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      Can Anyone in the N.F.C. Stop Tom Brady and the Bucs From Repeating?

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      Tampa Bay returns much of its Super Bowl-winning roster, but Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams have Jordan-and-Pippen-style title dreams for Green Bay.Amid the chaos and reshuffling of an N.F.L. season played during a pandemic, the 2020 season concluded with an all-too-familiar scene: Tom Brady hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.Even at the ripe age of 44, Brady could continue his title-winning ways at the helm of a Tampa Bay team that returns much of its roster. But the Buccaneers’ path to repeat as champion should be tougher, beginning with their Week 1 opponent. The Dallas Cowboys return Dak Prescott, who led all quarterbacks in passing yards through the first five games of last season before suffering a gruesome right ankle injury.Aaron Rodgers, the reigning league most valuable player, and the Packers renewed their vows after having narrowly missed taking down Brady and company in last season’s N.F.C. championship game, thanks to a, umm, notable play call. And the Los Angeles Rams traded with Detroit for the veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford in the off-season, adding fresh blood to the gauntlet that is the N.F.C. West.Will all the retooling around the conference stop another rerun?N.F.C. EastDallas Cowboys (6-10)Key additions: S Keanu Neal, DE Tarell Basham and DE Brent UrbanKey departures: DB Chidobe Awuzie, QB Andy DaltonAfter a disappointing 2020 season, the Cowboys completed their biggest off-season task by signing quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year, $160 million contract extension. Though it’s risky to guarantee such hefty money, at $126 million, to a quarterback coming off a season-ending broken ankle, Prescott’s absence showed how mightily the Cowboys’ offense depends on him. Running back Ezekiel Elliott is back to his college weight, and Prescott will throw to one of the N.F.L.’s best receiver trifectas in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb. But that won’t mean much if Dallas’s aging offensive line can’t buy Prescott time to find them. Dak Prescott, left, and Ezekiel Elliott have to like the Cowboys’ shot at winning the wide open N.F.C. East. Tom Pennington/Getty ImagesNew York Giants (6-10)Key additions: WR Kenny Golladay, WR Kadarius Toney, TE Kyle Rudolph, CB Adoree’ JacksonKey departures: DL Dalvin Tomlinson, RB Wayne Gallman, OT Cameron FlemingQuarterback Daniel Jones slid backward in his second year in the league, but, no pressure, team owner John Mara thinks his quarterback can win a Super Bowl. To back up that assertion, the Giants brought in a true No. 1 receiver in Golladay and took Toney with the 20th pick of this year’s draft, a move that stood out for its sagacity. Those additions, with the return of Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, and the signing of the veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph should all aid Jones’s campaign — if not for a Super Bowl, at least for a contract extension — though they won’t help much if the offensive line continues to struggle. Leonard Williams, who the team signed a three-year, $63 million contract after he posted a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2020, should help generate a pass rush.Philadelphia Eagles (4-11-1)Key additions: WR DeVonta Smith, S Anthony HarrisKey departures: QB Carson Wentz, WR DeSean JacksonThe Eagles are reworking their roster on the run after overhauling the core personnel that had led the team to three straight playoff berths and a Super Bowl victory. Coach Nick Sirianni replaces Doug Pederson, and the team named the second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was 1-3 in four starts last season, their starter. They added the former Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew in late August but the essential question for this young team is whether Sirianni — who spent the last three seasons as the Colts’ offensive coordinator — can develop Hurts.Washington Football Team (7-9)Key additions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Curtis Samuel, CB William Jackson III, LB Jamin DavisKey departures: OT Morgan Moses, DE Ryan Kerrigan, QB Alex Smith, TE Jordan ReedCoach Ron Rivera has continued his revamp in Washington by adding the speedster Samuel on a three-year, $34.5 million deal (Rivera coached Samuel with the Carolina Panthers) and bolstering the defensive backfield, while parting ways with stalwarts on the offensive and defensive line. In signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, 38, to replace Alex Smith, Rivera also signaled that Washington is closer to finding a new team name than a franchise quarterback.Washington won the N.F.C. East with a losing record last season (and then gave the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers a scare in the playoffs) but a second consecutive division title should be tough with an improved Dallas in the running.— Ken BelsonN.F.C. NorthChicago Bears (8-8)Key additions: QB Justin Fields, QB Andy Dalton, RB Damien Williams, TE Jesse JamesKey departures: WR Cordarrelle Patterson, CB Kyle Fuller, QB Mitchell Trubisky, DT Roy Robertson-Harris, OT Charles LenoBears fans grew so loud in their anticipation of rookie Justin Fields, right, taking the starting quarterback spot that Fields asked fans not to boo its current occupant, Andy Dalton.Nam Y. Huh/Associated PressC’mon, Chicago. Let Fields throw a regular-season pass before you name a museum after him, OK? Bears fans are acclimating themselves to an alien phenomenon, hope at quarterback, after the team traded up to draft Fields, the former Ohio State star, with the No. 11 pick. Every decision now revolves around his development, but the people making those decisions are largely the same ones who dealt away draft picks, compromising the Bears’ depth at places like, for instance, offensive line.They should have a solid defense and an elite receiver in Allen Robinson, who will be catching passes from Dalton to begin the season — but, probably, for not much longer than that.Detroit Lions (5-11)Key additions: QB Jared Goff, RB Jamaal Williams, WR Tyrell Williams, DE Charles Harris, DT Michael Brockers, OT Penei SewellKey departures: QB Matthew Stafford, WR Kenny Golladay, WR Marvin Jones, DT Danny SheltonFirst-year coach Dan Campbell has said he begins each day by ordering at Starbucks two venti coffees, each with two espresso shots. All that caffeine might not be good for his heart, but then again, neither is watching the Lions. Brad Holmes, the first-year general manager, traded Stafford, the franchise’s career passing leader, to the Rams for Goff, and gutted the roster.But the Lions are building from the offensive and defensive lines out — a sound strategy — and though that might not help them much in 2021, it could a few years from now, when they have a new quarterback.Green Bay Packers (13-3)Key additions: WR Randall Cobb, WR Amari Rodgers, OT Dennis Kelly, LB De’Vondre CampbellKey departures: RB Jamaal Williams, C Corey Linsley, LB Christian KirkseyThe next 18 weeks (and beyond) are going to be captivating theater in Wisconsin, where Aaron Rodgers may or may not be playing his final games with teammates he loves, but for a front office he doesn’t. There’s no reason to doubt this could be, as Rodgers and Davante Adams suggested in dual Instagram posts before training camp started, a fruitful “Last Dance”-y kind of season for the Packers, who have more talent than any team in the conference that doesn’t have “Bay” in its name. Where Rodgers plays next season will be fascinating, clearly. But not as much as how he and his team handle this one.Minnesota Vikings (7-9)Key additions: DT Sheldon Richardson, DT Dalvin Tomlinson, CB Bashaud Breeland, S Xavier WoodsKey departures: RB Mike Boone, TE Kyle Rudolph, OT Riley Reiff, LB Eric WilsonEntering quarterback Kirk Cousins’s fourth season in Minnesota, the Vikings have yet to win the N.F.C. North. Unless the Packers’ team buses get detoured to Idaho every game day, that streak isn’t likely to end. Still, the Vikings have a raft of elite players — running back Dalvin Cook, receiver Justin Jefferson and defensive end Danielle Hunter — and their off-season additions improved a defense that Coach Mike Zimmer last season called the “worst one I’ve ever had.”At the least, Minnesota figures to be average. At best, it could win double-digit games, good enough to snag a wild-card berth.