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Jim Nantz’s refusal to mention the Peyton Manning HGH allegations during Sunday’s Chargers-Broncos game likely traces to the delicate balance between NFL broadcast partners and the importance of having good relationships with key players and coaches for the purposes of production meetings and other dynamics related to presenting a pro football game on TV. But there’s another element to this one, as reported by Christian Red and Michael O’Keeffe of the New York Daily News.

Nantz and Manning are both represented by Sandy Montag. They’ve appeared together in commercials for Sony and Papa John’s, presumably thanks to the efforts of Montag to secure the endorsements.

Montag also helped former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer launch his sports P.R. firm more than a decade ago. Fleischer has been hired by Manning to preside over the unnecessarily aggressive effort to push back against the Al Jazeera story alleging that Ashley Manning received multiple shipments of HGH, with the clear implication being that the HGH was intended for use by Peyton.

“I didn’t even know Sandy represented Nantz and in all cases, I haven’t asked Sandy to do anything on this,” Fleischer told the Daily News.

Fleischer’s response implies that news discretion gets exercised only in response to a direct request. Discretion is typically exercised more discreetly (sorry, I couldn’t think of another word).

Montag gets it; Nantz gets it. Peyton is part of the broader business family, and Nantz apparently chose to protect him. Or, perhaps more accurately, to avoid pissing him off.

Surely, after communicating with Manning and the Broncos in the days preceding the game, Nantz and CBS knew that they needed to tread lightly on the HGH angle. The easiest way to do that was to declare that the whole thing is a non-story.

“The reason that Jim did not rehash this eight-day old story during the broadcast was based on the actual news value of it,” a CBS Sports spokesperson told the Daily News.

So in seven days, the story goes from having enough value to dominate the entire NFL coverage to being not worthy of even a passing mention during a three-hour program?

While transparency would be refreshing, nuances like these have become easy to justify at a time when PLENTY of people in the media are represented by agents with firms that also represent the athletes and coaches they cover — and when pretty much every professional team and league have hired their own reporters to cover the teams and leagues themselves.

AP

A guy who knows a thing or two about bitter disappointment in his personal life thanks to someone who didn’t exist is now faced with the very real prospect of his employer moving to a new city. Chargers linebacker Manti Te’o isn’t looking forward to that.

“Man, it’s going to suck,” Te’o said Monday of a potential move to Los Angeles, via Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I’m not going to lie.”

But he’s not referring to the notion that a football team that has called San Diego home for more than half of a century will be ripped away. He’s talking about his own personal convenience.

“It’s a place that you’ve grown to love, that you’re comfortable with,” Te’o said. “You have your favorite restaurants you go to, your favorite hangout spots . . . you’re comfortable here. Change is always hard.”

But plenty of players change cities, either because they want to or because they have to. It’s been 20 years since a fan base has lost an NFL team. Regardless of who’s to blame, the prospect of San Diegans losing their Chargers is the main reason this sucks.

The fact that Te’o may have to find a new apartment and a new favorite restaurant and rely on GPS to get around for a few weeks falls a lot farther down the list.

AP

As of Sunday, it wasn’t believed that Alabama coach Nick Saban would be interested in becoming the head coach of the Colts. Before renewing vows with coach Chuck Pagano, the Colts didn’t bother to confirm it.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Colts did not make a run at hiring Saban prior to deciding to stay the course.

Irsay’s comments from Monday night’s “Never Mind the Dysfunction, Everybody Loves Each Other” press conference created the impression that he at least considered a Saban-style hire.

“Look, I could have walked someone in that door tonight or tomorrow night and have them come walking in with eight figures a year on themselves or whatever and say, ‘I’m making the big splash.’ Look, if that was the best for us, believe me, I would do it,” Irsay said.

As to Saban, it never got to the point that Irsay even tried to see if he could get the guy he tried to hire back in 1998.

This doesn’t change the fact that Saban dropped a strong hint in August about the possibility of another NFL stint, when he said that, if the Dolphins had signed Drew Brees, Saban would still be the coach there. Some interpreted the remark as an opening of the door to coach a team with a franchise quarterback.

