Less than 48 Hours: Biggest Storylines

Looking at the biggest stories in the NFL so far.

Sep 09, 2020

San Francisco 49ers/YouTube

First off, I want to apologize for the lack of content over the past day or so, been quite busy - but, I’ve got a ton of content hitting soon, so stay tuned for that!

Less than 48 hours to football - It’s been a long ride, a chaotic one, especially with all that is going on outside the mental bubble that the NFL is - but we are here. There is currently 1 player on the COVID-19 list, as there was one new positive test between August 30st to September 5th. Logically, one could deduce that Warner being the only player newly placed on the list and not coming off means… - that one player is Fred Warner, all but confirming that my suspicions were correct, Warner is COVID-19 positive. With less than 5 days remaining to kickoff vs. the Cardinals, Warner’s status looks bleak for Week 1, meaning Dre Greenlaw will need to step up against the talented Cardinals offense, especially with Murray’s scrambling ability.

On the injury front, Aiyuk, Ford, and Bosa look to be active on Sunday, and Deebo has a good chance too, although his status is a little murky. Ben Garland also looks to be available, though he may not start - it’s a gametime decision likely for who will start at center, with Richburg out at minimum till Week 6. If Tom Compton indeed starts, Jimmy G will have a long day ahead of him. That’s all that needs to be said.

If Deebo is out, Bourne and Pettis will need to pick up the slack, especially in the YAC department - If I was Shanahan, I would sit Deebo even if healthy - foot injuries are no joke, and easy to reinjure, and you would not want to jeopardize Deebo’s status for future games.

Around The NFL

In a catastrophic turn of events, Broncos EDGE Von Miller severely injured his foot during practice today, and will need season-ending surgery. A terrible break for the best pass rusher of the past decade - Miller and Bradley Chubb were supposed to be the fearsome duo for the Broncos, but Chubb missed last year with an ACL, now this.
Quinton Dunbar, the troubled Seahawks CB and impact addition, is in hot water after new text messages surfaced that may link him back to the armed robbery case which got DeAndre Baker released from the Giants. Still unlikely that anything happens, as his attorney says that they have not been informed of a change in Dunbar’s case.
DeAndre Hopkins agreed to a self-negotiated extension with division rival Arizona, that keeps him (with a no-trade clause) in Phoenix for the next 4 years. This is a 2 year extension worth 54.5 million dollars; that adds on to his previous contract. He gets a whopping $27.5 million guaranteed, making him the highest paid non-QB in NFL history, but the average salary for Hopkins stays around $18.5 million. A smart deal for both sides - While Richard Sherman may hate that he has to deal with Hopkins now, he is also ecstatic that Hopkins followed the same route of self-negotiation, which in this case worked perfectly.
Kareem Hunt, the disgraced former Chief, signed a 2 year extension with the Browns worth $13.5 million - what does this mean for Nick Chubb?
In more extension news, Alvin Kamara is nearing an extension with New Orleans. The list of massive extensions signed just grows:
- DeAndre Hopkins
- Myles Garrett
- Patrick Mahomes
- Travis Kelce
- Chris Jones
- DeShaun Watson
- George Kittle
- Tre’Davious White
- and many more.

Storylines to Watch this season

Social Justice Initiatives and Protests

With the mass protests sparked by police brutality, many teams have given the green-light, including now the Cowboys, for their players to protest during the national anthem through kneeling; a form of protest that is supposed to also preserve respect for those who have fought for this country. This was started by former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, and while he remains without a job, his influence can be seen. Cowboys are noted because until recently, Jerry Jones was against kneeling.

New Look Bucs

It’s going to feel weird seeing the Bucs in the win column, but for the first time in quite a while, the Buccaneers are contenders, with the greatest QB of all time (Joe Montana may object), Tom Brady, headlining a group of additions that gives Bruce Arians a massive influx of talent.

Salary Cap

With COVID-19 obviously affecting the economy and profits as a whole, how will the NFL Salary Cap be affected. It has already dropped $40,000,000.

Stacked Draft

An absolutely loaded 2021 NFL draft class has talent evaluators salivating. Expect a lot of “losing”, if you catch my drift - this season is already with an asterisk, and already teams like the Jaguars are calling it quits.

Player Availability

With no bubble being created for the NFL, eventually there will be a couple of positive tests - how will the NFL respond? Moreover, with no pre-season and weird practice rules, and more, will players’ conditioning be good enough, especially in the early season and in short weeks?

Saturday Games

With CFB all but cancelled outside of a select few, rumors have floated that the NFL will try to use that wide-open slot, maybe the best weekend spot, to broadcast games.

Stay tuned tomorrow and the day after - lot of content approaching. Go Niners!

Leave a like and comment to support us if you like the article and our content, or if you have criticism, or simply for discussion. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of an in-depth look into Jimmy Garoppolo, where we look at what his issues were last season, and a in-depth look into the Kittle vs. Kelce argument.

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