— Ben ShpigelN.F.C. SouthAtlanta Falcons (4-12)Key additions: WR Cordarrelle Patterson, TE Kyle Pitts, RB Mike Davis, S Duron HarmonKey departures: C Alex Mack, WR Julio Jones, S Ricardo Allen, S Keanu Neal, DE Charles Harris, CB Darqueze Dennard.No team imploded as spectacularly — or as often — as the Falcons, who lost nine (!) games that they led last season. In theory, that won’t happen again. Any expectations beyond that? ¯_(ツ)_/¯The Falcons, under new leadership at coach (Arthur Smith) and general manager (Terry Fontenot), are in transition. After trading Jones and bypassing a potential Matt Ryan successor in order to draft Pitts at No. 4 overall, Atlanta seems to be walking up a down escalator. The onus will be on the defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, who was lured out of retirement, to generate loads of pressure — and on Ryan to generate loads of points. With Ryan working in a play-action heavy offense that resembles the one from his 2016 M.V.P. season, it might be possible. In theory.Carolina Panthers (5-11)Key additions: QB Sam Darnold, LB Haason Reddick, OT Cameron Erving, CB Jaycee HornKey departures: WR Curtis Samuel, RB Mike Davis, QB Teddy Bridgewater, LG Chris ReedThe Panthers acquired Darnold from the Jets this spring in the hopes that extricating him from the Jets’ juju — and surrounding him with, you know, better players — might unlock his promise. Bold strategy. In season 2 under Coach Matt Rhule, Carolina’s prospect of contending is rooted in too many hypotheticals (if Darnold can rebound, if running back Christian McCaffrey can stay healthy, if its young defense can coalesce) to take seriously.New Orleans Saints (12-4)Jameis Winston will step into the quarterback spot owned for 15 seasons by Drew Brees when the New Orleans Saints open the season with a “home” game against the Packers in Jacksonville.Derick Hingle/Associated PressKey additions: TE Nick Vannett, DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE Payton TurnerKey departures: QB Drew Brees, DE Trey Hendrickson, DT Malcom Brown, CB Janoris Jenkins, CB Patrick RobinsonSweet mercy, the Saints lost a lot of talent in addition to Brees. The team’s viability hinges on whether Coach Sean Payton can coax efficient quarterback play — and respectable ball security — from Jameis Winston over a full season. Either way, Winston is their best internal option, and he should benefit from playing behind a talented offensive line. Payton relishes the chance to put Winston and Taysom Hill on the field together. Good thing, too.The defense powered the Saints last year, and with their overall playmaking cast diminished — the star receiver Michael Thomas is out indefinitely as he recovers from ankle surgery — that unit might need to offset their offensive volatility.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)Key additions: RB Giovani Bernard, DE Joe Tryon, OT Robert HainseyKey departures: C A.Q. Shipley, LB Deone BucannonMoving some beads around the ol’ abacus, Tampa Bay’s front office performed a modern miracle in this salary-cap era: The Buccaneers managed to retain all 22 starters from the team that dusted Kansas City in the Super Bowl. Their roster, the best in the N.F.L., is loaded with absurd amounts of star power — from receiver Chris Godwin to linebackers Shaquil Barrett and Lavonte David — but also depth at every position except, perhaps, quarterback.That isn’t necessarily a problem, since Tom Brady is fated to start there until the sun collapses. Brady quarterbacked the last team to repeat as champions — the 2004 New England Patriots — and anything less than another title for Tampa Bay, which would be his eighth, would be a disappointment.— Ben ShpigelN.F.C. WestArizona Cardinals (8-8)Key additions: DE J.J. Watt, WR A.J. Green, RB James Conner, LB Zaven CollinsKey departures: CB Patrick Peterson, RB Kenyan DrakeIn two seasons, Coach Kliff Kingsbury has yet to lead the Arizona Cardinals to the playoffs. Should his team fail to reach the postseason in 2021, Kingsbury may be seeking employment elsewhere. The Cardinals return a talented roster led by quarterback Kyler Murray and receiver DeAndre Hopkins. They added veteran contributors on both sides of the ball by signing Watt and Green. Despite strong opposition in the division, any finish less than playing a game on Wild-Card weekend will be a disappointment.For the second season in a row, the Texans’ loss has been the Cardinals’ gain as J.J. Watt joined his former teammate DeAndre Hopkins in Arizona.Rick Scuteri/Associated PressLos Angeles Rams (10-6)Key additions: QB Matthew Stafford, WR DeSean Jackson, RB Sony Michel, WR Tutu AtwellKey Departures: S John Johnson III, CB Troy Hill, TE Gerald Everett, QB Jared GoffStafford’s arrival in Los Angeles dramatically elevates the Rams’ expectations as the team welcomes fans to its $5.5 billion stadium, which will host this season’s Super Bowl. The team returns a stout defense led by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, but any hope of a championship run depends on Stafford, whose 45,109 career yards rank fifth among active passers, but who, at 33, has not won a playoff game in three tries.Coach Sean McVay will look to unleash the offense behind Stafford and with Sony Michel, whom the team traded for to shore up a running back rotation that lost starter Cam Akers to a torn Achilles’ tendon before training camp.San Francisco 49ers (6-10)Key additions: QB Trey Lance, C Alex Mack, LB Samson EbukamKey departures: WR Kendrick Bourne, RB Tevin Coleman, DE Kerry Hyder Jr., CB Ahkello WitherspoonThe 49ers traded three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to draft Lance third overall this spring. He’ll eventually replace Jimmy Garoppolo, but how soon that transition occurs depends on Garoppolo’s health and Lance’s learning curve. Since Garoppolo has played a 16-game season only once with San Francisco, and Lance showed steady improvement in the preseason, figure on his time coming sooner than later.The team returns key starters to a defense that was decimated by injuries and boasts a potent rushing attack based on motion before the snap and passes behind the line of scrimmage.Seattle Seahawks (12-4)Key additions: TE Gerald Everett, OG Gabe Jackson, DT Robert NkemdicheKey departures: CB Shaquill Griffin, RB Carlos Hyde, DT Jarran ReedRussell Wilson, tired of continually being sacked by Aaron Donald and other pass rushers in the N.F.C. West, caused a stir this off-season by asking for more of a say in roster decisions. Despite the fracas, and that the team did not dramatically improve its offensive line, Wilson is back and trying to make it work in Seattle, where his chemistry with DK Metcalf resulted in 1,303 yards receiving, good for sixth among wideouts last season.In August, Seattle made Jamal Adams the highest-paid safety in the league with a four-year extension reportedly worth $70 million, in an effort to improve the defense, which allowed the 11th-most yards in the league.— Emmanuel Morgan More

