Giants’ Tom Coughlin Could Resign Monday
It appears the Giants’ matchup with the NFC East rival Eagles on Sunday will bring about the end of Tom Coughlin’s 12-year tenure with Big Blue. The two-time Super Bowl winner will resign after the game, sources tell Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo.
Whether Coughlin steps down or the Giants fire him, it does look as if his reign with the team that hired him in 2004 will inevitably conclude after the season. Given the Giants’ inability to take advantage of their place in a mediocre-at-best division in 2015, questions about Coughlin’s job security have abounded throughout the campaign. The 6-9 Giants will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season under Coughlin’s watch. The 69-year-old had previously led the Giants to playoff berths in five of his first eight seasons in New York. Two of those berths ended in titles for the Giants, who won eight-plus games in eight of Coughlin’s first nine seasons at the helm. Since 2013, however, the Giants haven’t had a season in which they’ve finished .500 or above, going an ugly 19-28 along the way. Nevertheless, Coughlin has amassed a solid regular-season record in New York (102-89). That, combined with his pair of championships and earlier success in Jacksonville (68-60, four playoff appearances from 1995-2002), could ultimately send him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
While it’s too early to speculate on replacements for a coach who is still employed, the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano wrote Friday that the Saints’ Sean Payton and Alabama’s Nick Saban should both be targets to replace Coughlin. Last week, Vacchiano reported that Giants owner John Mara‘s ideal scenario included retaining Coughlin as the head coach and eventually handing the reins to offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.
East Notes: Bills, Jets, Eagles
Given his 2016 cap hit ($19.9MM) and apparent inability to fit into head coach Rex Ryan‘s scheme, there’s a strong likelihood defensive end Mario Williams will play his final game with the Bills on Sunday. The 30-year-old has totaled just 17 tackles and a career-low four sacks this season, grading a terrible 94th out of 107 edge defenders by Pro Football Focus’ standards (subscription required). Williams’ downturn in performance could be symptomatic of his attitude, as an anonymous teammate alluded to (Twitter link via The Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne).
“We could easily have 5 solid players contributing than 1 guy who doesn’t give a s—,” the player stated.
Williams issued a retort (Twitter link via Dunne).
“I could just literally not be out there,” he said. “When I get my opportunity, do it. Everybody who said that, they’ll see.”
More from the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Running back Bilal Powell‘s offseason decision to re-sign with the Jets on a one-year deal is paying dividends for both him and the team, the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta writes. Powell had to choose between the Bills (and Ryan, his ex-coach) and Jets, whose backfield was less crowded than Buffalo’s at the time. Powell ended up staying in New York, and has been an important dual-threat weapon for a club that could be headed to the playoffs. Powell is averaging 4.5 yards per rush this season and, as Mehta notes, leads all NFL backs in receiving yards (299) and broken tackles on passing plays (12) since Week 11. In assessing Powell, head coach Todd Bowles said, “He’s been more of a complete back than even I thought he was coming in. He can block. He can run. He’s not just a pass catcher. He does a bunch of things for us.” Of course, what’s bittersweet for the Jets is that, as a pending free agent, Powell’s success could lead him to a raise and a different uniform in the coming months.
- Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie needs to clarify vice president of football operations Howie Roseman‘s role and hold him accountable for it – just as Lurie did with Chip Kelly – submits Jeff McLane of Philly.com. Lurie should give full control of the Eagles’ personnel department to Roseman and sink or swim with him in that position, according to McLane. Roseman’s say over the roster diminished when Kelly took the reins, which is ironic when you consider Roseman was key in the hiring of Kelly. He now has some of that power back with Kelly gone, but Lurie said that Roseman’s work with the personnel department will be “as a collaborator.” That isn’t enough for McLane, who believes someone needs to be in position to take the lion’s share of responsibility for building the roster. McLane also notes that Roseman could drive away potential head coaching candidates because he doesn’t have a scouting background and is perceived as a difficult person with whom to work. Nevertheless, Lurie and team president Don Smolenski will follow Roseman’s lead with respect to Philly’s coaching search, McLane reports.
- Earlier this week, after the Eagles fired Kelly, offensive tackle Lane Johnson claimed strife between Kelly and Roseman took a toll on the players. Johnson also stated players were hesitant to approach Kelly. Safety Malcolm Jenkins, Johnson’s teammate, disagrees. Regarding Johnson’s opinion on the Kelly-Roseman feud, Jenkins said (per Les Bowen of Philly.com) that Johnson “reads too many articles.” On Johnson’s notion that Kelly wasn’t approachable, Jenkins added, “I think the perception was not necessarily the reality.”
