“No Days Off: AFC North Stays Busy During NFL ‘Vacation'”
The OTAs are far in the rear-view year.
Training camp won’t open until mid- to late July, depending on the team.
To be sure, it’s the vacation part of the NFL calendar year, the only three weeks when there’s usually absolutely nothing going on. There’s a sign on the big door leading into the league office on Madison Avenue in New York. Skewed sideways a little bit, the homemade sign carries a short message that reads, “Gone Fishin’.” Wanna talk to the big guy, Commissioner Roger Goodell? Lots of luck with that. He’s on a beach somewhere, reachable only by carrier dolphin.
But that was then, and this is now — at least this year, and at least in the AFC North. Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your hats, for there is all kinds of big news and, in respects, extremely surprising news. It is a working vacation.
Your Cleveland Browns have announced that they are going to build a domed stadium in Brook Park, near Hopkins Airport, departing the shores of Lake Erie for the first time over. Kickoff is set for the 2029 season. Don’t be late. Traffic will be heavy.
The Cincinnati Bengals are making plans for a massive overhaul of their Paycor Stadium, built in 2000, the year after the expansion-era Browns opened their facility, now known as Huntington Bank Field. But in the here and now, the Bengals have to first figure out how to settle major contract issues with their two best defensive players, veteran Trey Hendrickson and rookie Shemar Stewart, both edge rushers. Without them in uniform, quarterback Joe Burrow and that prolific offense will need to score 60 points for the Bengals to have a chance to win games.
Then there’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers Way — a conservative, sensible, tried-and-true method of doing business that has served the organization well for over a half-century — has apparently gone away, or at least taken a sabbatical to somewhere in Mount Washington. The new quarterback is Aaron Rodgers. He’ll be throwing to new wide receiver DK Metcalf. In practice once camp opens, they’ll both be going against new cornerback Jalen Ramsay. Rodgers has more or less indicated that he will play only one more year, so the Steelers appear to be going all-in this season. But what if this Super Bowl-or-bust approach doesn’t go as planned? Will head coach Mike Tomlin, the prophet who is appreciated everywhere but in his own land, be able to survive the fallout?
Geez, all this moving and shaking in the AFC North during vacation. Imagine what will happen when the work whistle sounds off again.
Steve King
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