Andrew Ortenberg Articles - Page 8

Longtime Broncos owner Pat Bowlen passed away late last week. The family held a ceremony open to the public at Broncos Stadium at Mile High Tuesday, and thousands of people turned out for the event. Attendees were greeted by team CEO Joe Ellis, and then led through a museum-like set of memorabilia that Bowlen had […]

Cashless concessions are coming, and it could be a lot sooner than you might think. Huge events such as the Super Bowl and Wimbledon are considering going cashless, and it’s a wave that is starting to spread. The Baltimore Ravens could be part of this trend. NFL stadiums are starting to flirt with the idea, […]

The New Orleans Saints appear to be inching closer to an extension with receiver Michael Thomas. Negotiations between the two sides are “progressing,” per Dianna Russini of ESPN.com. Russini also adds that “sources say Saints are comfortable making him the highest paid receiver in the game.” It’s not surprising that Michael Thomas is going to […]

The New York Jets are continuing to build their front office, and they made another important move Tuesday afternoon, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. One more big piece to the #Jets new staff under GM Joe Douglas: #Ravens Assistant Director of Pro Personnel Chad Alexander, a respected scout, is headed to NYJ […]

Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen sadly passed away last week, and the Broncos have been debating ways to honor him ever since. There’s been talk that the team could rename their stadium after him, but one thing is for sure. The Broncos have decided to wear orange ‘MR. B’ decals on their helmet next season, […]

Dante Pettis had a very promising rookie season for the San Francisco 49ers in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The 44th overall pick of last year’s draft, Pettis showed major flashes. In 12 games and seven starts, he turned 27 receptions into 467 yards and five touchdowns. He showed major big-play ability, averaging a whopping 17.3 yards […]

A lot was wrong with the Green Bay Packers last season, so Mason Crosby’s struggles flew under the radar. There was dysfunction in the whole organization, and tension between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy that dominated the headlines. The team had so much drama going on the whole year, that not many seemed to notice […]

The Houston Texans made a big splash last offseason when they signed Aaron Colvin. They poached him away from the division-rival Jaguars, and gave him a four-year, $34 million deal with $18 million guaranteed to do so. He was moved from the slot to the outside in Houston, and it’s safe to say the first […]

The Washington Redskins are coming off of a tough year. After Kirk Cousins left in free agency, the Redskins traded for Alex Smith to replace him. They got off to a hot start, racing out to a 6-2 record. They appeared on their way to an NFC East title, but then Smith went down with […]

We finally have a little more clarity on the status of Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley. All offseason, Gurley’s health has been a huge mystery, with conflicting reports flying seemingly every week. Gurley clearly wasn’t himself down the stretch last season, as the Rams increasingly gave C.J. Anderson more and more snaps. There […]

The Green Bay Packers, and specifically Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers, have a big season ahead of them. LaFleur is in his first season as a head coach and is stepping into one of the league’s most storied franchises with a lot on his plate. Rodgers is coming off a down year and needs to […]

The Philadelphia Eagles raised a lot of eyebrows last offseason, when they completely overhauled their medical staff. Now, they’re doing it again. “Arsh Dhanota, the medical director of non-operative sports medicine at Penn Medicine, has been named chief medical officer,” sources told Tim McMahon of ESPN.com. McMahon writes that it’s a newly created position, and […]

Lamar Jackson had a promising rookie season for the Baltimore Ravens, and is looking to build on it. He was an electric playmaker and helped turn the Ravens’ season, but he still struggled with his accuracy throwing downfield a bit. Jackson is taking his mechanics seriously this offseason, and he may be working with one […]

Recently hired New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas has made his first move. The Jets claimed cornerback Montrel Meander off waivers overnight, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Oakland Raiders had cut Meander a couple of days ago. As Rapoport reports, the Jets apparently had competition for Meander’s services. The Browns apparently put […]

Chicago Bears rookie running back David Montgomery is going to have a lot on his plate. The team traded away Jordan Howard this offseason, clearing the way for a lot of playing time. Montgomery will share time in the backfield with Tarik Cohen and potentially Mike Davis or others, but as of right now he […]

Marqise Lee is on the long road to recovery, but he’s not approaching the end of it yet. Speaking to reporters after a recent minicamp practice, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said Lee won’t be ready by the time training camp starts. Marrone also said the team isn’t anticipating left tackle Cam Robinson being ready […]

Earl Thomas has had a rollercoaster of a year. This time last year, the Baltimore Ravens safety was in a contract battle with the Seahawks. Things got very contentious, as the team refused to commit to him long-term. It looked for a while like Thomas’ holdout would cause him to miss regular season games, but […]

The Baltimore Ravens are anxiously anticipating the return of Marquise Brown. We got an update on the rookie receiver today, and coach John Harbaugh hedged a little bit. Harbaugh is “hopeful Ravens rookie WR Marquise Brown will be ready for training camp,” writes Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Garafolo also notes that Harbaugh “says he […]

Jack Easterby is a name you’re going to need to know if you’re a Houston Texans fan. When Easterby was hired after this past season, it didn’t raise too many eyebrows. But the Texans just shocked everybody by firing general manager Brian Gaine, and Easterby is quickly emerging as a power player. Easterby was hired […]