With the Colts keeping Pagano and the Titans apparently not inclined to look elsewhere, there’s really only one current vacancy for a team with a great quarterback. And the Giants also have tried in the past to hire Saban, but control derailed the talks in 1996. With G.M. Jerry Reese staying, the Giants likely won’t be trying to lure Saban to the NFL.

So it appears to be over for Saban and the NFL. At least until 2017.

AP

Monday’s lengthy press conference involving 49ers CEO Jed York eventually got around to the rumors that the team is for sale.

York said that the team definitely isn’t for sale.

“My family’s owned this team since before I was born and they’ll own this team after I’m gone,” York said.

Estate taxes and league rules may end up being a factor down the road, as the Titans currently are learning. Mushrooming franchise values are the biggest threat to long-term family ownership of an NFL, and there are persistent concerns that the league may have to revisit (again) its rules regarding ownership. Otherwise, there eventually may not be enough people with the resources to satisfy the minimum requirements.

For now, though, it appears that the team isn’t on the market. Unless York is simply trying to build leverage in the hopes that Larry Ellison will part with even more of his $47.7 billion to get the franchise.

AP

One week after the question of whether HGH had been shipped to the wife of Peyton Manning during his recovery from neck surgery dominated the NFL discussion, the story disappeared. As noted by SportsBusiness Daily, none of the Sunday network shows mentioned the story, in any way.

A big reason for the silence came from the lack of developments. With Manning and his Ari Fleischer-fueled P.R. machine opting to stop talking about it, there was nothing more for anyone to say. And the attempt by Al Jazeera to belatedly vouch for the secretly-recorded conversations of former Guyer Institute intern Charles Sly with a second, unnamed source went unnoticed by most.

Via SBD, Mike Francesa of WFAN asked Jim Nantz of CBS whether the story would be mentioned during the Chargers-Broncos broadcast Nantz handled with Phil Simms.

“No, why would we?” Nantz said. “If we talk about it we would only continue to breathe life into a story that on all levels is a non-story. Why add another layer to it?”

It’s hardly a non-story, thanks to Manning’s extreme reaction to it. Most recently, Manning told reporters he’d welcome an immediate investigation by the NFL. If nothing more, Nantz, Simms, and/or Tracy Wolfson could have advanced the ball by pointing out whether the investigation already has started or would be starting soon.

They also could have pointed out that it’s one thing for Manning to sit down with investigator and reiterate his strong denial of HGH use, and that it’s quite another for Manning and his wife, Ashley, to authorize the Guyer Institute to release all records relating to the treatment Peyton received and whether and how often Ashley received HGH. Without that affirmative cooperation from the Mannings, the league lacks the power to get the information on its own.

Nantz, Simms, and/or Wolfson also could have pointed out the recent item from the New York Daily News, which ties Dale Guyer of the Guyer Institute to a man serving 50 years for fraud related to a Ponzi scheme, and whose name “surfaced in a 2007 federal indictment against Thomas Bader, a Colorado man who in 2010 was convicted of illegally importing HGH from China.” Guyer wasn’t charged, but he allegedly received HGH from Bader.

Here’s the most important thing to remember. If the smoke surrounding Guyer becomes strong enough to prompt state or federal authorities to investigate and eventually to prosecute, the records generated through that effort could eventually be used by the NFL to make decisions about whether Manning violated the PED policy.

While the dust could settle long after Manning retires from playing in the NFL, he could be working for an NFL team at the time any evidence that would satisfy the league’s relaxed “more probable than not” standard comes to light. Which would put the NFL in the awkward position of having to consider whether discipline should be imposed on an executive for something that he did as a player.

So, yeah, it’s hardly a non-story. But it’s no surprise that Nantz would dismiss it as a non-story, especially with Nantz and Simms working up to two Broncos playoffs games and a Super Bowl for which the Broncos, who are the No. 1 seed in the AFC, may qualify.

AP

Eighteen years ago, quarterback Peyton Manning had a warning for former Colts G.M. Bill Polian: “If you draft me, I promise we’ll win a championship. And if you don’t, I promise I will come back and kick your ass.”

While it’s still not known what was said to get owner Jim Irsay to re-up with coach Chuck Pagano at a time when Irsay could have hired anyone else without a buyout, it would have been fitting for Pagano to pay homage to Manning’s quote to Polian when talking to Irsay. Keep me, and we’ll win a championship. If you don’t, I promise I will come back and kick your ass.

Irsay already has dealt with that dynamic regarding Manning, who was cut by the Colts four years ago and who has had more success in Denver than the Colts have had without him. While the Colts have gotten the better of Manning on the field, the Broncos have been the better overall team.

If Irsay had fired Pagano, who knows where he would have surfaced? Although the Titans are expected to keep Mike Mularkey, Pagano could have made a persuasive pitch to stay in the division, with an opportunity to kick Irsay’s ass twice per year. Or Pagano could have gone to Miami, competing with (and finally figuring out how to master) the Patriots.

Just as Manning’s career seems to be winding down, Irsay would have had to worry about Pagano doing so well elsewhere that it would have made Irsay look stupid for letting him go — especially if the Colts had struggled under a new, high-priced, big-name coach.

So Irsay opted to play it safe. No matter how it turns out with Pagano over the next four or more years, one thing is clear. There’s no way Pagano will be kicking Irsay’s ass.

AP

In an upset that Bob Kravitz of WTHR.com calls an upset bigger than Super Bowl III, coach Chuck Pagano has reached a deal to remain with the Colts.

“Guy walks into office to get released, walks out with extension,” Kravitz said.

Making the upset even bigger is the fact that both Pagano and G.M. Ryan Grigson will remain in Indianapolis, despite multiple reports from last week (including a damning one from Kravtiz) suggesting a high degree of dysfunction between the front office and the coaching staff. But now, according to owner Jim Irsay, the two men are “tied at the hip,” with Grigson being “contractually tied” to Pagano.

This suggests that Grigson, who had one year left on his deal, now has a three-year extension.

For Pagano, who has multiple children and has beaten cancer, it was an occasion for hyperbole; “I’ve had a lot of great days in my life but none better than today. This is absolutely the best day of my life,” Pagano declared at a press conference with Irsay and Grigson. (For a guy who is married, has multiple kids, and has beaten cancer, that’s saying something.)

It ultimately was a confusing day, and it’s hard not to wonder whether Irsay at least explored the possibility of bringing in someone like Nick Saban before renewing vows with Pagano and Grigson. Irsay mentioned on a couple of occasions that he could have made a “big splash,” with an “eight-figure” coach.

Ultimately, Irsay seems to have backed away from the “Super Bowls or bust” mentality he previously had displayed, justifying continuity and consistency by pointing out that Pagano and Grigson have done more in their first four years than the team accomplished in the first four years with Hall of Fame G.M. Bill Polian and future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.

It’s an encouraging sign for the Colts. The owner has realized something that others haven’t. It’s far more important to keep swinging the bat consistently than to flail for the fences.

Irsay nevertheless hasn’t lost sight of the goal. “I’m convinced we have the right stuff to win a world championship,” Irsay said.

At least he’s not insisting on multiple Super Bowl championships. Maybe he has realized that there’s no quick fix in the NFL, and that things could be a lot worse with someone else than they’ve been with Grigson and Pagano.

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After the 49ers had their “mutual parting” with coach Jim Harbaugh in 2015, CEO Jed York and G.M. Trent Baalke met the media together. On Monday, one day after coach Jim Tomsula became the one-and-done replacement for Harbaugh, York and Baalke met separately with reporters.

Intended or not, it created the impression that Baalke is now on an island. And he seems to realize it.

“I appreciate the confidence that ownership has shown in me,” Baalke said. “But I also understand the gravity of the situation and understand exactly what this fan base looks for and what this ownership looks for. It’s the San Francisco 49ers. It’s about championships. It’s about being in a position to compete for championships. You’re not going to win it every year. That’s unrealistic to think that. But to put yourself in a position to is really the ultimate goal and that’s what we’re striving to do.”

Baalke’s comments seem far more pragmatic than those of his boss. Last year, York debuted the now-infamous “we raise Super Bowl banners and whenever we don’t deliver that, I hope that you will hold me directly responsible and accountable for it” routine. York was at it again on Monday, setting the bar at a level that only one of 32 NFL coaches per year necessarily will meet.

“Are you in need of somebody who you’re comfortable with, who makes you feel good when you’re in a room with them?” York was asked.

“We’re in need of somebody that can win Super Bowls,” York said.

“So, personality doesn’t matter?”

“We’re in need of somebody that can win Super Bowls,” York replied.

“Didn’t you have that guy?”

“We haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1994,” York said.

He’s right. And what has happened in the last 21 years? Has the franchise folded? Or has it thrived financially, like every other franchise — including the ones that have won plenty of Super Bowls and those that still haven’t won even one?

There’s a delicate balance for every owner to strike between fan and businessman. Of course the goal is to win a Super Bowl. But to make that the only indicator of success can strip the organization of patience, make the 49ers a team for which no one with options will opt to work, and ultimately turn it into a bottom-feeding franchise with an annual quest far more quixotic than realistic.

Really, what coach wants to go into a franchise with: (1) five Super Bowl trophies already in the case; (2) an owner who demands more of them now; and (3) a roster that isn’t remotely close to even qualifying for the postseason tournament?

York’s attitude is a recipe for a door that will revolve until the 49ers accidentally stumble into the next Bill Walsh. And the next Bill Walsh had better win Super Bowls quickly, because if he simply puts the team in serious contention every year and then (God forbid) wants to be compensated accordingly, the 49ers will remind him (and everyone else) that he hasn’t won a Super Bowl and otherwise refuse to find a way to work around the personality quirks and overall intensity that helps make a coach good enough to win Super Bowls in the ultra-competitive NFL.

For now, it’s unclear where the 49ers will look for the next coach who will win a Super Bowl or at least get them close to one. Baalke said no interviews have been conducted, none have been scheduled, and there will be no in-house candidates for the job.

Baalke also strongly suggested that they want a coach with experience. Given that Mike Holmgren has won a Super Bowl, been to another, and wants back in as coach of the 49ers, it would make sense to at least give him an interview.

It would make even more sense to drop the whole “we expect to win Super Bowls” routine and replace it with something along these lines: “We understand how competitive the NFL is. Our goal is to be competitive every year. To have a chance to make it to the playoffs every year. To have a chance to get to the Super Bowl every year. And if it ever happens that we end up with the right coach and the right quarterback who can take us to multiple Super Bowl wins, we’ll do everything we can to provide them with the support necessary to win as many Super Bowls as they can.”

Until York understands the difference between those two messages, he’ll get plenty of practice in conducting postseason press conferences explaining the latest decision to fire a coach or a General Manager.

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Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s emotional comments to reporters about coach Tom Coughlin should be no surprise. Coughlin is the only NFL coach Eli has known, arriving in New York the same year Eli was drafted.

Twelve years later, and a day after Eli turned 35, the Giants need a coach who wants to work with Eli — and with whom Eli wants to work.

It’s no surprise, then, to learn (as PFT has) that Eli Manning made a direct pitch to ownership to keep Coughlin. With ownership opting to still make the change, the question becomes whether ownership will throw Eli a bone by elevating offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo into the head-coaching job.

McAdoo arrived in 2014; promoting him would ensure a degree of continuity for Manning. Then again, it could be argued that McAdoo is part of the problem that culminated in Coughlin being fired. If the Giants decided to push out Coughlin, why would they promote one of his lieutenants?

It’s also possible that the next head coach would agree to keep McAdoo as the offensive coordinator. With the Giants job regarded as one of the best in all of football, it possibly wouldn’t take much arm twisting to persuade Coughlin’s successor to stick with McAdoo, if that helps Eli feel more comfortable about spending the twilight of his career with the Giants.

A dozen years ago, Eli showed that he’s not bashful about making a power play. Although it was Archie Manning, not Eli, who told the world that the Chargers shouldn’t draft Eli, some believe that Archie was simply taking the heat in order to keep Eli from looking like the bad guy. At this stage of his career, after giving the Giants a pair of Super Bowl wins, would it be a shock for Eli to make it known that he wants to finish his career elsewhere, if he’s not happy with the team’s choice of head coach or offensive coordinator?

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The window for filing relocation petitions opened on Monday. None of the teams expected to seek permission to move to Los Angeles filed a request.

According to the league office, the first day of the annual period for initiating the process of changing cities has come and gone without the Rams, Chargers, or Raiders submitting the appropriate paperwork.

But Monday was merely day one, despite a suggestion by some that Monday was the deadline for filing. The actual deadline, according to the league, is February 15.

As a practical matter, any relocation petitions will come well before then, given than the NFL has set on January 12 and 13 a special meeting aimed at resolving the L.A. situation.

That’s only nine days away. So the relocation petitions will be coming soon, with all three teams expected to submit one.

AP

If Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is going to have to adapt to the team’s new offense, the adaptation will have to come quickly.

Coach Pete Carroll said Monday that he expects Lynch to start on Sunday at Minnesota, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Carroll added that Lynch, who rejoined the team on Monday, wouldn’t be back if he wasn’t ready to play.

Lynch appeared in seven regular-season games, generating 417 rushing yards and an average of 3.8 yards per attempt. Over the past seven weeks, the offense has developed into an air-based attack, with quarterback Russell Wilson throwing 24 touchdown passes and one interception during a 6-1 run to end the regular season, after a 4-5 start.

Lynch last played one game before the seven-game kick to the finish began. Now that he’s back, it’ll be interesting to see how much the approach on offense changes. Regardless of how much (and how well) Lynch plays, it’s safe to say that the Seahawks have initiated their post-Beast Mode plan, and that anything positive he adds at this point will only be a bonus.

Considering that the Seahawks beat the Vikings in Minnesota 38-7 without him, there’s a chance it will be even uglier this time around.

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Like Black Friday, Black Monday seems to get started earlier and earlier every year. So with the process of passing out pink slips about to launch, let’s look at who’s safe, who isn’t, and who’s already out.

Buffalo: Owner Terry Pegula recently issued a statement making it clear that G.M. Doug Whaley and coach Rex Ryan will be back next year, without specifically saying so.

Miami: Coach Joe Philbin was fired during the season. G.M. Dennis Hickey and the Dolphins “parted ways” on Saturday.

Browns: Owner Jimmy Haslam has fired coach Mike Pettine and G.M. Ray Farmer. New executive V.P. of football operations Sashi Brown has control over the 53-man roster.

Colts: Coach Chuck Pagano, whose contract is expiring, reportedly is out. The fate of G.M. Ryan Grigson remains undetermined.

Jaguars: Owner Shad Khan has announced that coach Gus Bradley will return in 2016.

Titans: Coach Ken Whisenhunt was fired during the season. G.M. Ruston Webster won’t be retained. Interim coach Mike Mularkey is expected to become the permanent head coach.

Chargers: Coach Mike McCoy will be back, even if the team moves to L.A.. G.M. Tom Telesco received a new contract before the season started.

Cowboys: The Cowboys repeatedly have said coach Jason Garrett is safe.

Eagles: The Eagles fired coach Chip Kelly on Tuesday.

Giants: Coach Tom Coughlin has “stepped down.” G.M. Jerry Reese will be back.

Lions: G.M. Martin Mayhew was fired during the season. Coach Jim Caldwell’s fate is expected to be decided by the next General Manager.

Falcons: Some believe G.M. Thomas Dimitroff could be in trouble, but coach Dan Quinn has publicly declared that he wants Dimitroff to return.

Saints: Speculation has been swirling for weeks regarding the future of coach Sean Payton. He has said he wants to stay; the team has said nothing. Some think he will be essentially traded to a new team.

Rams: Coach Jeff Fisher reportedly is safe. It’s unclear whether G.M. Les Snead is at risk.

49ers: G.M. Trent Baalke is staying. Coach Jim Tomsula has been fired.

AP

It’s now clear that Chargers coach Mike McCoy will be staying in San Diego. A question still lingered as to whether he’d be accompanying the team to L.A.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, McCoy will be coaching the team no matter where it is in 2016. Which means that, if/when the Chargers secure at least 24 votes to relocate, McCoy will be making the move as well.

Heading to L.A. with a coach that led the team to a 4-12 record in 2015 may not be the best way to connect with a new fan base, especially if the Chargers could be competing with another team in their new market.

And maybe that’s the biggest takeaway from the news that McCoy will stay. Opting not to make a coaching change could mean that the Chargers already know that, if they move to L.A. for 2016, they will be moving there alone.

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Before becoming head coach of the 49ers, Jim Tomsula had generated only one interview for one of the most 32 coveted jobs in football — with the Vikings, in 2014. Now that Tomsula is available, will he get any more interviews?

For head-coaching jobs, definitely not. So how about for a job like defensive line coach, the position he held in San Francisco for eight years before becoming the successor to Jim Harbaugh?

Tomsula, the latest example of pro football’s version of the Peter Principle, did well as a defensive line coach. So, in theory, he could be a successful defensive line coach again.

But another head coach would have to trust that Tomsula won’t do what he may have done in San Francisco. It’s perceived that Tomsula was working behind the scenes to take over for Harbaugh, an eventual ascension that was clear from the moment he was nearly traded to the Browns in 2014 (which nearly happened) to every week of the ensuing season, during which the Tomsula-for-Harbaugh swap was one of the worst-kept secrets in the NFL.

Will another coach worry about that happening again? For Tomsula, the best evidence that it won’t comes from his dreadful performance as a head coach.

AP

Three years ago, former Oregon coach Chip Kelly became the belle of the ball, with the Browns and Eagles chasing him and Kelly deciding to stay before suddenly deciding to leave college football for Philly.

Now, Kelly has become a full-fledged member of the FFCA, another retreaded reject looking for a job instead of having the job look for him. So it’s no surprise that Kelly reportedly has reached out to the 49ers. He’ll likely reach out on every job that’s available.

But the 49ers could make sense, as PFT pointed out last week when listing potential destinations for Kelly. If the 49ers hope to salvage the career of quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Kelly could be the perfect coach to do it.

There’s another factor that helps Kelly to San Fran make even more sense. Tom Gamble, after being fired from the Eagles’ front office a year ago as part of the power struggle that Kelly ultimately won, returned to San Francisco. As one league source explained it to PFT, Gamble and Kelly were indeed “very close.”

Of course, that may not matter if G.M. Trent Baalke isn’t comfortable with having Kelly there. Even though Kelly has said he doesn’t want to run the show, history suggests that, if he has success, he’ll try to run the show. Which could create even more of the kind of dysfunction that percolated throughout Jim Harbaugh’s tenure with the team.

Besides, with the 49ers dumping Jim Tomsula after one year due in large part to the importance of regaining the faith of the fan base, they may need to aim higher than hiring Kelly. Of course, the bigger the profile of the coach, the greater the chance that he’ll try to take over, either as he’s walking through the door or after he has success.

And therein lies the fundamental philosophical challenge for Baalke and CEO Jed York. After a year in purgatory with a toothless Jim Tomsula, are they willing to try to coexist with someone who would command more authority at the outset of his time with the time, or who would try to commandeer it after turning the team around?

If they truly want to improve the fate of the franchise, Baalke and York will explore their own role in the Harbaugh debacle and ask themselves whether having a coach who may be hard to get along with a times is part of the price to be paid for having a coach who can help the team consistently contend. And then they’ll consider whether Kelly has learned from his own misadventures. And maybe both sides will realize that a little more flexibility could help everyone thrive this time around.