Charles Robinson

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Makes sense 49ers turned to Kaepernick, even if they have little idea what he brings

Chip Kelly called Colin Kaepernick’s rise this week a “football decision.” In reality, it’s an offseason decision. The San Francisco 49ers are 1-4 and the offseason decision-making has just begun.

That is why Kaepernick is starting again. Not because the 49ers are sure he gives them a better chance of winning than incumbent Blaine Gabbert, but because the 49ers aren’t certain what Kaepernick will give them at all. And to prepare for another offseason of quarterback tremors, San Francisco has to know what it has in the first place. That can’t be done without Kaepernick getting snaps.

Colin Kaepernick will get his first start of the season on Sunday against Buffalo. (AP)

On the Gabbert front, the financials are fairly straightforward. He’s on a one-year deal and costs nothing to walk away from when the season ends. Kaepernick, on the other hand, is in a state of flux. A league source confirmed to Yahoo Sports that he’s considering some “tweaks” in the per-game active roster bonuses in his deal (potentially turning them into guaranteed salary for the remainder of this season) while also restructuring some of the contract exits. The latter could also allow him to become a free agent more quickly after this season, advancing the trigger date of a full salary guarantee, which currently stands at April 1. The idea being that San Francisco would have to either make that salary commitment near the beginning of the offseason, or cut Kaepernick and let him hit free agency in March.

All of this is a long way of saying this: Kaepernick effectively has 11 games or less to make his case to be San Francisco’s starting quarterback in 2017. More if he can rally the team into the postseason. And that suits both sides, affording the 49ers some clarity as to how much heavy lifting will be necessary at the position.

When the season ends, they’ll love what Kaepernick brings to the table as a starter in Kelly’s offense, or he’ll be gone. Simple as that. As for Gabbert, well, he may have an opportunity to return in 2017 on an extremely friendly team deal that slots him squarely as a backup. Which is exactly what he’ll be offered elsewhere in free agency.

The wild card in all of this is which quarterbacks become available in the offseason. Case Keenum has skills that suit Kelly’s offense, and a source familiar with the coach said there is a possibility that Keenum – whose contract expires after the season – could get a look. And when Kelly was coaching the Philadelphia Eagles, the staff took a look at Jimmy Garoppolo, who is expected to draw some trade interest this offseason. That said, Garoppolo’s price tag is expected to be steep, and it’s hard to fathom general manager Trent Baalke mortgaging the team’s future unless he’s certain that he’s trading for a franchise cornerstone. But ownership and Kelly could also be a part of that decision – in which case, all bets are off.

One way or another, the 49ers are going to be making quarterback moves when the season ends. And for all intents and purposes, the course of those moves were set in motion this week.

Heading to Week 6, here are four other teams that are also looking at quarterback rebuilds this offseason …

It looks like the end of the road for Jay Cutler in Chicago. (AP)

Chicago Bears Out the door: Jay Cutler/Brian Hoyer Dead money cost to move on: $2 million (due to Cutler’s current deal) 2017 candidates: Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, pro-style college quarterback

The Bears staff has already sent an unambiguous message on this one, declining to anoint Cutler the starting quarterback once he’s healthy again – if the staff ever deems him to be healthy anytime soon. Either way, there’s little chance the Bears will be open to retaining Cutler at a $16 million price next tag season. That’s middle-of-the pack money, but Chicago has ample evidence that he’s not the future at the position. Cutler’s departure will open the door for a short-term deal for a veteran quarterback at a backup salary. Unless Hoyer bombs the remainder of the season, he’s the top candidate to be re-signed to a modest deal that would pay him solid backup money. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains also has some familiarity with Fitzpatrick, having coached him with the Tennessee Titans in 2013. The likeliest bet here is the Bears signing a veteran (likely Hoyer) to a modest two-year deal and drafting a pro-style quarterback with a first-round pick. While the New England Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo would be a worthy trade target, it’s unlikely the Bears would be willing to part with the ample draft ammunition required to add him. There are too many holes on the roster to give up a bounty of picks.

New York Jets Out the door: Ryan Fitzpatrick/Geno Smith What it costs to move on: $5 million (due to Fitzpatrick’s current deal) 2017 candidates: Bryce Petty, Christian Hackenberg

Through five games, Fitzpatrick has done little to dissuade the front office’s opinion that he’s a mediocre starting quarterback whose arrow is turning south with each passing year. Part of the three-year, $24 million offer that was extended to Fitzpatrick last offseason (which he declined) was structured to slide him into a backup role. Thus far, he looks like a guy who is headed there sooner rather than later. Barring a significant reversal in the final 11 games, you can bank on the Jets offering him nothing more than a team-friendly deal that will once again pay Fitzpatrick like a backup. As for Smith, there hasn’t been any suggestion the team believes he can be the starting quarterback – nor any attempt to extend his deal, which expires after this season. All of this points to an offseason quarterback derby between Petty and Hackenberg for the right to start in 2017. The Jets will likely look to sign a veteran backup to keep in the mix, in case neither Petty nor Hackenberg looks capable of taking over. With that in mind, one of those players – or possibly both – will get some snaps later this season if the Jets fall out of the playoff race. Don’t expect a run at Jimmy Garoppolo. The Jets have already committed solid draft picks to the quarterback spot and the Patriots aren’t dealing him to a division rival.

Miami Dolphins Out the door: Ryan Tannehill What it costs to move on: $10.4 million 2017 candidates: Jay Cutler, Josh McCown, pro-style college quarterback

Could Tannehill remain next season for a tradeoff of $20 million in salary cap space? The next 11 games will determine that. There is a lot of financial sense to Miami retaining Tannehill no matter what he does the rest of the way. As it stands, cutting him this offseason would incur $10.4 million in dead money on next season’s cap. If that took place, Miami would still look to sign another veteran quarterback to hold the fort while a likely highly drafted rookie was groomed. A solid veteran starting quarterback (like, say, Jay Cutler – who played well under head coach Adam Gase when he was in Chicago) would cost north of $10 million a season, even on a short-term deal. From that approach, Miami would actually end up spending more at quarterback (Tannehill’s $10.4 million dead money + Year 1 of a new veteran QB) than it would simply keeping Tannehill and drafting someone to compete with him. The unknown in all of this is the final 11 games, which will illuminate the Dolphins’ path. If Tannehill craters the rest of the season, it’s possible Miami drafts a quarterback in the first round, then seeks a one-year deal with a veteran like Josh McCown to give the rookie a season long buffer to get up and running. Count Garoppolo out as an option here. The Patriots won’t deal him to a division rival.

Cleveland Browns Out the door: Robert Griffin/Josh McCown What it costs to move on: $2.41 million (the remainder of both contracts) 2017 candidates: Griffin, McCown, Jimmy Garoppolo, college quarterback

McCown is carrying a solid backup salary next season ($5 million) and could certainly return in that capacity. But there may be some short-term buyers for him this offseason – teams willing to part with a draft pick in exchange for a one-year starting option as they groom a rookie starter. The Browns could also keep him for that exact purpose, depending on the draft. With a potential No. 1 pick on the way, there are a lot of options on the table. But it seems less likely that Griffin is retained if a rookie is brought into the fold and McCown is kept on the roster. That’s a crowded quarterback room, and the bulk of the staff attention would go toward developing a highly drafted quarterback … not getting Griffin back on track. That said, Griffin isn’t likely to have any starting options offered in 2017. Sources have already indicated he would be on board with sticking with the Browns and competing with a rookie next season. In that scenario, McCown would likely have to be traded. Again, the staff isn’t going to want to keep two veterans and a highly drafted rookie for an entire season. Especially when one of those players (Griffin) still wants another long-term starting shot. The wild card in all of this: Garoppolo. With double picks in both the first and second rounds – along with a third-rounder and three fourth-rounders – the Browns have more ammunition to go after Garoppolo than any other quarterback-needy team. If Garoppolo suits what the brain trust is looking for and the Browns once again don’t like the college options available, expect New England to at least get a call.

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Are Panthers done, even with Cam Newton back? If you think so, you're probably right

Faint statistical optimism. That’s what the Carolina Panthers have left in 2016 after Monday night’s surprising 17-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s what a dreadfully disappointing 1-4 start has come to. Tied for last place in the NFC after five weeks; returning a beat-up starting quarterback; injuries across the board; and a future schedule that is looking less forgiving by the week.

In hindsight, those sideline victory photos from last season will be useful – in a Thanks For The Memories kind of way.

The snapshot moments of last season’s Super Bowl run? They’re fading like the Dead Sea Scrolls. And this is where it starts to get ugly. The second-guessing over a lethargic offseason of personnel upgrades will only intensify. The offensive play-calling will be dissected. Even a helmetless Cam Newton riding around on a scooter in Charlotte traffic – which isn’t a big deal – becomes a sideshow.

The dominant and confident Panthers of 2015 don’t appear to be returning this season. (AP)

That’s what happens when a team starts 1-4 and there’s no obvious upswing ahead. The seams of a season start to show stress. Drama ensues. Pressure mounts. Everyone becomes fair game for criticism.

And it will be no different in Carolina. A team that appeared to be steaming into a multiyear Super Bowl voyage has stalled with a faulty engine. Now there’s only shallow optimism to cling to, namely in the fact that 12 NFL teams have started 1-4 or worse and made the postseason. Two actually did it last season: the 1-4 Houston Texans and the 1-5 Kansas City Chiefs. That’s basically what the Panthers have to keep them afloat.

Hopes, dreams and an ugly remaining slate.

Before anyone gets too enthusiastic about the rebounds of the Chiefs and Texans in 2015, look closely at how those schedules played out. Kansas City’s final 10 wins last season came against seven teams that finished the season with a losing record. An eighth win came against the 8-8 Buffalo Bills. They were blessed with a buffet of mediocrity as the season closed. And the Texans? The 8-3 run in the final 11 bloated by a wheezing AFC South schedule.

The Panthers essentially have to hope that there are a lot of pretenders left on the schedule. But looking forward, does any game seem like a lock? The New Orleans Saints (who are on the docket twice) and San Diego Chargers are terrible defensively, but they ring up points like a pinball machine against teams with an inconsistent pass rush. The Arizona Cardinals appear to be on the verge of getting themselves righted. The Los Angeles Rams are beating quarterbacks silly. The Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks all appear to be tough enough to make the playoffs. Even the Washington Redskins are showing some grit. And of course, there’s still the Atlanta Falcons and Buccaneers, who have both defeated Carolina already.

That schedule? It’s a significant problem. And none of that takes into account all the injuries the Panthers have suffered to this point. Nor the punishment Newton has sustained. Or the inconsistency of the defense, which has been a roller coaster on the front and back end. And there’s still a pressing question out there about whether Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips solved Newton. League personnel evaluators suggest that teams are using that Super Bowl blueprint and the Panthers have yet to adjust.

Add all that up and the frustration is as palpable as it gets. Some of that was evident in Ron Rivera’s postgame conference on Monday night. Particularly when he seemed almost nonsensical on a late-game personal foul against defensive end Kony Ealy, who grabbed and pulled back on the facemask of running back Jacquizz Rodgers during Tampa’s game-winning drive. The penalty advanced beleaguered kicker Roberto Aguyao into more makeable range (from a 53-yard field goal to a 38-yarder). The penalty was so obvious – with no doubt Ealy grabbed and pulled the facemask – yet Rivera seemed perplexed by it.

“[Ealy] hit the guy’s facemask, OK, but he didn’t grab it,” Rivera said. “I don’t get it. Again, it’s the referee’s call. That was a costly one right there. It moved that ball a little bit closer and the kicker was a little bit shaky. He hit one that was kind of shaky and if he hadn’t gotten the 15 yards I don’t know if that ball would have made it. That’s unfortunate. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

That’s pretty close to blaming an official for a loss. Rivera didn’t go all the way, but the implication was there. But the reality is Carolina hasn’t been good enough with Newton in the lineup, and it’s surely not going to survive playing backup Derek Anderson at this stage. While Monday night was at least close, it’s worth noting that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense has also been a mess over the past month. This was still a winnable game, even without Newton.

