Remember when the Arizona Cardinals removed the ‘homework’ clause from quarterback Kyler Murray’s contract after the clause was reported by the media?

The team should have kept it according to some comments from a teammate of Murray’s.

An anonymous teammate of Murray’s recently told Michael Silver, writing for Bally Sports, that ‘it was like they created a monster,’ after the quarterback signed his five-year, $230.5 million extension with Arizona over the summer.

The teammate, called a ‘Cardinals veteran’ in Silver’s story, wasn’t done.

Silver wrote in the story: ‘Once paid, the veteran said, Murray felt less compulsion to study his game plan or to fulfill the expectations of the franchise QB position than he had in the past, and the Cardinals’ collapse felt predictable.’

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Murray’s deal made him one of the highest paid quarterbacks, and players, in the NFL.

It was not without controversy, however.

The contract included an addendum that required at least four hours per week of studying the team’s opponent each week of the season, according to reports.

The clause was slammed throughout the league before, and after, it was removed from his contract.

‘After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract,’ a Cardinals statement said. ‘It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended. Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract.’

‘To think that I can accomplish everything that I’ve accomplished in my career, and not be a student of the game and not have that passion and not take this serious is disrespectful,’ Murray told the media. ‘And it’s almost a joke. To me, I’m flattered… that you all think that at my size, I can go out there and not prepare for the game and not take it serious. It’s disrespectful, I feel like, to my peers, to all the great athletes and great players that are in this league. This game is too hard to play the position that I play in this league. It’s too hard.’

He continued: ‘I’m not 6-7, 230 (pounds). I don’t throw the ball 85 yards. I’m already behind the eight ball. And I can’t afford to take any shortcuts, no pun intended. But those things you can’t accomplish if you don’t take the game serious, if you don’t prepare the right way. And, you know, it’s like I said, it’s laughable.’

He wasn’t done.

‘I refuse to let my work ethic, my preparation be questioned. I’ve put an incomprehensible amount of time and blood, sweat, tears and work into what I do,’ Murray said. ‘To those of you out there that believe that I’d be standing here today in front of you all without having a work ethic … I’m honored that you think that, but it doesn’t exist. It’s not possible.’

Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill recently said that the QB would have ‘input’ in the team’s search for a new coach, a comment that came under scrutiny.

Just like Murray apparently is under for his work ethic once again.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said earlier this month that he wanted to take some time to mull over his coaching future.

On Friday, the Rams announced on Twitter that McVay ‘informed the team he is excited to return next season.’

The Super Bowl-winning head coach has produced a 60-38 regular-season record, plus a 7-3 postseason record, which includes a Super Bowl 56 title.

At 36 years and 20 days old, he became the youngest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl. He’s also the second-fastest coach to reach 50 wins in franchise history.

But the Rams title defense this year did not go well as the team finished the regular season with a 5-12 record. The Rams were decimated by injuries and a lack of depth, which hindered their ability to stay competitive. The problems resulted in McVay’s first year under .500 as a head coach.

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The injuries and frequent losses took a toll on McVay, according to multiple reports. He decided to step away for a while after the regular season to decompress and assess his coaching future with his inner circle, which included is wife and parents.

‘I feel very fortunate to have a great group of people in that inner circle to be able to help measure and weigh the different dynamics that are involved to ultimately make the best decision for a lot of people, but for myself and for our family,” McVay said in January. 

McVay and general manager Les Snead were given contract extensions on Sept. 8 through 2026.

The Rams originally hired McVay on Jan. 12, 2017. He became the youngest coach in modern NFL history when he was hired at 30.

McVay’s return to the sideline is a major step in the Rams’ quest to return to the postseason next year. 

ORCHARD PARK – When the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins take the field at Highmark Stadium Sunday afternoon, it will be the fifth time these long-time AFC East rivals have met in the postseason.

This will tie Miami with Kansas City as Buffalo’s most frequent playoff opponent since the franchise was born in 1960. Buffalo will become Miami’s most frequent opponent since it was born in 1966.

All four of the previous Bills-Dolphins games were played in the 1990s at a time when their rivalry was among the best in the NFL, and every one of the games was fascinating in its own way with Buffalo winning three.

Since the dawn of the 21st century, the Bills-Dolphins rivalry has been mostly irrelevant because the teams have almost never been good at the same time. In fact, this is the first time since 1999 that the Bills and Dolphins have qualified for the postseason in the same year.

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Here is a look back at the previous four playoff games between the teams:

Jan. 12, 1991: Bills 44, Dolphins 34

A classic first foray as the Jim Kelly and Dan Marino offenses combined for 923 yards and put up 78 points, making this, at the time, the highest-scoring non-overtime playoff game in NFL history.

