NFL news: Around the league in 32 plays
By Ben Almquist
Chip Kelly continues to get negative reviews from former Eagles. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia Eagles: Former Eagles players continue to fire shots at the team and its leadership. DeSean Jackson appearing in a BET reality show, DeSean Jackson Home Team, accused the Eagles brass of conducting a “smear campaign” against him. Jackson cites his success both before and after being released by the Eagles last offseason. In a story that seems to reflect the exact opposite approach for the Eagles when talking about character concerns, Philadelphia has signed troubled offensive guard John Moffitt. Moffitt has had a number of off the field issues since coming into the league that have largely derailed a career many considered to have a ton of potential.
Chiefs’ take
: Quite frankly, I hope the Eagles continue this process of angering quality players who were stars under Andy Reid. DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Evan Mathis, and Mychal Kendricks have all voiced displeasure or uncertainty with the current leadership in Philly. And with Reid showing he’s more than willing to bring in his former players, this could play out very well for the Chiefs over the next couple of years.
Antonio Gates has been suspended for PED use, which dramatically hurts his chances of surpassing Tony Gonzalez on the all time TD list for TEs. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
San Diego Chargers: Tight end Antonio Gates has suffered a pretty big setback in his quest to overtake Tony Gonzalez on the career touchdown list. Gates has been suspended for four games after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. This is a significant blow to the Chargers offense.
- Chiefs’ take: On top of the fact that Chiefs great, Tony G, will likely retain his crown, the Chiefs have other reasons to be happy with this. First and foremost, this hurts the Chargers chances of winning their first four games, three of which were not going to be easy contests anyways. Gates was the second leading receiver for the Chargers last year. On top of this, we can likely expect to see Gates regress as a player this year. If he was taking PEDs, there was certainly a reason for it. A diminished Gates is not nearly the threat he normally would be.
Seattle Seahawks: Rumors are starting to emerge that the Seahawks will give serious consideration to moving on from quarterback Russell Wilson if his contract demands are in line with being the highest paid player in the league. There is room for debate as to the true importance of Wilson to the Seahawks team, but there is little doubt that Wilson will get the contract he wants from somebody.
- Chiefs’ take: Wilson probably wouldn’t become available until 2017 which would fall in line with when it could make financial sense for the Chiefs to release Alex Smith. Would the Chiefs move on from Smith for Wilson? Is Wilson worth the contract he’s looking for? Would this move end the quarterback debate in Kansas City?
St. Louis Rams: The Rams are reportedly “out” on veteran guard Evan Mathis. Per his source, Jason Cole reports that the Rams would prefer to build with young talent instead.
Chiefs’ take
: Andy Reid recently stated the same thing in regards to Mathis. While both claims could be true, they could also be false. Mathis remains the top free agent on the market.
The hang up on the Mariota contract could be due to surfing? Well…that would be a new one. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee Titans: Ok, file this under “weird”. The holdup on the contract for rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota is rumored to be a result of his desire to surf in the offseason. Mariota is from Hawaii which has one of the most active surfing scenes in the world, so it is not surprising that it would be a passion for him. The reports claim that the Titans have put in offset language to protect them in case of injury, which would include recreational surfing. Several insiders, including ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky, have refuted this by stating that there is no specific offset language regarding surfing. Of course…if that’s not it, then what is?
Washington Redskins: The Redskins moniker is back in the spotlight as a very influential church, United Church of Christ, has taken a stance siding with Native American organizations calling for the team to change its name. With the current climate in the country regarding offensive symbols, it is likely that Washington will see more pressure than ever to change the team’s name.
- Chiefs’ take: The Redskins name-change debate will always involve the Chiefs as a peripheral debate. While there are not many that would put “Chiefs” on the same level as “Redskins”, Kansas City has received some negative attention over their own moniker. If change does come to Washington, expect the Chiefs to be on the short list of teams next on the target list.
Well, that does it for me Chiefs fans…what a week! Especially with that Chargers news! No Chiefs news, but this was clearly not the week to be making headlines.