The 2021 NFL Week 7 Roundup | The Sports Whisperer

Up & Adam

SEVEN years ago in the Fall of 2014, ESPN’s megawatt sports journalist and on-air personality Adam Schefter was met with an embarrassment of riches. Adam’s Blackberry PDA was groaning — unhappy — under the weight and stress of his ever-escalating, punishing communications demands. And so the time came for an upgrade, Company-paid of course. Adam selected TWO iPhone 6 Plus models and with them a hoped-for elixir and competitive advantage in scooping NFL breaking news. Adam surrendered his treasured Blackberry to ESPN’s IT Group. Two identical work phones but on differing networks (AT&T and Verizon), they collectively ensured redundant and unimpeded access to his and the network’s joie de vivre. The porting of data from Adam’s old PDA to the new iPhones took hours. The wealth of text messaging and email history contributed to this time consuming task. The IT manager overseeing the process noted an unusual metric on Adam’s service ticket: 6000+ contacts. An eye-poppingly staggering number for sure but an unsurprising one for someone with the unrivaled reach and golden connections of ESPN’s famed sports whisperer. Adam Schefter, for better or worse, is the most connected journalist in all of Sports and plays an uneasy role as the town crier at the complex interchange and pull of glossily intrusive media, protective Ownership, self-interested egocentric players, unfathomable money and tender, fragile credibility. Widely adored as much as he is despised, It’s not easy being Adam.

What was always easy to Adam was his romance with the written word, even at a young age. He pursued Journalism degrees at the University of Michigan and Northwestern, where between classes Adam landed and went without sleep to serve as a freelance reporter with the Chicago Tribune. At age 23. The next year in 1990, Adam interned briefly at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer before decamping to Denver where he landed his first full-time sports reporter role at the Rocky Mountain News. In 1996, The Denver Post took notice at Adam’s growing influence and wisely snatched him from the then-fledgling newspaper. Adam stayed with the Denver Post for the next 18 years. In that grinding time as a sports beat reporter cross-crossing the country in the locker rooms and front offices of Teams of every stripe, his digital rolodex began to freewheel. Those crucial two decades in Denver where instrumental in forging bonds of trust, artful discretion and the opportune dissemination of newsy information. These building blocks would serve as the scalable template and ballast for Adam’s impending superstardom. Next in 2001, Adam was elected President of the Pro Football Writers of America (a group of 300+ writers/editors/columnists advocating for the development of better working relationships with NFL Teams). At age 35. By 2004, the NFL Network formed and was in need of on-screen talent to fill oodles of airtime. The appeal of broadcast reporting was not one Adam could easily ignore and so he naturally jumped at the opportunity. His star blossomed as a contributor to the network’s signature NFL Total Access. ESPN patiently waited in the wings and in 2009 nabbed Adam knowing the premier Sports network possessed the unmatched gravitas Adam so thirsted for. It was a natural evolution and an easy fit. In the years since, Adam has cemented his status as the ultimate NFL Insider routinely breaking news on-air and dipping in and out of SportsCenter hits, among others, to further tap his well of good will. ESPN richly rewarded the partnership in 2017 with a multi-million dollar five year deal to exclusively retain his services. And with it, Adam’s wheelhouse has expanded wildly beyond the NFL to include reporting on the NBA/NHL/MLB, you name it. He’s, in effect, the Page Six of Sports. But without the snark. Adam turned 55 this year.

