It Makes No Difference if Kaepernick Wants to Stand or Not he Wont Have Toever Choose Again

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Lots of questions: Who'll replace Dean Blandino, does anyone want Adrian Peterson, and has Dak Prescott already seen his best days pass him by?

1. Why Yous Should Care Who Replaces Dean Blandino

Earlier we get to why the replacement for the NFL's top ref is one of the more than important moves the league will brand, and why equally a fan you should greatly care, let's go dorsum to something that happened in Feb.

It was Super Bowl week when I offset heard that Dean Blandino, the head of NFL officials until he stepped down from the position terminal calendar week to take a job on Telly, wanted out of the NFL and was headed to CBS. I asked several unlike sources what they knew and a picture emerged: Blandino was miserable, I was told, and hated working in the NFL office considering it was likewise political, and no one had your back.

Blandino, according to my sources, had been trying to exit the NFL since Nov.

Then I went to CBS. It said he wasn't headed there. Knew nothing nearly it. I asked the NFL. Hadn't heard anything like that, I was told. It seemed like the story wasn't truthful.

Simply information technology was, and the NFL couldn't have been defenseless by surprise. Information technology knew of the rumors just as I did.

And now the league has been forced to observe a new voice to guide its officiating crews later on Blandino exited a task he manifestly wanted out of for some time.

That leaves us trying to understand two key problems: Why is this job so hard, and why should you, the fan, care who holds information technology?

The difficulty of the position is obvious. Information technology'southward not heavy lifting or digging ditches, but it's, hands, ane of the about thankless jobs in all of sports. Every Mon brings complaints from coaches. The media on every platform find ways to bandage you as inept. And, at least in Blandino's instance, neither Commissioner Roger Goodell nor league owners offering any support, publicly or privately, an issue I was told was a major business organisation for Blandino.

Just again, why should fans care?

Just put, considering the league needs people similar Blandino to make certain officiating crews are legit.

"Confidence in the integrity and quality of officiating are of paramount importance to the league," said Amy Trask, the former Raiders team executive and current analyst for CBS. "At that place are instances in which businesses tin can't affordnotto spend whatever necessary to effectuate a goal in the best manner possible, and this is one such case.

"I have said this with respect to total-time officials and I will say this with respect to filling Dean's position—the league can't afford not to spend whatever it takes to instill confidence in fans."

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Who replaces Blandino isn't as important as what the NFL will allow that person to practise. Blandino'due south replacement needs autonomy, and the allowance to make mistakes, without fearing repercussions from ownership, coaches or fans. The politics that accept surrounded the role need to be lessened.

Fans, in particular, maybe more than ever before (or mayhap it but seems that way because of social media), see a conspiracy in every call. They need a reason to believe the officials are beingness held answerable by someone with potency.

Some team officials believe that Goodell and Troy Vincent, who oversees the position, would sometimes get too overbearing with Blandino. That led to a sense among some teams that Blandino had lost almost all autonomy.

To that point, Scott Green, head of the game officials union, told Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio and the Sporting News that the NFL's officiating brain trust in New York was "making their opinion known" to the referees from league headquarters far more during the previous two seasons than in past years.

I've been told—repeatedly—this was more a product of Goodell and Vincent than it was Blandino.

When it comes to Blandino, and what his relationship was with Goodell, this needs to be fabricated extremely clear: This is what I was told by team officials who for years accept spoken to Blandino, Goodell and Vincent.

Whoever gets the chore has a daunting task alee. Owners last calendar month approved a new arrangement whereby the officiating primary is now responsible for overseeing instant replay challenges and whether or non a play stands. In the by, the referee would head to a sideline booth and review the play, then brand his own decision.

Add those to the listing of reasons the job needs an contained thinker. The more the person is allowed autonomy, the more fans will trust, and the more than fans trust, the more than they (and anybody else) tin believe goose egg is beingness manipulated.

That'south the way the man who held the position prior to Blandino, Mike Pereira, did his job, and why he was so skilful at it. Nothing influenced him other than making the right call.