AFC South Notes: Texans, Grigson, Titans
A look around the AFC South:
- Rick Smith has been the Texans’ general manager since 2006, but his role might change sometime during the offseason – perhaps after the draft – tweets Neil Stratton of Inside the League. According to Stratton, Smith could get a promotion (possibly to team president), thus elevating director of player personnel Brian Gaine to GM.
- Speaking of AFC South GMs, Mike Wells of ESPN.com took a look at whether Ryan Grigson deserves to continue running the Colts. The reasons to fire Grigson exist in greater quantity than the ones to keep him, Wells writes. One excuse to let Grigson go: a 2013 trade that went horribly awry. Back then, Grigson sent a 2014 first-rounder to Cleveland for running back Trent Richardson, who spent two unproductive seasons in Indy and is now out of the NFL. Further, the imperious Grigson has meddled in the affairs of head coach Chuck Pagano – who’s also a candidate for the chopping block.
- Titans interim head coach Mike Mularkey has a supporter in tight end Delanie Walker, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link). Walker, who easily leads the Titans in receptions (85), yards (994) and touchdowns (six), thinks Mularkey is capable of fixing the team’s problems if he is promoted to the full-time head coaching role. That seems unlikely, however, especially given Mularkey’s lack of results as a head coach. He’s just 18-37 in three-plus seasons with the Bills, Jaguars and Titans.
- If the Titans do move on from Mularkey, Bob Brookover of Philly.com offers his version of the perfect replacement: erstwhile Eagles coach Chip Kelly. Of course, Kelly and Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota were together previously at Oregon and helped the Ducks to a 12-1 record and second overall ranking in 2012. Brookover thinks a Kelly-Mariota reunion should be too enticing for Tennesee to let go by the wayside.
Coaching Rumors: Giants, Browns, Dolphins, Eagles
If the Giants go the expected route and fire longtime head coach Tom Coughlin in the coming days, his act will be a tough one to follow in New York. Coughlin’s 12-year run with the Giants has been fruitful, likely Hall of Fame-worthy, with the 69-year-old having helped the franchise to 102 regular-season victories and a pair of Super Bowl titles. The Giants’ next coach should be someone capable of that type of success, someone to enliven a disenchanted fan base, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Vacchiano suggests Giants owner John Mara should take a swing-for-the-fences approach and target either Saints coach Sean Payton or Alabama’s Nick Saban to succeed Coughlin.
Vacchiano doesn’t believe the Giants are in position to hire a neophyte as their next coach, though he acknowledges that neither Payton nor Saban will be easy to land. Payton is still under contract with the Saints for two more years and makes over $8MM per annum, but it’s possible he’ll seek another opportunity this offseason. If so, the team that hires Payton will need to give him a similar contract in terms of value and send compensation to New Orleans in the form of one or more draft picks. Saban is similarly paid at $7MM a year. A large price tag shouldn’t stand in the way of hiring either for the big-market Giants, Vacchiano opines.
Elsewhere on the coaching landscape. . .
- Browns head coach Mike Pettine‘s short tenure with the team is likely to end after Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh, Rand Getlin of NFL.com reports (Twitter link).
- If the Browns do fire Pettine, they could replace him with Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Cleveland has done its homework on Gase, as have the Dolphins, according to La Canfora. The Eagles are another possibility for his services.
- Speaking of the Eagles, Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is an under-the-radar candidate for Chip Kelly‘s former job, per Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic (Twitter link). Guenther, 48, is a native Pennsylvanian whose defense leads the league in points per game allowed (17.5).
Workout Notes: 12/30/15
Here are Wednesday’s workouts from around the NFL:
- The Jets worked out defensive lineman Devon Still, receivers Marcus Thigpen and Eric Rogers, linebacker Willie Jefferson and defensive end/LB Tristan Okpalaugo (Twitter links via ESPN’s Rich Cimini).
- The Cardinals tried out center Taylor Boggs, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The Bills worked out defensive end/linebacker Xzavier Dickson, Wilson tweeted. Dickson ended up joining Atlanta’s practice squad.
- The Bengals worked out quarterback Mike Kafka and tight end John Peters, per Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Browns tried out quarterback Dustin Vaughan, running back Timothy Flanders, receivers Eric Rogers, Ricky Collins and Levi Norwood, and safety Jordan Kovacs (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Quarterback Ryan Lindley, defensive linemen Warren Herring and Eze Obiora, and linebacker Ryan Mueller worked out for the Colts, according to Wilson (Twitter link). They signed Lindley afterward.
