NFC Notes: Bears, Bucs, Lions, Kuechly
We’re witnessing a good afternoon game in the NFC, as the Giants and Cowboys are tied 14-14 early in the third quarter. Let’s take a look at some notes from around the NFC:
- Unhappy with his team’s effort today against the Dolphins, Brandon Marshall called out several of his Bears teammates in the locker room following the contest, a source tells Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. Quarterback Jay Cutler and kicker Robbie Gould were reportedly the targets of Marshall’s criticism. “We lost, there should be a lot of frustration,” Marshall told reporters. “You should hear frustration. We’re 3-4. Yeah, this means everything to a lot of guys in this locker room. This means a lot.”
- The Buccaneers were among the most active teams during free agency, but as of yet, the team hasn’t gotten much production from its investments, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa brought in Michael Johnson, Josh McCown, and Anthony Collins, among others, and the poor performance of those acquisitions have contributed to the team’s 1-5 record.
- Second-year linebacker Jonathan Bostic might be auditioning to take over the weak side for the Bears in 2015, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Bostic has mostly played in the middle and on the strong side, but with Lance Briggs‘ contract expiring after this season, Bostic might be a better fit at the “Will” spot. For his part, Briggs is still out of action with a rib injury.
- Sunday’s win over Saints was a personal victory for Lions general manager Martin Mayhew, opines Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News (Twitter link). Mayhew’s top two free agent acquisitions over the past two offseasons, Glover Quin and Golden Tate, each had a big impact against New Orleans. Quin registered five tackles and an interception, while Tate caught 10 balls for 154 yards and one touchdown.
- Luke Kuechly was ejected from the Panthers‘ game against the Packers for making contact with an official, and although he’s likely to be fined, he won’t be suspended, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Seattle Would Have Cut Harvin Barring Trade
The Seahawks suffered a surprising 28-26 loss to the Rams today, but that stunner was nothing compared to Friday’s trade of Percy Harvin to the Jets, a deal which has led to endless reaction and speculation. We’ve learned a bit more about the trade today, as Chris Mortenesen of ESPN reports that Seattle would have released Harvin had it not worked out a trade with New York (or presumably, some other interested team).
Because Harvin is a vested veteran, he would not have been subject to waivers, meaning he would have been eligible to sign with a new club immediately. Financially, it made little difference to Seattle whether Harvin was dealt or cut — either way, the Seahawks would’ve carried $7.2MM in dead money on their 2015 cap. The Hawks are off the hook for the remainder of Harvin’s 2014 base salary $10.5MM base salary. Had it cut Harvin, Seattle would have had to pay Harvin that cash, as his salary became fully guaranteed when he was on the Week 1 roster.
Mortenesen also downplays speculation that Harvin had a rift with quarterback Russell Wilson, noting that Wilson wanted to help Harvin work through his anger management and trust issues. However, Seahawks brass preferred that Wilson focus on football matters, rather than having to worry about Harvin’s attitude. As Mortensen adds (via Twitter), Wilson didn’t give up on Harvin, but the team’s management did.
For his part, general manger John Schneider seems willing to admit that he mad a mistake in acquiring Harvin.“We made a bold move in acquiring him,” Schneider told 710 ESPN in Seattle. “But it became apparent that things weren’t going to work out, and it wasn’t a good fit.”We have to prepare this team for moving forward all the time, and I’m not just talking about this week or next week. I’m talking about 2015 and 2016. We constantly have to look at how we improve the team. This was the appropriate move at the appropriate time.”
PFR Originals: 10/12/14 – 10/19/14
The original content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Luke Adams looked at the 2014 performances of 2011 first-round picks, including those who have signed contract extensions (such as Patrick Peterson and Tyron Smith), and those who have not, like Cam Newton and A.J. Green.
- Zach Links rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.
- Luke wondered which 5-1 team is the strongest contender — the Chargers beat out the Eagles and the Cowboys with nearly 50% of the vote.
- Following the stunning Percy Harvin trade, Rob DiRe asked a simple question: who won the deal? The vote is nearly split in half, as 51% of respondents believe the Jets won the trade.
- Rob also asked what Rex Ryan will be doing next season, with the implication that he isn’t long for New York. Many of you agree, as about 38% of voters think Ryan will be working as television commentator in 2015.