Now Carolina has to figure out a way to plow ahead. That was a theme for Rivera on Monday night, who punctuated a portion of his news conference with the shared mantra of all losing teams.

“The truth of the matter,” Rivera said, “is it’s time to go forward.”

Keep pounding. Or keep getting physically pounded. At 1-4, it’s been more of the latter for the Panthers. And that might end up being the only memorable snapshot of this fading season.

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It's time for Jerry Jones to rethink his outdated 'Tony Romo is my starting quarterback' stance

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stuck to his guns Sunday night. He once against stated it flatly: When Tony Romo is healthy, he’s going to be the starter for the Cowboys.

That kind of absolute just isn’t a sound plan anymore.

Here’s why: It’s hard to win NFL games. It’s hard to be 4-1, leading a surprisingly resurgent NFC East. It’s hard to find consistent rhythm and confidence. And maybe most of all, it’s hard to actually get better with each passing week. But that’s precisely what the Cowboys are doing, sitting on a four-game winning streak that’s one Terrance Williams mistake away from possibly being 5-0.

They’ve done that in very large part because of rookie quarterback Dak Prescott – not in spite of him. Yet Jerry Jones said it again on Sunday: He’s pulling the plug on this show. For no apparent reason other than if Romo is healthy, and well, that’s just the way it is.

“This is a wonderful position if you’re in my shoes to be in – to have Dak playing at the level he is, and know that Tony is repaired,” Jones said after the Cowboys’ 28-14 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. “If [Romo] had done his MRI on Friday, it would show him healed. He’s going to get [another MRI this week] and be able to come back and really get into top shape and help us as we go into the season.”

There was some nuance in that statement. Maybe a little wiggle room. The phrase “get into top shape” could definitely be massaged. But the message was clear: Romo is still our guy. And that seems to be getting out of date pretty quickly.

Six weeks ago, that sentiment made sense. But now? Sitting at 4-1 and arguably looking as good as any team in the NFC? After dominating the Bengals with a superbly balanced 402 yards of offense? If anything, Sunday’s performance should be viewed for what it is – another big stride forward for this franchise and a player who can’t continue to be brushed off as a part of the future. The reality is Dak Prescott is winning now. He’s playing superbly now. Why should that automatically be trumped by Romo, whose injury issues and salary have been significant weights on the franchise?

Dak Prescott (L) talks to Tony Romo during the Cowboys’ win over the Bengals on Sunday. (Getty)

There’s a reason that goes beyond football, of course. Everyone knows how loyal Jones is to Romo. And everyone knows the quarterback shares a bond with head coach Jason Garrett. And nobody should kid themselves. That plays a large part in the suddenly outdated absolute that Romo has to get his job back no matter what.

But before dipping into Romo’s ironclad job security, it’s worth approaching the evaluation a little differently. Instead of looking at it from the perspective of Romo and his massive salary and gaudy stats (when healthy), think of the decision more simply: The point of the NFL is to contend with opponents and win games. That’s what teams are built to do. Make money for the owner. Win games for everybody. The Dak Prescott-led Cowboys are already doing that. And not through luck, either. Dallas has an average margin of victory of nearly 10 points in four wins. These aren’t ticky-tack victories where some rookie is building his résumé on the shoulders of everyone but himself.

With that in mind, what exactly has Dak Prescott done to suggest he doesn’t deserve to keep the starting job as long as he can?

• He has seven touchdowns – four of them in his last two games – and only one turnover this season.

• He hasn’t thrown an interception.

• His versatility has added a read-option wrinkle to the offense, giving the Bengals fits on Sunday and making both running back Ezekiel Elliott and a dominant offensive line even better.

• He’s winning games almost entirely from the pocket, with a 69-percent completion rate and an average of nearly 250 passing yards per game.

• He’s won two games without All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith, two without All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant and two without budding starting guard La’el Collins. He has also won four games with key defensive players being suspended or injured.

• The offense? Through five games, the Cowboys are second in the NFL in yardage produced, leading the league in first downs per game, first in third-down efficiency and sixth in total scoring. When Week 5 concludes, they will also likely be in the top three in time of possession.

No matter how you slice it up, those markers say this is a unit that is running extremely well despite not being at full strength. And yet, Jones and the Cowboys are speaking about removing Prescott no matter what.

The team is winning. The offense is humming. But an upright Romo trumps all of that, maybe as soon as two weeks from now.

To put it more succinctly, a 36-year-old quarterback with a lengthy history of health problems – one who is coming off a significant back injury and owns a 2-4 playoff record with zero Super Bowls – will be gifted the starting job. No matter what.

That doesn’t make sense anymore. Not at 4-1. And definitely not if Prescott and the Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers on the road next week.

All of that brings us to the meat of the issue: Romo and Garrett have a bond. They’re close. Everyone inside the franchise knows it. Not that Garrett has ever denied it, but it’s a reality that can’t be ignored. And Jones has made it no secret that he has a significant amount of loyalty to Romo. That’s understandable. Jerry went through some nuclear winters with bad quarterbacks, including last season’s Siberia, which was largely of his own making. When he sees Romo, he still sees some extension of Troy Aikman – a winner who can dominate games and who has historically been a beacon of veteran leadership. To Jones, Romo has always teased a return to the biggest postseason stage, if only everything else around him (or inside him) wasn’t opening a trap door under the franchise.

But here’s where all this judgment looks cloudy. The point of Romo existing on this roster and accounting for more than $40 million in remaining guaranteed money is to take the Cowboys to where they are at this exact moment. Why then – given the fragile state of Romo’s body and the Cowboys’ winning streak – would you refuse to give Prescott credit for what has taken place with him at the helm?

That’s a great question for Jones. He’s complimentary of Prescott, but always careful not to wade too deeply into the “why not leave him in the starting spot” question.

As Jones said on Sunday, “We’re pretty good at quarterback, as far as normal times go for the Cowboys.”

That’s right. The Dallas Cowboys are pretty good at quarterback right now. And it has very little to do with Romo on gameday. Jones seems adamant about changing that. And that just doesn’t make sense anymore.

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Terrelle Pryor quit being stubborn and it could result in $42M payoff

The NFL definitively passed on Terrelle Pryor. Traded once. Waived four times. Unemployed for nearly three months of the 2015 season. He was even sent packing by five different teams, including the Cleveland Browns who are now seeing Pryor’s career as a wideout lift off.

Rest assured, that won’t happen again.

The guy who couldn’t land a minimum contract one year ago could end up being one of the hottest commodities of next offseason – if the Browns let him get that chance. Slated to become a free agent in March, Pryor could very well end up drawing a franchise tag. And if he doesn’t, a league source said the recent deal signed by Los Angeles Rams wideout Tavon Austin ($42 million over four years with more than $25 million guaranteed) would likely be this offseason’s negotiating touchstone.

Terrelle Pryor is one of the few bright spots in this 0-4 season for the Browns. (Getty Images)

All of that for a player who was scrambling to stay in the league a year ago.

Of course, those options depend on Pryor continuing his growth this season. Considering he has the full support of Browns head coach Hue Jackson as the team’s No. 1 wideout, that’s a solid bet. As it stands, Pryor’s early pace has him headed for a 1,000-yard season and he is seemingly making bigger strides with every game. And lately, he is a player teams have regretted passing on. As former New England Patriots executive Mike Lombardi said of the franchise missing on Pryor a year ago, “This league gives you a chance to get better. You just have to be willing to take advantage of it.”

That might end up being a shared sentiment for most NFL teams when it comes to Pryor, who had a remarkable number of doors closed in his face before this season’s blossoming in Cleveland. Multiple NFL executives who were in position to consider Pryor told Yahoo Sports the chief reason Pryor bounced around before finally settling in with Cleveland was of his own doing. Specifically, Pryor was stubborn in moving on from a starting quarterback dream (including 10 starts with the Oakland Raiders) that wasn’t going to happen.

He had plenty of opportunities, too. Beyond landing with five NFL teams – the Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals and Browns – Pryor had high-level workouts for six others, including the Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles (twice), New York Giants (twice), New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. Beyond those 11 teams, the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills all did significant work leading up to the NFL supplemental draft in 2011, each giving serious thought to selecting Pryor that year.

Even Eagles coach Chip Kelly – who seemed to be a natural fit for Pryor’s versatile skills – passed on him after working him out as both a quarterback and a wide receiver. Much to the chagrin of some in the building who thought Pryor was worth a measured gamble.

How does a 6-foot-5 player with elite speed and dominant athleticism have such a hard time holding down an NFL job – or even getting a chance at one? The explanations are varied depending on who is answering the question, but there are two central themes: First, getting coaching staffs and executives to agree on signing a project player; Second, getting Pryor to understand that he was a far better wide receiver talent than a quarterback.

It was hard for Terrelle Pryor to shake his dream of being a long standing starting QB in the NFL. (Getty Images)

As one personnel evaluator said, “It’s not really a developmental league anymore, so there’s [not] the vision anymore for these kinds of projects. Probably the biggest thing is that he got an opportunity. With [Josh] Gordon out and [the] Browns depleted, [that] opened a door for him. … Again, getting a shared vision between coaching and scouting on a project [player] is tough. Almost out of necessity – and what do they have to lose – [that] allowed it to happen in Cleveland.”

Pryor had to be on board for it to work, too. And in the past, that wasn’t happening.

“He made it clear several times – and his people made it clear – that he didn’t want to be a receiver,” said one executive whose team seriously considered Pryor after he was released by the Seahawks. “I thought, and our coaches thought, ‘There’s a place for you to be a receiver on this level.’ But it was like he didn’t even want to hear it. It was a quarterback conversation or nothing else, and so that’s what he got for a while – nothing. … I don’t want to really bust on him for going after [quarterback] until it was exhausted, but I think if he would have listened to teams before the [supplemental] draft, we might be talking about him being a top 10 receiver in the league right now. But he was stubborn and sacrificed some of his career. He probably sacrificed some money, too.”

That last part – Pryor’s stubbornness – is a common theme. One league source told Yahoo Sports that multiple NFL teams asked Pryor about moving to wideout after departing Ohio State. And several executives said he was asked again between NFL stops over the past several seasons, but that Pryor continually stated that he wanted a shot at a starting quarterback job. It ultimately undid him in Oakland and Seattle, where he was phased out of the plans. One league source said he wasn’t deemed the right “fit” for the Chiefs, while the Bengals’ hopes eventually faded on his developmental prospects.

It wasn’t until June of 2015, when Drew Rosenhaus, Pryor’s agent, informed teams that his client was making a dedicated move to wide receiver, that the door to some franchises was cracked open again. Even that came with reservations.

One team that worked out Pryor as a wide receiver still questioned his motivation at the position – specifically whether it was just a means to earning a paycheck.

“It was, ‘Is he just holding on, or is he going to really work hard at it,'” said one league source whose team worked out Pryor following the move to wideout but ultimately didn’t sign him. “For us – and I think it’s like this for most teams – there wasn’t a lot of time to wait around on him turning into a contributor. He needed to make up ground fast, and to be frank, there were some split opinions on him.”

The executive noted another thing that stuck in his mind: Pryor had once made remarks about questioning his love for football during his rookie season. And that was hard for this particular executive to forget.

Pryor told Sports Illustrated in 2012: “There was a point – and I know it seems crazy – but there was a point I was asking myself if I really loved this game anymore. That’s where I was at [emotionally]. Throughout the whole season I wasn’t playing, I wasn’t getting no love toward me. I just felt some type of way. I started questioning myself, even though I shouldn’t have. I was like, ‘Do I even love this game? Do I want to play this game? Is this what I want to do?'”

While Pryor was being honest, that’s the kind of thing that gets filed away – a 23-year-old player talking about getting “love” toward himself and also admitting questions about his passion for the game. That’s the kind of stuff that decision makers revisit down the line.

