Rams CB Jalen Ramsey made his debut yesterday for his new team after being traded on Oct. 15 from the Jaguars, and CBSSN's Brandon Tierney said there is "no doubt the NFL has taken a page from the NBA" in terms of players determining where they will or will not play. In the NBA, it is the "players who run the show, everybody knows it." Tierney: "In the last couple years, we've seen a shift from NFL players trying to steal a page from the NBA: more aggressive in prolonged holdouts and most recently, the Jalen Ramsey situation, absolutely playing the Jags. He got what he was looking for" ("That Other Pregame Show," CBSSN, 10/20).
LATEST ON A.B.: ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported WR Antonio Brown "wants to play as the league continues the personal conduct investigation against him." However, his "grievance against the Raiders seeking a portion" of the $30M in guaranteed money had a "setback in discovery when sources familiar with the case say (Raiders Owner) Mark Davis ... submitted text messages from Brown demanding, requesting, asking for his release." Brown was released by the Raiders on Sept. 7 ("Sunday NFL Countdown," ESPN, 10/20). Meanwhile, CBS' Jason La Canfora noted there is "legitimate interest" from some teams in Brown if they "can't add a receiver" before the Oct. 29 trade deadline. La Canfora: "I believe someone's going to sign him next month unless the NFL intervenes" ("The NFL Today," CBS, 10/20).
CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Fox' Colin Cowherd discussed the tension surrounding NFL officiating with Dean Blandino, the net's rules analyst, and Cowherd said, "There's some outrage over the officiating, especially after the Monday night game. ... Is there too much inconsistency?" Blandino, who served as NFL VP/Officiating from '13-17, replied, "That's always been the question. Coaches can live with missed calls, they understand the officials are human. But they want it to be consistent from game to game, from crew to crew. I think that's the big issue right now: inconsistency across all of the crews" ("Fox NFL Kickoff," 10/20).
