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NFL

Goodell: Not avoiding going to Pats' home games

HOUSTON — Roger Goodell has not attended a New England Patriots home game since the NFL handed down penalties to the franchise and quarterback Tom Brady as part of Deflategate but said he’s not avoiding Gillette Stadium.

“If I’m invited back to Foxborough, I will come,” the NFL commissioner said Wednesday at his annual Super Bowl news conference.

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Goodell later was asked whether he’s been welcomed in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

“I have no doubt that if I wanted to come up to a Patriots game and I asked Mr. Kraft, he would welcome me back,” Goodell said. “That’s up to him.”

Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner who has been publicly critical of Goodell’s handling of Deflategate, sat in the front row of the news conference. He was in attendance in conjunction with the league’s announcement that the Patriots will be playing the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City during the 2017 regular season.

Kraft wasn’t available to reporters for comment after Goodell’s address, departing quickly to attend the team’s afternoon practice. He issued a statement later Wednesday through a team representative.

“I’ve talked to a lot of fans who would love to welcome Roger back to Gillette Stadium,” Kraft said. “If we are fortunate enough to win on Sunday, the kickoff of the [2017] NFL season would present the perfect opportunity.”

Goodell attended back-to-back games in Atlanta during the playoffs this year instead of attending the AFC Championship Game. He pointed out that two years ago, he attended back-to-back Patriots home games in the playoffs.

As for how his relationship with the Patriots has changed since Deflategate, Goodell cited “a disagreement about what occurred.”

“We’ve been very transparent about what we think the violation was,” he said. “We went through a lengthy process. We disagree about that. But I continue to respect and admire Robert, Jonathan [Kraft] and the entire organization. They are an extraordinary organization, and they are an extraordinary team, in my opinion. So I have a very deep and close relationship to them.

“But that doesn’t change that we have to compartmentalize and can disagree. But I’ll be honest with you, I have disagreements with probably all 32 of our teams. I’m not afraid of disagreement. I don’t think disagreement leads to distrust or hatred. It’s just a disagreement. You take your disagreements, find a common place and move forward. That’s what it is. It’s not all personal in nature, which I know people like to make it. For us, it’s about making sure we do what’s right for the league long term.”

Asked how awkward the situation is for him with the Patriots and the franchise’s fans, Goodell said, “It’s not awkward at all. … From our standpoint, we understand fans who are loyal and passionate for a team object and don’t like the outcome.

“I don’t expect for one second for people to agree with every decision I make or we make as a league. Those are always difficult, sometimes contentious and sometimes less-than-perfect decisions. But you do them in the best interests in the long-term health of the game and the NFL.”

Asked whether he has spoken with Brady over the last two years, Goodell said he doesn’t disclose those conversations.

NFL

Jets' Marshall: I didn't do good job as leader

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall blames a lack of veteran leadership for the New York Jets’ disappointing season — and he includes himself in that group.

“I don’t think we did a good job, us as leaders in the locker room,” Marshall said Wednesday morning on ESPN’s Mike & Mike radio show. “We have to do a better job. It always comes down to the stars, the leadership. It’s on us and we didn’t get it done.”

The 5-11 season was marked by occasional locker room strife. Marshall and Sheldon Richardson were involved in a heated argument after a Week 3 loss, an incident that created “a dark cloud” for the remainder of the season, cornerback Darrelle Revis said at the end of the year.

Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall is due to make a non-guaranteed $7.5 million next season and may be on the chopping block. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

“I’m not going to sit here and make any excuses and point fingers at younger guys and this or that,” Marshall said. “It comes down to our veterans, the guys who have been in the league six, seven-plus years. We need to do a better job of making sure everyone is in line.”

Coach Todd Bowles is expected to change the chemistry by cutting some high-profile veterans. Marshall, 33, who is due to make a non-guaranteed $7.5 million, is rumored to be on the chopping block.

The Jets are trying to get younger, but they haven’t shut the door on Marshall, sources said. The team is waiting to see how the offseason shakes out before making a decision on the six-time Pro Bowl receiver.

“I’m under contract,” Marshall said. “Until they tell me otherwise, I’m going to continue to present myself as a Jet and try to get [our] team to a Super Bowl.”

Marshall is coming off what he called the worst year of his career – 59 catches, 788 yards and three touchdowns. That, combined with an uncertain quarterback situation, didn’t stop him from an outrageous prediction for 2017.

“I promise you, I’ll be in the top five [among receivers],” Marshall said on ESPN’s “First Take.”

Marshall refused to speculate on who might be throwing him the ball, a departure from last offseason. He lobbied publicly for the team to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose contract dispute with the team lasted until late July.

Marshall said his lobbying efforts “took so much time and energy,” telling Hannah Storm on SportsCenter, “That’s not my job. This year, in moving forward for the rest of my career, I’m out of the personnel department. I’m just focused on catching the football and playing my role, so I don’t know what we’re going to do and I don’t care to know. I just want to catch footballs.”

