Playoff expansion spotlighted in NFL talks
Momentum on both sides to reach deal before season starts, commissioner says
Playoff expansion is front and centre as the NFL and the Players Association resume talks geared toward a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, NFL Network reported Monday.
The addition of one playoff team from each conference has been discussed before, but could become reality as owners consider ways to maintain profit margins while also eliminating at least one week of pre-season games.
Currently, each team has two home games each pre-season. With season-ticket holder and personal seat license sales counting toward attendance, the gate for home teams at those two games is considerable.
Some owners support expanding the regular season to 17 or 18 weeks from 16.
There is also growing support for boosting the playoff field by one team in each conference, per NFL Network.
The existing CBA expires in March 2021, but commissioner Roger Goodell said there is momentum on both sides to agree to a new deal before the start of the NFL’s 100th season on Sept. 5.
Scheduling might not be an easy bridge to cross in negotiations considering player-safety initiatives during the lifespan of the current CBA. An even greater challenge would appear to be the players insisting on a greater take of revenues from the current allotment of 47 per cent.
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown showed up to work Monday as his search for a suitable helmet continues.
Multiple outlets reported that Brown attended team meetings, although a walkthrough practice was apparently cancelled.
His attendance came the day after Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said it was time for the All-Pro wideout “to be all-in or all-out.”
Brown has had only one full-speed practice this pre-season, in part because he was recovering from foot blisters caused by a cryotherapy mishap and lately because of his helmet issue.
Ryan Fitzpatrick gets the start for the Miami Dolphins this week, but head coach Brian Flores claims that decision is not an indication of his plans for Week 1 of the regular season.
Fitzpatrick was deemed to be ahead of Josh Rosen entering the pre-season, but neither quarterback has separated himself through two games.
“I’m going to put the guy who will help us win, who we feel will give us the best chance to win games,” Flores said.
The third pre-season game often is used as a dress rehearsal of sorts, testing starters against starters to prepare for opening weekend of the regular season on Sept. 8.
Fitzpatrick is expected to start Thursday against the Jacksonville Jaguars and play into the second half before giving way to Rosen, Flores said.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans did not practice Monday due to an apparent leg injury.
The Tampa Bay Times said the two-time Pro Bowl selection grabbed his left leg after catching a deep ball during Sunday’s practice.
Evans played a total of 20 snaps in the Bucs’ first two pre-season contests, but his availability for Friday’s game against the Cleveland Browns is in question. Evans, who turns 26 on Wednesday, is coming off his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season. He broke the single-season Tampa Bay record with 1,524 receiving yards in 2018.
Sterling Shepard, expected to emerge as the New York Giants’ No. 1 receiver, is back to full practice after breaking his left thumb at the opening of training camp, and all signs point to him being on the field in Week 1.
The Giants open the season on Sept. 8 on the road against the Dallas Cowboys.
Over the weekend, Shepard practised without restrictions and didn’t need to wear the yellow, non-contract jersey.
“It’s actually healed up pretty fast and ... I’m feeling good,” Shepard told the New York Post. “I wouldn’t say I’m all the way back, but I’m pretty close. I’m where I need to be. I feel good about that.”
Suspended Giants wide receiver Golden Tate is in the concussion protocol.
Tate, who will miss the first four games of the regular season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, was injured during Friday night’s 32-13 pre-season win against Chicago. He was held out of practice Sunday. The Giants signed the former Pro Bowl selection to a fouryear, $37.5 million deal in March.