–The NFL likes to take the money and run without thinking of the consequences. Now that gambling on games is legal, the NFL has embraced the cash it brings in. But they obviously haven’t done enough to educate the players what their rules are and now they are suspending players for gambling. They need to spend more time telling the players what they are allowed and not allowed to do.
–Will teams try more squib kicks now that the kickoff rules have changed? ESPN has reported the Patriots are having kickers Nick Folk and Chad Ryland working on squib kicks. It will be interesting to see if the Patriots and other teams try this tactic.
–According to Forbes.com, the XFL lost $60 million last year but still plans to return next year and hope to have a positive cash flow by 2027. Will the owners be patient enough to keep taking the losses and keep the spring league alive? We’ll see.
–The Texans aren’t wasting any time putting J.J. Watt into their ring of honor. He will be inducted on Oct. 1 when they play the Steelers so his brother T.J. Watt will be able to attend. J.J. played his first 10 years with the Texans before spending the last two years with the Cardinals. He had 20.5 sacks his second and fourth years and won three defensive player of the year awards but was slowed by injuries in his later years. He and Andre Johnson are the only two players inducted, which explains why he never made the Super Bowl. The Texans never got a good cast around him.
–Saquon Barkley is unhappy the Giants put the $10.1 million franchise tag on him and wants a new contract. But he will have to play for the tag if he doesn’t get a new deal by July 17 or holdout. “It is all about respect,” he told the New York Daily News. It is more likely all about the money. The running back position isn’t as valuable as it once was.