NFL

Giants Trade Odell Beckham Jr.

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The New York Giants have traded star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns. Yes, you read that right.

In a shocking move that broke Tuesday night, the Giants agreed to send OBJ to the Browns in exchange for safety Jabril Peppers and the Browns’ first (No. 17 overall) and third round (No. 95 overall) picks in the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft.

Trade rumors had become a speculation around Beckham and the Giants these last couple of seasons. After another poor Giants’ season and more incidents regarding Beckham’s behavior, the team listened to offers in exchange for their top receiver.

Just last month, however, Giants’ general manager Dave Gettleman said, “We didn’t sign Odell to trade him. OK?”

The Giants had just resigned Beckham, 26, less than a year ago to a five-year worth up to $98.5 million. The contract made OBJ the highest-paid receiver in the NFL at the time, seemingly setting his place on the Giants’ roster.

Now, the Cleveland Browns have become a threat in the league as they work toward playoff contention for the first time since 2002.

Beckham will join former LSU teammate Jarvis Landry in Cleveland and coach Adam Henry – current Browns’ receiver coach.

The receiving duo of Beckham and Landry might have just become the top one-two in the league – with second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield under center.

Meanwhile, the rebuilding New York Giants have to make smart draft decisions to prove that this trade was a success for them. Right now, it’s hard to grasp that this is a win.

 

 

Steelers Send Antonio Brown to Raiders

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The Antonio Brown saga is finally done in Pittsburgh.

Once a star for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the relationship turned strained and it became clear that both the organization and Brown wanted to part ways. Trade talks began in January.

“Well, obviously things fell apart at the end of the season,” Drew Rosenhaus, Brown’s agent, said to ESPN. “Antonio wanted to play in the last game against the Bengals, it didn’t work out that way.”

“There were a lot of things said that, really it was just a divorce,” he continued. “Antonio had nine great years. Sometimes in life, whether it’s sports or business, you have a great relationship, but things happen and you have to move on.”

Brown recorded 837 receptions, 11,207 yards and 74 touchdown catches in nine years in Pittsburgh. He had six consecutive 100-catch seasons, which was an NFL record.

Now, he will bring that talent to the Oakland Raiders. According to ESPN, Brown signed a three-year deal that is worth up to $54.125 million with $30.125 million guaranteed.

He had three years and $38.9 million remaining on his Steelers’ contract and none of that money was guaranteed. With this trade, Pittsburgh is left with $21.12 million in dead money against their salary cap – reported to be the largest dead money charge for a single player in one season in NFL history.

Things are going to be interesting next season. Oakland becomes more of a threat with Brown and Derek Carr whereas Pittsburgh is left to find a new star player.

The NFL’s Overtime Rules Need to Change

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Imagine you are Patrick Mahomes – a first-year starting quarterback, age 23, leading his team to an epic fourth-quarter comeback against none other than Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Imagine you are the Kansas City Chiefs – bouncing back from a 14-0 deficit at halftime with a 31-point second half only to end up having your fate decided by the flip of a coin.

Kansas City deserved a shot at having one more go at it. Mahomes deserved to lead a drive one more time. Instead, he was stuck on the sideline not able to help his team at all.

Why does the NFL rely on a coin flip? Why does the visiting team get to call the flip when the home team has the better record?

The NFL’s rulebook states that ‘each team must possess, or have the opportunity to possess, the ball.’ The exception to that rule? If the team that has the ball first scores a touchdown on the opening possession, which literally cancels the first part out.

So, there is no equal opportunity here. The NFL is setting one team up for failure with the way that this is designed. If you don’t win the coin flip, your chance of winning the game is slim.

Picture an MLB game that goes to extra innings. If the visiting team scores a run in the top of the inning, the home team still gets a shot of their own. It would be unfair to end the game without going to the bottom of the inning, wouldn’t it?

The NFL could really learn something from the MLB’s format of extra innings.

Instead of tarnishing the 12-4 Chiefs’ season and epic comeback in the AFC Championship with the flip of a coin, the league could have let Mahomes hold the ball just one more time. Brady had one more chance… Mahomes should have too.

Here’s hoping the NFL looks into an alternative to these overtime rules because many fans are tired of this current format. I know I am.

Giants’ Backup QB Arrested En Route to Practice

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As if this Giants’ season couldn’t get any worse.

Backup quarterback Kyle Lauletta was arrested Tuesday morning for a traffic violation on his way to practice. He reportedly failed to obey the police officer’s orders and almost hit the officer with his car.