Thankfully for Pryor’s sake, time and rare skills provide for many NFL opportunities. That and the Browns needing to explore every talented player available have paid dividends for both. Where it goes after this depends on the remainder of Pryor’s season. But one thing is certain: Given another chance to sign him in free agency, the rest of the NFL won’t be turning its back on Pryor again.

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Cam Newton, Panthers paying heavy price for Moneyball-like approach

Coming off a Super Bowl loss, the Carolina Panthers were about salary-cap discipline. General manager Dave Gettleman preached patience and measure. And when it came to making roster decisions – like letting All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman walk away – everything was about the overall financial design.

“You have to balance the needs of the team now with the needs of the team in a couple of years,” Gettleman told Yahoo Sports in June. “You have to plan. I’m very methodical and intentional about what I do [and] about the decisions we make. You have to be that way with the salary cap, because it’s going to cost you.”

Nearly four months later, Carolina is sitting at an inexplicable 1-3 start and there are key phrases that resonate from that moment:

The needs of the team now, versus the needs of the team in a couple years.

It’s going to cost you.

Julio Jones lit up the Panthers for 300 receiving yards on Sunday. (Getty Images)

The Panthers have needs now. And the conservative offseason has been costing them. Not just against the Atlanta Falcons. Not just against Julio Jones, who caught 12 passes for an absurd 300 yards. No – there have been a handful of other problems, too. And their existence has plenty to do with the strict financial design that has left the Panthers with weak spots.

Start with Norman, the flawed but aggressive cornerback who thrived on facing elite players and coming up in pressure situations for the Panthers. The same Norman who allowed a touchdown to Cleveland Browns wideout Terrelle Pryor on Sunday, but made amends by sealing the Washington Redskins win with a late fourth-quarter interception deep in Cleveland territory.

In the eyes of the Panthers, Norman was an imperfect match. He lacked elite speed. He had a colorful disposition and attitude. He was expensive. At the end of the day, the argument was they couldn’t give a player like that a franchise cornerback deal. So the Panthers and Gettleman deemed Norman expendable and saw other ways to use his salary slot. They let him go and then extended offensive tackle Michael Oher. They tried (and failed) to get a long-term deal done with Kawann Short. Mostly, they planned for the future – 2017, 2018, 2019 – because in Gettleman’s book, you can’t deviate from the long-term outlook.

But the Panthers should be built to consistently contend for the Super Bowl right now. And teams sometimes have to sacrifice a little down the road to maximize a championship window in the immediate future. After all, what’s the use of stretching out a Super Bowl window if you don’t occasionally take an over-the-top shot to win a title within it?

The Panthers could have taken some more shots this offseason. They could have made a few more moves, spent a few more million and not left anyone second-guessing about the imperfections that are becoming more apparent on the roster. Instead Carolina is grappling with this: a 1-3 team that is looking like an inconsistent facsimile of the Super Bowl edition; a pair of subpar offensive tackles; a thin and mediocre set of running backs; a franchise quarterback in Cam Newton who is getting hammered; and a defensive secondary that is seemingly only as good as the front seven makes it.

And lest we forget the plan – a roster that is almost $19 million below the salary cap. That’s great for later, but it isn’t paying big dividends right now.

None of this is meant to completely skewer Gettleman’s approach. He’s not the first general manager to stick to his guns when it comes to the overall health of his salary structure. Particularly considering some absurd contracts being doled out last offseason, including the $75 million deal the Redskins gave Norman. Gettleman certainly wasn’t the only spendthrift general manager in the league this offseason. His discipline in that respect is admirable, as is his penchant for always keeping an eye toward the future.

But there are other admirable qualities that can define general managers and franchises, too. Things such as measured cap flexibility, picking spots, recognizing vital moments and exceptions. The Panthers haven’t seemed to show a great embrace of those approaches. That saved them a lot of money this season and set them up for the future. But it has also cost them right now. And not just in the case of Norman.

Clearly, Norman would have been a useful piece against the Falcons. While he has been up and down for the Redskins, he has consistently challenged the man across from him. He has made some big plays and brought a refreshed mentality to the Redskins secondary. That could have been useful for the Panthers.

Norman may not even be the biggest problem for the Panthers. Not with Newton getting drilled consistently and finally (inevitably) entering the concussion protocol after taking a blow to the head against the Falcons. The same offensive tackles who looked terrible against the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl have been just as problematic this season.

Cam Newton took another beating on Sunday, this one knocking him into the concussion protocol. (Getty Images)

Ask other pro personnel evaluators about Oher, who was out with a concussion Sunday. What they tell you is this: He’s a mediocre player who is viewed by the Panthers as serviceable largely because he doesn’t require an elite left tackle salary. He is cost-efficient. Sound familiar? And right tackle Mike Remmers, who filled in for Oher on Sunday? One personnel evaluator told Yahoo Sports on Sunday that Remmers likely wouldn’t be a starting tackle for most other NFL teams.

That’s what is protecting the franchise quarterback and defending league MVP. A cost-efficient but mediocre left tackle. A right tackle who is viewed elsewhere as a backup. Meanwhile, the running back depth behind the oft-injured Jonathan Stewart continues to be the less-than-inspired duo of Fozzy Whittaker and Cameron Artis-Payne. The defensive front seven has its own brand of problems, too – with few impact edge rushers to speak of.

Every problem can’t be fixed in one offseason. Not in the era of exploding free-agent contracts. But there were some economical options on the table, and the Panthers had the money to plug in upgrades. Left tackle? How about the extremely team-friendly deal doled out to Russell Okung by the cap-strapped Denver Broncos? He could have been pursued by the Panthers but wasn’t. Right tackle? How about the extremely team-friendly deal signed by Mitchell Schwartz with the Kansas City Chiefs? He’s another option who could have helped in Carolina, but never got a sniff.

Running back depth? Matt Forte signed a team-friendly deal with the New York Jets and has been a superb value. LeGarrette Blount – with a perfectly fitting pounding style – has been a steal for the New England Patriots on a one-year deal. Christine Michael? Ronnie Hillman? Lance Dunbar? All available options. None explored.

Hindsight is 20-20 in all of this. And even at 1-3, the Panthers should still be a team that is fighting for the playoffs until the end of this season. But this is a franchise that should be consistently elite at this point. Instead, it’s struggling to protect its most valuable asset and showing signs of fatigue in spots that either could have been upgraded or were allowed to get worse because of money.

It all boils down to this: What’s more important right now – the Panthers’ $19 million in cap space and expanding the Super Bowl window, or the beating being absorbed by Newton, which risks the entire championship opportunity in 2016 and beyond?

When sharing his mindset about the cap and the long-term plan for the Panthers, Gettleman said something telling about his tenure as general manager. He goes to sleep every night believing he learned a little more. Maybe a little more about his roster, or a little more about his coaches. Maybe a little more about himself.

As he put it, “As soon as you stop learning, it’s the old saying, ‘If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.’ ”

The Panthers seem to have gotten a little worse since the Super Bowl loss. The cap space is in great shape, but parts of the team aren’t. Surely there’s some kind of lesson inside that.

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Texans must save J.J. Watt from Superman

HOUSTON – In this city, J.J. Watt is Superman. He’s bigger than Hakeem Olajuwon, who brought two NBA championships home. He’s more recognizable than University of Houston track star Carl Lewis, the onetime fastest man in the world and nine-time Olympic gold medalist.

Flip on a TV in Houston and Watt is likely coming to your room in the next commercial break. Turn a few corners in the sprawling Galleria shopping center and you’ll see his 99 jersey on shoppers and inside store windows. Go to Watt’s charity softball game and you’ll sit amongst 30,000 spectators in Minute Maid Park, a bigger crowd than the Houston Astros’ 28,000 average attendance.

This is how he lived up to that brand: winning three NFL defensive player of the year awards; rivaling Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor as one of the most unblockable players in history; and always showing up, regardless of bumps and bruises, rain or shine. In fact, show up 83 games in a row. Eighty-eight if the postseason is counted. Be dependable. Live up to it all, the contract, the hype, the commercials, the expectations.

This Sunday will mark the first game J.J. Watt will miss in his NFL career. (AP)

J.J. Watt embraces all of this. He invites it. He rises to meet it. And that’s what has to worry the Houston Texans because while J.J. Watt is busy trying to live up to his Superman billing, someone has to protect him from himself. When it comes to the franchise cornerstone and his latest back injury, that should be the primary directive for the next week, month, year, whatever overly cautious timeframe it takes to get Watt’s career back on track.

Watt is the last player – by miles – that this franchise can afford to lose. Nobody summed it up better than Texans coach Bill O’Brien when he opened his news conference Wednesday.

“You can never replace the best player in the NFL,” O’Brien said.

As O’Brien continued, it became apparent the franchise is already sensitive to questions about whether Watt pushed himself back too early – or if the team should have played a more cautious role in keeping him sidelined. The Texans don’t want this story portrayed as some mistake of impatience, either by the franchise or Watt himself.

“J.J. did everything, absolutely everything he could do to get back on the field after surgery this summer,” O’Brien said. “He followed his doctor’s orders. He played it smart. He passed every test before being cleared to play. He felt good in the Kansas City game, felt like he was starting to play like himself again.

“I have no idea when his back injury reoccurred. I just have no idea about that. It’s flared up to a point where he can’t continue to play right now. Going on IR will give J.J. all the time that he needs to make sure that he’s 100 percent healthy and back to being himself the next time he steps on the football field.”

That’s a long-winded way of saying, “The doctors cleared him and he was ready to go … so he went.”

The hindsight doesn’t matter. Watt may have been 100 percent and his doctors may have given the green light. And the chances of the injury reoccurring also might have been just as high if he had waited an additional month. He also may have pushed himself too hard in the rehab process, or worn himself out with his offseason workout retreats. Unless this was a clear case of the Texans pushing him onto the field too early, or Watt forcing himself onto the field before he was ready, there will never be a way of definitively knowing whether Watt was destined for this setback.

(Getty Images)

All that matters now is Watt understanding that his career-long run of dominance may be hanging in the balance. Back injuries in the NFL are no joke. Next to concussions, a failing back may be the most frightening malady that any player can endure. Depending on the specific problem, back issues can be tricky and lingering, and manifest in a host of other injuries.

The Texans have some experience with that, too. Look no further than Arian Foster, the franchise running back whose 2013 season ended with a back injury. After that season, Foster’s body began a rapid decline that resulted in him playing in 17 of his 32 remaining games. Finally, last offseason, Houston had seen enough and released him.

Imagine that happening to Watt.

It shouldn’t sound too far-fetched. He admitted that he considered retirement following last season’s groin injury, which required a completely separate surgery from the one that repaired his herniated disc. Should this latest go-around end badly and Watt’s back issues translate into a multitude of other problems, it’s not unthinkable that the Texans lose the remainder of his prime.

That’s why the theme of protecting Watt from himself has to start now. Already, the Texans seem to have left the door open to Watt potentially returning this season. That seems dubious at best, considering the stakes. It would be absurd to suggest the Texans aren’t taking this latest problem seriously. Putting Watt on injured reserve this quickly sends a message that O’Brien spelled out Wednesday.

“This decision made by the organization is in the best interests of J.J.’s long-term health,” O’Brien said. “And that’s what’s most important to us – this organization, this team – obviously the health of the player.”

For now, the IR designation sits Watt down for eight weeks. After that, it’s a matter of reassessing his health and managing the appetite of a player who is likely to want to get back onto the field. For coaches, that can be a difficult management process, particularly when it involves elite players. Guys like Watt are used to winning every room, every meeting and every injury diagnosis. To expect this to be different would be naïve.

Clearly he’s already thinking about it, tweeting out a statement to fans on Wednesday that was capped with an Arnold Schwarzenegger-esque line: “I will be back.”

So begins the process of protecting Superman from himself. For the next two months and possibly into the offseason, the Texans have their work cut out for them. And it starts with convincing Watt that his focus should be on getting better, not getting back.

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Is Mark Cuban's 'hogs get slaughtered' comment about NFL becoming true?