And while all of this was taking place on a snowy day at Rich Stadium, the country was on edge because President George H. Bush had made it clear that war in the Persian Gulf was imminent. In fact, as several Bills came to the lectern in the interview room following the game, the television was tuned not to the NFL, but the dire situation that was only days away from unfolding half a world away.

“You just pray nothing happens over there,” Kelly said. “All we can do, though, is go about our business at home.” And the business at hand was disposing of the Dolphins.

Kelly, who returned to action after missing the final two-plus games of the regular season with a knee injury, threw for 339 yards, 271 of that plus all three of his TD passes split between Andre Reed and James Lofton. Thurman Thomas chipped in with 117 yards rushing, and the defense, despite giving up 323 yards to Marino, intercepted two of his passes, each of which set up a Scott Norwood field goal.

Buffalo had been using the no-huddle offense more and more late in the season until Kelly got hurt. But for this game, Kelly implored Marv Levy to let him run it, and Levy gave his blessing. “We had planned to start with the no-huddle offense and, as long as we had so much success with it, we stayed with it,” Levy said.

The Bills raced out to a 20-3 lead 18 minutes into the game, but 55 seconds into the fourth quarter, Marino threw a TD pass to offensive lineman Roy Foster and Miami was within 30-27. Duly woke, the Bills answered with Thomas’ five-yard TD run, and 36 seconds later, after Miami fumbled the kickoff, Kelly hit Reed with a 26-yard TD pass and it was over.

“We went with what we thought we could do best,” Kelly said of running the no-huddle. “The key to our offense is mixing it up. With all the weapons I have on offense, you can do things like that.”

Jan. 17, 1993: Bills 29, Dolphins 10

The Bills saw their four-year stranglehold on the AFC East come to an end in 1992 as they finished with the same 11-5 record as Miami, but lost the tiebreaker. Kelly had been injured in a season finale lost at Houston which cost the Bills the division, and Frank Reich took control and led the Bills to a pair of victories — the historic comeback game against those same Oilers, and then a thrashing of the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

Kelly returned for the AFC Championship Game in Miami, though some fans openly questioned whether Levy should stick with the red-hot Reich. Even Reich chuckled at that one.

Kelly didn’t have a great day as he threw for only 177 yards, but he didn’t need to be great. Thomas and Kenneth Davis keyed a 182-yard rushing effort for Buffalo, Steve Christie kicked five field goals, and the defense sacked Marino four times and forced four of Miami’s five turnovers in a dominant victory that left no doubt which team was superior.

“We knew we were the top team in the AFC,” linebacker Shane Conlan said after the Bills tied an NFL record by qualifying for a third straight Super Bowl. “We had some bad luck and lost some games, but talent-wise, we knew we had a great team.”

Kelly’s TD pass to Thomas helped stake the Bills to a 13-3 halftime lead and when Miami fumbled the second-half kickoff, Davis scored on a two-yard run less than two minutes into the third for a 20-3 lead and Miami never even came close to getting back into the game as the crowd at Joe Robbie Stadium sat there in sun-baked silence.

“We’ve made history twice in a couple of weeks, but we want to make history in two weeks by winning the Super Bowl,” said linebacker Cornelius Bennett. “If we can do that, I’ll have something to tell the kids when I get old.”

Unfortunately, the Bills made a different kind of history when they lost their third straight Super Bowl.

Dec. 30, 1995: Bills 37, Dolphins 22

The Bills made it 3-for-3 all-time against the Dolphins in the postseason, and they made more history on a cold, windy day when the wind-chill was 11 degrees. The Bills maimed Miami’s defense by rushing for 341 yards, the second-highest total ever recorded in a playoff game, most in the AFC.

Thomas led the way with 158 yards and had another 42 receiving for an even 200 yards from scrimmage. Darick Holmes added 87 yards and Tim Tindale, the Canadian Comet, gave the Bills a 34-7 lead early in the fourth when he broke a memorable 44-yard TD run up the gut to cap a career-best 67-yard output.

All of that rendered a huge day by Marino — 33 of 64 for 422 yards — rather meaningless. Not that he wasn’t responsible for some of Miami’s woes as he threw three interceptions and lost a fumble on an aborted snap.

“What they might do strategically should give you problems for about a quarter,” said Miami defensive end Jeff Cross of the Bills rather simple run game approach. “You should have it figured out and start to execute what it is we have to do better. We’ve got a lot to be ashamed of.”

They sure did. Kelly did little — 12 of 22 for 195 yards with a TD and two picks —but it didn’t even matter because the Dolphins were so thoroughly trampled on the ground.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Bills guard Jerry Ostroski. “We (the line) were looked upon as maybe a negative on this football team and it was hard for us in the beginning. We had to swallow a lot and take a lot of hits, but it just took time for us to jell. The veterans were patient, everybody was patient for us. We decided that we had to win the game for us. We blocked our butts off, played hard. Thurman ran hard, Darick made some unbelievable runs, Tim Tindale. It was just a group effort.”