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith is entering the final year of his contract, but he isn’t too concerned about it. There was a lot of talk this offseason that the Ravens would cut Smith, but they ultimately decided to keep him for 2019. “The Ravens know how much I love them, and I know how […]

Chicago Bears stars of past and present got together recently, including Dick Butkus and Roquan Smith. The team was celebrating their 100th anniversary with some events this past weekend, and the two linebackers were able to spend some time together. Smith was asked recently what he and Butkus talked about, and his response was perfect. […]

Aaron Rodgers might be headed into the biggest season of his career. The Green Bay Packers quarterback had a rough year in 2018, as did the entire team. The whole season was clouded by drama, and the dirty laundry spilled out after the year ended. Various media reports indicated Rodgers had a contentious relationship with […]

The Indianapolis Colts and Andrew Luck pulled off something nobody saw coming last year. After starting the year 1-5, they won nine of their next ten to finish the season 10-6 and make the playoffs. They even won a first round playoff game, and became the toast of the league. It was a triumphant return […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger are in an unusual spot. They’ve usually been the talk of the division and favorites to win the AFC North, but this year they’re flying a bit more under the radar. The Browns and Ravens both emerge down the stretch last season, and they’re garnering most of the hype […]

Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans had an undeniably successful season in 2019, but it ended in very disappointing fashion. The Texans won the AFC South but got blown out at home in the first round of the playoffs by their division rival Indianapolis Colts. Watson struggled in the game, which again revived criticism about […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers are finally looking forward to drama-free football in 2019, and they need Ben Roethlisberger and JuJu Smith-Schuster to have big years. They’re the two most important players on the team, and they need to deliver if they want to have a successful first season without Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. Brown and […]

Bad news for the Los Angeles Chargers, Russell Okung is apparently banged up. Chargers coach Anthony Lynn revealed that Okung sat out practice yesterday with an undisclosed injury, per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. When asked if the injury was going to sideline Okung longterm, Lynn said: “we don’t know yet.” It could turn out to […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping for a big bounce-back season in 2019, and David DeCastro will be a big part of that. The Steelers had an undeniably disappointing campaign last year, as the drama surrounding Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown plagued the team. Both Brown and Bell are gone now, and all offseason current Steelers […]

Cameron Meredith still isn’t fully healthy it seems. The New Orleans Saints receiver has had a rough go of it the past couple of seasons, and he apparently isn’t over his knee issues. Meredith is present at the team’s minicamp this week but isn’t participating, per Sean Fazende of FOX 8 New Orleans. Cameron Meredith […]

Thankfully for the San Francisco 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy, but their tight end Garrett Celek isn’t. The 49ers have suffered a brutal stretch of injuries since last year, including Garoppolo’s ACL tear, and Celek is the latest to go down. Celek recently had back surgery, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan revealed after a recent minicamp […]

The Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff had an undeniably successful season last year, making it all the way to the Super Bowl. But their campaign still ended disappointingly, as the offense mustered just three points in a Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. As they look to reset and make it back to the […]

The Oakland Raiders just got announced as this year’s ‘Hard Knocks’ team, which will certainly command the headlines. But the team also has a lot of interesting storylines that are flying more under the radar, including the development of Karl Joseph. The Raiders drafted Joseph in the first round back in 2016, and things haven’t […]

Michael Vick visited the Houston Texans’ facility recently, so Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson got the chance to meet him. Speaking to the media recently at the team’s minicamp, Watson revealed Vick was one of his childhood heroes, so the meeting was extra special. “It was dope to be able to hang out with a longtime […]

Rishard Matthews might be back in the NFL soon. The veteran receiver got a tryout from the New Orleans Saints at their minicamp this week, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Matthews’ situation was a bizarre case, as he went from being a massive part of the Titans’ offense to being released in the blink of […]

Aldon Smith was arrested yet again. The former 49ers and Raiders linebacker was booked on suspicion of DUI on Monday night, per Robert Cronkleton of the Kansas City Star. We haven’t heard Smith’s name in a while, and unfortunately he isn’t emerging under positive circumstances. He’s been arrested several times in the past for DUI, […]

The New York Jets held an introductory press conference for Joe Douglas, officially kicking off the Douglas-Adam Gase era. Throughout the process, Joe Douglas was consistently thought to be the favorite in the team’s pursuit of a new general manager. After the Jets finally announced Douglas, it came out that the former Eagles executive had […]

The New York Jets have officially entered a new era with Joe Douglas. The team’s new general manager initially turned the team down, but they reportedly wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. The Jets upped their offer and got Adam Gase’s preferred candidate. It will be a little while before we can fully judge the […]

Malcolm Jenkins isn’t leaving much room for ambiguity. After staying away from the Philadelphia Eagles’ voluntary offseason activities, Jenkins showed up for mandatory minicamp this week. Speaking to reporters after a practice, the veteran safety “didn’t mince words” about why he stayed away, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. There was speculation that Jenkins […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers, particularly Mike Tomlin, have a big season ahead of them. Last year was a massive disappointment, there’s no denying that. Pittsburgh had a very talented roster but underachieved, collapsing in the final few weeks to miss the playoffs. The Steelers were dealing with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell — and the dramas […]