Week In Review: 10/12/14 – 10/19/14
The headlines from the past week at PFR:
Key Move:
- The Jets acquired receiver Percy Harvin from the Seahawks in exchange for a conditional draft pick.
Major Injuries:
- Broncos – LB Danny Trevathan (link)
- Browns – C Alex Mack (link)
- Dolphins – RB Knowshon Moreno (link)
- Giants – WR Victor Cruz (link)
- Patriots – RB Stevan Ridley (link) and LB Jerod Mayo (link)
Signed:
- Bengals – WR Greg Little (link)
- Giants – WR Kevin Ogletree (link)
- Jets – CB Josh Thomas (link)
- Titans – OT Will Svitek (link)
Claimed Off Waivers:
- Jets – OL Wesley Johnson from the Steelers (link)
Released/Waived:
- Eagles – OL Wade Smith (link)
- Jets – WR David Nelson (link)
Retired:
- LB Pat Angerer (link)
Other:
AFC Notes: Brady, Pats, Titans, Browns
Tom Brady, a Jet? It wasn’t far from happening, as a source tells Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. One scout — Jesse Kaye, now an advisor with New York — strongly argued for Gang Green to select Brady late in the 2000 draft. Even after the Jets drafted Chad Pennington in the first round, Kaye believed in Brady enough to lobby hard for head coach Bill Parcells to select the Michigan quarterback, and per Myers, almost stood on a table and yelled at Big Tuna. Ruefully, New York drafted North Carolina defensive back Tony Scott with pick No. 179; 20 picks later, the Pats selected Brady, and the rest is history. Here’s more from the AFC.
- It won’t be easy for the Patriots to replace running back Stevan Ridley, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. While New England has Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden, and James White on the roster, none is the type of power back that was Ridley. The Pats’ best bet, per Volin, might be to promote third-year running back Jonas Gray from the practice squad. At 230 pounds, Gray could act as the “thunder” to the other backs’ “lightning.”
- Before signing veteran offensive lineman Will Svitek yesterday, the Titans also worked OLs Guy Whimper and Martin Wallace, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link). Tennessee is attempting to bolster its offensive depth following a season-ending injury to left tackle Michael Roos.
- Brandon Marshall looks back fondly at his time with the Dolphins, writes Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Tribune. Marshall, who played in Miami from 2010-11, feels the Fins were just a solid quarterback away from being a contender. The star receiver was eventually traded to the Bears in 2012 for two third-round picks.
- In a video from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Browns general manager Ray Farmer discusses the differences between scouting college prospects and evaluating potential free agent fits.
NFC Notes: Peppers, Hayne, House, Vikings
During a Sunday Night Football broadcast early last month, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth stated that Julius Peppers had been set to reunite with the Panthers over the offseason after being released by the Bears. While Carolina head coach Ron Rivera did acknowledge that his team was interested in signing the the 34-year-old, Peppers himself doesn’t seem to have viewed the Panthers as a serious suitor. “I was never over there for a visit,” Peppers said, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. “I never talked to any of the coaches. It didn’t get very far for me personally.” Of course, the North Carolina alum ended up inking a three-year deal with the Packers, and is playing quite well, grading out as the 10th-best 3-4 OLB among 46 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Here’s more from the NFC:
- We learned yesterday that rugby star Jarryd Hayne is attempting to make the jump to the NFL, and the Seahawks are one possible landing spot for the 26-year-old. Hayne took a visit with the team in September, and while head coach Pete Carroll was “coy” when asked about Hayne, it appears that the club does have some interest in signing him, according to Terry Blount of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Packers fourth-year cornerback Davon House will be an unrestricted free agent come March of 2015, and he’s set himself up to earn a significant amount of money on his second contract, writes Rob Reishcel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. As Reischel notes, fellow corner Tramon Williams will also be a free agent after the season, and given that Green Bay already signed Sam Shields to a gaudy extension, the club might have to choose only one of House or Williams.
- The Vikings probably won’t make a deal before the October 28 trade deadline, writes Bo Mitchell of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but the two most likeliest candidates to be sent out are probably Christian Ponder and Adrian Peterson. Ponder could appeal to teams in desperate need of a quarterback, and while Peterson probably won’t offer any value in 2014, he could be of interest to a club who hopes the star running back returns to the field in 2015.