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      Keith McCants, Football Star Laid Low by Drugs, Dies at 53

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      At one time the N.F.L.’s highest-paid defensive player, he left the league after six seasons and fell into a spiral of addiction, homelessness and desolation.In N.F.L. parlance, Keith McCants was a “can’t miss.” A relentless and powerful athlete, he was a first-team all-American linebacker at Alabama and was drafted fourth overall in 1990 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His success seemingly guaranteed, the team made him the highest-paid defensive player in the league.But McCants soon became known by a less flattering N.F.L. moniker: “draft bust.” Days after being chosen by the Buccaneers, he had knee surgery. A year later, he had to learn a new position when he was moved from linebacker to defensive end. The injuries and frustrations mounted as he tried to meet people’s outsized expectations.His promise unfulfilled, the Buccaneers released McCants after three years. He spent three more seasons with the Houston Oilers and Arizona Cardinals before he left the league, his money and celebrity diminished. What remained was an overpowering addiction to painkillers, and eventually to other drugs, that consumed the rest of McCants’s life and turned him into a cautionary tale.After decades of drug abuse, numerous arrests, dozens of surgeries and years living on the street — all punctuated by brief stretches of sobriety — McCants was found dead early Thursday morning at his home in St. Petersburg, Fla. He was 53.The cause appeared to be a drug overdose, but Amanda Sinni, a spokeswoman for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, said the department was awaiting a report from the medical examiner’s office.In and out of rehabilitation and eager to share his story to warn others away from drugs, McCants all but predicted his demise in 2015, when he was interviewed by The New York Times.During six seasons in the N.F.L., Keith McCants became addicted to painkillers, and later went to jail, lived on the street and battled depression. He was interviewed by The New York Times in this 2015 video.Josh Ritchie for The New York Times“I live one day at a time; I’m a recovering addict,” he said. “Tomorrow’s not promising. If I die today or tomorrow, I’m all right with that because I’m comfortable with me. My goal is to help people who can’t help themselves, to turn their negatives to positives, to give them hope. That’s what I sell.”McCants did not just talk about his struggles with substance abuse. He pointed the finger squarely at the N.F.L. Coaches, he said, pushed players to perform without regard to their long-term health. Team doctors handed out painkillers like candy to mask injuries and get players on the field. And when players were unable to perform, he said, the league turned its back and focused on younger replacements.“I will continue to tell the truth, how they got me hooked on drugs,” he said. “I feel it’s my duty as a retired player to explain the difference between being hurt and being injured.”McCants in a game against the Indianapolis Colts in 1992, when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was with Tampa Bay for three seasons before being released, his promise unfulfilled.Scott Halleran/Allsport, via Getty ImagesAlvin Keith McCants was born on April 19, 1968, in Mobile, Ala. His father abandoned him when he was young; he was raised by his stepfather, James Turner, who worked for the city, and his mother, Cinderella Turner, a cook. He is survived by two sons, Keith Jr. and David; two daughters, Aysha and Kera; two brothers, Robert and Anthony; and two sisters, Angie and Denise. He was married and divorced twice.Widely scouted while at Murphy High School in Mobile, McCants enrolled at Alabama, home to one of the country’s premier football programs. He left for the pros after his junior year, a bold but contentious step at the time. He said he opted out of his senior year because he did not want to risk further injuries that might shorten his career, and because he needed to provide for his family while he could.Some experts predicted that McCants could have been chosen first overall in the draft; he was ultimately picked fourth, one slot ahead of Junior Seau, a linebacker from the University of Southern California who played for 20 years and was elected posthumously to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. Seau killed himself in 2012 and was later found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head.The Buccaneers had losing records each of McCants’ three years in Tampa, which heightened the scrutiny of his performance and his paychecks. (He received a record $2.5 million signing bonus as part of a five-year $7.4 million deal.) McCants lived the life of a celebrity player, spending freely. He said that he was preyed upon by financial advisers and others and lost $17 million.He played in 88 games in his career and recorded 13.5 quarterback sacks and one interception.After he left the N.F.L., McCants, who studied criminal law in college, became the first Black marine police officer in Alabama when he joined the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. He joked that he found it hard to arrest people because they often recognized him from his playing days and said they were fans of his.Yet the power of his addiction proved strong. He lived on the street in Tampa for two years in the early 2000s, worked as a pimp and drug dealer, and spent time in jail, where he once tried to hang himself. He spent stretches in numerous rehabilitation facilities, only to succumb to drugs again once he got out, as he recounted in his 2018 memoir, “My Dark Side of the N.F.L.”In recent years, seemingly at peace with his fate, he tried to warn others by talking about his financial troubles, his run-ins with the law and the pain — emotional as well as physical — that he buried with drugs.“I’m not too much worried about Keith McCants,” he said. “I’m more worried about the people that’s coming after Keith McCants.” More

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      At Least 10 of Deshaun Watson's Accusers Have Filed Police Reports

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      The women said Deshaun Watson, the Houston Texans quarterback, sexually assaulted them or touched them inappropriately.The Houston Police Department has spoken to at least 10 women who have accused Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of crimes from unwanted touching to sexual assault, according to records obtained by The New York Times.The records are heavily redacted, and do not reveal the names of the complainant or the suspect, but they were released in response to a request for all records related to Watson or his home address in Houston.A brief summary of each complaint is one of the few lines left unredacted in the documents. “Complainant stated that the suspect touched her inappropriately and exposed himself,” read one. Another said: “Complainant was sexually assaulted by the suspect. One suspect. No arrest. Complainant willing to prosecute.”Houston police spoke to the women between April 2 and May 20 of this year, and dates of their complaints ranged from September 2019 to December 2020. Watson has not been charged with any crimes.On March 16 of this year, the attorney Tony Buzbee announced that he was filing a lawsuit against Watson, accusing him of misconduct against an unnamed woman. Buzbee now represents 22 women who have sued Watson.In addition to the 10 women who have spoken to Houston police, the F.B.I. is investigating the case, according to Buzbee and Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin. Watson has spoken to the F.B.I., and Hardin has said agents are investigating one of Buzbee’s clients for extortion, while Buzbee has said they are investigating Watson’s conduct.The status of the criminal investigations into Watson’s conduct is unclear. Spokespeople for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the F.B.I. did not respond to requests for comment, while a Houston police spokesman referred to the department’s statement from April 2 which reads, in part, “As with any allegation, the Houston Police Department is now conducting an investigation and will not comment further during the investigative process.”Last month, a Houston television station reported that a grand jury had been convened in the case. Under Texas law, every potential felony charge goes before a grand jury.Watson has not talked with police investigators, nor has he spoken with N.F.L. investigators about the accusations, Hardin said in an interview Friday. “The police have made no attempt to reach out to Deshaun, and we don’t expect law enforcement to do so until they complete an investigation,” Hardin said, adding that he would be surprised if the police investigation concluded before October.“The prosecutor has told us from the beginning that ultimately when the investigation is over, their findings will be presented to a grand jury,” Hardin said at a news conference last month. “We will be given the opportunity to tell our side, and we will get an evenhanded hearing.”In an interview earlier this week, Hardin said, “Every single week we are finding out more that makes us increasingly more comfortable that none of these cases will lead to valid criminal charges.”Hardin said he will begin questioning the accusers in the civil cases at depositions that will start this month. Watson’s deposition should happen by February, he said.The Times requested the records from the Houston police in April, but they were not provided until Friday.The police department asked the office of the Texas attorney general to rule on whether the records sought were exempt from disclosure. An assistant attorney general wrote in June that information that consists of the “detection, investigation or prosecution of crime” was exempt, but that basic information about an arrested person, an arrest or a crime is not. That basic information was what was released.One party that has not yet spoken to Watson: The N.F.L. has spoken to a number of the women who have sued Watson, according to Buzbee, but Hardin has said league investigators have not yet spoken to Watson. In cases involving criminal investigations, the N.F.L. typically waits until those investigations are completed before interviewing the player.The Texans open their season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 12, and it is unclear whether Watson will start at quarterback, or whether he will still be on the team. Watson participated in some of Houston’s training camp, though he did not play in any of the team’s three preseason games. According to numerous reports he has asked to be traded, a request that has been difficult to fulfill given legal and criminal investigations.Juliet Macur More

