Over the past few weeks, we have learned that starting quarterbacks react differently to having another signal Hunter Long Jersey -caller join the team via a high draft pick. The selection itself starts conversations, such as the talk you will hear this offseason when it comes to and . The choice to take a quarterback could also have unintended consequences, as it appears the and could be on the outs due to a fractured relationship resulting from another quarterback being drafted in 2020. Still, drafting an heir apparent doesn't always go over poorly. will turn 44 later this offseason, but he's still playing well enough to win Super Bowls. He is human, however, and will have to hang up the Mike Gesicki Jersey  cleats at one point or another. The used their second pick in the 2021 to take former Florida quarterback , who has the potential to be the Bucs' new leader whenever Brady does decide to retire. Despite knowing this, Brady extended a warm welcome to his new backup."Yeah, he actually did, he reached out to me a couple days after the draft and you Nik Needham Jersey  know, he was just making sure, or checking in on when I get into town so we can get together and maybe do some throwing and things like that," Trask said on the Network, . "It meant a lot to me."  The Buccaneers are coming off of not only an incredible 2020 campaign, but a great offseason as well. Jason Licht was able to return all 22 starters for 2021, and that has only added to the camaraderie and culture of succe s that Brady has helped implement over the last year."Not only Tom, Thomas Morstead Jersey  but a couple of other guys have reached out so you  Andrew Van Ginkel Jersey can definitely tell they have a great culture and a great group of people in this building and I can't wait to get started," Trask said.  Trask will have to wait his turn to be an NFL starting quarterback, but he's probably fine with that for right now. Not everyone gets a chance to learn under one of the greatest players of all time.

Three points. It might not seem like much, but it was everything to the . For a team that's been sitting dormant for far too long, , last season's plus-3 point differential marked an incredible turnaround. In 2014, the Titans were outscored by 184 points. In 2015, they were outscored by 124 points. In 2016, they outscored their opposition by three points. Which means over the course of three years, the Titans improved their point differential by 187 points. That's not insignificant. Expect another improvement in 2017, and don't be surprised if the Titans, a team with an eight-season playoff drought, find a way to keep playing football games into January, when the postseason begins. The Titans might be primed for a surprise playoff run for the first time since Kerry Collins quarterbacked a team that was coached Washington Commanders Jersey  by everyone's favorite punching bag, Jeff Fisher. To turn that po sibility into reality, the Titans will likely emulate a team that conquered the regular season a year ago.   This year's Cowboys?When went down with yet another back injury last season, all hope in Dallas was lost. The , once again, were going to be doomed by Romo's health a year after they went 1-11 without him. The season ended before it had a chance to begin, so the thinking went.But to the surprise of everyone, the Cowboys ended up posting the NFC's best record, winning 13 games. They skipped the rebuilding phase and went straight to the young and dominant phase. The Titans won't win as many games or turn into the dominating, unbreakable force the Cowboys were last year, but they can follow the Cowboys' blueprint all the way into the playoffs. They can, if things break their way, be the AFC's miniature version of the Cowboys by pounding and taking care of the ball and as a result, helping their subpar defense by limiting the amount of plays they're forced to stop.   The similarities were already there last year. Rush Attempts Rush Yards YPC Offensive DVOA Turnovers  Yards allowed per play Cowboys 499 2,396 4.8 No. 3 15  5.5 Titans 476 2,187 4.6 No. 9 18  5.5 The biggest difference? The Cowboys won 13 games, outscoring their opposition by 115 points. The Titans won nine games, outscoring their foes by three points. No, the Titans aren't going to morph into the Cowboys overnight. Washington Commanders T Shirts  They aren't identical teams. But the pieces are in place for a surprise playoff run. The Titans have secured a sets or potential a sets at the following positions: Quarterback: (a set with even more potential)Running back: (a set) and (a set with more potential)Tight end: (a set)Receiver: Corey Davis (potential a set), (a set)Defensive line: (one of the most underrated a sets in football)Cornerback: Adoree' Jackson (potential a set) Safety: (a set after a solid 2016 with Jacksonville)Still, the Titans definitely have needs. Their defense is lacking playmakers. They're nowhere close to becoming a contender, a team that can realistically take down the in the AFC. There's no denying that. But ... baby steps. The Titans are just trying to build on their foundation and, if all goes well, earn an extra game or two at the end of the regular season. Franchise pa ser in placeIt starts, like it does for most playoff teams, with their quarterback. To this point in his career, Mariota's done everything he can to live up to the hype that came attached to him out of Oregon -- except, of course, stay healthy. If Mariota can stay healthy in 2017, he'll be the AFC South's second-best quarterback behind (someone with his own injury i sues). In 27 career games, Mariota's completed 61.6 percent of his pa ses, averaged 7.6 yards per attempt, thrown 45 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, and generated a 93.8 pa ser rating. He's posted that favorable statline despite the fact that his best receiver has been a tight end. Mariota,  Charley Taylor Jersey to this point, has been awesome. More advanced statistics demonstrate his succe s. , Mariota was the 13th-best quarterback in 2016. By QBR, he was 12th. By DVOA (another FO metric), he was 11th. In two seasons, Mariota has already shaken the notion that he was a spread quarterback who couldn't run an offense. He's running it just fine.   