For all those fans of the Raiders and Jets who believed in that rebuilding-program message Chris Lindstrom Jersey , their teams have handed them a big “never mind” this week.For fans of the Giants and Steelers, well, maybe that rebuilding tag should be placed on them.During the frenzied two days of “legal tampering” before the NFL’s 2019 business year begins — and even beforehand in Oakland’s case —the future became now for Jon Gruden and Adam Gase. All that talk about setting a solid foundation through the draft and youngsters? A lot of it was just talk.Gruden’s first season in his return as Oakland’s coach was lowlighted by dealing away perhaps his two best players, Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. The word was that having three first-round draft choices this April would provide a strong base for the franchise when it arrives in Las Vegas next year.The magic word now for the Raiders is spend. They are bringing in pro football’s best receiver of the last decade, Antonio Brown, and giving him more than $50 million over the next three years, with $30 million guaranteed.They agreed to a $66 million contract ($36.75 million guaranteed) with left tackle Trent Brown, whose blocking not only filled a void in New England but helped the Patriots to another championship. And the Raiders will be paying $42 million over four years for safety Lamarcus Joyner .These are not negative moves. If Trent Brown plays the way he did protecting Tom Brady, Derek Carr will do a lot more smiling. Having Antonio Brown as a target — until the wideout begins complaining he isn’t getting enough action — also will bring a wide grin to Carr’s face. And Joyner is better than nearly all of Oakland’s defenders.But when did the frugality that cost them Mack, arguably the NFL’s best defensive player, and the long-range plan that led to Cooper’s departure turn into opening the vault so wide?At least the Jets were more transparent in their approach . They believe they found their franchise quarterback last spring when they drafted Sam Darnold, and they had been pointing to the 2019 offseason — and more than $82 million of cap space — to fill in holes.Still, their spending spree also indicates they’ve become impatient in pursuit of a turnaround in a division where, frankly, combining the rosters of the Jets http://www.falconscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-kaleb-mcgary-jersey , Bills and Dolphins might not provide a team capable of knocking the Patriots from their throne.New York’s additions should help lift the Jets from the depths of the AFC, though. C.J. Mosley is a quality linebacker who was overshadowed by Terrell Suggs and Eric Weddle in Baltimore. He gets a monstrous deal of $85 million over five years, with $51 guaranteed. Such money means the Jets expect to get an All-Pro caliber player.The Jets also dived into the receivers pool, but not like the Raiders and Browns did. Adding Jamison Crowder and Josh Bellamy bolsters a mediocre pass-catching corps, but not significantly.Where the Jets are making a huge step toward respectability is bringing in Le’Veon Bell , the best player in this crop and exactly the kind of weapon Darnold needs to help his development. Yes, there are concerns Bell could be rusty, and he’s one wrong off-field move away from a lengthy league suspension. He’s also the right fit for a club whose best recent successes came with high-quality running backs such as Hall of Famers Curtis Martin and LaDainian Tomlinson and the dependable Thomas Jones.With Bell in the Meadowlands and Brown in the Bay Area, the Steelers have taken some huge hits. Their streakiness won’t disappear as they retool, and there are question marks throughout their roster.As for the Giants, the furor over the departures of two of their three best players, Beckham and Landon Collins — he went to division-rival Washington — already is intense. It will grow until the draft, when perhaps the team’s fans will calm down should New York land its replacement for 38-year-old quarterback Eli Manning.This question lingers, though: Why re-sign Beckham last year, making him the highest-paid wideout in NFL history Kendall Sheffield Jersey , then make this deal? Perhaps the Giants saw how Brown maneuvered his way out of Pittsburgh for less than equal value and feared a disgruntled Beckham would try the same.Regardless, it certainly seems off-kilter that the folks who wear green to MetLife Stadium are being praised, and those who wear blue are being excoriated. NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL is sticking with its officiating emphasis on quarterback hits, including those in which the tackler uses all or most of his body weight when falling on the quarterback.NFL football operations chief Troy Vincent said Thursday that the powerful competition committee has clarified to game officials the techniques used in such hits, which have been a source of debate through the first three weeks of the schedule. Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews has been called for three of them, two of which appeared to be normal tackles.A lack of consistency on such calls also has been a source of contention throughout the league.In its regularly scheduled conference call, the committee reviewed video of such plays from 2017 and this year.“In reiterating its position on quarterback protection,” Vincent says, “the committee determined there would be no changes to the point of emphasis approved this spring, or to the rule of which the body weight provision has been in place since 1995.”The inconsistency led Matthews to suggest the league has gone soft. He argued that what constitutes a clean hit is anybody’s guess nowadays.“I don’t know if that statement really expresses how they’re going to call it moving forward,” he said Thursday, adding if it will be status quo, “If that’s the case, that’s truly unfortunate because I think I speak on behalf of everybody that doesn’t like the rule and the way it’s being called and the way it’s being officiated.” Furthermore after seeing the video, too http://www.falconscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-john-cominsky-jersey , all hits on the quarterback that came from straight on — which is what they teach you since peewee football with running backs, receivers or whatever, is to approach them head on if you can — those were all illegal hits, much like the two hits I had on Cousins and (Alex) Smith last week, which were conveniently left out of the video.”Compounding the complaints: Dolphins DE William Hayes tore his right ACL trying to avoid landing on Raiders QB Derek Carr.“He was trying to not put body weight on the quarterback,” coach Adam Gase said of Hayes. “His foot got caught in the ground.“He’s one of our leaders and best run defender. That’s going to be a tough one for us to swallow.”Many of the calls have been difficult for defensive players and their coaches to swallow, and they’ve even gotten some support from quarterbacks.“It helps me out because I’m a quarterback,” said Deshaun Watson of the Texans. “But some of the calls are just kind of crazy.”The competition committee’s decision to remain with the status quo doesn’t mean there will continue to be a flurry of such penalties. By clarifying the technique, the league is attempting to find some uniformity in the calls.“I think we all have felt like it’s all gone a little bit too far,” said Fox analyst Mike Pereira, the former head of NFL officials. “But I think it’ll seek a level that will get it back in sync with what the players think and what we all think.“You know any time you put a new point of emphasis in, there’s a point of adjustment to the players and the officials … so again, an adjustment by both groups, the players and the officials.”There have been 34 roughing-the-passer calls so far. While that works out to just one flag for every 100 pass attempts, it represents a massive increase over previous years. There were 16 such penalties through three weeks last season and 20 the year before that.Browns defensive end Myles Garrett Qadree Ollison Jersey , the top overall pick in the 2017 draft who had a roughing penalty in Week 1 rescinded by the league, sympathizes with Matthews and fellow defenders.“It’s ridiculous,” he said Thursday. “I feel bad for Clay Matthews. He just can’t win at this point right now. I mean I’m going to take them down how I have to. I saw what happened with Willie Hayes and that was, I wouldn’t say depressing, but it was sad to see him doing his best to abide by the rules and get hurt.”Garrett added he wouldn’t risk injury to ” lay him on the ground like he’s a child.”You just have to do what’s best for you,” he said. “He’s going to be all right. Football is about getting hit and taking hits and giving hits. So if I get a penalty for saving my skin and trying to make big plays, then, oh well.”There’s only been a handful of flags, meanwhile, for players lowering their helmet, another point of emphasis, showing that players, coaches and officials have all adjusted accordingly to that rule change.