- The Giants worked out linebackers Cole Farrand and Glenn Carson – the latter of whom they signed to their practice squad – quarterback Pete Thomas, safety Ty Zimmerman, punter Spencer Roth and kicker Quinn Sharp (Twitter link via Wilson).
- The Steelers tried out two safeties, Ray Vinopal and Jake Hagen, and linebacker Marquis Spruill (via Wilson on Twitter).
- The Chargers worked out receiver Jeff Fuller, defensive end DeAngelo Tyson and linebacker Dexter McCoil, Wilson tweeted.
- The Titans worked out receiver Kenny Stafford, defensive end Freddie Bishop, defensive backs Aaron Grymes, Steven Clarke and Emanuel Davis, long snapper Dax Dellenbach and kicker Swayze Waters (Twitter link via Wilson).
AFC Notes: Manziel, Osemele, McKelvin, Allen
Browns head coach Mike Pettine said earlier this week that the team was considering disciplining quarterback Johnny Manziel for a video that featured him guzzling a black cherry Four Loko – an alcoholic drink – on Christmas Eve. After further review, Pettine stated Wednesday that he wouldn’t have benched Manziel this week, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports. That’s moot now, of course, as Manziel is out with a concussion. Still, given that Manziel spent 73 days in rehab for alcohol issues last offseason and the Browns benched him earlier this season when a different party video surfaced, the organization finds this latest incident concerning, according to Cabot.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Ravens left tackle Kelechi Osemele is a candidate to hit free agency this offseason, but the 26-year-old is confident about staying in Baltimore after a chat he had with general manager Ozzie Newsome. “He was really positive about it,” Osemele said, per Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “I was positive about staying. I think we’ve done great work here, and obviously working with someone like that, you want to stay. You want to be around a guy like Ozzie.” Osemele went on to state that “I know if we can get a deal done, we will.”
- If the Bills cut veteran cornerback Leodis McKelvin in the offseason, they’ll open up $3.9MM of cap room in 2016. That makes his departure a strong possibility, but the eight-year veteran seems open to a pay cut if it means staying in Buffalo. “I have a lot of money in the bank,” he told Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News, also adding that he’s willing to move to safety if necessary.
- Like McKelvin, Colts tight end Dwayne Allen could also be in a different uniform next year. Allen, whom Indy placed on IR with a calf injury Wednesday, wasn’t happy with his diminished role in the team’s passing game this season, according to Mike Chappell of Fox59 (Twitter link). As a pending free agent, it seems Allen has played his last game as a Colt.
Coaching Rumors: Meyer, Kelly, Saban, Coughlin
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer told reporters Wednesday that he recently spurned an NFL team’s advances, Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk writes.
Asked if the team was the Browns, Meyer said, “I’m not going there. I’ll just say [a team] reached out.”
Meyer added that he’s content at the college level and expressed wariness toward making the jump to the pros.
“The NFL, Chip Kelly is one of my closest friends, Greg Schiano is one of my closest friends. A lot of times they say college coaches don’t make it very well. I don’t know who makes it well. People are getting fired left and right. Pete Carroll has done very well.”
In other coaching news. . .
- Although Kelly’s career in Philadelphia is over, he could end up with another head coaching job in the league in the coming weeks. With that in mind, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examined some possible landing spots for Kelly. The Titans, Browns, 49ers, Dolphins or Colts could all be his next stop.
- With coaching searches fast approaching, Albert Breer of NFL.com lists the candidates most likely to draw interest. Kelly is one of them. Interestingly, so is Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The Mara family is fond of him, per Breer, which might make the Giants a fit. The Colts are also a possibility, as they could offer Saban control over their roster – not to mention they have a 26-year-old franchise quarterback in place.
- For Saban to end up with the Giants, they’ll first have to fire two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Coughlin. That appears likely to happen, as a source told the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano that plenty in the team’s front office want to move on from Coughlin. It’s believed that one of those people is co-owner Steve Tisch.
Eagles Notes: Kelly, Johnson, Bradford
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson had plenty to say Wednesday on the heels of the Chip Kelly firing, per Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com.
Asked if the players were afraid to take any complaints to Kelly, Johnson said, “Yeah, I mean, to be honest, yeah. There’s always talk in the locker room you don’t quite say to the coach. We’ll say it to the position coaches, but I don’t know if it ever leaves that room.”
