RC's Daily Notes 2026: For the Week of 2/2-2/8 (SUN. NFL Awards 2 of 2 and more)

: R.C. Fischer; FreeView; 08 February 2026

RC's daily streaming notes on football, and other, things going on this week...

Just an open page for me to drop notes/ideas/things I'm hearing/seeing/working on or just caffeinated or lack of sleep thoughts on football items to start the days with.

2/8 SUN

(9:09amET)

-- Today’s Agenda…

WATCH THE SUPER BOWL, enjoy this day!

Next week it’s back to...

Working on the next full scouting reports... One of the high rated WRs is on deck...as well as a wild card guy is on the next-up that I stumbled across, we’ll see if he is worthy of a deep study...and more names as I start to knock more of the full reports down now.

Senior Bowl Preview Scouting Reports continue with the few I have left to edit/publish...but we now turn to Combine preview reports as well, as we set sail for that mega important event.

Next Senior Bowl practice notes/report throughout the week as I get some better cut up tape to work with...Senior Bowl game itself report after the final practice reports. No need to rush these things.

Any FFM News & Notes during the day as I get them.

My Jacksonville daily diary at the very end for me recording this journey for future reading/memory and sharing how things are going with everyone.

Holy series ‘QBs 1.0’ is about halfway done...it will publish post-Super Bowl week.

New coaching staff hire’s analysis series...going through the entire staffs...I am working on the framework of how I want to present that. This will be a first ever series (for me) where I go beyond ‘just the new head coaches’.

== NFL HONORS/AWARDS COMMENTARY (Part 2 of 2) ==

There were 9 awards given, I had comments and the voting tallies on the last 5 awards they gave out of the night...today we’ll review the first 4 awards they gave out.

But first, if you missed it...

Here’s a couple examples of how the trainwreck awards night went:

https://youtube.com/shorts/vTQuad12UQc?si=umpeb39FlvopSjdA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/t1d_HSMJG-w

How either of those two people have 7-figure earnings and net worth’s is an example of how happy/fine the population is with being doled out slop...for food and entertainment. And shows how absolutely braindead the NFL is in trying to run/produce anything. Roger Goodell’s regime is the absolute worst, and yet the chief product (on-field football) is so great it sells itself. But in fairness to them, 80% of the public loves slop...so, I don’t know if they are smart and just feeding the 80% or if they are all part of the 80% and don’t know any better?

Enjoy ‘the Big Game’ my 20%ers! Enjoy Bad Bunny at halftime...I know you’re all big fans and your Spotify is loaded with Bad Bunny songs.

Like most corporations, they (NFL mgt) will destroy the golden egg eventually via ‘managing’. It’s only a matter of time, sadly. Probably 10-20 years they’ll start to fall...then it will be up to the new commissioner replacing Goodell to save it, but the NFL hires stooges via the owners -- so, there really is no hope...just hopefully we get another 20 years out this before it happens.

NFL Protector of the Year Award:

Winner = Joe Thuney

FFM POY: I would have given it to Penei Sewell or Tristan Wirfs

Comments on the national voting: All I got was ‘here’s the winner’...no voting details. Well, it’s a start...the O-Line deserves respect of the highest order.

If you think the NFL voters for these things don’t know anything about anything or football, and especially they don’t know defensive players...well then, they definitely have NO IDEA about offensive line play.

I think they awarded it to Joe Thuney as a ‘here’s a guy’s name we heard from the Pats’ Super Bowls, and the Chiefs’ Super Bowls’. If I had to pick a Bears OL to win this, it would’ve been Darnell Wright.

The way they are just now getting to doing an award for OLs...and the lack of fanfare around it lets me know people still have no idea that OL is gonna be (already is) the new ‘everything’ for FF projections and player/team betting. I hope they stay in the dark, so this can be our way to wolf-like sneak into the chicken coup for the next couple of years -- for FF and betting success.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting results

Tetairoa McMillan 41 first-place votes

Tyler Shough 5

TreVeyon Henderson 1

Jaxson Dart 1

Emeka Egbuka 0

FFM OROY: Jaxson Dart

Comments on the national voting: Tet McMillan is awesome; I already knew that a year ago...one of the highest graded WR prospects in FFM’s history. I’m glad for him, but he kinda stumbled into the award via everyone else not having any great, nationally recognized case.

Remember when this was Emeka Ebuka’s award to lose a couple weeks into the season?

Ashton Jeanty not getting consideration is beyond silly.

If Dart hadn’t gotten hurt and the Giants not blown 99% likelihood probability wins every week...he walks away with this with ease.

The fact that Chimere Dike wasn’t even an option is criminal...and was so ‘the NFL voters’.

NFL Defensive Player of the Year:

Myles Garrett (unanimous)

The other listed finalists...

Will Anderson Jr.

Nik Bonitto

Aidan Hutchinson

Micah Parsons

FFM DPOY: Quinton Mitchell

Comments on the national voting: Did I tell you or did I tell you...these people know nothing about defense...they’re all just ‘sack chasers’.

Not one corner on here. Not one DT for consideration. Two of the positions WAY more important than ‘EDGE”...but not to the low/no-information NFL voters.

The NFL voters expertise on the thing they are voting for is like asking long time, strict vegans to all be the only voters on the best burger joints and steakhouses in America for 2025.

Some of the voters have a decent or even good/great grasp on the offensive players...but defense and O-Line, they haven’t a clue.

NFL Assistant Coach of the Year voting results

Josh McDaniels: 17

Vance Joseph: 10

Brian Flores: 8

Vic Fangio: 4

Klint Kubiak: 3

Matt Burke: 3

Robert Saleh: 2

Anthony Campanile: 2

Aaron Kromer: 1

FFM ACOY: Didn’t really think about this award, but my first thought would be that I would give it to LA Rams O-Line coach Ryan Wendell. I bet he got a lot of votes...oh, look = he got none.

Comments on the national voting: I’d like to take every one of these voters and put them on a simultaneous game show and ask them, for a million-dollar prize, to name ten offensive linemen and the teams they play on.

-- Dynasty Owners...

Make sure you’ve read this message: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/6341-2026-conference-playoff-week-daily-news-and-comments-stream-mon-charbonnet-dynasty-kcs-new-o-c-nightmare

AND I’m gonna keep it on here at the end of this daily report every day to have it as a reminder to get through the next 2-3 weeks.

I know you want to storm the castle and make 152 trades right now.

BE PATIENT!!!!! Too many unknowns in the NFL right now to act in a lot of cases, on the big things/thoughts.

*Couple day pause on free agency analysis. We’ll pick back up Monday.*

-- A loaded and bloated free agency class leads to my new daily segment...

(*same intro every day) A new daily segment that will take us up to near the beginning of free agency. I’ll go team-by-team, alphabetically, and list the key players who have contracts that are begging or almost assuredly are gonna get them cut. I’m going to list more of the FF ones of interest, but I will list any interesting IDPs or OLs.

We’re looking at players who...

*Still have some life/name appeal but are late/last year into their contracts and they will either make an excessive amount of money in 2026 or would only cost a minor hit to just outright cut them.

*I will also include guys who are not logical, contractually to cut, but they are hated and expensive and getting cut.

*Some of these guys might work out a new/reasonable deal before getting released, but I want to show the explosion of guys that might hit the market...and there is already a surge of talent in natural free agency, especially at RB...which is gonna turn FF upside down when all these guys have nowhere to go and sign cheap in places that will FF-piss us off.

We’ll list by position, and I’ll put in order of most likely in-demand after getting cut. We’ll build the list daily. You and I might be shocked by the time we complete this exercise...

(intro end)

---------------------------------

Today’s look: Jacksonville

(other notes)

-- Not a lot of CAP space right now and not a lot of contracts to ditch. They don’t have much room to make any free agent moves but they also have Greg Newsome and Travis Etienne as free agents, and Newsome would be the high priority over Etienne.

I think Etienne may move on...unless he has no real heat from anywhere, given this big available RB group for 2026, and crawls back to JAX.

QB:

Joe Flacco (free agent)

Kyler Murray ($47M post-June 1st hit, and $7M hit in 2027)

Kirk Cousins? ($24.6M pay or cut for $25M hit post-June 1st)

Malik Willis (free agent)

RB:

Javonte Williams (free agent, but I highly assume Dallas will sign him long-term)

Rico Dowdle (free agent)

David Montgomery? ($8.4M pay to play 2026 or cut for $4.9M hit, split in half on a past-June 1st cut)

Travis Etienne (free agent)

James Conner ($10.3M keep, $2.3M cut post-June 1st)

Nick Chubb (free agent)

Jerome Ford (free agent)

Justice Hill (3.9M keep for 1-yr or cut for $667k)...enjoy New York.

Joe Mixon ($10M pay to play 2026, or $2M hit to cut)...can he ever play again anyway?

WR:

George Pickens (free agent, but I can’t imagine Dallas lets him go to FA)

Michael Pittman or Alec Pierce

Christian Watson (free agent...but doubtful GB lets him go)

Romeo Doubs (free agent)

Curtis Samuel ($8M pay for 2026, cut for $3.5M)

Christian Kirk (free agent)

TE:

Kyle Pitts (free agent)

Isaiah Likely (free agent)

Evan Engram? ($14M pay for 2026 or cut for $10M hit, which they can maneuver with a post-June 1st cut)

David Njoku (free agent)

Mike Gesicki ($7.7M pay or cut for $4.3M)

Tommy Tremble ($8M pay for 2026 or cut for $2.2M hit post-June 1st)

Other:

OL Braden Smith (free agent)

EDGE Trey Hendrickson (free agent)

CB Greg Newsome (free agent)

========================

-- RC Daily JAX Diary...

(same intro every day)

At the very end of RC’s NOTES, for the next 50-60 days...I will share my little diary of my time in Jacksonville (for those who don’t know) getting radiation treatment for my battle with prostate cancer that I am winning -- I am figuratively off to a big 1st-quarter lead and looking strong into the 2nd-quarter of this football game analogy/cancer battle...but just like the Packers-Bears playoff game...it’s not over ‘til it’s over/we got a ways to go.

I am keeping these daily notes so that I might look back over time at this odd, unplanned event in my life. 40 straight weekdays of radiation scheduled, weekends off, unknown side effects ahead...some short-term, with a somewhat scary risk of long-term effects. It’s gonna be a wild ride.

