Cowher Has No Interest In Coaching Giants
Every time a head-coaching position pops up, it seems like Bill Cowher’s name seems to surface. The former Steelers head coach and Super Bowl XL winner quickly quelled any possible talk of him heading to New York to take the Giants job, however, saying he has no interest to leave CBS to return to the sidelines, Justin Terranova of the New York Post writes. 
Though it was unlikely Cowher, who is now 11 years removed from his last game, would be a candidate for the job, some thought if anyone could lure him away from TV it would be the Mara family. Cowher confirmed he was happy and content with his current profession, saying, “It’s not even about a team, it’s about lifestyle. Coaching is always going to be a great challenge and every building dynamic is different. I had the best job in football and I was able to step away and transition from it to a next phase of life, which, quite frankly, I am very, very comfortable with. I am in a very good place.”
In his 15-year run with the Steelers, Cowher amassed a 149-90 record and appeared in two Super Bowls, winning his final trip in his second to last season in the Steel City. Since leaving the game, he has often been among the first names mentioned for a vacant position, but the balance in lifestyle afforded to him by CBS has him in a good spot.
He did mention that whoever takes the job has tough to decisions to make with regards to Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr.’s future with the team.
NFC Notes: Webb, Niners, Skins, Packers
From benching Eli Manning for Geno Smith to the firing of head coach Ben McAdoo, there hasn’t been much stability with the Giants in recent weeks. The team does know one thing, however — rookie quarterback Davis Webb is not in the team’s plans for the foreseeable future, Newsday’s Tom Rock writes.
This should have been evident when the team didn’t tab the Cal product instead of Smith. Interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo also said there would be no change to Webb’s snaps at practice. He also added, “I’m not sure what would be gained other than if something happened to the starting quarterback that he goes in . . Is it that much more of an advantage to have him standing on the sideline as the second than there is having him standing on the sideline as a deactivated player?”
Obviously Webb is not in the plans for this season, which has led to speculation the Giants will use their rare high first-round pick next season on a quarterback like Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan does not expect a new contract with Jimmy Garoppolo to be hammered out before the end of the season, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Twitter link). After amassing 627 passing yards in his first two starts, Garoppolo is almost assuredly the team’s answer under center for the foreseeable future. He is sure to cash in this offseason.
- Packers defensive back Davon House suffered a transverse process fracture in his back, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rappoport (Twitter link). He also noted that most players have come back from the injury in a week or two. House has started all 10 games he has played this season, registering an interception and a sack.
- Redskins linebacker Chris Carter will need surgery to repair a broken fibula in his right leg, ESPN’s John Keim reports (Twitter link). Just a few weeks after a broken fibula left running back Chris Thompson on IR, the injury comes back to bite Washington with one of its top special teams performers.
O’Brien Expects Fiedorowicz Back in 2018
Texans head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters that he expects tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz to return to the team in 2018, writes Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. 
According to league sources, however, the Texans are concerned about the veteran’s short- and long-term health after suffering three concussions in 2017. “Again, I expect it that way,” O’Brien said. “We think very highly of C.J. He just signed a contract extension here. We think he’s a really good tight end for us. So, we’d love to see him back.”
On Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Fiedorowicz could contemplate retirement, but Wilson writes that the player’s agent told the Chronicle that he still wants to play and will take time before making a decision. Like O’Brien said, the tight end signed a three-year $21.5 MM contract in the offseason and would have a home in Houston should he wish to continue his career.
After suffering three concussions, which resulted in two IR stints in 2017, Fiedorowicz is sure to strongly consider his future plans before making a decision.
Following a breakout season in 2016 in which he caught 54 passes, Fiedorowicz has been limited to just 14 grabs in 2017.
Luck Making Progress In Europe
When asked about the status of quarterback Andrew Luck, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said he is “doing fine” and is receiving treatment in Europe, the teams reports. 
“(He’s) communicating via e-mail and text; making progress,” Pagano said. “I think everybody knows — he’s in Europe somewhere, getting some great treatment.”
Luck has been sidelined all season following surgery to his throwing shoulder in January. The franchise quarterback was hoping to make a return to the field but was shut down and place on injured reserve on Nov. 2.
Though he will not be returning this season, Luck just making progress has to be a good sign for Colts fans who hope to be back in the thick of playoff contention in 2018. With the 2012 No. 1 pick under center, the team has won 43 of 70 games and earned three trips to the postseason.
Luck signed a five-year extension with the team in 2016 that will keep him in Indianapolis through the 2021 season.
Giants Release DT Khyri Thornton
The Giants released third-year defensive tackle Khyri Thornton, the team reported on Tuesday (Twitter link). 
Thornton was signed by New York on Nov. 29 after being released from the Lions but did not appear in a game with the team. The third-round selection in 2015 missed the first six games of the season while serving a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He made four tackles with Detroit before being released.