Two years ago, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban called the NFL “hogs” heading toward a slaughter. He pointed to the league oversaturating its audience with a good product and called it an act of greed as the NFL marched to expand televised games and offseason coverage.

“Just watch,” Cuban said in a March 2014 conversation with reporters. “Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way. I’m just telling you, when you’ve got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns on you. That’s rule No. 1 of business.

“I’m just telling you: Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they’re getting hoggy.”

Mark Cuban (R) rubbed elbows with the Cowboys’ brain trust, Stephen and Jerry Jones, and QB Tony Romo during Super Bowl week in February. It’s unclear if they dined on swine. (Getty Images)

How’s this for a slaughter: Thanks in part to Monday night’s presidential debate, the NFL’s mega franchise “Monday Night Football” scored a 5.7 overnight rating. That is believed to be one of the worst in the history of the production. It’s also nearly a 22 percent decline from the last time this happened – a 2012 Monday night game between the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, which had the misfortune of going against the final presidential debate in 2012 and a Game 7 of the National League Championship Series between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.

Granted, Monday’s debate was the most watched in history, drawing in 84 million viewers, according to Nielsen. But it’s not just Monday Night Football viewership that is in decline. Sunday night ratings are down, too.

The league was bracing for Monday’s fallout, too. Advertising firms doing business with the NFL had already been told to expect a hit in viewership due to expectations that Monday night’s presidential debate would likely be one of the highest rated in history.

To the NFL’s credit, that’s a good excuse to have a bad night. But that loss wasn’t exactly a one-off situation. While the NFL is still a ratings juggernaut, the viewership numbers have shown noticeable fatigue this season. “Monday Night Football” viewership was already down a combined 12 percent the first two weeks of the season. That’s not a start the NFL wanted, considering the average number of viewers for the franchise has declined three straight seasons starting in 2013 (13.68 million viewers per game in 2013; 13.35 million 2014; 12.9 million in 2015), according to the Nielsen ratings.

It’s worth noting the negative publicity the NFL has experienced during that decline. Domestic violence became a high-profile issue for a league that has been extremely protective of its brand. That has included a number of ugly visual moments: the video of Ray Rice assaulting his fiancée in an elevator; photos and a child abuse allegation against Adrian Peterson; an ugly police report and alleged abuse photos of Greg Hardy’s ex-girlfriend.

Beyond confronting domestic violence, the league also settled a class-action lawsuit tied to concussions and the health of former players. All while current players have explored the harsh reality of brain injuries in the sport and their quality of life beyond football.

Tom Brady’s court battle with the league over deflate-gate ended with a four-game suspension for the superstar QB. (AP)

There has also been the Aaron Hernandez murder prosecution; the ongoing battle between the NFL and NFLPA over disciplinary power; and the deflate-gate investigation, which put NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at odds with one of his biggest allies in New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and ended with the suspension of quarterback Tom Brady, who will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history.

All of those developments took place before Colin Kaepernick sparked the social consciousness of some NFL players with a weekly protest during the national anthem. While Goodell and NFL teams have been careful to embrace the movement involving Kaepernick and other players, polls have suggested the demonstrations have created (or revealed) some deep racial divisions inside the league’s fan base.

Has all of that contributed to knocking the NFL off its axis?

That’s debatable. Doubters will point to other factors to explain the trending numbers, things such as declining cable subscribers, the rise of the RedZone channel and alternate platforms to consume NFL games (such as Twitter). Others have suggested it’s the reality of having a season coincide with a presidential election cycle.

Whatever the reasons – and there might be a wide mix of them – the numbers are going in the wrong direction for the league. With the sluggish start through three weeks, the NFL is already on its way to a fourth consecutive year of a “MNF” ratings decline. It doesn’t end there, either. NFL viewership through the first two weeks of the season was down almost across the board, most alarmingly in the “bellwether” prime-time slots. For example, NBC’s first three prime-time games of the season (the season-opening Thursday kickoff and two Sunday night games) were down 12 percent.

The league has been unflinching in the start but a continuation of that trend would be a significant problem for Goodell, whose top achievement as boss has been the bottom line of the NFL ledger. As it stands, NFLPA president DeMaurice Smith has already stated that the ratings decline is a significant concern. At some point, Park Avenue has to wonder if the league’s popularity may be experiencing, or even drawing back, from the peak Cuban predicted.

There will be some eye-rolling over that suggestion. Particularly given Cuban’s inflammatory “slaughter” language. When Cuban took those shots in 2014, some opined that it was little more than NBA jealousy, spiteful comments from a league that was a distant third place to the NFL in terms of revenue production and labor agreements. After all, why should anyone in the NFL care what an NBA owner had to say? Reports put the NFL’s revenue production in the 2015 season north of $13 billion, while the NBA’s was just over $5 billion. Meanwhile, NBA owners have arguably been dominated at the bargaining table, locked into a fully guaranteed contract structure and a bloating $113 million salary cap (including luxury tax limits) that has led to spiraling salaries for middling players.

This is why NFL owners and the league office might snicker at Cuban when he suggested the most popular sports brand in the U.S. is ripe for a fall. And why not? The NFL has been comfortably leading a decades-long tickertape parade, toasting its success during an unrivaled rise in popularity and profitability. For a while now, the NFL’s ego has been inflated by a widely accepted theme: that the league was largely bulletproof. That there was no such thing as too much NFL. That fans had a bottomless appetite and a ceiling on future TV viewership was mythical. If anything, the NFL has attacked one overriding problem more than any other over the past decade: how to bring more of its product to the masses.

The result has been the buildup of an NFL season that never ends. Despite varied complaints from players, coaches and the NFLPA, the league now plays games three nights a week. In December, Saturday will be added to that slate. The Super Bowl has been pushed to February, resulting in the NFL’s season spanning six months from training camps to the title game. And now, the offseason has been promoted by the NFL and television networks into a frenzied monetization of events: the annual scouting combine, free agency, the draft, the schedule release and a summer of organized team activities and minicamps. Ask anyone in the NFL, and they will tell you there is only one month of downtime, from mid-June to mid-July. And even that has been turned into a “buzzy” four weeks of contract extension talks.

What does all this mean? We don’t know yet. But 2½ years after Mark Cuban made his comments suggesting a fall from grace was on the horizon, there’s little doubt that NFL television and media coverage is looking more obese than ever. Whether that saturation is leading to a TV withdrawal in the early weeks of this season is debatable. But one thing is not: fewer people have been tuning in to NFL games this year.

It’s not a slaughter yet, but the NFL has to be concerned about where this is all going. As Cuban said, there’s a line between getting fat on success or becoming a hog with greed. The NFL’s product is bigger, more saturated and more scrutinized than ever. And it might be a good time for Goodell and the owners to consider where that line is.

Carson Wentz and Philly look like the real deal; NFL Week 3 recap

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Josh Norman can go over the top in theatrics but he's exactly what Redskins needed against Odell Beckham Jr.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Before the game started, the NFL’s warning shot was delivered to Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman and New York Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. This time around, it would be zero tolerance.

“We’re not going to make a mockery of the game,” Norman said of the message officials delivered.

And his counterpart?

“If you do anything, we’re throwing you out of the game,” Beckham recalled being told.

With that, Round 2 of the league’s most intense one-on-one matchup was largely put on ice. And that was probably to the chagrin of many fans, who have delighted in the ratcheted-up rivalry between Norman and Beckham. This time around, the heated confrontation never really materialized – and that’s exactly what the Redskins sought. The coaching staff wanted a full, focused game out of Norman. And they would need it, losing two starting defensive backs among a spate of injuries, amidst an offensive game that continues to find its identity. In the end, Norman was there when Washington needed him most. And going forward, it will need him more than ever.

Round 2 went to Josh Norman in his rivalry against Odell Beckham Jr. (Getty Images)

“[It’s] a big relief it’s off our shoulders,” Norman said of Washington’s 29-27 victory. “… [The Giants] are 2-0 and we’re 0-2 and people think we lost hope. No, man. We came out there today and just put it all out there on the line. Guys went down, guys came in and made plays. You can’t ask [more from] a unit or a group that can do that.”

Despite playing a part in Beckham piling up 121 yards receiving, Norman’s pivotal moment came late in the fourth quarter, when he induced Beckham into a costly offensive pass interference penalty. The play negated a first down, cost New York time and pushed the Giants back to their 21. Two plays later, quarterback Eli Manning forced a ball down the middle of the field on third-and-14, a poor decision that was intercepted by Redskins rookie Su’a Cravens. And just like that, despite all the talk and buildup, Norman and a wounded defense walked the Redskins (1-2) out of MetLife Stadium with a badly needed win.

“I had been hearing chatter here, hearing chatter there,” Norman said, referencing a multitude of Giants comments directed at Norman and the Redskins defense before Sunday’s game. “The New York Giants defense [was] talking all about, ‘We don’t get any respect.’ Everybody [was] talking about Josh Norman versus Odell matchup. Well, they had their chance. I guess our offense and special teams did their job. We came out and we got a victory in a hostile environment – very hostile.”

“I don’t know if there is anything to prove. I dressed nicely to come here and get a ‘W.’ Everybody has their opinions of what this is, what that is. End of the day it really doesn’t matter when you come out victorious and you can get on the bus and get on the plane and talk to your guys and cut up a little bit.”

This one came with a fine line between needed victory and spiraling defeat. One that speaks to the Redskins still pulling themselves together as a team in the first month of the season. When Washington’s staff looks over the film, it’s going to see a plethora of offensive mistakes and missed opportunities. Solid drives repeatedly sputtered, translating to Dustin Hopkins finishing with five field goals.

Some of it was on quarterback Kirk Cousins, who had a handful of errant throws and also inexplicably took a sack at the end of the first half that eliminated an easy field-goal attempt. On that play, Cousins didn’t have much of an explanation for frittering away six seconds on a one-read play – pass to an open corner route or throw the ball away. Instead, Cousins let the play develop, running the clock out and leaving an easy three points on the field.

It wasn’t all bad as Cousins had moments that reminded many of his success last season. He commanded several solid drives and hit DeSean Jackson with a beautiful 44-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. It’s worth noting that score came with Washington trailing 21-9 and feeling like another Giants score would trigger a landslide. Instead, Cousins came through with back-to-back passes to Jackson for 75 yards, a consistent groove the Redskins would love to see develop in the coming weeks. That connection and the Redskins featuring a solid running game late hinted at offensive progress.

Kirk Cousins shook off a terrible gaffe at the end of the first half to help the Redskins beat the Giants. (Getty Images)

It also likely quelled some of the anonymous chatter about Cousins that surfaced after the 0-2 start, a familiar locker-room plague the Redskins can’t afford as the team tries to create a new culture. While Cousins largely shrugged off any pressure, both head coach Jay Gruden and Norman were more forthcoming about the resiliency mattering.

“We had many a reasons and many a times we could have hung our head and said, ‘Here we go again in 2016,’ ” Gruden said. “But these guys kept fighting and got the win. That’s all that matters.”

For now, it staved off a brutal week heading into a very winnable game against the 0-3 Cleveland Browns. It gives Cousins and Gruden some breathing room. And it proves some of the $75 million value attached to Norman, who lined up across from Beckham on every snap he wasn’t in the slot position or going into motion. With starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland suffering an ankle injury and safety DeAngelo Hall set to undergo a potentially season-ending MRI on his knee, the Redskins leave New York needing Norman more than ever. Not only from a talent standpoint, but from a leadership aspect.

While the win is a relief, there’s likely more trying times ahead. And Norman is going to have to be a steadying influence in the middle of that.

“We’ve got it in us,” Norman said. “We’re fighters. Fighters to the end. Scrapping [and] savagery as they come. Just gritty all the way down to the bone and gristle. Just fight, fight, fight.”

With the injuries and a still-forming identity, there will be more hurdles ahead. Sunday’s much-anticipated one-on-one showdown may not have materialized, but Washington’s self-anointed “best cornerback in the league” played a bigger role than ever. And it’s about to expand even further.