I’m trying to treat this like a vacation, of sorts. Some people save up for a special trip to Hawaii or a European excursion...I could care less about those things. I saved for a rainy day for my protection...and, well... https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxLdSXQWUapDe0CcQznO8Kuqzht631AnEz?si=MqnycTkzVD5mzPnF

(end of intro)

2/07/26, Day 15 in JAX

9 of 39 radiation treatments done so far. No radiation on weekends.

Two weeks down, 6 more to go.

Saturday was ‘wife day’, he first time escaping the bad weather to come down for a visit... she left for home this morning. She’s gotta get back to work to help keep our health insurance alive. Sorry, babe. ‘For sickness and in health...’

Here was our day in bullet points...

-- First Watch breakfast...I had Strawberry Tres Leche French Toast. Not bad.

-- I scheduled us a pedicure appointment at a really nice local place we could walk to from the hotel. My feet were a mess. I cannot manage my feet anymore...that’s a young man’s game...that’s what I tell myself to enjoy the glory of a great foot treatment and massage. One of the best feelings in my life is the feeling of my legs and feet after a pedicure and massage treatment.

-- CAVA chicken bowl lunch. It was right next to the nail and spa salon, and one of my wife’s favorites...for me, it’s ‘meh’.

-- Giant medically necessary nap for me.

-- Local BBQ place I see all over Jacksonville called Bono’s. I have lived/worked in Arkansas. I have been to Texas a lot. This Jacksonville BBQ was nothing like the kings of BBQ in the Texarkana states. Not even close. Big disappointment. I love Jacksonville, but the non-chain restaurants I've been to here – all have been a letdown.

-- Spent the night playing a game on our iPhones that someone recommended to me...’The Past Within’...2-player game, you play together like an escape room/mystery to solve...but one of you is in THE FUTURE and one of you is in THE PAST and you have to retrieve clues, explore your space for items and communicate things to your partner that means something to them on their screen that is in a whole other time period. If interested in 2+ hours of fun and working on things together -- check it out on the App Store.

We had to stop playing the game after 2+ hours because we were exhausted, and we’re still only 75% done trying to solve this thing. Several frustrating moments we wanted to quit but fought through and stumbled into the solution for that phase.

My daily food diary...

Day 15 food spend = First Watch $15 (just counting mine for my budget). $14 CAVA lunch. $13 special at BBQ place for dinner. $42 total

15-day total food spend = $364...$24.27 per day average...this weekend is gonna be tough on my budget.

----------------------------------------------------------

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2/7 SAT

(7:01amET)

-- Today’s Agenda…

Gonna try to take most of this day off, but I’ve got material/reports to post throughout the day that I completed in the last 2 days. Family coming in this weekend, gonna try to enjoy them!

Senior Bowl Preview Scouting Reports continue with the few I have left to edit/publish...but we now turn to Combine preview reports as well, as we set sail for that mega important event.

Any FFM News & Notes during the day as I get them.

My Jacksonville daily diary at the very end for me recording this journey for future reading/memory and sharing how things are going with everyone.

Holy series ‘QBs 1.0’ is about halfway done...it will publish post-Super Bowl week.

New coaching staff hires analysis series...going through the entire staffs...I am working on the framework of how I want to present that. This will be a first ever series (for me) where I go beyond ‘just the new head coaches’.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- HEADLINE: Rams hired Kliff Kingsbury to their offensive staff. NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news, saying Kingsbury “wants to continue growing as a coach and learn more about what it takes to be a head coach in the NFL again.”

Smart for everybody involved. I wouldn’t want Kingsbury to be my head coach or O-C at this point, but he’s gonna keep gaining experience…and maybe he’ll mature into getting another O-C and HC chance? Having him as the research employee vs. the on-field guy is a good thing, I think. A ‘plus’ for the Rams. Smart for KK to try to slip back to a head coaching job in the future with the ‘I worked for the Rams’ claim he can tote around...like Mike LaFleur.

== NFL HONORS/AWARDS COMMENTARY (Part 1 of 2) ==

There were 9 awards given, I have comments and the voting tallies on the last 5 they gave out of the night...tomorrow I will post my comments/tallies on the first 4.

NFL MVP voting results

1. Matthew Stafford: 24

2. Drake Maye: 23

3. Josh Allen: 2

4. Christian McCaffrey: 0

5. Trevor Lawrence: 0

(Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert received the remaining first-place vote but did not finish among the top five.)

FFM MVP: Didn’t do one specifically for this category, we do the OROY only. My MVP would’ve been Puka over Stafford, or Maye, or Caleb...probably Maye for MVP -- what he did with not as great of blocking.

Comments on the national voting: *Just to get this out of the way...you see the way/lunacy that the HOF voting went, you see the Pro Bowl disaster, and I could go on and on...so when I see THEIR voting for these awards...it’s the same level of media morons and former ____ (players, coaches) who really don’t ‘live’ this or know what they are talking about, 99%+ of them.

They voted Stafford over Maye...I could see either. I like that Stafford got it just because of his age and career. Happy for him. And I’d actually go drink a beer with the voter who voted for Justin Herbert, and I hate beer/never drink. Thank you to you brave soldier! You’re a 1%er.

NFL Offensive Player of the Year voting results

Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 14

Christian McCaffrey: 12

Puka Nacua: 8

Bijan Robinson: 6

Drake Maye: 5

FFM OPOY: Caleb Williams

Comments on the national voting: It’s fine that JSN won, but Puka should’ve been right behind him (if not ahead of him). Puka getting into a little controversy on that podcast late season likely cost him.

Bijan got half the votes of CMC...it’s a total joke. The voting on these two should’ve been flipped if you’re assessing the RBs. Bijan blew all RBs away in total yards from scrimmage.

How is Maye on here but not Stafford?

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting

Carson Schwesinger: 40

Nick Emmanwori: 7

James Pearce Jr: 2

Xavier Watts: 1

Abdul Carter: 0

FFM DROY: I didn’t do a tournament for this, but if I did it would’ve been Schwesinger vs. Watts and Emmanwori...a very close battle that could’ve gone to any of them.

Comments on the national voting: It feels like the voters, who know nothing but know less than nothing about defensive players...aside from ‘Myles Garrett is the greatest’ because ‘sacks’, the voters seemed like they decided this one 3-4 weeks before the end of the season. Schwesinger winning is fine, but it should’ve been A LOT closer for the top 3 vote getters here.

And I’m shocked that the people (the media, and thus the fans) who all worship at the sacks altar...they just watched James Pearce Jr. have an epic rookie sack year, and they all yawned!

NFL Coach of the Year voting results

Mike Vrabel: 19

Liam Coen: 16

Mike Macdonald: 8

Ben Johnson: 1

Kyle Shanahan: 6 (Shanahan had more first-place votes but finished behind Johnson)

FFM COY: Ben Johnson

Comments on the national voting: Vrabel was worthy...and being in the northeast where most of the strong media is helps this, but it’s fine. What’s ludicrous is that Ben Johnson got 1 vote...and that Coen was over Johnson at all. I wonder why all the Bears’ bias in the awards? I thought they’d love and respect his turnaround like the others on here, but I guess not.

NFL Comeback Player of the Year voting results

Christian McCaffrey 31

Aidan Hutchinson 9

Dak Prescott 6

Trevor Lawrence 2

Stefon Diggs 0

FFM CPOY: I didn’t do any voting/analysis on this, but if I had I’d certainly vote for CMC.

Comments on the national voting: Aidan Hutchinson would have gotten my ‘most commercials shot with his time off due to prior year injury’ award. How is that guy in every other commercial? I don’t know what football personality we saw more of this past year...Hutchinson or Megan Trainor (a plant by the Broncos to sing a curse about a knee brace over Mahomes one million times per week on TV until it finally tore his ACL).

-- Dynasty Owners...

Make sure you’ve read this message: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/6341-2026-conference-playoff-week-daily-news-and-comments-stream-mon-charbonnet-dynasty-kcs-new-o-c-nightmare

AND I’m gonna keep it on here at the end of this daily report every day to have it as a reminder to get through the next 2-3 weeks.

I know you want to storm the castle and make 152 trades right now.

BE PATIENT!!!!! Too many unknowns in the NFL right now to act in a lot of cases, on the big things/thoughts.

*Couple day pause on free agency analysis. We’ll pick back up Monday.*

-- A loaded and bloated free agency class leads to my new daily segment...

We’re looking at players who...

*Still have some life/name appeal but are late/last year into their contracts and they will either make an excessive amount of money in 2026 or would only cost a minor hit to just outright cut them.

*I will also include guys who are not logical, contractually to cut, but they are hated and expensive and getting cut.

We’ll list by position, and I’ll put in order of most likely in-demand after getting cut. We’ll build the list daily. You and I might be shocked by the time we complete this exercise...

(intro end)

---------------------------------

Today’s look: Jacksonville

(other notes)

I think Etienne may move on...unless he has no real heat from anywhere, given this big available RB group for 2026, and crawls back to JAX.

QB:

Joe Flacco (free agent)

Kyler Murray ($47M post-June 1st hit, and $7M hit in 2027)

Kirk Cousins? ($24.6M pay or cut for $25M hit post-June 1st)

Malik Willis (free agent)

RB:

Javonte Williams (free agent, but I highly assume Dallas will sign him long-term)

Rico Dowdle (free agent)

David Montgomery? ($8.4M pay to play 2026 or cut for $4.9M hit, split in half on a past-June 1st cut)

Travis Etienne (free agent)

James Conner ($10.3M keep, $2.3M cut post-June 1st)

Nick Chubb (free agent)

Jerome Ford (free agent)

Justice Hill (3.9M keep for 1-yr or cut for $667k)...enjoy New York.

Joe Mixon ($10M pay to play 2026, or $2M hit to cut)...can he ever play again anyway?

WR:

George Pickens (free agent, but I can’t imagine Dallas lets him go to FA)

Michael Pittman or Alec Pierce

Christian Watson (free agent...but doubtful GB lets him go)

Romeo Doubs (free agent)

Curtis Samuel ($8M pay for 2026, cut for $3.5M)

Christian Kirk (free agent)

TE:

Kyle Pitts (free agent)

Isaiah Likely (free agent)

Evan Engram? ($14M pay for 2026 or cut for $10M hit, which they can maneuver with a post-June 1st cut)

David Njoku (free agent)

Mike Gesicki ($7.7M pay or cut for $4.3M)

Tommy Tremble ($8M pay for 2026 or cut for $2.2M hit post-June 1st)

Other:

OL Braden Smith (free agent)

EDGE Trey Hendrickson (free agent)

CB Greg Newsome (free agent)

========================

-- RC Daily JAX Diary...

