HEADLINES

Month: May 2015

PFR Originals: 5/17/15 – 5/24/15

May 24th, 2015 at 2:43pm CST by Ben Levine

The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

  • Dallas Robinson examined the extension candidacy of Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth. Meanwhile, Luke Adams took a look at a possible extension for Vikings kicker Blair Walsh.
  • Luke Adams focused on the remaining unsigned draft picks from around the NFL. Interestingly, the Rams remain the only team to have not signed any of their rookies. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, the second overall pick, is the most notable name to remain unsigned.
  • Luke asked the readers which revamped contender improved their roster the most. More than half of you voted for the Dolphins, with the Eagles and Saints following.

Week In Review: 5/17/15 – 5/24/15

May 24th, 2015 at 1:34pm CST by Ben Levine

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

DeflateGate:

  • Following “back-channel” talks with the NFL, the Patriots will not appeal the penalties handed to the organization
  • Patriots owner Robert Kraft hopes the organization’s lack of appeal helps Tom Brady‘s cause
  • NFLPA’s request for commissioner Roger Goodell to recuse himself from Brady’s appeal was denied
  • Goodell’s recent comments have “injected unneeded confusion” into Brady’s appeal

Los Angeles/Relocation:

  • Momentum continues to build toward the NFL returning to Los Angeles for the 2016 season
  • Owners examine the league’s relocation fees
  • Raiders owner Mark Davis told fans his goal is to keep teams in Oakland

Other Headlines:

Draft Pick Signings:

  • Titans, Marcus Mariota continue contract negotiations
  • Bengals – OL Jake Fisher (link)
  • Bills – CB Ronald Darby (link)
  • Cowboys – DE Randy Gregory (link)
  • Saints – OT Andrus Peat (link)

Signed:

Released:

Other:

Sunday Roundup: Garoppolo, Tebow, G. Smith

May 24th, 2015 at 12:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s have a look at some links from around the league on this Sunday afternoon:

  • One of the silver linings of Tom Brady‘s suspension, according to Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald, is that the Patriots will get the chance to see if second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is truly Brady’s heir apparent.
  • Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer believes that not only will Tim Tebow make the Eagles‘ 53-man roster, he will suit up and he will play.
  • Only Cincinnati has drafted more wide receivers than the Packers since 2005, which marked Ted Thompson‘s first year as Green Bay’s GM. Thompson has selected 16 wideouts during that time.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com says Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey did not undermine head coach Todd Bowles by proclaiming that Geno Smith would be the team’s starting quarterback, as Gailey was just reiterating what Bowles had said (in a less definitive manner) on prior occasions.
  • Cimini does note that the Jets are bucking a historic trend by having Smith open the season as their starting signal-caller. Football Outsiders complied a list of 10 quarterbacks over the past 25 years who performed as poorly as Smith has in their first two seasons, and although most of them were named the starter going into their third year in the league, most were also first-round draft choices. Smith, of course, was a second-rounder. Out of the 10 players that Football Outsiders listed, only two, Jake Plummer and Trent Dilfer, experienced any sort of success in the league.
  • Connor Hamlett, a tight end whom the Jaguars signed as an undrafted free agent earlier this month, indicated back in January that he was not going to pursue a professional football career. But Hamlett, per Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, says, “I just took some time off because I was banged up. I love the game of football, and I wanted to play. The whole [story] kind of got blown out of proportion.” Jacksonville had a “draft-worthy” grade on Hamlett, who has a good chance to make the club. O’Halloran says the Jags could keep as many as five tight ends on the roster.
  • Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com says the Jaguars could release Toby Gerhart, but the ESPN scribe goes on to explain why he believes Gerhart will ultimately stay on the roster.
  • Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune says the Buccaneers, who traded a fifth-round pick to Detroit last month in exchange for George Johnson–after signing Johnson to a three-year, $9MM offer sheet–fell in love with the defensive end while watching film of Lions games in preparation for last year’s matchup with Detroit. Had the Bucs not played the Lions in 2014, Johnson might not have found himself in Tampa Bay in 2015.

