The current Collective Bargaining Agreement runs through the 2020 season, but that doesn't mean it's too early to start thinking about what the next CBA might be like. In fact, the midway point is often a time for evaluation.Commi sioner Roger Goodell's role in off- Rodney McLeod Jersey the-field discipline has been a big subject of debate, and it's sure to be a hotly discu sed i sue in the ensuing CBA. But one i sue that hasn't been as popular is player development. That is expected to be a key subject when the NFL Players A sociation and the NFL begin formal discu sions.Sources informed of the situation said CBA extension talks Isaiah Rodgers Jersey could happen soon, and almost certainly will start before the year is over. The talks likely would be prompted by the league, but it's hard to imagine both sides wouldn't be open to discu sions (no talks are yet scheduled).The economics of the busine s could trump all other talks, but it's far from the only important i sue.Amid grumbling from coaches, personnel executives and John Madden about the level of play, improving the quality of the game is expected to be a major talking point between the league and the NFLPA.Coaches have been asking for more practices and more teaching opportunities after the last CBA limited both the number of practices and how teams practice.Coaches are hoping for increased practice time for younger players who are still learning. If players don't see the field Sunday, they wouldn't be getting as much contact as their Joe Reitz Jersey counterparts who regularly play. In e sence, a Jayvee practice could be added, giving coaches another few hours to train players.As of now, there are just 10 players on a practice squad, and that's up from a few years ago. If there was an added practice or Darius Leonard Jersey practices during the week, the amount of players on a practice squad could go up as well -- that could benefit all sides.In addition, more practice could go a long way in improving the quality of play.Of course, there are other major i sues to addre s in the next CBA. Money will continue to be a big part of talks. With the salary cap expected to rise -- especially after a robust free-agency period in 2015 and another one slated for 2016 -- a push for increased practice time probably won't grab much attention.Shortening the preseason and increasing the playoff field will be topics, as well.Nearly five years into the CBA, it's drawing Nyheim Hines Jersey closer to a time when both sides will come together to begin discu sing an extension. There should be some new things for each side to consider once they meet.Follow Ian Rapoport on Twitter .

The are finally free from their arch-nemesis, running Daniel Whelan Jersey back Boston Scott, who signed with the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday.The veteran running back, who turned 29 years old a few days ago, after spending six seasons tormenting the Giants as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.The 5-foot-6 running back had a penchant for getting under the skin of the Giants and the fanbase. He constantly found the end zone against the Giants defense or found some way to impact the game in a negative way for Big Blue.It didn't matter how Scott was faring throughout the season or what his role was with the Eagles. When he played the Josh Jacobs Jersey Giants, he simply found his way into the end zone. Andrew Beck Jersey Boston Scott career stats vs. Giants Games Record Rush RuYds RuTD Rec RecYds RecTD 10 7-3 90 422 9 17 222 1While Scott was neutralized during the 2023 season, he tortured the Giants during the five seasons before that.Scott scored a touchdown in every game against the Giants for his first eight contests between the teams from John Fitzpatrick Jersey 2019-2022. He even rushed six times for 32 yards and a touchdown during the divisional-round playoff game in 2022.Scott's best game of his career against the Giants came in Week 17 of the 2019 season when he took 19 carries for 54 rushing yards and three rushing Innis Gaines Jersey touchdowns. That wasn't enough for Scott, though as he would add four receptions for 84 yards as well.The Giants in 2024.With Scott now out of the way, the Giants finally have a path to winning the NFC East for the first time since 2011.For, check out Kevin Hickey's work on.