(same intro every day)

(end of intro)

2/06/26, Day 14 in JAX

9 of 39 radiation treatments done so far. No radiation on weekends.

Two weeks down, 6 more to go.

My wife arrived 9pm this night after a long drive down after leaving early from work. She was held back two weekends ago for the ice storms, then last weekend by the record hometown snowstorms. But she’s here now and I’m going to show her the town today because she has to leave Sunday am. But she’ll be back for Valentine’s Day weekend.

My daily food diary...

Day 14 food spend = HOTEL Breakfast. $12 Chipotle lunch. Random stuff in my room for dinner. $12 total spend today...trying to help the budget along.

14-day total food spend = $322...$23.00 per day average...getting closer to back in the game on my $20 per day goal...but here comes the family this weekend...

----------------------------------------------------------

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---------------------------------

2/6 FRI

(7:28amET)

-- Today’s Agenda…

Senior Bowl Preview Scouting Reports continue with the few I have left to edit/publish...but we now turn to Combine preview reports as well, as we set sail for that mega important event.

Any FFM News & Notes during the day as I get them.

My Jacksonville daily diary at the very end for me recording this journey for future reading/memory and sharing how things are going with everyone.

Holy series ‘QBs 1.0’ is about halfway done...it will publish likely next week.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

I watched the Mike LaFleur (new Arizona HC) intro press conference, and I’ll share a few of the notes I took...

-- I thought LaFleur handled himself well enough...but he just comes off to me as a bit of a fast-talking, educated enough/smart enough guy...but one who thinks he’s smarter than he is...a type of middle manager in a corporation who enthusiastically fast-talks his way to the next level when there’s not a great pool of candidates to choose from and/or no one seems to want the job.

-- I think the ‘last three years I spent with the Rams’ was the centerpiece of LaFleur’s case...why the GM hired him...and what the local media asked him about the most. The phrase ‘last three years I spent with the Rams’ was a drinking game statement...it had at least 5, maybe 10, appearances from all the main characters of this intro press conference.

Like the old Belichick lieutenants...they got promotions for just eating in the same cafeteria as Brady-Belichick.

-- Not one mention of Marvin Harrison.

But also, not one mention of Michael Wilson.

Trey McBride was the only Cardinal mentioned...and it was a media member who brought up his name, and I don’t think LaFleur used it back to answer the question. LaFleur may not have mentioned one player’s name, besides Rams players/Stafford a few times...he wanted you to know what ‘buddies’ he was with Stafford. It’s smart by LaFleur...it got him the job.

-- Now, let me tell you...the Arizona local football press has to be THEE worst collection of ‘media’ in this history of sports media. Nothing but softball questions and leading questions that were pure fanservice and fawning, and almost all of them idiotic. Here’s a word-for-word example of a question asked in this shorter-than-most (time wise) intro press conference...

REPORTER: When you were with the Rams 13 personnel tight end usage was a focal point of the offense. When you look at this opportunity knowing you have a Pro Bowl tight end like Trey McBride, just how excited does that make you and how eager does that make you to put together this game plan?

What kind of question is that? The media gets like 20 minutes to fire off their best questions...and that was a question, and most questions were like that. That was a real question from the media. No one asked about Kyler Murray, or the QB situation...or about Marvin Harrison...or the RB situation...or what he thought of ___ player/s. And LaFleur would have had to work hard to evade answering specifics because he did reference how much he knew about the Cardinals players due to his ‘last three years I spent with the Rams’. But not one press member asked him anything about any current players...except the dopey McBride question.

-- Actually, a press member did politely ask the question of the day/year when it comes to this specific hire...and it should have been the first question by everyone...and credit to the reporter for asking it but shame for tossing it out there and no one never followed up. You could see the sweat glistening off Mike LaFleur as it was being asked, and the GM took over the answering of it...

REPORTER: For Monty it is obviously a somewhat unique background where Mike last called plays three years ago. I’m curious how you weighed kind of your evaluation of his time in New York versus his role in LA and how that all came together for you to land at this decision and kind of how all of that um I guess balanced into your thought process.

The GM’s first line out of his mouth in response (direct/transcribed quote): Yeah. Uh I'd say the way we viewed Mike's uh time in New York was a positive. Um, Mike had its hand in, uh, walking into a tough situation and, you know, the the Jets ran into some some tough things to deal with and I think that is always beneficial when you can see different things in a building.

Um, it was his first chance to call it full-time. Um, and I think that was a positive. Yeah, it probably didn't go the way Mike wanted it to go, but it was a learning experience and he the way he talked us through that and what he gained from that and how he improved from that um was something that we really looked on as something that's beneficial.

And then for him, you know, just to add to his resume and had to just building his profile to spend the last three years uh with the Rams and to learn and to see what they've done and to see how uh coach McVay has ran that program there. Um I think that's all been beneficial. So, you know, really it's not um we didn't look at it uh for Mike as what he's been doing the last three years.

The Um and Uh count were too high to count from the ‘dud’ GM this whole presser.

The State of the Cardinals Union is NOT GOOD.

The Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks must be laughing their arses off.

-- HEADLINE: Cardinals hired former Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator.

If you are wondering how the ‘reach’/desperation hiring of Mike LaFleur might play out in Arizona...is it really as bad as RC is saying? Well...look no further than LaFleur hiring Nathaniel Hackett to be his O-C, which really isn’t anything but a glorified personal assistant, of sorts, when the HC is calling all the plays and designing the offense.

You want coaches the players can respect...I don’t think they’re gonna respect either LaFleur or (and surely not) Hackett. Jacoby Brissett is probably more qualified to be the O-C, and/or the head coach.

LaFleur worked with Hackett with the Jets too. All I need to know is = Mike LaFleur’s closest ally/coach/friend is Nathaniel Hackett, who may be the greatest buddy a buddy ever had...but Hackett was/is a disaster as an NFL coach. And that’s who LaFleur chooses immediately to bring into his fold. Not good.

We’ll break down the new coaching staffs in detail and some FF impacts, probably more 2nd-half of Feb. into March as the staffs get finalized.

-- HEADLINE: The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reports Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will return for next season.

Well, someone actually stayed with the Eagles coaching staff! This might be Fangio just making a wave to get more money for another season. This stops some of the bleeding of the Eagles offseason.

-- And so it begins, like I said it would in my full Fernando Mendoza scouting report...

https://x.com/jasrifootball/status/2018463213323432071?s=43

Whether Mendoza really is good or turns out to be a pretty bad prospect in the end...they (idiot ex-players turned talking heads who don’t have a clue) were always gonna come after him, as they do, and it is starting and now the leak will turn into a flood soon throughout the media.

Nothing we haven’t seen before...but it is like clockwork.

*Tomorrow, I’ll get into all the NFL Honors winners/losers.

-- Dynasty Owners...

Make sure you’ve read this message: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/6341-2026-conference-playoff-week-daily-news-and-comments-stream-mon-charbonnet-dynasty-kcs-new-o-c-nightmare

AND I’m gonna keep it on here at the end of this daily report every day to have it as a reminder to get through the next 2-3 weeks.

I know you want to storm the castle and make 152 trades right now.

BE PATIENT!!!!! Too many unknowns in the NFL right now to act in a lot of cases, on the big things/thoughts.

-- A loaded and bloated free agency class leads to my new daily segment...

We’re looking at players who...

*Still have some life/name appeal but are late/last year into their contracts and they will either make an excessive amount of money in 2026 or would only cost a minor hit to just outright cut them.

*I will also include guys who are not logical, contractually to cut, but they are hated and expensive and getting cut.

We’ll list by position, and I’ll put in order of most likely in-demand after getting cut. We’ll build the list daily. You and I might be shocked by the time we complete this exercise...

(intro end)

---------------------------------

Today’s look: Jacksonville

(other notes)

I think Etienne may move on...unless he has no real heat from anywhere, given this big available RB group for 2026, and crawls back to JAX.

QB:

Joe Flacco (free agent)

Kyler Murray ($47M post-June 1st hit, and $7M hit in 2027)

Kirk Cousins? ($24.6M pay or cut for $25M hit post-June 1st)

Malik Willis (free agent)

RB:

Javonte Williams (free agent, but I highly assume Dallas will sign him long-term)

Rico Dowdle (free agent)

David Montgomery? ($8.4M pay to play 2026 or cut for $4.9M hit, split in half on a past-June 1st cut)

Travis Etienne (free agent)

James Conner ($10.3M keep, $2.3M cut post-June 1st)

Nick Chubb (free agent)

Jerome Ford (free agent)

Justice Hill (3.9M keep for 1-yr or cut for $667k)...enjoy New York.

Joe Mixon ($10M pay to play 2026, or $2M hit to cut)...can he ever play again anyway?

WR:

George Pickens (free agent, but I can’t imagine Dallas lets him go to FA)

Michael Pittman or Alec Pierce

Romeo Doubs (free agent)

Curtis Samuel ($8M pay for 2026, cut for $3.5M)

Christian Kirk (free agent)

TE:

Kyle Pitts (free agent)

Isaiah Likely (free agent)

Evan Engram? ($14M pay for 2026 or cut for $10M hit, which they can maneuver with a post-June 1st cut)

David Njoku (free agent)

Mike Gesicki ($7.7M pay or cut for $4.3M)

Tommy Tremble ($8M pay for 2026 or cut for $2.2M hit post-June 1st)

Other:

OL Braden Smith (free agent)

EDGE Trey Hendrickson (free agent)

CB Greg Newsome (free agent)

========================

-- RC Daily JAX Diary...

(same intro every day)

(end of intro)

2/05/26, Day 13 in JAX

8 of 39 radiation treatments done so far. No radiation on weekends.

Nothing crazy or super memorable happened today. This will be a day known by me (when I look back at these in a few years) for one thing...

I spent the last 2+ weeks trying to get my critical therapies sent to Jacksonville versus to my house. You’d think that’s no big deal...but these are super expensive, super critical therapies that I CAN NOT MISS A DAY OF have all been originally set up to ship to my home, and have gone through an extensive insurance process, etc. -- but now I had to get the addresses switched to be shipped to Jacksonville.

