AFC Notes: Jaguars, Ravens, Browns
Paul Posluszny is one of the few constants in Jacksonville. Unfortunately, losing is another. But, that’s not his fault, as he’s played in all but one game in three seasons with the team and is coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance.
But, as The Florida Times-Union’s Ryan O’Halloran writes, there is uncertainty aside from Posluszny in the Jaguars linebacker room. Projected starters Dekoda Watson and Geno Hayes have been battling injuries, and backups LaRoy Reynolds and Telvin Smith are mostly untested.
O’Halloran remarks that linebackers coach Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator Bob Babish and coach Gus Bradley will focus on the group intently, and he assumes that the aforementioned five linebackers are safe, which leaves a single roster spot for J.T. Thomas, John Lotulelei, Nate Stupar, Allen Bradford and Marcus Whitfield.
More notes from the AFC:
- The future of Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith is not likely to be affected after his arrest for disorderly conduct, CSNBaltimore.com’s Clifton Brown reports. The team has already exercised Smith’s fifth-year option and plans to sign him to a long-term deal.
- Joining the Seahawks, Broncos and Ravens, the Browns will use a live animal as its mascot, according to Cleveland.com’s Tom Reed. Swagger, a bullmastiff, will lead the team onto the field before games.
Clayton On Falcons, Gordon, Thanksgiving
ESPN’s John Clayton has been covering the NFL since his high school days in 1972, and you’d be hard pressed to find a more knowledgable man or woman on pro football. His Sunday mailbags are a treat, full of wit and wisdom, and we’re passing along some of Clayton’s best responses to readers’ questions to you.
Clayton also touches on the Giants and Bills, the two teams meeting in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and thus the first two teams to open training camp.
On the Falcons’ defensive line:
“The Falcons‘ pass rush has to be better. Their nickel defense gave up 6.48 yards per play and 7.75 yards per attempt and had only 23 sacks this past year. The return of a healthy Kroy Biermann will help. Former Dolphin Paul Soliai is a big, physical addition to the defensive line, but it’s unclear how the Falcons will use him. He’s a run-stopper who could draw an extra blocker, but he has only 4½ sacks in his seven NFL seasons. I’ll be intrigued to see if Ra’Shede Hageman can get into a pass-rushing role in the nickel. He might be a pretty special athlete.”
On the ramifications of Josh Gordon‘s impending suspension:
“If Gordon is suspended for the year, his contract would be tolled, meaning his deal would be put on pause and he would still have two years remaining when his suspension is lifted. His salary would not count against this year’s cap. Plus, the team would have the ability to try to get him to pay back the prorated amount for one year of his signing bonus, a total of $518,209. Gordon would count only the $518,209 on this year’s cap if he is suspended. If the Browns get the signing bonus back, they would get a rebate on the amount in next year’s cap. The bigger problem, though, is that the Browns would lose one of the best young receivers in the game.”
On the possibility of a team that plays on Thanksgiving this year — Bears, Lions, Eagles, Cowboys, Seahawks and 49ers — winning the Super Bowl, which hasn’t happened in 18 years:
“I did not realize that. Part of it is because Dallas and Detroit are the two traditional Thanksgiving hosts. The Cowboys have been an 8-8 team for the past three years and most recently won the Super Bowl in the 1995 season. The Lions have made only one trip to the playoffs since 1999 and never have reached the Super Bowl. The addition of a third game in 2006 hasn’t ended the trend, but it might this year. San Francisco and Seattle are two of the best teams in football. The Bears are contenders, and the Eagles might have the best team in the NFC East. Interesting thought.”
Extra Points: Saints, Steelers, Archer, Irvin
After a tumultuous 2012 season, the Saints got back to their winning ways in 2013 and made the postseason for the fifth time in the Drew Brees–Sean Payton era. A loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks sent Brees and Payton packing, and the attention turned to GM Micky Loomis.
Loomis made a key addition in former Bills free safety Jairus Byrd, writes National Football Post’s Greg Gabriel, though Byrd will probably miss some time during the preseason after undergoing “minor” back surgery near the end of OTAs.
In his team preview, Gabriel says to keep an eye on Khiry Robinson, a second-year running back from West Texas A&M used sparingly in his rookie season. Robinson has more size than Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram, Gabriel writes, and could see a larger role in 2014.
