NFL owners: Tepper up; Jones down
As the NFL preseason winds down, it’s a good time to take stock — as you no doubt have noticed with all those stories ranking coaches, players, position groups to see who’s up, who’s down and who’s in for a long season before it even starts.
There’s one group, however, that has been overlooked: the owners.
These are the men, and with very few exceptions women, who set the tone and course for your favorite franchise. They are the ones who ultimately decide who’s getting hired and fired, whether the all-pro wide receiver will get an extension, even how much you’re going to have to pay for nachos and a beer this year. They should be evaluated, too.
So without further ado, here’s a look
at which owners are making the grade and who need some extra conditioning.
Stock up
David Tepper, Panthers: Tepper bought the Panthers only three months ago, and his agreement to keep the creepy Jerry Richardson statue is troubling. Aside from that, he’s shaping up to be the kind of owner we’d be if we had an NFL team. He shows up at games and events in polo shirts and shorts, and he tailgated with fans before the Panthers’ first preseason game.
On Tuesday, he joined Panthers players to pass out backpacks they’d purchased for Charlotte-area schoolchildren, slapping hands with kids as he ran to the front of the room.
Tepper can’t rid the NFL of its No Fun League label on his own, but he’s a start.
Shad Khan, Jaguars: Khan wasted little time in issuing a statement after Sunday’s shooting at the Madden tournament in Jacksonville, and it struck just the right tone. He expressed sympathy for the victims, their families and friends but also acknowledged how tough this is on the community overall.
While this might have seemed like a no-brainer, it’s not. Khan has invested himself in the city far beyond making improvements to the stadium and the area around it, and the personal connection he feels for Jacksonville was evident.
Jeffrey Lurie, Eagles: Autism is a personal cause for Lurie, whose brother has it. The Eagles have done several fundraisers for the cause and in May held the inaugural Eagles Autism Challenge. The one-day bike ride and 5K run/walk raised $2.5 million, and the money will be distributed in a series of research grants.
Mark Davis, Raiders, and Jed York, 49ers: The owners stated publicly that they did not vote for the NFL’s ill-conceived policy for the national anthem, which did little more than create confusion and give President Donald Trump further excuse to take potshots at the players. Unlike other owners, whose sole concern seems to be making all this go away, Davis and York have taken the time to learn why players are protesting and seem to generally care about addressing the issues of concern.
Jimmy Haslam, Browns: Given the comparisons to Johnny Manziel, it would have been understandable if Haslam had taken a pass on Baker Mayfield. But Mayfield has so far shown himself to be the real deal — and, as anyone who’s watched “Hard Knocks” knows, wildly entertaining, as well.
Stock down
Jerry Jones, Cowboys: In a crass attempt to get the 18-game season he’s long pushed for, Jones is now saying it would be safer for the players to reduce the preseason by two games and extend the regular season. An additional two games that count, where the best players will be going at full throttle and nobody is bubble-wrapped on the sideline, is going to be better for them how exactly?
The only thing Jones cares about is the health and safety of his bottom line. Everyone knows that regular-season games are worth more than exhibitions, and Jones thinks selling the swap as a “safety measure” might finally make it happen. Nice try, Jerry. Nobody is that dumb.
Stan Kroenke, Rams: Defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is a critical component to the Rams’ continued resurgence. He also made his wishes for a new contract well known last year, skipping the entire preseason.
So how is it that Donald is again MIA for training camp? The two sides are said to be “close” on a new deal, but close doesn’t cut it for a team that could make a deep run into January.
Jim Irsay, Colts: Letting longtime play-by-play announcer Bob Lamey resign rather than be fired for using a racial slur was reprehensible enough. But Irsay had the audacity to call Lamey a “legend and an icon” when the team was still trying to give him cover.
Someone on the Colts staff might want to give Irsay a dictionary. Some sensitivity training, too.
The Glazers, Buccaneers: The Glazers’ football season is not off to a good start, and neither is the family’s other football season.
Their NFL team will be without its quarterback, Jameis Winston, for the first three games while he serves his suspension for groping an Uber driver. This would be the same quarterback who was accused of rape in college and later settled a lawsuit with his accuser, mind you.
Meanwhile, over in England’s Premier League, the Glazers’ once mighty Manchester United has lost two consecutive games and sits in ninth place, two spots behind newly promoted Fulham. Its manager, Jose Mourinho, is throwing temper tantrums. And the season isn’t even a month old.
Dan Snyder, Washington: He hasn’t done anything recently to merit any negative headlines. But give him time. Year after year, he never fails to disappoint.