Washington
NFC East news: The Aiyuk to Washington dream likely won’t be coming true
Commanders reportedly admit defeat in Brandon Aiyuk trade pursuit – Dean Jones, RiggosRag.com
Washington’s dream will not be coming true.
The Washington Commanders have been constantly linked with a trade for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk this offseason. His contract stalemate coupled with the player’s close relationship with quarterback Jayden Daniels left many thinking this would be the perfect landing spot for the prolific pass-catcher. Something that would provide the franchise with a legitimate one-two punch alongside Terry McLaurin.
Adam Peters called his old employers earlier this offseason with an inquiry but nothing concrete emerged. It seemed as if the San Francisco 49ers would work something out with the wideout, but there’s a growing belief that a parting of the ways could be imminent.
Aiyuk’s next destination hasn’t been determined as yet. However, it doesn’t look like the former first-round pick will reunite with his old college teammate.
Commanders reportedly out of the running for Brandon Aiyuk
According to Matt Maiocco from NBC Sports, the Commanders were one of a handful of teams Aiyuk was permitted to speak to about a long-term extension. The reporter added that Washington and the Pittsburgh Steelers are now out of the running, leaving the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots as the most likely trade partners very shortly.
Whether it was Aiyuk’s contract demands or the compensation attached to this transaction remains to be seen. Peters knows how good the wideout is. But if the financial commitment or draft picks required to acquire him didn’t fit into the Commanders’ long-term plans for progress, pulling the plug was always likely.
This will be disappointing to some fans. Perhaps even to Aiyuk and Daniels themselves given how they’ve been joined at the hip almost all offseason.
Nothing has been confirmed one way or another, but an end to this long-running saga isn’t far off. If this report is accurate and the Commanders have thrown in the towel, they’ll have to make do with what they have in the wideout room and hope Daniels can elevate them accordingly.
Daniel Jones explains involvement in Lions-Giants joint-practice scuffle: ‘You try to stand up for guys’ – Nick Shook, NFL.com
A fiery side of Daniel Jones was seen at a joint practice with Detroit.
Joint practices tend to breed animosity. Just ask the New York Giants.
The G-Men found themselves in a few scraps during their Monday session with the Detroit Lions, a day that grew to become so chippy even quarterback Daniel Jones got involved in the fracas.
Jones was eventually pulled from the scrum by a coach, per SNY, but not before he was able to get involved enough to earn some respect from his teammates.
“Oh lord … Daniel got jiggy with it?” Giants edge rusher Brian Burns said after Monday’s practice, per SNY. “Daniel was out there with it? Yeah! I’m [going to] need him to back up. I’m [going to] need him to back up, let his O-line handle that. But yeah, nah Daniel, he’s a competitor man, he’s a fighter. I don’t expect nothing less from him, but I don’t need him in that, I don’t need him to get hit, keep him healthy.”
Jones was asked about the incident afterward and downplayed his involvement.
“I mean, situation happens like that, you try to stand up for your guys but I thought it was a good competitive practice all day today,” Jones said, per FOX Sports. “We made some plays and did some good things, there’s some things we need to [shore] up for sure. But good intensity and competitive spirit there.”
Some coaches despise in-practice fights, because it robs them of quality time intended to improve. But with hot weather and the natural competitive environment of joint practices, so too come some occasional spats.
Execution is the goal. Jones can provide moral support from outside the fight the next time one (inevitably) breaks out.
Saquon Barkley calls 50,000 fans at Eagles’ practice ‘truly insane’ – Alexis Chassen, BleedingGreenNation.com
The Philly fandom is already showing out for Saquon Barkley and company.
For the first six seasons of his NFL career, Saquon Barkley only knew Lincoln Financial Field, and the Eagles fans that fill it, from the visitor locker room. After signing with the Eagles this offseason, Barkley had his first taste of his new home at last week’s open practice, and he was blown away.
Speaking to reporters after Monday’s training camp practice, the running back lauded the environment and expressed his appreciation to the fans.
“That one was crazy, I’m not gonna lie. I already knew how much love this city has for, not only this team, but all the teams around here, but for a practice to have 50,000 is truly insane.
So, thank you to all those fans that came out and showed love and support.
That’s big. It’s helps us as a team, and it makes us want to go out there — you kinda get like a college feel again. Like when I was in college, you don’t want noone to come into Beaver Stadium and get a win there, you get that feel here.”
