Browns Notes: Whitner, Gordon, Manziel
As Josh Gordon stays in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, many fans and pundits (notably Cris Carter) have called for the Browns to cut ties with their star receiver, but one of his new teammates does not want to see that happen. Donte Whitner does not think he deserves to be released, reports Marc Sessler of NFL.com.
“I know all the dumb things people say — ‘he should be cut, he should be this’ — he shouldn’t,” said Whitner. “He’s a 23-year-old kid; he made some mistakes. A lot of people’s 20-year-old sons make mistakes. We have to help him, and that’s the bottom line. We have to help him collectively. It’s not going be one person that helps him, it’s not going to be two people that help him. It’s gonna come from the front office, the coaching staff, the players and his whole family. We have to help him — not only for football purposes, but for life purposes to get his life in order.”
Whitner also said that most of the team, including cornerback Joe Haden, have reached out to Gordon and that he is “very remorseful” over the situation.
Here are some other notes about the Browns:
- Whitner also lauded how the offense is taking shape, comparing it to what the Redskins executed under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, writes Sessler. “This scheme that they’re running on offense is some of the stuff they did in Washington with (Robert Griffin III),” Whitner said. “So if you get that running, you get the defense guessing, and you’re running the football well and throw the football around and guys’ eyes aren’t in the right place on defense, that’s where a lot of the big plays come from.”
- Another Browns’ player who has been in the spotlight for non-football related reasons is Johnny Manziel, and Maggie Hendricks of USAToday.com writes that the rookie quarterback is a big winner of the return of LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers. She writes that sharing the city with an NBA star of that stature will take some of the pressure off of Manziel, and will spread out the spotlight.
- Whether it was because he is relieved to share the spotlight, excited as a fan, or just happy for his friend to join him in Cleveland, Manziel was excited for James to come back to his hometown. Manziel posted to his Twitter and twice on Instagram welcoming James back to Ohio.
- While Manziel has his detractors, don’t count Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders as one of them. Sanders appeared on 105.3 The Fan with Shan and RJ in Dallas to discuss the embattled quarterback. “The kid hasn’t done anything,” said Sanders. “They’re putting him out there like he’s Justin Bieber — like he’s egging folks on and doing wild and rich folks stuff. He’s not doing stuff like that. He’s a good kid.”
College Quarterbacks Discuss 2015 NFL Draft
Although Blake Bortles was drafted third overall by the Jaguars, the 2014 quarterback class failed to capture the imagination of NFL general managers this past May. Johnny Manziel’s hype got him drafted 26th overall, and Teddy Bridgewater was once thought to be the first pick of the first round, and ended up being the last pick of round one.
Derek Carr, Tom Savage, A.J. McCarron, Zach Mettenberger, Aaron Murray, Logan Thomas and Tahj Boyd all had dreams of being first-round picks at some point during their college careers. Whether those dreams were realistic or not at any point are questionable, but they seemed possible while they were still tearing through their respective conferences.
Even still, two quarterbacks that will be lining up representing their universities come late August would have had a chance to jump all of those drafted. Chase Goodbread of NFL.com caught up with both of these players, who spoke about their NFL futures.
Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion Jameis Winston was only a freshman last year and ineligible for a draft in which he outperformed every single player at his position in college. He led Florida State University all the way to the promise land, and produced one of the greatest seasons by a freshman in the history of college football.
The third-year sophomore could have been the first quarterback taken if he was eligible for the draft, but although he will be able to enter the league next year, it is no certainty that he will. “It’s very important to me. I was always raised as a student first and an athlete second,” Winston said. “I think that’s the main purpose in college. Some athletes lose that perspective. It’s about being a student-athlete, and not just getting that easy money and going to the league. Even if kids leave early, I would want them to come back and get that degree.”
Marcus Mariota of Oregon was eligible for the draft, but elected to return to school. Mariota possesses the combination of size and speed to go along with the traditional quarterback skills that make him one of the most sought after prospects in football. The versatility he will bring to an offense is unlimited, and there was speculation that he could have been the first quarterback taken had he decided to leave school.
The fourth-year junior has two years of eligibility remaining, and has yet to make a decision about entering the 2015 NFL Draft. “We’ll see, I’m not too sure,” said Mariota. “The opportunity to leave obviously is there, but at the same time, college is fun and I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet.”
Although both players seem ambivalent about their hurry to get to the professional level, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk expects both players to be with an NFL team this time next year. Both would be expected to be selected very high in the first round. Of course, the same could be said for a number of quarterbacks this past draft, from Manziel to Boyd. A lot can happen in a football season.
