Third-and-Renfrow: Hunter Renfrow a third-down staple for Raiders

Several years before building a Super Bowl roster in San Francisco, John Lynch the broadcaster was pining for a new kind of defensive playmaker. What the NFL needed to counter all the offensive innovations driving up scores, he said back in 2013, was a hybrid linebacker/safety who could stay on the field no matter the down and distance, regardless of the pace or the play. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Clemson captain lined up at linebacker, over the slot and in the deep middle for the Tigers.

Sam Darnold recently made a mistake that drew the ire of Adam Gase. It was the first time the New York Jets coach raised his voice at his young quarterback. ”He was like, ‘It’s about time you started getting on me a little bit,”’ Gase recalled with a smile.