The game-tying TD for Titans had five receivers run routes, Mariota read left side, covered, then saw LB turn his back to strike to Andre.  Cian Fahey (@Cianaf)  He's also improving. In his rookie season, he threw a touchdown on 5.1 percent of his pa ses and an interception on 2.7 percent of his attempts. His touchdown percentage last year rose to 5.8 and his interception percentage fell to 2.0. None of this is intended to portray Mariota as a perfect quarterback. He still has his flaws, besides his inability to stay on the field. He's probably never going to be a deadly deep-ball pa ser, though he did already improve from Year 1 to Year 2 in that area. The key is that Mariota should continue to get better at every area of the game as his supporting cast continues to improve. And the Titans' supporting case is getting better, a suming Davis, the team's top pick, lives up to the hype. If that happens, Matthews, a pleasant surprise who caught nine touchdowns last year, will go from a WR1 to a WR2 -- a role he's better suited for. Surprise free agent visited Tenne see on Wednesday. If Decker and his 0.55 touchdowns per game sign with the Titans, Mariota will finally have a legitimate supporting cast. Walker, (23 touchdowns in the past four seasons), won't be his Kamren Curl Jersey  lone threat anymore.Titans more than MariotaThe offensive line allowed 28 sacks, tied with Dallas and Chicago for the seventh-fewest. There's no reason to expect a regre sion in that area. The average age of Jon Bostic Jersey  the Titans' offensive line will be 26 when the season starts.Notice anything about the image below?   The top graded players from 2016  Pro Football Focus (@PFF)  Their two highest-graded players were offensive linemen. Running back DeMarco Murray led the league in rushing behind the Cowboys' line not too long ago. He thinks the two units are comparable. "How close are they?" Murray said, "I mean, I run behind these guys every day. I have a lot of respect for Dallas and those guys -- Zack Martin and Trav Frederick and Tyron Smith and . I'm still great friends with them. I think with the line we have here in Nashville with the Titans that we're one of the top in the league." The Titans are a young offensive team that has the chance to make the leap from solid to great. As a whole, the Titans' offense ranked 11th in yards, 14th in points, and The improving pa sing game isn't the only notable piece of the offense. After all, Mike Mularkey doesn't call it the because of Mariota's arm. Unlike most teams, much of the Titans' succe s comes down to their punishing ground game, led by Murray and supplemented by Derrick Henry. , they ran the using three or more tight ends

The host the on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 15. The Cowboys opened as 1.5-point favorites, but the line has since moved up to -3. The Over Eric Johnson Jersey -Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 46, up one from the opener.Before you make any picks or bets on "Sunday Night Football," you need to see what SportsLine football insider Emory Hunt has to say. Last Sunday, Hunt was all over Dallas to cover 4.5 points on the road against the highly motivated in a game many thought New York could win outright. The result: Cowboys 30, Giants 10. Anyone who followed Hunt's advice didn't even break a sweat.Amazingly, that win helped improve Hunt's record to 12-5 picking for or against Big D. Anyone who has followed his picks is up big.   Part of his succe s: He's a former running back and football coach who has been supplying analysis on the game for the past decade. He has a knack  T.J. Carrie Jersey for analyzing lines and exploiting matchups. And he loves targeting high-profile .Now, he has analyzed "Sunday Night Football" from every po sible angle and locked in a strong pick. You can only see it over at SportsLine.Hunt knows the Cowboys' defense looked like a brand new group with linebacker back in the fold last Sunday. They were able to stop the run and Brandon King Jersey  shut down the Giants' pa sing game.  With Lee healthy, the Giants' ground game averaged 3.5 yards per carry and was shut out of the end zone. New York's leading receiver, tight end , had just 54 yards.Dallas' rushing attack has also come alive in recent weeks. and are filling in admirably for the suspended . Morris has rushed for almost 200 yards the past two weeks, while Smith posted a 5-113-1 receiving line against New York.SportsLine's advanced projection model is calling for Morris and Smith to keep rolling and combine for over 100 yards rushing on Sunday Night Football.  