Andre Johnson Unlikely To Hold Out
Andre Johnson‘s frustration with the Texans’ organization has been well documented. The star receiver has made it very clear that he has no interest in returning to the team to endure another rebuilding era, and has asked to be traded out of Houston.
Johnson has been linked to a handful of teams as a trade destination throughout the course of this offseason, including the Jets, Colts, Browns, Patriots, Panthers, and Chiefs. However, Johnson’s $10MM salary in 2014 limits his options as teams have already pressed themselves up against the cap.
Johnson has already skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp, a move that caused him to forfeit a $1MM roster bonus, in addition to the nearly $70,000 fine incurred for missing the time.
The Texans have displayed zero interest in moving the best player in the brief history of the franchise, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. The unfortunate truth for Johnson is that the organization holds all the cards in this standoff.
If Johnson were to try to hold out of training camp, or even the beginning of the regular season, the financial penalties would be tremendous, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. The Texans’ organization could fine their star up to $30,000 per day of training camp missed, which is no small change even for a star of Johnson’s size.
The scarier thought is the money from Johnson’s signing bonus that the team could try to recoup. Corry explains:
Under the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), teams can recoup 15 percent of the prorated amount of a signing bonus on the sixth day of a training camp holdout. It’s one percent for each additional missed day with a maximum of 25 percent of the prorated amount during training camp. An additional 25 percent can be recovered with the first missed regular season game. After four missed weeks, a team can recover one-seventeenth of the prorated amount for each additional week of the player’s absence. The maximum a team can recover in a season is the entire prorated amount of the player’s signing bonus in that contract year.
This number could be compounded should Johnson decide to holdout, and would prove extremely costly. This is especially true because when Johnson restructured his contract three times to allow the Texans more breathing room under the salary cap, he turned $18.5MM of his base salary numbers into a signing bonus. This is significant because a team cannot go after a player’s already paid salary, but they have the right to try to go after signing bonus money in the event that the player is unwilling to perform.
Other players who restructured their big money contracts, were sure to include language that would prevent the team from going after that money, since it was converted from salary into a signing bonus. In this scenario, the player can help their team create some cap room without directly putting their own money in jeopardy. Johnson failed to include any of this protective language in his restructure.
Because of that, Johnson is in a position to lose a huge amount of money if he continues to fail to reports during training camp. If he had protected his signing bonus, he would be currently in danger of losing less than $500,000 in prorated bonus money at the most, plus game checks for every week he did not play, if it came to that. Now that maximum number has ballooned to nearly $4.45MM. A six day training camp holdout will cost him over $111,000 per day, rather than just over $70,000 total for six days.
Johnson even lost the leverage of a potential retirement, not that this was a realistic scenario anyway. But due to the contract language, he would owe the Texans more than $11.36MM in the event that the receiver retired before the season. Once again, had he protected his signing bonus during the restructures, he would owe less than $1MM if he decided to retire prematurely.
Financially, Johnson has nothing going for him if he wanted to force his way out of Houston. He can ask for all the trades he wants, but if the team is not willing, he will have to show up for work all season, as unhappy as he is with the direction of the team.
Vikings’ Spencer Nealy Suspended Four Games
Vikings’ defensive end Spencer Nealy has been suspended by the NFL for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).
Nealy, a defensive end out of Texas A&M, spent last season on the Vikings’ practice squad after going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft. He had a chance to improve his standing and possibly make the 53-man roster in 2014. Two things in his favor this season were the departure of stalwart defensive end Jared Allen and new head coach Mike Zimmer’s tendency of using a rotation on the defensive line that promotes more snaps for backups.
Dolphins’ second-year defensive end Dion Jordan and Chiefs offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins have already received similar suspensions, and LaVon Brazill was cut by the Colts shortly after his year-long suspension was announced.
Nealy will only miss four games, much less than that of Brazill, so just because Brazill was released does not ensure that Nealy will also be cast out from his franchise. However, his pedigree is not close to that of Jordan or even on the level of Watkins. He is much less valuable as an asset going forward, and the team may be unwilling to grant him a second chance.
Nealy released a statement in which he apologized. “I accept full responsibility,” said Nealy, reports Pelissero (via Twitter).
Colts Cut LaVon Brazill, Sign Aaron Burks
The Colts have cut wide receiver LaVon Brazill in the wake of his year-long suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
Brazill, who was going into his third year in the NFL, all with the Colts, had 23 career catches but showed signs of ability in key moments last season. He saw increased playing time after the injury to Reggie Wayne, but was unable to turn that opportunity into impactful production.