Aside from Byrd, the Saints‘ biggest offseason acquisition was wide receiver Brandin Cooks, whom the team traded up for to grab in the first round. Gabriel notes that Cooks will play the majority of his snaps out of the slot and help to fill the void left by Darren Sproles‘ departure.
More notes around the NFL on this Sunday evening…
- When the Steelers drafted Dri Archer with the 97th overall pick, they drafted a player with speed for days. For that reason, they’ll be using Archer at both running back and receiver, coach Mike Tomlin said on NFL Network, according to National Football Post’s Jason Butt.
- Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin underwent hip surgery in early June, but he says his hip feels 100 times better, per NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, who cites the Seahawks‘ depth at linebacker as an indication that Irvin won’t be forced back into action too soon.
- Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union lists four matchups — at Tennessee, vs. Miami, vs. New York (Giants) and vs. Houston — as the most favorable for the Jaguars.
- Though EJ Manuel enjoyed a moderate amount of success as a rookie quarterback for the Bills last season, former Bills GM and current ESPN analyst cautions fans to be patient with the former Florida State Seminole, writes The Buffalo News’ Jerry Sullivan.
NFC Notes: 49ers, Seahawks, Cowboys
Even though the San Francisco 49ers are one of the two best teams in the NFL, and even though they’ll be better this year than last, the problem is that the No. 1 team is in their division, and they’re improved, too.
National Football Post’s Greg Gabriel previews the 2014 49ers and says that the team’s top priority is, obviously, getting past the Seahawks, who are riding high after a 43-8 throttling of the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. At quarterback, San Francisco is set with Colin Kaepernick, but Gabriel notes that there isn’t much behind him in the way of depth, even with the team’s recent acquisition of Blaine Gabbert.
Overall, Gabriel loves the talent on each side of the ball as well as head coach Jim Harbaugh, though the statuses of Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman will be key.
More links from the NFC below:
- At first glance, the running game of last year’s Seahawks appears quite formidable, as the team ranked fourth in total yards gained on the ground with 2,188. But, as The Seattle Times Bob Condotta notes, FootballPerspective.com ranked the Seahawks No. 13 in adjusted yards per carry, a statistic that takes into account rushing touchdowns and rushing first downs as well as bulk yardage.
- The Cowboys bounced back from a franchise low in rushing yardage in 2012 — 1,265 yards — to a respectable 1,504 yards in 2013 on 4.5 yards per carry, and lead back DeMarco Murray will be leaned on more than ever in 2014, writes Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News. Despite play-caller Scott Linehan notoriously leaning on the arm of his quarterback more often than not, he’s promised to run with Murray, as the Cowboys are 11-0 when the former Sooner gets 20 or more carries.
- The Saints need to pay up on a long-term deal for Jimmy Graham, USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes argues. Reyes thinks talks between Graham and the team will intensify as the July 15 deadline to sign a multi-year deal approaches.
- The opinion by arbitrator Stephen Burbank that a tight end is defined by whether he lines up within four yards of an offensive tackle is not sitting well with the Saints, a source tells Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Per Florio, the team contends that a tight end is a tight end based on the player’s size, his position group and how team’s defend him, and that his relationship to the offensive tackle has no bearing.
AFC Notes: Ravens, Browns, Patriots, Chiefs
A frustrating year befell the 2013 Baltimore Ravens, unable to match the high expectations set after winning the Super Bowl the prior season. The offense sputtered behind the NFL’s worst rushing offense and inconsistent play from quarterback Joe Flacco, and an average defense couldn’t make up for the offensive deficiencies.
Thankfully, 2014 is a clean slate. According to Ben Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com, safety Darian Stewart, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and offensive lineman Ryan Jensen are three players whose stocks are rising after the team’s offseason, while defensive lineman Terrence Cody, center Gino Gradkowski and offensive lineman Jah Reid are on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Stewart, with 19 starts in his four-year NFL career, looks to be the Week 1 starter opposite Matt Elam, Smolka writes. Juszczyk is a perfect fit in Gary Kubiak‘s offense and Jensen can play every position on the offensive line.
More news and notes from around the NFL…
- As the fallout from the Josh Gordon saga continues, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer suggests the Browns offer the wideout an ultimatum: enroll in a full-time rehabilitation program in Cleveland right now, or be released. Pluto points out that Gordon’s problems have continued from his time at Baylor and Utah, and it’s time to truly figure out his interest in football.