I thought that it would be easy to get them shipped to the hospital, where I go every day, instead of to a hotel...I thought it would be easier and safer. It took a week of the hospital working on it to find out that we couldn’t do that...’insurance reasons’. That wouldn’t be a notable thing except they ship 2-week supplies to me, small shipments for multiple reasons. I’ve been micromanaging this to work ahead/stay ahead of things all along...but now I got my schedule derailed by moving to Jacksonville for 2-months.

So, I had to do what I’ve had to do all cancer-time, which is the worst part of having a real serious medical thing -- I had to take an unpaid part-time job of being my own medical admin half the day. With the therapies, I have to make sure the supplier and the insurance are in alignment, and then the shipping is correct...and then that it didn’t get delivered to the wrong address which would be a crisis I couldn’t fix in time...any disconnect in there would be BAD news for my health and wallet. And then they have to, for insurance purposes, call me before shipping to go over the rules and hazards of the meds, and then go through a wellness check with a therapist. Which are all good things...but takes a lot of time I don’t want to spend. But if I don’t do it, it won’t get done. And if it doesn’t get done and I miss the pills...my life is kinda at stake.

My best warning to anyone with a serious medical thing: When it comes to scheduling, insurance, admin, shipping, all the admin = If you (or someone you trust with your life/admin) don’t do it, it probably won’t get done right, timely, or at all. And in a serious medical situation...you don’t want your life on the line just assuming all the admins connect properly with each other.

So, the notable thing on that front today was -- I got the last of my meds delivered successfully to the hotel today. I was sweating it...had 3 days supply left...was just about to call to freak out, but I got a notice in the morning it shipped...and then the next notice was ‘arrived’ at 11:30am. Whew. That took a lot of time/effort BY ME to get completed.

Can’t wait to do the reverse of all of it when I go back home...

My daily food diary...

Day 13 food spend = HOTEL Breakfast. $5 DQ lunch. Random stuff in my room for dinner. $5 total spend today...trying to help the budget along.

13-day total food spend = $310...$23.84 per day average...I’m not sure I can stick to that $20 per day goal without some more belt tightening. And then this weekend is gonna be a thing when my family comes in.

----------------------------------------------------------

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2/5 THU

(7:11amET)

-- Today’s Agenda…

Senior Bowl Preview Scouting Reports continue with the few I have left to edit/publish...but we now turn to Combine preview reports as well, as we set sail for that mega important event.

Any FFM News & Notes during the day as I get them.

My Jacksonville daily diary at the very end for me recording this journey for future reading/memory and sharing how things are going with everyone.

Holy series ‘QBs 1.0’ is about halfway done...it will publish likely next week.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- HEADLINE: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the Steelers are finalizing a deal to hire Vikings pass game coordinator Brian Angelichio as their offensive coordinator.

I knew the name, he’s been around a long time...but didn’t really know the history. I did some base research on him, which I will show some of it below...but I also noticed (again) -- what is going on Minnesota? People are bailing out of there like crazy? Is KOC cleaning house...or is KOC a problem?

In this case, probably not a KOC problem...Angelichio is getting a big jump up from historically a TE coach to offensive coordinator and assistant head coach in Pittsburgh and he has history working for McCarthy.

Angelichio has an interesting background...

GEMINI’s research notes/comments:

As of February 4, 2026, Brian Angelichio (pronounced an-juh-LEEK-o) has been officially hired as the Offensive Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, marking a significant promotion in his 30-year coaching career. He is reuniting with Head Coach Mike McCarthy to lead a revamped Steelers offense.

Personal Bio & Background

Brian Michael Angelichio was born on December 27, 1972, in Ilion, New York. He attended St. Lawrence University, where he was a four-year starter at outside linebacker (1991–1994) and a standout captain of the baseball team. He later earned his Master’s degree from Ithaca College. He is highly regarded in the league for his adaptability—notably earning praise for "rolling with the punches" in 2019 when his entire position group in Washington was decimated by injuries.

Full Coaching History

Angelichio's career is split between a foundational 16-year run in the collegiate ranks and 14 seasons in the NFL.

NFL Career:

Pittsburgh Steelers (2026–Present): Offensive Coordinator.
Minnesota Vikings (2022–2025): Passing Game Coordinator / Tight Ends Coach.
Carolina Panthers (2020–2021): Tight Ends Coach.
Washington Redskins (2019): Tight Ends Coach.
Green Bay Packers (2016–2018): Tight Ends Coach (under Mike McCarthy).
Cleveland Browns (2014–2015): Tight Ends Coach.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012–2013): Tight Ends Coach.

Collegiate Career:

Rutgers (2011): Tight Ends Coach.
University of Pittsburgh (2006–2010): Tight Ends Coach / Offensive Assistant.
Ithaca College (1996–2005): Rose from Linebackers Coach to Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach.
SUNY-Brockport (1995): Secondary Coach (First coaching role).

Achievements & Player Development

Angelichio is widely considered one of the best "teacher" coaches at the tight end position. His resume includes several high-water marks for individual player performance:

T.J. Hockenson (Vikings): Under Angelichio, Hockenson reached two Pro Bowls (2020, 2022) and set career highs in 2023 with 95 receptions and 960 yards.
Gary Barnidge (Browns): In 2015, Angelichio helped Barnidge explode for 1,043 yards and 9 touchdowns, earning his only career Pro Bowl nod.
Jimmy Graham (Packers): Coached Graham to a 636-yard season in 2018, the second-most on the team behind Davante Adams.
Minnesota Pass Game: As Passing Game Coordinator (2022–2024), he helped the Vikings offense maintain a top-6 ranking in passing yards for three consecutive seasons.

Coaching Tree & Links

Angelichio is a well-connected veteran who bridges several influential coaching philosophies:

The Mike McCarthy Link: This is his strongest connection. He worked under McCarthy in Green Bay for three seasons. In 2026, McCarthy specifically targeted Angelichio to be his "right-hand man" in Pittsburgh, with McCarthy calling plays and Angelichio handling the game-planning and design.
The Kevin O'Connell / Sean McVay Tree: He spent four seasons in Minnesota under O'Connell, one of the NFL’s premier young offensive minds. This tie gives him a background in the "McVay-style" modern passing concepts now being brought to Pittsburgh.
The Greg Schiano Link: Angelichio made the jump from college to the pros by following Schiano from Rutgers to Tampa Bay in 2012.
The Dave Wannstedt Link: He spent five seasons on Wannstedt’s staff at Pitt, giving him deep roots in the city of Pittsburgh long before taking the Steelers job.

-- HEADLINE: Buccaneers hired Indiana co-offensive coordinator Chandler Whitmer as their quarterbacks coach.

Another hire where I don’t know much about the coach’s history. I will share research on this one too, but I immediately thought -- the Bucs have been so good finding the great young QB coaches/O-Cs from other places (Canales, Coen)...is this their next gem? It very well may be.

When you go through his background, you might ask (as I did)...how did he fly under the radar this whole cycle with all the regime changes?

GEMINI research on Whitmer...

Chandler Whitmer | Professional Coaching Profile

Chandler Whitmer (born August 16, 1991) is a rising star in the coaching ranks, currently serving as the Quarterbacks Coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is widely recognized for his work in developing elite quarterbacks at both the collegiate and professional levels, most recently serving as a primary architect of the most successful season in Indiana University history.

Coaching History

Whitmer’s career is marked by a rapid ascent from Power Five graduate assistant to NFL position coach, with significant stops at some of the most prominent programs in football.

2026–Present: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) – Quarterbacks Coach Following a historic college season, Whitmer returned to the NFL to join the Buccaneers' staff under offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
2025: Indiana Hoosiers (NCAA) – Co-Offensive Coordinator / QBs Coach In his lone season in Bloomington, Whitmer served as the most direct coaching influence on the nation’s top-performing quarterback unit.
2024: Atlanta Falcons (NFL) – Pass Game Specialist Working alongside Zac Robinson, Whitmer helped design the passing attack and worked with veteran Kirk Cousins and rookie Michael Penix Jr.
2021–2023: Los Angeles Chargers (NFL) – Offensive Quality Control Whitmer’s first NFL role focused on quarterback development and weekly game planning, contributing to one of the league’s most prolific passing offenses.
2020: Clemson Tigers (NCAA) – Graduate Assistant (Offensive) Assisted the offensive staff during a College Football Playoff run, focusing on the quarterbacks and wide receivers.
2019: Ohio State Buckeyes (NCAA) – Graduate Assistant (Offensive) Gained early experience on a staff that led the Buckeyes to an undefeated regular season and a Big Ten Championship.
2018: Yale Bulldogs (NCAA) – Offensive Quality Control Began his coaching journey in the Ivy League after a brief hiatus from the game following his playing career.

Key Achievements & Notable Pupils

Whitmer has built a reputation as a "quarterback whisperer," having worked with several Heisman finalists and high-level NFL starters:

Fernando Mendoza (Indiana): Whitmer orchestrated Mendoza’s 2025 Heisman Trophy campaign, leading the Hoosiers to a 16-0 season and the CFP National Championship. Under Whitmer’s direct tutelage, Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions.
Justin Herbert (LA Chargers): During Whitmer's tenure, Herbert set NFL records for the most completions, passing yards, and total touchdowns over the first three years of a career, including a 5,000-yard season in 2021.
Trevor Lawrence (Clemson): Assisted with Lawrence during his 2020 Heisman runner-up season, helping lead Clemson to the ACC Championship.
Justin Fields (Ohio State): Was part of the development team during Fields’ dominant 2019 season in which he led the Buckeyes to the CFP.

Coaching Tree & Professional Links

Whitmer is firmly rooted in the modern "pro-style/spread" hybrid tree, with strong ties to both the NFL's premier play-callers and college football's top program builders.

Zac Robinson (Buccaneers/Falcons): Whitmer's strongest NFL link. Robinson, a disciple of the Sean McVay system, specifically recruited Whitmer for both the Falcons and Buccaneers staffs.
Curt Cignetti (Indiana/JMU): Whitmer was a centerpiece of Cignetti’s "reconstruction" of Indiana football, adopting Cignetti's standards for detailed preparation and high-efficiency offensive play.
Ryan Day & Dabo Swinney: His foundational years were spent under two of the most successful offensive minds in modern college football, learning the nuances of high-tempo, elite-talent management.