Jan. 2 ,1999: Dolphins 24, Bills 17

Even in losing for the first time to Miami in the postseason, the Bills made history as wide receiver Eric Moulds set the still standing NFL record for receiving yards in a playoff game with 240, even though it wound up going for naught.

This was a fabulous game that came down to the final nine seconds when, on a first-and-goal from the 5, Doug Flutie was sacked by Dolphins defensive tackle Trace Armstrong and fumbled the ball away, one of four lost Buffalo fumbles after a regular season in which they lost a franchise-record low six.

It ended a magical year for Flutie as he returned to the NFL after being exiled in Canada for nearly a decade, then wrested the Bills QB job from Rob Johnson and led Buffalo to an 11-5 record. He threw for 360 yards in the game with Moulds catching nine including a 32-yard TD, but the giveaway at the end spoiled his storybook performance.

“I thought I was going to have a slant route and it wasn’t there,” explained Flutie. “I held on to it and turned to look over the middle and was just going to throw it over Jay Riemersma’s head out of the end zone and as I recoiled, I got hit. It’s a three-step drop, it’s not a great protection, and the ball should have been out earlier.”

On the first play of the game Moulds caught a 65-yard pass but fumbled it away at the Miami 29, and Marino turned around and drove the Dolphins to a go-ahead field goal. Miami took a 6-0 lead early in the second, then tried a surprise onside kick, but Buffalo recovered and almost immediately, Flutie hit Moulds for 37 yards to set up Thomas’ short TD run.

The teams traded third-quarter TDs before Miami opened a 24-14 lead early in the fourth to set up a frenetic finish. First, Andre Reed thought he scored on a 15-yard pass from Flutie, but after he was ruled short, he angrily got up to argue and bumped an official. That resulted in a 15-yard penalty and an ejection which proved costly as it forced the Bills to eventually settle for a Christie field goal with 1:33 left.

“It’s frustrating when you get a touchdown called back, and they give you a 15-yard penalty and you have to go for a field goal instead of getting seven points,” said coach Wade Phillips. “That game looks a lot different at the end with Andre in the game and us only three points behind.”

The Bills’ Kurt Schulz then recovered the onside kick at the Bills 31, Flutie hit Moulds for 30, and eventually they reached the 5. Had they needed only a field goal to force overtime, maybe the play call would have been different. Instead, Flutie turned it over, and the Bills season came to an end.

MINNEAPOLIS — Saquon Barkley has done his homework.

Preparing for the first playoff game of his career, the New York Giants’ star running back hit the record books.

Barkley marveled at the postseason production of Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, Eric Dickerson, Franco Harris and John Riggins. Not just dropping their names, mind you, but citing their staggering statistics, as if he scribbled those numbers on note cards and reviewed each prior to speaking with reporters on Thursday.

Then, in quoting Michael Jackson, Barkley spoke into existence what he hopes will serve as his playoff mantra, inspiring the upstart Giants in the process as they prepare for Sunday’s Super Wild Card game against the Minnesota Vikings.

‘Study the greats,’ Barkley said. ‘And be greater.’

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Barkley and the Giants have earned the opportunity to be on the stage that turns performance into greatness.

In each of his first four seasons, the Giants lost 10 games or more. Two head coaches were fired.

There were injuries and frustration as seemingly nothing went right, casting doubt over Barkley’s future with the Giants beyond this season, let alone if he could be the same playmaker that took the league by storm as a rookie.

None of this reality was easily ignored – even by a player as grounded and as strong-willed in his belief as one of the league’s best running backs as Barkley. Embracing the challenge set quite a tone, however.

He’s established a new career best for rushing yards with 1,312, eclipsing his rookie total of 1,307. He was one rushing touchdown from tying his career high, also from his banner rookie campaign.

The production matters, of course. So does his health, as Barkley started the Giants’ first 16 games, playing through a shoulder injury he sustained in London against the Packers, and then a stinger suffered in practice last month.

With the Giants resting their starters to avoid the risk of injury last Sunday against the Eagles, Barkley reset his focus and recharged his body for the next chapter.

All of that is part of the journey for Barkley and the Giants to this moment Sunday afternoon. He’ll step inside U.S. Bank Stadium where, the last time he touched the football, he scored a dazzling touchdown on a fourth-and-2 that ultimately helped the Giants pull even on the scoreboard in the closing minutes of the foruth quarter.

Greg Joseph and the Vikings wound up ruining the party by drilling a 61-yard field goal to prevail as time expired, but Barkley walked off the field that day believing Big Blue would get another shot at Minnesota. This is that shot.

Barkley and the Giants (9-7-1) have gone out and made believers of many who doubted them, and now they are here.