“We were made aware of the situation this morning and we have been in contact with Kyle,” coach Pat Shurmur said at practice. “We are still in the process of gathering information. This is obviously very disappointing.”

Lauletta, selected by the Giants in the fourth round of this year’s draft, has become the fans choice of starting QB rather than Eli Manning in hopes of making this season a little less dreadful.

The Giants currently stand at 1-7 on the season, coming off a loss to the Washington Redskins. They share the worst record in the league with the San Francisco 49ers, who they meet next on Nov. 12 after their bye week.

“We’ll see,” Shurmur said of keeping Manning as the starter. “But, yeah, I think Eli is our quarterback. I did say, again I know what you’re all trying to tease a headline out of, at this point Eli is our quarterback and we’re looking at all areas to improve. So that is where it’s at.”

This bye week comes at a perfect time where the organization can really evaluate everything.

However, we’ll have to wait and see how the organization handles the unexpected Lauletta incident.

 

Rihanna Declined Super Bowl Halftime Show

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One thing is for sure, Rihanna stands for what she believes in… no matter what.

News broke that the singer had declined the NFL’s offer to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show in Atlanta. Her decision is reportedly in support of Colin Kaepernick.

“The NFL and CBS really wanted Rihanna to be next year’s performer in Atlanta,” a source told Us Weekly. “They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy. She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance.”

Kaepernick was the first NFL player to take a knee during the national anthem in protest of racial inequality and police brutality. He started the movement in the 2016 season and he has been an unsigned free agent ever since.

In November 2017, he filed a grievance against the league and its owners that accused them of colluding to keep him off the football field.

There was a similar report last year that suggested Jay-Z had also turned down the gig in solidarity with Kaepernick. According to The Source, an insider close to the rapper said that Jay-Z “really has no plans to do the halftime show.” He then showed his support of Kaepernick by giving him a shout out during a performance in New York City.

If the reports about both artists are true, that really says a lot about what they stand for. While the Halftime Show isn’t a paid opportunity, you can’t get bigger exposure anywhere else. Rihanna and Jay-Z apparently didn’t want it, but for good reason.

 

Giants to Release Ereck Flowers

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In a move appreciated by many fans, the New York Giants have placed tackle Ereck Flowers on waivers.

The ninth-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft never hit it off in New York. He started 46 games at left tackle in his first three seasons. Last season, Flowers ranked 90th with a Pass Block Win Rate (PBWR) of 74% – the average for tackles is 79%. Before his release, he ranked 72nd among tackles with a tally of at least 60 pass blocks.

“I think it’s just kind of run its course,” coach Pat Shurmur said Monday to ESPN. “We appreciate Ereck’s efforts, and we just wish him the best. Sometimes a change of scenery is good for a person, and we’re just hopeful he can go out and continue to have a good career.”

The Giants needed Flowers to take over the starting left tackle position during his rookie year after Will Beatty tore his pectoral muscle that spring. Flowers would stay there until this offseason when new general manager Dave Gettleman signed left tackle Nate Solder.

Under Gettleman’s lead, the season did not start well for Flowers. He was a no-show for the beginning of offseason workouts. Then, he was put into the role of starting right tackle. He started the season with two poor performances and then was benched for Week 3, where Chad Wheeler replaced him.

Offensive tackle Brian Mihalik will take over Flowers’ roster spot.

 

 

Giants’ GM Diagnosed With Lymphoma

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Dave Gettleman, general manager of the New York Giants, announced Tuesday that he will begin treatment for lymphoma.

He released a statement that it was discovered in a recent annual physical. He underwent tests to determine the best course of treatment, which will start “in the very near future.”

“The doctor’s outlook for the treatment and the prognosis is positive, and so am I,” his statement read.

Gettleman was hired this past December as the fourth GM in the franchise since 1979, taking over the role from Jerry Reese. Gettleman was previously in the Giants’ personnel department for 15 years. He served as the Carolina Panthers’ GM for four years.

He stated that he will work as much as the treatment allows him to. When he’s not working, he’ll be in “constant communication” with head coach Pat Shurmur, assistant GM Kevin Abrams as well as the rest of the Giants’ staff.

“I am thankful to John Mara and Steve Tisch and our organization for their support and encouragement, and to Ronnie Barnes for his guidance and assistance,” he stated. “And, of course, to my wife Joanne and our children for their love and support.”