Personal Bio (Playing Career)

Before moving to the sidelines, Whitmer was a highly-regarded prospect and a multi-year starter at the FBS level.

UConn (2012–2014): A three-year contributor who finished his career ranked 4th in program history in completions (403) and passing yards (5,082).
Butler Community College (2011): Earned NJCAA All-American honors after leading the program to a top-five national ranking.
Illinois (2010): Originally a four-star recruit for the Fighting Illini before transferring to seek more playing time.

-- HEADLINE: Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland announced his time coaching in Philadelphia “has come to an end.”

So, everyone is jumping ship from the Eagles and Vikings, and no one wants to coach for Philly it seems...nor the Browns-Jets-Cardinals. This offseason is wild.

The Eagles ship is REALLY sinking. Their key feature was their O-Line, and it was starting to fall apart in 2025...now their leader/coach is bailing...and this late into the coaching change cycle? Wow.

I’m guessing he met the new O-C, and that must not have gone well...or he expected to be looked at to be the O-C maybe? He is 64 yards old, so maybe he just wants to relax?

If you think the other coach resumes I posted were interesting...I saved the best for last today, literally. This is a MASSIVE loss for the Eagles...MASSIVE.

GEMINI Research notes...

Widely regarded as the greatest offensive line coach of his era, Jeff Stoutland recently announced his departure from the Philadelphia Eagles on February 4, 2026, concluding a historic 13-season tenure that defined the franchise's modern success.

Known for founding "Stoutland University," he is the only coach since the 1970 merger to produce a Pro Bowler in 13 consecutive seasons with the same team.

What is Stoutland University?

"Stoutland University" is more than a nickname; it is the cultural identity of the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive line room. The term was popularized by All-Pro tackle Jordan Mailata—a former rugby player with zero football experience whom Stoutland molded into a star. Mailata famously used "Jeff Stoutland University" as his school during Sunday Night Football introductions.

The "University" represents Stoutland’s unique teaching philosophy, which blends high-intensity demands with deep psychological understanding. He uses a "cold-calling" method (similar to law school Socratic methods) to test players' recall of complex blocking schemes under pressure, ensuring they can process information in milliseconds on the field.

Personal Profile & Bio

Birthdate: February 10, 1962
Hometown: New York, NY (Staten Island native)
Education: Southern Connecticut State (B.S. in Physical Education, 1984; M.S. in Exercise Physiology, 1986).
Playing Career: A three-year starter and All-American inside linebacker at Southern Connecticut State.
Personal: Married to Allison Stoutland, a children's book author. They have two children, Jake and Madison.

Coaching History

Stoutland’s career has spanned over 40 years, surviving three different head coaching regimes in Philadelphia (Kelly, Pederson, and Sirianni).

2018–2025: Philadelphia Eagles (Run Game Coordinator / Offensive Line)
2013–2017: Philadelphia Eagles (Offensive Line)
2011–2012: Alabama (Offensive Line)
2010: Miami (FL) (Interim Head Coach - Sun Bowl)
2007–2010: Miami (FL) (Offensive Line)
2000–2006: Michigan State (Offensive Line)
1997–1999: Syracuse (Tight Ends/Offensive Line)
1993–1996: Cornell (Offensive Line)
1988–1992: Southern Conn. St. (Offensive Coordinator)
1986–1987: Syracuse (Graduate Assistant)
1984–1985: Southern Conn. St. (Inside Linebackers)

Achievements & Career Milestones

Super Bowl Champion: Two-time champion (Super Bowl LII and Super Bowl LIX).
College National Champion: Two-time BCS National Champion with Alabama (2011, 2012).
Pro Bowl Record: He is the only offensive line coach since the 1970 merger to produce a Pro Bowler in 13 consecutive seasons with the same team.
All-Pro Developer: Mentored 5 players to 15 All-Pro honors, including turning former rugby player Jordan Mailata into a premier NFL tackle.
The "Tush Push": Credited as a primary architect of the Eagles' legendary short-yardage play, even consulting with international rugby experts to refine the technique.
Elite Production: Coached seven different Eagles to a combined 27 Pro Bowl nods and 15 All-Pro honors.
Rushing Success: Paved the way for NFL rushing leaders LeSean McCoy (2013) and Saquon Barkley (2024), who both won rushing titles under his watch.
Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman Award (2025): Received this Lifetime Achievement Award from the PFWA for his impact as an assistant coach.

The Stoutland Coaching Tree & Links

Stoutland is often called a "coach of coaches," though his greatest "tree" is the lineage of Hall of Fame-caliber players he mentored.

Jason Kelce: The legendary center credits Stoutland entirely for his career trajectory and 6 First-Team All-Pro honors.
Lane Johnson: Developed from a raw prospect into arguably the best right tackle in football.
Jordan Mailata: The "Dean's List" student of Stoutland University, proving Stoutland's ability to teach the game from scratch.
Alabama Pipeline: Coached first-rounders like Barrett Jones, Chance Warmack, and D.J. Fluker.

YouTube video:

Jordan Mailata's Journey to "Jeff Stoutland University" This video provides a great look at the origin of "Stoutland University" and the incredible transformation of Jordan Mailata under Jeff Stoutland's wing.

-- HEADLINE: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Jets QB Justin Fields declined an invitation to the 2025 Pro Bowl.

When I saw this, after the Shedeur Sanders Pro Bowl happening...and then Bill Belichick doesn’t make the NFL Hall of Fame...and then Roger Goodell hiring a Chief Kindness Officer...I thought to myself -- never doubt my observations and criticisms that the NFL is filled with utter stupidity and run incredibly poorly.

In the last month, the NFL has become a parody of itself.

Yet, the NFL viewership ratings continue to rise...despite itself, so they are neva’ gonna change. It is great TV...greatest TV show there ever was. Instead of paying singers tens of thousands of dollars to do fancy intro songs ahead of Thursday, and Sunday, and Monday night football, I think we could save them so money and just go with this intro to every game: https://youtu.be/iSlmaydj3tc?si=V_zHJD379Hpq4OzD

-- Dynasty Owners...

Make sure you’ve read this message: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/6341-2026-conference-playoff-week-daily-news-and-comments-stream-mon-charbonnet-dynasty-kcs-new-o-c-nightmare

AND I’m gonna keep it on here at the end of this daily report every day to have it as a reminder to get through the next 2-3 weeks.

I know you want to storm the castle and make 152 trades right now.

BE PATIENT!!!!! Too many unknowns in the NFL right now to act in a lot of cases, on the big things/thoughts.

-- A loaded and bloated free agency class leads to my new daily segment...

We’re looking at players who...

*Still have some life/name appeal but are late/last year into their contracts and they will either make an excessive amount of money in 2026 or would only cost a minor hit to just outright cut them.

*I will also include guys who are not logical, contractually to cut, but they are hated and expensive and getting cut.

We’ll list by position, and I’ll put in order of most likely in-demand after getting cut. We’ll build the list daily. You and I might be shocked by the time we complete this exercise...

(intro end)

---------------------------------

Today’s look: Indianapolis

(other notes)

-- Daniel Jones is a free agent, but I don’t see ANY WAY that the Colts don’t sign him to a big deal...or they will TAG him.

-- A big issue at WR: Alec Pierce is a free agent, but Michael Pittman is essentially a free agent of some kind...one year left on the contract for $29M to play 2026 or cut him for $5M. The Colts likely only do a new deal with one and let the other one go. Honestly, I have no idea which way they are going...my guess is Pierce stays and Pittman goes, but it’s just a guess.

-- Overall, the Colts have a CAP space...but they have a ton of starter talent that are free agents that they have to make decisions on...and Jonathan Taylor is gonna want a new deal too, despite his 1-yr remaining.

QB:

Joe Flacco (free agent)

Kyler Murray ($47M post-June 1st hit, and $7M hit in 2027)

Kirk Cousins? ($24.6M pay or cut for $25M hit post-June 1st)

Malik Willis (free agent)

RB:

Javonte Williams (free agent, but I highly assume Dallas will sign him long-term)

Rico Dowdle (free agent)

Davis Montgomery? ($8.4M pay to play 2026 or cut for $4.9M hit, split in half on a past-June 1st cut)

James Conner ($10.3M keep, $2.3M cut post-June 1st)

Nick Chubb (free agent)

Jerome Ford (free agent)

Justice Hill (3.9M keep for 1-yr or cut for $667k)...enjoy New York.

Joe Mixon ($10M pay to play 2026, or $2M hit to cut)...can he ever play again anyway?

WR:

George Pickens (free agent, but I can’t imagine Dallas lets him go to FA)

Michael Pittman or Alec Pierce

Romeo Doubs (free agent)

Curtis Samuel ($8M pay for 2026, cut for $3.5M)

Christian Kirk (free agent)

TE:

Kyle Pitts (free agent)

Isaiah Likely (free agent)

Evan Engram? ($14M pay for 2026 or cut for $10M hit, which they can maneuver with a post-June 1st cut)

David Njoku (free agent)

Mike Gesicki ($7.7M pay or cut for $4.3M)

Tommy Tremble ($8M pay for 2026 or cut for $2.2M hit post-June 1st)

Other:

Braden Smith (free agent)

Trey Hendrickson (free agent)

========================

-- RC Daily JAX Diary...

(same intro every day)

(end of intro)

2/04/26, Day 12 in JAX

7 of 39 radiation treatments done so far. No radiation on weekends.

Wednesdays are for radiation as usual, but then also a weekly quick vitals check and meeting with the nurse and then meeting with the radiation doctor. They really like my progress so far. Doctor called me a ‘model patient’...one that always follows the orders to drink 25+ ounces of water 30+ minutes before radiation and holds it to help them do the radiation better and find all the nooks and crannies where cancer can try to hide.

Two more days until I finally see my family in Jacksonville. They were supposed to come out and help me move in two weekends ago, but the ice storms loomed (and hit), so I left a day early to get here with no delay and they were stuck at their homes.

Last weekend, a local record snowstorm (for that day in history) kept them away.

The longest I have ever been apart from my wife...2 weeks...but that ends Friday night.

My oldest son is coming over Sunday to watch the Super Bowl with me and taking Monday off to stay over Sunday night and then go to my treatment with me Monday to see how it’s all done.