- Patriots first-round defensive tackle Dominique Easley is making progress in his recovery coming off two torn ACLs in college, writes ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss, who provides a status update on each of the team’s nine draft picks. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, drafted in the second round, has taken advantage of an opportunity afforded to him by the limited availability of backup quarterback Ryan Mallett.
- Chiefs rookie running back De’Anthony Thomas told NFL.com that he’s a player nobody’s ever seen step on the football field, according to Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper. Thomas also set a number of goals for the season, including winning Rookie of the Year, leading the team in a number of offensive categories and going to the Super Bowl.
NFC Notes: Williams, Seahawks, Vikings
New Seahawks defensive tackle Kevin Williams has a Hall of Fame résumé, but Seattle isn’t getting that player, Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times writes.
That’s not such a bad thing, though.
The Seahawks employ one of the deeper defensive line rotations in the league. Williams played more snaps last season for the Vikings than any Seattle end or tackle, and he’s looking forward to being used more sparingly: “I think if I’m playing 500 plays versus 700 plays at this age I can definitely still get after the quarterback.”
Williams, who played 718 defensive snaps in 2013, will look to replace Chris Clemons, Red Bryant and Clinton McDonald, former Seahawks defensive linemen who took their talents elsewhere in free agency.
Elsewhere around the NFC…
- Speaking of Williams’ former team, the Vikings will likely have to go over budget to afford their new stadium, writes Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Joey Browner, a first-round pick by the Vikings in 1983, implored the team’s 2014 first-round selection, Anthony Barr, to do his due diligence and study the game on both sides of the ball, reports Michael Rand of the Star Tribune.
Extra Points: OTAs, Packers, Titans, Brady
Minicamps are finished. The 2014 NFL season awaits.
Players have left their respective clubs until the opening of training camp, and as ESPN.com’s John Clayton notes, coaches now will cross their fingers that they don’t receive the 3 a.m. phone call alerting them of the star player’s transgressions.
Clayton, the Worldwide Leader’s senior NFL writer, outlines seven things learned from the offseason programs, with No. 1 being the lack of readiness for rookie quarterbacks. Reading into Clayton’s words, he believes that no rookie quarterback will open the season as the team’s starting signal caller. Teddy Bridgewater is the most pro-ready, Clayton says, but Matt Cassel will get the first snap on opening day.
Taking a page out of Pete Carroll‘s playbook, Clayton writes that teams around the league are gravitating toward taller defensive backs. Case in point, the Kansas City Chiefs, who released 5-foot-9 cornerback Brandon Flowers in a cap-saving move. They’ll look to replace Flowers with 6-foot-1 Phillip Gaines, 6-foot-2 Marcus Cooper and 6-foot David Van Dyke, each of whom are first- or second-year players.
Other news and notes from around the league…
- Among the 10 Packers stories to watch before training camp opens by Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is peace of mind at backup quarterback. It wasn’t pretty for the Pack at QB when Aaron Rodgers went down in a Week 9 loss to the Bears, but coach Mike McCarthy should feel better about this year’s situation with Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien backing up the All Pro, Dunne writes.
- Quarterback Jake Locker, receiver Kendall Wright and the defense’s front seven are all things Titans fans should feel good about, The Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt writes. Locker should be at 100% coming off foot surgery in November and had started the 2013 season with a bang, while Wright will team with Nate Washington and Justin Hunter to ease Locker’s return to health.
- Tom Brady‘s private quarterback coach, Tom House, admitted in an interview with SiriusXM radio that the three-time Super Bowl champion has struggled as of late to connect on the deep passes. “As he’s getting a little older you lose a little strength, you lose a little flexibility,” House said. “And what was happening was he was noticing that his accuracy and his long ball weren’t what they were three or four years ago. So we ran him through the computer, compared him to the models we have created for movement efficiency, and there were really, really small things that were causing his issues.”
Packers Notes: Rodgers, Finley, Jones
In an exhaustive Q&A with Packers All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com delves into the psyche of the former Cal standout and 10-year vet, with questions ranging from dealing with public scrutiny to his relationship with coach Mike McCarthy.
Wilde also touches on the length of Rodgers’ career, which has been a topic of discussion after the quarterback hinted at how many years he has left in a tweet on the nine-year anniversary of his drafting. Here’s Rodgers’ response when asked if he has changed his timeline:
I think the way I’ve been feeling the last two years, with changing some things off the field in the offseason with my eating patterns, my body’s been feeling really good. To the point of, I feel like I can really keep my legs underneath me for a long time and as long as I have my legs, I feel like I can play the position the way I want to play it. I’d love to be able to play this contract out and then do a few more [years]. I think that’d be a lot of fun. This is a great place to play and live and work, and this is what we do. This is what I’m talented at more than anything else in my life, and I want to keep doing it.
