Bell Tolls: Don't blame all suspensions on Roger Goodell
Checking the injury report is no longer enough to get a grasp on who’s in and who’s out.
Be sure to review the suspension list, too.
When the Broncos host the Ravens on Sunday, they will be down two defensive starters – suspended safety T.J. Ward and defensive end Derek Wolfe.
But Denver has nothing on Dallas, which opens the season without its leading tackler from 2014 (linebacker Rolando McClain) and without the big free agent signed during the offseason (Greg Hardy) to provide an instant pass rush.
Buffalo just signed franchise D-tackle Marcell Dareus to a whopping extension, but he’s suspended for Week 1.
Such is life in the NFL these days. You can assemble a pretty competitive team – with Dareus, Hardy, Sheldon Richardson and Datone Jones making up the front four -- if you plucked players off the suspended list.
And if he didn’t take his case to federal court, with Judge Richard Berman vacating a four-game suspension, reigning Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady would have been your All-Suspension Team quarterback.
A year after Ray Rice was banished, and Hardy and Adrian Peterson were parked on the Commissioner’s exempt list, this new campaign – on the heels of such an eventful offseason – is shaping up as the Year of the Suspension.
More than 40 players, including at least a dozen who are street free agents without a team, are starting the season with suspensions. According to ESPN’s research wing, there have never been more suspended players at this point on the calendar since Roger Goodell succeeded Paul Tagliabue as commish in 2006. (The previous high, from a period following the Super Bowl that extended through Sept. 3, was 34, occurring in 2014).
No doubt, Goodell – who came into power with a “hanging judge” reputation bolstered by verdicts that included a one-year suspension of Adam “Pacman” Jones for multiple incidents that didn’t even lead to an arrest – has a different philosophy than his predecessor as Tagliabue underscored in striking down the suspensions of four players fingered in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal in 2012.
And Goodell’s role in handling discipline is under perpetual fire from an NFL players union seeking neutral arbitration, and now draws concern from NFL ownership ranks in the wake of Deflategate.
But the uptick in suspensions this year can’t be blamed on Goodell having too much power.
In general, the players can only blame themselves for their blunders.
A review of the suspensions reveals that at least 30 were the result of violations of the substance abuse and performance-enhancing drug policies in the collectively bargained labor pact with the NFLPA.
The comprehensive drug and alcohol policy was established last year, and most of the suspensions fall under the umbrella of discipline spelled out accordingly – with part of the process including the neutral arbitration the union wants to extend for personal conduct issues.
Still, the uptick in player suspensions when compounded, coincidentally, by other cases involving non-players provides the bad optics that heighten questions about the culture of the NFL.
When the Browns open at the Jets on Sunday, they will be without general manager Ray Farmer, suspended four games for violating a policy that prohibita text-messaging to coaches on the sidelines during games. And now the Browns are also without offensive line coach Andy Moeller, suspended by the team while a domestic assault investigation unfolds.
Meanwhile, Bills O-line coach Aaron Kromer is beginning a six-game suspension imposed by the team stemming from since-dropped assault and battery charges relating to a July incident at a Florida beach that involved teenagers.
Rich McKay, the Atlanta Falcons president, is back as chairman of the NFL’s competition committee after being suspended from the role for four months as part of the punishment for his team illegally piping in crowd noise to gain a competitive advantage. The NFL concluded that McKay didn’t have a role in the violations, but it was surely a worse look, given his role on the league committee.
As for the suspended players, the coaches must adapt in a fashion not unlike dealing with injuries. The difference is that with advance warning, they can prepare by giving practice reps to other players – and before the suspended players leave they can hone in on specifics to help in the transition for the player’s ultimate return.
Who’s in? Who’s out?
Suspensions are factors that cannot be ignored.