So, I’m getting football material ready ahead for the weekend, because I plan on taking a weekend off for the first time in...I don’t know how long. I’ve barely taken A DAY off since August...including fighting through some of the most brutal sicknesses I’ve ever had to deal with on these hormone therapies when I also got that flu back in late December...I don’t know how I survived NFL Weeks 17-18, but we did. It’s time for a well-deserved non-work weekend...but I’ll have some reports ready to post and a light posting on Sunday (the Super Bowl Sunday should be a national holiday anyway) and I will do my RC morning notes to react to news and other stuff for the mornings.

My daily food diary...

Day 12 food spend = HOTEL Breakfast. $8 McDonald’s lunch. Local wings place for dinner...I was scoping it out for a possible Super Bowl watch with my son. Ehh. Not so much. Maybe if no other Super Bowl options appear. $30 with tip to test them...damn, wings prices are crazy. $38 total spend today.

12-day total food spend = $305...$25.41 per day average...now over my $25 per day revised goal and running away from my $20 per day hoped.

----------------------------------------------------------

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------------------------------------

2/4 WED

(6:57amET)

-- Today’s Agenda…

Working on the next full scouting reports... Ty Simpson I planned to post yesterday, but it will be today. One of the high rated WRs is on deck...as well as a wild card guy is on the next-up that I stumbled across, we’ll see if he is worthy of a deep study...and more names as I start to knock more of the full reports down now.

Senior Bowl Preview Scouting Reports continue with the few I have left to edit/publish...but we now turn to Combine preview reports, as we set sail for that mega important event.

Any FFM News & Notes during the day as I get them.

My Jacksonville daily diary at the very end for me recording this journey for future reading/memory and sharing how things are going with everyone.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- HEADLINE: Giants hired former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy as their offensive coordinator.

Oh, boy. Just when I thought the Giants were gonna get innovative.

It’s not the worst hire I've ever seen. But note that Nagy is a pretty unimpressive offensive mind from what I've seen -- and I'm going back to his Chicago Bears years as head coach, I don't even count the Kansas City Chiefs years because he didn't call any plays and was possibly not any more talented than dreadful offensive mind Eric Bieniemy. Now, the guy (Nagy) with little experience calling an offense, designing an offense...and the guy who's offensive philosophy is probably way out of touch with the current era -- that guy is going to try to get the best out of a young, precocious, very different type of QB (Dart) than Nagy has ever had to deal with/haven control over given Dart’s age and unique skillset.

I don’t really like it...not for Dart, not for NYG. It seems like the wrong coach for these players. A guy like Davis Webb would have been more hopeful, more relatable here. I think the Giants need a younger man/coach who has played the game recently and has a modern offensive philosophy. John’s brother Jim Harbaugh is getting innovative and young with the Chargers. While brother John is going the way that I feared...he's going old school because that's what's comfortable for him. Jim did what John should have done but John doesn't have the total franchise vision that Jim does, regardless of their on-field/in-game action ability to coach/manage a game. A lot of the head coaching job is building an entire franchise (like when Ben Johnson did within months of his arrival), and I don't think John Harbaugh is the kind of guy you can do that with at a high level. He's a mid level head coach. He is, however, better than the owner or the GM for the Giants making decisions, so there is that.

John Harbaugh had a chance to match innovative coordinator with his young innovative/unique/talented offensive weaponry, and he totally went the other direction. I'm sure he's thinking these young bucks need to learn the hard lessons in life from experienced coaches and they're going to have Dart and Nabers waxing on and waxing off the coaches cars in the parking lot -- but Jaxson Dart is already great. He needs a Ben Johnson to try to help take him to the very next level. He doesn't need to be told to do push-ups if he throws an interception type of coaching staff...he doesn’t need the head coach who has been fading for years with a runner-thrower, Dart is a different kind of runner/thrower, better overall QB package than Lamar Jackson ever was. I got a bad feeling about this.

It's not total doom for New York because Dart will probably overcome a mediocre Matt Nagy, but it sure isn't as exciting as Mike McDaniel foregoing many other opportunities to team up with Justin Herbert. A real poor management decision by John Harbaugh. I was hoping John was heading in a new fresh direction but in the end he was who he is...’mid’.

And this is why we had to wait for weeks in the offseason because these coaches and coordinators now weigh so much into the projections of players and offense...Dart, Skattebo, and Nabers take some kind of hit here from what was possible...Wan’Dale may not return now.

Wrong coaching staff for the Giants young talent.

-- HEADLINE: Browns head coach Todd Monken said it’s “TBD” if Shedeur Sanders will start for the Browns next season.

I'm guessing one of the conditions why Monken was hired was that he would give Shedeur Sanders every opportunity to be the starting QB, per management. Now that he's the official head coach, he can start whoever he wants...and what is Browns management gonna do? Threaten to fire him? Give him all of his contract money and send him home early? The Browns couldn't find anybody to coach this team to begin with, so they're reaping what they've sown for many years now with this management team.

I gotta believe Sanders will start Week 1, because who else is there? What quarterback with any legitimate talent and the other options is going to agree to go to Cleveland to join that circus? It won't be a good one/QB with whatever veteran talent Monken can figure out how to bring in. No one with self-respect wants to play for Monken...or the Browns. They are a perfect pairing.

Good luck to Shedeur...this whole franchise is a disaster, especially for QBs.

-- Dynasty Owners...

Make sure you’ve read this message: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/6341-2026-conference-playoff-week-daily-news-and-comments-stream-mon-charbonnet-dynasty-kcs-new-o-c-nightmare

AND I’m gonna keep it on here at the end of this daily report every day to have it as a reminder to get through the next 2-3 weeks.

I know you want to storm the castle and make 152 trades right now.

BE PATIENT!!!!! Too many unknowns in the NFL right now to act in a lot of cases, on the big things/thoughts.

-- A loaded and bloated free agency class leads to my new daily segment...

We’re looking at players who...

*Still have some life/name appeal but are late/last year into their contracts and they will either make an excessive amount of money in 2026 or would only cost a minor hit to just outright cut them.

*I will also include guys who are not logical, contractually to cut, but they are hated and expensive and getting cut.

We’ll list by position, and I’ll put in order of most likely in-demand after getting cut. We’ll build the list daily. You and I might be shocked by the time we complete this exercise...

(intro end)

---------------------------------

Today’s look: Houston

(other notes)

-- Christian Kirk and Nick Chubb are free agents who won’t be back. Joe Mixon surely is getting cut.

-- Overall, the Texans aren’t in bad shape with the salary cap. No major issues to deal with. Most of their contracts are reasonable and most bigger ones are manageable. They have some money to work with in free agency.

-- They will keep C.J. Stroud...they won’t cut or trade him.

QB:

Joe Flacco (free agent)

Kyler Murray ($47M post-June 1st hit, and $7M hit in 2027)

Kirk Cousins? ($24.6M pay or cut for $25M hit post-June 1st)

Malik Willis (free agent)

RB:

Javonte Williams (free agent, but I highly assume Dallas will sign him long-term)

Rico Dowdle (free agent)

Davis Montgomery? ($8.4M pay to play 2026 or cut for $4.9M hit, split in half on a past-June 1st cut)

James Conner ($10.3M keep, $2.3M cut post-June 1st)

Nick Chubb (free agent)

Jerome Ford (free agent)

Justice Hill (3.9M keep for 1-yr or cut for $667k)...enjoy New York.

Joe Mixon ($10M pay to play 2026, or $2M hit to cut)...can he ever play again anyway?

WR:

George Pickens (free agent, but I can’t imagine Dallas lets him go to FA)

Romeo Doubs (free agent)

Curtis Samuel ($8M pay for 2026, cut for $3.5M)

Christian Kirk (free agent)

TE:

Kyle Pitts (free agent)

Isaiah Likely (free agent)

Evan Engram? ($14M pay for 2026 or cut for $10M hit, which they can maneuver with a post-June 1st cut)

David Njoku (free agent)

Mike Gesicki ($7.7M pay or cut for $4.3M)

Tommy Tremble ($8M pay for 2026 or cut for $2.2M hit post-June 1st)

Other:

Trey Hendrickson (free agent)

========================

-- RC Daily JAX Diary...

(same intro every day)

(end of intro)

2/03/26, Day 11 in JAX

6 of 39 radiation treatments done so far. No radiation on weekends.

Nothing major to report for the diary today.

It was a quiet day...and back to 60+ degrees for the high. 70+ degrees projected for today. That’s more like it.

I will note, and I’ve been talking to my family about this...I can feel the wear down happening, physically, from radiation. It’s like I lose 1-2% on my body meter each day. A little more tired...a little more off feeling but not devastating wreckage.

My body has so many hormone-changing meds running through it that my meds-body is slow and/or helpless to fight off things and correct things. Getting the flu at Christmas time set off a 3-week hellscape to my body and mind. My real-body (no meds) never had these issues...and I probably could’ve fought off radiation better if not for all these other lifesaving, cancer-killing meds. I’m not mad at the meds...just noting what they are doing to me (and for me).

But I feel good when I am sitting and working, or sitting in general. I feel good to just sleep when I need to. I feel bad when I have to do any real physical excursion or moving my body awkwardly, like bending down and then rising up too fast. So, I am trying to protect myself from the bad things for me...and I lean into the good. I slept 6 hours overnight last night, a big amount for me...and then took a 3-hour nap midday. Sleep is a huge help in the recovery, so nap life is in full effect!

As great as that sounds...it really changes my day...that’s 2-3 more hours than I usually sleep in a day. I’d rather have the time awake living life, but I know sleep is a big help in all this...and honestly, I can’t hold it off if I wanted to. It just comes on in the afternoon and I can’t stay awake. I’m full of energy from 5-11 pm and 5-8am...I’m dragging or napping 8am-5pm.

Onto hump day which is radiation PLUS my weekly nurse and doctor full check up to see how my vitals are.

My daily food diary...

Day 11 food spend = HOTEL Breakfast. $11 Chipotle lunch...had a reward for free queso, which I got and got my order bagged and took to hotel, opened it up...no queso...grrrr. Sam’s Pizza for dinner (got 3 meals off that $9 pizza from the other day). Publix grocery run for $23.

And speaking off Publix run: I got the new Strawberry Splash Ginger Ale (zero) and that new Tropical 7-up (zero) and A&W Cream soda (zero) to try. We don’t have anything like that back home. This Publix rocks for soda options!