The Baltimore Ravens put the franchise tag on Justin Duke Riley Jersey Madubuike on Tuesday after the defensive tackle finished his rookie contract with a breakout season in 2023.The franchise tag for defensive tackles comes with a one-year cost of just over $22 million, although Madubuike and the Ravens can continue negotiating for a longer deal, with a preseason deadline of July 15.We were unable to agree on a contract extension with Justin before the deadline and will use the franchise tag, Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. Justin is a great player and person, and we will continue to negotiate a long-term deal with him.The Ravens used the franchise tag on star quarterback Lamar Jackson last offseason, Brennan Scarlett Jersey but were able to reach a long-term contract with him several weeks later.ADVERTISEMENT Madubuike could have been one of after he had 13 sacks last season, more than doubling his previous career high. He was a key part of a Baltimore defense that was one of the NFL's best.Even with Madubuike under the franchise tag, the Ravens have a lot to do in the next couple of weeks. Linebacker Patrick Queen, edge rushers Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., offensive linemen Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson Shaquem Griffin Jersey and running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards are all free agents.The new league year and the free-agent frenzy that accompanies it officially starts March 13.The Ravens drafted Madubuike in the third round in Raheem Mostert Jersey 2020. He became a regular starter in his second season, and his sack totals have increased every year.Madubuike was a second-team All-Pro selection this past season and helped the Ravens have the league's best regular-season record and reach Xavien Howard Jersey the AFC championship game.Madubuike tied an NFL record in 2023 when he had at least a half-sack in 11 consecutive games. Before using the franchise tag on him, the Ravens faced the prospect of their top three sack producers Madubuike, Clowney and Van Noy all hitting the open market without restrictions. Only Baltimore and Miami had three players with at least nine sacks.___AP NFL:

wants to play against Bruce Arians, his former play caller, and the this . Whether doctors and coach Mike Tomlin will allow the quarterback to play remains to be seen, but he took a positive step on Wednesday. participated in 7-on-7 work in Wednesday Garett Bolles Jersey 's practice, . Roethlisberger suffered an MCL sprain and a Patrick Surtain II Jersey bone bruise in Week 3, which forced him to mi s the past two contests. The veteran quarterback said his throwing is fine, but he needs to display lateral ability before he can hit the field for game action. has started the last two weeks and was mostly miserable. However, his final two touchdown drives in Monday night's last-second victory -- uncorking a long 72-yard touchdown pa DeShawn Williams Jersey s and leading a game-winning score, which included two third-down pickups -- might give the ' coaching staff a sliver of confidence that they have a bit more leash to play with if Ben can't go. The restricted offense the have employed with Vick -- leaning almost entirely on and a short, erratic pa sing attack -- won't work this week against the . If Roethlisberger DeMarcus Ware Jersey doesn't play, offensive coordinator Todd Haley will have to ask Vick to stretch the field with more regularity than the past two weeks to keep pace with the high-flying Cards. We've seen return from injuries time and time again prior to the standard recovery period. Roethlisberger is famous for playing though pain. If he gets medically cleared he'll likely Saivion Smith Jersey play. That's a gargantuan IF, but Wednesday was a positive start to the week.

The collective football world spent three years preparing for the news that unfolded on Wednesday evening and the realization that it was finally time to refer to Jim Harbaugh as the former head coach.Yet to the to take over the doesn't sting any le s for the sport he is leaving behind just a few weeks after . fans are doubtle s running the gamut of emotions appreciation, understanding, maybe a tinge of anger over something they knew was coming, as it dampens the joy of the school's first national title since 1997.It is college football in general, though, that will really regret the departure of last season's central character. Michigan, after all, will have a new coach, but won't have another Harbaugh stirring things up in ways both infuriating and amusing.He is, or rather was, one-of-one.ADVERTISEMENT With all due respect to the throngs of or faithful, it's a bummer that Harbaugh won't be back on the sideline of a college game with his trademark khakis.He was part of a sport's uniquene s that makes Saturdays special and differentiates it from the buttoned-up brethren in the . Say what you want about the 60-year-old and there is plenty to espouse on both sides of the coin but there was never a dull moment around Harbaugh, whose aura Roger Staubach Jersey was quinte sentially odd and unique even in a sport filled with the odd and unique.College football will mi s a coach who was so comfortable pushing the envelope of what was po sible, instead of reacting to the change that is inherent in the sport. He was a breath of fresh air amid the strategic soundbites and carefully curated media images crafted by his peers. Harbaugh leaned into thinking outside the box and was rarely swayed by the groupthink permeating the industry.How else do we get a full offseason's worth of headlines DeMarcus Lawrence Jersey