The cold showed up fast, and it didn’t even bother knocking.
No complaints here, though, because this Week 11 slate might be one of the best we’ve had all season. This is not a “play Wordle during commercial breaks” kind of Sunday.
(And speaking of Wordle, a true pinch-me moment: I have my own puzzle! And you can, too.)
Darkness falls early now, like a countdown clock from the football gods, reminding us that the Super Bowl is less than 100 days away.
We’ve also reached that point where you can toss a dozen team names in the air and make an argument for any of them to be playing in Santa Clara on Feb. 8.
Look, it always seems to be Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs or Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, but why can’t it be Daniel Jones and the Colts in 2025? Why not Sam Darnold and the Seahawks, or even Drake Maye and the Patriots? Have you watched Matthew Stafford and the Rams lately?
This is the most unexpectedly wide-open Super Bowl race we’ve seen in years.
I’m not a sports gambling expert. But as I first heard my friends Cousin Sal and Bill Simmons note, if the postseason started today, the Chiefs wouldn’t even be in it, yet Vegas still gives them the best odds to win the Super Bowl.
We’re about three weird weeks away from convincing ourselves the Dolphins are Super Bowl contenders.
OK, I’ll stop … let’s not go bonkers. But speaking of the Dolphins, their general manager opening is getting lots of attention around the league, as it’s viewed as an exceptional front office opportunity by seasoned GMs. More on that in the weeks to come.
This is what else I’m hearing on:
- Is Giants GM Joe Schoen really safe?
- Aaron Glenn’s about-face
- Why A.J. Brown is fuming
- The game of the weekend
- Poison pills
- Pump protocol
- Taco talk
Same street, different futures
There’s a street in Bergen County, New Jersey, where one head coach at the beginning of his journey as an NFL head coach lives next door to another at the end of the line. On one side lives Aaron Glenn, the first-year Jets coach, trying to figure out how to respond to a Thursday night loss to the Patriots marred by more bad quarterback play. On the other side is Brian Daboll, just fired by the Giants after not-quite four seasons, now with time to figure out his next move.
Daboll has been settling back into family life since he was fired a few days ago, celebrating his daughter’s birthday and shuttling kids to sports and hobbies. I reached out to the 50-year-old, requesting an interview about his Giants tenure. The 2022 Coach of the Year politely declined, with the sounds of a close-knit family carrying over the phone line.
The high-water mark of his final season in New York came in the fourth quarter against Denver, when Daboll’s Giants had a 26-8 lead with under six minutes left. The lead disappeared, and so did the Giants’ patience. Daboll lasted three more weeks, but I was told that was the turning point.
Over the last week, various coaches, players and agents around the league told me they also reached out to Daboll, wishing him well. Nearly every one of them I spoke with said the same thing: Daboll is a football fanatic who knows the business, and he’s not done. He wants to coach again, but it has to be in the right situation, in a spot that feels like the right fit. Some have floated the idea of him as the future offensive coordinator for the Eagles or the Texans, or, as my colleagues Bruce Feldman and Ralph D. Russo reported, maybe even as the head coach at Penn State, since the school has interest. That’s all just fun fodder for now. There’s no doubt that he’ll be back.
As for the Giants, they already have a shortlist of candidates to replace him, the kind every well-run organization keeps in a drawer for moments like this. Despite the obvious connections to six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick and the organization’s respect for his accomplishments, I’m told he was never on their radar and wouldn’t have been now, something that was true well before his statement Friday night disavowing interest in any NFL jobs. The two sides never had any communication about New York’s vacancy. It wasn’t happening.
I’m also told there haven’t been any serious meetings yet between ownership and GM Joe Schoen about the traits they want in the next head coach, though Schoen is leading the search. He’s on a five-year deal set to expire after 2026, so long-term certainty isn’t guaranteed. Schoen will get a full review at the end of the season, as John Mara and Giants brass evaluate the best course of action for the future of the organization. Still, most around the league think Schoen will be safe because of how highly he’s regarded by ownership.