The team moved on quickly, signing undrafted free agent Aaron Burks, according to Caplan (via Twitter). Burks, a wide receiver out of Boise State University, stands tall at 6’3″ and 205 pounds. The team could use him to replace Brazill’s size and add physicality to a receiver unit.
Following owner Jim Irsay’s recent indiscretions, the Colts were going to be watched closely in how they dealt with Brazill. There was some expectation that the organization would have to provide some latitude in their punishment, considering the parallel situation with their owner.
Extra Points: Titans, Jags, Graham, Broncos
The Titans have a number of veterans that are coming to the end of their contracts after 2014, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean gives his opinion of who the Titans should work to extend and who they should wait until after next season to decide on. Wyatt wants the team to extend Jurrell Casey and Brett Kern sooner rather than later, but asks the team to show patience with some of their other veteran players.
Here are a few other stories from around the NFL:
- The Jaguars‘ pass rush is set to be much improved in 2014, and Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com is absolutely buying into they hype. His reasoning for believing in this unit is simple. The pass rush can’t get any worse, and the key additions should be able to make a difference immediately. Although Dekoda Watson only had three sacks in 60 games for the Buccaneers, the Jaguars believe he has unique pass-rushing skills, and Chris Clemons will be able to provide some pressure as well. While Red Bryant is not known as a sack artist, his contributions in the running game will put the team in better shape on passing downs, another area where they struggled recently.
- While there has not been a lot of positivity surrounding Saints‘ tight end Jimmy Graham since losing his grievance regarding his franchise tag, Drew Brees hasn’t forgotten Graham’s value to the league, writes Julie Boudwin of NOLA.com.“Jimmy Graham has revolutionized the position,” said Brees. “He’s a guy who is so talented at so many things you know and obviously he’s a big part of our offense and I hope that they’re able to reach a long-term agreement here sooner than later. At the end of the day, this is part of the process and I think we all understand that.”
- The Broncos had the best offense in the NFL by a wide margin in 2013, and the only pieces not returning this season are receiver Eric Decker who signed with the Jets, and tailback Knowshon Moreno who is now with the Dolphins. Even still, Sayre Bedinger of PredominantlyOrange.com has highlighted five dark horse candidates to impact the offense in 2014. His top five are tight ends Virgil Green and Gerell Robinson, rookie wideout Cody Latimer, and running backs Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson.
NFC East Links: Melton, Eagles, Skins, Giants
If new Cowboy Henry Melton can match his career high of seven sacks in 2014, the team will more than likely pick up the final three years of his contract, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com in his mailbag. Picking up the rest of the deal will guarantee Melton $9MM in 2015.
Archer also discusses whether the Cowboys keep three of four tight ends on their active roster, and picks James Hanna as the odd man out if they only keep three. Hanna is the weakest blocker of the group, and the team has not been able to take advantage of his standout athleticism in his two years in Dallas.
He also highlights Bruce Carter, Justin Durant, and Kyle Wilber as the three players most likely to start at linebacker for the Cowboys’ defense in 2014.
Here are some more links from around the NFC East:
- The Cowboys‘ have lost their players to the third most games due to injury over the last two seasons, totaling 133 games missed over that time period, writes Brandon George.of DallasNews.com. The team has employed more protective equipment during practices, and the use of two ProFlex stretching machines, two other stretching machines designed for the core and lower body, one World Cup skier’s plyometric apparatus, one Dynamic Edge skier’s machine, and a vibration machine in attempt to increase their players’ resistance to injuries.
- The Eagles are better and deeper than they have been in years past, writes Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. The addition of Malcolm Jenkins should provide consistency, and Nate Allen improved again last year after regression in years prior. Backup Earl Wolff has been working with Jenkins, and will find his way onto the field in certain packages and situations, or to spell the two starters.
- Mosher also examined why the Eagles decided they didn’t need to get bigger on the defensive line this offseason, despite allowing success on the ground in their playoff loss to the Saints. Despite criticism of being too small, he notes that the unit was tenth in the league in rushing yards allowed, and were even better on a per carry basis, where they ranked fourth.
- Chris Chester struggled in 2013 as the Redskins‘ right guard, but he is still the frontrunner to start in 2014, writes Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. However, third-round pick Spencer Long will challenge for the starting spot, and backup Josh LeRibeus could be in the mix as well.
- The Redskins have many issues they need to improve on special teams, but maybe none more than their touchback percentage, writes Chris Russell of ESPN980.com (via Twitter). According to Russell, Kai Forbath produced a touchback on only 24.6% of his kickoffs in 2013. The league average number was 48.8%.
