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Bugel, architect of the famed Hogs, dies at 80

Former Washington Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel, architect of the famed Hogs in the 1980s, has died, the team announced in a statement. He was 80.

No cause of death was given.

Bugel spent 32 years in the NFL but was largely known for his work in Washington, where he coached the Redskins’ offensive line from 1981 to 1989. He served as offensive coordinator and was an assistant head coach from 1983 to ’89.

Bugel left to serve as head coach of the Phoenix Cardinals from 1990 to 1993. But he returned to Washington in 2004 — when Joe Gibbs returned — and stayed until his retirement after the 2009 season.

The Redskins reached three Super Bowls and won two in the 1980s behind their offensive line. One of their offensive linemen during that stretch, guard Russ Grimm, is in the Hall of Fame, and another, tackle Joe Jacoby, was a finalist three times. Four of Bugel’s offensive linemen made the Pro Bowl a combined 10 times during the ’80s, led by Grimm and Jacoby’s four trips apiece, and the line helped pave the way for four 1,000-yard rushers.

Bugel started calling this group the Hogs in 1982. During a training camp practice, he referred them as “Hogs” when telling them to head to the blocking sled. The name stuck. Gibbs told them, “Once you establish a nickname, you’d better back it up.”

They did. The Hogs did commercials and posters, and their moniker inspired some Redskins fans to dress up as “Hogettes” during games and charity appearances. They became one of the most famous lines in NFL history.

Bugel once said, while coaching the Cardinals, that he would get recognized in airports by people shouting, “Hey, there’s the Hogs coach!”

“Joe had an incredible passion for the game of football,” Gibbs said in a statement. “He came to work every day with such great excitement and his players had tremendous respect for him. The strength of our coaching staff on both sides of the ball was a key reason we had so much success. Bugel was such a big part of that and his impact was felt not only by those Redskins’ teams, but truly across the entire League. I will miss his friendship and I will always cherish our late-night arguments putting together the game plan each week.”

Bugel coached the Cardinals for four years. He then served as the Oakland Raiders’ assistant head coach/offense for two years before becoming head coach for one season in 1997. He coached the San Diego Chargers’ line for four seasons, leaving after the 2001 campaign, and was out of coaching until Gibbs returned in Washington.

“I am absolutely devastated by the news of Joe’s passing,” Redskins owner Dan Snyder said in a statement. “Joe was a larger than life figure and a true legend of his profession. He exemplified what it meant to be a Redskin with his character and ability to connect with his players along with a work ethic that was unmatched.”

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NFL

Jenkins on virus risk: Football 'nonessential'

New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins said the risk surrounding the coronavirus “has to really be eliminated” before he would be comfortable returning to play this season.

Jenkins, a 12-year veteran and member of the NFL Players Association’s executive committee, appeared on CNN on Thursday morning in his new role as a contributor for the network.

Jenkins described football as a “nonessential business.” And he pointed out that “the NBA is a lot different than the NFL because they can actually quarantine all of their players or whoever is going to participate.”

“We have over 2,000 players, even more coaches and staff. We can’t do that,” Jenkins said. “So we’ll end up being kind of on this trust system, the honor system, where we just have to hope that guys are social distancing and things like that. And that puts all of us at risk, not only us as players and who’s in the building, but when you go home to your families. You know, I have parents that I don’t want to get sick.

“And I think until we get to the point where we have protocols in place, and until we get to a place as a country where we feel safe doing it, we have to understand that football is a nonessential business. And so we don’t need to do it. And so the risk has to be really eliminated before we — before I — would feel comfortable with going back.”

On Thursday afternoon, Jeff Pash, the NFL’s executive vice president/general counsel, said the league has advised its teams to expect an on-time start for training camps next month, meaning that for most teams, players will be expected to report no later than July 28 to begin preparing for the season.

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Speaking on a conference call following a virtual meeting of league owners, Pash said that “active discussions” are ongoing about what will happen after that point. Earlier Thursday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, which was scheduled to kick off the preseason schedule on Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio, was canceled.

The league continues to plan for a full regular season, though the landscape is ever-changing as other sports leagues have begun returning to work, with increasing reports of players testing positive for the coronavirus in various sports.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, one of the most high-profile players known to have contracted the coronavirus, also acknowledged that he was concerned about player safety when the NFL returns.

“I just feel like there’s a lot of moving parts that have to be figured out,” Elliott said on a Twitch feed. “I just don’t know how they can keep the players [healthy]. You gotta put the health of the players first.

