Thursday's NFL free agent moves: Knighton lands with Redskins

Staff and wire reports

The Washington Redskins are adding another big man to bolster their defensive line after agreeing to a one-year deal with former Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton on Thursday evening, a person informed of the deal told USA TODAY Sports.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced it.

Knighton joins former Bears defensive end Stephen Paea and former Colts defensive Ricky Jean-Francois in signing free agent deals with Washington this week.

Knighton was a productive starter for the Broncos over the past two seasons, and played his best during the Broncos' postseason run in 2013, when his fourth-quarter sack of New England Tom Brady helped clinch the AFC title for Denver.

Knighton's deal in Washington is a raise from the $2.75 million he made in Denver last year, but it is likely less than he was expecting to collect on the open market. But now Knighton will have the chance to cash in again next year.

The Broncos on Thursday signed journeyman defensive tackle Vance Walker to a two-year deal, and he will join former first-round pick Sylvester Williams and Marvin Austin in replacing Knighton in Denver's new 3-4 defense.

-Lindsay H. Jones

Cameron spurns Browns for Dolphins

MIAMI (AP) — Former Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Cameron signed a two-year contract Thursday with the Miami Dolphins, giving them a possible replacement for Charles Clay.

The Dolphins gave Clay a transition tag last week, but he has since been courted by the Buffalo Bills.

Cameron missed five games last year with the Cleveland Browns because of a concussion, his third in three seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013, when he had 80 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns.

Cleveland made an offer to Cameron, who expressed his desire to stay with the team at the end of last season. But he reached a deal with the Dolphins after visiting them Thursday.

Cameron had 130 career catches in four seasons with the Browns, who selected the former college basketball player in the fourth round in 2011.

"He is a young, proven Pro Bowl performer with playmaking ability," Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey said in a statement.

Clay, a four-year starter for Miami, had 58 catches last season for 605 yards and three scores but was slowed by a knee injury.

Cornerback T.J. Heath, who played in two games late last season with Miami, signed a $585,000, one-year deal.

Texans bolster secondary

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans signed safety Rahim Moore on Thursday to a three-year deal worth about $12 million.

The 25-year-old Moore comes off a strong season in Denver, where he had a career-best four interceptions and also made 50 tackles (44 solo), forced two fumbles and had one fumble recovery.

A second-round pick (45th overall) in the 2011 draft, Moore might be best known for misjudging a pass in a playoff loss to Baltimore after the 2012 season. The TD completion helped the Ravens tie a game they won in overtime, and they went on to win the Super Bowl.

But he performed well after that for the Broncos in 10 games in 2013 before a severe leg injury sidelined him. And he made a strong comeback from the injury last season.

Forsett back with Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Justin Forsett agreed to terms Thursday on a three-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, who keep their leading rusher from 2014 after losing several key free agents earlier in the week.

The 29-year-old Forsett is coming off the finest season of his seven-year career. Thrust into a starting role after the Ravens released Ray Rice, Forsett shed his journeyman label to run for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns.

He started 14 games, doubling the amount of career starts he had coming into the season. Forsett also had 40 carries in two playoff games, running for 169 yards, and was selected to his first Pro Bowl after replacing an injured Arian Foster.

Before the 2014 season, he totaled 1,692 yards rushing with Seattle, Indianapolis, Houston and Jacksonville.

The timing of his breakthrough year was perfect for the Ravens.

"Sometimes you have fortunate signings in this business and Justin was one of those," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement released by the team. "We were fortunate because he became such a vital part of our on-field success and quickly became a steadying influence in the locker room at an uneasy time for us. He gave us more than we anticipated. From what we expected, he gave us unprecedented production."

Browner goes to Saints

The New Orleans Saints say they've agreed to sign free-agent cornerback Brandon Browner to a three-year contract and linebacker Ramon Humber to a two-year deal.

The 30-year-old Browner has been a starter on the past two Super Bowl winners: the 2013 Seattle Seahawks and 2014 New England Patriots.

Browner has started every game in which he has played and intercepted 11 passes during the past four seasons.

A person familiar with Browner's contract said its total value is about $18 million. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial terms were not announced.

Humber, who is 27, joined the Saints in 2010. He had his best season in 2014, when he started six games and was credited with 50 solo or assisted tackles.

Cromartie back to Jets?

The band is getting back together in the New York Jets' secondary.

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie agreed to terms with the Jets on a four-year contract, worth $32 million in base salary, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The move Thursday comes a day after New York finalized a deal to bring Darrelle Revis back on a five-year, $70 million deal.

Cromartie's contract can have a maximum value of $35 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the move.

Cromartie and Revis played together with the Jets from 2010-12, and Revis said during a conference call Wednesday night that he planned to reach out to his former teammate about reuniting in New York.

"I'm going to get in contact with him very soon here," Revis said, "and try to convince him to hopefully come back and join our Batman-and-Robin tandem we had a couple of years ago."

Saints trade Grubbs

The New Orleans Saints have traded starting left guard Ben Grubbs to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a fifth-round draft choice.

The move gives the Chiefs a veteran offensive lineman who was named to Pro Bowls in 2011 and 2013, while giving the Saints not just an additional draft pick, but also more flexibility under the NFL's salary cap.

Grubbs, an eight-year veteran out of Auburn, is due a base salary of $6.5 million this season.

He began his NFL career in Baltimore in 2007, starting 12 games as a rookie. Grubbs joined New Orleans in 2012.

Melton goes to Bucs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have bolstered their defense with a pair of free agents very familiar to coach Lovie Smith, signing safety Chris Conte and tackle Henry Melton.

Both players entered the NFL as draft picks of the Bears when Smith coached in Chicago. Terms of the agreements Thursday were not disclosed.

Conte was a third round draft pick in 2011 who had nine interceptions in four years with the Bears. Melton played for Chicago from 2010 to 2013 before spending last season with the Dallas Cowboys.

Melton has 20 1-2 sacks in 64 career games. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2012, when he had six sacks for the Bears.

The Bucs signed former Dallas linebacker to a four-year, $20.5 million contract on Wednesday.

49ers make some moves

The San Francisco 49ers have re-signed quarterback Blaine Gabbert to a two-year contract while also releasing wide receiver Stevie Johnson a day after acquiring Torrey Smith.

San Francisco announced the moves Thursday. The 49ers also signed tight end Garrett Celek to a one-year deal.

Gabbert, acquired in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars last March, appeared in one game as relief to Colin Kaepernick and threw a touchdown pass.

Johnson posted Wednesday on Twitter, "Thank you (hashtag)SF," signaling his departure. The 28-year-old wideout had 35 catches for 435 yards and three touchdowns in his lone season with the Niners last year.

Raiders get safety help

The Oakland Raiders have signed former Philadelphia safety Nate Allen in free agency to fill the hole created when former starter Tyvon Branch was released.

The Raiders announced the deal with Allen on Thursday. Allen says Oakland tried to sign him last year but that he stayed in Philadelphia because he was not offered a long-term deal.

The Raiders gave him a long-term contract this time and are counting on Allen to replace Branch as the starting strong safety alongside Charles Woodson.

Allen had 10 interceptions, 28 passes defensed, four sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 74 games with the Eagles.

Jets keep Colon

The New York Jets have re-signed veteran guard Willie Colon to a one-year contract.

Colon has started every game at right guard for the Jets the past two years after seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The deal is for the veteran minimum of $870,000, plus a signing bonus.

The signing Thursday is somewhat of a surprise. New York signed James Carpenter, likely to be the starter at left guard, on Wednesday. Oday Aboushi and Brian Winters have started there the last two years, but figured to compete at right guard this summer. They still might — but with Colon back in the mix.

Colon, who turns 32 in April, has been a strong run blocker throughout his career, but led the Jets with 12 accepted penalties last season.

Falcons add to defense

The Atlanta Falcons have signed two more free agents for their defense, cornerback Phillip Adams and defensive end Adrian Clayborn.

Clayborn, a first-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2011, played in only one game in 2014 due to a torn bicep. He had six sacks and ranked fourth in the NFL with 19 tackles for loss with the Buccaneers in 2013.

The Falcons tied for 30th in the league with only 22 sacks last season.

Adams started four games for the Jets last season. He also has spent time with the 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks and Raiders. He had two interceptions with the Raiders in 2012.

The Falcons also signed linebackers Brooks Reed and Justin Durant, offensive lineman Mike Person and wide receiver Leonard Hankerson this week.

Panthers re-sign TE

The Panthers have announced they've re-signed backup tight end Ed Dickson to a three-year contract.

Dickson's played in all 16 regular season games last season and had 10 catches for 115 yards and one touchdown. He caught three passes for 67 yards in two playoff games.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said in a release Thursday that Dickson played a "valuable role" down the stretch.

Dickson gives the Panthers a second receiving threat at tight end opposite Greg Olsen, a Pro Bowl player last season for Carolina. Dickson also proved he can play fullback, filling in for the injured Mike Tolbert.

Bills add another QB

The Buffalo Bills have signed free-agent quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who spent the past four seasons backing up Joe Flacco in Baltimore.

Taylor signed a two-year contract Thursday, a day after arriving in Buffalo to meet team officials. He's the second quarterback the Bills have added this week, after acquiring veteran Matt Cassel in a trade with Minnesota.

Both will have an opportunity to compete with EJ Manuel for the starting job.

Taylor is a 2011 sixth-round draft pick, who saw limited action in 14 games with the Ravens. He started more than three years at Virginia Tech and was named the ACC Player of the Year in 2010.

QB depth in Cleveland

The Browns have signed free agent quarterback Thad Lewis, one of 22 QBs to start a game for the franchise since 1999.

Lewis spent the 2011-12 seasons with Cleveland. He made his first career NFL start in the 2012 season finale, a 24-10 loss to Pittsburgh. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown.

The 30-year-old Lewis was with Houston last season. He has also spent time with St. Louis and Buffalo. The Texans released him Monday, clearing the way for them to sign Ryan Mallett and former Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Lewis returns to a Browns quarterback situation that remains a major problem for the team. Cleveland recently signed veteran Josh McCown, who went 1-10 last season with Tampa Bay, and Johnny Manziel, a first-round draft pick in 2014, remains in rehab for an undisclosed problem.

Jags cut Bryant

The Jacksonville Jaguars have released veteran defensive end Red Bryant, who was due a $500,000 roster bonus Sunday.

Bryant was scheduled to count $4.5 million against the salary cap in 2015.

A fourth-round draft pick by Seattle in 2008, Bryant joined Jacksonville last year. The 6-foot-4, 323-pound run-stopper signed a four-year deal worth $17 million, started all 16 games and finished with 22 tackles and a sack.

He became expendable after the Jaguars signed free agent defensive end Jared Odrick to a five-year, $42.5 million deal that includes $22 million guaranteed. They also re-signed 2010 first-round draft pick Tyson Alualu to be Odrick's backup.

Giants add LB depth

When the struggling New York Giants blew a 21-point and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, co-owner John Mara felt like firing everyone on the team.

Months later, something good came out of the loss to a team that until that game had one win. The Giants got a glimpse of linebacker J.T. Thomas.

Thomas was one of five players New York signed in this opening week of free agency. The NFC East team confirmed the signings of Thomas, fellow linebacker Jonathan Casillas, running back Shane Vereen, return man/receiver Dwayne Harris, and offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse late Wednesday night.

Thomas, who can play all the linebacker spots, had a career-best 12 tackles and recovered a fumble for a touchdown against the Giants.

Brian Flores lawsuit against Miami Dolphins claims racism in NFL

Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a class-action suit against the Dolphins and the NFL on Tuesday, charging "plantation"-style racism within the league and alleging that team owner Stephen Ross offered to pay him $100,000 per loss to enhance the team’s draft position in 2019.

Flores also alleges that Ross pressured him to recruit a “prominent quarterback in violation of League tampering rules.” The player is not named but a league source told The Palm Beach Post it was Tom Brady, who had not yet become a free agent and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2020 season.

The Dolphins released a statement that reads, “We are aware of the lawsuit through the media reports that came out this afternoon. We vehemently deny any allegations of racial discrimination and are proud of the diversity and inclusion throughout our organization. The implication that we acted in a manner inconsistent with the integrity of the game is incorrect. We will be withholding further comment on the lawsuit at this time.”

Flores fired:Miami Dolphins fire coach Brian Flores, signaling another offseason shake-up

Players react to the firing:Miami Dolphins players react to Brian Flores' dismissal: 'Surprising'

Bill Belichick's involvement: Patriots coach's struggles with texting inadvertently exposed the Giants' alleged sham Brian Flores interview

Who is Stephen Ross?:Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has ties to West Palm Beach's growth. Here are five things to know

How can Ross stay?:Habib: If Brian Flores' allegations are true, Stephen Ross is done as Dolphins owner

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, alleging unfair treatment of Blacks as head coaches, coordinators and general managers in the NFL. The suit was timed to coincide with the start of Black History Month on Feb. 1 and cites Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson.

Flores is seeking unspecified damages.

In a statement, the NFL defended its commitment to achieve diversity but did not address the accusation of tanking.

"The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations," the league wrote. "Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit."

Flores, 40, the son of Honduran immigrants, was fired by the Dolphins the day after concluding the 2021 season 9-8, the second consecutive winning season under him.

Flores acknowledged in a statement that his suit could jeopardize his future in the league.

“God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my personal goals," Flores wrote. "In making the decision to file the class action complaint, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game I love."

Dolphins coaching search continues:Pierre Garcon once led the NFL in catches while playing for Dolphins HC candidate Mike McDaniel

Is Harbaugh in play?:Habib: Stephen Ross moved heaven, Earth for Jim Harbaugh in 2011. Don't discount another fling

Stephen Ross 'mad' over Flores' success?

The suit takes exception to the Dolphins' assertion that Flores was fired because he wasn't collaborative in his approach.

"In reality, the writing had been on the wall since Mr. Flores’ first season as Head Coach of the Dolphins, when he refused his owner’s directive to 'tank' for the first pick in the draft," the suit says. "Indeed, during the 2019 season, Miami’s owner, Stephen Ross, told Mr. Flores that he would pay him $100,000 for every loss, and the team’s General Manager, Chris Grier, told Mr. Flores that 'Steve' was 'mad' that Mr. Flores’ success in winning games that year was “compromising (the team’s) draft position.”

Lawsuit claims Bill Belichick text inadvertently alerted Flores

The suit also alleges that Flores' recent interview for the New York Giants' coaching job was conducted solely because of the Rooney Rule, which forces teams to interview minority candidates for key positions to promote diversity.

Flores alleges he'd learned three days before the interview that the Giants were hiring Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who is white. Flores found out via a congratulatory text mistakenly sent by Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who confused the two men named Brian. Flores previously worked under Belichick in New England.

“Sorry – I (bleeped) this up," the suit quotes Belichick as texting Flores. "I double checked and misread the text. I think they are naming Brian Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB.”

According to the suit, Flores, who grew up in Brooklyn, initially told Giants co-owner John Mara that coaching the team would be “a dream job.” Coincidentally, Tim McDonnell, the Giants’ co-director of player personnel, suggested to Flores that Daboll was unhappy in Buffalo and might be available to serve under Flores if he landed the job.

Flores alleges 'sham' interviews with New York Giants, Denver Broncos

The suit cites Flores' "sham" interview with the Giants and another with the Broncos in 2019 as examples of racist hiring practices.

"In certain critical ways, the NFL is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation," the suit says. "Its 32 owners—none of whom are Black—profit substantially from the labor of NFL players, 70% of whom are Black. The owners watch the games from atop NFL stadiums in their luxury boxes, while their majority-Black workforce put their bodies on the line every Sunday, taking vicious hits and suffering debilitating injuries to their bodies and their brains while the NFL and its owners reap billions of dollars."

The suit says that Flores was defamed in the media after being labeled by the Dolphins as difficult to work with.