“And I want to thank you in advance for respecting my privacy and that of my family as we work our way through this. I look forward to being back at full strength and devoting all my energy to helping make this 2018 New York Giants team the best it can be.”

This article was originally posted on Small Teaser Sports

Giants Release WR Brandon Marshall

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After an underwhelming debut season, the New York Giants announced Thursday that they’re releasing veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

Marshall struggled from the start of last season with Big Blue. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury during Week 5. In his five games, he caught 18 passes for 154 yards and no touchdowns. He also had some key dropped passes.

In what seemed to be a great duo of Marshall and Odell Beckham Jr., the addition did not live up to expectations.

General manager Dave Gettleman said the release was due to a failed physical. While the move wasn’t really a shock, it will be interesting to see what the Giants do next.

Would they sign Dez Bryant?

After the eight-year veteran was cut by the Cowboys, Bryant told Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that he wants to play against his former team twice this upcoming season, which indicates signing with an NFC East team.

Fisher wrote an in-depth piece on 247sports.com about where Bryant could land and it mentioned various teams. However, it seems that the Giants may be Bryant’s top pick.

“The Giants got a helluva defense,” Bryant told Fisher. “They’re going to pay [Odell Beckham Jr.]. Playing with him, Sterling Shepard… the tight end [Evan Engram], [Eli] Manning? Crazy. They draft (Penn State running back Saquan Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick)? That’d be crazy!”

Ironically, a day before Marshall’s release, he showed his displeasure of Bryant coming to the Giants on Instagram with a screenshot of an article featuring Bryant and a caption of ‘Sorry baby bro, no room.’ He quickly deleted it but screenshots were captured and circulated.

Bryant caught 69 passes for 838 yards and six touchdowns for the Cowboys in 2017.

When asked about the possible Bryant signing, Gettleman said “I have interest in everybody. We’ll do our film work and you never know.”

This article originally appeared on Small Teaser Sports.

Robert Griffin III Signs With The Ravens

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RGIII is back.

The former Redskins and Browns quarterback has signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

“You look at the veteran quarterbacks out there,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said to ESPN, “where we’re at right now, I’m pretty excited about this player. I’m really feeling like we got a steal. I really feel that way.”

Griffin was the second-overall pick in the 2012 draft in hopes of him becoming the Washington Redskins’ franchise quarterback.

He shined in the 2012 season with 3,200 yards, 20 touchdowns and a 102.4 QB rating. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year and made both the Pro Bowl and All-Rookie team.

An ACL injury sidelined him at the end of the season, which was just the start of an injury-plagued career. He was benched for all of the 2015 season before being released by the Redskins in 2016.

The Cleveland Browns went on to sign Griffin to a two-year deal. However, injuries limited him to just five games with the Browns.

Baltimore has been in need of another backup to Joe Flacco with only Josh Woodrum as the other QB on the roster.

Griffin was initially brought in to throw to receivers, according to ESPN, which led to a meeting with team officials before making an agreement Tuesday.

“He came in last week, worked out,” Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. “He had a real good workout and we were able to come to an agreement late yesterday. He will probably be here early next week to sign the deal.”

 

Giants Improve Offensive Line With Nate Solder Signing

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In their first major move so far in free agency, the Giants have finally given their disastrous offensive line a boost with the signing of left tackle Nate Solder.

The former New England Patriot has been protecting Tom Brady’s blindside since being drafted in 2011. Now, the 6-foot-8, 325-pounder will be the blocker Eli Manning has been in desperate need of.

Solder has played in 98 career regular-season games, 95 starts, and 16 career playoff games. He has one Pro Bowl invitation in his career so far as an AFC alternate in 2017. He’s spent his whole career with the Patriots, which includes four Super Bowl appearances.

With the signing, it is unclear what will happen to current left tackle Ereck Flowers. To say Flowers has been inconsistent in his time at left tackle would be an understatement.  However, the Giants implied they have no plans of getting rid of him yet. He will likely move to right tackle or could become a backup.

New Giants’ general manager Dave Gettleman knew he needed to improve the offensive line – one of his team’s biggest weaknesses – as soon as possible.

After losing out on top guard Andrew Norwell to Tom Coughlin’s Jacksonville Jaguars, Gettleman landed the best left tackle on the market. Although he paid a big price to get it done, it was a move that needed to be accomplished.

Solder is now the highest paid offensive lineman in the league with a four-year, $62 million contract and a whopping $34.9 million guaranteed.

Get ready Giants fans, this is just the start of free agency.