But for every rose there is a stem’s worth of thorns. And a fair mix of controversy along the way. In the business of Breaking News, there is always the judgment call of newsworthiness. Where that line is drawn is more art than science. Other times, it’s more common sense than conjecture. Case in point: the saga of Jason Pierre-Paul, NFL outside linebacker for the Giants. Whatever the case may be, Adam unwisely and infamously tweeted on July 9, 2015 a private medical chart indicating that Jason had his right finger amputated; the result of a horrible July 4th fireworks accident. Jason promptly sued Adam and ESPN for gross breach of privacy. The expensive matter was settled out of court. Adam and ESPN notably chose NOT to apologize and stood behind their “reporting”. Two workers were ulimately fired from the hospital where Jason was treated for violating HIPAA laws. This whole tale is an ugly, unpalatable foray into the lengths Adam will descend to break news. It’s not pretty, it’s not polite but it certainly was avoidably problematic. But the tweet went viral nevertheless where it remains a permanent stain on Adam’s reputation. A deeper dive into the Adam Schefter sausage factory was revealed just last month. As part of the same trove of unearthed documents and archived emails that cost Jon Gruden his job (in turn part of an ongoing, side-winding and far-reaching investigation of wrongdoing at the Washington Football Team), a host of correspondence from Adam was exposed to the naked eye. In them, Adam surfaces an upcoming ESPN written piece on the NFL Lockout (this was Spring 2011) he had authored. Adam writes to then-GM of the Redskins Bruce Allen asking for input, review and suggestions for changes. Attached to the email was the article Adam penned. This is obviously a huge transgression in the world of Journalism. You can ask for comment on a locked piece that is to run, but you cannot ask the subject of an article to play editor. Here again with this instance, you can see the lengths to which Adam races to preserve his well of good will fully topped off for next time. Much to the chagrin of lesser-known journalists everywhere. The article thankfully never saw the light of ESPN.com. Even 10 years on, one is naturally left to wonder about the state and makeup of the machinery beneath Adam’s cleanly coiffed exterior. This episode epitomized his ham-fisted strategic journalism as clearly a piercing arrow in his roomy quiver. And more worryingly, it only hints at what we don’t know about how the wires keep the lights on and Adam’s treasured network singing. Furthermore, yet ANOTHER controversy erupted just 30 days ago when Bloomberg reported that Adam is a principal investor in Boom Entertainment, a creator of sports and casino gambling apps, along with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. How can Adam’s livelihood in sports journalism peacefully coexist and not elbow into sports gaming apps where money is made on the outcome of, well, games. Adam’s part-ownership of the platform raises all sorts of thorny questions that test, reasonably, his internal compass. Can his role as Owner and reporter square? It’s all on the up-and-up according to Disney/ESPN though the Company refused to comment on the existence of internal conflict-of-interest policies much less Adam’s adherence to them. Taken as a whole, these three anecdotes paint a complex picture of evolving conflict. Can Adam be true to his craft, his followers, his employer, his constituents, his fame, his reputation and his 6000+ contact network ALL at once? To Adam, of course the answer is an emphatic YES. To us in the bleachers, well, we have eyes too. And sensitive noses.

Cynics will gripe that Adam is little more than a floppy marionette tightly controlled by his “network” which spoon-feeds him information wrapped in contrived convenience. Adam’s boosters might counter that his role exposing the grisly scaffolding, paper-thin veneers and frail duct tape tenuously binding the Sports infrastructure together is essential for matters of oversight and transparency. Still others will complain that they’re ALL in on the take and that they all deserve each other and little else (sports journalists including Adam, the leagues they cover, the media titans who employ them, the players they fawn over and Teams that place ruthless Winning above all else). The truth probably takes a little from each vantage point which is telling in and of itself. Again, it’s not pretty and it certainly not polite. But it’s a printing press for all ticketed passengers. NO wonder the sloppy stampede to the common trough.

NO matter the offline drama thoroughly drenched in judgement eyes, Adam has opted to stick to what he knows best by “tweeting through the storm”. He tweeted 25 items yesterday alone by 4pm. NO matter your thoughts, you have to respect the network Adam has amassed and the path he continues to hustle to keep it alive. With 11 million followers, a world without Adam is an online sports world without order. Now with Adam’s pricey ESPN contract nearing its conclusion next Summer, the talk of the town has Caesars Sportsbook making an audacious, splashy bet on the ESPN megastar reporter. Caesars is eager to gain credibility as a true sports media powerhouse and what better way to flex than to bring the ultimate Influencer in-house. Caesars could potentially become a majority owner in Adam’s nascent Boom Entertainment thereby semi-relieving awkward outward appearances posed by Adam’s ownership of a gambling app predicated upon an industry that moves with his on-screen keyboard. And on the media side of the house, Adam could anchor a sports multicasting powerhouse alongside Trey Wingo, Kenny Mayne and rumored ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. But that’s the stuff of heady conjecture. Adam lives in the here and now. And right now, Adam glides high atop the sports world, loud imperfections and all. A world where the town square is convened very time his thumbs tap out the tea. It’s never been easy being Adam. It was never supposed to be. Talk about an embarrassment of riches.