"This is reflective of an all too familiar 'angry black man' stigma that is often casted upon Black men who are strong in their morals and convictions while white men are coined as passionate for those very same attributes," the suit says.

Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, acknowledged in a Washington Post interview last month that the league has a "double standard" when it comes to hiring and retaining Black head coaches. Currently, Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin is the only Black head coach in the league.

“There is a double standard," Vincent, a former Dolphin, said the day after Flores was fired. "I don’t think that that is something that we should shy away from. But that is all part of some of the things that we need to fix in the system. We want to hold everyone to why does one, let’s say, get the benefit of the doubt to be able to build or take bumps and bruises in this process of getting a franchise turned around when others are not afforded that latitude?"

Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty, whose twin brother Jason played for the Dolphins this season, tweeted, "Flo has always been a special individual…has been pivotal in my career and love that I can support him for calling out what we all already know.”

Rooney Rule violation? Art Rooney says he understands frustration

Speaking to The Post at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., Art Rooney II, the Steelers' owner and president, addressed diversity issues within the league rather than the suit specifically. The Rooney Rule is named after Art’s father, Dan, former chairman of the league's diversity committee.

“We’ve taken a lot of steps in the last couple of years to try to address the problem," said Rooney, who has a Palm Beach home. "We have progress in terms of increasing minority interviews in all positions across the league. We’ve increased the number of Black general managers for two years in a row now.

"So I’m not going to say we’re satisfied with the progress we’re making but certainly we’re trying to address it. I think over time with the steps we’ve taken that we will see progress.”

He added, “I understand there is frustration out there."

Flores didn't want to pursue Tom Brady

The Dolphins finished 5-11 in Flores' first season in 2019 but won five of their final nine games despite a depleted roster. The wins came at a price, dropping their draft position potentially from No. 1 to No. 5. The Dolphins, who for years have been searching for a franchise quarterback, drafted Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, who has had only a certain level of success. The first choice that year, Joe Burrow, has led the Cincinnati Bengals to this year's Super Bowl.

The suit describes Ross as so eager to land a quarterback that he invited Flores onto a yacht for lunch in early 2020.

"Shortly after he arrived, Mr. Ross told Mr. Flores that the prominent quarterback was 'conveniently' arriving at the marina," the suit alleges. "Obviously, Mr. Ross had attempted to 'set up' a purportedly impromptu meeting between Mr. Flores and the prominent quarterback. Mr. Flores refused the meeting and left the yacht immediately. After the incident, Mr. Flores was treated with disdain and held out as someone who was noncompliant and difficult to work with."

Brady and Flores were both in the Patriots' organization from 2008-18. A source said Flores respects Brady and did not want to recruit him because the Dolphins were rebuilding for the long term. Brady announced his retirement Tuesday.

In firing Flores on Jan. 10 with two years left on his contract, Ross said at a news conference, "I think an organization can only function if it is collaborative and it works well together. I don’t think that we were really working well as an organization that it would take to really win consistently at the NFL level.”

Thirty years later, remembering how Colts' move went down

Phillip B. Wilson

USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS — Looking back three decades, it all happened so fast.

Rick Russell was having lunch at the Indianapolis Athletic Club on March 28, 1984, when a phone was brought to his table. It was Johnny B. Smith, Mayflower CEO and chairman. Russell, president of Mayflower's moving operations, had to return to the office immediately.

The Colts were coming.

Fourteen tractor-trailer trucks were dispatched to the Baltimore Colts facility in Owings Mills, Md. Drivers weren't told their destination until the next day: The soon-to-be-famous 600-mile trek to Indianapolis.

"It's probably the most famous sporting move ever," said Russell, 68 and retired in Longboat Key, Fla.

David Frick, then Indianapolis Deputy Mayor, waited with Mayor Bill Hudnut for word that the Mayflowers were on the move.

"It's been a blur," said Frick, 69, a semi-retired lawyer for Faegre Baker Daniels. "It's hard to imagine it was 30 years ago because so many of the events, I can still re-live."

Hudnut and Smith were next-door neighbors. They waited out much of the move together.

"You know, Bill, I feel just like Dwight D. Eisenhower on D-Day," Smith said to Hudnut according to a 2009 story in The Indianapolis Star. "I know my troops are out there. I just don't know where they are."

"I was a nervous wreck," Frick said.

"I always say Baltimore lost the Colts," Hudnut said in a 2004 interview with The Star. "We didn't steal them."

Before Rick Hite became Indianapolis Police Chief in 2012, he was a Baltimore cop for 31½years, 12½of those on protection detail for Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer, who later became Maryland governor. It was Hite who phoned Schaefer in the wee hours of March 29 to deliver the bad news.

"I felt like I was the Grim Reaper on this one," Hite said Thursday.

Not all the men involved or affected by Indianapolis landing an NFL team can share their thoughts on the 30-year anniversary of the Mayflower move. Colts owner Bob Irsay, Smith and Schaefer have died. Current Colts owner Jim Irsay was unavailable after checking into an out-of-state health care facility for treatment following his arrest on preliminary charges of driving while impaired and four counts of possession of a controlled substance.

But there are enough people who experienced what happened — from the months leading up to the Mayflower trucks' arrival at the Baltimore Colts complex on March 28, 1984 to when they were unloaded at Fall Creek Elementary School on the 4900 block of Kessler Boulevard East Drive two days later — to provide a detailed account.

Not much notice

In the fall of 1983, Russell remembered Smith first broaching the subject of Indianapolis possibly landing the Colts.

Russell: Johnny B. told me he had gotten together with the guys that were putting together an offer for the Colts; Mayor Bill Hudnut, the Capital Improvement Board and all the leaders in town. They were going to offer all these things to the Colts in order to get them to move to Indy.

He said, "I just thought you ought to know, I threw in a free move of all their equipment, training center and offices and all." At that time, the Colts were negotiating with other cities, including Phoenix. I asked, "Can you give me a contact so I can start to learn something about what needs to be done if we do get the team?" He gave me (Bob Irsay attorney Michael) Chernoff's name. Chernoff said, "Oh, no, no, no. We can't have any moving companies there." I said, "Well, give me as much notice as you can if it's going to happen. It's a big move." I talked a little to him about what would need to be done, so I had some expectation. Then I kind of forgot about it."

Frick handled the city's negotiations with Chernoff on finalizing the deal. But the lawyer recalls another date of importance, Feb. 23, 1984, when he brought Bob Irsay to the Hoosier Dome for the first time.

Frick: He wanted to see the stadium and obviously we wanted to show him the stadium, that we were pretty serious. I took him over to the Hoosier Dome. We were about three or four months from having the project completed. It was sufficient that he could see the place he was going to play.

We walked through the vomitory out on the field and he was silent. It struck me as a little bit of an odd situation because he was so talkative most of the time. I asked him, "Mr. Irsay, are you OK?" There was a long pause. He said, "You know, these are the Colts colors." The silver in the seats, the white roof and the dark blue seats were all Colts colors. He said, "You know, this just might be meant to be." It struck me. I then realized we had moved up in his thinking from just being a bargaining chip in his dealings with Baltimore to a true, viable alternative to locate his franchise.

Mark Herrmann (former Purdue quarterback who joined the Colts in 1983): That whole season, we had heard rumblings something was going to happen. Mr. Irsay was not happy. There was not a smooth relationship between he and the city of Baltimore. The fan support was not great by any means. It was not a fun season. I had just come from Denver, where everybody was just so rabid about the Broncos. It was such a shock to me to have to go into a half-empty stadium and not have that support from a tremendously traditional franchise that had been behind that team forever.As players, we put those distractions on the back burner, but it was always being brought up and talked about.

I think a lot of those fans were living back in those Johnny Unitas days, Artie Donovan, Tom Matte, the late-'50s and early-'60s. We were kind of underachievers and those guys still lived there, so it was always there, and there was always that comparison. That gave you an empty feeling. This is our team, but we're not there to support you really. We're kind of living in the past and you guys aren't living up to our view of what the Colts are in our minds."

Hite, who grew up in Baltimore: My first football was a Colts football. You have to remember, back in those days, this was before the multi-million dollar contract. It was not unheard of that the Colts players lived in the community where they played. They worked part-time in the off-season. They sold cars, some owned car dealerships. Some worked in the liquor business, they owned bars and restaurants. … People knew who these guys were.

Speculation was rampant about what Bob Irsay might do next. The owner was dissatisfied with outdated Memorial Stadium, where attendance had steadily declined. The Colts averaged 38,336 fans in the 52,860-seat venue. The last game drew 20,418.

Pete Ward (now the Colts chief operating officer, an administrative assistant in 1984): Bob Irsay had discussions with the governor of Arizona. We came really this close (holds fingers close together) to moving to Phoenix in late January of '84. That fell through. There was talk about Memphis, and that kind of dissipated. In March, the talk turned toward Indianapolis. We had to plan for minicamps, the draft, certainly training camp ... the schedule is about to come out. By late March, we never expected that we would actually move. We kind of thought it was a negotiating ploy to get a better deal with the city of Baltimore.

Irsay's much-publicized visits to other cities to gauge interest in the franchise upset Baltimore city officials and fans. On March 27, Maryland's State Legislature started the process to seize the Colts through eminent domain, a law that allows government to claim private property for public use. Hello, Indianapolis.

Frick: The Colts left Baltimore because they had a terrible stadium, they weren't drawing crowds and, most importantly, the city of Baltimore and Maryland Legislature sought to take the Colts away from Bob Irsay by using eminent domain. That really called the question for Mr. Irsay. He had to get out of Maryland or they were going to take the franchise away from him.

The city of Baltimore had promised not to use eminent domain, then they broke that promise by trying to get a bill through the legislature in expedited form in a timetable so they could take it away from him.

Chernoff said to The Star in 2004: They had put a gun to our head and cocked it. We couldn't wait to find out if it was loaded.

Chernoff, 78 and living in Glencoe, Ill., was asked about his memorable comment last year: That was absolutely accurate. I said it, and I meant it. We just didn't give the mayor (Schaefer) a chance to pull the trigger.Schaefer, however, insisted in a 2004 interview with The Star that he wouldn't have resorted to using eminent domain to keep the Colts in Baltimore.

Schaefer (in 2004): That's a bunch of bull. There was some talk of that, but I never would have allowed it. That was never in the picture because I trusted (Irsay). Irsay just downright fooled me. He kept telling me he wasn't leaving. He kept negotiating with us, and all the time he had already made the deal with Indianapolis.

Moving out

Equipment manager Jon Scott, who is still with the Colts, received a call from general manager Jim Irsay in the early morning of March 28.

"Hey, I've just talked to my dad," Scott recalled Jim saying. "We're mo-o-o-ving."

"Phoenix?" Scott asked.

After a long pause, Jim Irsay said, "No-o-o. Indy-y-y."

Scott: I thought, "Oh my God. I'm going to a city that I've never been to before. It's about to be our longest road trip ever." It woke me up, for sure. Instructions were to get as many boxes as I could. Don't tell anyone. Don't tell anyone in the building. Don't tell your parents. Don't tell your friends. You had to be very secretive. Sure enough, I was able to get a whole bunch of boxes, as many as I could put in my van. We closed the doors (at the complex) early that morning and I started packing football equipment all day and all night.

Russell: I was having lunch at the Athletic Club and the maître d' brought the telephone to my table. In those days, we didn't have cell phones. It was Johnny B.

"Rick, you better get back to the office quick," Russell recalled Smith saying.

"What's the matter?" Russell asked.

"We've got to move the Colts," Smith said.

"Good, good, that means we're going to get 'em," Russell said.

"I think so, but we've got to move 'em," Smith said.

"Well, I've got time to work on that, don't I?" Russell said.

"No, we've got to move them tonight," Smith said.

So I jumped in the car and headed back to the office and spent a little bit of time with Johnny and then went to work pulling together all the people and the resources that we were going to need to get it done that night. It was some quick planning.

Chernoff used the Irsay jet to stop by Indianapolis and pick up a Mayflower contact to oversee the move in Baltimore. They flew to Washington, D.C.

Russell: They landed in Washington rather than Baltimore, thinking they didn't want to be seen by the media when they landed. Everybody was on point on this thing, looking for the jet. The word got out that they had landed in Washington. Media guys were following them downtown from Dulles. They were going to cut through the city, but they couldn't lose these media people. They pulled into the front lobby of the hotel, and the two people jumped out and went in like they were going to check in, then went out the back door and caught a cab and took that to Alexandria, Va., where our Washington office was located.

We had already talked to Washington and they were busy putting together a crew. I think they got 30-some men to help load and pack everything. We had a bus to run them out to the training center.

Ward: Jim called me down to his office (later that afternoon). He said, "Ten o'clock tonight, you need to be here. My dad says we're moving to Indianapolis. There's going to be a lot of Mayflower vans moving in. You need to be here to maintain some semblance of order."

Colts assistant cinematographer Marty Heckscher: It was kind of a queasy feeling. It was kind of open-ended. I was a young man, my wife and I had a baby on Feb. 13th. There were a lot of changes going on in my life then and now the Colts are moving to Indianapolis? What's Indianapolis? What am I getting myself into? Then you get yourself busy and you don't think about it. You're focused on moving everything. You're a professional. The emotion, you set aside.

Russell: We had guys in our traffic department in Indianapolis searching for empty tractor-trailer units starting out within 100 miles of the Baltimore training facility. We probably had 3,000 trucks then (but) they had to get there quickly. We widened the circle to 200, 300 miles before we came up with 14 empty ones that were available to handle the job.

We didn't tell the drivers what they were going to be doing. We just gave them a location to head towards. They went to our Alexandria office and then gradually were sent out one at a time to the Baltimore facility in Owings Mills. I think the first tractor trailer was there in the 7 p.m. range, not long after dark. Then we just kind of sent them in one at a time. There wasn't room to have all 14 there. The media was onto it by 8 or 9 p.m. They started showing up, knew we were there and what we were doing. We had enough people on the scene to do the job fairly quickly.

Heckscher: The first thing they loaded when the trucks got to the complex were the business records. That first truck went north, the shortest distance to the state line. They wanted to get the records out of state as soon as possible. They took the long way to Indianapolis.

A bus also arrived at the complex.

Ward: I couldn't figure out what the bus was for. So I went up and got the door open and I went into the bus and there were about 40 Hell's Angels staring me in the face. They said, "Is this an embassy, man?" They thought it was an embassy moving, which happens in the middle of the night. They didn't know where they were, which was part of the plan really. They were the packers.

Scott: I had heard a rumor that these guys came from Washington, D.C. I'm in the other room, then I come back in and I'm noticing a lot of these workers have underneath their jackets Baltimore Colts T-shirts on. I'm thinking, "Wait a minute. They're from D.C. Aren't they Redskins fans? We might be getting ripped off here a little bit."

The packers were given 10 minutes to return anything taken while Scott and others left the room.

Scott: We went back in there and there was a pile of stuff. Hats. T-shirts. Sweatshirts.

Heckscher: The trucks were leaving as they were loaded. It was a snowy night. It was kind of yucky. It was kind of like seeing a UFO. Is this really happening? Am I dreaming?

Heckscher, 58, retired in St. Augustine, Fla., with his wife Stephanie, says many Colts employees lived in the adjacent Morningside Heights apartments.

Heckscher: We were all young and mobile. In that kind of realm, it made the nucleus of this organization very tight. We did a lot together. That made the move easier, to be with people you're comfortable with. They're like family.

Ward: I was young and I was single. I thought, "OK, I can't believe it, but here we go." There was a lot going through your head at the time. We're uprooting on a very, very, very, very short notice. You're moving and you don't know what the situation is going to be like in Indy; where the offices are going to be, where your life is headed, but I went along with it and the rest is history.

Scott: I worked all night until about 4 a.m., went back to my apartment, which was fortunately right next to the complex. Got about an hour's sleep. Then back to work the next day.