“And it’s not even so much, I would say, the players’ health — because I got corona, and it really didn’t affect me much. But a lot of people have kids — they may have kids with asthma; they may have newborn babies; their parents or grandparents may live with them. … We have to find ways to make sure that players and their families — and the coaches also and their families — aren’t put at risk.

“Hey, I hope we play. I wanna let you guys know: I do hope that we have a season. But it has to be right. It has to — we gotta put the health of the players and the coaches and the support staff first. I think that’s important.”

NFL

Browns GM Andrew Berry challenges team, fans on social justice

They laid flowers to mourn and to remember.

On the same day the world paid its final respects to George Floyd, more than a dozen members of the Cleveland Browns’ front office gathered to reflect on another life tragically cut short by police.

The life of Tamir Rice.

The group — which included head coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Andrew Berry and executive vice president JW Johnson — spent almost an hour on June 9 visiting the Cleveland park where Rice, 12, was gunned down in November 2014. And as they stood together that Tuesday morning, they recalled where they were the moment they heard that a young Black boy, who had been throwing snowballs and playing with a toy pellet gun, was fatally shot by police within seconds of a squad car arriving on scene.

Five and a half years later, the same types of killings are occurring across America.

Five and a half years later, the same inequities of being Black in America still exist.

And in the wake of the recent killing of Floyd by Minneapolis police, Berry issued a challenge to the Browns organization.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry was touched by how “quickly and aggressively” team employees engaged with the challenge laid out in his call to action. Tony Dejak/AP Photo

Berry, the NFL’s youngest GM at 33, sat in front of his computer on the evening of June 4, typing out his thoughts as best he could. He contemplated everything he had seen taking place around the world.

Images of death. Feelings of despair. The destruction of property. The loss of innocence.

But the more Berry wrote, the more he erased. The words had to be just right. The message had to be clear.

Within a few hours, Berry had woven together nearly 800 words of heartfelt emotion, unfiltered insight into being a father of two young Black sons. A challenge, too.

He pledged to donate $8,460 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund — in honor of Floyd and other recent victims of racial violence, including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and David McAtee — if at least 50 Browns employees would do one of three things:

Although the organization has done plenty, it’s determined to do more.

Players were given the day off on June 9, but Stefanski instructed them to do something good in the community to honor Floyd, whose private funeral was held the same day in Houston. Meanwhile, Stefanski, Berry and other front-office staffers visited the site where Rice was killed.

Nearly six years ago, former Browns receiver

Now, more NFL players than ever are speaking out about police brutality, systemic racism and social injustice after Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police ignited worldwide protests.

Berry said he couldn’t stomach watching the clip showing the final minutes of Floyd’s life.

“Honestly … I-I couldn’t. I can’t watch the whole thing,” he said. “When I see the video, I think about my two Black sons. I think about my brother. I think about my college roommates. People like that, who could be him. … It just resonates a little too personally.”

Fear. Helplessness. Anger.

“Probably, any Black man in America can see himself in that situation,” Berry said. “But I think it’s more the thought of the people that you love and you can’t necessarily control where they are at all times. You can’t protect them. I’m not going to be able to protect my two little boys for life. And I’m sure that’s the same feelings my dad had for me and my brother.”

As one of the only two Black GMs in the NFL, Berry understands the power and importance of his platform. But his status within the league isn’t what prompted him to craft the email to Browns employees, he said.

“It’s more that I want to see tangible, meaningful action around this cause because I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “The thing that struck me is, we’ve had a number of these types of incidents over our history, and certainly within recent history.

“And I think the emotion, the passion, the things that people are feeling now — at some point, the emotion is going to wane some. At least nationally. And the important part is being able to channel that energy into something that’s productive and actionable so that all of these tragedies don’t happen in vain.”

“… the things that people are feeling now — at some point, the emotion is going to wane some. … And the important part is being able to channel that energy into something that’s productive and actionable so that all of these tragedies don’t happen in vain.”

Browns GM Andrew Berry

Berry credited Stefanski and veteran players with partaking in and encouraging dialogue about recent events during team meetings. But Berry didn’t see the same level of collective engagement on the business side of the building.

So he started thinking about it. Then he shared his idea for the email challenge with ownership, Stefanski, chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta, senior vice president of communications Peter John-Baptiste and several trusted colleagues. On the morning of June 5, Berry’s email went out.

The GM recorded his video message to the Browns community. He said he’s not worried about receiving criticism from fans who are frustrated about social justice issues seeping into the sports domain.

“There are some things that are bigger than football. And I think this is one of those things,” Berry said. “To me, this isn’t a political issue. This is a human issue. Eradicating racial injustice is something that everyone should be behind.”

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