Peter Schrager
NFL Insider and NFL Reporter
Each week, FOX Sports NFL Insider Peter Schrager opens his pocket book and provides his tackle three of the league’s greatest storylines. Here are his ideas on Week 16, together with why Bill Belichick selected to not pursue potential NFL jobs, how the Bills are arrange for achievement down the highway and one head teaching candidate to look at in Tampa Bay.
Belichick penalties
I feel it is honest to say that there could also be two truths about how the information has performed out from Bill Belichick at UNC during the last week: 1). Belichick could also be genuinely enthusiastic about doing what he loves most – teaching soccer – and wasn’t prepared to attend till January to see if he might do it on the NFL degree, and a pair of). Reading the tea leaves, it appeared much less and fewer doubtless or tempting to do the latter. I do not assume there was something sure ready for Belichick in January, however I additionally do not assume he was all that focused on any of the potential NFL openings. In truth, he solely approached the Jets to gauge their curiosity. When they informed him he must wait till January, and due to this fact miss out on his probability at UNC, he moved on from these conversations and took the provide into his personal arms.
In addition to persevering with to do what he loves, he is ready to construct UNC as a program in his personal likeness and with out interference from the homeowners or group president. His new normal supervisor at UNC is Mike Lombardi, his lifelong pal, who will probably be at his facet in his method and philosophy. The solely recognized workers member right now is Freddie Kitchens, however I might anticipate a protracted listing of notable NFL names and doubtlessly members of the family and members of the family of his buddies on the workers. This might not have been potential within the NFL. And I’ve a sense Belichick wasn’t that enamored with the present NFL anyway. So he brings his hoodie to the faculty sport and it is wonderful. And Don Shula — who famously discredited the 2007 Patriots group and Belichick’s group’s “near-perfect” report earlier than he died — stays the NFL’s all-time wins chief. It looks as if everyone seems to be warming as much as Belichick’s concept in Chapel Hill and liking it. If he is glad, that is nice. But I’ve to assume Belichick did not anticipate his last season in New England to be his final within the NFL when he mutually parted methods with Robert Kraft in January 2024.
Bill Belichick determined to take the UNC job as an alternative of ready for potential openings within the NFL
The AFC mini-playoffs start Saturday
The subsequent two weeks will probably be an absolute problem for six of the AFC’s prime seven groups. Six groups will play briefly weeks – for 4 groups, a number of video games in a number of quick weeks – and it’ll function a bit of mini-AFC match.
One group, the Buffalo Bills, is proof against no matter power-on-AFC crime is about to unfold.
Let’s begin on the again and transfer to the entrance, right here. The NFL scheduling Gods had the Bengals and Browns taking part in in Thursday night time’s sport in Week 16. About a month in the past, they went into their little struggle room, got here out and determined to method the Broncos with a query. You see, NFL scheduling guidelines state that no group will ever play two Thursday night time highway video games in a season. The Broncos performed New Orleans in Week 7. Thirty-one different coaches would by no means have thought of waiving that rule. But there may be one coach who doubtlessly would. The NFL did it. They requested Sean Payton if — and this was a month in the past — he can be prepared to maneuver his Week 16 Sunday sport in Los Angeles towards the Chargers to Thursday night time. Payton, whether or not as a result of he was interested by a pleasant, lengthy break afterward or his need to be below the primetime lights in Los Angeles (I feel there’s one thing concerning the latter there…significantly), stated “Let’s do it.” So now, the Chargers and Broncos, the present No. 1 seeds. 6 and no. 7 of the AFC, will conflict in what will probably be their second video games within the span of 5 days. It’s exhausting on the physique in September. At the tip of December the state of affairs is much more tough.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs, Ravens, Texans and Steelers all play one another on Saturday, then swap opponents and face different groups in that quartet 5 days in a while Christmas Day. When considered from a 30,000 foot angle, we’ve little mini-AFC playoffs going down weeks earlier than the precise AFC playoffs. There are one million questions and ranges to how these six coaches wish to deal with issues. Do you play Patrick Mahomes on an injured ankle on Saturday towards a Texans front-7 that has brutalized quarterbacks all season? Do you relaxation him for 2 weeks, daring to lose the No. 1 seed with a few losses? Pittsburgh monitoring TJ Watt’s ankle, given his significance to the group and realizing they need to face two powerful offensive strains in 5 days? What is Houston taking part in for at this level, realizing that Indianapolis simply misplaced, making the AFC South crown a near-final conclusion?
As we listing all these questions and dilemmas, the Bills are sitting in Western New York, comparatively wholesome, very glad and on a normal schedule of Sunday sport, Sunday sport, Sunday sport. Their opponents? The Patriots. The jets. The Patriots. This is a unique state of affairs than the opposite six.
Josh Allen and the Bills are poised for achievement over the subsequent three weeks.
Liam Coen’s surge
Liam Coen’s identify has gone from being whispered about as a head teaching candidate to now being shouted in league circles. I communicate to many sources and might say with good info that Coen is getting a protracted, exhausting look from NFL groups doing head teaching searches in January. Coen had an almost not possible process forward of him this season. Come in and substitute Dave Canales, who left after one season to grow to be the top coach at Carolina following his OC tenure in Tampa, and make the Bucs higher. Coen did this and extra. The Bucs’ offense is on hearth. They entered Sunday’s sport towards the Chargers with the third-best complete offense, fifth-best scoring and eighth-best speeding assault within the league. They then dropped 40 on the Chargers’ No. 1 protection, totaling 223 speeding yards alongside the best way, ending with 506 yards of complete offense. Coen has the credentials, the resume and numerous momentum. He too can have interviews in January.
Bucs OC Liam Coen is a reputation to keep watch over in NFL head teaching searches.
NFL Stat of the Week
The Bills have eight straight video games with 30 factors or extra. This is the longest single-season successful streak in NFL historical past. The 2013 Denver Broncos are the one different group to succeed in such milestones.
Peter Schrager is an NFL Insider for FOX Sports and host of “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network. You can comply with him on Twitter at @PSchrags.
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