2017 December - Pro Football Rumors

Bears Place Cairo Santos On IR, Expected To Sign Mike Nugent

December 4th, 2017 at 4:41pm CST by GregGoldstein

Chicago has already gone through two kickers this season and will now add one more to the list in Week 14. The team has placed current kicker Cairo Santos on injured reserve thanks to a groin injury, reports Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Biggs adds in another tweet that the Bears are expected to replace him with veteran Mike Nugent.

Santos, 26, was signed by the team two weeks ago to replace Connor Barth. In that time, the former Kansas City placekicker converted just one of his two field goal tries to make him 4-5 on the year if you include his first three games of the season as a member of the Chiefs.

The 26-year-old had a decent three-year run in Kansas City before he was eventually replaced by Harrison Butker when Santos consequently suffered another groin injury earlier in the season.

In Nugent, Chicago brings in a kicker with a lot of experience. The 35-year-old is now playing in his 14th year in the NFL after most recently filling in for Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey for four games while Bailey was recovering from an injury of his own. However, Nugent was not steady during his short stint with Dallas, as he missed three of the seven kicks he tried. In his career, Nugent has converted just over 80% of his field goals, with his longest make coming from 55 yards out.

Chicago has not seemed to be able to get their kicking game right since the team moved on from its long-time kicker Robbie Gould after the 2015-16 season. They’ll likely be looking for a new full-time option to lock down the spot as they head into the offseason in a few weeks.

Colts Place Pierre Desir On IR

December 4th, 2017 at 4:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have placed starting cornerback Pierre Desir on injured reserve. He suffered a muscle tear in his shoulder over the weekend that will require several weeks of recovery. The team has also announced that they have signed running back Matt Jones to fill the open spot on the roster.

Desir was claimed by the Colts in September after he missed the Seahawks’ initial 53-man cut. The 27-year-old quickly impressed coaches and found himself with a prominent role behind top corners Nate Hairston and Rashaan Melvin. Melvin is dealing with a hand injury of his own, so the Colts will have to dig deep at the cornerback position the rest of the way.

Desir appeared in nine games (six starts) for the Colts, finishing out with career highs in passes defensed (7) and total tackles (32).

Titans Place DaQuan Jones On IR

December 4th, 2017 at 2:58pm CST by Zachary Links

DaQuan Jones‘ season is over. On Monday, the Titans announced that the defensive lineman is being placed on injured reserve with a biceps injury. Taking his place on the roster will be tight end Luke Stocker, who has signed a two-year deal with the team.

The timing of the injury is unfortunate for Jones as he looks ahead to free agency in March. The 25-year-old (26 later this month) looked strong in recent weeks as he recorded 3.5 sacks in the last two games. He currently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 40 ranked interior defender out of 117 qualified players, so he should still draw some interest on the open market.

Stocker Stocker, 29, recently became available when the Buccaneers cut him loose. The former fourth-round pick appeared in three games for Tampa Bay this year, amassing just three catches for 18 yards and one score. He has never caught more than 16 passes in a season, but he does offer above-average blocking skills.

NFL Suspends Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski

December 4th, 2017 at 2:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has been suspended for Week 14, the NFL announced. Gronkowski hit Bills cornerback TreDavious White after he intercepted a pass and fell down on his return. The tight end was, surprisingly, not ejected from the game, but he will pay the price for it nonetheless. Gronkowski plans to appeal, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears.

The Patriots will be without Gronk when they take on the Dolphins on Monday night. He will be eligible to return for Week 15 when the Pats travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers.

In his letter to Gronkowski, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote the following:

“Your actions were not incidental, could have been avoided and placed the opposing player at risk of serious injury. The Competition Committee has clearly expressed its goal of ‘eliminating flagrant hits that have no place in our game.’ Those hits include the play you were involved in yesterday.”

There’s never a good time to lose a top weapon like Gronkowski, but the Patriots are in no real danger of missing the playoffs. At 10-2, they hold a virtually insurmountable lead over Buffalo for the AFC East crown. According to the playoff odds at Football Outsiders, the Patriots have a 99.97% chance of reaching the postseason.

However, the ban will hurt Gronkowski’s wallet. Not only will he miss out on $281K in lost salary, but the missed game may also impact his incentives package. The tight end’s contract includes three different tiers of incentives and he may wind up having to settle for the lowest one rather than the second-ranked tier that he was previously on target for. If that’s the case, then the ban may effectively cost him about $2.3MM.

Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister currently stand as the Patriots’ only tight ends on the active roster. Former Giants standout Will Tye is on the practice squad, so he could be in line for a one-week promotion.

Jeff Fisher Looking To Coach Again

December 4th, 2017 at 2:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Jeff Fisher is putting the wheels in motion for a return to coaching. The former Rams and Titans head coach has begun “contacting potential staff members,” sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

The Rams canned Fisher in the middle of the 2016 season. The relocation to Los Angeles did not give Fisher the clean slate he was hoping for and he’s now eager to salvage his legacy, La Canfora hears.

It remains to be seen whether teams will seriously entertain Fisher. In his nearly five year run with the Rams, Fisher went just 31-45-1 with zero playoff appearances. He had better success with the Titans, though they reached the Super Bowl just once in his 17 years. All in all, Fisher owns a career 173-165-1 regular season record.

The number of potential head coaching vacancies this offseason could give Fisher a puncher’s chance, however. By our count, there could be as many as ten teams looking for a new head coach this offseason, including the Giants. Some in the football world have suggested to La Canfora that the Browns could consider someone like Fisher given their inability to recruit top candidates in the past.

Latest On Giants’ Coach, GM Search

December 4th, 2017 at 1:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Ben McAdoo‘s stint in New York was short and ended without a championship, but he did make history in his own way. McAdoo was at the helm for just 28 regular-season games, giving him the lowest total by a Giants head coach since 1930 (as noted by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, via Twitter). In that season, Benny Friedman spent two games as a co-player-coach.

Starting today, the Giants are officially looking to fill vacancies at head coach and GM. Here’s the latest out of New York/New Jersey:

Giants owner John Mara says his “very strong preference” is to have a separate head coach and GM. However, he does not rule out a dual role if the right candidate emerges (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY).
Mara says that both interim hires (GM Kevin Abrams and head coach Steve Spagnuolo) will be interviewed for the full-time jobs (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com). Personally, I don’t think the odds are in Spagnuolo’s favor, even though he is well-regarded by the organization. After a disastrous 2017 season, it seems more likely that the Giants will opt for a reset when it comes to the next head coach.
Reese was not responsible for the firing of Tom Coughlin and subsequent hiring of McAdoo, Kinkhabwala tweets. When Coughlin was fired, Reese advocated for two candidates over McAdoo.
Former Giants GM Ernie Accorsi has agreed to serve as a consultant in the GM search, Mara announced (Twitter link via team). The owner added that it is possible that a GM hire will be made before the season is through, noting that the team already has some names in mind (Twitter link via Kinkhabwala).
Mara says that McAdoo is the one who initially came up with the plan to bench Eli Manning (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson).

Giants Fire GM Jerry Reese

December 4th, 2017 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are now in search of both a new head coach and a general manager. The Giants have fired GM Jerry Reese, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (on Twitter).

[RELATED: Giants Fire Ben McAdoo]

There is precedent for head coaches and GMs to be fired on the same day, but not necessarily during the season. In one fell swoop, the Giants have canned coach Ben McAdoo as well as the man who constructed his roster.

“This season has been incredibly disappointing for the organization and our fans, and while it would be ideal to make these kinds of decisions at the conclusion of the season, we simply felt now is the time to prepare for a fresh start,” owner John Mara said in a statement released by the team. “I have great respect for both Jerry and Ben. Jerry has worked tirelessly for this franchise for 23 years. He has always communicated in a straight forward and honest manner.”

Although the Giants have enjoyed great success during Reese’s tenure – including two Super Bowl championships – he has made some perceived blunders in recent years. His timidity in moving up on draft day has left the Giants with some serious busts in the top rounds. This past offseason, he failed to strengthen the Giants’ offensive line even though it was one of the team’s most glaring needs.

Reese has been with the Giants organization since 1994, meaning that he’ll have to find a job elsewhere for the first time in 23 years. Ten years after coming on board as a scout, Reese became the team’s Director of Pro Personnel in 2004. Then, in 2007, he was promoted to GM.

Giants’ assistant general manager Kevin Abrams will take over as GM for the rest of the season, a person with knowledge of team’s moves tells Kinkhabwala (Twitter link). Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been appointed as the team’s new interim head coach.

Giants Fire Ben McAdoo

December 4th, 2017 at 10:36am CST by Zachary Links

Giants coach Ben McAdoo has been fired (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). His dismissal comes in the midst of a disappointing season, but also less than one year after leading his team to the playoffs.

The Giants will install defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as the team’s interim head coach. Meanwhile, Giants’ assistant general manager Kevin Abrams will serve as the GM for the rest of the season, a person with knowledge of team’s moves tells Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link).

