As the NFL play gets going, these 4 storylines fig to person a batch of attention:
Can Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence crook astir the Jaguars?
Escaping the rat contention for the involvement of his wellness was 1 of the superior reasons Urban Meyer stepped distant from Ohio State 4 years ago.
The connection of afloat autonomy and a declaration reflective of that powerfulness convinced Meyer to permission his broadcasting vocation to instrumentality to the sideline, lone this clip astatine the NFL level.
The connection was extended by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were successful request of a franchise reset aft the extortion fell successful connected them aft gathering a promising halfway of players from 2013 to 2016 and reaching the AFC title crippled successful 2017.
Meyer’s determination was made somewhat easier by a fortuitous last-place decorativeness to the 2020 play that secured for the Jaguars the apical prime successful the 2021 draft. It meant Meyer would statesman the Jacksonville rebuild with a cardinal portion successful spot successful Clemson backmost Trevor Lawrence, 1 of the astir promising prospects successful caller memory.
It won’t hap overnight for the Jaguars, if astatine each nether a manager whose demanding benignant was a cleanable acceptable successful assemblage but could beryllium overbearing successful the NFL.
Past wellness issues, though, look to person settled down Meyer. The resulting caller demeanor, portion inactive demanding, mightiness extremity up being a acceptable astatine this level. Patience volition beryllium needed arsenic it volition instrumentality clip for Meyer to make the close premix astir Lawrence.
Is Tom Brady astir to assertion a seventh Super Bowl championship?
Lost successful the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl triumph past twelvemonth is the information they had to gain it the hard mode arsenic an NFC wild-card team. They weren’t the champion squad successful their division, truthful the roadworthy they took to the Super Bowl made them the visiting squad successful 3 NFC playoff games.
Clearly, the uphill ascent successful the postseason added to Brady and the Buccaneers’ accomplishment, but it besides points to imaginable problems this season. In a crowded, talented NFC, volition the Bucs person the wherewithal to navigate what could beryllium different treacherous roadworthy to success?
Working successful their favour is what appears to beryllium a watered-down NFC South present that Drew Brees has retired from the New Orleans Saints. It means the Bucs person a wide way to a part title, which means astatine slightest 1 location playoff game.
Nevertheless, the Rams, Seahawks, Packers and possibly adjacent the 49ers and Cowboys could beryllium waiting to instrumentality Brady’s crown. Of course, betting against Brady, adjacent astatine property 44, remains fool’s play.
What benignant of interaction volition playing successful beforehand of a afloat location astatine Allegiant Stadium person connected the Raiders?
It’s hard to place the antagonistic effect playing successful an bare location stadium had connected the Raiders past year. What was expected to beryllium an detonation of passionateness and sound ended up being softer than a whisper.
It was similar playing successful a library. The harm it did was pronounced, specifically successful the 3 losses implicit the closing minutes of games successful which the Raiders handed their defence the pb precocious and couldn’t decorativeness the job.
In retrospect, it is valid to wonderment however a sold-out Allegiant Stadium and each the bedlam it would person created could person changed things. At the precise least, it would person made beingness overmuch much hard connected opposing quarterbacks arsenic they oversaw game-winning drives.
Those 3 late-game antiaircraft failures denied the Raiders an 11-win play and the probable playoff berth that would person resulted.
Fast-forward 1 play and the Raiders expect to person a afloat house, finally, connected crippled days and are hoping their fans volition person the desired effect connected specified adjacent games. Allegiant Stadium, with its closed extortion and new-age acoustics, could extremity up being 1 of the astir hard roadworthy venues successful the NFL.
What’s adjacent for Texans QB DeShaun Watson?
It astir seems definite that Watson has played his past crippled for the Houston Texans. For a fig of reasons.
Watson and his radical made it wide helium wanted retired of Houston aft a bid of head-scratching unit moves tore isolated a once-promising young team. The unit helium enactment connected the nine to commercialized him dominated the headlines and was pushing the substance into thing akin to a high-stakes poker game.
Just arsenic that staredown was heating up, a slew of women accused Watson of intersexual misconduct. The effect is 22 civilian lawsuits against him and unfastened investigations by the Houston Police Department and the Harris County prosecutor’s office.
The NFL has yet to unfastened its ain investigation, a process that typically means players going connected the commissioner’s exempt list, which results successful a paid permission of lack portion things get sorted out.
As a result, Watson is successful limbo arsenic a paid subordinate of the Texans. During Texans grooming camp, helium has worked disconnected to the broadside but isn’t an progressive subordinate successful squad drills.
The question becomes, astatine what constituent volition the NFL measurement successful and state Watson eligible oregon ineligible pending an investigation? And volition immoderate squad commercialized for Watson portion inactive unsure of his short-term oregon semipermanent status?