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Bill Belichick's latest masterpiece involved a rookie third-string QB running circles around Texans

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The mantra in Jacoby Brissett’s head started after he had completely reversed the Houston Texans’ defense into a breeze: Get Bill the ball.

It got louder after he left safety Andre Hal flailing into an empty sideline, cutting back and lunging into the end zone for a stunning 27-yard touchdown.

Get Bill the ball.

Since Monday, this was the running joke for the third-string quarterback: Brissett wasn’t allowed to let the Texans get a football. No turnovers. No mistakes. No implosion – whether he was prepared for his NFL debut or not. He heard it from coaches. And teammates. And by Thursday night, probably even a few parking lot attendants. Don’t give Houston the ball. Like … ever.

So when Brissett scored New England’s first touchdown in a stunning 27-0 rout of the Texans, his programming kicked into gear. Jumping up in the end zone, he headed straight for coach Bill Belichick. And when a grinning Belichick extended a handshake to congratulate his improbable rookie starter, a single-minded Brissett stuffed the ball into his coach’s midsection.

“I was supposed to give him the ball,” Brissett said with a grin. “[Just] make sure they don’t get it.”

Jacoby Brissett dashed to a 27-yard score on Thursday. (AP)

A few hours later in the locker room, Belichick gave the ball back, awarding the quarterback who took a crash-coursed, pared-down Patriots offense and trounced one of the most talented defenses in the NFL.

This isn’t supposed to happen in the NFL. Not against a team like Houston with its defensive standouts. The Cleveland Browns, maybe. But against a Texans team that entered 2-0 and looked ready to devour a rookie quarterback? Never.

Yet, here the Patriots are. No Tom Brady for four weeks. No Rob Gronkowski for two weeks (and at best, a limited Gronk on Thursday). No Jimmy Garoppolo. And fielding a read-option, rookie, third-string quarterback with three days to prepare.

3-0. Without Tom Brady.

Belichick certainly has more complete testaments to his coaching acumen – 13 AFC East titles in 15 seasons; four Super Bowls rings; a space waiting in the Hall of Fame. But few will be sweeter than this one: A 13-5 record with the three quarterbacks who have stepped in and started for Brady. That’s right. Brissett is now a piece of the answer to, “What has Belichick done without Brady?” Belichick still wins. Just like he did with Matt Cassel. Just like he did with Garoppolo.

Now, when this season ends, Belichick will have accomplished something he has never done before – and few coaches will ever do. He will win games with all three quarterbacks on his roster. All he needs now is to get Brady back in Week 5. And he gets 10 days to prepare for Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills, ample time to pour into finishing off a Brady-less 4-0 start that was unthinkable a month ago.

That’s how you end up with Belichick starting his postgame news conference with an upbeat line: “Well, this is a really satisfying win.”

“We really asked a lot out of the team this week,” Belichick said. “They responded. They never batted an eye.”

Belichick laid plenty of praise on his coaching staff, too. And it deserved it, with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia dialing up the kind of game plan that is going to get them head coaching interviews this offseason. It was one of the best performances by either this season – and easily one of the best tandem performances since the pair got together as Belichick’s coordinators in 2012. Add in the two turnovers forced by special teams coordinator Joe Judge’s unit, which completed New England’s domination of this impossible game.

But little speaks more loudly than how the Patriots’ offense attacked Houston with Brissett at the helm. One half was delivered with a brute-force running game that wore the Texans down. The other was with a handful of read-option plays and reverses that got the ball into the hands of other playmakers like Julian Edelman and tight end Martellus Bennett.

Bill Belichick seems to be playing chess while everyone else is figuring out checkers. (Getty Images)

Belichick can praise his staff all he wants, but the reality is it conforms to his ability to accentuate talent. That meant getting the ball into the hands of veterans who could help Brissett make plays and keep the Texans guessing. It also meant keeping Gronkowski in as a primary blocker much of the game – utilizing his athleticism to slow down the Texans’ edge rushers.

Conventional wisdom suggested Brissett shouldn’t have risked running the ball. The Patriots did it anyway. All while on the other side of the field, the Texans seemed to be playing conservatively at times with their $16 million-a-year starter, Brock Osweiler.

This is the genius of Belichick. Tailor to strengths while making the opposition question theirs. And if that means putting some responsibility in the hands of Brissett, who was able to choose a handful of his runs Thursday night, so be it.

“We have an intelligent team that’s able to do a lot of different things each week,” Bennett said. “Each week, the game plans are different. Our roles are different. Last week, we catch a lot of balls. This week, it’s a lot of blocking. … Everyone buys into what we’re trying to do. The coaching staff, they just put it out there and we’re just like, ‘All right, this is what we’re doing. Let’s go.'”

So they went. Now 3-0 and looking as good as anyone could have imagined without Brady. With time off to heal, reassess and possibly get Garoppolo back against the Bills.

Jacoby got his ball. Bill got his win. And the Patriots are closer to being a complete team again. And as always, looking only forward.

“When you’re looking in the rearview mirror,” Bennett said, “you’re more likely to crash.”

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Kirk Cousins is finding out it still stinks in Redskins' locker room

A little over three months ago, Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan sat in his office in Ashburn, Va., and mused about meaningful change. He talked in transformative language about being bigger, quicker and tougher, all familiar buzzwords that ring out when an NFL personnel kingpin is in search of a rebooted identity. In the midst of all this, McCloughan tried to impress one point over all else: The Redskins needed to sink roots into a new belief system. Specifically, one that didn’t revolve around conniving, me-first players.

In the Robert Griffin III burnout, there was plenty of that. And the general manager was ready to shed all of it.

“The culture is what I want to build,” McCloughan said that early summer day. “If we win a championship, that would be awesome. But I want guys to understand the importance of being a team. It’s not about the individuals. It’s the sum of the parts. … We’re not close to where we need to be yet, but it’s going in the right direction. Definitely.”

Kirk Cousins is off to a rough 0-2 start. Up next for the Redskins: the Giants. (Getty Images)

I wonder how McCloughan feels about that this week, when someone in his locker room – likely one of the familiar grousing suspects – threw a dagger at quarterback Kirk Cousins only two games into the season. A sharp blade went flying, in the form of a cutting remark to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, framing Cousins in a failing light that surely delighted some of the critical fan base. Citing “a source with knowledge of the situation,” Florio said, “multiple offensive players have begun to complain about quarterback Kirk Cousins.”

And then there was this doozy of a direct quote: “At least [Colt McCoy would] play with some poise.”

I’ll get to that anonymous fastball thrown at Cousins’ head. But first, stop and consider McCloughan’s primary mission. A charter that is centered on building a culture of team over individuals and moving beyond the toxic locker room that was prevalent in the RG3 era. If change and harmony and new roots are the goal, it’s fair to question how far the Redskins have progressed. Wherever you stand with Cousins now, that remark sounds extremely familiar. In fact, it sounds like very little has changed. The Redskins have a new quarterback who is only two games into a “prove-it” season, and he already has someone – presumably inside the franchise – undercutting him.

If anything turns back the clock to the Griffin era, it’s this kind of thing coming out of the locker room this early into the season.

To be clear, let’s not bang the drum for Cousins. This is a pivotal season and through two games he has a touchdown-to-interception ration of 1 to 3 and a passer rating of 78.5. He has made several bad decisions and failed to look like a high quality starter. There’s also an elevated level of criticism that must be accepted when a player earns nearly $20 million under the franchise tag. Not to mention the pressing need to beat a team that finishes the season with a winning record. Thus far, Cousins still hasn’t accomplished that.

But that Colt McCoy jab came off as a familiar relic of a poisonous past. The kind of thing that made the Redskins’ locker room ugly. It’s also not original. Washington has seen the McCoy starting show. It was canceled. By three different NFL regimes no less – in Cleveland, San Francisco and even the current brain trust in Washington. McCoy is 30. If he was a quality starter, someone would have figured it out by now.

And the fact that someone tried to undercut Cousins with McCoy after only eight quarters says at least one of three things: They are a poor talent evaluator who isn’t very interested in the long-term outlook of the Redskins; they have a personal beef with Cousins; and they are overly emotional and shooting off at the mouth without considering the recent history of locker room toxicity.

Cousins is an easy target. The team’s front office entered the season ruffled over his refusal to take the long-term contract offer that was on the table. But here’s some context to that: If a player enters a season when he could prove himself as a franchise quarterback, he won’t trade $20 million in guaranteed franchise tag money for only $24 million in guaranteed money. That’s only a difference of $4 million – a deal almost no one in the NFL would have taken. Who surrenders massive leverage of a potential mega contract in 2017 for only $4 million in extra guaranteed money? It makes no sense.

The front office wanted Cousins to take that deal, so it put the locker room into a very specific realm of expectation. One that frames Cousins as a guy who turned his nose up at a long-term commitment and who had better live up to this $20 million season.

Right now, that’s not happening. And it’s bringing out some familiar echoes that aren’t good for this team. We’re two games into a season and Cousins has to go into his locker room wondering who has his back and who is stabbing it. That sure seems to be a familiar storyline with Redskins quarterbacks.

In June, it felt like McCloughan wanted to move the franchise out of these poisoned waters. Surely he wanted this to be a season that was about building – not tearing down. But here we are, having a familiar ugly conversation three months later.

McCloughan said it in June: when it came to buying the team-first culture, the Redskins weren’t close to where they needed to be. But it’s September now and elements of the locker room are reportedly undercutting the quarterback. So how far has Washington really come?

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Remember Colin Kaepernick the QB? It's time the 49ers did again

The San Francisco 49ers need to look at Colin Kaepernick again. Not just through a prism of protest or social awareness, but as a starting quarterback. It has taken 10 starts to show that Blaine Gabbert is what he is – a serviceable, bottom-10 starting NFL quarterback. A guy who isn’t the future or the answer or a long-term cornerstone.

He’s not the answer at quarterback. And Kaepernick still might be. That’s reason enough to start thinking about a change.

After 10 starts and two games into the Chip Kelly era, the 49ers should already know what Gabbert isn’t. More specifically, Kelly should know. He has seen this guy before. He has seen Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez and last-gasp Michael Vick. He has seen not good enough. And that’s what Gabbert is. Good enough to show some flashes. Just good enough to keep in the mix for a fringe starting job. Never good enough to blossom into true a franchise quarterback.

49ers Eric Reid (L) and Colin Kaepernick continued their protest against police brutality on Sunday. (AP)

That’s what Gabbert was against the Carolina Panthers. Good enough to fall behind 31-10 against a superior team before piling up fourth-quarter garbage stats that made his performance look better than it was. This after an opening-week win in which he dinked and dunked his way to 170 passing yards and one touchdown, but was mostly along for the ride against a Los Angeles Rams team that had an awful season debut.

This is vintage Chip Kelly stuff. We’ve seen repeatedly how his offense makes mediocre quarterbacks initially look like more tenable options than they really are. People forget that Vick efficiently threw for 631 yards and accounted for six touchdowns against no interceptions in his first two games under Kelly. Then he slid off the map. Foles? He took over for Vick and lit the NFL up for a little more than half a season. Then he regressed to a backup slot that has been more of a reflection of where he fits in the NFL. Even Sanchez briefly resurrected himself in 2014 under Kelly, putting up eight solid starts and deceptively cutting the image of a middle-of-the-road NFL starter.

Two games into Kelly’s 49ers tenure, Gabbert seems to be trending in the same direction as that trio. And even that might be overinflating his start. But one thing is clear: His final stats (243 passing yards and three total touchdowns) were an up-and-down odyssey born out of a running game that never got moving. And very little aside from a nicely thrown 28-yard touchdown to Torrey Smith should inspire anyone to believe Gabbert remains an unchallenged starter in San Francisco.

All of which should begin turning the conversation back to Kaepernick. His status as a football player has been entirely drowned out by the shouting over his civic activism the past month. Almost from the moment it was revealed he was protesting the national anthem before games, his status as a quarterback became an inconsequential detail. And surely for the 49ers, that has been a distraction at times.