Pereira was adept at what he did, so good that Trask believes the league should invite him back.

"The league should do whatever it can to entice Mike Pereira to come back, just if information technology is unable to exercise so," she said, "it should at a minimum exercise whatsoever it can to appoint him in the search to fill Dean'south position and advise the league through this process."

As little equally whomever takes over for Blandino will be seen on NFL Sundays, information technology's a hire all fans should intendance about. The league has to become this correct.

two. Can Kaepernick Still Play? One Former Teammate Thinks So

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1 of the more than impactful players I've ever covered is tight stop Vernon Davis.

Davis won a Super Basin with the Broncos in 2015, is a two-fourth dimension Pro Bowler and in 2009 co-led the NFL in touchdown catches when playing with San Francisco. He was, in many ways, a sort of pseudo-Rob Gronkowski. Davis, half dozen'iii" and well-nigh 250 pounds, appeared to be slowing down in recent years before seeing a bit of a resurgence last season, when he caught 44 passes for 583 yards with Washington.

For 4-plus seasons, Davis besides played with Colin Kaepernick. Perhaps you lot've heard of him.

When I got the opportunity to speak with Davis this week, I wanted—needed—to ask him 2 questions: Why does he think his old Niners teammate isn't playing? And does he think Kaepernick can however quarterback in this league?

"I'm non actually sure why he'south not playing," said Davis, 1 of the few by teammates of Kaepernick's to speak on the record well-nigh him. "I wish him the best. He deserves a run a risk to play again. I do know that. I played with him and he's my brother and he deserves another chance."

Indeed, Davis played with Kaepernick, and played well with him. Reached a Super Basin with him. Caught 13 touchdowns from him in 2013. And so, if anyone would know how to reply if Kaepernick is still capable, it would be Davis.

"Looks like he is to me," Davis said. "I saw him play final year, and he looks similar he can all the same play at a loftier level to me."

3. Davis Finding At that place's Life Beyond Football

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While polishing what may be the latter years of his NFL career, Davis also has taken steps to establish himself in business. He is role of a group that includes former NBA Commissioner David Stern and Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim that'south helped launch SportsCastr.Live, a alive streaming platform that allows users to exist color commentators and enables viewers to select which sportscaster they wish to take call, epitomize or make predictions on a game.

Information technology's a damn expert idea, and Davis' efforts at developing post-career business interests is something I'g seeing increasingly from players. And now they are starting at an earlier stage in their careers and making deeper forays into the business organization world. Information technology'south something I hear about repeatedly from players and others, and Davis is another case.

"I actually started looking at the business globe most five years ago," Davis said. "I was really intrigued past information technology, and that's how this investment came about."

And so when will Davis, who is 33, dive full-time into the business world?

"I'm going to play for equally long as I possibly can," he said. "My girlfriend wants me to play for iii more years. She's worried virtually me getting hurt. But I want to play longer than that."

4. Poll Reveals Fans' Thoughts on Domestic Violence and the NFL

A recently released HBO Real Sports/Marist poll on the NFL draft and domestic violence is interesting on many levels.

No finding is as telling as this: "Nearly nine in 10 football fans, 87 percent, say they oppose their favorite NFL team drafting a pinnacle college prospect with a history of physical violence confronting women. Three percent favor recruiting such a player, and 9 percent say it makes no difference to them."

This is my question: Who are those 3 percent?

5. Are Predraft Workouts Destined to Fade Away?

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

An amazing thing has happened.

Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey decided to forgo participating in whatsoever private workouts for teams as we caput toward next week'south NFL draft.

Andno one freaked outnearly it.

McCaffrey's move is smart and besides likely the time to come. More players are starting to figure out they have some power in this process.

Volition some teams choose not to draft a player if he doesn't work out privately for them? Maybe, but for talented prospects who say no, teams won't have a selection. They'll either accept to trust the game video and scouting or not. And the players won't have to subject themselves to a costly fall on draft day because their workout day with a squad didn't get as well as hoped.