The Jets have only two quarterbacks under contract, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, neither of whom is proven.

NFL

Prop surprise: Falcons' Beasley as MVP hot bet

Von Miller rewarded bettors by taking home Super Bowl 50 MVP honors at odds as high as 25-1 in Las Vegas sportsbooks last season. Bettors this year are hoping for a similar outcome from a different defensive player.

Tom Brady is the overwhelming favorite to win MVP at 10-11 odds at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, with Matt Ryan the second choice at 8-5.

The odds of Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley Jr. winning Super Bowl MVP opened at 100-1 at Westgate and are now down to 50-1. Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

But the most MVP tickets at Westgate have actually been written on Atlanta Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley Jr., whose odds opened at 100-1 last Thursday and have dropped to 50-1 over the course of betting action this week.

A spokesperson from William Hill US told Chalk in an email that one bettor has a $6,000 wager at 50-1 (which would net $300,000) on Beasley.

Several other long shots are drawing big money at William Hill, including $3,000 wagers on Levine Toilolo and Austin Hooper at 100-1, $1,000 on Brian Poole and Robert Alford at 300-1 and even a $1,000 bet on Falcons fullback Patrick DiMarco at 300-1.

The largest bets at Westgate have been a “few hundred dollars,” according to head oddsmaker Jay Kornegay, on New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount at 12-1. The most money at Westgate has been on Blount, followed by Brady and Dion Lewis at 25-1.

Last year, in Super Bowl 50, Cam Newton was the 5-7 favorite to win MVP at Westgate, followed by Peyton Manning at 7-2.

NFL

Former triple-option QB Matt Ryan has come a long way since national signing day

HOUSTON — A Boston College press release from Feb. 5, 2003, touted the top recruits in the Eagles’ 23-member football recruiting class.

Matt Ryan wasn’t mentioned.

A total of 14 players, including current Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus and current New Jersey-area coach/substitute teacher/trainer Andre Callender, were singled out in the release as key members of a class that ranked as high as 10th nationally. The only quarterback referenced was Paul Peterson, a transfer from Snow Junior College in Utah.

And then there was Ryan, a three-star recruit from Penn Charter in Philadelphia.

“I was a 170-pound, triple-option quarterback,” Ryan said. “So, yeah, I remember being like a three-star guy.”

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is on the verge of being named the NFL’s MVP as he guides his team into a Super Bowl LI matchup Sunday against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Ryan wasn’t the most highly touted recruit, but his rise to a top-caliber NFL talent should be a message to all the players signing national letters of intent Wednesday.

Ryan was recruited by Iowa, Georgia Tech, Connecticut and Purdue before picking Boston College.

“I remember signing,” Ryan said. “It was at my high school. We had a number of different athletes at our school who were signing to go to different places. And it was a fun event. I chose BC because it was an awesome place. It’s a great school. It’s a great place to play football. The city is one of the best to go to college in. There’s so many schools, so many different places you can go hang out. It’s was an awesome place, and I’m glad I made that decision.”

Matt Ryan was a three-star quarterback at Penn Charter in Philadelphia before heading to Boston College. Courtesy of The William Penn Charter School

According to Rivals.com, Kyle Wright was the top pro-style quarterback in the 2003 class, followed by Chris Leak and Tommy Grady. Ryan was ranked No. 25 on a list that also included JaMarcus Russell (No. 5), Brady Quinn (No. 10), Matt Flynn (No. 16), and Super Bowl champ Joe Flacco (No. 39).

“Some different guys, some guys who went to other places,” Ryan said. “It’s not a perfect process, high school recruiting. People develop at different times. Joe [Flacco], obviously, started off at Pittsburgh and ended up at Delaware. He found his stretch and has had a great career. And I feel like I’ve done a good job as well.”

Longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming recalled visiting Ryan in Philadelphia as part of his yearly national tour to highlight the nation’s best players. Lemming said he was high on Ryan throughout the entire process.

“I interviewed him and gave him a really good buildup, but he wasn’t a super-national guy,” Lemming said. “That’s why BC got him. If I go see a kid, I’ve got to like him, or else I wouldn’t have spent the time to go see him.

“He was a passer. He didn’t have great feet, but he was taller with a really good arm. Back then, pro-style guys were in much more demand. Nowadays, you’ve got to run a spread offense for college. But back then, him being a pro-style guy, it didn’t really matter that he wasn’t a great runner. He was a very productive player his last two years of high school.”

Although Lemming was high on Ryan, he never imagined him developing into the player he is today.

“I’m surprised he turned out to be a great one,” Lemming said. “I’m sure I had him higher than a three-star guy, though. The fact that he didn’t have great mobility is probably why I didn’t name him a five-star guy. … The guy in Houston [Brock Osweiler] was a five-star guy for me. But right now, he’s the one playing like a three-star.”

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