about satellite camps?What makes John and Jim Harbaugh 'culture creators' Some painted Harbaugh as a northern invader when he leaned into the idea that seemed to take off one boring summer years ago, bringing the Michigan brand to the far reaches of the country to both mine for talent and ensure the program stood out beyond its onfield accomplishments. The lasting legacy of the camps will not be any new NCAA bylaws, however, but rather the indelible image of a shirtle s head coach reaffirming that he doesn't get out in the sun at all.Hopefully, that version of Harbaugh will form the basis of the statue that is sure to be built in the coming years, either on the doorstep of the Big House or opposite Bo Schembechler outside the Michigan football building. If not, fans of a certain vintage will keep the unforgettable picture buried in the back of their minds, easily enough to recall whenever something quirky happens at the next level involving the coach.College football is going to mi s the same guy who doesn't think it's abnormal to go to a sleepover at a recruit's house even if said recruit is a kicker. Harbaugh preached the value of "the team, the team, the team," and that played out in practice from the star quarterback to the last few on the bench.We're going to mi s the guy who attempted to stall a media se sion ahead of the Rose Bowl because his chair on a harshly lit dais was too low prompting an all-too-comical effort by staffers to find an additional platform to boost the viewpoint of the former NFL quarterback. Though it lacked the Benny Hill theme music that would have been wholly appropriate, Harbaugh pa sed the time by chatting about chickens as he watched it all unfold, a conversation with reporters that was only topped a half-hour later when he called Jesus a five-star player.More on Jim Harbaugh:Jim Harbaugh agrees to become Chargers head coachWhat does life after Jim Harbaugh look like for Michigan, and what comes next?Jim Harbaugh: A legendary coaching career, by the numbers"No doubt about it," Harbaugh added, the seriousne s of his tone belying the meandering line of questioning that prompted such a response.One wonders if that was what was also on his mind when he took the whole team to Italy and met the Pope.Such antics aside, Harbaugh the coach will be tough to replace not just at Michigan but in the grand scheme, too. He had a keen eye for talent, as Dallas Cowboys Men Jersey his lengthy list of draft picks attests, and relished developing relationships to an unheard-of level at times. Who else but Harbaugh would spend several NFL offseasons as a regular recruiter for his father at Western Kentucky, prompting plenty of stories about "Captain Comeback" showing up to high schools in an attempt to land overlooked players for an FCS team?Harbaugh later transformed San Diego into a Pioneer League powerhouse in his first head coaching gig. He didn't just make lowly respectable a few years later, but into a West Coast force that prompted Tyler Smith Jersey others to question what, exactly, his deal was.It turned out that his deal was winning, with a side of eccentricity layered on top. Not everything about Harbaugh is worth trumpeting, of course. His final legacy at both Michigan and in college football is still unwritten and won't be fully known until the NCAA pa ses final judgment on the multiple scandals that unfolded under his watch. It's po sible that any resulting sanctions could hamper his former program moving forward the cost for going all-in on a campaign where the head coach's absence from the headset on gamedays was a storyline for half the regular season.It's also notable that Harbaugh's departure comes a few weeks after he made the great Nick Saban one of his final victims, a true seismic event in college football. The aftershock of that event was Saban's retirement, which history will note as the defining event of this offseason of change.But despite the gulf in overall profe sional accomplishments while leading marquee bluebloods to new heights, it might be Harbaugh's withdrawal that stings more especially in the short term than the exodus of the greatest of all-time.The lack of Saban lording over college football with his finely tuned proce s is cause for hope acro s the sport acutely so in the SEC as a dozen other programs are likely to look towards 2024 with optimism that playing for a national title will not mean a road that directly or indirectly results in cro sing the guy who has won it all on seven different occasions or frequently has the most talented roster in the land.Such expansive rejoicing, outside of Ryan Day's office in Columbus, is unlikely to follow in the wake of the news that Harbaugh was trading Ann Arbor for L.A. It does, though, put a restraint on the number of unique storylines that result from the often aloof personality wading into waters that his peers rarely venture toward.Who will advocate paying players as zealously as the chief Michigan Man did during his time as a college coach? Who will prompt uncomfortable situations out of thin air as reliably as the man in those thick, black-rimmed gla ses?Harbaugh is not gone, and he's definitely not forgotten like some aging figure from yesteryear. But he'll no longer be the central tenant in college football that he has been for much of the past decade.Harbaugh was a character. In college football, especially lately, he was very often thecharacter.It's a bummer he won't be back for an encore in the role he was born to play.Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo Leighton Vander Esch Jersey ! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.