Browns Notes: Hoyer, Manziel, Bortles
It’s safe to say the Browns are among the more surprising teams in the NFL — after a stunning 31-10 victory over the Steelers on Sunday, Cleveland sits at 3-2, good for third place in a competitive AFC North. According to Football Outsiders’ advanced metrics, the offense is the key to success for the Browns so far, as it ranks second in DVOA; the team’s defense lacks far behind, placing 29th in DVOA. Let’s take a look at a few notes out of Cleveland:
- After Jason Cole of Bleacher Report stated in a video that quarterback Brian Hoyer wouldn’t be interested in an extension while Johnny Manziel was still on the roster, Hoyer decided to watch the video himself, and spoke out on the situation. “It couldn’t be further from the truth,” Hoyer told reporters, including Tony Grossi of ESPN.com. “There’s no accurate information in it. I’ve never talked to [Cole] in my life. From here on out, my main focus is Jacksonville. If you guys want to talk about that, you can talk to the guys upstairs or my agent…”
- For his part, Cole claims that he confirmed the report with three members of the Browns organization (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer).
- Meanwhile, Linta says he hasn’t discussed a new pact between Hoyer and the Browns since the spring, and he understands that management probably wants to see Hoyer continue to produce before offering him a fresh contract. “The ball is in their court,” Linta told Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “We’re willing to wait until the end of the year to see how it plays out.” ESPN’s Ed Werder reported this afternoon that the club has “zero interest” in entering negotiations with Hoyer’s representatives.
- The Browns, who had Manziel rated higher on their draft board, never intended to take Blake Bortles with the No. 4 overall pick, and was shocked when the Jaguars selected the Central Florida product with the third pick. “I think it surprised a lot of people that he went there,” head coach Mike Pettine told Cabot. “I think a lot of the league was surprised when you just kind of looked at the mocks and what was going on, and assessing who was going to take one. I thought they covered their tracks well. We knew that they liked him, thinking maybe, he could’ve potentially gone to them later in the draft, but he was a kid that was high on our board.”
Mike Williams Denies Asking For Trade
Following reports on Monday indicated that the Bills were allowing disgruntled receiver Mike Williams to seek a trade, the 27-year-old pass-catcher has spoken out on the issue, denying that he wants out of Buffalo. “No,” Williams told reporters, including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, when asked if he wanted to be traded. “I always want to be [here]. This is my hometown. This is someplace I always wanted to be.”
Bills general manager Doug Whaley said on Monday that Williams’ agent, Hadley Engelhard, had requested clearance to find trade partners for Williams, who was inactive for Sunday’s game against the Patriots. Even as the story broke, two factors served to make a deal unlikely. First, as our Zach Links noted two days ago, Williams’ $5.2MM base salary for 2015 is guaranteed; additionally, he is due a $1MM roster bonus early in the league year. It’s an extremely generous sum of money for a mid-tier wideout, especially given the second reason a trade was unlikely from the get-go — Williams hasn’t been very good recently. The Syracuse product has either been injured or ineffective for much of the past two seasons, and was dealt by the Buccaneers after a multitude of off-the-field issues.
For his part, Williams indicates that the idea of a trade was conceived by Engelhard. “[Engelhard] was trying to see other options, but then it got public and everybody found out and everybody started going crazy,” said Williams. “So I had to tell him, like, I don’t want to be traded…[A]t the end of the day, you’ve got to tell him, like, I’m the boss and I want to be here” (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550).
Bills head coach Doug Marrone isn’t pleased with the recent turn of events, Rodak writes in a separate piece. “Yeah, I mean I’m not gonna lie. Absolutely,” Marrone responded when asked if he was perturbed by the story. “Someone else’s problems all of the sudden become my problems.” Williams’ teammates, conversely, seemed supportive. “Anything that has to do with leading, he’s our leader and I think it would hurt all of us,” rookie receiver Sammy Watkins said of the possibility of Williams being dealt. “I won’t even lie to you, it would hurt everybody that’s in our room.”