Turning now to Week 7 in the NFL, an embarrassment of riches of another sort. For teams of a certain caliber that is. This dynamic was best exemplified by the headline game of the week: Chiefs at Titans. TEN routed their visitors, 27–3, in a game as ugly as it was self-confirming. WE all know that Titans QB Ryan Tannehill is an all-star pro and RB Derrick Henry can do NO wrong as the ultimate multi-hyphenate. That TEN powers to 5–2 is no surprise. What is SHOCKING is the rapid and brutal bone decay taking place with the Chiefs. Never known for their defensive prowess, KC’s O is suddenly out to lunch. With the Defense spiraling ever downward, one-time MVP QB Patrick Mahomes feels he has to overcompensate and go for broke offensively. Which is where the problems multiply. Or so the general thought goes. This puts Patrick in dangerous, vulnerable positions no team should ever place their MVPs in. And so, Patrick on Sunday was sandwiched between two TEN defenders with his head and neck pivoting violently backwards in response. Understandably shaken and out of sorts, Patrick was helped to his feet and off the field for the rest of the game where he cleared concussion protocol. The play, in reflection, is a metaphor for a Team struggling under weight of its own past success attempting to regain that past glory (and fan validation) with each outing gaining less and less traction. At 3–4, it’s conceivable the Chiefs miss the payoff cut. Meanwhile down in Tampa Bay, no worries of playoff contention for the Bucs where they romped the Bears, 38–8. Tom Brady with his 4 TDs passed the 600 career touchdown mark in yet another signpost of the rich getting richer. On the flip side, things could NOT be going worse for Chicago. An anemic starting QB in Justin Fields surrounded by an equally tepid Offensive squad, an absent D, dropped balls, and unsightly ejection highlight a steep downward trajectory. CHI is 7 weeks in and has only 3 TDs to its name. Its 3–4 record will soon catch up.

Remember those cartoons as a kid of a canoe laden with junk and taking on water as the canoer furiously throws dead weight overboard to regain buoyancy and forward momentum? That canoe is the Raiders and the broken toy tossed waterside is former HC Jon Gruden. Where League-wide expectation was of implosion amid the Leadership unrest, the Team has admirably accelerated out of the storm. LVR handed the visiting Eagles a handy 33–22 defeat powered by an in-command Derek Carr who is producing again at career highs. Unbeaten since Jon’s demise and #1 atop the AFC West, Lady Luck dances in front of Bellagio’s fountains. In Glendale, the tale of the NFL’s only remaining 7–0 Team rockets on drama free. The Cards ROCKED the bewildered Texans, 31–5. The Kyler Murray show played to a packed house made better by the lucrative addition of TE Zach Ertz fresh in from Philly. Quite simple, ARI has never looked so good! We’ll see how the tale turns this Thursday when the Packers come to town. Conversely, the NFL’s only WINLESS Team — the lowly Lions — almost almost eeeked out an upset at Rams but true to tradition let themselves get in the way with flagrant self-imposed mistakes. DET QB Jared Goff visited the Team that unceremoniously dumped him last Season for the QB he displaced in what was surely the most awkward game of the Week. Jared was offered a peek at his previous life’s winning grandeur while Rams QB Matt Stafford was reminded of a time gone by furnished with long grey winters and longer silent off-seasons. The Rams take the W, 28–19. The Lions, 0–7. And how about the nuttiness that was Bengals at Ravens? BAL, a team that so thoroughly trounced the hard-charging Chargers last week, slipped into amnesia where they were completely embarrassed by the bustling Bengals, 17–41. QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja’Marr Chase and the rest of Bengals are playing with the practiced determination and fever-pitch energy of a Team on an AFC mission. An iron-clad Offense paired with an equally merited Defense had the Ravens flying to the parking lot. The frustrating wild up and down plight of the City Birds continues unimpeded.

In our Round Robin, Aaron Rodgers and his Packers marched into Fedex Field on cruise control and easily ousted WAS, 24–10. WFT QB Taylor Heinicke was all over the place and at 2–5, the Team is headed for yet another losing Season in a tradition rich with them. The Falcons BARELY outlasted the Dolphins credit to a walk-off FG, 30–28. MIA QB Tua Tagovailoa offered another uneven performance amid leaguewide chatter that troubled Deshaun Watson might be booking a flight to MIA soon, heavy baggage and all. The Fins continue to sink at 1–6. The Pats cremated the Jets (54–13) with the ease of a blast furnace while the lowly Giants managed to make the badly slumping Panthers blush with humiliation, 25–3. The CAR Offensive collapse is so bad poor Sam Darnold was relegated to the bench during the 4th. The 49ers lost their 4th in a row on Sunday night (to the Colts) amid a furious rain storm. For QB Jimmy Garoppolo, the downpour has yet to stop. SF is in good/bad company. Last night the visiting Saints crystalized Seattle’s three game losing streak which only served to spotlight QB Geno Smith’s unenviable and unwinnable predicament as Russell Wilson’s backup. The 9ers and the Hawks, one-time NFL powerhouses now confined to the NFC doghouse. Ohhhhh, time — it can be so cruel sometimes.