Russell: The last truck left at about 4 a.m. on March 29th. The drivers were instructed to scatter. We didn't want them to be in a caravan. We didn't want them hanging out together so as to draw attention to them. We told them to drive 100 miles or so and find a place to get some sleep, then call in the next morning and we would give them their next instructions.

Hite, who got the news of the move about the time the last truck departed and woke up Schaefer with a phone call: I remember it was a cold, blustery day, a little snow. There was some activity at the Colts complex. We had off-duty police working there at the time. … I've had to call the mayor on other occasions. We had the sinking of the clipper ship, Pride I (in 1986). I had to wake him to tell him the ship had sunk in the Caribbean.

Hite was amused when told how officials were wary of the trucks being stopped before they could leave the state, hence the secretive instructions.

Hite: The fear of the owner and the mayor of Indianapolis (was) that State Police may stop the vehicles and seize the Colts memorabilia. That was part of the discussion (afterward), the folklore.

Herrmann: I was actually back in Denver. It wasn't a good season. Just like the rest of the country, we saw the trucks moving along (on TV) and headed for Indianapolis. Needless to say, we were thrilled; a chance to come back home where I grew up (in Carmel) and we left the city of Baltimore, where really I didn't have any relationship or feeling for the city. I had played some, was hurt some. It was just a tough, tough year. Nothing against the city, it just didn't feel right. The whole season was not what I expected.

This (move) is good. This is really good. You've got a willing city, an excited city. Granted, it was kind a novel approach and novel thing for this city to get pro football, but still, there was an excitement. We want you. We're excited to have you. It was the total opposite of what we had just come from in Baltimore.

Adjusting on the fly

Ward, who stayed at the complex after the final Mayflower left: I fell asleep on the floor in my empty office. When I woke up, there were employees arriving for work. They didn't know what else to do, so they came in. It was 8:30 in the morning. I lifted my head off of the floor and here were my fellow employees staring at me. That was an emotional moment. They were all pretty broken up about it. They had no idea what was going on, what the future held for them. We had a company meeting and basically said who was going and who was not. I wasn't in charge of that, but that's how it went down.

Scott: As soon as we landed in Indianapolis, we got out of the Irsay jet and I couldn't believe all the photographers and all of the cameras. And they followed us all day long. We went to the Hoosier Dome. We went to Fall Creek Elementary School; we were supposed to set up camp (there) and make it an NFL complex. They followed us right over to where we stayed that night. They followed us into the hotel lobby, all the cameras, always on us, right into the elevator. I thought the guys were actually going to get into the elevator with us, but they didn't. Cameras on us. The doors shut. I had to look over at Jim and say, "I wonder if this is how The Beatles felt back in 1964, coming over from Liverpool (England)."

Russell: At about 11 p.m. (on March 28), I went home to get some sleep and then came back to the office at 8 the next morning. I came up the side door to my office on the second floor and my secretary met me at my door and said, "Have you been down to the lobby? There are two television crews from Baltimore down there who want to talk to you." I said, "Oh, great. I can't tell them anything, but I'll be glad to go down and meet with them." I went down and explained to them that we were just instructed to load everything up and they would let us know where it's going. They didn't like that answer, but they accepted it.

Later that day, the announcement was made (by Hudnut) that they were coming to Indianapolis. We had already told the drivers of the trucks to begin to head toward Indianapolis. We started giving that order to the drivers at about 9 in the morning. Most of them arrived later that day or that night. They were all there within 24 hours after we gave them that instruction. They parked out back at our Mayflower office on Michigan Avenue.

It was Friday when we moved them out to their temporary training center (at Fall Creek Elementary). The helicopters were flying over. We didn't tell anybody where they were going until the day we delivered at the temporary training center. We had them all come to our facility first and park back near the garage. They went by caravan to their place. That's when Hudnut was out there waving the trucks on, from in front of our facility, when they made the turn to go South on Michigan Avenue. All of our employees were out in front cheering on the drivers as they pulled out to take everything down to the training center.

Ward: When we got here, it was even more exhausting. It was like starting a franchise, really, from scratch, except that you already had your players and your coaches. We didn't have a telephone. We didn't know what our address was. We didn't have stationery. We didn't have a copier. We didn't have anybody to answer telephones. Worst of all, we had a hundred boxes piled up on the floor with no labels on them. So before we could ever start to work on planning for the upcoming season, we had to unload boxes and figure out where everything went. That was a real nightmare. There was not enough time in each day for months. You could have worked 24 hours a day for five months straight and still not get everything done.

Scott: As the first trucks pulled up, we would actually take all the boxes and put them in the gymnasium in a large pile, eight boxes high, and literally open each box, try to figure out what it was and then whose department it belonged to and then put it in the corner of the gymnasium. That took us many, many days.

Ward: My first meal in Indianapolis, Jim called me and he actually had one of the first cell phones, he was going through a Burger King or McDonald's (drivethru) and he called me and asked if I wanted something.

Historic legacy

Frick and Chernoff struck a 20-year deal with two five-year options. The city guaranteed the Colts $7 million in annual revenue. Annual rent was $250,000. The Colts and city shared suite license revenue, the team receiving the initial $500,000 and the city getting the rest. Concessions as well as videoboard and signage revenue were shared. The city kept parking proceeds. Game-day operating expenses were the city's responsibility. Chicago's Merchant Bank loaned Bob Irsay $15 million to pay off a debt to a Baltimore bank. The city would help subsidize the interest payments. Frick estimates Indianapolis profited at least $2 million per year initially from the Colts coming to town.

Baltimore tried unsuccessfully to sue Smith, Hudnut and Frick in Baltimore City Court. The case got moved to Federal Court and a settlement was eventually reached on Dec. 10, 1985, that included returning Johnny Unitas memorabilia.

Hudnut, Indianapolis mayor from 1976 to 1992, now lives in Chevy Chase, Md. He has said the six-week period of attracting and landing the Colts was his favorite time as mayor. While considered the driving influence in the city's sports boom and Downtown revitalization, Hudnut has downplayed his role and credited predecessor Richard Lugar for getting the proverbial ball rolling.

Hudnut in 2012: We, as a city, had begun to think bigger under Mayor Lugar. So when I came into office, we started talking about what more we could do to make a mark, to enhance our economy and, to use a phrase, become a major league city. I don't care what the economists say about the inability of a team to enhance a city's economic base. It sure seems to me that in this case it did. The city has so much more vitality and there has been so much revitalization Downtown. To me, it's all paid off.

Frick: I've got to confess, every March I think about (the move). Not many people have an opportunity to make such an impact on their community. I was very fortunate to have that opportunity, so I can't put it out of my mind.

The impact is so profound. It's the visual image of going to a game on a Sunday afternoon and seeing solid blue throughout the stadium, or the streets filled and the bars filled or you look at the number of people working at the game. The economic impact has been incredible, but the impact on the national scene was even more. It communicated to the entire country that Indianapolis is a great place.

I had a unique experience (last) week. My wife had finally got me to do some touch-up painting at our house. I went in to buy a gallon of paint and the guy recognized me. It was only because the guy was 58 years old.

Russell: The day after the move out, I got calls from our agents in Baltimore. They were really mad at me for Mayflower handling the move of their team. "Do you know what's going to happen to my business this year? It's just going to go to hell. Nobody is going to call me." I said, "Hold on, you know what they say about PR. There's no such thing as bad PR. Let's follow up and talk again as the year goes by." And we did. That year, they had a 20 percent increase in his business. It didn't affect him negatively at all. The agent apologized later for giving me such a hard time about it.

My boss, Johnny B., is the one that donated (the move). He gets the credit for that because it turned out to be a great PR vehicle for the company over the years. When the Colts and Baltimore play and they show that tape of the van pulling out in the snowy night, it's just getting Mayflower back on TV. Thirty years, it's been happening like that.

Last week, I had a policeman visit to verify the ID numbers on my vehicles so I could register them in Florida. About halfway through our conversation, I mentioned that I used to work for Mayflower. He said, "Oh really, I was a cop in Baltimore for 25 years." So here we go through the story again. It happens all the time. People remember it.

Russell and his family are still diehard Colts fans.

Russell: That's one thing we got out of the move. Bob let us go pick our season ticket seats and I've still got them. We've been to almost every game since. My four kids are Colts fans, they use the tickets more than I do, but yeah, I'm still a Colts fan.

So, too, is Hite.

Hite: As long as I don't say that in Baltimore, I'm fine.

The move's 30-year anniversary opens an old wound for Baltimore Colts fans, many of whom will never forgive nor forget. They blame Bob Irsay for everything. It doesn't matter that the city eventually landed another team, the Ravens, and that franchise has since won two Super Bowls.

Ward: I think it's worked out for both cities. They've won some Super Bowls. You still have people who are bitter about the Dodgers' move from Brooklyn and the (Oakland) Raiders' move. It's not unprecedented. There's always going to be some sensitive feelings.

You can't put the cause or the blame on any one person. It was a perfect storm, it came together, a lot of different factors. For me, it was kind of a surreal night. You certainly don't want to go through something like that twice in your life. It certainly was a stressful time. We've been in Indy for 30 years, we'll be here forever and we're so happy to be here.

Herrmann, 55, eventually retired in his hometown. He works at St. Vincent Sports Performance Center and is a Colts radio analyst.

Herrmann on heartbroken Baltimore fans: There's part of me that thinks, "Yeah, move on, get over it." But then, families have grown up cheering for the horseshoe. To see that horseshoe move to Indianapolis, it probably would have been easier for the fans if they would have changed the (Colts) mascot and left that there. That would have eased the pain a little bit. Generations grew up with the Colts. There was that relationship, that feeling that this is our team and you took our team away. As pathetic as it is for those folks to hold this venom against the city of Indianapolis, there's a part down deep that appreciates the loyalty.

Let's face it, this was a basketball city, a basketball state. To think of pro football in Indianapolis, yeah, that was kind of outside the realm of your thinking. Everything was so new and kind of exciting but people didn't know how to react to that team. And to think what it is 30 years later: Super Bowl championship, Super Bowl appearance, Peyton Manning has been through here, now you've got Andrew Luck, the fan base is as good as there is in the country. To think we would morph into that back then, I would have thought, "No chance." But now I think it's a big league city. It's fun to think back 30 years ago to what it was and to think about what it is now. Amazing.

***

Wilson writes for The Indianapolis Star

The NFL's 100 most important people

USA TODAY Sports

1. Jerry Jones

Here’s what can happen when a man risks his entire fortune to realize a dream of owning an NFL team: He instantly becomes the most despised man in Texas for firing legendary coach Tom Landry.

But then with the help of a former college roommate (Jimmy Johnson), his fortunes turn, and he finds Super Bowl gushers. He redefines the sports marketing game and transforms a money-sucking stadium into a profit center. Then he builds a new palace.

He generates a boatload of money with the most visible franchise in the NFL – and along the way becomes the ultimate game-changer at the heart of soaring league revenues.

He becomes the Jerry Jones of his wildest dreams.

The owner of the Dallas Cowboys has long maintained rank among the NFL elite – be it players, coaches or commissioner – and is USA TODAY Sports' choice atop the list of the NFL’s 100 Most Important People.

This has very little to do with football results, given the Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl in more than 20 years and, well, multiple general managers would have been fired during that span if not for the fact that Jones serves as his own GM.

Still, the franchise that plays at sparkling AT&T Stadium – Jerry World, it is often called – is worth $3.2 billion, according to Forbes, second to soccer juggernaut Real Madrid ($3.26 billion) among sports franchises worldwide.

A sparkling new team headquarters – dubbed "The Star" – is set to open in August.

Yet Jones’ impact goes far beyond being a look-at-how-I’ve-done-it model.

No owner was more influential in pushing others to sign off on the Los Angeles Rams' stadium deal in Inglewood, Calif. – rather than a Carson deal for the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders that was backed by a lot of “old school” owners. Jones was sold on Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s grand plan for solving the NFL’s conundrum in the nation’s second-largest market.

It was the same type of big-picture thinking Jones employed during the 1990s, when he spearheaded a new philosophy for the broadcast committee in selling the NFL’s network TV package – which is shared by all 32 teams – that bucked the traditional bidding process and resulted in then-fledgling Fox entering the game … and providing the impetus to blow the lid off the previous deal.

And you can bet that Jones will be in the middle of the next big NFL deal. He’s already sent signals that he’ll back a potential move to Las Vegas by the Oakland Raiders.

Jones never rests in seeking ideas to up the ante – which is why he’s so important to the NFL.

— Jarrett Bell

2. Roger Goodell

The self-avowed defender of the NFL shield will reach the 10-year mark as commissioner on Sept. 1.

Though Goodell works at the pleasure of the owners, he’s typically the face of the league’s triumphs and failures no matter the significance of his personal role.

He has overseen what seems to be runaway growth for the country’s most popular sports league with a stated goal of reaching $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027. A continued diet of massive television contracts, a steadily growing international footprint, this year’s return to the lucrative Los Angeles market and key events spread across the calendar that consistently place the NFL at the forefront of the sports news cycle are among the factors which could make his fiscal target a reality.

But Goodell’s reign has been turbulent.

He was hailed early in his tenure for taking a hard line against players who ran afoul of the law, issuing a season-long suspension to Adam “Pacman” Jones while docking Chris Henry and Tank Johnson eight games apiece during his first nine months on the job. However in 2014, Goodell was heavily criticized for the handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence incident.

Distrust between the league office and NFL Players Association has been a hallmark of Goodell’s tenure. The two sides regularly find themselves in court with the NFLPA seeking avenues to curb the power the current collective bargaining agreement confers to Goodell’s office.

Goodell has navigated prominent scandals with varying degrees of success – among them the Miami Dolphins’ workplace bullying episode, the New Orleans Saints’ Bountygate situation, the infamous lockout of game officials in 2012, Spygate and Deflategate, the latter two leaving Goodell opposed with a flagship franchise, the New England Patriots, and owner Robert Kraft, long one of his foremost allies.

Heading into his second decade, Goodell must keep his golden goose happy while remaining the leading defender of football’s viability amid an onslaught of escalating questions about the sport’s safety.

— Nate Davis

3. Cam Newton

The NFL’s reigning MVP broke the quarterback mold when he entered the league as the No. 1 draft pick in 2011.

Expect him to continue redefining the position well into the future.

At 6-5, 245 (plus) pounds, Newton lines up under center – or often in the shotgun – with an unprecedented combination of size and athleticism. He was the first rookie in league history to pass for 4,000 yards. He is tied with Hall of Famer Steve Young for the most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (43) as well as for the most games with a TD both through the air and on the ground (31). Young played in the NFL for 15 years. Newton is entering his sixth.

While leading the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50 last season, Newton became the first player to pass for 30-plus touchdowns (35) and rush for double-digit TDs (10) in the same year.

But though he’s the rare player who has thrived in the pros with a read-option attack, Newton continues to evolve into an adept pocket quarterback who need only fall back on his immense physical gifts only when a play breaks down.

And while Newton continues to raise the bar with his play, the guy who used to sulk with a towel draped over his head amid a poor performance has also put his signature on the franchise quarterback label. Ever see Peyton Manning or Tom Brady doing The Dab or posing for team selfies before the final whistle? How about mocking or blowing off media questions at the Super Bowl? Hosting an offseason show on Nickelodeon? Maybe wearing Superman cleats while pretending to reveal the “S” on his chest after a score?

Nope, this isn’t the staid NFL of 2010. It’s Newton’s world, one where his gifts and charisma are likely to continue reshaping the most difficult and high-profile job of the sporting landscape.

— Nate Davis

4. Bill Belichick

One of the indelible images of the legendary New England Patriots coach shows him smirking from behind his hoodie, his face partially obscured by the cowl like the evil emperor from Star Wars. Appropriate, perhaps, given many football fans west of Connecticut consider Belichick’s ongoing dynasty an evil empire.