It’s just my opinion, but I find it difficult to imagine that even receiver-needy teams like the Jets or Giants would give up anything of value for a player like Williams. With his salary guarantees and his subpar performance, it simply doesn’t make sense for any club to bring him in. Ultimately, if the Bills truly want to rid themselves of Williams, they’ll probably have to simply release him, and go forward with his dead money on their books.
AFC Notes: Burfict, Hoyer, Jets, Patriots
The NFL will review film of Sunday’s game between the Bengals and Panthers and look for evidence that Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict tried to intentionally injure Carolina players, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). As detailed by David Newton of ESPN.com earlier today, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen complained that Burfict is something of a head-hunter. “At some point, if the NFL wants to really say they care about guys’ safety, they’ve got to start putting guys out for weeks,” said Olsen. “Me and Cam (Newton) are lucky we aren’t out for weeks, or Kelvin (Benjamin) isn’t out for weeks. If you’re going to start putting guys on other teams out, then the ramifications need to equal that.” One play that will probably be analyzed can be viewed here. For his part, Burfict suffered another concussion on Sunday, so he will probably be out of action for some time, regardless of any disciplinary action.
Let’s close out the night with more from the AFC:
- In response to speculation that Brian Hoyer wouldn’t be interested in an extension with the Browns unless Johnny Manziel was no longer on the roster, Hoyer’s agent, Joe Linta, told Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald: “No talks at this time, and Johnny Manziel’s presence will have no impact on any talks that we might have.”
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap looks at some questions Jets owner Woody Johnson might be facing this offseason, including whether John Idzik and Rex Ryan are the right men for their respective jobs. It’s fair to assume something of an overhaul will occur in New York once the season concludes, and Fitzgerald’s piece raises some valid points.
- More Jets: In the wake of several injuries sustained in yesterday’s contest, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes Phillip Adams and Darrin Walls will act as Gang Green’s starting corners going forward, while Oday Aboushi will make his first career start in place of Brian Winters at left guard.
- Now that Stevan Ridley is out for the rest of the season, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe wonders (via Twitter) if Bill Belichick and the Patriots regret letting LeGarrette Blount walk in free agency. There’s obviously no way New England could have predicted the loss of Ridley, but Blount would fit in nicely as the power back in the Pats’ offense right now.
- Despite investing nearly $30MM in their O-line this season, the Titans are in the middle of the pack in rushing and are 29th in sacks per pass play, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. While those are simple measures, they show that the Titans are getting the worst bang for their buck on the offensive line in the NFL. The Titans last two first-round picks (Taylor Lewan and Chance Warmack) were offensive linemen and Andy Levitre and Michael Oher were signed to significant free agent deals.
- As our Luke Adams recently noted, Raiders cornerback D.J. Hayden is among the players on IR-DTR who can resume practicing this week. Per Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link), that’s the plan with Hayden, as Oakland head coach Tony Sparano says all systems are go for the second-year player.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFC Links: Sproles, Lions, Hardy, Packers
As we head to the second half of tonight’s game with the Rams leading the 49ers 14-10, let’s look at some notes from the NFC:
- A source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com that Eagles running back Darren Sproles will miss a few weeks but he’ll be back this season after last night’s knee injury. The veteran injured his knee late in the third quarter and there was initially fear that he had torn his ACL. Considering that the injury could have been much worse and the Eagles are on bye this week, that’s fortunate news for the veteran.
- New Lions kicker Matt Prater missed two field goal attempts on Sunday but coach Jim Caldwell isn’t thinking about moving on to his fourth kicker in 2014. “I think (with) wind like we had today, you’re going to have an issue,” Caldwell said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “He kicked a 52-yarder, which was great. We have all the confidence in the world in him. I mean, the guy’s got a great track record. We feel good about him.”
- Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy hasn’t been in contact with the team yet but he’ll be back in touch “at the right moment,” coach Ron Rivera told reporters, including David Newton of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Packers’ secondary took some hits on Sunday, as both Sam Shields and Tramon Williams left the game with injuries. Head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t offer any specifics on the duo’s ailments, or that of linebacker Jamari Lattimore, but did say that none of the three are facing a long-term absence, writes
- Ndamukong Suh is among the players whom Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap says raised their stock with their performance yesterday. Suh, whose contract with the Lions expires after the season, is playing at a level that will allow him to ask for a enormous deal come free agency, writes Fitzgerald.
Zach Links contributed to this post.