I recollect what McCaffrey did will catch on. A lot. Especially for those who want to gain some measure out of control over their NFL future.

6. Available: Hall of Fame Running Back

Andy Clayton-King/Associated Press

Adrian Peterson is even so unemployed.

Teams have told me that no one—for the moment—is all that interested in Peterson. Instead, because the draft has a significant number of good backs, teams seem content to look until later next week to sign Peterson.

This has to be a strange place for someone similar Peterson, who has been one of the stars in the sport non just today, but in league history. And still, he waits.

7. A Whole New Bill

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Credit Mike Reiss of ESPN.com for first putting into words what many around the league, including me, noticed a few months dorsum: Pecker Belichick is having more than public fun than ever before. I've known the Patriots coach since the tardily 1980s, and I take never seen him grin or joke as much as he has recently. Never. No one has in public.

It'southward possible there isn't anything more than to this than Belichick, all these decades later, finally letting his guard downward a bit. Who tin blame him? He'south the best to ever charabanc in the NFL, and it's no longer even close (at least to me it's not).

I've heard coaches around the NFL speculate privately that they think this new look means Belichick will retire soon, simply I'm non and so sure nigh that. This might just be a elementary case of a human finally learning to enjoy what he does. At least, publicly so.

8. NFL Has Plenty To Worry About with St. Louis Lawsuit

The metropolis of St. Louis has sued the NFL in what could go an ugly adjust for defrauding the city as it planned to motion the Rams to Los Angeles, as Michael McCann ofSports Illustrateddetailed. The city won't get the Rams back, but it is asking for some of the millions the league fabricated considering of the motility.

Every bit much as the league hopes to non lose the instance—after all, lots of greenbacks is at stake—what concerns the NFL nearly the lawsuit is the bad publicity that will come from it. The plaintiffs will portray the NFL as greedy and selfish, and there will be no shortage of journalists waiting to get any and all details possible that the lawsuit volition generate, and it will generate a lot.

This could get nasty. Really nasty.

nine. The Spring League

The Spring League @ TheSpringLeague

Spotter: This is the Spring League. Be a office of information technology. https://t.co/1PeEQaocPi

Compelling promofrom the Spring League, a developmental programme based in Due west Virginia run in accordance with NFL rules. Made me want to suit up. More than on this league to come.

10. Has Dak Prescott Already Peaked?

I know. Information technology's stupid to inquire, just permit me explain.

A tweet came beyond my timeline that said the Cowboys quarterback had nowhere to get merely down later his impressive rookie season.

Granted, my Twitter feed often is full of such nonsense. Usually, you just chuckle and movement on. But for whatever reason this notion caught on with people, many of whom agreed Prescott had peaked. And while I argued that it's impossible for a quarterback of his abilities to peak as a rookie, others then compared Prescott to Robert Griffin 3.

The whole thing seems dunderheaded to me, just the volume of responses suggests the idea that Prescott is headed for a decline isn't a joke, at to the lowest degree to Cowboys haters.

So let's quickly debunk this earlier it gathers steam. Call up, in his rookie season, RGIII tore his ACL and LCL. His return was totally mishandled past the squad. Too, RGIII relied almost exclusively on his legs to generate his passing criminal offense, and that genu afflicted everything he did and may accept screwed up his caput as well.

Prescott, on the other hand, was never that badly injured (that nosotros know of), and his game is different than RGIII's. Prescott is both comfortable, and highly dangerous, from the pocket. He'south non a running quarterback.

Pocket passers of his caliber virtually always have steep learning curves. He'due south not Tim Tebow. Prescott is infinitely more talented.

And he has a far improve cast around him than RGIII ever had.

Hope this is now debunked forever, similar UFOs.

My bad: UFOs are real.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @mikefreemanNFL.

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Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2703960-mike-freemans-10-point-stance-why-dean-blandinos-departure-mattersa-lot

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