NFL Notes: DeflateGate, Preseason, Dolphins, & Redskins

DeflateGate

Peter King of TheMMQB.com wrote earlier in the day that the NFL should defer any punishment for Patriots QB Tom Brady until 2016, which would buy them more time to study another 267 regular- and post-season games.

“I think it takes a leader to stand up and say, ‘We’re going to be measuring the air pressure in football for the first time ever this season, before and during and after games. And this is too important an issue to not have all the evidence in-house before we make a ruling,” King writes.

Preseason

Packers president Mark Murphy told reporters on Monday that the length of the preseason is “an issue.”

“I think with all the concern about player health and safety, it would be difficult to go from 16 regular-season games to 18,” Murphy said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “One of the things that has kind of been looked at is, do we reduce the number of games overall (to) three preseason games and 16 regular-season games? But obviously there’s a loss of revenue that comes with that.”

“At the league level, we continue to study the preseason,” Murphy said. “Those of you that have been around the league for a long time, it’s changed dramatically. The way the players train in the offseason, the preseason games are just significantly different. The fourth [preseason] game, very few starters across the league play. They’re all on Thursday.

“So there are some that look and say, ‘Why do we play that game?’ The flip side is it’s a chance to look at and make some roster decisions on younger players [and] develop some players. But it is an issue within the league.”

Dolphins

• Greg Cote of the Miami Herald makes the case for the Dolphins signing free agent G Evan Mathis based on the fact that they have the cap space to it and he would fit an obvious need for them.

Redskins

• John Keim mentions that the Redskins are likely to consider signing available outside linebackers before the start of the season, but it’s no guarantee that they’ll add anyone.