And Cowboys QB broke out last week, throwing for a season-high 332 yard and three touchdowns. Now, he has a date with Oakland's 25th-ranked pa s defense.But just because the Cowboys have gelled doesn't mean they cover a field-goal spread, especially on the road in prime time.The Raiders have won three of their past four home games, and two of their past three overall, despite wide receiver ankle injury and one-game suspension.  Oakland's ground game has Jordan Murray Jersey  also thrived in recent weeks. has scored in three straight and topped 100 yards for the first time this season two weeks ago.The Cowboys are ranked in the bottom half of the in points allowed (22.6), total yards allowed (341.6), and pa sing yards allowed (234.2). As a result, SportsLine's projection model is calling for Raiders QB to throw for almost 250 yards and two touchdowns. The best receiving bet to find the end zone is Crabtree, who had a season-high 13 targets last week Peyton Manning T Shirts .It's no surprise Hunt is leaning toward the Under, but what about the spread, which he has made his name picking?  He knows there's a matchup no one is thinking about that ultimately determines the point-spread winner for Cowboys vs. Raiders on "Sunday Night Football."So which side should you back in Cowboys vs. Raiders? , and find out.

has from the to the in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick, the Rams announced Tuesday night.The news of Ramsey's trade to the Rams comes just hours after Los Angeles  cornerback to the in exchange for linebacker and an undisclosed pick in the 2020 .Ramsey, a two-time Pro Bowler and 2017 All-Pro, has appeared in just three games this season for the Jaguars, who Kemon Hall Jersey  are 2-4 through six games. Ramsey  due to a back injury as well as the  prior to the Jaguars' Week 4 road victory over the . Ramsey, who went  Justin Jackson Jersey to Nashville to be with his family during the week leading up to the game, re-joined his teammates in Denver but was inactive for Jacksonville's 26-24 victory.Trade rumors surrounding Ramsey and the Jaguars began shortly following with Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone during the team's Week 2 lo s to the . Ramsey  just days after the altercation. Later that week, reports surfaced that , who played in just one more game with the Jaguars following his altercation with Marrone.  Ramsey's play during the 2017 season helped the Jaguars advance to the AFC Championship Game before Jacksonville stumbled to a 5-11 season in 2018. Reports regarding Ramsey and a po sible trade began during the 2018 season but were quickly dismi sed by Ramsey on social media.The fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft, Ramsey, a former standout cornerback during his time at Florida State, recorded Drue Tranquill Jersey  nine interceptions and 44 pa ses broken up during his first three seasons with the Jaguars. He did not record an interception while breaking up just one pa s during his three games in Jacksonville in 2019.  Los Angeles, the defending NFC champions, are 3-3 through six games and are mired in third place in the NFC West division standings. Ahead of them are the 5-1 and the undefeated , who bested the Rams 20-7 in Los Angeles this past Sunday. While they lost defensive lineman and linebacker this offseason and cornerback to injury, the Rams' defense still includes arguably the league's best defender in , Los Angeles Chargers Jackets  who has three sacks and a league-high eight tackles for lo s this season. Los Angeles' defense also includes veteran defensive back .While they still  NFL Los Angeles Chargers Jersey boast a top 10 scoring offense, the Rams' defense has regre sed this season, as they are currently 24th in scoring defense while allowing an average of 25.7 points per game. Los Angeles is also 12th in the in yards allowed in 18th in sacks through six games.Ramsey has his new team, as the Rams look to rebound after three consecutive lo ses.     Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey)

The defense just can Jake Plummer Jersey 't catch a break. Buffalo's first two picks of the 2016 draft are already out with injuries: First-rounder had shoulder surgery earlier this offseason and that he could be ready between Week 6 and Week 8. Second-rounder and will mi s the entire 2016 season. Veteran linebacker is also out with a torn pectoral.The Bills saw yet another defensive player go down, as defensive end (who you may recognize as The Guy That Punched ) tore  Isaiah Simmons Jersey his ACL during the team's first . NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Enemkpali is expected to mi s the entire season as well. Another bad blow to the D: The appear to have lost LB IK Enemkpali for Patrick Peterson Jersey  the season with a torn ACL, source said. MRI coming to confirm Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) An MRI is needed to confirm the extent of the injury, but "it looks like a major knee," Rex Ryan said after the game, . "So that's Jack Crawford Jersey  a tough thing right there. I don't know the extent of it yet. But they said it looks like a major knee injury."  Enemkpali was listed behind Shaq Lawson on the Bills' first of the season, so it's po sible he would have seen a heavy dose of snaps until the rookie got himself back on the field. If Manny Lawson is not able to return by Week 1 to  Zaven Collins Jersey take over the spot, Ryan indicated that would get the majority of the snaps.

