NFL’s virtual world is extended
Rams show off their new-look uniforms
The NFL has extended its virtual offseason workouts through the end of May, a person familiar with the move tells The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision to bar in-person sessions beyond the previous deadline of May 15 has not been announced publicly.
NFL teams normally would be holding Organized Team Activities (OTAs) during May, followed by June minicamps. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, such activities have been done remotely.
Coaching and training staffs have worked with the players by conducting classroom instruction and onfield activities through digital applications instead of at team facilities, which have been closed since late March. Those virtual meetings can occur for four hours per day, four days per week.
Teams can send up to $1,500 to each player to purchase equipment.
All 32 teams must submit plans for reopening their facilities to the league by Friday, though no dates for such reopenings are set. Offseason workouts (OTAs and minicamps) must end by June 26, a week or so later than usual. That, of course, could change depending on developments with the pandemic.
RAMS: The Los Angeles Rams unveiled new uniforms Wednesday, putting a modern aesthetic on their classic horned helmets and traditional color scheme ahead of their move into SoFi Stadium this year.
Two of the Rams’ three new looks are broadly similar to their primary royal-blue-and-yellow uniform from 1973-99. But there are several surprising touches added to an overall look that’s still wildly popular with California fans who stayed loyal to the franchise during its 21-year sojourn in St. Louis.
The Rams have added distinct creases to the horn on their famous blue helmets, which now have a metallic sheen. The horns circling the shoulders of their royal-blue jerseys also have the crease, echoing the style of the new team logos unveiled earlier in the spring.
The Rams took an even bigger risk with their white uniform, choosing an off-white color dubbed Bone that’s sure to be hotly debated.
The franchise has planned a new look since its return to Los Angeles in 2016. The changes were timed to coincide with the planned opening of owner Stan Kroenke’s multibillion-dollar arena in Inglewood this fall.
The Rams will wear yellow or blue pants below the same blue jersey. They slightly shrunk the horns traditionally wrapping around the blue jersey’s shoulders. They also changed the look of their yellow uniform numbers, altering their shape and adding a yellow-to-white
color gradient similar to the muchdebated technique used in their new logos.
PANTHERS: Carolina signed Derrick Brown, the seventh overall pick in the NFL draft, to a fouryear contract.
The 6-foot-5, 325-pound defensive tackle was a standout at Auburn, earning consensus All-America honors last season and finishing his college career with 170 tackles and 13 sacks. He’s expected to start right away for the Panthers under first-year coach Matt Rhule.
Brown is Carolina’s first pick to sign.
TRAINING CAMP: Several NFL teams are eyeing a resort owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice as a potential training facility during the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesman for the retreat said Wednesday.
The Greenbrier, a lavish resort in southern West Virginia, has previously hosted training camps for the New Orleans Saints and the Houston Texans. Although several teams have contacted the resort, no franchise has officially signed on to practice there this year, hotel spokesman Cam Huffman said.
Justice, a Republican billionaire thought to be the state’s richest man, bought the resort out of bankruptcy in 2009. The Greenbrier has been closed since March 19 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Built for the Saints, The Greenbrier’s practice facility includes two natural grass practice fields, a synthetic field and a 55,000-squarefoot building with kitchen and dining facilities, meeting rooms, weight and locker rooms, training and physical therapy accommodations. At an elevation of 2,000 feet, the location offers a cooler climate than some NFL teams’ training camps in the summer.
The Arizona Cardinals practiced there for a three-day stretch in 2015, though some players warned of some uninvited guests: ghosts.
Tony Jefferson, then a Cardinals safety, said he heard “a little voice, it was like a little girl’s voice” on his first night at The Greenbrier. Cornerback Patrick Peterson said some players were so spooked that they began traveling in groups.
CHARGERS: Having rebuilt the right side of their offensive line, the Chargers received a boost to the middle when center Mike Pouncey was medically cleared to resume his career.
The nine-year veteran was limited to five starts in 2019 because of a neck injury that required surgery in October.
“I expect to be full go whenever that time comes for us to come back to football …” Pouncey said. “Any time you come back from surgery there’s always going to be steps. But I’ll be ready to go when the time comes.”
Though Pouncey repeatedly expressed a desire to continue playing, there had been uncertainty regarding the future of the fourtime Pro Bowler.
General manager Tom Telesco and coach Anthony Lynn recently said they expected Pouncey to return. But they left it up to Pouncey to share the official news, which he did Wednesday during a video call with reporters.
GIANTS: QB Daniel Jones’ second season with New York is starting the same way as his rookie year. He’s learning a new offense.
It’s one of the problems playing on a bad team: There are coaching changes. Pat Shurmur is out. Joe Judge is in. Everything is new.
The coaches are new. The offense is new. Learning is even new in a world fighting a pandemic that has made social distancing the new norm.
“Everyone’s dealing with these circumstances. Everyone’s having to adjust.” Jones said Wednesday in a video conference call. “I’m no different now. There’s not going to be, no one is going to be given breaks because you are working remotely. I understand that. I don’t think it’ll be a disadvantage if we approach it like we have; if we approach it like the opportunity is to use the time as well as we possibly can.”
Jones is living with his three siblings in his parents’ home in Charlotte, North Carolina. He works remotely with the coaches for two hours a day learning the offense being installed by former Dallas coach and current Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.