Still, despite the occasional football scandal, Belichick’s influence and success are undeniable.

Despite a relative lack of superstars during his 16 years in New England – Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Rob Gronkowski are rare exceptions – Belichick has built an AFC East champion 13 times, reached the conference championship game 10 times and won four of six Super Bowl appearances in that span. It’s a remarkable outlier of a feat in the post-free agency, parity-driven NFL. No other team has appeared in more than three Super Bowls or won more than two since 2000.

Since Belichick’s team-centric approach took root, “Do Your Job” and “The Patriot Way” have become franchise-defining catchphrases. Perhaps no team better maximizes the abilities of players who might appear marginally talented – Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Rob Ninkovich, Mike Vrabel, Wes Welker – than Belichick’s football factory.

As long as Belichick dons that hoodie, it stands to reason his team will remain the NFL’s crown jewel, maintaining a level of success the other 31 teams can only hope to approach.

— Nate Davis

5. DeMaurice Smith

In what is one of the toughest jobs in all of sports, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith has navigated the union through uncertain – and often contentious – periods of labor relations.

His most lasting achievement is the ratification of a 10-year collective bargaining agreement that ended the 132-day lockout of 2011.

The CBA gave the players significant improvements in health and safety. Offseason programs were shortened. The amount of contact allowed during practices was reduced. To ensure those standards are being met, the NFLPA can now perform unannounced inspections of training camps. He also pushed for the inclusion of an anti-lockout insurance policy, which was a first among sports leagues in the country.

But, perhaps the most important victory of all from the 2011 CBA is the provision that gives the players the highest share of television contract revenues in league history.

Smith has also seen his group secure valuable victories in conflicts against the NFL in player suspensions – most notably that of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. Under Smith’s direction, players have cashed in on the booming free-agent market that grows with each season.

Smith first earned his post in 2009 after he beat out three candidates, including current NFL vice president of football operations Troy Vincent. In 2012, Smith ran unopposed. And in 2015, he topped eight other candidates, unanimously, for his third consecutive three-year term that concludes in the spring of 2018.

Critics of Smith’s point to certain structures in the CBA that appear to cede more power to the league’s owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell. Those include the franchise tag and, as is currently being contested in the court system, Article 46, which gives Goodell the authority to act as the discipline officer under the language of “conduct detrimental” to the league.

Fans may lament the ongoing arguments in Deflategate, but Smith and the union have a duty to uphold and protect the players’ rights. Taking its case to court is the best method the NFLPA has to ensure that the league doesn’t abuse its power.

— Lorenzo Reyes

***

6. Robert Kraft

Patriots owner. As chairman of the NFL’s broadcast committee as well as an active member of the league’s NFL Network, finance, compensation and management council executive committees, Kraft is one of the most powerful owners in the sport. And his team is just as powerful with four Super Bowl titles during his reign. He was a central figure in Deflategate and often at odds with Goodell and the league office over the matter.

7. Dr. Robert Stern

Professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Boston University. A leading researcher in the field of concussions, he has been critical of the league. He will be involved in a $16 million study to try and diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in living patients. Currently, CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated hits to the head, can only be found after death. Funding for the study became controversial when an ESPN report said the NFL did not want money it had donated used. The league denied the report.

8. Stan Kroenke

Los Angeles Rams owner and a member of the NFL’s broadcast committee. Kroenke fought hard to bring the Rams from St. Louis back to L.A. and, in doing so, showed the rest of the league what a force he can be. His new stadium, scheduled to open for the 2019 season, will host the 2021 Super Bowl and is expected to host many other major events.

9. John Elway

General manager of the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. The Broncos have won the AFC West every year since Elway took over in 2011 and reached the Super Bowl twice in that stretch. Elway won the Peyton Manning sweepstakes when the record-setting quarterback became a free agent in 2012, a major coup that catapulted the franchise to sustained success. Elway, in building the roster, has shown he is as adept in the front office as he was on the field.

10. Tom Brady

Patriots quarterback. Since 2001, Brady has led the team to four Super Bowl titles, winning game MVP honors in three of them, and has also been the league MVP twice. He currently faces a four-game suspension for his alleged role in Deflategate. Widely regarded as the best quarterback in the game and perhaps of all time.

11. Sheldon Adelson

Billionaire owner of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Adelson’s company, along with Majestic Reality, has been pushing to build a stadium in hopes of luring the Oakland Raiders to Vegas.

12. John Mara

President, CEO, and co-owner of the New York Giants. He also serves as chairman of the NFL management council executive committee. Considered one of the classiest owners in the league. His grandfather, Tim Mara, founded the Giants in 1925.

13. Tod Leiweke

Chief operating officer of the NFL. Leiweke left his role as CEO of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015 to join the NFL and has been aggressively restructuring the league’s front office since.

14. Andrew Luck

Indianapolis Colts quarterback. As if the pressure of being a franchise quarterback (and successor to Peyton Manning) coming off an injury-marred season isn’t enough, the eyes of the league are upon Luck now that he's become the highest-paid player in NFL history after agreeing to a record six-year, $140 million megadeal.

15. Dean Blandino

League’s vice president of officiating. A major force in setting and implementing often complex rules, including the complicated and often misunderstood catch rule. Blandino is also the face of the league when a controversial call decides or impacts a game.

16. Lisa Friel

League’s senior vice president for investigations. Friel, who was previously in charge of sex crime prosecutions for the New York County district attorney’s office, took her current job when the NFL created it after being roundly criticized for the way it handled the Ray Rice investigation in 2014.

17. Von Miller

Broncos linebacker. The MVP of Super Bowl 50, he almost singlehandedly shut down league MVP Cam Newton and the Panthers with 2½ sacks and two forced fumbles. Miller received the franchise tag from Denver in March but could soon be the league’s highest-paid defensive player … assuming he gets a new contract and doesn’t follow through on a threat to sit out the 2016 season without one.

18. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Now the new main players in Deflategate. After the court ruled 2-1 to reinstate Tom Brady’s suspension, the quarterback’s lawyers appealed en banc, meaning seven of the court’s 13 judges would have to agree to hear the appeal. If that fails, Brady could turn to the Supreme Court in a final attempt to fight his four-game suspension.

19. Richard Sherman

Seattle Seahawks cornerback. One of the league’s top defensive backs and one of the most outspoken, too – from calling himself the best corner in football, to taunting players such as Brady, to calling Goodell a “suit.” Sherman, a Stanford grad who grew up in Compton, is also opinionated on a variety of social issues.

20. Kathryn Smith

Buffalo Bills quality control and special teams coach. She is the first full-time female assistant coach in league history. Smith was Buffalo coach Rex Ryan’s administrative assistant last season and served several roles before that under Ryan with the New York Jets, including college scouting intern in 2005 and, two years later, a full-time player personnel assistant.

21. Dean Spanos

President and CEO of the San Diego Chargers. Spurned by fellow owners in his attempt to move the team to the Los Angeles area, he is now hoping San Diego voters approve a new stadium initiative in November. Spanos still currently has the option to move the Chargers to L.A. next year.

22. Ron Rivera

Panthers head coach. Two-time coach of the year just signed new contract, which makes him among highest-paid in league, after leading Carolina to Super Bowl 50. A former NFL linebacker, Rivera is highly respected by his players for his direct and even-keeled approach and loyalty – a trait that was evident when he tirelessly defended Newton after his controversial post-Super Bowl press conference.

23. Howard Katz

Senior vice president of broadcasting and media operations for the NFL. Katz is essentially responsible for annually determining the schedules for every team.

24. Las Vegas oddsmakers

They decide which teams are the favorites and underdogs each week. “We don’t get it right 100% of the time,” said Johnny Avello, the executive director the race and sports book at the Wynn Las Vegas. “We want to put the number in a spot where there’s betting on both sides.”

25. Chris Borland

Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker. He retired after a promising 2014 rookie season at age 24, becoming the voice of concussion awareness. Despite good health, Borland feared developing CTE and predicts more players will leave the league early for similar reasons.

26. Tony Romo

Dallas Cowboys quarterback – one of the most high-profile jobs in the NFL. But Romo is also battling the league on another front after it wouldn’t allow players to participate in his fantasy camp at a Las Vegas casino in 2015. The event, scheduled to be held in L.A. in 2016, was again postponed “because of the NFL's continued and calculated actions against the NFFC (National Fantasy Football Convention), including Tony, and against the other NFL player participants,” according to one of Romo’s representatives.

27. Troy Vincent

Executive vice president of football operations for the NFL. Vincent is responsible for quality and innovation within the league and is heavily involved with game operations, college relations, the competition committee and player discipline. He authored the letters sent to the Patriots and Brady detailing the original Deflategate punishment in 2015.

28. Brian Rolapp

Chief operating officer of NFL Media. He negotiates the league’s television deals with networks.

29. J.J. Watt

Houston Texans defensive end. The reigning defensive player of the year has won the award three times in the past four seasons (Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is the only other three-time winner). Watt, who was also voted the Face of the NFL as well as the league’s top player according to his peers in 2015, is also a dynamic personality off the field and has a huge social media presence.

30. Pete Carroll/John Schneider

Carroll is head coach of the Seahawks and Schneider is the general manager. Since the duo teamed up in 2010, Seattle has become a powerhouse, advancing to the playoffs five times, reaching two Super Bowls and winning a title in 2013. Some teams envy, and even try to copy, the way the two work together in assembling the roster.

31. Rich McKay

Atlanta Falcons president and CEO. He is also chairman of the powerful NFL competition committee that has a major say in setting league rules.

32. Mark Davis

Raiders owner. Also spurned by owners in an attempted return to the Los Angeles market, Davis is now considering a groundbreaking move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

33. Joe Lockhart/Natalie Ravitz

Lockhart is the league’s executive vice president of communications while Ravitz serves as senior VP of communications. Both have political backgrounds and will shape the league’s message.

34. Daniel Snyder

Owner of the Washington Redskins, a franchise he has no interest in re-branding. That issue sometimes make more news than what happens to his team on the field, but Snyder has remained firm that he will not change the nickname even though many consider it racist.

35. Bruce Arians

Arizona Cardinals coach. Speaks his mind. Loved by players. He was the first in league history to hire a female assistant coach (as an intern) and instituted a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence for players in his locker room. More controversially, Arians recently blamed concussions on players not tackling properly, not on the nature of the sport, and has called mothers who won’t let their kids play football “fools.” Arians, a two-time coach of the year, is also renowned as a quarterback whisperer and was instrumental in shaping the careers of Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck.

36. Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay Packers quarterback. The two-time league MVP is the highest-rated passer in NFL history. His off-field profile has risen since he began dating actress Olivia Munn.

37. Jack Dorsey

CEO of Twitter. The social media site will stream 10 Thursday Night Football games live this season – a big step for the league. And Dorsey.

38. Jeffrey Kessler

A prominent sports lawyer with many high-profile clients in the NFL. Kessler has been referred to as the NFL’s “arch-enemy” and often works on behalf of the players union, including CBA negotiations and Deflategate.

39. Art Rooney

Pittsburgh Steelers co-owner and president. His presence on several key committees makes him a force in the league, as does the fact he comes from one of the most respected and longest-tenured families in the NFL.

40. Sarah Thomas

Game official. She became the first female hired on a full-time basis to serve in that role last season. Thomas worked Conference USA games at the college level. She was a line judge last season.

41. Russell Wilson

Seahawks quarterback. Despite questions about whether his style of play and height – Wilson is generously listed at 5-11 – would work at this level, he has won more games (46 in the regular season and seven more in the playoffs) in his first four seasons than any quarterback in history. One of them was a Super Bowl in Wilson’s second year.

42. Bob McNair

Founder and owner of the Texans. He is also chairman of the NFL finance committee. McNair hopes his team will be the first to host a Super Bowl with the big game set to be staged in Houston next February.

43. Jeff Pash

Executive vice president and general counsel for the NFL. Pash, a major player in Deflategate, has a significant role in the handling of any critical legal issues the league faces and is a major player in collective bargaining negotiations.

44. Jared Goff

Rams quarterback. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, he is expected to restore the lowly Rams to greatness amid their Los Angeles return.

45. Odell Beckham Jr.

Giants wide receiver. In the golden age of pass catchers, the man who dominates highlight reels by hauling in so many with one hand stands above the rest.

46. Jeff Miller

The NFL's top executive for health and safety. He – and the league – tried to walk back the comments, but Miller acknowledged to a Congressional committee that there was a connection between football and CTE.

47. Ted Wells

Attorney who specializes in criminal law. The league hired Wells to conduct independent investigations into the Miami Dolphins’ locker room bullying scandal in 2013 and “Deflategate” in 2015.

48. Sashi Brown

Executive vice president of football operations for the Cleveland Browns. It’s his turn to see if he’s the one who can turn this once-proud franchise around. Brown’s reliance on analytics will make it that much more interesting to watch.

49. Terry and Kim Pegula

Buffalo Bills owners. The husband-and-wife team is committed to western New York, but their looming stadium issue is tricky and worth watching.

50. Rob Gronkowski

Patriots tight end. Gronkowski has already set several receiving records for his position and is quickly putting together a Hall-of-Fame resume. But his zany and fun-loving personality have also made him a ubiquitous presence on social media and TV (he’s now got a show on Nickelodeon). He hosted a fantasy cruise in the Bahamas earlier this year, and he’s even the newest cover boy for Madden NFL.

51. Chip Kelly

San Francisco 49ers head coach. He went 10-6 each of his first two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles but bombed (and was fired) in 2015 after assuming control of personnel decisions. Kelly is back to mere coaching with the 49ers, but many of his creative offensive concepts have been emulated throughout the league. Still, if he’s not successful with the Niners, will that deter owners from reaching into the college ranks for a coach?

52. Mark Lazarus

Chairman of NBC Sports. Not only does his network have the prime-time game every Sunday, typically the marquee NFL matchup of the week, it now will broadcast five Thursday night games.

53. Daily fantasy sports chiefs

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins and Nigel Eccles of FanDuel. Their industry remains under fire in many states, which claim it is illegal sports gambling, but you couldn’t watch a game last season without seeing one of their commercials. Or 100 of them.

54. Martha Ford

Majority owner and chairwoman of the Detroit Lions. Ford, 90, has made no mistake who is in charge in Detroit since assuming control of the long struggling franchise in 2014.

55. Eric Winston

President of the NFLPA and Cincinnati Bengals tackle. Winston has been very critical of the league when it comes to concussion research and reports, saying: “They cannot be trusted to do the right thing when it involves players.”

56. Ozzie Newsome

Baltimore Ravens general manager and executive vice president. The Hall-of-Fame tight end has been in the Ravens front office since they came to Baltimore in 1996 and became the NFL’s first African-American GM in 2002. Newsome is considered one of the league’s best talent evaluators and has built two Super Bowl champions in Baltimore.

57. Jon Gruden

ESPN Monday Night Football analyst. He makes the list not for his TV work, but because Gruden’s QB Camp has become a “must stop” for top NFL quarterback prospects prior to the last seven drafts.

58. John Wooten

Chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance. He works with the NFL to promote minority hiring for coaching, scouting and front office positions.

59. DeAndre Levy

Lions linebacker. Levy makes the list not for his Pro Bowl play but because he wrote an article in The Players’ Tribune titled “Man Up,” discussing the shocking lack of awareness there is for sexual assault in sports.

60. Manning Family

From recently retired Peyton, who went out with a second Super Bowl ring, to his brother Eli, who has the same number of championships with the Giants, to their dad Archie, who was a damn good QB on a lot of bad teams, they certainly can lay claim to being the First Family of Football. It remains to be seen if that title gets tarnished given the NFL’s ongoing investigation into Peyton’s alleged link to human growth hormone.

