👀 RedZone, Overtime, Kickoffs… Football Sundays Will Feel Different
Overtime, kickoffs, even first downs — nothing is the same. Edition #295
WELCOME BACK TO SPORTS SQUARE’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL!
Micah Parsons to the Packers. Aaron Rodgers hinting this might really be his last season. Shedeur Sanders falling all the way to the 5th round. Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams both heading to the Seattle Seahawks.
And that’s just 1% of what happened this offseason.
Beyond the player movement, there’s been no shortage of controversy. ESPN acquired NFL RedZone and NFL Network. The tush push survived a near-ban by only two votes. Teams can now attempt an onside kick anytime (as long as they declare it beforehand). And in overtime, both teams are guaranteed a possession.
We’ll cover it all. Let’s get into it.
The Micah Parsons story was the tale of the offseason. In February 2024, he said that he wanted to be a Cowboy for life. At that time, and even with all the tension between Jerry Jones and Micah right before the trade, no one would’ve ever thought that he would’ve been traded.
The intention of their meeting on March 18th, 2025, is still unknown, but it is said that they talked for 3 hours, and Jerry had a deal done with Parsons. Later that day, however, Parsons contacted the CEO and Jerry’s son, Stephen Jones, and asked for more money, with Jerry Jones even agreeing to the new deal.
During this whole time, however, Micah didn’t even know this was a formal contract negotiation, and that was one of the biggest problems. He never really knew when the formal process was, and his agent was always excluded from those talks. What Jerry does is he keeps the whole process between just him and the player.
Now as we know, Micah went to the Packers, but the in-division and reigning champions Philadelphia Eagles also made a push, and a couple sources say that they made a better offer. Of course, they could’ve gave up their entire defense and still wouldn’t have gotten him. Green Bay traded its next two first-round picks, along with defensive tackle Kenny Clark, to get Parsons.
RedZone is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
I intended to do a big piece covering the whole situation, but me reporting the news so late wouldn’t be the greatest thing ever. I definitely want to cover it here.
I’m a huge Scott Hanson fan. I’d be tuned in ten minutes early every Sunday just to hear the iconic line: “7 hours of commercial-free football.” That was the magic.
I get to know just so much more football watching those broadcasts every week. At least, when the Eagles aren’t playing. I still want to watch my favorite team…
But now, with ESPN acquiring RedZone and NFL Network (and the NFL taking a 10% stake in the company), ads are coming. I don’t know what you think about this whole RedZone situation, but as someone who really enjoys the fact that RedZone doesn’t have any ads, I’m really disappointed. Yes, I know we’re not going to see it, and it’s going to be really short, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re getting ads. Fans don’t like it.
Even Hanson had to address the backlash, saying:
“I’m the host of the show. I put everything I’ve got into trying to be the best host I can possibly be for you… As for the business side of things, I have no control over that.”
RedZone and NFL Network were acquired by ESPN this offseason, with the NFL getting a 10% stake in the company. That began the flurry of changes for the network, but according to Scott, the change did not affect the placement of ads.
The tush push is not going anywhere, but it’s probably going to be the last year we see it.
It barely survived this year, with 2 votes seperating the decision. The play was safe until the Commanders began to jump on purpose, and it went so far that they even threatened to give the Eagles a free touchdown. That’s when all the noise about a ban began, and the Packers proposed a ban and off it went.
For those of you who do want to get it banned though, 2025 medical data is gonna be your best friend. If they can find a way to prove that it’s harmful and causes too many injuries, then it’s probably going to get banned.
Also, kickoffs that land in the endzone will now let the other team start at the 35 yard line, and the NFL is doing this to promote kickers to kick it in the landing zone. Up until this year, onside kickoffs could only take place in the 4th quarter. Now, it can happen any time at any point in the game, but the other team has to declare it. From now on, each team is guaranteed a possession in overtime as well.
The chain gang ever haunt you? Fear not, because we can now accurately determine first downs with the Sony Hawk-Eye system, which uses 6 cameras. I wish I was sponsored by Sony.
