Flag Football, CFL and Making the Most of Football’s Dog Days

How to pass the time as we count the days to the 2018 NFL season

At the time of publication, there are 58 days between now and the official kickoff of the 2018 NFL season. As our own Jenny Vrentas chronicled yesterday, NFL players are doing all sorts of things with their time off before camps start.

But what about the fans? How are you biding your time during these dog days? Sure, there are other sports (hello Wimbledon, and please give us a France-England final), but we still need our football fix. NFL Network aired the American Flag Football League’s semifinals over the weekend, and Seneca Wallace (the ex-Seahawk, Brown and Packer) went off for 330 yards and six touchdowns. On Saturday, “America’s Championship” will be decided and I can already say that I’ll hate myself for watching it, but I’m jonesin’.

There’s also the CFL, and there’s far more to it than Johnny Manziel. Like Hamilton Ti-Cats QB Jeremiah Masoli, for instance, who is keeping Johnny Football on the bench. On Thursday Masoli passed for 333 yards, marking the ninth straight game in which he’s thrown for more than 300 yards, tying a CFL record.

Plus Canada has controversy that would set NFL Twitter ablaze. For whatever reason, the Toronto Argonauts play on a grass field that has turf in the end zone. Edmonton Eskimos receiver Derel Walker could have had a touchdown reception but slipped making the transition to turf, and the pass was intercepted. Every now and then we get a good playing-surface controversy in the NFL (remember the Hall of Fame game?), and the CFL is delivering.

Please, September, hurry up.

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PRESS COVERAGE

1.Jay Cutler is part of Very Cavallari and we are all better with this breakdown of his debut from Melissa Jacobs.

2. Former NFL cornerback Brandon Browner was arrested near Los Angeles over the weekend on a host of charges that include kidnapping and false imprisonment.

3. Kevin Dillon looks at what you can expect from Patriots rookie running back Sony Michel, the first running back taken by the Pats in the first round in more than a decade.

4. Mike Florio details a lot of questions that still surround the exact and immediate future of the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders.

5. The Steelers have 11 wide receivers going into training camp, but it’s unclear who’s going to play in the slot for them.

6. The sale of the Carolina Panthers to David Tepper is now official. Tina Becker, who was elevated to COO in December, announced her resignation shortly after the sale was official—that was not unexpected. Scott Fowler writes that Tepper’s first move as owner should be removing Jerry Richardson’s statue.

7. Speaking of the Panthers, head coach Ron Rivera got a hole-in-one over the weekend. (I’ve heard his wife, Stephanie, is the better golfer between the two.)

8. The NFC North has the best quarterbacks, top to bottom, among the eight divisions, writes Adam Schein.

9.Dwight Clark’s ashes are now resting in a beautiful place in Montana.

10. Let us all remember, on the fifth anniversary of the final release, the real reason why NCAA Football 14 is the last installment of that college football video game.

Have a story you think we should include in the next Press Coverage? Let us know here.

THE KICKER

NBA Summer League is difficult to watch because it’s just not good basketball. It’s a bunch of guys who have never played significant stretches together, often with different motivations, working on different aspects of their games. But it’s still on TV and I still find myself watching it. The NFL has rookie minicamps—I’ve sat through plenty of them as a reporter—and those are just as bad to watch. But would anyone be surprised if the NFL finds a way to televise (and, thus, monetize) certain teams’ rookie camps?

Question? Comment? Story idea? Let the team know at talkback@themmqb.com