61. Eric Grubman

NFL executive vice president and president of the league’s business ventures since 2006. He oversaw and advocated for the Rams’ relocation from St. Louis to Los Angeles.

62. Arthur Blank

Falcons owner. After this season, his team will move into groundbreaking Mercedes Benz Stadium, which was selected to host the 2019 Super Bowl. Blank’s foundation has been lauded by many for trying to improve the quality of life for people living in the Atlanta area.

63. Marvin Lewis

Bengals head coach. Hired in 2003, he is currently the longest-tenured minority coach, and only Bill Belichick has served longer with a franchise among current coaches. Lewis has achieved sustained success (five consecutive playoff appearances) with a franchise where few thought that was possible.

64. Thom Mayer

NFLPA medical director. He has been at the forefront for the union and is a driving force in developing the players’ positions on health and safety matters, which include pushing the league on the concussion issue. Mayer is also the point person for the union for investigations where breach of concussion protocol is suspected.

65. Brock Osweiler

Texans quarterback. The big free-agent signing in 2016, Houston lured him away from the Broncos with a four-year, $72 million contract even though Osweiler only has seven career starts – quite a statement on the value of QBs in the modern NFL.

66. Katie Blackburn

Bengals executive vice president. The daughter of Cincinnati owner Mike Brown, Blackburn was the first woman to be a chief contract negotiator in the NFL and has assumed more day-to-day control of the franchise. The MMQB called her “The NFL’s Most Powerful Woman Nobody Talks About.”

67. Brandon Marshall

Jets wide receiver. Besides his on-field talents – Marshall is the only player with 1,000-yard receiving seasons for four teams – he is recognized as an advocate for borderline personality disorder patients after his own diagnosis. Marshall sought professional help after several domestic violence accusations.

68. CAA Football

Led by the powerful agent trio of Tom Condon, Jimmy Sexton and Todd France, Creative Artists Agency's football wing represents stars like J.J. Watt, Eli Manning, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Luke Kuechly, Dez Bryant, Julio Jones and Ndamukong Suh, plus budding stars who just got paid (Fletcher Cox) or soon will (Tyrann Mathieu). Sexton also reps coaches, including Rex Ryan and Adam Gase.

69. Sean McManus

CBS Sports chairman. The network, which typically airs AFC games, took a bold step by jumping into the Thursday Night Football package in 2014, and it is paying off for them.

70. Mark Waller

NFL’s executive vice president for international affairs. He’s become a strong proponent of the league’s expansion outside the U.S. and said in a recent interview he envisions the establishment of more than one team in a foreign city. In 2016, the NFL will host three games in England and one in Mexico City.

71. Eric Shanks

President, chief operating officer and executive producer for FOX Sports. The network, which airs the NFC package, has been the most innovative since arriving on the scene in 1994.

72. Amy Adams Strunk

Controlling owner of the Tennessee Titans. Daughter of late owner Bud Adams, Strunk and her family members have been attempting to comply with NFL rules involving ownership structure so they can maintain control of the franchise, which Bud Adams founded in 1960.

73. Bob LaMonte

Need a coach or general manager? Call LaMonte. His Professional Sports Representation, Inc., represents seven NFL head coaches, five GMs and dozens more coaches and executives in pro and college football. Last year’s class included the Giants’ Ben McAdoo and Eagles’ Doug Pederson.

74. Tony Dungy

NBC analyst. The Hall-of-Fame coach’s importance goes far beyond his TV duties. Many coaches and players still reach out to him for advice.

75. John Skipper

President of ESPN. His network has the Monday night package and offers countless hours of NFL programming throughout the year.

76. James Andrews

Prominent American orthopedic surgeon. One of the biggest, if not the biggest, names in sports medicine. Andrews has worked on NFL players such as Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning and is often sought for a second opinion.

77. John Madden

Hall-of-Fame coach of the Raiders and longtime TV analyst. Even in retirement, he continues to serve as an advisor with the NFL and, of course, his name headlines the popular EA Sports Madden NFL video game that he’s been endorsing since 1988.

78. Shad Khan

Jacksonville Jaguars owner. He has overseen many improvements to EverBank Field, including, yes, the pool. But Khan is also building a team that will soon be the main attraction.

79. George Whitfield

Known as the “quarterback guru,” he typically works with passing prospects prior to the draft. Whitfield's clientele has included players like Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, and Jameis Winston.

80. Adrian Peterson

Minnesota Vikings running back. He led the league in rushing (for the third time) in 2015 at 30, the age when most backs are retired or in steep decline. In the age of “pass first,” the 2012 MVP proves a running back can still be the biggest weapon on a playoff team’s offense.

81. Joel Segal

Recently promoted to president of team sports at Lagardere Sports, he represents 54 active players, including five first-round picks in the 2016 draft. His client list includes Patrick Peterson, DeSean Jackson, Justin Houston and Khalil Mack.

82. Drew Rosenhaus

One of the most recognizable faces in the agent industry, he also remains one of the most prolific. Rosenhaus represents 106 current players, including Rob Gronkowski, LeSean McCoy, Greg Olsen and T.Y. Hilton.

83. Scott Hallenbeck

Executive director of USA Football, which oversees the sport on the youth and amateur levels. He plays a vital role for the NFL due to the fact that USA Football is the official youth development partner of all 32 of the league’s teams.

84. Tyrann Mathieu

Cardinals defensive back. He exemplifies the new emphasis on versatile defenders who can play safety, corner and even linebacker. Viewed as a risky third-round pick in 2013 after drug use prematurely ended his LSU career, Arizona is now grooming Mathieu as the future face of the franchise with a new contract around the corner. His maturation has also included his outspoken stance on social issues, like the rampant crime in his hometown of New Orleans.

85. Matthew Berry

Senior fantasy sports analyst for ESPN. The network gives him the perfect platform for talking to fantasy fans.

86. Mike Pereira

FOX Sports analyst. The former vice president of NFL officiating, he is now one of the most trusted voices when it comes to rules interpretations.

87. Cris Collinsworth

NBC Sunday Night Football analyst. Former Bengals receiver has a national broadcast audience every week. He also owns the football analytics website Pro Football Focus.

88. Mike Mayock, Todd McShay, Mel Kiper

NFL draft gurus. Mayock (NFL Network), McShay (ESPN) and Kiper (ESPN) dominate football talk for about three months of the year leading to the annual draft.

89. Charlotte Jones Anderson

Executive vice president and chief brand officer for the Cowboys, one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world. She is also the chairwoman of the NFL Foundation, the league's charity arm that is knee-deep in pushing youth football and safety agendas.

90. Eugene Monroe

Offensive tackle. Recently released by the Ravens and now a free agent, Monroe has been outspoken on his view that the league should allow players to use medical marijuana instead of the addictive opioids teams often use to treat injuries.

91. Charlie Sly

Formerly an intern at Indianapolis’ Guyer Institute, Sly was caught by an Al Jazeera America hidden camera linking five NFL players – Peyton Manning, James Harrison, Dustin Keller, Julius Peppers and Mike Neal – to HGH. The league says its investigation is ongoing.

92. Doug Hendrickson and Roosevelt Barnes

The death of legendary agent Eugene Parker and pending suspension of Ben Dogra left the football arm of Relativity Sports – recently rebranded Independent Sports and Entertainment – in the hands of this duo. Their client list includes Adrian Peterson, Jason Pierre-Paul and Aldon Smith.

93. Greg Hardy

Free agent defensive end. Has the league had enough, or will the first key injury bring the polarizing pass rusher back into the game?

94. David Baker

Pro Football Hall of Fame executive director. He is in charge of the game’s history.

95. Jim Irsay

Colts owner. He moved Andrew Luck atop the NFL pay scale but just might have struck a bargain by paying him $23.3 million through 2021, lower than many estimated Irsay would have to shell out.

96. Dave Gettleman

Panthers general manager. Since Gettleman took over in 2013, the Panthers have won three consecutive NFC South titles. And he’s quickly shown he has no fear of making a difficult decision with an eye to the future. In April, Gettleman rescinded the franchise tag from all-pro corner Josh Norman rather than overpay him and deviate from his philosophy of investing heavily in the trenches.

97. Michael Sam

The first openly gay player to be drafted – he didn’t make the Rams’ final roster after being selected in 2014 – he continues to imply that his sexuality is keeping him out of the NFL. Those comments could prevent other players from coming out.

98. Doug Mack

CEO of Fanatics, the licensed sports merchandising company that operates the e-commerce business for the NFL.

99. Dave Dunn and Brian Murphy

The founders and brain trust of Athletes First, the agency that represents Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, Clay Matthews, Jamaal Charles and Earl Thomas, among others. Dunn has increasingly been involved with coaches, too, representing the likes of Chip Kelly and Jason Garrett.

100. Les Snead

Rams general manager. New quarterback. New city. Enough said for what will determine his future with the team now operating in the high-pressure Hollywood market.

***

The list was compiled by: Nancy Armour, Jarrett Bell, Chris D’Amico, Nate Davis, Lindsay H. jones, Tom Pelissero, Eric Prisbell and Lorenzo Reyes

The capsules were written by: Griffin Adams, Lila Bromberg and Callie Caplan.

Ranking the Big 12 bowl games: From Independence to New Year's ...

The bowl assignments are out, and I’ve got to say, it’s a great post-season list for the Big 12.

Even though the Big 12 didn’t place a team in the College Football Playoff, a future Big 12 member, Cincinnati, made the four-team bracket. And the other Big 12 bowls, and bowls involving future Big 12 members, are mostly intriguing.

The Thursday ScissorTales check OU’s history of hiring defensive-minded coaches and look at Baker Mayfield’s future with the Cleveland Browns, but we start with our Thursday List, which ranks the Big 12 post-season games and includes future Big 12 members.

Tramel's ScissorTales:Facing Notre Dame in Fiesta Bowl a nice consolation prize for OSU football

The List: Ranking the Big 12 bowl games

1. Cotton Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Alabama, 2:30 p.m., Dec. 31, ESPN, in Arlington, Texas. This is a great assignment for mid-majors, with Cincy finally crashing through the ceiling and getting a playoff berth. But it’s also good for the Big 12, with the Bearcats soon to join. And it could be an even greater day. If UC could somehow pull an upset, it would be monumental not just for the underdogs, but for the new-look Big 12.

2. Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame, 11 a.m., Jan. 1, ESPN, in Glendale, Arizona. Tremendous bowl game for the Big 12 and the Cowboys. And Notre Dame cooperated even further by replacing AWOL coach Brian Kelly with Marcus Freeman, elevated from defensive coordinator. So the Cowboys help kick off an era in one of college football’s grandest traditions.

3. Liberty Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Mississippi State, 5:45 p.m., Dec. 28, ESPN, in Memphis. Mike Leach vs. the Red Raiders. How could you ask for anything better. Tech fired Leach 12 years ago and frankly has been struggling ever since. Leach has no love lost for the Red Raiders and has fared much better than Tech over those dozen seasons, doing well at outposts like Washington State and Mississippi State. Now Leach will go head-to-head with his former Tech quarterback, Sonny Cumbie, who is the Red Raiders’ interim coach before taking over at Louisiana Tech. The Red Raiders have hired Joey McGuire as head coach; he’s Tech’s fourth full-time head coach since Leach.

'This is a barometer game for us':Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees impressed with OSU defense

4. Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Ole Miss, 7:45 p.m., Jan. 1, ESPN, in New Orleans. Too bad OU is hiring Mississippi offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. Lebby coaching against the Bears would have been rich, since he is Art Briles’ son-in-law and was part of the staff during Baylor’s golden days of 2011-15 before the House of Briles was felled by the sexual assault coverup scandal.

5. Cheez-It Bowl: Iowa State vs. Clemson, 4:45 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN, in Orlando. The last time Dabo Swinney’s Tigers were subjected to Orlando’s No. 2 bowl, they thrashed the Sooners, then began terrorizing the Atlantic Coast Conference and all of college football. Now Swinney is back, but without his defensive coordinator (Brent Venables, gone to OU), probably his offensive coordinator (Tony Elliott, seemingly headed to Virginia) and his athletic director (Dan Radakovich, off to Miami). Seems like ripe pluckings for the Cyclones.

6. Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Oregon, 8:15 p.m., Dec. 29, ESPN, in San Antonio. Bob Stoops will coach the Sooners, which should be grand fun. How many players either team has is in question, since opt-outs are an epidemic.

7. Gasparilla Bowl: Central Florida vs. Florida, 6 p.m., Dec. 23, ESPN, in Tampa. A year ago, Gus Malzahn was fired a year ago by Auburn and then-Florida coach Dan Mullen was riding high, having taken Alabama to the brink in the SEC title game. Now Malzahn coaches UCF, a really good job that’s about to get better, and Mullen is unemployed. Funny how the world works.

8. Texas Bowl: Kansas State vs. Louisiana State, 8 p.m., Jan. 4, ESPN, in Houston. Former OU offensive lineman Brad Davis will be LSU’s interim coach for the bowl, before Brian Kelly takes over.

9. Guaranteed Rate Bowl: West Virginia vs. Minnesota, 9:15 p.m., Dec. 28, ESPN, in Phoenix. Long trip for both squads. To Phoenix, it’s 1,682 miles from Minneapolis and 2,080 miles from Morgantown.

10. Birmingham Bowl: Houston vs. Auburn, 11 a.m., Dec. 28, ESPN, in Birmingham, Alabama. Great bowl lineup for the American Conference. Three matchups against Southeastern Conference teams, including this one, plus two games against Atlantic Coast Conference teams – East Carolina vs. Boston College, Southern Methodist vs. Virginia.

11. Independence Bowl: Brigham Young vs. Alabama-Birmingham, 2:30 p.m., Dec. 18, ABC, in Shreveport, Louisiana. BYU came within a whisker of making a New Year’s Six bowl. Ranked 13th, the Cougars were the last team out. But BYU would have had to rise all the way to 10th, past Michigan State, to get a berth in a major bowl, since No. 11 Utah and No. 12 Pittsburgh were automatic qualifiers.

Carlson:Losing Knowles is painful, but Gundy's hires should ease pain

OU: Offensive head coaches vs. defensive head coaches

Thirty years ago, a friend of mine who knew Gary Gibbs and liked him, still wasn’t crazy about Gibbs as OU’s head coach.

He’s a defensive coach, she said, and he coaches like a defensive coach.

Some people will remember when that was a common thought. That head coaches who came up through the defensive ranks were conservative and not prone to innovative offenses or ideas.

Now OU has hired a defensive coordinator, Brent Venables, to be its head coach, and we don’t hear a peep about it.

Credit Bob Stoops. Stoops was a defensive coordinator when hired by OU 23 years ago, and Stoops quickly dispelled any notion of conservatism. He ran trick plays and hired offensive coordinators who ran the Air Raid and generally played maverick football.

But it got me to thinking. We’ve talked a lot about how often (almost always) OU resorts to lifetime assistant coaches when it has sought a head coach, but we’ve never focused from which side of the ball those assistants came.

So here goes.

1946: Jim Tatum. Tatum came from the single-platoon era, so coaches usually coached both sides of the ball. During World War II, Tatum and Bud Wilkinson tutored under Don Faurot and his split-T offense, so both Tatum and Wilkinson were known as -- and can be correctly labeled -- offensive coaches. But they coached both.

1947: Bud Wilkinson. You know, something I don’t know on the college level is how practices were split up during the single-platoon era. Was it offense for half a practice, then defense? Was it all offense one day, all defense another? Did half the team practice offense, half defense, then everybody flips? Doesn’t matter to this discussion. The coaches coached both sides, but if you must designate Wilkinson, you’d have to go with offense.

1964: Gomer Jones. If you make Wilkinson the offensive coach, then his long-time lieutenant, Jones, would have to be labeled defense. But Jones is the reason such designations are squishy. Jones was the line coach, which meant he coached the likes of Billy Krisher and Tom Catlin and Ed Gray and Jim Weatherall on both sides of the ball.