Of course, there’s more to the story that has little to do with Kaepernick’s national anthem posture or media interviews. There’s still a troubling subplot that revolves around his relationship with general manager Trent Baalke, and that is something that hasn’t improved since cratering in the offseason. Long ago, Kaepernick lost trust in Baalke and that had a significant impact on the QB’s approach this offseason, one source close to Kaepernick said.

From a mental standpoint, Kaepernick was slow to buy into anything the 49ers were doing this offseason, seeming distant and disinterested in football, a source said. While Kelly hoped his offensive system would rejuvenate Kaepernick’s previous success, that hope developed serious doubts during a tumultuous offseason. And at some point, Kaepernick’s weight loss became a pressing concern for the 49ers’ front office – a telling detail leaked to multiple national media members toward the end of the preseason, right around the time the 49ers were headed for roster cuts.

But two things have happened since Kaepernick and the 49ers seemed to be heading for a divorce. First, Kelly stated publicly that Kaepernick was one of the two best quarterbacks on the roster and then Kaepernick subsequently was kept on the 53-man roster. Second, the 49ers have kept Kaepernick on the active roster in the first two games, potentially exposing him to playing, which isn’t something you do when you’re merely carrying dead weight.

Could San Francisco still be carrying Kaepernick to simply avoid a public-relations thump related to his protest? Yes. That’s always possible. But those who know Kelly say it’s more likely that he wants to get one more look at Kaepernick before he’s cut loose. And even if the front office has doubts in Kaepernick’s long-term viability, it’s worth remembering that Gabbert is in the final year of his deal and nobody in San Francisco has shown interest in changing that anytime soon.

Those two factors – Kaepernick remaining on the roster and Gabbert having no long-term deal – translate into a door that is still cracked open. And it will only open further if Gabbert can’t become a more consistent, dependable player. So far, he hasn’t been any better under Kelly than he was in eight starts last season, a few flashes mired inside of mediocrity. And standing on the sideline is Kaepernick, still representing the same lingering question about what he would look like with a sustained opportunity in Kelly’s offense.

For now, we don’t know. But it’s time to start asking that question again. Whether his critics like it or not, the 49ers can’t encapsulate Colin Kapernick’s entire NFL existence in the few minutes he takes a knee before the game. He’s still on the roster for a reason. He’s still active on game days and cashing millions in paychecks to be an NFL quarterback. At some point – sooner rather than later – the 49ers need to give him another opportunity to do that job.

Two games in, Blaine Gabbert is the same player he has always been. And that’s not a long-term solution. Chip Kelly should know that better than anyone.

(Graphic by Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports)

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Giants already taunting Josh Norman, and it isn't coming from Odell Beckham

For the New York Giants and the handful of other NFL players who have embraced sounding off on Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, every thought starts with a financial precursor: $75 million.

Something like, “If you’re really worth $75 million dollars, prove it.”

This is how NFL players, coaching staffs and personnel departments have grown to define Norman. By a dollar figure and a question. If he’s worth the five-year, $75 million deal he got from the Redskins, he should have the flexibility to consistently demonstrate it. If he’s going to be paid like the best cornerback in the game, he should always be available to cover the best receiver on the other side of the line. And if he’s going to self-anoint himself as an eraser at his position, he should meet the taunts and challenges of opponents with an appetite to prove them wrong.

Josh Norman (24) faces the Giants on Sept. 25. (Getty Images)

So when a player like Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown runs roughshod over one half of the field, there is an immediate accounting for the whereabouts of the $75 million man. The natural assessment being that Norman should be forcing the Redskins to use him when and where he’s needed most. That’s why cover corners have historically been the guys who get the big money. They are supposed to be flexible and smothering, and rarely relegated to being a $15 million per year traffic cone placed on one side of the field.

This is why Norman is getting openly questioned in some NFL corners and anonymously assassinated in others, largely because the Redskins’ defense isn’t good enough (yet) for teams to have a hard time avoiding the $75 million traffic cone. That means when Washington faces players like Brown, the New York Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. (twice), the Dallas Cowboys’ Dez Bryant (twice) and the Cincinnati Bengals’ A.J. Green, they can expect the offense to simply direct those players to a place where Norman can’t go. And when he doesn’t follow them, opponents will make a point of taunting him with it.

This is how the NFL works. It’s a world of alphas – and nobody tells the alphas where they can’t go.

As Giants wideout Victor Cruz said of Norman this week, “If he calls himself – I don’t call him this, [but] he calls himself the best corner in the league – then you have to go cover the best receivers on the other team. Going in [to the Steelers game], I thought he was going to follow [Antonio Brown] all over the place, but he didn’t. So it is what it is. He made his choice.”

“He made his choice” is alpha speak for, “If you’re the best cornerback in the NFL, you don’t let your team take you away from the opponent’s best wide receiver.” And that’s regardless of what kind of defense is used, zone, man-to-man, whatever.

The Giants should know. They paid cornerback back Janoris Jenkins his own boatload of money this offseason (five years and $62.5 million), to do exactly that – follow around the opponent’s best receiver. So it should be no surprise that Jenkins piped up on Norman, too, effectively saying, “For that money, he should be able to do what I do.”

“I think when you’re paying somebody $70 million, there shouldn’t be a game plan,” Jenkins said of Washington’s zone scheme keeping Norman on one side of the field. “The game plan should be, ‘You’re on this guy,’ and that’s what it is.”

All of this is some Grade A dirt kicked in Norman’s direction. And that’s the new world. Norman’s bar is higher than ever and never coming down. He acknowledged some of that to reporters on Thursday, responding to the Giants by saying, “When you’re at the top of your profession, someone is always trying to grab at you just because they’re not at the top of your profession.You just have to extend down your arm and hand them an olive branch.”

The criticism is going to continue. When he was getting beaten by DeSean Jackson’s speed and quickness in veteran minicamp in June, it raised some eyebrows. When it continued in training camp practices, it became an Internet meme featuring Norman pictured as a slice of burnt toast. The assessments may not all be fair, but hefty sums of free-agent money rarely buy a player a patient audience.

As one personnel evaluator framed Norman’s “new normal” on Thursday: “Great fifth-round pick. Terrible franchise money corner.”

He went on after watching the Steelers game, that despite Norman not following Brown, “Sammie Coates was smoking [Norman] off the line.”

That’s a rough assessment. But it’s getting around. And it started when the Carolina Panthers removed the franchise tag from Norman this offseason, effectively setting him free. After Norman hit the market, a number of executives who spoke with Yahoo Sports shared a collective shrug, almost universally agreeing that Norman’s defensive fit and 4.6 second, 40-yard dash speed capped his suitors on the open market. Those assessments all shared a similar vein: that Norman was a zone corner who would need elite safety help and a strong defensive cast around him. The insinuation was that if a team was going to pay him big, it better insert him into a defense that was awash with other playmakers, much like the cast that surrounds Richard Sherman with the Seattle Seahawks.

Instead, Norman got more money than expected – to be a foundational piece rather than a river card completing a full house. That’s what the Redskins were buying. A guy who could help change the culture and be there when the rest of the defense catches up. Did Washington overpay? Yes. Does general manager Scot McCloughan know it? Yes. Is there possibly a small element of hiding that investment right now, rather than risking Norman getting torched right out of the gate? Possibly.

Norman is still selling himself as the best cornerback in the league. But the early returns have raised questions and the buyers of Norman’s skills are shrinking. This is the new normal. And more than ever, Norman’s critics are ready to let him know it.

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Best way to get off Revis Island: Get physical with Darrelle Revis

Eventually, all elite cover corners end up trailing something. Trailing a top-shelf receiver. Trailing the high standard they put into place. Trailing a massive salary slot that can’t be justified forever.

Darrelle Revis isn’t quite there. But cornerback is a cruel position in the NFL. The plateau and dissent come quickly for many of the best cover corners. And the New York Jets have to be seeing the trend with Revis.

To be fair, Revis is coming off a week where he struggled mightily against the Cincinnati Bengals’ A.J. Green, a receiver who qualifies as one of the most difficult two or three wideout assignments in the NFL. But this is why Revis signed that ownership-driven, five-year, $70 million deal prior to the 2015 season: to cover guys like Green. It’s why he’s being guaranteed $17 million this season, despite being 31 years old. Because his skills made Revis Island possible. In past years, Green would have been stranded there.

A.J. Green had his way against Darrelle Revis on Sunday. (Getty Images)

Then came Sunday, when Revis Island looked surprisingly inviting. Maybe more like Revis Sand Bar. Green parked himself to the tune of 10 completions for 152 yards and a touchdown. It could have been worse: Green had an 11th completion for another 9 yards wiped out by a penalty.

Not that one bad performance suggests that Revis’ best days are completely gone. Aside from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown, it could be argued that Green is easily the best receiver Revis will follow this season. But there is some pressing concern here. And it started last season, when Revis began to show cracks and the talk shifted to where this was headed. By training camp, questions like, “Will Revis get help over the top?” and “Can he eventually transition a safety?” were not considered wildly inappropriate. The Jets weren’t wading into that swamp, of course. But nobody was getting thrown out of the Florham Park practice facility for asking, either.

Where does the concern lie? That’s a debatable point supported by game film. But a handful of pro personnel sources said the coming Revis problems could lie in two pressing areas. First, is Revis’ surgically repaired wrist OK? If it isn’t, the physical nature of his game in press coverage (and also in 50-50 situations) could consistently be impacted. And second, if Revis’ wrist changes the way he covers the fastest receivers, does he still have the closing speed to make up the difference from laying off them, but also correct coverage mistakes?

The answers may not be encouraging judging from Green’s completions against Revis on Sunday.

Not only were the Bengals seemingly unafraid to go after Revis, they also seemed to consistently test him. Revis laid off Green repeatedly in pre-snap coverage, which isn’t an uncommon approach against speedy receivers. But he also paid for it consistently, as the Bengals took measured shots and consistent short and medium yardage gains. The Bengals also threw a number of formations at Revis that forced him to deal with an additional blocker in space. He didn’t do well on almost any of those looks. And when Cincinnati challenged Revis down the seam (out of a slot look), he was heavily dependent on deep safety help that failed.

Here’s a look at the 11 completions that Green managed (including the one negated by penalty). The trend? Revis is giving Green space and short gains – seemingly trying to keep him in front of him. He’s rarely getting physical at the line in a handful of press coverage looks. And he’s struggling against screen looks, when plays are designed to make Revis work through an additional blocker in coverage.

• Completion 1: In a two-wideout set on second-and-10 at the Bengals’ 25-yard line, Revis laid off Green nearly 10 yards and was walking backward at the snap. Green ran an out route for a simple 8-yard sideline gain.

• Completion 2: Green lined up in a bubble screen alignment with two blockers in front on first-and-10 on the Bengals’ 21, 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Revis was 7 yards off Green, then dropped to a full 9 yards off by the time Green caught the screen. A block by tight end Ryan Hewitt took Revis out of the play on a 15-yard gain.

• Completion 3: Green lined up in the slot on first-and-10 at the Bengals’ 46 and was picked up by Revis during a fake end-around. Revis was roughly 8 yards off Green at the snap, walking toward the middle of the field. Revis surrendered the seam, and poor deep safety coverage allowed Green to run by Revis for a 54-yard touchdown down the middle of the field.

• Completion 4: Revis lined up 8 yards off Green on first-and-10 at the Jets’ 18. After the snap, Revis dropped an additional 2 yards, allowing Green to sit down in the flat for a 4-yard sideline completion.

(Getty Images)

• Completion 5: Revis lined up roughly 8 yards off Green on second-and-6 at the Jets’ 14. After the snap, Green drove hard on Revis and then turned to the sideline in an out route. As Green turned, Revis slipped and allowed a 7-yard completion for a first down.

• Completion 6: Initially lined up in press coverage on first-and-10 at the Bengals’ 8-yard line, Revis dropped nearly 10 yards off Green after the snap, allowing him to sit down at the line of scrimmage on a wide-receiver screen. Safety Marcus Gilchrist released his coverage of wideout Brandon LaFell to pursue Green, which allowed LaFell to block Revis completely out of the play. Bengals tight end Tyler Kroft picked up Gilchrist, freeing Green to pick up 29 yards on the play.