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      N.F.L. Moves New Orleans Saints’ Season Opener to Jacksonville

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      As much of New Orleans remained without electricity in the wake of Hurricane Ida, the Saints’ Week 1 home game against the Green Bay Packers was relocated.The Saints will open their season in Jacksonville, Fla., as New Orleans recovers from Hurricane Ida, the N.F.L. said on Wednesday.The Saints will play the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 12, a Sunday, at TIAA Bank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.Though the Superdome, the team’s stadium in New Orleans, did not suffer major damage when Hurricane Ida swept through the region, nearly a million customers in Louisiana were still without power days after the storm tore through the state, causing flooding and knocking out power lines. Entergy, Louisiana’s largest utility, said on Wednesday that it could be days before electricity was fully restored in New Orleans and other Louisiana cities hit by Ida.Saints personnel and their families on Saturday relocated to North Texas before Ida’s arrival, holding practices at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Saints Coach Sean Payton said on Tuesday that the team would continue to train in the Dallas-Fort Worth area as New Orleans recovered from the storm. He said the region made sense because it had many Saints fans nearby, stadiums capable of hosting N.F.L. games and a major airport.“We’ve got enough fans in this area and Houston, and certainly from northern Louisiana, that we think that would be something that’s very realistic,” Payton said.The team moved practices to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, which has an indoor field and other training facilities. Doug Miller, a team spokesman, said the Saints’ training facility in Metairie, La., just outside New Orleans, received only superficial damage in the storm, and the team has allowed officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to use offices there.The decision to move the Saints’ first regular-season game came two days after Tulane announced that it would move its college football matchup on Saturday against Oklahoma to Norman, Okla., from New Orleans.By the time Tulane made its decision, the football team had evacuated to Birmingham, Ala., and seen its hopes for a Tuesday return to New Orleans dashed.“Obviously, that was wishful thinking,” Willie Fritz, the Tulane coach, said at a news conference this week after his team fled rain in Birmingham and practiced in Tuscaloosa, Ala. “It’s a very unfortunate situation. We feel for the people in New Orleans.”The university said Monday that it would decide in “the days ahead” how to handle planned home competitions in football and women’s volleyball. The football program is next scheduled to play in New Orleans on Sept. 11, while the volleyball team’s next home matches are scheduled for Sept. 17.“We’re like the Terminator: You’ve got to just point us in the right direction and we will go there,” said Fritz, who added that Tulane officials had been able to get onto campus to pick up equipment, including the Green Wave’s uniforms and cleats.The N.F.L. did not say whether future Saints home games would be moved. Their Week 2 and Week 3 matchups are road games. The Saints will play the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., and then the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.The Saints’ second home game of the season is scheduled for Oct. 3 against the Giants.In 2005, the Saints played their entire regular season on the road after the Superdome was damaged during Hurricane Katrina and the city’s residents were displaced. The team opened the season at the Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., and played its remaining games at the Alamodome in San Antonio and Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, home of the Louisiana State football team. More

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      Patriots Cut Cam Newton After Covid-Related Disruptions