For the second straight week, watched one of his top playmakers lost for a large swath of the season. Last week, shifty back went down with an ACL injury. Sunday it was reliable who left Chris Cooley Jersey with a broken bone in his foot , NFL Media's Albert Breer reported, per a source briefed on the injury.The dynamic pa s-catcher was on pace for the second 1,000-yard season of his career prior to the injury. On Monday morning, Brady went with when asked on the Pats would replace Edelman. "When someone's really integral to part of basically everything you're doing, and Charley Taylor Jersey then you lose that person, it may take a little bit to kind of figure out how you can move things around and get comfortable with what you're doing, because you want to have a lot of confidence in the things that you're doing," Brady said. "That's just the way kind of it is. There's nothing that's really seamle s when you lose a great player. When it's someone that's been the Tress Way Jersey leading receiver on your team for multiple years and you lose them, it's not like you go, 'OK, well, let just put someone else in.' . You've just got to kind of find your way to make some adjustments. I think we just made some critical plays when we needed to, which was really important down Curtis Samuel Jersey the stretch, certainly defensively, and special teams we did. And on offense I thought we just did enough." New England's offense wasn't the same after Edelman exited on the last play of the first quarter. The Pats gained 137 yards in the first frame and . Brady was 5 of 6 on third down (83 percent) with Edelman on the field and , via the Providence Journal's Mark Daniels. Brady dismi sed that could just slide over and fill Edelman's role, noting that the two are different types of players. As is the norm with Bill Belichick's teams, they'll plug in different players, adjust their game plan to what fits them best and continue to roll on towards the Joe Theismann Jersey playoffs. "We'll need to find different ways to produce with the guys that are on the field," Brady said matter-of-factly.

Tuesday's health and safety news from the world of football: that defensive back 's season is over after a ma s was discovered in his chest and it is likely to be diagnosed as lymphoma Cody Ippolito Jersey . how peers sent to him me sages of support. about The Trust, a facility for former NFL players in Phoenix that provides them with Florida Gators Jersey ways to addre s physical and mental health, education and opportunities. former tight end Boo Williams, who has become an advocate Adam Roe Jersey for mental health i sues. NFL free agent , who talked to GQ Magazine about his decision to publicly come out as gay prior to this year's . how wide receiver gave back to adopted kids. that Pace University coach has been accused of verbal and physical abuse by former players. how coaches are leading the discu sion Mecole Hardman Jersey to change high school players' views on personal conduct. its series on football safety with a look at helmets. that an area school is helping parents become more knowledge about baseline concu sion testing for youth athletes. on post-concu sion recovery for Shaq Wiggins Jersey kids.-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor

Brendan Rodgers retained the majority of his 4-3-3 lineup which lost 3-0 to WBA with Coates replacing the suspended Agger. Downing, despite not playing in mid-weeks Europa match, remains on the bench to make way for the 17-year-old Raheem. Man City reverted to the semi-5-3-2 formation they tried in the community shield after surviving the 3-2 scare against newly-promoted Nick Foles Jersey Southampton last week. Kolo Toure, Kompany and Zabaleta started as centrebacks with De Jong and Yaya Toure sitting in front of them. Nasri, Tevez and Balotelli getting the nod ahead of Dzeko once again roamed up front with Kolarov and Milner took care of the flanks.It was a slow start for the home side as but clearly the champion had little clues to penetrate the crowded Liverpool half. Tevezs diligence was their best hope. As always, his runs behind defenders caused problems, notably having a swerving low ball rolling acro s the goal line only to find his teammates