• Completion 7: Revis lined up 8 yards off Green on second-and-8 at the Jets’ 20. Green ran an easy flat route for a 6-yard gain.

• Completion 8: Revis lined up in press coverage on first-and-10 at the Jets’ 36. Despite being in the press, Revis didn’t engage off the line, allowing Green to set Revis up with several inside steps. Green then redirected back out and up the sideline, forcing Revis to turn around in coverage. The redirection allowed Green to gain a step and make a difficult catch on a perfectly thrown 32-yard pass. The pass and catch made this one largely indefensible. However, Green gained an advantage against the press look when he came off the line without contact.

• Completion 9: Revis lined up in press coverage on first-and-10 at the Jets’ 16. Unlike the previous completion, Revis jammed Green coming off the line of scrimmage. Green engaged and then stepped back inside and sat down in his route, allowing Bengals wideout Tyler Boyd to step down and block Revis out of the play. Green picked up 6 yards before being tackled by Revis and cornerback Buster Skrine.

• Completion 10 (negated by penalty): Revis lined up roughly 9 yards off Green on first-and-10 on the Bengals’ 28. Green took two steps and sat down in the flat for an easy completion, then shed a Revis tackle and gained an easy 9 yards. A facemask penalty wiped this off the books, but it was an interesting look nonetheless.

• Completion 11: Revis lined up in press coverage on third-and-13 at the Jets’ 40. Green drove inside off the coverage and then pivoted off a hand-check by Revis, back into an out route to the sideline. Green caught the pass and tripped through a Revis tackle for an 11-yard gain. This reception set up the Bengals’ game-winning field goal.

What does all of that mean? For now, it’s just one bad game. And that’s what the Jets are counting on. But in the larger perspective, other teams are going to look at this and try to play a more physical brand of football against Revis. He’s laying off Green’s speed, and other teams will take those shorter gains if he’s giving them.

Opponents are very likely to test Revis consistently now that he’s showing weak spots. And that’s not great news for the Jets, who are already salary cap pressed and have elite level money attached to him for several seasons. While it’s still too early to talk long term, it’s clear that 2016 could bring a forced transition. Either Revis is relegated to a highly paid No. 2 cornerback, or he starts considering a move to safety – which will be possible only if he maintains the ball skills necessary to play the middle of the field.

The plateau appears to be here for Darrelle Revis. And you can bet the Bengals won’t be the last team headed for it.

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As anger subsides for Cowboys, they still love their chances with Dak Prescott

ARLINGTON, Texas – Part of Sunday night felt familiar, watching the red-faced, clenched-jawed amble of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on his way to the postgame locker room. In front and behind, players gravitated between silence and agitated chatter. In the middle of the mix wide receiver Terrance Williams, who failed to get out of bounds for a last-second field-goal attempt, punctuated his walk with an obscenity.

“[Expletive] me,” Williams said.

Dak Prescott posted a 69.4 QB rating in his regular-season debut against the Giants. (AP)

“Everybody’s pretty mad in there,” Jones would say later, standing outside the locker room. “[They’re] pretty upset right now. Anything moving has got a good chance to get bitten in there right now.”

This was the familiar part. The obscene self-assessment and locker room hissing with disappointment. For a few moments after Sunday’s 20-19, home-opening loss to the New York Giants, it summoned remembrances of the 4-12 discontent from last season, when games slipped away weekly and Jones marched through the bowels of stadiums grinding the veneer off his teeth.

But this was only Week 1. The playoff hopes hadn’t been squashed. The seething would subside. And as the night wore on, the flip side of all of this frustration emerged. The Cowboys’ lament at 0-1 is different than last season’s familiar deflations. Unlike many of last year’s losses, this was a game Dallas believes it should have won – not could have won. This is a locker room that is very familiar with the difference.

When a team is grasping and hoping, but the ceiling can’t go any higher on a season, it’ll be angry about games it could have won. But when tangible improvement in depth and the quarterback spot show, the sting of dissatisfaction rises out of expectation. Last season, the quarterback situation was so screwed up for Dallas that the team stopped anticipating wins and started hoping for them. But these Cowboys are expectant again. And a large part of it is coming from the play of Dak Prescott.

“I can’t in any way show anything – or would show anything – but disappointment for these guys,” Jones said of the loss. “But I think we’ve got a chance to be a good team. Now. This season. A lot of it has to do with what I saw from Dak.

“He’s done it in preseason [and] didn’t look a bit different to me out there today than he did in the preseason. … He protected the ball and was really composed and, I thought, in control at all times. He had some times when his back was against the wall.”

Prescott’s numbers weren’t staggering: 25 for 45 for 227 yards with zero touchdowns and a 69.4 quarterback rating. But wideouts Cole Beasley and Dez Bryant both dropped touchdown passes that would have framed Sunday in a completely different light. And if Williams had gotten out of bounds at the end of the game, the Cowboys could have attempted what would have likely been a 60-yard, game-winning field goal for Dan Bailey, whose range appeared to extend that far in the pregame warm-ups.

The Giants kept close tabs on Dez Bryant, holding him to one catch for 8 yards. (AP)

Instead, the surrounding pieces at least partially scuttled Prescott’s regular-season debut. But not before he looked as calm and collected as the preseason, when Prescott’s play had some questioning whether he might supplant Tony Romo this season. It’s safe to say that Romo’s starting job is going to be waiting for him when he hopes to return (“Sooner rather than later,” according to Jones’ update on Sunday). But it’s also clear the Cowboys feel Prescott can win games for them in the interim and maybe beyond.

And why not? The Giants essentially put the entire game onto Prescott’s shoulders by taking away the two linchpins of the Dallas offense. They jammed the box against running back Ezekiel Elliott and bracketed Bryant the entire game with cornerback Janoris Jenkins and a safety over the top. Prescott’s response was to take a slightly more conservative offering and continually move Dallas into scoring position, typically through using routes that were 12-15 yards and in, racking up completions to tight end Jason Witten and Beasley in the slot.

That frustrated the Giants at times as they blitzed on occasion but rarely hit Prescott and failed to sack him. They also came up empty in the turnover department, as Prescott even managed to hold onto the football when his passing arm was chopped in the pocket at one point. But New York ultimately won where it mattered most, forcing Dallas to kick four field goals, something that would ultimately be the difference. The Giants schemed enough pressure to show that the Prescott who was impressive in the preseason may very well be the same player for the Cowboys in September and beyond.

“Dak, you have to give it to him,” Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said. “He made some plays. He stepped up [into the pocket], he’s scrambling, he’s running.”

“He played damn good and all he can do is just get better,” Bryant said. “And he’s going to do that. … He’s a real live competitor and all of the guys love him and we’re going to stay behind him.”

That’s praise from a frustrated Bryant, mind you, after catching only one ball for eight yards. But it’s emblematic of what Prescott has already brought to the table for the Cowboys. A sense that they should – not could – win games with him at quarterback.

Dallas is also getting a taste of what game plans will look like from this point forward. Teams will jam the line of scrimmage and pound on Elliott, who finished with a rough stat line: 51 rushing yards on 20 carries and a long run of only eight yards. And future opponents will lock up Bryant, too. They may not have the luxury of a cover corner who can follow Bryant around the field like Jenkins, but they’ll all put a safety over the top of him and hope Prescott makes the mistake of throwing into the teeth of double coverage.

That’s where the next step has to take place. When Prescott hits Beasley inside the 5-yard line, it has to be a catch-and-score. When he finds Bryant in the end zone, he has to hang on to the touchdown rolling out of bounds. Prescott still needs help. Simply not as much as last season’s backup quarterbacks, who were ultimately the anchors that dragged the season into the abyss.

“You’d have to be optimistic about our future, now having seen him in the first game plus what he did in the preseason,” Jones said. “We know how hard it is to get a good player at that position, and he looks to be that.”

That’s something Jones couldn’t say last year without looking wildly out of touch with reality. And even in a familiar loss, that’s why this failure feels strikingly different this time around.

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Here’s the rough road awaiting rookie QBs Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott and Jared Goff

Most NFL decision-makers are looking for signs when it comes to rookie quarterbacks. They want comparisons. They want trends. Invariably, they want any piece of information that can help predict what is coming. And they usually end up where Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie landed in October of 2013.

“The better quarterbacks are real consistent,” Lurie said nearly three years ago. “Rookie quarterbacks are not.”

So at the very least, Lurie and the Eagles know what they’re getting into this week when rookie Carson Wentz takes the reins of the franchise. Nobody expects this to be Robert Griffin’s unfathomable rookie campaign in 2012, which seems more unexplainable as time goes on. And it likely won’t come close to Cam Newton’s rookie foray in 2011, when he stuffed box scores and foreshadowed the dynamic player he’d eventually become inside a 6-10 season.

It’s hard to know what any of this season’s rookie starters will be, largely because they all seem far less ready than their predecessors. No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff won’t dress for his first NFL game, relegated to the No. 3 spot on his quarterback depth chart. The last quarterback picked No. 1 overall who started his rookie season third on the depth chart was JaMarcus Russell in 2007. And that was due to a contract holdout. The last time a rookie quarterback went from No. 3 to No. 1 on the depth chart in one day – as Wentz did last week – it was, well, never. And the last time a rookie fourth-round quarterback started a season-opener for a franchise? Kyle Orton for the Chicago Bears in 2005. He won 10 games that season – with a quarterback rating of 59.7.

Like Lurie said, when a team leans on a rookie quarterback, it typically gets something inconsistent. There might be some good. There likely will be a lot of bad.

Here’s a look at what will shape the jobs for three rookie quarterbacks – including two who start Sunday, and a third who will get there (eventually) …

Carson Wentz faces the Browns, the team that passed on drafting him, in Week 1. (Getty Images)

Carson Wentz’s shaky support

The Wentz situation is intriguing because it comes after months of the Eagles brass playing up a far different plan, one that aimed at keeping Wentz at the No. 3 spot as long as necessary. But as we’ve seen with the Eagles this offseason, trade offers can alter plans dramatically. That’s precisely what happened with Wentz’s growth design. In fairness, the Minnesota Vikings gave up far more for starter Sam Bradford (a first- and fourth-round pick) than anyone else was willing to pay. That afforded general manager Howie Roseman to once again wield the significant power he has been given since the departure of the Chip Kelly regime. That power doesn’t stop at trades, either, according to two sources familiar with the Eagles. The sources said Roseman and Lurie both played a role in Wentz being named the starter for Week 1, adding some context to the “collaborative” decision-making that has been championed by the brain trust since the hiring of new coach Doug Pederson.

Regardless of who made the final call on Wentz, there is significant risk surrounding the decision. The coaching staff was already concerned about the right tackle spot without Lane Johnson, who is expected to have a 10-game performance-enhancement-drugs suspension upheld in the coming weeks. Once Johnson is ruled out (if/when that finally occurs), left guard Allen Barbre is expected to shift to right tackle, elevating rookie Isaac Seumalo into Barbre’s starting guard spot. Suddenly, an experienced veteran offensive line has two concerns: a right tackle who is playing out of his natural position, and a rookie starting at left guard. While this isn’t a disaster, it’s less than ideal when you place a rookie under center who was preparing for Weber State at this time last year.

Beyond the offensive line, the reliability of the skill position pieces surrounding Wentz is open for debate. Wideout Jordan Matthews has been mercurial. Nelson Agholor has been underwhelming. Josh Huff is likely on his last chance to break through. And Dorial Green-Beckham is starting over after failing to live up to the discipline and effort expected by the Tennessee Titans’ new regime. The running backs? It’s a rotation between Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles that hasn’t displayed the ability to carry a team. Arguably the best thing going for Wentz is tight end Zach Ertz, who will likely become his favorite target very quickly.