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      Newton was sidelined early last season with the virus and missed practices last week because of a mix-up over protocols. The rookie quarterback Mac Jones will be New England’s starter.After entering training camp as New England’s starting quarterback, Cam Newton didn’t just lose that job on Tuesday — he lost his roster spot, too.The Patriots cut Newton, the N.F.L.’s most valuable player in 2015, as they began paring their roster to the league-mandated 53 players before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. The move allows the rookie Mac Jones, who excelled in camp and the preseason, to start in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 12. Newton’s release was first reported by The Boston Globe.Newton, 32, started all three of New England’s preseason games, including Sunday’s preseason finale at the Giants, in which he played two series. But he missed three days of practice last week because of what the team said was a “misunderstanding” related to Covid-19 protocols after a team-approved medical appointment out of the area. His absence enabled Jones to take more first-team snaps.“I feel like everybody’s way ahead of where they were last year,” Coach Bill Belichick said of Newton on Tuesday, hours before news of his release surfaced. “Certainly, he started at a much higher point than what he did last year, so definitely moving in the right direction.”Not long after he was released, Newton thanked his fans in a statement posted on his Instagram account.“I really appreciate all the love and support during this time but I must say … please don’t feel sorry for me!! I’m good,” Newton wrote.Last season, his first in New England, Newton’s ups and downs were emblematic of the league’s struggles to play during the pandemic. He was infected with the coronavirus early in the season, missing one game and forcing the N.F.L. to move the Patriots’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs to a Monday night after Newton tested positive for the virus. The Patriots flew to Kansas City, Mo., in two planes — one for players and staff who were exposed to Newton and one for everyone else.After the season, Newton said his time away from the team so soon after arriving had made it harder for him to learn the playbook.In training camp this season, Newton declined to confirm whether he received a vaccine against the virus, saying only that the issue was too personal to discuss. But after his medical appointment last week, he went through a five-day process to rejoin the team that applies only to unvaccinated players.Under N.F.L. rules, unvaccinated players must be tested every day for the virus, as opposed to once a week for vaccinated players, and they cannot move around the team facility or mix with teammates as freely as vaccinated players.Once one of the league’s most electrifying players as the franchise quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, Newton had the misfortune of sustaining a serious foot injury in 2019, limiting him to two games, a few months before a new regime took over the front office and a pandemic disrupted off-season player movement. The Panthers released him, but as other quarterbacks signed quickly, Newton languished for months, reportedly unwilling to be a backup.In the depressed market for his services, the Patriots saw an opportunity. After cutting ties with Tom Brady, the team signed Newton to a one-year, incentive-heavy deal in June 2020, and he promptly beat out Jarrett Stidham in training camp. Starting 15 games for New England, Newton rushed for 12 touchdowns and completed 65.8 percent of his passes, though the offense sputtered for vast chunks of a season undermined by infrequent practices and meager skill players.The Patriots, wanting an established quarterback on the roster before free agency began, re-signed Newton in what was a prelude to a bigger investment at the position. For the first time in his 22 drafts in New England, Belichick drafted a quarterback in the first round, taking Jones at No. 15.No defense in 2020 could stop Jones, who at the University of Alabama threw for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and four interceptions, leading the nation with 11.2 yards per attempt and a 77.4 completion percentage. A traditional pocket passer, Jones was an outlier among the quarterbacks chosen in the first round of the draft.But the Patriots were enamored of his awareness, steady improvement and command of the offense. In the preseason, he completed 36 of 52 passes for 388 yards and a touchdown.“I’m going to be ready whenever my time comes up,” Jones said Sunday night.That time has come, and against the Dolphins in Week 1, he will most likely start opposite the player he succeeded at Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa. Newton could be attractive to teams with unsettled backup situations, among them the Jets, Dallas, Houston and Washington. But it is also possible that his vaccination status will deter other teams from signing him because they do not want to risk disrupting their season. More

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      Matthew Stafford Wants His Hollywood Ending. So Do the Rams.