Barkley said he was shown a lot of love as he exited the home team tunnel for his very first time, and noted that he appreciates how much this team means to the fans.
Washington
Trump’s proposed 250ft Washington arch clears key planning hurdle
Donald Trump’s plans to build a skyline-altering arch in the nation’s capital won initial approval Thursday from a key federal commission, but its members put off a decision on whether a federal law that limits building heights should be applied to this project.
Despite overwhelming public opposition, the National Capital Planning Commission voted to approve preliminary site and building plans for the 250ft (76m) arch the Republican president wants to build on a traffic circle at the Virginia end of the Memorial Bridge from Washington.
The project, one of several being pursued by Trump in his quest to reshape parts of the nation’s capital to his liking, moved a step closer to reality with the vote.
Staff had recommended in its report on the project that the commission grant such approval and request a series of changes so the arch would comply with the Height of Buildings Act. The suggested changes included redistributing the heights among the main structure of the arch, the habitable roof, where an observation deck is planned, and the statues that would top it.
But commissioners, led by chair Will Scharf, voted to continue deliberations on whether the law indeed applies.
The staff report said the commission has long applied the law in its approval process. Scharf said the applicant, which is the interior department, had, as requested, provided a legal analysis that he said makes a “compelling argument” that the law “is not binding on the federal government”.
The interior department oversees the federal land where the arch would be built.
Eight of the 12 commissioners, including Scharf and two others appointed by Trump, voted for preliminary approval. One was against, and the remaining three commissioners voted present.
“This is a complex project,” Scharf said before the vote. He said a vote on final approval could come at the agency’s next meeting, in September.
All 12 commissioners listened to a summary of the staff report and its recommendations, and heard from several dozen people who had signed up to testify about the project.
As the commissioners met, construction continued at the White House on a $400m ballroom Trump is building there and crews draped tarps over the stone columns at the north entrance to the mansion, where work is being done to scrape off layers of paint.
Some of those who testified against Trump’s project opposed building a celebratory arch so close to Arlington national cemetery. Others suggested it would be more appropriate for a neighborhood near the Capitol and sporting venues.
Opponents say the arch is too big and would disrupt the carefully designed view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington national cemetery that was meant to symbolize the reunification of the north and the south after the civil war.
The arch would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99ft (30m) tall, and close to half the height of the Washington Monument, at about 555ft (169m) tall.
Concerns about vehicular traffic and pedestrian safety also were expressed on Thursday. Others insisted that Congress must approve the arch – a position Trump disagrees with.
The US Commission of Fine Arts, a separate federal agency, approved the design for the arch in May. The National Capital Planning Commission oversees construction on federal land in the city and began reviewing the arch plan in June.
Trump had said last year that the arch could be paid for with unused funds from the hundreds of millions of dollars he said he has raised from corporations, donors and other wealthy people to pay to build a new $400m ballroom at the White House.
But, as it turns out, some public money will be used for the ballroom project, as well as the arch. The White House has not released a cost estimate for the arch.
Washington
Washington Commanders are retiring Hall of Famer John Riggins’ No. 44
The Washington Commanders are retiring John Riggins’ No. 44 during the upcoming NFL season, the team announced Thursday.
The Hall of Fame running back will be honored in a ceremony at halftime of the team’s game against the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 8.
“There are certain players whose impact goes far beyond statistics, championships and accolades: They become woven into the identity of a franchise,” controlling owner Josh Harris said in a statement. “John Riggins is one of those players. …Our fans not only admired him, they identified with him. He is authentic, unapologetically himself and deeply connected to the people around him. John has meant so much to this franchise, our fans and the game of football.”
Riggins is the organization’s all-time leading rusher with 7,472 yards and 79 touchdowns on 1,988 carries and helped the team win the Super Bowl in the 1982 season.
The fan favorite nicknamed “Riggo” was the MVP of that Super Bowl for his performance best known for his memorable 43-yard TD run in the fourth quarter that put Washington ahead of the Miami Dolphins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
Riggins is the seventh player to have his number retired by the team, joining Sammy Baugh, Bobby Mitchell, Sean Taylor, Sonny Jurgensen, Darrell Green and Art Monk. Green, Monk and Riggins have all happened since Harris’ group took over from longtime owner Dan Snyder.
Washington
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