“Steve and I spoke after yesterday’s game in Oakland and agreed to talk again today,” said owner John Mara in a statement released by the team. “Ben, as a first time head coach, continued up until this morning to do everything in his power to give us a chance to win. I know the public perception of both these men is not positive, but within these walls, you could not ask for two better professionals.”

This marks Spagnuolo’s second stint as an NFL head coach. After making a name for himself as the Giants’ DC years ago, he went on to become the head coach of the Rams. Things didn’t go as planned in St. Louis, unfortunately, as his teams went a combined 10-38 in three seasons. While he remains highly respected in coaching circles, it’s fair to wonder if he is the right guy for the Giants’ top job given their defensive struggles this year.

Heading into the season, the Giants believed that they had the talent necessary to contend in the NFC East. Instead, a slew of injuries early in the year – including several in the wide receiver group – hurt them early in the year. The offense slumped without Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall, but the front office apparently feels that a lack of leadership was also to blame.

Last week, McAdoo was slammed by fans when Geno Smith was installed as the starter for Sunday’s game over Eli Manning. The decision to give Smith a shot over the franchise hero was not exclusively McAdoo’s, but it seems that he is being made to be the fall guy. Smith had his moments against Oakland, but ownership has decided to clean house after watching the Giants fall to 2-10 on the year.

McAdoo first made a name for himself nationally as Aaron Rodgers‘ position coach in Green Bay. In 2014, he joined Tom Coughlin‘s staff as the offensive coordinator for the Giants. Two years later, the Giants pushed Coughlin out and installed McAdoo as the head coach. At the time, the Giants felt that they were choosing the coach best suited to guide Manning. That wasn’t the case in hindsight, but other teams had serious interest in hiring McAdoo, including the rival Eagles.

NFL Suspends Ravens’ Jimmy Smith

December 4th, 2017 at 10:09am CST by Zachary Links

On Sunday, Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith suffered a season-ending injury. Now, Smith has been hit with a suspension for performance enhancing drugs (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).

The good news – if there is good news in this situation – is that Smith can serve the suspension while injured. He has withdrawn his appeal of the four-game ban, so he will be able to take the field when he is healthy for Week 1 next year.

Smith, 30 this summer, tore his Achilles on a non-contact play on Sunday against the Lions. Unfortunately, the injury and the suspension will put a damper on what has been a career year for the veteran. So far this year, Pro Football Focus has Smith ranked as one of the 12 best corners in the entire NFL with a career-high overall score. We have yet to hear an explanation from Smith on his positive test, but critics will undoubtedly connect the dots between his alleged PED use and his improved play.

The playoffs are still within reach for the 7-5 Ravens, but they’ll have to find a way to get by without one of their top defenders the rest of the way.

Herm Edwards Named Arizona State’s Head Coach

December 3rd, 2017 at 10:22pm CST by GregGoldstein

Herm Edwards is a head coach once again, but this time in the college ranks. He’s been hired by Arizona State to become the next head coach of their football program, according to Doug Haller of AZCentral Sports (Twitter link). There will be a press conference tomorrow to officially announce the news.

In part of a statement released by the Arizona State Athletics Director, Ray Anderson, he addressed the vision he sees for the program under such a big name in the football industry.

“Our goal for this football program is to reach unprecedented heights, and therefore we need to find a way to operate more innovatively and efficiently than we have in the past,” said Anderson. “In the spirit of innovation, our vision for this program is to have a head coach who serves as the CEO and is the central leader with a collaborative staff around him that will elevate the performance of our coaches and players on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Equally important, the head coach will be a dynamic and tireless recruiter.” (Courtesy of Mike Jurecki of ArizonaSports.com on Twitter).

Edwards, 63, is best known in the NFL for his tenure as head coach for both the Jets and Chiefs. He led New York to a 39-41 regular season record, including going 2-3 in postseason play. In Kansas City, the fiery head coach appeared in the playoffs once in three seasons before being fired after a tumultuous 2-14 campaign in 2008.

He has not coached at the collegiate level since 1989, when he was a secondary coach at San Jose State, but brings ample amount of experience during his time in the pro ranks.

Edwards had not been recently speculated for any openings in the NFL, but it’s always interesting to see how tenured professional coaches perform at the college level of the sport. While it’s a completely different game than what Edwards has been used to from coaching in the NFL, then being an analyst of the league for many years at ESPN, the veteran coach should bring a real brand recognition to the Pac-12 school.