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      After 12 seasons in Detroit, the quarterback wanted out. The Los Angeles Rams, looking to move on from Jared Goff, saw in Stafford another shot at a championship run.THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — After Matthew Stafford, the Los Angeles Rams’ new quarterback, threw three interceptions this month in a joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders, he and his teammates remained calm. Instead of pouting or slamming his helmet, he convened with his coaches to discuss what went wrong.Les Snead, the team’s general manager, also looked relaxed as he watched from afar on a cloudy, rainy afternoon. He had orchestrated the January trade to acquire Stafford, sending the team’s starting quarterback, Jared Goff, and three draft picks, including two first-round selections, to the Detroit Lions.By adding one of the most productive quarterbacks in the N.F.L. (Stafford’s 45,109 career yards rank him fifth among active passers) but parting with the chance to draft in the first round until 2024, the team drastically raised its fans’ hopes for the immediate future. Stafford’s practice turnovers, however, had many of them expressing angst on social media. According to Snead, they included one of his children, a teenager, who texted him asking if “Stafford had a bad day.”The interest in the team makes sense. Until the trade, the Rams had risked languishing in one of the N.F.L.’s toughest divisions. Now they have a 33-year-old quarterback who asked out of the only franchise for which he had ever played for a better shot at football glory. The Rams’ window opens now.“I think Matt’s at that point in his career where he’s played a lot of football, he’s made a lot of money and we’re now at that chapter of ‘OK, let’s do something special,’” Snead said in an interview. “I think he’s looking at it like, ‘This is a good place to write my farewell chapters in this league.’”The off-season had the potential to be defined by high-profile quarterback changes. In an era in which Stafford’s peers have been emboldened to use their star power to gain leverage, either to seek trades or to influence rosters, his requested breakup with the Lions stands out for being resolved peacefully, and privately. He believes his relationship with the team’s ownership allowed the process to move smoothly.“This could’ve gone a bunch of different directions, and I’m glad it went the way it did,” Stafford said.Despite losing in the first round in all three of his playoff appearances over 12 seasons in Detroit, Stafford threw for over 4,000 yards eight times and completed 38 game-winning drives. He knew he could still produce at an elite level and wanted to compete with a contender. Detroit finished 5-11 last season. Had he stayed for 2021, Stafford would have played for his fourth head coach and third general manager. He quietly requested a trade and the Lions agreed, something he knew was not a guarantee.In training camp scrimmages, Stafford delivered impressive passes to receivers on throws with velocity and touch. Johm Mccoy/Associated Press“I have to give them a ton of credit for how they approached it,” Stafford said. “I think they knew, from 12 years of dealing with me, if I told them something, that was my word, and I knew I felt the same way about them.”Other quarterbacks who had looked for a change had different outcomes this off-season. Rumors swirled that Aaron Rodgers wanted out at Green Bay. Deshaun Watson reportedly requested a trade from Houston. Russell Wilson asked for more say in the Seattle Seahawks’ personnel decisions. His agent, though, publicly disclosed a list of teams Wilson would consider joining in a trade.When training camps opened, those quarterbacks rejoined their teams. In his circumstance, Stafford said that he wanted an open discussion with the Lions and that he was grateful they agreed with his point of view.“I wasn’t in a mode of trying to be empowered, I just wanted to be honest,” he said. “I just wanted to let them know how I was feeling, and it was really great for them to respect that and work with me on it.”Initially, it seemed unlikely that Stafford would join the Rams. They had signed Goff to a four-year contract extension worth $134 million in 2019 after he led them to a Super Bowl. But over the past two seasons, Goff regressed, throwing 29 interceptions, causing Snead and Coach Sean McVay to seek an upgrade. Stafford’s availability piqued both men’s interest.“We felt maybe it was the right time, and this might be the right place to add all of those sets of variables together at that very, very important position,” Snead said.Stafford should solve a lot of what ailed the Rams in 2020, when the team was 10-6 and lost to the Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs. They had one of the N.F.L.’s best defenses, anchored by lineman Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, but the offense did not regularly threaten downfield strikes and finished with only 50 passing plays of at least 20 yards, ranking 14th.In training camp and in practices, Stafford delivered impressive passes to receivers on throws with velocity and touch. Two of the interceptions in that scrimmage against the Raiders came on tipped passes, mistakes that McVay said could be corrected as Stafford learned the new offensive system and the receivers adjusted to his timing.“He’s one of those guys that elevates everyone around him,” Rams Coach Sean McVay said of Stafford. Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press“He’s one of those guys that elevates everyone around him,” McVay said. “When things don’t go our way, I just like how even-keeled he is. He’s consistent.”Unlike other stars on less complete teams, Stafford has not issued a list of his wants or asked to weigh in on roster decisions, though McVay and Snead said they would welcome his input if he offered it.“I’m the new guy here,” Stafford said. “I’m just trying to show up and get my job right as best I can. I trust those guys and they’ve done a great job of building a program here that has a great atmosphere.”With a roster stacked for a postseason run, Stafford can focus on what lies ahead. Despite his numbers in Detroit, Stafford was selected to just one Pro Bowl. This month, he watched as his former Lions teammate Calvin Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Being in Canton, Ohio, and seeing the history around him made Stafford think about his own legacy and what kind of career ending he could write in Los Angeles.“I just want to play meaningful football and get to know these guys as well as I can and play for as long as I can here,” Stafford said. More