Goodell’s Comments Cloud Brady Appeal

May 24th, 2015 at 11:07am CST by Rory Parks

A great deal of ink and cyberspace have been devoted to DeflateGate, which is far and away the biggest storyline of the offseason. Some pieces have applauded the Wells Report and the punishments levied against the Patriots and Tom Brady, while others have condemned the report’s alleged flaws and have accused the league of jumping to conclusions and “overreacting.” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, while he does not take a general stance on the scandal in his latest piece, does point out that commissioner Roger Goodell has injected unneeded confusion into Brady’s appeal with his recent comments.

Generally speaking, when a losing party notes an appeal to a higher court, the issue to be decided on appeal determines the standard of review that the higher court will apply. Sometimes, the court will apply a “de novo” standard, which essentially means that it ignores the lower court’s ruling entirely and considers all the evidence and arguments anew. But since Brady’s suspension stems from Article 46 of the labor deal, his appeal will be decided under an “arbitrary and capricious” standard, which means that the suspension will be upheld unless it was made on improper grounds or without any consideration of the relevant circumstances. Such a standard obviously provides a great deal of deference to the ruling of the lower tribunal, and since Goodell, for all intents and purposes, was the lower tribunal, one would think that the suspension would be affirmed.

However, the commissioner did cloud the matter when he said the following:

“We have a process here. It’s long established. I look forward to hearing directly from Tom. If there is new information or there’s information in helping us get this right, I want to hear directly from Tom on that.”

As Florio writes, an appellate tribunal reviewing an issue under an arbitrary and capricious standard cannot consider any “new information.” The only information that matters is the evidence and arguments already on the record. Although Goodell was probably hoping to demonstrate that he will be as fair as possible in considering Brady’s appeal, his comments only serve to undermine a process that has already been widely criticized. If Goodell is, in fact open to hearing “new” information, Florio writes that Brady should “ask to re-open the investigation, allowing Wells to do whatever it is that he charged the NFL millions of dollars to do, and then giving [Troy] Vincent a chance to reconsider the punishment, with Goodell waiting to review the matter on appeal.” But since that will not be happening, Goodell has unwittingly handed his critics another arrow to stick in their quiver.

West Notes: Relocation, Seahawks, Walker

May 24th, 2015 at 9:53am CST by Rory Parks

Last week, Rams fans in St. Louis received a bit of good news when league commissioner Roger Goodell noted that the efforts to keep the Rams in the Gateway City by building a new stadium on the riverfront had made “tremendous progress.” Although financing plans still need to be worked out, a number of football scribes, like Ben Volin of The Boston Globe and Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, wonder how Rams owner Stan Kroenke and the league itself could justify moving the Rams to Los Angeles if St. Louis comes through with funding for a new stadium before the team’s current lease with the Edward Jones Dome expires.

That question becomes particularly relevant if the Carson plan, in which the Raiders and Chargers would share a stadium in LA, continues to gain momentum. As Miklasz points out, the Carson proposal would allow the league to solve its “California problem” inside California without having to move a franchise from another region. Furthermore, the Chargers and Raiders have been waiting for a new stadium for years, while the Edward Jones Dome is comparatively new.

But Miklasz is keeping his optimism in check, because the NFL has refused to confirm that a new stadium will assure St. Louis of a place in the league. The city has gone to great lengths to keep the Rams in St Louis, as they have committed to constructing a new, $985MM stadium while still paying off the cost of building the Edward Jones Dome, and the league has repeatedly stated that it strongly prefers to keep each team in its current market. And yet, without the NFL’s public commitment that the riverfront project, if successful, would keep the Rams in place, Miklasz writes that the whole ordeal becomes a question of honor. And honor is one department in which the league sometimes falls short.