‘I’m excited. Obviously, I know it’s a playoff game. More attention, more eyes, but to me, I won’t be nervous,’ Barkley said. ‘Will I be hype? Yeah, I get hyped for every single game. Nerves, I wouldn’t say that. For me, it’s just another football game. I talked to [Michael] Strahan when he was here not too long ago and I asked him, ‘What’s really the difference between playoff football?’ He said obviously the intensity rises and all that, but the best advice he gave me was, ‘Don’t make the game bigger than it needs to be.’ I’m keeping that advice and sticking with that advice.’

The 25-year-old Barkley was the best player on the practice field from the moment the offseason program began, and under Brian Daboll and the new coaching staff, he was finally featured in all the ways the Giants have promised in the past. He looked healthy, fresh and explosive, and confident in how he was moving with the football in his hands.

Barkley’s rookie contract is set to expire, so he has been playing for a new deal, the value of which for a running back is viewed as high risk, given the physical and fiscal toll of the position. Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen love Barkley, and believe he can be a cornerstone of the foundation they are trying to build. They expressed that sentiment to Barkley’s camp during the bye week the first week of November, and while the two sides engaged in early contract talks, no deal was reached, leading to the tabling of discussions until after the season.

The Giants can keep Barkley here with the franchise tag, estimated to be worth between $10-11 million for next season, giving them more time to work out a long-term deal without allowing him to hit the market.

There will always be the debate over whether Barkley was the right pick, the positional value of running backs being what it is. In the three seasons since his celebrated rookie year, the Giants have done a lot of losing, with and without Barkley, whose career has been dotted with injuries, including knee reconstruction that cost him the 2020 season.

With an urgency to put everything back together, Barkley has answered any questions about his current place in the game.

‘You want to make it to the playoffs. The only way you do that is through having the right mindset, hard work and win enough games to get there,’ Barkley said. ‘The goal is not just to make it to the playoffs. You want to give yourself the opportunity to compete for the whole thing. We gave ourselves that chance. Now, we got to take it game by game. We got a big one, the biggest one because it’s the next game on our schedule, and if you don’t take care of this, [the season’s over].’

During Delta Air Lines’ restructuring, bankruptcy and cost-cutting almost two decades ago, the airline made difficult financial decisions.

Ending its naming rights deal on the arena was one of those decisions made by Ed Bastian who is now Delta’s CEO but was the chief financial officer and in charge of the restructuring at the time.

“When you go through that process, you have to decide what do you really need to stay alive because we were down to how are we going to feed our employees and pay the bills and restore the business,” Bastian told USA TODAY Sports. “Anything that was marketing related, branding, the naming of the other facility, we had to make the unfortunate decision to let it go. We never really wanted to let it go, but we had no choice financially. We had to in order to save money. It was a pretty desperate situation.”

The decision to split from the Jazz has gnawed at Bastian. Until now.

On Saturday, the Jazz and Delta announced a multi-year naming rights deal that will restore Delta Center as the official name of the arena beginning in July.

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“When this opportunity arose, and for us to make right with the community, the team, and most importantly, by the way, our own people (Delta employees) who live there, we jumped on it,” Bastian said.

The announcement comes as the Jazz and Salt Lake City prepare to host the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16-20 and amid a surprise season from the 22-23 Jazz, who have 221 consecutive sellouts.

Jazz owner Ryan Smith is a native Utahn with a connection to the team from his childhood.

“This is the most full circle moment, especially just coming in from new ownership,” said Smith, who bought the Jazz in 2020. “You’re trying to establish a winning culture. There’s things that you look at. Well, I mean, I was a kid growing up, going into the Delta Center, trying to get in there with my grandfather. It was an iconic thing. Even with the NBA team here, if you actually think about it, they were playing games in Vegas – as the NBA was growing – half the games just to be able to make payroll. So Delta’s impact on this was massive. For me, I was just, ‘Whoa, this is meant to be.’

“This is truly a dream for us, and we couldn’t be more grateful for Ed and the team. It’s one of those situations that just fit.”

The arena was the Delta Center from its opening in 1991 until 2006. It is rare in the world of naming rights that a company returns. However, Delta is a prominent airport hub in Salt Lake City with more than 5,000 employees living in the state.

Bastian and Smith formed a business relationship when Delta, which operates charter flights for almost every team in the NBA, began working with Qualtrics, the company Smith founded and sold for $8 billion.

“The more we’ve gotten to know each other – and it’s more than just ourselves but our families, and getting more comfortable – I approached Ryan with the idea that if the naming rights ever became available again, I’d be very interested in making right because I made the decision to take the name off the arena,” Bastian said.

In another interesting twist, Vivint, the current naming rights holder to the arena, will remain a significant Jazz partner, reaching a new deal with the team through 2030. 

Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt