HEADLINES

Month: August 2014

Dan Marino Joins Dolphins As Special Advisor

August 24th, 2014 at 1:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who starred with the Dolphins from 1983-1999, has been hired by Miami as a special advisor, the team announced in a press release. Marino, 52, was a fixture on CBS’ The NFL Today for the past decade, but left the show in February.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role. I have always considered myself a Dolphin for life and I look forward to supporting the organization anyway I can,” said Marino. “[Owner] Stephen Ross is a passionate guy who is committed to building a first-class, winning organization. I’m excited about the future of the team and where the organization is headed.”

In 2004, Marino accepted the title of Senior Vice President of Football Operation with the Dolphins. The position, created specially for Marino, entitled him to final say on all football decisions — however, he resigned just three weeks after taking the job. This time around, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Marino won’t have any “formal involvement” in football operations, instead working on community- and business-related projects. General manager Dennis Hickey, hired in in January, will presumably retain control of football matters.

“Dan is and will always be an important part of the Miami Dolphins and we are excited to get him involved in a more formal way,” said Ross. “Dan is unquestionably one of the greatest players in NFL history and his enthusiasm and passion for the Dolphins is inspiring to everyone here.”

Panthers Cut Marvin McNutt, Seven Others

August 24th, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Having already released receivers Tiquan Underwood and Toney Clemons, the Panthers have cut eight more players, the team announced in a press release:

Each of the players listed above was waived, since none has accrued more than four NFL seasons. The most notable name here is probably McNutt — a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in 2012, he was expected to compete for playing time in Carolina’s depleted receiving corps.

Packers Release Seven Players

August 24th, 2014 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Parks

The Packers have cut the following seven players, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com:

Meanwhile, Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that B.J. Raji, Jared Abbrederis, and Don Barclay are headed to the IR. The Packers’ currently have 81 players on their roster.

Bears Cut Adrian Wilson, Eight Others

August 24th, 2014 at 12:28pm CST by Ben Levine

Sunday, 12:28pm: The Bears have also waived OL Joe Long, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago needs to make six more cuts before 3pm central time on Tuesday.

Saturday, 9:02pm: The Bears have cut ties with veteran safety Adrian Wilson, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Biggs also reports that the team has let go of defensive tackle Nate Collins (Twitter link), offensive lineman Dylan Gandy (Twitter link) and a group of young players:

The Bears signed the 34-year-old Wilson in June with the hope that he’d add a veteran presence to the secondary. The safety missed the entire 2013 season with a foot injury, and Biggs writes that he didn’t move around well enough in camp to justify a role. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Wilson’s last productive season came in 2011 when he made the Pro Bowl with the Cardinals.

Collins, a former undrafted free agent, was beginning to establish himself last season after starting a pair of games. The 26-year-old went down with an ACL injury, and while he’s done an admirable job recovering, Biggs indicates that the team preferred to move forward with draft picks Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton. 

Gandy, a ten-year veteran, had spent the previous five seasons with the Lions, where he served exclusively as a backup. Before that he played for the Raiders, Broncos, and Colts, where he won a Super Bowl in 2007. The 32-year-old has played primarily guard and center throughout his career, and has appeared in at least 15 games since 2009.

East Notes: Griffin, Brent, Branch

August 24th, 2014 at 12:20pm CST by Rory Parks

Robert Griffin III struggled in the Redskins‘ third preseason game against the Ravens on Saturday night, and that has led to a great deal of chatter as to whether he or backup Kirk Cousins represents the team’s best option under center. Redskins’ legend Joe Theismann weighed in on the conversation in the fourth quarter of last night’s game (as transcribed by Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post) stating:

“Let’s stop beating around the bush. Kirk Cousins has played much better at the quarterback position than Robert Griffin III has…Now, if there was a quarterback competition, it wouldn’t be a competition. Kirk Cousins would be the man I believe [head coach Jay Gruden] would have to go to.”

Theismann continued to sing Cousins’ praises after the game ended. Former Redskin Brian Mitchell, an analyst on the team’s post game show, disagreed with Theismann’s assessment, stating that Griffin, not Cousins, gives Washington the best chance of winning. For what it’s worth, Liz Clarke of the Washington Post writes that Griffin rejects the belief that he has regressed this preseason.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com points out the obvious flaw in Theismann’s analysis, writing that, since there never was a quarterback competition in Redskins camp–Griffin entered the offseason as the undisputed starter–there is no way to determine whether Griffin or Cousins would have won such a competition. If the starting job was up for grabs, Cousins would have had a chance to work with the first team offense against the Ravens’ first-team defense, and no one can say how that would have altered the evaluation.
  • Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas.com reports that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expects a decision from the league regarding a potential suspension for DT Josh Brent “imminently.” Jones has previously stated that the team will have a roster spot for Brent if the NFL allows him to play.
  • Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News writes that undrafted free agent wideout Corey Washington has had a monster preseason for the Giants and has thrust himself into serious consideration for a roster spot.
  • Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com tweets that it will be a few days before a final diagnosis is made on Geoff Schwartz, and in a full-length piece Ranaan describes how the Giants might go about replacing him.
  • In a pair of articles, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post offers a little more on Schwartz, some Giants‘ roster machinations, and he describes the quality performances displayed by a few of the Giants’ younger players.
  • I rounded up a few Eagles links here.
  • In the wake of Alan Branch‘s recent arrest, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reexamines the financial ramifications the Bills would face if they were to release Branch.
  • Marc Sessler of NFL.com writes that Bills coach Doug Marrone is open to shopping for a new backup quarterback. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com wonders (via Twitter) if the team would consider Luke McCown if he is cut by New Orleans, as the Saints and the Bills have a similar offensive system.
  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe describes how the new practice squad rules could impact several players on the Patriots‘ roster bubble.
  • Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe provides a closer look on how the Patriots will pare their roster down to 75 players by Tuesday’s deadline.
  • The Jets released six players earlier today.