The point being, the NFL will no longer be using the chain gang as the primary method of measuring first downs. Of course, they’re not going to be using this for every single play, so the chance for human error on regular plays are still likely.
Yup, I’m going to devote a whole section to the Eagles.
The Eagles deserved their Super Bowl win, and the rest of the world deserved not to see a Chiefs three-peat.
The Eagles lost a lot of key pieces in the offseason, but they still have their 2000-yard guy in Saquon Barkley. Is he going to be that effective, though? I’m a strong believer in the Madden Curse. It’s why I didn’t pick him in any fantasy leagues. If he can find a way to stay safe, the Eagles are definitely set to make a run.
The Eagles cannot lose assets like Jalen Carter this year, and spitting on Dak and getting ejected is not funny. The Cowboys could’ve easily won this game if not for a late Matt Eberflus mistake and CeeDee Lamb dropping those awesome throws.
The NFC is still stacked with contenders (Lions, Packers, Commanders), while in the AFC the Bills, Ravens, and Chiefs are still forces.
Cam Ward was the first pick in the NFL Draft and is now leading a very weak Tennessee Titans team. A high bar has been set for the first overall pick, and the first goal is a very easy one. Outperform Will Levis.
Travis Hunter, the amazing two-way player from Colorado, has already dealt with an upper-body injury in training camp. He’s going to be the most interesting guy to watch in this class, because a two-way player is rare.
Shedeur Sanders, who at one point was supposed to be the #1 pick in the draft, fell all the way to the 5th round, when the Browns drafted him, and now he’s the third-stringer for the team.
With a combined opponent winning percentage of .574 (166-123) during the 2024 season, the New York Giants have the strongest schedule in 2025.
With a combined opponent winning percentage of .415 (120-169) during the 2024 season, the San Francisco 49ers have the weakest schedule in 2025.
Season Previews:
Final thoughts on the way out here.
The Super Bowl Halftime show is becoming the premier topic now, and we’re all wondering who’s it going to be this year.
has Taylor Swift at a 62% chance of her performing at the show, but right behind her is Morgan Wallen, who, as I write this, is the #1 artist in the world according to the Billboard 100.I don’t know about you guys, but as a big Morgan Wallen fan myself, I would love to have Morgan on the halftime show. What are your thoughts?
Completely unrelated to football, but it's weird how little cultural impact a number one artist in America has up here these days, with all the recent strife between the nations. I had never even heard of Morgan Wallen before reading this article, and he did not sell out Toronto a couple days ago. For reference, Taylor Swift sold out both shows in seconds.
The two biggest stars on Earth (Drake being Canadian and T-Swift being T-Swift) are probably not fair comparisons. I'm not a fan of modern low effort (meaning low effort both to listen to and to record) pop music anyway, which both Drake and Taylor are guilty of, but at least I've heard of those two people. Who the heck is Morgan Wallen, and why do Americans want him to play the Super Bowl? The people the pop-country genre panders to do not watch the Super Bowl, so why would we want whoever this is up there?
Keep country away from the Super Bowl at all costs. That's all I'm saying. If the NFL wants to pretend like it's global, non-Americans do not know who these country guys are. I don't know who they can get, as the Super Bowl stubbornly refuses to pay artists to perform, but it's in Santa Clara. Bring in a California local. I don't know what kind of Cali performer they can get, but none of them will go over as poorly with a Super Bowl crowd as a pop-country act will.
Once again, this is no comment on the specifics of the music, so I ask all the fans of this guy please don't crucify me LOL. I've never heard the name Morgan Wallen in my life. In my status as an amateur NFL historian, I have an understanding that country has never gone over at the Super Bowl, and isn't about to start now. I really hope they don't try it.
Have a huge bet on the Broncos -8. My Titans hopefully get trounced to start the season, but do enough good things to give us hope.
With KC losing, Denver will never have a better opportunity to become the winner of the AFC West!