HEADLINES

Month: October 2014

Bucs Release Mike Kafka

October 27th, 2014 at 4:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bucs have released quarterback Mike Kafka, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Kafka was signed off of the practice squad late last month.

Kafka, 27, did not take a snap during his short stint on the Bucs’ active roster. His lone NFL experience came in 2011 with the Eagles where he appeared in four games, completing 11 of 16 throws.

Although he drew some interest from the Cowboys back in February, Kafka was signed by the Bucs and spent most of the year with the club before becoming a roster casualty during the cutdown to 53 players. After he cleared waivers though, Tampa Bay quickly re-added him to its practice squad, making him the de facto No. 3 signal-caller for the team despite the fact that he wasn’t on the active roster.

NFC Notes: Seahawks, McCoy, Lions, Bears

October 27th, 2014 at 4:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Recent reports indicated that the Seahawks are falling apart and possibly planning to part ways with running back Marshawn Lynch after this season, but Seattle silenced that speculation this week with a big team effort against the Panthers, writes Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. “[The reports were] not a distraction at all,” coach Pete Carroll said. “Our guys don’t care about what’s being said. We’ve been prepared all year that there would be stuff like this, that there would be controversy and story lines that would try to get in between us. We’re fine.” More from the NFC..

  • The Falcons are 2-6 and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (video link) says that both coach Mike Smith and GM Thomas Dimitroff could be on the hot seat this offseason. Owner Arthur Blank can be expected to “evaluate everyone” after the season.
  • There isn’t any offset language with the $51.5M of guarantees in Gerald McCoy‘s contract with the Bucs, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
  • With Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush sidelined, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is extra glad that his club added Golden Tate over the offseason. “He’s just a competitive son of a gun,” Stafford said of Tate, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. “And you just trust him, you want to throw him the ball, you feel good about it when you throw it to him. And I’m proud of him, happy for him. I know he’s going to be excited when Calvin comes back to be that duo that they want to be.”
  • Bears GM Phil Emery doesn’t sound like a man who wants to make a coaching change. “The solutions to win games are with the people in this building,” said the GM, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).

King On Lynch, Fairley, Martin, Pats

October 27th, 2014 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Let’s check out some of the highlights from Peter King’s weekly MMQB column..

  • King agrees with ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and feels that this is the end for Marshawn Lynch in Seattle. However, he doesn’t see him getting moved by Tuesday’s deadline unless the Seahawks are blown away by an offer. Even a team desperate for a running back isn’t going to give the Seahawks anything like the third-round pick that they would need to start considering a deal, King opines. Lynch is set to earn $6.5MM in 2015 but Seattle might cut him loose instead.
  • The Lions initially believed that defensive tackle Nick Fairley hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury in London on Sunday, but King is now hearing that the injury is bad. Fairley’s MRI results should be in later today.
  • King notes that on NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast, Mike Florio noted that the Patriots could be in the market for Buccaneers running back Doug Martin. Martin is in the midst of a down year and injured his ankle yesterday.
  • John Brown was the Cardinals‘ hero on Sunday and that may have surprised some, but not Cardinals GM Steve Keim. When Keim traded the No. 20 pick in the draft to New Orleans for the Nos. 27 and 91, he was hoping and praying Brown would fall to him at No. 91. Brown, who doesn’t have a big program pedigree, was available, and it would appear that the Cards made one heck of a selection.

Chargers Sign Crawford, Release Marshall

October 27th, 2014 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

2:54pm: The Chargers agreed to terms with cornerback Richard Crawford, a source tells Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). The Oceanside, California native and former Washignton defensive back will take Marshall’s spot on the roster and depth chart.

Crawford was waived by Washington earlier this month and had an audition with the Bucs soon after.

2:04pm: The Chargers have released cornerback Richard Marshall, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).

Marshall, 30 in December, has appeared in eight games with one start for San Diego this season. A veteran of nine seasons, Marshall has 80 games and 46 starts on his resume. Going by the basic stats, his best seasons came in 2009 and 2010 for the Panthers, where he had a combined seven interceptions, 17 pass deflections, one forced fumble, and 176 tackles.

The advanced stats haven’t been so kind to him this season. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rates Marshall 90th out of 107 cornerbacks in 2014.

NFC East Notes: Allen, Eagles, Giants, Cowboys

October 27th, 2014 at 1:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a glimpse at the NFC East, where the Cowboys are in first place at 6-1..

