starting quarterback and/or superstar, but we don’t want to jinx anyone (and we certainly don’t want to hear about it in the comments) so we’re trying to be more creative than that in most cases.In the case of our new No. 1, though, we couldn’t come up with anything because, man, the 49ers looked like a monster on Sunday.1. San Francisco 49ers (9-3)(Last week 4)Sunday: Beat Philadelphia Eagles 42-19Worst case:...

NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Cowboys, Steelers moving up, plus best-case scenarios

1Dec

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NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Cowboys, Steelers moving up, plus best-case scenarios

The homestretch of the NFL season is upon us, and the Power Rankings are in an optimistic mood. That means that this week we’ll look at the best-case scenario for all 32 teams the remainder of the season.For some, it’s a Super Bowl ring, for some, it’s a postseason appearance and for some, it’s a new head coach under the Christmas tree.(Last week: 1)Sunday: Beat Buffalo Bills 37-34 in overtimeBest case: Super Bowl ringThree coaches in NFL history have started 10-1 in back-to-back seasons, according to Elias Sports. They are Don Shula, Tony Dungy and … Nick Sirianni. The Eagles, who played without offensive tackle Lane Johnson (groin), have beaten the Cowboys, Chiefs and Bills in consecutive games, and their next three are against the 49ers, Cowboys and Seahawks. Jalen Hurts, who had fiv...

Anonymous NFL player poll 2023: Best player? Biggest trash talker? Most annoying fans?

24Nov

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Anonymous NFL player poll 2023: Best player? Biggest trash talker? Most annoying fans?

Spoiler alert: Players around the NFL think Patrick Mahomes is pretty good.The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and two-time MVP was our runaway winner as the best player in the game today, according to the 85 players our beat writers from The Athletic spoke to over the past month. That’s no surprise, but the rest of the answers weren’t so obvious, as we set out to conduct our first anonymous NFL player poll.We asked each player we spoke to the same set of questions, although not every player answered them all. They were granted anonymity in order to candidly offer their opinions on the league’s players, coaches, commissioner and some of the biggest topics facing the league today — including running back salaries, the grass versus turf debate and more.Players were polled on who dishes the b...