- There is disagreement over who will return punts for the Giants in 2014, but fortunately they have a number of promising options according to the writers at Giants.com. Michael Eisen sees the job as Rueben Randle‘s to lose, as he performed well in that role in 2013, although he is not a home run threat. John Schmeelk envisions Odell Beckham Jr. taking over as a rookie, as he displayed explosive ability to do so at LSU. Finally, Dan Salmone chose the 5’5″ Trindon Holliday to be the big play threat the Giants have been missing in their special teams.
Josh Gordon Arrested In North Carolina
Josh Gordon was arrested early this morning in Raleigh, North Carolina under suspicion of driving while impaired, reports Matt Anderson of WKYC in Cleveland (via Twitter). Anderson has been following the story all morning, via a series of tweets as more information emerged from the situation.
Gordon was already facing a year-long suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. His appeal hearing was just set for late July, but talks were in the works for a reduced suspension to be agreed upon between the NFL and NFLPA. Those talks may be in jeopardy after this latest incident.
Our own Dallas Robinson took a look at the Gordon situation as a whole last night, and the different outcomes and possibilities that could be associated with it. Those plans could be further effected by this latest incident for the young receiver.
Despite missing the first two games of the season due to a drug-related suspension, the 23-year old receiver caught 87 passes last season, for a league leading 1,646 receiving yards, and added nine touchdowns. He was named as one of the two All-Pro wide receivers, alongside Lions superstar Calvin Johnson. His 1,646 receiving yards is the tenth greatest figure in league history, and his 117.6 receiving yards per game is the sixth best mark in NFL history.
Redskins Notes: Griffin, Riley, Paulsen
The Redskins’ success in 2014 will be based on what version of their star quarterback shows up, writes Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. Steinberg believes that if Robert Griffin III gives a performance resembling his 2012, then the team will be a contender. If he plays the way he did last year, the team would likely fall out of contention early. Redskins’ offensive coordinator Sean McVay believes Griffin will be as good as he was as a rookie two years ago. “I don’t think there’s any question: he looks explosive,” said McVay. “He looks like he is exactly what he was in the 2012 season. I think people underestimate when you have a brace on your knee how much that truly restricts you….So I think being able to take that off, he looks extremely explosive.”
Here are some other notes from the Redskins offseason:
- The Redskins will have to make some interesting roster decisions come August, and John Keim of ESPN.com takes a few guesses as to what they will do. He predicts the secondary starters to be DeAngelo Hall and David Amerson at corner, with Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather at safety. Keim also sees it likely that the team will keep four running backs and one fullback on the roster.
- Despite a down 2013, inside linebacker Perry Riley has something to prove going forward, writes Keim. Keim writes that he needs to improve his zone coverage, and continue to be stout but more consistent against the run.
- Although Logan Paulsen sympathizes with his fellow tight end Jimmy Graham, he wants to be very clear that fair or unfair, he believes Graham is indeed a tight end, writes Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com.He likens the Saints’ star to his teammate Jordan Reed. He says that while both are playmakers and deserve to be paid for their production, Reed still attends tight end meetings, practices with tight ends, and lines up in place of the tight end in most formations.
Ravens Notes: Rice, Butler, Smith
Joe Flacco has been keeping a close eye on the progress of running back Ray Rice this offseason, and says the former All-Pro has looked impressive, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “He’s definitely in good shape,” said Flacco. “I don’t know if he’s any quicker or anything like that; you’ll have to ask him. I can say he definitely looks good and he’s running the ball well. Our guys are creating some room out there even with no pads on.” Rice has reportedly dropped 20 pounds this offseason after struggling with injuries and performance in 2013.
Here are some other notes from around the Raven offseason:
- Undrafted rookie Jeremy Butler has already gotten off to a good start with the Ravens, writes Wilson. Butler has been talking to receivers coach Bobby Engram since before the draft, and the two have big hopes for their union. “I bring that physicality to the table and overpower defenders,” said Butler. “I’m just a hard-nosed Ravens style player. I can bring that element to the offense.”
- The Ravens struggled on offense last season, but they hope that the fireworks will return in 2014, writes Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com. The team ranked 30th in the NFL in big plays (run plays of 10+ yards or pass plays of 25+ yards), but Brown writes that with big-play weapons Jacoby Jones and Rice back and healthy, new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak should be able to move the ball down field.
- Another big play receiver, Torrey Smith, is looking for a new contract, but there might be a few bumps to smooth out on the way to an extension, writes Brett Foote of EbonyBird.com. Smith plays like an elite wide receiver at times, but also has a reputation as a one trick pony. Deep threats that do not provide versatility usually have ceilings on how much they are valued, and Foote compares Smith’s potential contract to the likes of the deals received by Antonio Brown and DeSean Jackson, both of which average less than $9MM per year.