Now let’s take a look at a few more links from the league’s West divisions:

  • Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that there will not be three teams in Southern California until the Chargers‘ stadium situation is resolved in some way. As Breer notes (via Twitter), it is possible that, if the Chargers reach a deal to stay in San Diego, the Raiders and Rams could share the Inglewood stadium, which is designed to house two teams.
  • On a less serious note, Chargers superfan Dan Juaregui, otherwise known as the costumed “Boltman,” has contacted an attorney about the possibility of filing an antitrust suit against the NFL on behalf of Chargers fans if the Chargers should relocate to Los Angeles. While the attorney himself noted that such a suit would be feasible, Kristina Davis of The San Diego Union-Tribune, citing Chargers counsel Mark Fabiani, says the city gave up its right to sue the league over relocation in its stadium lease.
  • Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times summarizes former agent Joel Corry’s analysis of Russell Wilson‘s contract negotiations with the Seahawks. Our Luke Adams wrote a piece on Corry’s original article several days ago.
  • Jayson Jenks of The Seattle Times describes the difficulty opposing defenses will have to face when confronted with the Seahawks‘ triple threat of Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, and one of the biggest prizes of the offseason, Jimmy Graham.
  • Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post looks at the value and versatility that newly-acquired defensive tackle Vance Walker, who was used sparingly with division rival Kansas City, brings to the Broncos.

 

Kraft Hopes He Helped Brady’s Appeal

May 23rd, 2015 at 7:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Larry King appears to have loosened Adam Schefter’s grip on NFL breaking news, if only for a sequence on Saturday night.

The longtime broadcaster spoke with Robert Kraft, and the Patriots’ owner evidently revealed (Twitter link) he hoped by relenting on a potential battle with the NFL over the Pats’ Deflategate penalties that he helped Tom Brady in his own fight in a potential goodwill gesture.

If Kraft’s line of thinking is correct, perhaps lessening some of the animosity between the Patriots and commissioner Roger Goodell will influence the commissioner to consider some of the arguments put forth by Brady’s legal team in the embattled quarterback’s upcoming appeal. Or, in a more backroom-politics-style bargain, Kraft has some kind of assurance this action will induce a lessening of Brady’s ban.

Brady still faces a four-game ban. While that’s up in the air, the Patriots’ loss of a 2016 first-round pick and 2017 fourth-rounder is certain.

Extra Points: Texans, Jaguars, Bucs, Kraft

May 23rd, 2015 at 7:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Let’s run down some bits and pieces from the league from Saturday.