  • Safety Nate Allen‘s poor performance might have come at a bad time yesterday as speculation swirls about the Eagles potentially looking for a replacement on the trade market, writes CSNPhilly.com’s Geoff Mosher. Coach Chip Kelly took to the airwaves earlier today to say that his club isn’t looking to make a deal, but Allen hurt his hamstring yesterday, which could amp up the pressure to make a move.
  • Kelly made it clear this afternoon that the Eagles aren’t in the market for a safety, but they’ll listen, tweets Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “No we’re not looking into safeties. …If someone calls us and says they want to give us their safety, we’ll take their safety,” Kelly said.
  • Cowboys wide reciever Dez Bryant, who is working on a new deal with the club, has parted ways with agent Eugene Parker, according to Ross Jones and Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Parker fired his agent last week and will be eligible to hire a new one on Wednesday (link).
  • The Giants need their key offseason acquisitions – starting guard Geoff Schwartz, running back Rashad Jennings, and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – to get heatlhy and play as expected in order to make a run at the playoffs this season, writes Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger.
  • The draft has helped the Cowboys recover from the ruins of the 2012 salary cap penalty, but it hasn’t done the same for Washington. John Keim of ESPN.com compares the two franchises and looks at how they reached their respective points. All of the Cowboys’ starting offensive linemen began their careers in Dallas and three – left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick, and right guard Zack Martin, were first-round choices. Washington’s O-line, meanwhile, was built largely off of players who started off with other teams and they haven’t been nearly as productive as their divisional counterparts.
  • Earlier today, the Giants learned that Jon Beason‘s season is over.

Brian Quick Out For Season

October 27th, 2014 at 1:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have lost yet another offensive starter for the season as wide receiver Brian Quick has suffered a torn rotator cuff and dislocated left shoulder, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Quick was hurt while making a catch early in the second quarter yesterday in Kansas City.

Quick landed on his left shoulder as Chiefs cornerback Jamell Fleming wrestled him to the ground following his 10-yard grab. The Appalachian State product was in the midst of a breakout year and was a silver lining for the Rams during this down year. In his half season, Quick has hauled in 25 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns. He’s No. 1 on the Rams for receiving yards and is second in receptions, just behind tight end Jared Cook.

Bears Lose Matt Slauson For Year

October 27th, 2014 at 12:52pm CST by Zachary Links

In addition to losing a key defensive lineman, the Bears have lost a starter on the offensive line as well. Guard Matt Slauson tore his pectoral and is out for the year, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

It’s more bad news for the Bears, who also lost defensive end Lamarr Houston in yesterday’s blowout loss to the Pats. Slauson came to the Bears on a one-year deal in March of 2013. Over the winter, the former Jets guard inked a new four-year deal to stay in Chicago for the long-term. Slauson’s deal gave him a yearly salary of $3.2MM per year with $3.9MM essentially guaranteed at signing. If the Bears decide to release Slauson this winter, they’d save roughly $2MM in cap room for 2015.

Slauson started 16 games in each of his previous seasons, three with the Jets and one with the Bears.

Bears’ Lamarr Houston Done For Year

October 27th, 2014 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Bears defensive end Lamarr Houston is done for the year with a torn ACL, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Houston suffered the injury while celebrating a sack in the midst of the Bears’ blowout loss at the hands of the Patriots.

The Bears were trailing 48-23 when Houston brought down Pats backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Houston leaped in the air to celebrate and came down awkwardly on his leg, causing the injury that will keep him sidelined until training camp in 2015.

Houston is earning $9MM this season and his base salary of $5.95MM is guaranteed for 2015. The Bears brought the 27-year-old aboard as a replacement for veteran Julius Peppers, who was released on the same day. In total, Houston’s deal is for five years with a total value that can be as high as $35MM.

Patriots Notes: Belichick, Revis, Browner

October 27th, 2014 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

The latest out of New England..

  • Patriots coach Bill Belichick doesn’t see a ripe trade market out there on the eve of the deadline, tweets Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe. Because of injuries around the league, he says, there are fewer guys to trade for, and teams are more reluctant to let their healthy guys go. It’s a typically guarded Belichick response, but on the surface, he doesn’t sound enthused about the idea of making a deal. There was speculation that the Pats could go for a receiver but after their drumming of the Bears on Sunday, they might be happy to stick with what they have.
  • The Patriots coach went on to say “I wouldn’t say there’s a real heavy back and forth” between teams around the NFL regarding trades, tweets Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald.
  • The Patriots’ pass defense used to be among the worst in the NFL, but those days are gone thanks to the additions of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, writes Ben Volin of The Boston Globe. Currently, New England is No. 2 in the NFL at 210.9 yards per game and stands as the only team in the league that hasn’t given up a pass of 40 yards of more this season. More on the Pats..
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