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      Adoree' Jackson Hopes to Spark Giants' Secondary and Tailgate

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      Adoree’ Jackson, the headliner of the team’s off-season free agency signees, makes a habit of studying the experts around him. That includes his grillmaster father, Chris.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Of all the Giants’ signings from their $200 million free agency splurge, perhaps none is as important as Adoree’ Jackson, whom the team expects to improve a secondary long yearning for a credible No. 2 cornerback. Deployed opposite the Pro Bowler James Bradberry, Jackson, who signed a three-year deal with $24.5 million guaranteed, should enable the Giants to play more man-to-man coverage, which they were reluctant to do last season.Jackson upgrades the defense but also the players’ postgame dining scene. Since his days playing Pop Warner, his father, Chris, has hauled a grill to Adoree’s games, feeding family, friends and teammates barbecue seasoned with homemade rubs and sauces. In his son’s first four seasons as a pro, Chris would drive four hours to Nashville from their home in Belleville, Ill., outside St. Louis, to cook before Adoree’s games with the Tennessee Titans.Sometime before the 2021 season begins, Jackson intends to procure a charcoal grill, so his father can continue the tradition 1,000 miles east.“You can’t skip one year,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to keep it going.”After Tuesday’s practice, Jackson discussed his transition to the Giants, his interest in the film and television industries, and his second-best sport.This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.How much do you study other cornerbacks to see what you can adopt from them?On our iPads, you can request different corners, and I’ve been doing that for a while. The ones I like are Pacman Jones, Asante Samuel — guys similar to my stature. [Jackson is 5-foot-11.] You get to see how that works for him or why that works for him. My rookie year, a guy on my team, Wesley Woodyard, said I should reach out to Champ Bailey and gave me his number. I reached out to him, and boom, he responded. It’s cool to have the older guys see you and want to help because not everybody gives back. Each one, teach one. That idea of giving back seems pretty important to you.It is. The biggest thing I really want to do back home is like a STEM program. I want to do something similar to that. Growing up in a rural area, you’re not really thinking about doing that. Nobody else is doing it, so why would I even think about it? Not everybody’s an athlete, not everybody’s good at this, not everybody’s good at that. But if you have science, technology, engineering and math — it’s all cool — you can find something you like and excel at it. I’d like to have a center that everybody can enjoy and be accessible for kids.You’ve also interned at Warner Bros. What did you learn from your experience there?I worked for Jay Levine [an executive vice president], just picking his brain about the production side. I was just trying to figure out, like, if I wanted to do something in media or TV, how I could go about it, so I just sat there and picked their brains. What got you into this? How did you start? Why did you start this? It’s just getting your foot in the door. If you have small talk, then that small talk can turn into big talk and now you’re meeting different people that you never thought you would possibly be able to meet.Do you have any projects in the works?You’ve seen the movie “Boyz n the Hood”? It’s like Ricky had a son. It’s basically like a spinoff, in a sense, something like that. I don’t want to go too much in detail, but it’s a spinoff of the movie — whatever Ricky’s dream was and passing it down. It’s just living out his dream.How did you handle being released by Tennessee?I got drafted there. I don’t want to say I wasn’t hurt or I wasn’t sad, but it wasn’t emotional. I don’t know what I felt, but it wasn’t like one of those down emotions. But you know, one door closes, another door opens. I understood that I couldn’t hang my head or pout. I knew another chapter was going to happen for me.And it did. Was it enticing to play again with Logan Ryan and across the field from James Bradberry?Definitely, man. The first time I saw James play was my rookie season, when Carolina came down and practiced, and he was just crazy out there. Now, to be able to play with him — why not try to learn everything I can from him? We’re always competing. If he forces a fumble, then I’ve got to force two. If he’s making plays, then, all right, I’ve got to make some, too.As a former long jumper at Southern California who also competed in the 2016 Olympic trials, did you pay attention to the event in Tokyo?I didn’t see the long jump, but I actually looked up the results and was like, ‘Damn, I could do that at one point in time.’ It’s like when I watch basketball, which I used to play a lot. It’s like, ‘Oh, I would have done this, I would have done that.’ But I’m not even out there anymore.Your personal best was a little bit less than 26 feet. That would have put you 10th in Tokyo.That’s crazy. I didn’t even look at it like that. But like, there’s a lot of wear and tear. Not only do you go one day and jump, you come back another day. When I went to the finals at trials — I’m not going to lie, it was cool, but I had nothing left. I couldn’t pop another big jump the next day because I was all out of gas. My legs didn’t have the muscle memory to keep doing it. But it was fun. More