As for the job itself, it’s going to be coveted. And the reason is simple: Jaxson Dart. There are no doubts in New York: He is the quarterback of the future for Big Blue.
Now, a quick word about the 2-8 Jets head coach …
A fight Aaron Glenn doesn’t need
Sometimes, you don’t need insiders to tell you what’s happening; you can see and hear it yourself. Take Glenn. He is trying to be something, and maybe even someone, he’s not. The first-year head coach has spent the past few weeks sparring with the media, even calling out beat reporters who were covering the Jets long before he ever put on the uniform as a player in the mid-’90s.
Glenn can say whatever he wants with whatever tone he feels at the podium; that’s part of the job. But around the league, he’s known as the opposite of his recent persona. He’s really kind, gentle, even soft-spoken. A man full of joy and so much passion, the same qualities that helped him rise in this profession. Reporters in Detroit praised him for his transparency and energy. No one ever accused him of having a bad attitude.
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has displayed a prickly side this season. (David Butler II / Imagn Images)
But in New York, it feels like Glenn believes he has to come in with his fists up to prove he’s in charge. And that’s the trap when there is pressure. Strength doesn’t require confrontation. You don’t need to pick fights to command respect. The media isn’t trying to bury the Jets, and they’re certainly not after him personally.
We’ve watched plenty of coaches walk into this market and get chewed up by it. And Glenn deserves some grace. He’s learning the same lesson every new Jets coach eventually faces.
Former Jets head coaches like Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, Adam Gase and even Rex Ryan would probably tell him the same thing: New York doesn’t need a fighter. It needs a leader. And if Glenn keeps throwing punches at the wrong people, this city will gladly throw them back. The city of New York, after all, is undefeated.
So what’s A.J. Brown’s problem?
I’ve listened to everything A.J. Brown has said. All of it.
You’ve heard him explain his frustrations with the Eagles’ offense.
“You can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over that and you expect to win later in the year,” Brown told reporters.
There’s no more guessing about whether Brown is happy playing in this offense. He told the world he’s miserable. But why exactly? What’s being said behind closed doors?
After doing some digging and asking people inside the Eagles building, it was explained that multiple offensive players have grown frustrated with Jalen Hurts’ approach this season, particularly against zone coverage. They believe he’s become hesitant in tight windows, leaning on checkdowns or scrambles instead of trusting what’s open downfield.
Philadelphia ranks 30th in pass attempts. The result? Pass catchers become disinterested. Any top receiver I’ve covered in this league has said the same thing: They spend hours getting open. When the ball doesn’t come their way, frustration follows.
Still, this approach comes with a benefit, right? At their bye week last season, the Eagles had the second-most turnovers in the NFL. Now, in their first season under offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, they have committed the fewest turnovers in the league, and Hurts has thrown just one interception all season. They’re also the best red zone team in football. As long as they get there, they figure they’re scoring touchdowns. It’s conservative, but it’s working … to a point.
It’s a talented offense that knows it’s underperforming. This isn’t just Brown venting. The whole unit wants more trust, more communication and maybe a little more edge from its leader.
Against the Lions on Sunday night in Philly, Hurts and the Eagles get their chance to show it.
All eyes on the NFC West
“The Rams are primed for a Super Bowl,” one high-ranking AFC source said. But so are the Seahawks. That’s why Sunday’s meeting might be the biggest game of the season so far.
Historically, Matthew Stafford is a better quarterback in controlled environments, so winning the NFC West and staying at home is the priority for L.A.
Seattle’s story is one of bold moves paying off. Sam Darnold replacing Geno Smith at quarterback and Klint Kubiak supplanting Ryan Grubb at offensive coordinator have turned this offense into a new-look threat.
Head coach Mike Macdonald “deserves credit for pulling the plug at OC,” the AFC source said. “Kubiak has taken them to a new level.”
Meanwhile, Sean McVay is once again dazzling from the sidelines. The Rams are top five in scoring on both sides of the ball, Stafford has 20 TDs and zero interceptions in the past six games and McVay is still only 39 (seriously, how is he not 40 yet?). Remember back in the offseason when the Raiders and Giants were ready to throw big money at a 37-year-old Stafford? Now you see why.