11-day total food spend = $267...$24.27 per day average...close to my $25 per day revised than my $20 per day hoped.

----------------------------------------------------------

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2/3 TUE

(7:52amET)

-- Today’s Agenda…

Senior Bowl Preview Scouting Reports continue with the few I have left to edit/publish...but we now turn to Combine preview reports, as we set sail for that mega important event.

Any FFM News & Notes during the day as I get them.

Working on the next full scouting reports... Ty Simpson is projected to publish later today, to compare him to Mendoza among other things. One of the high rated WRs is on deck...as well as a wild card guy I stumbled across, we’ll see if he is worthy of a deep study...and more names as I start to knock more of the full reports down now.

My Jacksonville daily diary at the very end for me recording this journey for future reading/memory and sharing how things are going with everyone.

HOLY players intro to start the upcoming series planned to post midday or so.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- HEADLINE: Rams HC Sean McVay said “I’m keeping my fingers crossed” that Matthew Stafford returns in 2026.

HEADLINE: Rams HC Sean McVay said Matthew Stafford will not require surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.

We seem to go through this every year...Stafford isn’t sure if he’s back...and his literal back is an issue that plays into that. This will be the year none of us takes any of this remotely serious...which means...’watch out’ for the swerve.

Stafford will be 38.5 this season. He’ll likely use this ‘I’m not sure’ routine to get a better deal out of LAR. Stafford has one year remaining at $48.3M in 2026. There are some ‘void years’ from 2027-2030, but they don’t matter. I bet he’d like to turn his 1-yr/$48M deal into a 2-yr/$60-70M, and then renegotiate that again next year...like he has done for a while now.

Puka Nakua’s FF-value changes radically the moment Stafford is out of the picture. *SEE: Justin Jefferson 2025 with JJM-Wentz-Brosmer.

-- HEADLINE: Broncos promoted pass game coordinator and QB coach Davis Webb to offensive coordinator.

This is the biggest ‘no duh’ of the week. Once Sean Payton fired his long-time O-C, you knew it was for creating a spot for Webb.

But look for Webb to be on the move after this season. All these head coaches that are the play callers...it doesn’t help the young offensive minds get that experience and a resume item.

I bet Joe Brady never reached out to him to be the O-C in Buffalo with Webb’s good friend Josh Allen...Brady does not want to hire a threat to his job.

I would’ve hired Webb, betting on the come, to be the actual head coach if I were the Bills GM/owner over Joe Brady. Actually, I would have hired Brian Daboll first...then Webb as second choice. Josh Allen’s window is only so long...young/first-time head coaches can be tricky and can waste his remaining years. But the Bills took the weak option (hire Brady).

The Bills are getting exposed for being the Canadian Bengals...a bad organization with weak leaders, a mediocre or worse roster outside of QB, and the franchise being propped up by a superstar QB.

What happens if we’re in the era where the QB/the QB differentials don’t matter hardly at all...and it’s all about head coach, system, offensive coordinator, and chiefly O-Line? Mahomes and Allen thrived in the era of ‘QB is everything’. Notice how they fell in 2025...the year everything changed with team dynamics and all QBs are some variation of ‘good’?

-- HEADLINE: NFL insider Josina Anderson reports former Dolphins QB coach and pass game coordinator Darrell Bevell is expected to meet in-person with the Jets for their offensive-coordinator vacancy.

The version of when the Grim Reaper shows up at your door is Darrell Bevell hired by a team to be their O-C.

Run out of Seattle in 2017.

O-C for Matt Patricia in Detroit...then was interim HC there when Patricia was so bad he was fired midseason of his 2nd-year.

O-C for the illustrious Urban Meyer season in Jacksonville, possibly the worst coaching job in the history of the NFL (enjoy your 7-figure paid Fox football analyst!), and Bevell became interim head coach a few weeks into Meyer’s first season.

Bet money that the next (interim) head coach of the Jets is Bevell, if he gets hired, by Week 5-10 in 2026.

-- Dynasty Owners...

Make sure you’ve read this message: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/6341-2026-conference-playoff-week-daily-news-and-comments-stream-mon-charbonnet-dynasty-kcs-new-o-c-nightmare

AND I’m gonna keep it on here at the end of this daily report every day to have it as a reminder to get through the next 2-3 weeks.

I know you want to storm the castle and make 152 trades right now.

BE PATIENT!!!!! Too many unknowns in the NFL right now to act in a lot of cases, on the big things/thoughts.

-- A loaded and bloated free agency class leads to my new daily segment...

We’re looking at players who...

*Still have some life/name appeal but are late/last year into their contracts and they will either make an excessive amount of money in 2026 or would only cost a minor hit to just outright cut them.

*I will also include guys who are not logical, contractually to cut, but they are hated and expensive and getting cut.

We’ll list by position, and I’ll put in order of most likely in-demand after getting cut. We’ll build the list daily. You and I might be shocked by the time we complete this exercise...

(intro end)

---------------------------------

Today’s look: Green Bay

(other notes)

-- Green Bay may be in some trouble. In a bad salary cap situation now, and the contracts they can get out of to save CAP are with mostly key players...which means those key players probably want better deals (Jacobs, Elgon Jenkins, Keisean Nixon, Kraft) and they have several free agents who are helpful but very likely leaving.

QB:

Joe Flacco (free agent)

Kyler Murray ($47M post-June 1st hit, and $7M hit in 2027)

Kirk Cousins? ($24.6M pay or cut for $25M hit post-June 1st)

Malik Willis (free agent)

RB:

Javonte Williams (free agent, but I highly assume Dallas will sign him long-term)

Rico Dowdle (free agent)

Davis Montgomery? ($8.4M pay to play 2026 or cut for $4.9M hit, split in half on a past-June 1st cut)

James Conner ($10.3M keep, $2.3M cut post-June 1st)

Jerome Ford (free agent)

Justice Hill (3.9M keep for 1-yr or cut for $667k)...enjoy New York.

WR:

George Pickens (free agent, but I can’t imagine Dallas lets him go to FA)

Romeo Doubs (free agent)

Curtis Samuel ($8M pay for 2026, cut for $3.5M)

TE:

Kyle Pitts (free agent)

Isaiah Likely (free agent)

Evan Engram? ($14M pay for 2026 or cut for $10M hit, which they can maneuver with a post-June 1st cut)

David Njoku (free agent)

Mike Gesicki ($7.7M pay or cut for $4.3M)

Tommy Tremble ($8M pay for 2026 or cut for $2.2M hit post-June 1st)

Other:

Trey Hendrickson (free agent)

========================

-- RC Daily JAX Diary...

(same intro every day)

(end of intro)

2/02/26, Day 10 in JAX

5 of 39 radiation treatments done so far. No radiation on weekends.

Nothing major to report for the diary today.

The only mildly interesting thing was that I had two new people on the 3-person radiation team today. And everything was going as it usually does. I got up onto the table for the prep to begin. They did all my prep and were wrapping up to leave the room to start the procedure...and I happened to notice Tom Petty on the speaker system. Usually, it’s classical or some soft mood sounds for your relaxation. But there was Petty jamming on. I recalled it was different and liked it...and then two seconds later, as the last tech was leaving the room to go to the control room, he caught ‘the sounds’...and he shouted to me ‘is Tom Petty OK’? I shouted back, ”YES...but maybe this song is a little wild to listen to on a radiation table”...as I hear, ‘Last Dance with Mary Jane...one more chance to kill the pain...’ Not necessarily upbeat for the situation!

But then The White Stripes popped up next in the mix, Seven Nation Army, and everything was cool...except -- how am I supposed to lie totally still while Jack White was making me want to tap my fingers and toes. I held it together to the end. I’m gonna see if I get to choose the music for treatments today!

My daily food diary...

Day 9 food spend = HOTEL Breakfast. $10 Full Sam’s Club Pizza. Sam’s Pizza for dinner. Chocolate Chip Muffin that I love and grab from the breakfast bar when they have them, and squirrel them away...$20 total spend.

10-day total food spend = $233...$23.30 per day average...starting to head back towards my $20 budget per day goal.

----------------------------------------------------------

*How to sign up for our monthly or annual access: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/total-football-advisor

*How to get the free FFM App and FAQs on how to use: https://ffmetrics.com/5663-how-to-get-the-free-ffm-app

*Our Betting Subscription offering (including private Discord chat access): https://ffmetrics.com/betting/betting

------------------------

2/2 MON

(7:22amET)

-- Today’s Agenda…

Senior Bowl Preview Scouting Reports...now turn to Combine preview reports, as we set sail for that mega important event. Basically the Senior Bowl players I still have to work on, especially the late add offensive players.

Next Senior Bowl practice throughout the week as I get some better cut up tape to work with...Senior Bowl game report after the final practice reports. No need to rush these things.

Any FFM News & Notes during the day as I get them.

Working on the next full scouting reports...looks like Ty Simpson, to compare him to Mendoza...one of the high rated WRs...and a wild card guy I stumbled across, we’ll see if he is worthy of a deep study...and more names as I start to knock more of the full reports down now.

My Jacksonville daily diary at the very end for me recording this journey for future reading/memory and sharing how things are going with everyone.

== NEWS & NOTES & Xs ==

-- HEADLINE: Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur as their new head coach.

He’s getting huge credit for Stafford’s MVP season. Really? An offensive coordinator that didn’t call plays...he’s promoted to a big-time job because Stafford and Puka added Adams, and crushed...via Sean McVay. LaFleur was ‘near it’, so I guess that is good enough.

I remember LaFleur from his NY Jets stint as a real offensive coordinator...not good/not attention getting, 2021-2022...but he didn’t have a lot to work with to be fair. They drafted Zach Wilson #2 overall...and Wilson’s failure should fall back on LaFleur, in some respect, but I guess only when he’s around Stafford, as McVay’s high paid secretary/executive assistant is he credited with things.

I don’t get this at all. I‘ve seen some of his press conferences, interactions...and from what I see, I don’t believe it is an NFL head coach/CEO at all. But...let’s see how he puts his staff together and what he does in free agency before totally burying him. Right now, I do not understand this at all.

------------------

GEMINI research and opinion on LaFleur (which nof course leans ‘glowing’ because it reflects the collective nation’s football writer puff...

