After a report that the Bengals were looking to trade wide
receiver John
Ross
Greedy
Williams Jersey , the Bengals insisted that he¡¯s still in their plans. But
what, specifically, are their plans for him?New Bengals offensive coordinator
Brian Callahan indicated that they think Ross, the all-time Scouting Combine
40-yard dash record holder, should be able to do more downfield. Ross scored
seven touchdowns last season, but he caught just 21 passes for 210 yards.¡°His
production in the red zone was really interesting because you don¡¯t look at him
and think ¡®red zone target.¡¯ His speed dictates he¡¯d be something other than
that,¡± Callahan said. ¡°If we get seven touchdowns out of him again, I¡¯ll be
really happy. That¡¯s really good production in this league. As for where he fits
outside the red zone, I think there¡¯s a lot of places we can find the ball for
him.¡±The Bengals sure don¡¯t sound like a team that wants to trade Ross. They
sound like a team that wants to get more out of Ross than the previous coaching
staff was able to get. There are 32 NFL franchises, and probably 32 questions we
can ask about each of them.Some are quite pertinent: Carson Wentz or Nick Foles
behind center in Philadelphia? Will J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson return healthy
to Houston and carry the Texans back to the AFC South lead? Will fans be
screaming for their first-round rookie quarterback to get on the field,
like
Sione
Takitaki Jersey , yesterday?Good questions all.But we¡¯re concerned here
with the irrelevant queries. Such as:1-Can Tom Brady win at age 41?Maybe you
should ask this question when he is 51 ¨C just kidding, Gisele.At 40, Brady was
as Tom Terrific as ever, even without his favorite receiver, Julian Edelman, for
the entire season. To think he suddenly will go over the hill with the way he
trains and his smarts and competitive fire is foolhardy.¡±Obviously, I evaluate
last season and things I can do better. I don¡¯t think this offseason was any
different for me,¡± he has said.No, Brady won¡¯t play forever; the Jets, Bills and
Dolphins surely can¡¯t wait until he disappears, not to mention the rest of the
AFC. But wondering about Brady¡¯s competence in
2018
Sheldrick
Redwine Jersey , when he just might win his fourth league MVP award, is an
irrelevant task.2-Will the Browns win a game?Yes they will, maybe even in Week 1
at home against their archrivals, the Steelers, but more likely somewhere else
in the first half of a schedule that isn¡¯t exactly daunting.We understand that
every matchup for a club that is 1-31 under coach Hue Jackson is challenging.
Still, the Browns added enough talent to win a handful of games or more ¨C and
that¡¯s not even considering what top overall draft pick Baker Mayfield might
provide at quarterback if he gets on the field.3-Will Jimmy Garoppolo ever lose
a game?Yes, he will ¨C plenty of them.Sure, Jimmy G is 7-0 as a starter,
including 5-0 when he took the reins in San Francisco last year. Look for that
first loss to come early this season, perhaps in the opener at Minnesota, a
major challenge for the rebuilding 49ers.Visits to the Chiefs and Chargers also
are on the September docket.So thoughts of Garoppolo remaining unblemished are
irrelevant.That doesn¡¯t mean he won¡¯t improve; he might do so significantly.¡±I
don¡¯t know how much of a jump you¡¯re going to
see
Austin
Seibert Jersey ,¡± coach Kyle Shanahan said. ¡±When you talk about
expectations, I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re going to live up to that. He did very good
last year. If we had 400 yards a game, does that mean we need to have 600 the
first five games to improve? I don¡¯t know what the numbers will be, but we will
be a better offense.¡±4-Will the NFL and players¡¯ union find common ground on
national anthem protocol. Or anything else?Nope. Not even close.The 10-year
labor agreement expires after the 2020 season. The union has fought the league
on virtually every topic in it and quite a few outside of it. The anthem policy
unilaterally imposed by the league and teams is the latest sticking point.Common
ground between these sides? Irrelevant.5-Is Jon Gruden headed back to the
broadcast booth after this season?It might be tempting for Gruden once he sees
how much pro football locker rooms and player approaches have changed since he
previously worked a sideline 10 years ago. Still, to suggest a guy with his
enthusiasm, intelligence and creative streak is going to sour on coaching so
soon is ¡ irrelevant.Gruden could be hard-pressed to win much this season with
Oakland, but he¡¯ll put his stamp on the Raiders, and they will be better for it
down the line ¨C when he¡¯ll almost certainly be around.6-In how many stadiums
will Roger Goodell be booed this season?Let¡¯s see: There are 31 homes for the
teams (the Jets and Giants share MetLife Stadium), plus Azteca in Mexico City,
Wembley and the new Tottenham Stadium in London. So 34 works.Thinking the
commissioner won¡¯t get booed in any of them? Irrelevant.¡ª