Week 11 is just Round 1, and both of these NFC powerhouses are ready to make their statement.
Poison pill percolations
NFL media went full “Mission Impossible” after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported some delicious new details about the Micah Parsons trade. The phrase “poison pill” was all over my social feeds.
Turns out, the Cowboys and Packers had slipped poison pill language into the deal, with clauses meant to block the teams from trading Parsons or Kenny Clark back into their old divisions.
Such language isn’t new, but it’s rare and always juicy. So, I pulled up two of the most famous cases the league still talks about when these things pop back up.
In 1997, Curtis Martin’s agent quietly reached out to the Jets to gauge their interest in the then-Patriots running back. Enter Bill Parcells, Martin’s former coach, who wanted his guy back and was more than happy to twist the knife into New England while doing it.
The Jets’ lucrative five-year offer sheet included an optional sixth year and gave Martin the ability to void the deal after one season. Even better? The Patriots couldn’t franchise tag him. It left them with two choices: Either match the offer word for word and risk Martin walking a year later for nothing, or let him go … to Bill Parcells.
The drama.
The NFL eventually banned this kind of language in offer sheets, but it still pops up in trades and, fittingly, the Packers used a similar strategy back in 2008 when they sent Brett Favre to the Jets, blocking a potential move to Minnesota.
Favre’s antidote in 2009? You remember: Retirement. (Well, sort of.)
It’s rare, but there’s nothing wrong with a little venom in the paperwork!
No pumps
We’re all adults here, so we can talk about thrusts in a responsible way. My father reads this column, so I’ll keep the jokes clean, too.
Teams are reminding players to keep the thrusting off the field. Some head coaches are actually telling their guys, “No pumps!”
The “Hingle McCringleberry Rule” is officially sweeping the NFL, and somehow, the referees look more confused than the players. No one seems entirely sure how many pelvic thrusts are allowed before a yellow flag flies.
The craze, of course, goes back to the iconic Key & Peele sketch where “Hingle McCringleberry,” a rookie out of Penn State, unveils his touchdown celebration, one thrust, two thrusts … and then the forbidden third. In the sketch, two pumps are harmless fun, while three trigger an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from an exasperated referee. It was all meant to poke fun at the NFL’s quirkiest, most arbitrary rules.
Naturally, the NFL said, “Great idea, let’s adopt that energy.”
Rico Dowdle, right, had at least one pump too many after scoring against the Packers. (Jeff Hanisch / Imagn Images)
Players have been nodding to McCringleberry for years. But the “rule” came roaring back in Week 9 when Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle was penalized and fined $14,491 for his post-touchdown celebration.
His crime? Two thrusts. Perfectly legal in the sketch, but apparently unacceptable in the NFL.
Even Keegan-Michael Key himself had to clarify during a video call with the Panthers, telling the team the league’s version of the rule bears no resemblance to the comedy bit that inspired it. Maybe my favorite part of this situation: Key and his wife, Elle, then donated $15,000 to Dowdle’s GoFundMe, which the running back started to raise money for the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina after getting hit with the fine.
The last I checked, the GoFundMe was already up to $45,000.
I’d say those pumps were worth it, but as one head coach told his team this week, “Any hip thrust is too many.”
And finally, it’s a fitting time of year to start thinking about food, with Thanksgiving less than two weeks away. Giants running back Cam Skattebo is out for the season after that brutal ankle injury, but the man’s personality is still very much active.
While most players spend rehab talking about improvements, pain tolerance and maybe an inspirational quote or two, Cam decided to tackle the big questions.
Recently, he asked the world: “Do you turn your head to eat a taco … or do you turn the taco for you? Like, are you dominant to the taco … or do you turn your head for the taco?”
I had never once considered the power dynamics of taco consumption, but naturally, I made tacos this week in the name of Skattebo Science. And I’m a head-turner.
Get well soon, Cam. The Giants are … a shell of themselves without you.