A solid run stopper at Southern Mississippi, Thornton has yet to translate that to production in the NFL. He failed to see the field for the Giants, who own one of the league’s worst rush defenses.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/2017
Here are today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Added from practice squad: LB Carlos Thompson
- Waived: LB Ejuan Price
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Josh Forrest
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: LB Cameron Lynch
Miami Dolphins
- Added from practice squad: DE Cameron Malveaux
- Placed on reserve/non-football illness list: FS Maurice Smith
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: OL Kyle Kalis
Practice Squad Updates: 12/2/2017
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: OL Isaiah Battle
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Marcus Hardison
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Howard Jones
- Waived: TE Colin Thompson
Bowman Hoping For Raiders Return in 2018
In Week 12 vs. Denver, linebacker NaVorro Bowman ended the Raiders’ NFL-record 10-plus-game streak without an interception. The veteran hopes he’ll make more big plays with the team for the foreseeable future and said he would like to return to the team in 2018, reports NBC Sports’ Scott Bair. 
Since being released by San Francisco earlier in the season, Bowman has emerged as a pivotal player on Oakland’s defense and has helped the team secure three wins in his first five games. The strong play of late has helped the team keep its playoff hopes alive in the wide-open AFC West.
“I don’t see why they wouldn’t sign me back. I’d love to stay. I like the area. I like the team and the organization. Hopefully we can make it happen,” Bowman said.
Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie didn’t dismiss the idea. “Needless to say, his experience, and the way he plays…I’m talking about from an instincts and savvy standpoint, anytime you come two years off an injury, it’s always going to be better than the next year, so that’s not going to be a deterrent, but he can still play.”
It makes sense that Bowman would like to stay with the team. Bowman broke into the league in 2010 with the Niners and has been in the Bay Area ever since. Bowman earned three consecutive First Team All-Pro selections with San Francisco before suffering an Achilles injury early in 2016. After being released, he quickly signed with the Raiders to stay in the area with a team competing for a playoff spot.
NFC Notes: 49ers, Bears, Lions, Saints
The 49ers considered Mitch Trubisky with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft before deciding to trade the pick to the Bears, who ended up selecting the North Carolina product, coach Kyle Shanahan told NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco.
“I really liked Mitchell. He was really the only guy I flew out and saw. I spent some time with Mitchell and got to work him out. I spent a few hours watching tape with him,” Shanahan said.
“But that wasn’t something we were going to do with our pick. We felt like we had to go a lot of other different directions. Our goal was to add picks and get as many players as possible, and we are happy with what we did.”
Instead of taking the quarterback, San Francisco traded back one spot with Chicago and picked up the team’s first-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2017, and the team’s third-round pick in 2018. Interesting to note, that third-round pick was traded to the Saints, who tabbed breakout running back and Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Alvin Kamara.
Shanahan will get to see Trubisky up close on Sunday when the Niners travel to take on the Bears.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Sticking with the Bears and 49ers theme; Shanahan also said he was interested in hiring Chicago defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. A well-respected and longtime NFL coach, Fangio could be a candidate to replace John Fox in Chicago, should the coach be let go in the coming weeks. “I think Vic definitely deserves to be [a head coach]. He’s one of the coaches I’ve respected the most, just from going against him,” Shanahan said.
- Though Fangio is an option, the Bears are likely to invest in an offensive coach to groom Trubisky, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Leading the list, of course, is Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel, who always seems to be atop everyone’s wish list.
- Lions head coach Jim Caldwell should be safe if the team finishes 10-6, even if the team misses the playoffs writes ESPN’s Michael Rothstein. He added that he expects Caldwell will return as head coach as of right now, but that could change in the coming weeks. Caldwell has managed two winning campaigns in his first three seasons in Detroit, or the same amount the Lions produced in the 14 years prior to his arrival.
- The Saints will not use their remaining IR-to-return spot, writes Joel A. Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate. The hope was that tackle Zach Strief would be an option to return, but that shelved after he underwent to repair his ACL and MCL two weeks ago. No other players on IR have a time table that would allow them to return.
Ryan Kalil Planning To Play In 2017
Longtime Panthers center and two-time First Team All-Pro Ryan Kalil said he plans to play at some point in 2017, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. 
Kalil, who suffered a neck injury in Week 2 that he called “pretty serious,” has played just five quarters all season. He made a return to the field in Week 7 but had to leave in the first quarter after aggravating the injury. He was active in Week 12 vs. the Jets in the case of an emergency and has been a limited participant at practice this week.
The 11-year center said he thinks the Panthers expects him to make a return sooner rather than later. “I don’t think they’d let me take up a roster spot if they didn’t think I would be able to,” he said.
Despite being without their mainstay in the middle, Carolina has still rushed for the fifth-most yards through Week 12 and are atop the NFC South with an 8-3 mark. Kalil’s return, however, could clear more running lanes for Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Stewart. Second-year center Tyler Larsen has manned Kalil’s position in his absence.
Kalil also noted he plans to play beyond this season. He is signed through 2018.