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      A Historical Guide to Renaming the Washington Football Team

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      N.F.L. team names have followed trends in certain eras, a practice that could give the Washington franchise more options for its rebranding.The Washington Football Team ignited renewed speculation about its future nickname this week by releasing a video about its rebranding that cited eight possible names. While Jason Wright, the team’s president, eventually said other candidates were also being considered, that didn’t stop every fan within 3,000 miles of the capital from weighing in on the pros and cons of each suggestion.The list of eight included military-related names like Armada, Brigade, Commanders and Defenders; names that maintained, perhaps uncomfortably, the “red” from the team’s previous name, RedHogs and RedWolves; as well as the more staid offerings like Presidents and the current name, Football Team.The popularity of certain kinds of professional team nicknames have waxed and waned over the years. Perhaps a look at history can offer some additional suggestions for Washington.1922: Anything goes.When the National Football League was founded under that name in 1922, its teams’ nicknames were all over the place.Some names would have been timeless in any era: the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Some sound a little quaint to today’s ears: the Buffalo All-Americans and the Evansville (Ill.) Crimson Giants.And a few were just weird. The Columbus Panhandles? (It’s related to West Virginia’s little panhandle.) The Louisville Brecks? (It was short for Breckenridge, although that doesn’t clear much up.) The Dayton Triangles? Really?Suggestions from history: The Washington Circles. The Washington Pentagons.1930s: Let’s name two.The Cleveland Indians played in the N.F.L. in 1931, and so did the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1933, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds joined up. Yes, there were some more uncommon names, too (uh, the Staten Island Stapletons played from 1929 to 1932), but piggybacking on the success of baseball seemed to be a key business model for the nascent football league.Suggestions from history: The Washington Nationals. The Washington Senators.1940s: Wartime portmanteaus take hold.Shortages of manpower and financial concerns led several teams to merge during World War II. The Steelers and Eagles in 1943 unofficially became the Steagles. Then the next season the Steelers tried a merger with the Chicago Cardinals, creating a team that became known as “Card-Pitt.” Or “Carpets” to those mean folks who noticed they finished 0-10.Suggestions from history: The Baltimore-Washington RaveTeam. The Washington-Dallas TeamBoys.Early 1960s: The A.F.L. swaggers in.The new American Football League, which eventually merged with the N.F.L., had a mix of nicknames, but quite a few had a conquering feel: Chargers, Broncos, Raiders, Titans. The N.F.L. added a couple of macho teams of its own in this era: the Cowboys and the Vikings.Suggestions from history: The Washington Firefighters. The Washington BarBrawlers.Late 1960s: A Grass menagerie arises.It was the era of the animal, as the Falcons, Dolphins and Bengals joined the leagues (with the Seahawks coming aboard in 1976).Suggestions from history: The Washington Pandas. The Washington Pigeons.The 1980s: Old names head west.The pace of new teams being added to the N.F.L. slowed a decade later, but franchises looking for sweeter stadium deals were happy to move to new cities, while keeping their nicknames. The Raiders, Colts, Cardinals and Rams all did it. (The Browns did change their name to the Ravens — another animal — when they moved to Baltimore in 1996.)Suggestions from history: The Memphis Football Team. The San Antonio Football Team.What’s next?There has only been one new N.F.L. nickname adopted in recent times, the rather bland Houston Texans in 2002. That is, until Washington made the unconventional and temporary selection of Football Team last year.So without a lot of precedent, Washington has an opportunity to start a new era in N.F.L. team naming. Will a choice like Armada launch a new era of naval names? Will selecting the moniker Presidents result in a surge of patriotic nicknames?With the field still open, and the team trying to stretch the drama, we don’t know which way Washington will go. Well, maybe we know this: Don’t expect the Washington Brecks. More