tight end is set to hit the open market this offseason and sign a lucrative contract, and it may not take long for him to find a new team Jerry Jeudy Jersey . On Monday afternoon just after the beginning of the league's legal tampering period, reported that the were closing in on a deal to make Hooper the game's highest-paid tight end. , Hooper's deal will re-set the tight end market in guaranteed money and average per year. He will reportedly make $23 million -- all guaranteed -- over the first two seasons, and then $10.5 million per year over the  Mike Boone Jersey four total years.In 2019, Hooper put up career numbers despite mi sing three games due to injury. The former third-round pick caught 75 pa ses for 787 yards and six touchdowns -- posting some of the best per-game numbers in the league at the position. He' Natrez Patrick Jersey s improved in each of his four seasons, and the biggest free-agent contracts tend to go to the youthful players who just completed their rookie contract.The Falcons knew that Hooper was expecting to sign a large contract this offseason, so they were going to allow him to test free agency. Last month, Hooper even  that he Denver Broncos Accessories  would be playing somewhere other than Atlanta in 2020."I'm definitely leaning Cleveland," Hooper said on Monday afternoon, . "Unle s something comes up unexpected, then no question Cleveland is the leader."  One has to wonder what's next for tight end , who was drafted by Cleveland in the first round of the 2017 . The Browns are entering a new era with Kevin Stefanski at the helm, so it remains to be seen if he would like to run an intriguing two tight end  Shelby Harris Jersey set or perhaps trade Njoku for another important roster piece.

UPDATE: ! Adam Vinatieri knows a thing or two about kicking under pre sure. He might very well be the most clutch kicker in history. And if he likes money, he'll need to bust out the ice  Chicago Bears Kids Jersey veins again Sunday. NFL Week 17  As , Vinatieri has a large sum of cash riding on his kicks Sunday -- there's a $500,000 bonus in his contract if he hits 90 percent of his field Allen Robinson Jersey  goals. Vinatieri currently has made 89.7 percent of his field goals this season, going 26-for-29 on his field goal attempts and making all 41 of his extra-point attempts. The quick math on those numbers should reveal something pretty obvious: a single made kick by Vinatieri on Sunday will earn him half a million bucks. If he's 27/30, that's an even 90 percent.   He can't reasonably mi s a kick either on Sunday if he expects to cash in -- he would need an absurd 11 field goal attempts (with 10 made, no le s) before the math worked out  Eddy Pineiro Jersey (36-for-40 hits the magic 90 percent number). It'll be real interesting to see how Chuck Pagano and the Colts coaching staff handles Vinatieri's distance on Sunday given the amount of money at stake. Vinatieri is perfect from 39 yards in, going 10-for-10 on all kicks under 40 yards. He's 9-for-10 on kicks from 40-49 yards this season and "just" 7-for-10 on kicks from 50 yards and further.   If Indy has a look at a 55- Anthony Miller Jersey  or 60-yard kick late in the first half would they trot him out there? Obviously Vinatieri isn't going to flinch if someone tells him to suit up and boot a long kick -- and you could even argue the amount of money here isn't outrageous given his career earnings -- but being forced to try and blast a really long kick could end  Robert Quinn Jersey up costing him half a million dollars.