Mike LaFleur's Coaching Profile:

NFL Career Path

Arizona Cardinals (2026–Present): Head Coach.
Los Angeles Rams (2023–2025): Offensive Coordinator. Under LaFleur, the 2025 Rams offense ranked #1 in both points and yards, helping Matthew Stafford achieve an MVP-caliber season.
New York Jets (2021–2022): Offensive Coordinator under Robert Saleh.
San Francisco 49ers (2017–2020): Passing Game Coordinator. He was a key architect of the offense that reached Super Bowl LIV.
Atlanta Falcons (2015–2016): Offensive Assistant.
Cleveland Browns (2014): Offensive Intern.

College Coaching (2009–2013)

Davidson (2013): Offensive Coordinator/QBs/WRs.
Saint Joseph's (2010–2012): Offensive Coordinator.
Elmhurst (2009): Offensive Assistant (his alma mater).

Coaching Influences & 'The Tree'

Mike LaFleur is a central figure in the most successful modern coaching tree in the NFL, often referred to as the Shanahan-McVay Tree.

Primary Mentors

Kyle Shanahan: LaFleur spent nearly a decade working under Shanahan in Cleveland, Atlanta, and San Francisco. He is considered one of the purest practitioners of Shanahan’s "outside zone" run scheme.
Sean McVay: His three seasons in Los Angeles were pivotal. While Shanahan gave him his foundation, McVay is credited with mentoring LaFleur on the nuances of being a Head Coach and refining his passing game philosophy.
Matt LaFleur: His older brother (Green Bay Packers Head Coach) has been a lifelong influence. The two grew up in a football family; their father, Denny LaFleur, was a long-time assistant at Central Michigan.

The LaFleur Coaching Tree Relations

As a "branch" himself, Mike is part of a massive interconnected web:

Robert Saleh: A close personal friend (Mike was the best man at Saleh’s wedding). They coached together in San Francisco before Mike joined him in New York.
Mike McDaniel: Worked alongside LaFleur for years under Shanahan; they are often cited as the two primary "disciples" who evolved the 49ers' offensive identity.
Raheem Morris & Dan Quinn: Colleagues from his time in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Offensive Philosophy

LaFleur’s "tree" influence is evident in his schematic flexibility:

The Run Game: Utilizes heavy "Shanahan" zone-running schemes to create "illusion of complexity," making different plays look identical at the snap.
The Passing Game: In Los Angeles, he adopted McVay's emphasis on "Duo" run schemes and heavy use of 11-personnel (3 WRs) to stress defenses vertically and horizontally.
Player Development: He has a reputation for maximizing "position-less" players, notably overseeing the record-breaking rookie season of Puka Nacua and the late-career resurgence of Matthew Stafford.

-- HEADLINE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak “intends to try to work out a deal to become the next head coach of the Raiders.”

‘Intends’? ‘Intends to try to’?

Weird language.

There are no other head coaching jobs available now. Kubiak either has no leverage now, per se...or they’ve already worked this out days/weeks ago and they just can’t announce it until after the Super Bowl.

I never want to assume the Raiders do a logical thing, so let’s see.

-- HEADLINE: 49ers hired Raheem Morris as their new defensive coordinator.

BUT I THOUGHT GUS BRADLEY WAS SOOOO GOOD?

This an upgrade for the 49ers defense.

-- HEADLINE: NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports Eagles D-C Vic Fangio’s return for next season “has been uncertain”

I guess we are watching two things in Philly...

1) The fall of the Eagles current ‘Dynasty’ in real-time...coaches bailing, no one wants to take the open spots...AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts fighting each other (figuratively) and both battling team management as well.

So, let me understand -- the Eagles win the Super Bowl...they are the defending Super Bowl champs, remember? They win the last Super Bowl but the QB (that game’s MVP) sucks, and everyone in Philly knows it and it’s time to move on/change and no one wants to coach with the head coach who just coached a team to the Super Bowl? I thought winning a Super Bowl gives you powers of immunity for like 5-50 years?

Not in the new era...you enjoy a Super Bowl title for a few months, and then back to over-realistic expectations to win the thing every year for forever...or face hurtful MEMEs!!!!

2) Nick Sirianni, as a leader/CEO, is now in question...no one has wanted that offensive coordinator job...and now Fangio is thinking about jetting out? And Jonathan Gannon not waiting to see if he could ‘go home’ to be with Sirianni again?

Howie Roseman is losing control of the great thing he had. The NFC East is wide open in 2026.

IT’S ALL JALEN HURTS’ FAULT...that stupid MVP of the big game...how dare he humiliate the ‘chosen one’ Patrick Mahomes!! I wish we would’ve never won the Super Bowl if it meant another year or week with too focused/too dedicated Jalen Hurts, I mean...lighten up, what are you trying to win the Super Bowl or something? Slow down and talk to more people and maybe we might win the Super Bowl...I mean, we did just win the Super Bowl, but that was probably luck overcoming that Jalen Hurts isn’t cool enough for A.J. Brown. I mean our QB can’t even appreciate his lunatic #1 WR who reads books on the sidelines in-game, as everyone laughs?, he reads books in-game in-between other forms of ‘checking out’ and sideline tantrums.

-- HEADLINE: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports former Titans HC Brian Callahan is a candidate for the Giants’ offensive-coordinator vacancy.

Every other day, John is interviewing either a possible nightmare candidate or a fresh/interesting one. It’s gonna be a HUGE fantasy ramification what way Harbaugh goes.

-- Let’s end this section on a lighter note.

No intro, just watch all the way through...

https://x.com/happypunch/status/2017783175867445404?s=43

-- Dynasty Owners...

Make sure you’ve read this message: https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/6341-2026-conference-playoff-week-daily-news-and-comments-stream-mon-charbonnet-dynasty-kcs-new-o-c-nightmare

AND I’m gonna keep it on here at the end of this daily report every day to have it as a reminder to get through the next 2-3 weeks.

I know you want to storm the castle and make 152 trades right now.

BE PATIENT!!!!! Too many unknowns in the NFL right now to act in a lot of cases, on the big things/thoughts.

-- A loaded and bloated free agency class leads to my new daily segment...

We’re looking at players who...

*Still have some life/name appeal but are late/last year into their contracts and they will either make an excessive amount of money in 2026 or would only cost a minor hit to just outright cut them.

*I will also include guys who are not logical, contractually to cut, but they are hated and expensive and getting cut.

We’ll list by position, and I’ll put in order of most likely in-demand after getting cut. We’ll build the list daily. You and I might be shocked by the time we complete this exercise...

(intro end)

---------------------------------

Today’s look: Detroit

(other notes)

-- Detroit doesn’t have much CAP space to start the offseason...and they have some defenders to pay up (or lose), especially Brian Branch.

-- Add David Montgomery to the growing overload of available in trade or free agent RBs. Actually, that growing list likely means there’s nowhere for Montgomery to go really...so a renegotiation (downward) to stay in Detroit could happen...it’s going to happen to many RBs this free agency -- the RB devaluation will be breathtaking in 2026, when you see the contracts and roles many ‘names’ have to accept.

QB:

Joe Flacco (free agent)

Kyler Murray ($47M post-June 1st hit, and $7M hit in 2027)

Kirk Cousins? ($24.6M pay or cut for $25M hit post-June 1st)

RB:

Javonte Williams (free agent, but I highly assume Dallas will sign him long-term)

Rico Dowdle (free agent)

Davis Montgomery? ($8.4M pay to play 2026 or cut for $4.9M hit, split in half on a past-June 1st cut)

James Conner ($10.3M keep, $2.3M cut post-June 1st)

Jerome Ford (free agent)

Justice Hill (3.9M keep for 1-yr or cut for $667k)...enjoy New York.

WR:

George Pickens (free agent, but I can’t imagine Dallas lets him go to FA)

Curtis Samuel ($8M pay for 2026, cut for $3.5M)

TE:

Kyle Pitts (free agent)

Isaiah Likely (free agent)

Evan Engram? ($14M pay for 2026 or cut for $10M hit, which they can maneuver with a post-June 1st cut)

David Njoku (free agent)

Mike Gesicki ($7.7M pay or cut for $4.3M)

Tommy Tremble ($8M pay for 2026 or cut for $2.2M hit post-June 1st)

Other:

Trey Hendrickson (free agent)

========================

-- RC Daily JAX Diary...

(same intro every day)

(end of intro)

2/01/26, Day 9 in JAX

4 of 39 radiation treatments done so far. No radiation on weekends.

Nothing super memorable happened today, a quiet day of work and sleep...and eating.

Two quick notes, so I remember when I look back in the future:

1) So, I woke up at 5:30am...took the dog out at 5:45am...it was SO COLD. I triple layered...but the 15-20 mph winds cut right through it seemed paired with 21-degree temps...’feels like’ less than 10.

How did this happen to me...in Florida? Where is global warming at when you need it?

It will be 72 degrees Wednesday...with a low of 50.

The 2nd item is food related...

My daily food dairy...

2) I made my pilgrimage to Raising Canes...a 25-minute jaunt to see my old friend. When I got there, at 10:30am...there were ZERO cars there. I don’t mean no customers in the drive thru...I mean not one car anywhere in the parking lot or drive thru. Were they closed? Has a Canes ever closed…like permanently from bad business...the internet showed them clearly in business/open. Canes usually people wrapped around the building at eating time. This was a bit early for people to eat lunch -- but NO cars at all? I’m the only freak in all of Jacksonville who eats lunch at 10:30am, when the offer is extended?

I circled the building trying to see lights or humans, and as I made the final wrap around the side...there...right there...I thought I saw a human moving inside, like an episode of some ghost hunter show or scary movie. It was a flash of a human...i think...or was it my mind playing tricks?

No horror story ending...they were open. I’ve never seen a Canes with zero cars. As soon as I ordered and was waiting for the food, then like five cars arrived to the lot + drive thru...I saw the parade as I left with my goods. Perfect timing. And then I drove over to a spot under a tree...and me and my dog ate some Canes. Mostly me. So-so-so good.

Day 9 food spend = HOTEL Breakfast. $11 Canes Lunch. $12 Chipotle dinner...$23 total spend.

9-day total food spend = $223...$24.77 per day average...I’m still off track of my $20 per day avg. goal for this 2-month existence/sentence, but if I decide to boost my budget to $25 per day...I’m right there.

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