Add it all up and the coaching staff has a lot of work ahead. Expect an offensive game plan geared toward max protection, running the football and throwing shorter, quicker passes. Keeping Wentz from getting beaten up early will be a top priority, and there will be an abundance of pressure on new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to keep games manageable in the early going.

Dak Prescott’s wealth of riches

As much as the grand plan in Philadelphia has been shaped by trade offers, the larger picture in Dallas continues to be warped by Tony Romo’s injuries. But unlike Wentz’s situation with the Eagles, Dak Prescott will be surrounded by an embarrassment of commodities capable of shouldering the burden of a rookie quarterback. He also got what Wentz didn’t in the preseason: three games of significant snaps, many of which took place with the first-team offense. And he responded with a glimmering preseason line: a 78 percent completion rate, seven total touchdowns against zero turnovers and a 137.8 quarterback rating. All of which is now meaningless with the start of the regular season.

It would be absurd to expect Prescott to continue that level of play into the regular season. He faced almost no complex defensive looks in the preseason. Coverage concepts were rarely disguised. Pass rushing schemes were mostly conventional. And a portion of Prescott’s success was rolled up against backups. In a metaphorical sense, Prescott was being asked to solve simple math in the preseason. Now he’s graduating into calculus. That’s the difference in what Prescott will face. That said, he has a bonus that won’t change heading in the regular season: playmakers.

When the Cowboys’ staff broke down film of Prescott in the preseason, it saw a cast that was helping Prescott make plays. That sounds simple, but the reality is that the best rookie quarterback seasons in the NFL often feature another dominant player – or several players – who raise their level of performance to help compensate for a quarterback’s inexperience. Go back and look at Robert Griffin’s 2012 season with the Washington Redskins. You’ll see running back Alfred Morris putting up 1,613 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in the best season of his NFL life. Or look at Cam Newton’s 2011 rookie season with the Carolina Panthers. You’ll see Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combine for 3,539 yards rushing and receiving.

Like Griffin and Newton – and unlike Wentz – Prescott has a significant number of proven commodities across his starting unit who will help. His offensive line is the best in the NFL. Wideout Dez Bryant is a top-five player at his position. Tight end Jason Witten is among the NFL’s most reliable security blankets. Even No. 2 receiver Terrance Williams is a solid emerging player who has taken a step forward each season. And to polish it off, the backfield has Ezekiel Elliott (an early favorite for rookie of the year), the aforementioned Morris (who is still reliable when healthy) and Lance Dunbar (who is among the best pass-catching running backs in the NFL when healthy).

All of this will translate into a Dallas plan that won’t be quite as conservative as that in Philadelphia. Instead, Dallas will run the ball heavily and allow Prescott to do what he did in the preseason: pick his big-play passing spots with veteran skill position players, while occasionally (maybe rarely) using his feet to cause damage.

Jared Goff won’t be suiting up for the season opener against the 49ers. (Getty Images)

Jared Goff’s complete unknown

We could start with Goff’s supporting cast, but it’s more appropriate to begin with when Goff will actually be ready to start a game. That might not be this season at all. But that won’t stop it from happening. Not with the Los Angeles Rams having traded so much to move up for Goff. And not with Case Keenum and his one-year contract basically guaranteeing Goff the unchallenged starting position next season. All of this comes down to two factors: the long-term picture and the optics of gambling most of a draft to acquire a centerpiece. If Goff fails to start games this season, the Rams will have lost on both fronts. And ownership will take notice, too.

The latter part of that is why Goff won’t be the No. 3 quarterback beyond Week 1. Much was made about Goff being inactive in his first NFL game, but there is a design in that move. Training camp was rough for Goff. He had some nice moments, but for the most part he showed there is a lot of development left ahead. It’s like that for all rookie quarterbacks, but Goff’s status as the No. 1 overall pick makes it seem more concerning.

The Rams putting Goff at No. 3 for the first week accomplishes several things. It takes away some pressure to move him into Keenum’s starting slot quickly. It sends the message that there is a lot of work left ahead and knocks down expectations several pegs. It also keeps those expectations in check when Week 2 rolls around and Goff is elevated to the backup slot. It makes clear that Goff’s elevation is more part of a deliberate plan than him having suddenly turned a corner. And it gives the staff the ability to do what some believe it has wanted to do all along: Keep Goff on the bench for at least the first four weeks of the season.

But will he be ready to start a game after Week 4? Will he be ready by Week 6? Maybe after the Week 8 bye? That’s the unknown in the equation. The truth is, Goff may never be ready this season. But like Wentz and Prescott, the logic of a larger mission will dictate that he’s going to have to take the reins. Even if Keenum turns the brain trust on its ear and puts up good performances against the Seattle Seahawks (Week 2) and the Arizona Cardinals (Week 4), the Rams will likely start giving Goff practice snaps with the starting offense no later than November.

What Goff will have around him is another matter entirely. If anything, the Rams’ offensive talent base falls short of both the Eagles and the Cowboys. But it also has Todd Gurley, who is arguably a more dominant talent than any single offensive player in Dallas or Philadelphia. And from the moment they traded for the No. 1 pick, the Rams made it no secret their centerpiece quarterback was going to be handing it off a lot. That won’t change, no matter how the offensive line is playing or how the pass-catching talent develops. Goff will get his chance eventually. It will simply come along more slowly than everyone assumed and he won’t be asked to do much.

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Eagles get chance to show up Browns after Cleveland scoffed at drafting QB Carson Wentz

When the Cleveland Browns’ brain trust put on the college film of Carson Wentz many months ago, there was doubt. Before long, there was collective skepticism. And when they’d seen enough, there was a strong consensus among the club’s decision-makers: As a franchise quarterback and potential No. 2 pick, the Browns believed Wentz was a hard pass. So that’s what the franchise did, effectively dealing the right to take Wentz to the Philadelphia Eagles for a bundle of draft choices.

In his first NFL start as a rookie, Wentz gets to make a rebuttal statement.

This is one of the intriguing storylines taking center stage in the NFL’s opening week – two franchises disagreeing on a potentially franchise-shaping talent, now facing off in that player’s first NFL start. And with both regimes having something hanging in the balance: the Eagles hoping Wentz responds favorably to their risky decision to start him in the opener; and the Browns hoping to avoid getting instantly burned by the quarterback they finally passed over.

It’s go time for Carson Wentz on Sunday against the Browns. (AP)

This all feels like a very Browns moment. After repeatedly taking risks on tantalizing-but-flawed first-round quarterbacks (Johnny Manziel, Brandon Weeden, Brady Quinn and Tim Couch), the franchise finally ignored conservative logic and passed on one. And now thanks to Teddy Bridgewater’s fluke practice injury, a Sam Bradford trade has forced Cleveland to face Wentz in his first NFL start. For a tortured fan base, it feels like the setup to some familiar post-draft agony. And for this very reason, there’s some psychological importance to Sunday. The biggest move the Browns have made to date was passing on Wentz. To allow him to kick-start his rookie season would be another addition to 50-plus years of eye-rolling moments.

Cleveland’s reasons for passing on Wentz weren’t unorthodox. Indeed, at least part of the criticisms shared by Browns evaluators resonated inside other franchises. So what were they? A sizable component of Cleveland’s doubt in Wentz came down to game film, a source close to the Browns’ decision to pass told Yahoo Sports. When film rolled, evaluators were looking across the line of scrimmage in North Dakota State games and rarely saw opposing players with even fringe NFL talent. That was a significant concern.

And while Wentz played at a high level in college – and had many of the intangibles coaches look for in quarterbacks – the Browns didn’t see a franchise-changer who was consistently scorching a trail through his season. Often, when evaluators review an NFL prospect at a lower level of college football, they want to see dominance. And if that quarterback is going to be seriously considered for the No. 2 overall pick, they want to see something like Steve McNair at Alcorn State. Wentz was good, but he wasn’t that. He had some injury concerns from college, too.

At least part of that evaluation was already in place by late March, when word began to circulate at the league’s annual meetings in Boca Raton that Cleveland wasn’t overwhelmed by Wentz’s college film. Soon after, other NFL executives began to surmise that the Browns might not select a quarterback at No. 2 at all, a sign that Cleveland’s pick could be had for the right price.

Hue Jackson and the Browns took a hard pass on QB Carson Wentz in the 2016 NFL draft. (AP)

That’s where the Eagles entered, despite having signed Bradford to an extension. After moving to No. 8 overall in a trade with the Miami Dolphins, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman saw an opportunity to make a play for either Wentz or Cal’s Jared Goff, provided the coaching staff saw franchise potential in both players.

As it turned out, the Eagles had high opinions of both. But the personnel staff had liked one of the two players for longer than most – and that player was Wentz. The early driving force was senior director of player personnel Tom Donahoe, whose evaluation on Wentz went through the roof after the quarterback’s junior season at North Dakota State.

While other NFL teams were still getting acquainted with Wentz as a first-round prospect in 2015, Donahoe had already placed an elite quarterback grade on him before the player’s senior season. It wasn’t long before the rest of the Eagles franchise came around, with Donahoe’s voice playing a pivotal role in the ear of both Roseman and team owner Jeffrey Lurie.

[NFL Power Rankings: There have been some changes]

After the Los Angeles Rams moved up to No. 1 for Jared Goff in mid April, it was just a matter of the Eagles hoping the Browns didn’t share their confidence in Wentz. That, and being able to put together the right package of draft picks.

The rest is history – or in this case, prologue to Sunday, when both the Eagles and Browns will get their first chance to see which personnel evaluation was closest to the mark. Both Cleveland and Philadelphia spoke their piece with the shuffling of draft picks and rosters spots.

Now Wentz gets his first opportunity to weigh in – directly, immediately, and sooner than maybe anyone thought.

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Colin Kaepernick expected to move message forward

Colin Kaepernick has his platform. He has the support of the San Francisco 49ers franchise, and the attention of media, the NFL and a sizable portion of the American public.

So, what next?

Kaepernick hasn’t been idle in recent days. Beyond meeting with Nate Boyer – a Green Beret and former Seattle Seahawks long-snapper – Kaepernick has spent this week talking to a few athletes and leaders who have had significant points of social and civic impact over the past several decades, sources told Yahoo Sports. Among them have been former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown, former Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and civil rights activists Dr. Harry Edwards and Dr. Amos Brown.

(AP)

The point of the conversations, according to multiple sources, has been to take what started as a controversial protest and move it into a more active and impactful direction. Kaepernick is seeking to take a step forward from talking about the “why” of his views on social injustice, and move into the “how” of creating progressive resolutions.

What that means hasn’t solidified yet. But it appears to be headed into the direction of more active, goal-oriented dialogue with police departments, social leaders and even legislators. And perhaps with the help of some more NFL players, too.

After Thursday night’s game, Kaepernick told reporters he’d donate $1 million to charities that supported social justice causes. He is scheduled to earn $11.9 million in base salary this season.

“I have to help these people. I have to help these communities,” Kaepernick said.

There have been some behind-the-scenes talks with other players who have entertained supporting Kaepernick in his pregame protest of sitting or kneeling during the national anthem. Niners safety Eric Reid took part a few days before Thursday’s preseason finale against the San Diego Chargers. Both took a knee for the anthem. Elsewhere, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane sat during the anthem before Thursday’s exhibition against the Oakland Raiders. Those numbers could continue to grow.

Kaepernick’s anthem protest may take on some evolutionary phases, too. After speaking with Boyer about the nature of his protest, Kaepernick chose to take a knee during the anthem rather than sit on the bench. He also stood and applauded when there was a second-quarter break in the game and veterans throughout the stadium were recognized for their service.

There is a more pointed goal to the actions Kaepernick is taking now, sources have said. He’s tailoring his message so that it is projecting more directly toward social issues and not simply the symbol of the American flag. That refinement and focus is expected to continue as he seeks out an audience with other influential social leaders and lawmakers.

Whether he ever stands again for the anthem is anyone’s guess. But sources left little doubt about whether Kaepernick is going to continue to push boundaries with his message.

He will. But if the past few days are any indication, he’s preparing to move the focus a little further than a pregame NFL sideline.