Other items of interest as Week 1 rolls on…
Who’s hot: J.J. Watt. After earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors twice in his first four seasons, it’s scary to fathom what the Texans’ high-motor defensive end will do for an encore. Last season, he complemented his defensive prowess as a goal-line tight end. Maybe this year, Watt will throw for a touchdown. Regardless, with the first test on Sunday against the Chiefs (whose D is led by Justin Houston, who had more sacks than Watt last year to lead the NFL), Watt’s impact could be bolstered by the addition of nose tackle Vince Wilfork and a healthy Jadeveon Clowney. Defense will again carry Houston … maybe even to the playoffs.
Pressure’s on: Eli Manning. In one sense, there’s no disputing that the Giants overpaid in signing their quarterback to a four-year, $84 million extension. But in beginning a second season with Ben McAdoo’s offense, they didn’t have much choice. Timing has always been a driving force for determining the market value of franchise quarterbacks, and the youngest Manning has indeed proven (twice) that he can win the big one. Heading into Sunday night’s opener at Dallas, Manning’s new challenge is to live up to the new contract. So be it. As a quarterback in the Big Apple, it’s always something.
Rookie Watch: Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. For the first time in NFL history, quarterbacks chosen No. 1 and No. 2 in the NFL draft will meet in their NFL debuts when the Bucs host the Titans. For all of the comparisons to measure who’s further along, don’t discount one edge for Mariota: Dick LeBeau. The father of the zone blitz joined the Titans staff, reuniting with coach Ken Whisenhunt and D-coordinator Ray Horton. And he brings a sterling track record (26-3, since 1995) from Pittsburgh against rookie quarterbacks.
Key matchup: Terrell Suggs & Co. vs. Denver’s young O-linemen. With Pro Bowl left tackle Ryan Clady lost for the season with a torn ACL, Peyton Manning’s blindside will be protected by a rookie, Ty Sambrailo. And he’ll take snaps from first-year center Matt Paradis. Denver’s new line and Gary Kubiak’s new system will get quite a test from Suggs, Elvis Dumervil and the rest of a Ravens defense that tied for second in the NFL last season with 49 sacks.
Next man up: Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery. The Packers suffered the most devastating injury blow during the preseason when big-play receiver Jordy Nelson was lost for the season with a torn ACL. But the system triggered by reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers remains intact, with Adams and Montgomery poised to play bigger roles that complement Randall Cobb. Nelson’s long-strike threat will be missed; yet Green Bay, opening at Chicago, has thrived in developing its receivers from within. In other words, Rodgers has a way of bringing out the best in any given target – as was the case with Nelson.
Stomach for an upset: Seahawks vs. Rams. The Eddie Jones Dome has been a house of horrors for Russell Wilson because of St. Louis’ relentless D-line. Seattle has lost on two of its past three trips to St. Louis, and in the game it won there in 2013, Wilson was sacked seven times. A hangover from the Super Bowl loss? It doesn’t help that Wilson’s O-line is in serious transition and the Legion of Boom is another man down due to Kam Chancellor’s holdout.
X -factor: Tyrod Taylor. The Bills kick off the Rex Ryan era by hosting the Colts, and in Week 2 the Patriots will visit. This represents a tall order for the diminutive Taylor, but after beating out Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel for the starting quarterback job it is also a tremendous opportunity. Here’s what you may not know about Taylor, who labored for four years as Joe Flacco’s backup in Baltimore: He is a sparkplug of an athlete fully capable of becoming the NFL’s biggest surprise.
Fantasy meets reality: Frank Gore. Back in the huge, 20-team super league, Marion Motley Crew got off to a good start on Thursday night with first-round pick Rob Gronkowski (12th overall), DeAngelo Williams and Scott Chandler setting a tone. Now Gore makes his debut for the Colts (and MMC), at Buffalo, as a new dimension for balance. At 32, Gore undoubtedly begins his 11th NFL with high mileage, but he may have found the perfect place to land after carrying the 49ers’ offense for years. The Colts are built around Andrew Luck and have no need to run Gore in the ground as coach Chuck Pagano pledges to manage his workload with hopes of keeping him fresh for the long haul.