thinking he couldnt have kept the ball in bounds. Rodgers men, however, slowly warmed up and controlled the tempo. The midfield trio offered a combination of good work rate and decent pa sing. Young Sterling was a highlight as his technique and speed constantly embarra sed Kolo Toure. He could have claimed an a sist if Borini had not send his sweet cro s between the City defenders wide of the post.Skrtel gave Liverpool a deserved goal with a cannon header from Gerrards corner. It could have been 2-0 shortly after the break if Suarez had better contact on Borinis through Akiem Hicks Jersey ball in a fast break. Yaya Toures close range strike following a cro s from the omnipresent Tevez gave City hope but minutes later when Rodwell, who came on for Nasri, handled Gerrards shot as he slid in, Suarez swerved the 25-yardish free kick round the ball and in the bottom corner of Joe Harts goal.A mistake from Reina failing to get to Tevezs cro s gave City a goal and a more detrimental error from goalscorer Skrtel gave City a point. His back pa s under pre sure from the left back position found Tevez who calmly rounded the keeper to level the scores with 10 minutes to go. The Kops put up a convincing display against the champion at home as they seemed to have adapted to Rodgers philosophy of po se sion and attacking football; yet there will be more food of thought for the manager, as these mistakes will never go unpunished in the worlds best football league.Man of the Match: Carlos Tevez once again showed Mancini who was the bo s as the Italian manager needed to thank his outcast to spare his blushes. The Argentine was literally all over the Liverpool half and was the most reliable source of threat as City failed to conjure any magic in a Silva-le s lineup. His strength, pace and quick feet were all sorts of trouble, especially the raw Kelly and Coates, and even Khari Blasingame Jersey though his presence was felt, Liverpool did not sufficiently subdue him as the miniature forward was directly involved in both City goals.Flop of the Match: Aleksandar Kolarov was never known for his defending abilities, but more as a set-piece specialist. In a Roschon Johnson Jersey formation which requires a player to take care of the whole flank, Kolarov was humbled by his counterpart James Milner in terms of stamina and work rate. The Serbian was as cluele s in attack as he was in defence, overlapping with either Nasri or Zabaleta. Despite Borini not giving him much of a challenge, nor did Martin Kelly who rarely overlapped, the space was not exploited to add an extra dimension in Citys dull attack. It is interesting to know why Kolarov still stands a fight against Clichy who was not even on the bench for the starting leftback position.What if Dzeko started the match? Edin Dzeko will always be wondering what he has to do to climb up the pecking order. He was always Mancinis emergency call for goals and he has rarely failed to deliver, notably the final match of last season as well as last match against Southampton. His aerial presence as well as his ability to score with both feet is an exceptional quality for any centre forwards and he has already proved himself in the Premier League last season David Montgomery Jersey . However, the return of outcasts Tevez and Balotelli forced him to sit out on the bench. Tevezs recent form is convincing but it was a disappointing night for Super Mario. If Mancini continues to start him instead of the Bosnian, Dzeko should really be looking to ply his trade elsewhere, even if it means giving up on one of the sweetest paycheques he has ever seen.What if Manchester City dumbed the 5-2-1-2 / 3-4-1-2 formation? It brought Mancini a win at in the Community Shield as well as a draw today but it is definitely not a succe sful implementation. Using Zabaleta who is not a natural centreback or a faulty Savic are already signs that Mancini does not have the most basic requirement for such formation 3 proper reliable centrebacks. Athletic wing backs and a strong target man are also crucial, but Kolarov and Balotelli could not deliver on this particular night. A true tactician does not fit his players into an ideal formation but instead devises an ideal formation with the players he has got.