 

Jets Release Six Players

August 24th, 2014 at 11:21am CST by Rory Parks

The Jets have released the following six players, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link):

Dowling performed well for the Jets in camp, but, like the rest of the team’s corners, he struggled with injury and had difficulty staying on the field. With these cuts, the Jets have trimmed their roster to 75 players well in advance of Tuesday’s deadline.

Eagles Notes: Henery, Barkley, Cuts

August 24th, 2014 at 9:57am CST by Rory Parks

Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer expounds upon the Eagles’ kicking battle that he referenced several days ago. McLane writes that Alex Henery‘s “chip shot shank” on Thursday night against the Steelers has created a real quandary for the club. The Eagles released Henery’s first challenger this season, Carey Spear, and just acquired Cody Parkey via trade.

Parkey had been on the Colts’ roster–behind incumbent Adam Vinatieri–and was successful on attempts from 45 and 31 yards in the team’s second preseason contest. He was just 14 of 19 in his final season at Auburn University, and he missed a 33-yard try in the second quarter of the BCS Championship Game.

McLane writes that there are currently 12 teams with two kickers on their roster, and the free agent options include Rob Bironas, Rian Lindell, and long-time Eagle David Akers. However, at this point it appears that Philadelphia will wait and see what Henery and Parkey can do in practice this week and in the final preseason contest against the Jets.

Now for some more Eagles notes:

  • Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Matt Barkley will start the Eagles’ final preseason game on Thursday. The team feels secure with Mark Sanchez as the primary backup and would like to see a more extensive exhibition from Barkley. As Berman notes, unless Barkley performs so well that another team considers making a trade for him, or struggles to the extent that the Eagles would consider keeping G.J. Kinne instead, Barkely will enter the season as the team’s No. 3 signal-caller.
  • In a separate piece, Berman offers a little more on the team’s first wave of roster cuts and adds a couple of injury notes.
  • Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com provides a position-by-position breakdown of the Eagles’ defensive performance against the Steelers.

Extra Points: Cowboys, 49ers, Browns, Giants

August 23rd, 2014 at 10:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s check out some leftover links on this Saturday night…

Jets Cut Bruce Campbell, Six Others

August 23rd, 2014 at 9:21pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets have started slimming down their roster, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the team has cut seven players today (via Twitter):

The notable name here is Campbell, who has had a tumultuous career since entering the league in 2010. The former fourth-rounder spent two season with the Raiders before being traded to the Panthers in the Mike Goodson trade. He was waived by the team around this time last year and caught on with the Redskins in March. However, that deal was voided after he failed his physical, and he ultimately signed with the Jets earlier this month.

Also of note is the release of punter Jacob Schum. The release of Schum would lead many to assume that Ryan Quigley has won the punter job. ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini warns that it may be too early to make that assumption, saying the release doesn’t indicate that Quigley “is in the clear just yet” (via Twitter).

Alan Branch Arrested

August 23rd, 2014 at 8:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Bills defensive tackle Alan Branch did not play in his team’s preseason loss to the Buccaneers earlier this evening. After the game, head coach Doug Marrone revealed the reason, stating that the 29-year-old had been arrested. He declined to discuss the specifics, but sources tell Tim Graham of the Buffalo News that the player was arrested for drunk-driving. WGR’s Joe Buscaglia confirms that report (via Twitter). Graham adds some context in a tweet, stating that New York State Police out of Clarence arrested Branch at about 2:30 a.m.

Marone spoke briefly on the subject in his postgame news conference (via Graham):

“It was reported to me that he was arrested,” Marrone said. “I’m going to meet with him tomorrow. I found out somewhere around noontime, midday. I just had too much on my mind.

“I tried to call him, couldn’t get ahold of him. But I wanted to get ahold of him some other way, so I got ahold of him through other people and just said, ‘Hey, I’ll meet with you tomorrow.

“But that’s all I know for a fact. I can’t say anything else.”

Things started well for Branch and the Bills. The team signed him to a one-year deal last offseason, and they soon extended him in December.

The relationship eventually soured between the two sides, as Graham notes. The player didn’t attend the voluntary offseason workouts and failed conditioning test during training camp. We heard last week that the team could consider moving the lineman.

He started 13 of his 16 games last season, compiling 39 tackles. He began his career with the Cardinals before spending two seasons with the Seahawks. Over his career, Branch has 170 tackles and eight sacks.

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