1966: Jim Mackenzie. Mackenzie was considered a defensive coordinator at Arkansas when OU hired him. The concept of offensive and defensive coordinators didn’t really take hold until the late 1960s, but it seems fairly clear that Mackenzie ran Frank Broyles’ defense at Arkansas.

1967: Chuck Fairbanks.Fairbanks was Mackenzie’s defensive backfield coach in 1966, then was promoted when Mackenzie died of a heart attack in April 1967.

1973: Barry Switzer. Switzer was Fairbanks’ offensive coordinator – Switzer installed the wishbone in 1970.

1989: Gibbs was Switzer’s long-time defensive coordinator, and a danged good one. Some day I’ve got rank all the OU defensive coordinators. It’s quite possible that Gary Gibbs will be No. 1.

1995:Howard Schnellenberger. Not an assistant coach. The Colonel was Louisville’s head coach when OU hired him, and he won’t be part of the discussion, but Schnellenberger absolutely was an offensive coach.

1996:John Blake. Never a coordinator, but Blake was a defensive line coach at OU, Tulsa and the Dallas Cowboys before being hired by the Sooners.

1999: Stoops. Defense all the way.

2017: Lincoln Riley. Offense all the way.

2022: Brent Venables. The Stoops story.

More:Incoming OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is already recruiting, and he's targeting quarterbacks

So discounting Schnellenberger, that’s seven defensive coaches and four offensive coaches. And of the four offensive coaches, that’s counting both Tatum and Wilkinson, who in theory coached both sides. If you want to discount any hiring before 1966, it’s 5-3 defense.

That is amazing. Offensive coaches for a long time have appeared to get more consideration for head coaching jobs. Fans love offense. Administrators love offense because fans love offense.

But OU, already bucking the trend by almost never going the head-coaching-experience route, bucks the trend even more by going with defense over offense.

Now, if you want to declare OU has had more success with offensive coaches, I can’t disagree.

Of the giants, two were offense (Wilkinson, Switzer) and one was defense (Stoops). Of course, that’s giving the offense Wilkinson, which can be argued.

Of the next-level of success, one was offense (Riley) and one was defense (Fairbanks).

Of the one-time wonders, one was ostensibly offense (Tatum) and one was defense (Mackenzie). What’s interesting is that both hired the men, Wilkinson and Switzer, who would lead Sooner dynasties.

Only one coach is of the solid-but-not-spectacular crowd. That’s Gibbs, on defense.

Of the two busts, Blake and Jones, one was defense and the other coached both but is more aligned with defense.

Now Venables joins the study.

OU’s batting average with offensive coaches is higher. Switzer and Riley were home runs, and if you count Tatum and Wilkinson, that’s four-for-four.

But Gibbs was good, Fairbanks was great and Stoops was grander than great. Blake drags down the defense’s case.

Without Stoops, you might scratch your head about Venables and wonder if the Sooners might should have gone after an offensive genius. Switzer himself politicked in the last week for Mike Leach to replace Riley.

But there is no without Stoops. The Stoops example is strong. His comparison with Venables is strong.

OU history shows there is no reason why Venables can’t be a success, too.

More:OU football coach Brent Venables' salary, contract terms released by school

Thunder playing well in close games

The Thunder beat the Raptors 110-109 Wednesday night in a rousing game in Toronto. You almost forgot how much fun the NBA can be.

The Thunder gets blown out so much, close games are difficult to find.

But in Toronto, the Thunder led 103-96 with barely two minutes left, then the Raptors came roaring back. On consecutive possessions, Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr. and Fred Van Vleet nailed 3-pointers, and the Raptors had a 105-105 tie.

After Josh Giddey missed a driving layup for OKC, Van Vleet and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander exchanged two foul shots each. Then the Raptors’ Justin Champagnie made an acrobatic layup, but SGA teamed with Mike Muscala on a great pick-and-pop play. The entire Raptor defense followed Gilgeous-Alexander, who drove the lane, then turned and passed to an open Muscala. He drained a 3-pointer to give OKC a 110-109 lead with eight seconds left.

Finally, Darius Bazley blocked Van Vleet’s desperation shot, Champagnie tipped in the wayward miss and Toronto celebrated, but video review showed the tip-in came after the buzzer.

“It was fun,” said Muscala. “Obviously, it was frustrating when they went on that big run, but with the crowd into it and everything, that’s what you play for. We were on pins and needles there. But shoutout, Shai had a great game. Just happy we won.”

What a game. Seemed like old times.

“The guys made big-time plays tonight,” Mark Daigneault said. “Both teams, really really good games down the stretch. Could have obviously gone either way. But I thought we showed good poise, playing all the way through, giving ourselves the best chance.”

'It was electric':Why the Thunder, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, is Canada's second team

The Thunder has been playing such games since hitting town 13 years ago.

But in the last calendar year, not so much. The rebuilding Thunder gets blown out on a regular basis. Heck, The Athletic’s John Hollinger, one of NBA media’s brighter minds, pointed out that the Thunder now is 2-1 in its last three games, with a minus-61 point differential. The Thunder beat Detroit 114-103 on Monday, but in OKC’s previous game, it lost 152-79 to Memphis, an NBA record for point differential.

The Thunder is 8-16, tied for the NBA’s fourth-worst record, but OKC’s minus-8.7 point differential is the NBA’s third-worst, trailing only Orlando and Detroit.

It got me to thinking. How does this Thunder team fare in tight games? The answer, not bad. Not bad at all.

The Thunder is 4-3 in games decided by five points or less. That means the Thunder is 4-13 in games not decided by five points or less.

The Thunder’s problem clearly is a lack of playoff-level talent. That leads to blowouts. But when the games are tight, SGA and Luguentz Dort and pals hang in there and compete rather well.

A year ago, when OKC was 22-50, the Thunder went 12-7 in games decided by five points or less. That’s right. The Thunder had a .632 winning percentage in tight games but was 10-43 otherwise.

In 2019-20, the Chris Paul season, the Thunder finished 44-28 and was 18-11 in tight games.

In the two Russell Westbrook/Paul George years, when OKC was 49-33 and 48-34, respectively, the Thunder was 11-17 and 12-12 in tight games.

In the Westbrook solo star year of 2016-17, the Thunder finished 47-35 and was 16-9 in tight games.

What does it all mean? It seems as if SGA is promising as a cool-customer quarterback in late-game situations. He’s played well when it matters, both with Chris Paul and without.

That bodes well for the future.

OKC Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers:How to watch, three things to know, lineups, live updates

NFL predictions & Baker Mayfield’s future

Baker Mayfield’s future with the Cleveland Browns is approaching a crisis point. Will the Browns offer a contract extension that makes Mayfield their franchise quarterback?

I don’t know. Mayfield’s performance and health have given pause to a relationship that seemed secure when Cleveland made its rise a year ago and won a playoff game for the first time since 1994.

Mayfield is due to make $18.8 million next season, and after that, the Browns always could place the franchise tag on Mayfield and secure his services for another season or two.

But most franchise tags are the result of an impasse in contract negotiations. The Browns’ reluctance is whether or not Mayfield is the quarterback they want leading a rather talented roster going forward.

Mayfield has thrown for 11 touchdowns and six interceptions this season, while completing 62.2 percent of his passes. In ESPN’s Total QBR (quarterback ratings), Mayfield is 26th among quarterbacks in the National Football League. Just above Sam Darnold, just below Daniel Jones.

Egads.

That’s not the status Mayfield or the Browns envisioned after Mayfield ranked 10th a year ago. Mayfield, who won the 2017 Heisman Trophy at OU, is 26. His next contract was expected to be the big one, somewhere north of $30 million a year.

But the Browns appear to be hesitant over such a commitment.

Cleveland is 6-6 and in last place in the four-team AFC North Division. The Browns host first-place Baltimore on Sunday, and a loss could send Cleveland to the brink of playoff elimination.

The Browns are tied for 10th in the AFC. Only seven teams make the playoff.

Cleveland has become a team reliant on a big-time defense and a strong running game. If that’s the Browns’ identity going forward, investing heavily in a 62-percent-passer makes no sense.

The rest of this season will go a long way to determining Mayfield’s future in Cleveland. Starting with the Ravens.

Let’s get to the predictions.

Steelers at Vikings: Pittsburgh 23-20. Minnesota is playing for its playoff life. But the Steelers are in no less a dogfight.

Ravens at Browns: Baltimore 19-17. The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson has slumped, but his running threat still sends chills through opposing defenses.

Jaguars at Titans: Tennessee 26-6. With a victory, the Titans can restore their two-game lead in the AFC South.

Raiders at Chiefs: Kansas City 22-14. The NFL season is long. The Chiefs looked in trouble back in October. Now they’re a half game out of first place in the AFC and seem as good a pick as any to reach another Super Bowl. Don’t over-react until the weather gets cold.

Saints at Jetropolitans: New Orleans 20-17. From the land of unattended consequences, the expanded NFL season keeps WAY more teams involved in the playoff hunt. New Orleans is 5-7 and only one game out of the playoffs.

Cowboys at Washington: Dallas 21-18. Somehow, the Cowboys haven’t even secured the division title in the woeful NFC East. Dallas leads Washington by two games, but the bitter rivals play twice in a span of 15 days.

Falcons at Panthers: Atlanta 27-20. A battle of 5-7 teams. The loser is not eliminated from playoff contention, but I wouldn’t recommend losing.

Seahawks at Texans: Seattle 24-16. Russell Wilson looked more like himself Sunday in beating the 49ers, so now not even the 4-8 Seahawks are dead in the water.

Lions at Broncos: Denver 22-13. In the last seven seasons, six quarterbacks have led Denver in passing – Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Lock, Joe Flacco, Case Keenum, Trevor Siemian and Peyton Manning. Only Siemian (2016-17) did it twice. Chances are, come 2022, it will be seven in eight seasons.

Giants at Chargers: Los Angeles 34-13. New York is a mess. The Giants might soon have a new general manager, a new coach and a new quarterback.

49ers at Bengals: San Francisco 26-25. I am committed to picking against Cincinnati the rest of the season. I’m pulling for the Bengals, but they’ve made me look foolish a bunch of weeks.

Bills at Buccaneers: Tampa Bay 31-20. Buffalo is 7-5; lose this one, and the Bills rank among the NFL’s most disappointing teams.

Bears at Packers: Green Bay 26-7. Be nice, Aaron Rodgers. Nobody likes a sore winner.

Rams at Cardinals: Los Angeles 24-23. Could be the Rams’ last stand. With a victory, Arizona takes a three-game lead in the NFC West.

Last week: 8-6. Season: 120-71-1.

Mailbag: How to save the bowls

Bowls are under siege, with coaches leaving teams – or being asked to leave – before bowl games, and players following suit by opting out of the bowl games. Some seek solutions.

Tim: “Idea for paying players and increasing bowl participation by players: 25 percent of a team’s bowl payout is split between the players on the roster for bowl game.”

Tramel: I’ve heard worse ideas. Just like everything else, I’m sure there are unintended consequences. But the bowls are hemorrhaging, with interesting waning. So I’d be willing to try most anything.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

NFL draft grades 2020: Packers, Eagles rank among worst team ...

That's a wrap.

The 2020 NFL draft has a bow on it, which means it's time for instant gratification: report cards for all 32 teams.

But first, a moment to spotlight the folly of this exercise given it generally takes about three years to fairly grade a club's draft performance.

How many people gave the New Orleans Saints an "A+" in 2017, when they picked offensive rookie of the year Alvin Kamara, defensive rookie of the year Marshon Lattimore and future all-pro Ryan Ramczyk? Might be the best class of the decade.

And how many gave the San Francisco 49ers an "A" in 2017, when they took defenders Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster in Round 1? In fairness, that was hardly a lost draft – GM John Lynch swindled the Bears for extra picks for simply moving down from No. 2 to No. 3 and landed all-pro TE George Kittle in Round 5 – but it's certainly panned out far differently than many expected when evaluating it in real time.

The 2020 draft could take even longer to accurately analyze given the novel coronavirus pandemic is going to put all these rookies behind the 8-ball as they attempt to assimilate into the professional ranks ... and ahead of a season that may or may not occur.

But whatever. We're all looking for welcome distractions in the world of COVID-19, so let's jump that grading gun again and start scribbling with our digital red pen:

A

Baltimore Ravens: Few teams scout the college ranks with more prescience, and last year's handover from Ozzie Newsome to current GM Eric DeCosta has been seamless. This seems like another enviable batch, DeCosta shoring up defensive shortcomings – so evident in the playoff loss to Tennessee – with LBs Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison and DL Justin Madubuike while supercharging what was an already record-setting offense with RB J.K. Dobbins and WR Devin Duvernay. Queen and Duvernay seem especially capable of making huge splashes as rookies, but keep an eye on Round 6 WR James Proche, like Duvernay, a 100-catch man in college.

Indianapolis Colts: "Feels" like they reeled in a pair of first-round talents in Round 2, WR Michael Pittman and RB Jonathan Taylor adding serious juice to new QB Philip Rivers' supporting cast, both capable of instantly assuming leading roles. And investing a fourth-rounder into physically gifted QB Jacob Eason to see how he develops behind Rivers goes into the low-risk, high-reward category. But GM Chris Ballard's best move was spending his 13th overall selection on 49ers DT DeForest Buckner, a man worthy of his vast cap resources. Aces.

Minnesota Vikings: GM Rick Spielman divested WR Stefon Diggs to leaven his ammo, picking up a first-rounder for his trouble, then went to work caulking a roster good enough to reach the divisional round of last season's playoffs. WR Justin Jefferson – seemingly an ideal sidekick for Adam Thielen – might be a steal at No. 22 while fellow first-rounder Jeff Gladney led a fleet of new corners, a position previously raided in free agency. Spielman also added to Mike Zimmer's D-line rotation and might have found a new left tackle with highly regarded second-rounder Ezra Cleveland.

A-

Arizona Cardinals: Spending a second-round pick allowed them to import all-pro WR DeAndre Hopkins and dump overpaid RB David Johnson. That alone constitutes a pretty good draft. But the Cards also landed first-round LB/S Isaiah Simmons, one of the most intriguing defenders to emerge in years, and now just have to figure out how to maximize his unique versatility. Third-round OT Josh Jones could be a bargain.

Cincinnati Bengals: Give them credit for not letting a team like Miami entice them to trade the No. 1 pick used on Joe Burrow, who should be gold for this franchise on and off the field. Third-round LB Logan Wilson could become the defense's new quarterback. Second-round WR Tee Higgins seems a bit of a luxury pick. But he's a quality prospect nonetheless, potentially A.J. Green's eventual replacement. Still, Burrow will define this haul – but it sure seems like he could be uniquely qualified to lift a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game in three decades.

Washington Redskins: Give them credit for not letting a team like Atlanta entice them to trade the No. 2 pick used on Chase Young – widely touted as this draft's top prospect and a man who should elevate a defense teeming with potential. Third-round RB Antonio Gibson, fourth-round OT Saahdiq Charles and fourth-round WR Antonio Gandy-Golden are intriguing prospects for a team that needs playmakers, and any could have been taken sooner. TE Thaddeus Moss was signed after going undrafted. In sum, nice job by new coach Ron Rivera. As far as the previous regime, Washington should've gotten more in the trade of LT Trent Williams, but give credit for mortgaging this year's second-rounder in order to get 2019 first-round DE Montez Sweat.

Dallas Cowboys: They didn't overthink it with WR CeeDee Lamb sitting there at No. 17. Nice pick – even if it didn't fill a hole, Lamb was too good to pass up and might've been wearing Eagles green otherwise. Down the board, Jerry Jones and Co. appeared to do a pretty good job of wedding value with need, getting CB Trevon Diggs in Round 2, DT Neville Gallimore in Round 3, Wisconsin C Tyler Biadasz in Round 4 (who better to replace retired ex-Badger Travis Frederick?) and a potential steal with the selection of pass rusher Bradlee Anae in the fifth. This team probably should be expected to win the NFC East.