Johnson does think Kelly “had good intentions,” but he also labeled him as “standoffish” – particularly toward the media.
Further, Johnson says he and the players knew about the power struggle between executive Howie Roseman and Kelly.
“Chip and Howie weren’t happy together, didn’t deal well. Just a lot of tension up there that didn’t need to happen, because when you throw it up there it does trickle down to the team, and the team knows what’s going on. It’s just a negative energy that doesn’t need to exist.”
On whether Kelly’s practice schedule’s was too grueling, Johnson stated, “I definitely think so … It takes a toll on you.”
Johnson added Kelly’s moves last offseason contributed to the offense’s inability to function effectively in his high-tempo attack.
“The tempo’s very effective whenever you’re able to do it well. I think we did well the first two years. Made a lot of changes this offseason and I don’t know if everyone is the best fit for what it was.”
More on the Eagles as the post-Kelly era begins:
- Quarterback Sam Bradford, whom Kelly traded for last offseason, said Wednesday he was “shocked” about Kelly’s ouster, according to Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com. Bradford, who called his relationship with Kelly “great,” isn’t sure whether he’ll be an Eagle beyond this season. “Obviously, I think a lot of it depends on who they hire as a head coach now and what type of offensive system he wants to run,” said the free agent-to-be.
- Owner Jeffrey Lurie is making a mistake in handing the reins of the Eagles’ front office to Roseman and Tom Donahoe, opines Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. Frank cites Roseman’s questionable draft record and inability to coexist with others as reasons for concern. As for Donahoe, he hasn’t been associated with a playoff team since 1997 and had a less-than-stellar run as Buffalo’s general manager from 2001-05. Frank believes the Eagles need a fresh approach, which Roseman and Donahoe won’t provide.
- Zach Berman of Philly.com took a look at possible Kelly replacements for the Eagles. Seven current NFL assistants, three of whom have head coaching experience in the league, and three college head coaches are listed as potential successors.
- Bob Brookover, also of Philly.com, writes that the Eagles’ best selection to take over for Kelly is interim head coach Pat Shurmur – who went 9-23 with the Browns from 2011-12.
Broncos Notes: Manning, Osweiler
The latest on the Broncos’ quarterbacks:
- Peyton Manning – out since mid-November with a foot injury – will return to action this week as Brock Osweiler‘s backup “if everything goes well,” head coach Gary Kubiak said (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). Asked whether Manning could eventually take back the starting job from Osweiler, Kubiak stated, “I don’t want to go that far. Brock is our QB, and nothing has changed,” the NFL Network’s James Palmer tweeted. Added Manning (Twitter link via The Denver Post’s Troy Renck), “I will do what I can to help Brock and the team.”
- If Manning returns for his age-40 season in 2016, Renck expects him to be in another uniform because the writer believes Denver and Osweiler will agree to a multiyear contract in the coming months. Osweiler – a free agent-to-be – wants to remain a Bronco, and the team has been impressed by his progress, according to Renck. Osweiler, whom the Broncos drafted in the second round in 2012, has appeared in seven games this year and tossed nine touchdowns against four interceptions. As a result, he could ask for a deal in the range of $12MM to $15MM per annum, Renck notes.
- Regarding last weekend’s release of an Al Jazeera investigative documentary that accused Manning of taking performance-enhancing drugs in the past, he said (Twitter link via Jhabvala), “The report wasn’t true Sunday. Still isn’t true. Will never be true. I’m still angry about it.” Manning added that he welcomes a league investigation into the report, preferably soon, Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today tweeted. He won’t pursue legal action now, but it’s a possibility after the season (Twitter link via Palmer).
Draft Notes: Latest Declarations
A quick look at the latest college players who will head for the 2016 NFL Draft:
- Indiana defensive tackle Darius Latham has declared, according to Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman (Twitter link).
- Auburn defensive lineman Carl Lawson will enter the draft, per Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link).
- UCLA running back Paul Perkins announced his draft intentions via Twitter.
- Fellow Baylor teammates expect defensive tackle Andrew Billings and cornerback Xavien Howard to depart school in favor of the draft, Pauline tweets.
- Marshall defensive back Corey Tindal also tweeted that he will enter the draft.
- San Diego State cornerback Damontae Kazee announced that he’s headed for the pros, Kirk Kenney of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.
- San Jose State defensive back Cleveland Wallace III joined International Sports Agency (Twitter link).