More links and notes from the NFC North can be found below…
- After suffering through a 2013 season filled the hamstring injuries, many Packers have taken to alternative methods of prevention, in particular yoga, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Even without mainstay Jermichael Finley, the Packers still have plenty of tight ends on the roster, including third-round choice Richard Rodgers and intriguing undrafted free agent Colt Lyerla, Dunne writes.
- 2013 first-round defensive lineman Datone Jones headlines a group of six Packers who need to step up this season, reports Mike Vandermause of Green Bay Press-Gazette. The other five are B.J. Raji, Nick Perry, Derek Sherrod, Jerel Worthy and Johnathan Franklin.
- In his weekly mailbag, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky writes that fourth-round wide receiver Jared Abbrederis could find his niche in the slot for the Packers, allowing Randall Cobb to play more on the outside.
- Demovsky details a series of players who have returned from injuries, as well as those who are still recovering.
AFC South Notes: Jones, Luck, Clowney
For Colts defensive lineman Arthur Jones, who signed a five-year, $33MM deal with the team after four years in Baltimore, versatility is the name of the game.
“It really doesn’t matter where I line up,” Jones said, according to Mike Chappell of The Indianapolis Star. “I’m here to help win games, help win championships. I come in as a humble servant. I mean that.”
Jones started 20 of his 46 games played with the Ravens, totaling 8 1/2 sacks in his most recent two seasons. He’ll be asked to stuff the run on early downs and rush the passer on favorable down-and-distance situations. An unselfish man on and off the field, Indianapolis is hoping Jones’ steady play and demeanor rubs off on his defensive counterparts.
More news and notes from the AFC North below…
- The signing of safety Mike Adams creates real intrigue in the Colts‘ defensive backfield, writes Stephen Holder of The Indy Star.
- Losing 43-22 to New England in the AFC divisional playoffs is motivating Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, ESPN.com’s Mike Wells reports.
- Sooner is better than later in the case of surgery for Texans‘ defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, ESPN.com’s Tania Ganguli writes. Clowney should be back in time for training camp, where the reps are far more significant than those in padless mandatory minicamps.
- The lack of mental mistakes made by Titans defenders in minicamp practices was referred to as amazing by new defensive coordinator Ray Horton, ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky reports.
- Jaguars‘ cornerback Dwayne Gratz has been quiet at OTAs this offseason, writes Bruce Lipsky of Jacksonville.com. Lipsky notes that this is a good thing, because in the past Gratz has been noticeable at team’s practices for his inability to cover receivers. Gratz has been better this offseason, and recently made some positive noise during 11-on-11 drills on Thursday.
- Entering the second season with general manager Dave Caldwell and Gus Bradley at the helm, the Jaguars are still searching for their face of the franchise, according to ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco.
Jets Notes: Dowling, Sudfeld, Cunningham
It’s always more intriguing when a released player ends up with a division rival. Can the new team untap the talents that the old team couldn’t? Will he be that much more motivated, potentially facing his old team twice a year?
The already potent Jets/Patriots rivalry got even more compelling when three former Pats — cornerback Ras-I Dowling, tight end Zach Sudfeld and outside linebacker Jermaine Cunningham — signed with Gang Green this offseason. Dowling and Cunningham were both second-round picks originally by New England, but ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini says the undrafted Sudfeld has the best shot of making the 53-man roster based on the team’s lack of depth at the position.
- Cimini envisions four running backs on the roster — including fullback Tommy Bohanon — with Daryl Richardson and Mike Goodson on the outside looking in.
- Signing a veteran offensive lineman for insurance would be a sound move for the team, per Cimini, who notes that none of the backups have any meaningful professional experience.
- Don’t be surprised if Stephen Hill emerges as the Jets’ No. 2 wide receiver opposite Eric Decker, writes Cimini. Hill has struggled making the transition to professional from collegiate after a nice career at Georgia Tech, and he’s battling savvy veteran David Nelson for the coveted starting spot.
- Neither Cunningham nor Dowling found success with the Patriots, but Jets‘ head coach Rex Ryan is not concerned with his rival’s opinion of those players, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.