Pittsburgh Steelers: How often can you say your draft is guaranteed to produce an all-pro? Welp, this one did after the Steelers traded last year's first-rounder for second-year S Minkah Fitzpatrick, who blossomed in Pittsburgh and is still under contractual control for three more years. As for players just picked, uber-sized WR Chase Claypool, uber-productive OLB Alex Highsmith and uber-swift RB Anthony McFarland all seem well-positioned to battle for jobs currently manned by veterans potentially on shaky ground.

B+

Cleveland Browns: Seems rookie GM Andrew Berry has hit the ground running for a franchise that's been dysfunctional for so long. He followed up a nice free-agent harvest with what projects as a solid draft, first-round OT Jedrick Wills possibly the man who can finally fill Joe Thomas' void and second-round S Grant Delpit a potential gem. Given David Njoku is still on the roster, it's worth asking how many tight ends Berry and new coach Kevin Stefanski need after signing Austin Hooper to a huge contract and drafting highly regarded Harrison Bryant in Round 4.

Denver Broncos: If there's any element of glass half-empty here, it would be the expectations mounting on QB Drew Lock – he won four of five starts to conclude his rookie year – after GM John Elway surrounded him with so many additional weapons. First-rounder Jerry Jeudy is as polished an incoming player as you'll find at receiver while second-round WR K.J. Hamler should fly down the field, opening things up for Jeudy, Pro Bowler Courtland Sutton and TE Noah Fant. Elway also reinforced the O-line and patched holes on the D-line and secondary. Ball's in your court, Drew. No pressure.

San Francisco 49ers: They wound up making just five selections, but jeez. Top pick Javon Kinlaw (14th overall) likely isn't the next Buckner but certainly a first-rate replacement conducive to cap management. First-round WR Brandon Aiyuk should form a dynamic tandem with 2019 second-rounder Deebo Samuel. But to pick up a Pro Bowler in Williams for two mid-round picks while offloading the remainder of WR Marquise Goodwin's contract on Philadelphia? Yeoman's work, Mr. Lynch.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They continued to aggressively dedicate their resources to a Super Bowl-or-bust effort for newly signed QB Tom Brady. First-round OT Tristan Wirfs, third-round RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn and a fourth-round pick spent on TE Rob Gronkowski promise to pay immediate dividends. However the best value pick of GM Jason Licht's weekend is arguably second-round S Antoine Winfield Jr.

B

Carolina Panthers: Evidently new coach Matt Rhule feels pretty good about his offense given Carolina devoted its entire draft to defense, the seven-player class including a trio – DT Derrick Brown (Round 1), DE Yetur Gross-Matos (Round 2) and S Jeremy Chinn (Round 2) – that should ensure a unit which surrendered a franchise-record 470 points in 2019 quickly becomes a distant memory.

Chicago Bears: Considering how things have played out, good argument to be made that the trade for Khalil Mack – even at the cost of two first-rounders – has been worth it. GM Ryan Pace also did a nice job Friday by landing TE Cole Kmet and CB Jaylon Johnson, borderline first-round prospects, in Round 2.

Detroit Lions: Adding No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah to the defense and upgrading QB Matthew Stafford's arsenal with second-round RB D'Andre Swift – good luck finding a better all-purpose back in this draft – and a pair of guards to keep him off his back should equate to a pretty good weekend's work.

Los Angeles Chargers: They stuck at No. 6 to pick QB Justin Herbert and now wait to learn how high his ceiling is and whether they should've aggressively pursued Tua Tagovailoa. However GM Tom Telesco did sell out to come back into Round 1 for LB Kenneth Murray, surrendering both of the Bolts' Day 2 picks in the process. Hard-running fourth-round RB Joshua Kelley should pick up touches left behind by Melvin Gordon. Seventh-rounder K.J. Hill, Ohio State's all-time leading receiver, provides a long-missing slot option.

Los Angeles Rams: They haven't picked in the first round since 2016, when QB Jared Goff was the No. 1 overall pick. But surrendering this year's first-rounder brought CB Jalen Ramsey, and GM Les Snead appeared to pick up four players Friday – RB Cam Akers (Round 2), WR Van Jefferson (Round 2), OLB Terrell Lewis (Round 3) and S Terrell Burgess (Round 3) – who could contribute early to a squad little more than a year removed from the Super Bowl.

New England Patriots: No organization is more adept at stockpiling picks, and the Pats began the draft with a dozen. However the narrative needs to be revised as it pertains to their actual draft acumen – it's been some time since they produced a collective slam dunk and have been especially dreadful in Round 2 for nearly a decade. That said ... Bill Belichick's first post-Brady group felt solid, five players obtained Friday in the second and third rounds. Round 2 S Kyle Dugger and Round 3 TE Devin Asiasi might be steals. And given they passed on Jordan Love and apparently made no bid for a QB near the top of the draft, should say something about how they feel about apparent Brady successor Jarrett Stidham. One question: Really necessary to spend a fifth-rounder on a kicker from Marshall?

New York Jets: GM Joe Douglas used his maiden draft to try and fulfill a promise to Sam Darnold's parents, acquiring players who can directly assist the third-year quarterback. LT Mekhi Becton (11th overall pick) and WR Denzel Mims (59th) could represent value given both were generally projected to go higher. Fourth-round QB James Morgan was worth a try given the team's season was scuttled last year by Darnold's three-game absence while fighting mononucleosis. Fifth-round CB Bryce Hall could be pressed into service immediately.

B-

Buffalo Bills: Probably overpaid for Stefon Diggs, surrendering their first-round pick plus three mid-rounders for a seventh and a wideout who's never made a Pro Bowl ... and in a receiver-heavy draft. But there's something to be said for certainty ... assuming Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane are certain Diggs won't pout. But with the picks the Bills did retain, they selected nice players, second-rounder A.J. Epenesa freshening the pass rush and third-rounder Zack Moss capable of providing far more than Frank Gore did as part of the run game committee. Boost this grade if they're able to stream fifth-round QB Jake Fromm's football mind into starter Josh Allen's helmet.

New Orleans Saints: Odd draft. They needed little for a roster unlikely to churn much, so they didn't pick much (just four times) – aggressively working the board for players they wanted. First-rounder Cesar Ruiz was likely the best interior O-lineman but creates an odd-man out situation. Versatile third-round LB Zack Baun, whom many projected as a first-rounder, might be able to contribute most in 2020 to what this organization hopes is one last Super Bowl push for QB Drew Brees. But keep an eye on third-round TE Adam Trautman, who could take Brees back to the Jimmy Graham days.

C+

Jacksonville Jaguars: Seems they're building toward 2021 – Trevor Lawrence? – but nevertheless picked reputable players, including first-round CB C.J. Henderson, who should address a glaring need following Ramsey's departure. Pass rusher K'Lavon Chaisson (Round 1) – taken with a pick obtained for Ramsey – and WR Laviska Shenault Jr. (Round 2) could need a transition year, which isn't a knock but adds to the feel that this club is in a weird limbo. Speaking of which, disgruntled DE Yannick Ngakoue remains.

Kansas City Chiefs: The champs only had six picks, but first-round RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire will make any K.C. fans pining for Kareem Hunt forget quickly. Second-round LB Willie Gay Jr. should contribute early ... assuming his conduct questions have indeed been overblown.

New York Giants: No. 4 pick Andrew Thomas, who had quite a late rise, led a vanguard of needed O-line reinforcements. Second-round S Xavier McKinney could be one of the draft's heists. GM David Gettleman earmarked all four seventh-round picks to defense, but hard to bank on any boosting a flawed group.

C

Las Vegas Raiders: GM Mike Mayock, who did a nice job picking players during his 2019 debut, continues hoarding Clemson Tigers – the tally up to five in two draft classes. More important, first-round WR Henry Ruggs, he of the 4.27-second 40-yard dash, is a classic Raider pick and one who should lighten the box for former Tide teammate Josh Jacobs while pulling coverage off TE Darren Waller. We'll see if first-round CB Damon Arnette was a reach and what Jon Gruden is going to do with this surplus of receivers – though Ruggs and third-round WR Lynn Bowden could allow the coach to get especially creative. One lingering question: Was owner Mark Davis' decision not to pay Mack really worth it in hindsight now that the trade freight has been exhausted?

Miami Dolphins: They had the stones to take Tagovailoa fifth overall, and this draft will largely be defined by the outcome of his career and its longevity given his medical concerns. Of course, the Fins' abundance of of picks enabled them to roll the dice on Tagovailoa and others who arrive with significant questions, including first-round CB Noah Igbinoghene and second-round DT Raekwon Davis. The rampant boom-or-bust variables suggest a swing for the fences for an organization desperate to return to relevance. (Admittedly, Navy's Malcolm Perry was a nice touch in Round 7.) But remains to be seen if they were better off retaining the services of Fitzpatrick and Tunsil, whose departures padded Miamis's arsenal of picks but stunted forward progress.

C-

Atlanta Falcons: CB A.J. Terrell (Round 1), DL Marlon Davidson (Round 2) and C Matt Hennessy (Round 3) are solid. None feel like the missing piece for a team that's underachieved lately, and the final product can't help but feel flat in the wake of pre-draft buzz that GM Thomas Dimitroff had a bold, Julio Jones-level trade in the works. Never happened.

D+

Seattle Seahawks: Meh. Got their usual haul of players they seem especially willing to overdraft. For years, it was taboo to question the wisdom of coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider, who made so many mid-round home run picks early in their tenure but have picked just two Pro Bowlers since 2016 – one of those P Michael Dickson.

Tennessee Titans: Hard to argue with the program GM Jon Robinson and coach Mike Vrabel are building but unclear if this year's picks will help much in 2020. First-round OT Isaiah Wilson is 21 and may not be ready to capably replace stud Jack Conklin, who's now in Cleveland. Second-round CB Kristian Fulton must prove he's past questionable off-field behavior. And third-round RB Darrynton Evans is a nice handcuff for 2019 rushing champ Derrick Henry, but it's not clear if Evans is even ready for a third-round role at present.

D

Green Bay Packers: Given the unprecedented stability they've enjoyed for nearly 30 years at quarterback, maybe we shouldn't argue with their methodology – which included a Round 1 trade for Love, Aaron Rodgers' potential heir apparent. But to take Love and then come back with one-dimensional RB A.J. Dillon at the end of Round 2, it just doesn't seem enough was done to help Rodgers – he surely would've liked just one of this year's bountiful crop of receivers – win now.

Philadelphia Eagles: GM Howie Roseman built a champion, so difficult to question his (often sage) moves. But the visceral reaction to this draft ... not very good. WR Jalen Reagor in Round 1 when Justin Jefferson was sitting there (and when sixth-rounder Quez Watkins can provide the speed aspect Reagor does)? Second-round QB Jalen Hurts is tantalizing, but can he execute game plans built for Carson Wentz? And when you could've taken, say, Fromm later and used that second-rounder on a better defensive player? Finally, assuming the remainder of Goodwin's contract seems like another dubious decision.

F

Houston Texans: Hard to recall a draft so extensively leveraged to obtain veterans. Newly anointed (but long-acting) GM Bill O'Brien shipped out most of his best picks for players like newly extended Tunsil – he'll cost another first-rounder plus a second in 2021, too – WR Brandin Cooks, CB Gareon Conley and RB Duke Johnson. Tunsil is a nice player, but his price was way too high. The others are eminently replaceable. And to also deal Jadeveon Clowney, basically for a third-rounder, while settling for a second-rounder and RB David Johnson in exchange for a transcendent talent like Hopkins? Brutal. O'Brien's first official selection as GM was TCU DT Ross Blacklock at No. 40, which actually seems like pretty solid value. But in sum, this feels like a staggering net loss.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis

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Peyton Manning sets new touchdown standard

By Lindsay H. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

DENVER — Peyton Manning now stands alone as the NFL's all-time touchdown king.

The Denver Broncos' 38-year-old quarterback threw touchdown No. 509 of his career Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers to break Brett Favre's career record.

The record-breaker went to receiver Demaryius Thomas, at 7:42 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, with three minutes and nine seconds remaining in the second quarter to give the Broncos a 21-3 lead in a game Denver would go on to win 42-17.

Thomas, fellow receivers Wes Welker, Emmanuel Sanders and tight end Julius Thomas — Manning's stellar stable of pass catchers — then engaged in a pre-planned game of keep-away with the record-setting ball before finally letting Manning get his hands on it one more time before it heads to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For a moment, it appeared the NFL's best prankster had been punked on his own big night.

"I can't believe they actually did it," Manning said. "We sort of joked about it during the week. I'm a little bit hurt by the fact that they could do that, that they're kind of picking on me."

But no, this, like so much of Manning's Hall of Fame career, was diligently crafted.

"He actually planned it himself," Demaryius Thomas said.

Planned or not, it was a special, silly moment for one of the NFL's all-time greatest players.

After Manning finally secured the milestone ball, he was mobbed on the Broncos' sideline. Head coach John Fox pulled his quarterback into a bear hug, and more players than Manning could count slapped him on the helmet and shoulder pads as Sports Authority Field at Mile High public address announcer Alan Roach alerted the crowd to the milestone.

"Broncos fans, you have just witnessed history," Roach said, introducing a pre-taped video tribute that featured messages from Favre, Broncos general manager John Elway and several Broncos teammates.

But the fans here didn't need the reminder. They arrived well aware of the impending history, and the tension grew after he tossed career touchdown No. 507 on the Broncos' opening drive and the record-tying touchdown later in the first quarter.

Those rapid scores left little doubt that the record would be broken against the 49ers. But when would it happen? And who would be the lucky receiver to catch it?

As the Broncos marched toward the south end zone, flash bulbs from cell phone cameras popped at every snap. They recorded an incomplete pass to Julius Thomas in the end zone, an ugly sack after Manning stumbled backwards and landed on his backside, before, finally, the touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in the right front corner of the end zone.

Manning entered Sunday night's game needing two touchdowns to tie Favre and three to break the record. Touchdown No. 507 went to Sanders and No. 508 to Welker — the first touchdown catch of the season for both receivers.

Manning would extend his record to 510 with another toss to Demaryius Thomas in the third quarter, a 40-yard bomb one play after cornerback Aqib Talib intercepted San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick. That touchdown was the 30th between Manning and Thomas, the most of any Bronco, and the fifth-most of any of Manning's teammates.

Manning's longtime Indianapolis Colts teammate Marvin Harrison caught 112 of Manning's touchdowns, followed by Reggie Wayne with 67.

But so many of those touchdowns with the Colts feel like distant history now, part of the first chapter, albeit a long one, of Manning's career.

That Manning has reached Favre's record so quickly, in his 246th game — 56 fewer games than it took Favre — is a testament to the career rejuvenation he experienced in Denver.

When he was cut by the Indianapolis Colts in March 2012, after four surgeries on his neck including a spinal fusion surgery that forced him to miss the entire NFL season, it was fair to wonder if his Hall of Fame career would end with 399 touchdowns.

"I certainly didn't think this would be a possibility a couple of years ago," Manning said.

But since arriving in Denver, where he signed a five-year contract that runs through 2016, Manning has somehow been a better version of himself as he adjusted to his new body. He threw 37 touchdowns his first season with the Broncos, while spending more time in the training room and with his doctors than in the weight room as he worked to regain strength in his right triceps and waited for his nerve damage to improve.

That didn't fully happen until last year, and Manning tied an NFL record with seven touchdowns in the season opener against Baltimore. By the time the season was over, Manning owned the single-season touchdown record (55), the single-season passing yardage record (5,477) and had earned his fifth MVP award.

