HAS A GIANT JUMP TO IT
But I think it has to bring out some emotion in you. It’s not just another game. There’s no way possible it could be.”
NFL is taking a knee
During a conference call with the national media Friday, league spokesman
Joe Lockhart was asked if the NFL’s national anthem policy might change after the season ends, or if the status quo would be upheld, which was the stated stance after owners and a select group of players met in New York last week.
“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here,” Lockhart said. “We felt we had a very strong consensus among our owners that we are headed in the right direction here — that by engaging our players, listening and working with them, and working on and highlighting the issues that are important to them and their communities, that is the right way to go. We believe we are on the right track here and I don’t have any reason to believe that will change going forward.”
As far as total viewership of NFL games being down, reportedly 7.5 percent through the first six weeks of the season, compared with the first six weeks of 2016, Lockhart naturally attempted to put a favorable spin on it.
“There is clearly a change in consumption habits of network television. Network television has been our primary reach vehicle with our fans around the country,” Lockhart said. “Again, if you look at the decline in overall audience for network prime-time programs that are not football, those numbers are dropping at a rate substantially higher than the NFL has. We are on a very strong upward trajectory while primetime viewing is down. We have some places in our offerings where the numbers are lower this year, and we’ve got some that are strong. TNF, MNF are stronger. I’ll go back to our ‘mixed bag.’ ”
Long on education
Chris Long, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots last season, is effecting change in a positive way.
The Eagles defensive end, who already gave
away his first six game checks to fund scholarships for students in his hometown of Charlottesville, Va., announced Wednesday he plans on using his final 10 game checks to launch Pledge 10 for Tomorrow, a campaign
that will promote educational equity and opportunity for underserved youth in the three NFL regions he’s played in — Philadelphia, Boston and St. Louis.
“I always thought maybe it would be cool to play for free,” Long told reporters
in Philadelphia. “I did. I thought it would be a personal test to see if I’m really the guy I’d like to be.”
In March, Long signed with the Eagles on a twoyear, $4.5 million deal that included a $500,000 signing bonus and $1.5 million in guaranteed money.
While he acknowledged it’s easier to make this kind of commitment in his 10th NFL season, when his salary is a lot lower than previous years, it shouldn’t diminish what he’s doing.
“I’m lucky,” he said. “I’ve been lucky. This isn’t a heroic effort. I just really believe my platform is going to shrink from here on out.
“If I’m not playing football in a couple of years and I do this, it’s not going to have the same effect. It’s evidenced by the fans that have gotten behind it and the money we’re going to be able to raise.”
Lawrence: Job to do
NFL sack leader DeMarcus Lawrence has the right attitude when it comes to a new contract. While the Cowboys defensive end has put himself in position to cash in with his great start in a contract year, leading the league with 8.5 sacks, he knows he can’t rest on what he’s done so far. He also knows the talk now should be on beating opponents, not breaking the bank.
“We’ll talk about that when the time comes,” Lawrence told reporters in Dallas. “I’m just going to keep racking up my numbers, and we’ve just got to get the job done as a team. If the team wins, we all win. That’s the main thing.”
Wentz comes of age
Carson Wentz has a growing legion of fans, including former NFL great Boomer Esiason, who praised the second-year Eagles quarterback on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.”
“He has taken a ginormous leap from where he was last year. Look at his athleticism. Look at his inspiration to his teammates and how aggressive he is,” Esiason said. “He fits Philadelphia and that uniform absolutely perfectly. That’s why I think they are far and away the favorite (in the NFC) assuming everybody stays healthy.”