  • The Lions acquired Haloti Ngata via trade to plug one of their defensive tackle holes vacated by the departures of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, and CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora notes (on Twitter) Detroit could make a similar play to find more help on its defensive interior. Detroit picked Gabe Wright in Round 4 and signed Tyrunn Walker, he of one career start, from the Saints, so a need obviously remains.
  • Blake Bortles‘ offseason development choice was working with the same motion analysis specialists Tom Brady has in the past, Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union writes. The columnist reports Bortles, who rushed for 345 yards as a rookie with the Jaguars, dropped from 250 pounds to 238.
  • Jags remaining unsigned draft choices T.J. Yeldon and A.J. Cann should agree to terms this week during OTAs, Ryan O’Halloran of the Times-Union notes.
  • The Texans are the favorites to be this year’s featured team on HBO’s Hard Knocks, reports ESPN.com’s Tania Ganguli (on Twitter).
  • Johnthan Banks figures to present a tough challenge for veteran Mike Jenkins to reclaim his starting cornerback job alongside Alterraun Verner with the Buccaneers, writes ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinkas. Although Pro Football Focus doesn’t rate Banks, a starter for most of his two NFL slates, as a particularly good cover man (93rd among corners last year; subscription required), the third-year player did intercept four passes and deflect 10. A Pro Bowler with the Cowboys in 2009, Jenkins is entering his age-30 season. Although only on a one-year contract after not being tendered as a restricted free agent by Dallas, Sterling Moore should be in this conversation as well after his breakout 2014.
  • Yasinkas also expects Charles Sims to give the suddenly mediocre Doug Martin a stiff challenge for the Bucs’ top ball-carrying job. Sims averaged just 2.8 yards per tote as a rookie in limited duty, while Martin averaged 3.7 per carry on 134 carries.
  • Justin Smith‘s retirement didn’t exactly catch the 49ers in an experience sinkhole like Suh and Fairley’s did for the Lions, with Darnell Dockett and Glenn Dorsey (234 starts between them) fronting the competition. But other candidates loom in what could be more of a committee-type arrangement, writes the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch. First-round pick Arik Armstead and Tank Carradine are among those potentially able to supply depth after the loss of the unit’s leader. Dorsey rated ahead of the departed Ray McDonald — via PFF during his last healthy season in 2013, but both McDonald and Smith boasted top-flight marks last season.
  • The Boston Globe’s Christopher L. Gasper argued Patriots owner Robert Kraft put his own legacy ahead of his team’s immediate future in withdrawing from a potential battle with commissioner Roger Goodell over the team’s Deflategate penalties. The Pats boss backed Goodell on the Saints’ Bountygate punishment and his initial ruling in the Ray Rice domestic-abuse incident before objecting to sanctions against his own team.

NFL Owners Examining Relocation Fees

May 23rd, 2015 at 6:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chargers’ potential relocation fee to move their headquarters less than two hours north could be more than $200MM, according to ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams.

With the Chargers, Raiders and Rams sharing interest in jettisoning their cities for Los Angeles, the NFL owners commissioned an outside firm to study relocation charges. The owners estimate a set cost wouldn’t be determined until the process, in its early stages, nears its conclusion.

The Oilers’ 1997 trip to Tennessee cost the franchise $29MM — as did the Browns’ sojourn to Baltimore in 1996 and the Rams’ exodus to St. Louis in ’95 — but considering how much more the league generates now and the prospect of playing in the country’s second-largest media market, the upcoming fee for a Los Angeles move will dwarf that. Vanderbilt economics professor John Vrooman estimates the Chargers would have to pay between $200MM and $250MM to move to L.A.

This range could be conservative, however. Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune hears numbers as high as $500MM for such a relocation. But this fee could be paid over time.

“It can be done in any number of ways to help fill the Los Angeles market with a team,” ex-Raiders CEO Amy Trask told The Mighty 1090 AM radio. “It doesn’t make sense for the league to impose upon a team, or teams, a relocation fee that will put that team in an economic back seat. Because otherwise, why do the move?”

East Notes: Cameron, Shanahan, Patriots

May 23rd, 2015 at 5:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

As teams prepare for Phase 3 offseason workouts next week, here are some notes from various NFL destinations.