Tight end Jacob Tamme is the only current Bronco to have played with Manning in both Indianapolis and Denver. He knew Manning before the spinal fusion surgery, he saw him sidelined for the 2011 season and he's seen every step of the process that has led Manning back. Perhaps more than any other player, Tamme could appreciate Manning's journey to reach this major milestone.

"Definitely there were those moments in the rehab process, but he just worked so hard to get better," Tamme told USA TODAY Sports. "That's another part of what makes it so special. I mean, it really is incredible."

While in New Jersey in the week before the Super Bowl, Manning summarily dismissed nearly a week's worth of questions about if he would retire if the Broncos were to win. They didn't, and of course, he didn't — and Manning, now 38 years old, seems intent on playing out his contract with the Broncos, provided he doesn't hit a physical or mental wall before his 40th birthday.

If Manning continues throwing touchdowns at the pace he set when he arrived in Denver, with 2.9 touchdowns per game, Manning will pass 600 touchdowns in 2016, and could conceivably throw for more than 630 touchdowns.

"I don't know how long he's going to play and how the rest of the season is going to play out, but I feel like he has a lot left where he can go out and throw (touchdowns)," Demaryius Thomas said. "I can't put a number on it. But the way he is playing, I feel like he can just go out and average three, four or five touchdowns a game. Hopefully, because that's good, it's good for the offense, good for the team, and I hope a couple of those go my way."

When Manning threw touchdown No. 500 two weeks ago, he said he expected several other of the league's current top quarterbacks to reach that mark as well. But to throw more than 600? It's hard to imagine the likes of Tom Brady or Drew Brees getting there. Brady, only one year younger than Manning, has 372 touchdowns. Brees, 35, has 374. Aaron Rodgers, another Super Bowl winner and former league MVP, has just 206.

The most intriguing young quarterback who could perhaps one day chase Manning's record is the one who is following him in Indianapolis — the Colts' third-year quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck has 65 touchdowns in his first 39 games; Manning had 64.

For now, and for the indefinite future, the record is Manning's alone.

By the third quarter of the Broncos' Sunday night blowout of the 49ers, Manning's record-breaking touchdown ball was in possession of Joe Horrigan, the vice president of communications and exhibits at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Horrigan placed the ball into a blue canvas bag. Horrigan will carry it through Denver International Airport on Monday morning — he wouldn't dare risk it getting lost in checked luggage, Horrigan told USA TODAY Sports — and it will be on display in Canton by Monday afternoon. There, it will join a host of other career mementos from Manning dating back to his rookie season through his single-season record-breaking ball from 2013 and a Broncos uniform from his 2013 MVP season.

But first, Manning got to hold it one more time. Horrigan carried that blue canvas bag into the Broncos locker room, pulled out the ball and handed it to Manning once the quarterback had changed out of his all-blue uniform and into a blue plaid blazer. Manning posed for pictures with it, along with his wife Ashley, his longtime agent Tom Condon and Fox.

Rarely one to reflect on his legacy and career milestones midseason, it was clear that this was one moment that truly mattered.

"I'm very humbled and very honored. I certainly think about how grateful I am for all the teammates and coaches that I've played with and played for throughout my career, not only here in Denver — in Indianapolis and all the people that have helped me along the way," Manning said. "I've always been a big fan of quarterbacks, whether it's Brett Favre or Dan Marino or John Elway. I'm very honored and humbled to join a pretty unique club."

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

Brian Flores faces uphill climb with lawsuit against NFL discimination

Brian Flores has transformed from coach to activist. And it may put his NFL career in jeopardy.

But the former Miami Dolphins head coach hopes his proposed class-action lawsuit levied Tuesday — the first day of Black History Month — will shed light on injustices minority coaches face in the NFL.

COVID news: Cases reach 8M in US; New England Patriots; Trump ...

The U.S. is now the only country to reach 8 million cases of the coronavirus — less than a month after reaching 7 million — amid a surge that has resulted in higher case counts in 41 states over the last week, according to a USA TODAY analysis.

Due to COVID-19 cases surging nationwide, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, cautioned against throwing large celebrations for Thanksgiving, calling it "a risk" to gather in indoor settings with people from out-of-town. His own family, he shared, is canceling plans.

And on Thursday, President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden talked coronavirus during dueling town halls.

On ABC, Biden said he would support making a COVID-19 vaccine mandatory. But, he acknowledged, that he can't force people to get the vaccine when it's available. Meanwhile, on NBC, Trump said he didn't remember whether he tested negative the day of his debate against Biden on Sept. 29.

Some significant developments:

The New England Patriots had to pause activities due to coronavirus concerns again. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts reopened its facility after four positive tests had been re-run and returned negative.

A CDC report finds that indoor sports may be "super-spreader" events after one player infected 14 others at a Florida recreational indoor hockey game.

The effectiveness of remdesivir has been put into question after a massive World Health Organization study of more than 10,000 patients in 30 countries found ”little or no effect.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told the public to remain vigilant in an appearance Friday on ABC, his first since being released from the hospital for COVID-19.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Canada-US border will stay closed until America gets control of the coronavirus outbreak.

📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 8 million cases and 217,700 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins data. There have been more than 38.9 million confirmed cases around the world and nearly 1.1 million deaths. A USA TODAY analysis found 14 states set records for new cases in a week while two states had a record number of deaths in a week.

📰 What we're reading: The pandemic and the ensuing recession have taken a toll for students, but they hit particularly hard for community college students who already face many obstacles on their path to getting a degree.

🗺 Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak in your state

This file will be updated throughout the day. For updates in your inbox, subscribe to The Daily Briefing newsletter.

Chicago Public Schools sees largest enrollment drop in 2 decades amid COVID-19

Enrollment in Chicago Public Schools dropped 15,000 students this year from last — the largest single-year decrease in more than two decades, according to the district Friday.

The decline is driven by fewer new students enrolling in the earliest grades, including a 44 percent decline in Black students enrolled in pre-k compared to last school year, according to the district.

"While we’re seeing similar trends across the country, the stunning decline among Black children enrolled in pre-k casts a somber light on how the pandemic and remote learning negatively impact our youngest learners," CPS Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade said in a press release.

Student attendance this year has improved over remote learning engagement last spring, but overall attendance is down to 91.4% compared to 95.3% last school year, according to the district. Black students have seen the largest decline in attendance, followed by a decline in attendance among Latinx students. Attendance among Asian students declined slightly, and attendance of white students remained unchanged.

— Grace Hauck

Trump vows to deliver vaccine to nursing homes at no cost

Americans living or working in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and assisted care living centers, will receive COVID-19 vaccinations for free — if and when they become available, the Trump administration said Friday.

The administration announced a partnership with the nation's two largest drug store chains, CVS and Walgreens, "to provide and administer" the vaccines with "no out-of-pocket costs" for the recipients.

Trump, 74, vowed a vaccine would be available before the end of the year, despite his own federal health experts saying that timeline is highly unlikely, and that senior citizens would be "first in line."

The president made the announcement at an event billed as "Protecting America's Seniors" in Fort Myers, Florida. Trump is trying to shore up support among senior citizens, a key voting bloc that helped him win four years ago but which recent polling suggests has eroded in recent months.

– Courtney Subramanian and Nathan Bomey

Report: New England Patriots cancel practice after positive test

Only a day after Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore returned from the COVID-19 list to practice, the New England Patriots had to pause activities due to coronavirus concerns once again.

The team canceled its Friday practice and media session after a positive test, ESPN reported, as the team awaits a positive test confirmation for a second individual.

On Sunday, the Patriots are scheduled to play the Denver Broncos, who they were supposed to originally face Oct. 10.

– Chris Bumbaca

Crisis averted: False positives for Indianapolis Colts

Hours after the Indianapolis Colts shut down its facility because “several members of the organization” tested positive for coronavirus, the team revealed that four positive tests had been re-run and returned negative.

Indianapolis will reopen its facility and practice Friday afternoon. Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals remains scheduled.

"All is well," team owner Jim Irsay teased in a tweet shortly before the Colts' second announcement.

— Chris Bumbaca

22 million Americans lost their jobs during the 'coronavirus recession'. Who were they?

Early this year, more than 22 million Americans lost their jobs — according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While slightly more than half have gotten their positions back, many economists fear a full recovery is two or more years away.

Almost 900,000 lost their jobs in Ohio. Over the past several weeks, The Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY network, spoke with workers and small business owners from Greater Cincinnati, asking how the downturn has affected their lives, their work – and their upcoming votes.

“I went from Neverland to being stuck in my parents’ basement,” Ben Shipp, 26, said, after his dream internship at Disney World ended abruptly.

Read more of their stories here.

— Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer

Infections surge in Europe, record daily case counts

Coronavirus cases around the world have climbed to all-time highs of more than 330,000 per day. In addition to the United States, concern is largely focused around Europe — as Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director for the World Health Organization in Europe, warns that the daily death toll on the continent could reach five times its April peak by January 2021.

Well after Europe seemed to have largely tamed the virus that proved so lethal last spring, newly confirmed infections are reaching unprecedented levels in Germany, Czech Republic, Italy and Poland. Most of the rest of the continent is seeing similar danger signs, forcing many places to reimpose tough restrictions eased just months ago.

"These projections do nothing but confirm what we always said: the pandemic won’t reverse its course on its own, but we will," Kluge said on Oct. 15.

How can I stay safe indoors from the coronavirus during cold seasons?

What makes congregating indoors so dangerous? Dr. Lewis Nelson, professor and chair of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said one of the main reasons there’s a higher risk of transmission indoors than outdoors is lack of ventilation. Additionally, indoor public places have more surfaces.

“If I were to smoke a cigarette (inside), you would see the smoke particles linger,” he said. “Whereas outdoors the smoke kind of leaves."

Ventilation can be increased by opening a window, turning on a fan or even adding a portable air filter to a room. Most portable air filters can’t filter out virus particles if they don’t have HEPA filtration, but they still facilitate air circulation. Reducing the number of people in an indoor space also helps. Read more here.

– Adrianna Rodriguez

Michigan woman beats coronavirus after nearly 200 days in the hospital

Deanna Hair, a 67-year-old Ann Arbor resident, and her husband began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms after a trip to Palm Springs, California. Both tested positive on March 31. While her husband's symptoms were mild, Hair developed a fever and cough, and four days later began vomiting.

Her condition worsened, with new problems arising each day in a new organ. While hospitalized, she had infections in her chest and belly, pneumonia in her lungs, and became septic when her kidneys started to fail, said Michigan Medicine pulmonologist Dr. Philip Choi.

In June, two months after Hair was admitted to the hospital, she tested negative for COVID-19 twice — and was eventually moved out of intensive care. And after 196 days — the longest a patient has stayed at Michigan Medicine — Hair was wheeled out.

Finally arriving at the car, her husband helped her inside, gave her a long embrace and whispered, "You made it."

– Adrianna Rodriguez

Fauci: Having a big Thanksgiving celebration is 'a risk'

You may need to cancel any big Thanksgiving plans this year, warns Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States’ leading infectious disease expert.

Speaking to “CBS Evening News,” Fauci cautioned against “gathering together in an indoor setting” with large groups of out-of-town guests. “It is unfortunate because that’s such a sacred part of American tradition — the family gathering around Thanksgiving,” he said. “But that is a risk.”

He added that his own family is canceling its Thanksgiving plans due to his age putting him at a higher risk of COVID-19.

WHO study finds remdesivir has 'little to no' benefit for COVID-19 patients

The effectiveness of remdesivir, an experimental drug that was part of President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 treatment plan, has been put into question after a massive World Health Organization study of more than 10,000 patients in 30 countries found ”little or no effect.”

Researchers, per the pre-print study, also studied hydroxychloroquine, the controversial anti-malarial drug repeatedly touted by Trump despite warnings by public health officials, anti-HIV medication lopinavir, which was used in the SARS outbreak, and interferon.

None of the medications had major benefits for mortality levels, ventilation rates or hospitalization length.

The drug’s manufacturer Gilead, in a statement, questioned the findings, calling their data “inconsistent” and citing other studies that proved the drug’s effectiveness. The FDA granted the drug an emergency use authorization in late August.

Chris Christie says he was 'wrong' not to wear mask at White House ceremony

Former Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday he was "wrong" not to wear a mask in the days before testing positive for COVID-19, but that he felt at that time that he was in a "safe zone" because of frequent testing.

Having spent a week being treated for the disease caused by the coronavirus – in an intensive care unit – Christie said he had a chance for greater reflection about his actions and the virus.

"It is something to take very seriously. The ramifications are wildly random and potentially deadly," Christie said in a statement, first reported by the New York Times. "No one should be happy to get the virus and no one should be cavalier about being infected or infecting others."

Christie's position and his message to the public is at odds with President Donald Trump, whom he helped prepare for a debate and was also hospitalized with COVID-19. Trump has said he feels great, has entertained large, mask-less crowds at campaign rallies and urged the public, "don't be afraid of COVID."

– Dustin Racioppi, Trenton Bureau

Donald Trump uses son's COVID-19 diagnosis to push for reopening schools

Barron Trump’s positive test for COVID-19 has become part of his father’s push to physically reopen schools.

“It happens,'' President Donald Trump told a crowd at a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa of his 14-year-old son testing positive for the coronavirus. "People have it, and it goes. Get the kids back to school. We’ve got to get them back to school.

Melania Trump said Wednesday that after an initial negative test, 14-year-old Barron Trump tested positive for COVID-19, but is now negative.

"I don’t even think he knew he had it because they’re young and their immune systems are strong and they fight it off 99.9 percent. And Barron is beautiful, and he’s free, free,” Trump said.

An outbreak of the virus in the White House that infected the President, first lady Melania Trump and other White House insiders has raised concerns that thousands may have been exposed to COVID-19 through Trump's inner circle.

– Josh Peter and Joel Shannon

Alabama coach Nick Saban says he's 'feeling great' after COVID diagnosis

Alabama football coach Nick Saban said on his Thursday night radio show that he was “feeling great” after testing positive the previous day for the coronavirus but did not make any specific references to any additional testing.

”I’m missing everybody,” Saban said in a remote appearance from his Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home. “I still don’t have any symptoms. I don’t have a fever. The oxygen tests they do didn’t show any problems.”

Saban did not make any reference to the results of his daily test on Thursday but did seem to hold the door slightly open for a possible return to the sideline for Saturday's game against Georgia.

“I would hate not to be at the game Saturday if that’s what this turns out to be,” he said.

– Cecil Hurt, The Tuscaloosa News

Coronavirus study: Air on planes is safer than homes or operating rooms

A new study conducted for the Department of Defense adds credence to the growing belief that airline passengers face minimal risk of contracting coronavirus when flying.

The study found the risk of aerosol dispersion – transmission of the virus through the air – was reduced 99.7% thanks to high air exchange rates, HEPA-filtered recirculation and downward ventilation found on modern jets.

Investigators looked at the impact of an infected passenger on others seated in the same row and those nearby in the cabins of Boeing 767s and 777s. Those two aircraft types are widebodies typically used for long-haul flights where a virus would be expected to spread more easily.

The study was conducted by a team that included members from United Airlines, Boeing, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, National Strategic Research Institute and research firms. It was prepared for two military agencies that move people and cargo, the U.S. Transportation Command and the Air Force's Air Mobility Command.

– Chris Woodyard

COVID outbreak hits Georgia election warehouse

Election officials said nearly a quarter of the workers in a warehouse where election supplies are kept and voting equipment is readied for Georgia’s most populous county have tested positive for COVID-19.

But Fulton County Elections Director Rick Barron said Thursday that the positive tests for 13 of the 60 workers at the county election preparation center shouldn’t delay election operations.

Barron said the county is working to hire replacement staff and implement more mitigation measures, including daily rapid testing. The state Department of Public Health said Georgia had 1,686 cases and 23 deaths reported Thursday.

COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY

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Contributing: The Associated Press.