  • Among the players who switched workplaces this offseason, Jordan Cameron is one whose skill set could reshape his new team’s capabilities, writes Matt Bowen of Bleacher Report. One of 2013’s breakout tight ends to change teams this year, along with Julius Thomas and Charles Clay, Cameron’s ability to line up in the slot or out wide and outwork second- and third-level defenders in the red zone could open up the Dolphins‘ playbook, Bowen opines. Of course, Cameron basically sat out in 2014 thanks to injury setbacks, creating a buyer-beware aura that gives this potential a notable caveat. Jets safety Calvin Pryor also appears on Bowen’s list, with the strong safety looming as a strong candidate to line up at linebacker in passing-down sets under new coach Todd Bowles.
  • Former Washington coach Mike Shanahan remains steadfast in his pro-Kirk Cousins stance, going so far as to say the fourth-year quarterback “will be a big-time player for a lot of years,” per CSNWashington.com’s summation of Shanahan’s radio interview with 106.7 The Fan’s Grant and Danny Show. Cousins is just 2-7 in his career as a starter, including a 1-4 sample last season when the former fourth-round pick completed 61.5% of his passes.
  • The ex-Broncos coach wasn’t as complimentary of free-falling former rookie of the year Robert Griffin III, however, seemingly calling the fourth-year quarterback’s work ethic into question — in adjusting to a pro-style offense — rather than his health record. “He’s got arm strength. He’s a very bright guy,” Shanahan said on WJFK in Washington (as summarized by NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling). “But he hasn’t done things that the NFL asks you to do, and it does take some growing pains to go through that.” Of course, as Wesseling points out, the former coach separating injuries from Griffin’s developmental struggles serves as a convenient explanation, considering Shanahan isn’t blameless regarding Griffin’s injury history.
  • Longtime Patriots analyst Tom Curran of CSNNE.com continued his criticism of Roger Goodell‘s handling of Deflategate, labeling the investigation as one-dimensional without going into sufficient detail on the NFL’s procedures in this area.
  • In his look at the state of the Eagles going into OTAs, the Philadelphia Enquirer’s Jeff McLane thinks it would be a shock if first-round pick Nelson Agholor didn’t become the team’s second-most-utilized receiver behind Jordan Matthews this season. The Philadelphia writer also predicts more positional versatility from the corps, with Matthews’ 92% slot usage set to fall, especially with Chip Kelly‘s assertion Agholor can handle inside and outside work after pigeon-holing departing Jeremy Maclin as strictly an outside target.

NFC Rumors: Bucs, Eagles, Washington

May 23rd, 2015 at 3:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bruce Carter occupies the fifth-highest cap charge for the Buccaneers this season but could play an unfamiliar position for his new team. The Bucs plan to slot the former Cowboys outside linebacker in the middle of their 4-3 alignment, writes Jenna Laine of SportsTalkFlorida.com.

With the weak-side spot spoken for in All-Pro Lavonte David and versatile Danny Lansanah slated to work at the strong-side position, Carter will attempt to earn his money at a spot he’s rarely played. The former Cowboys second-round pick struggled at outside backer last season, grading well below zero on Pro Football Focus’ scale, but arguably Carter’s best campaign came as an inside performer. The 27-year-old North Carolina product rated adequately on PFF (subscription required) during 11 starts inside in what was then a 3-4 look in Dallas in 2012.

Playing all three second-level spots in Tampa last season, the bulkier Lansanah’s best work came on the strong side — PFF doled out an eye-catching 6.1 grade for his Week 13 work against the Bears — and the soon-to-be-30-year-old former United Football League standout will begin his season there.

Here is some other news from Tampa and other NFC locales.

  • Also from Tampa: newly acquired George Johnson will start his Bucs tenure as a left defensive end, but the team views the ex-Lion as more of a rotational part than starter, according to Laine. But that could mean a workload similar to the 531 snaps Johnson logged in Detroit last season, albeit in an off-the-bench capacity. The team also hopes third-year end William Gholston, a nine-game starter last season, can man the top swing spot, playing both inside and outside up front.
  • Recent waiver claim D.J. Swearinger will have a chance to start, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier told Laine. The Bucs’ signing of Chris Conte, who struggled at times last year, doesn’t exactly signify a menacing safety corps that prevents upward mobility.
  • With the additions of Brian Mihalik, a seventh-round selection this year, and 2014 Arena Leaguer Frances Mays — an Eagles camp body last season — the Eagles have two 6-foot-9 talents up front, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Enquirer. Although he doesn’t expect either to make the 53-man roster of a team that didn’t allocate any funds to free agent defensive linemen, they could profile as practice-squad developmental bastions.
  • Both Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com wonder if Will Compton can supplant Perry Riley as a starting inside backer in Washington. Neither were flashy options last season, per PFF, but the six-year veteran Riley’s started inside for Washington for the past three seasons.
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