Dean Pees Expected To Retire
Ravens DC Dean Pees is expected to retire after the season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Pees, 68, has not yet told his players of his intentions.
Baltimore has an excellent chance of advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 2014 today, and its defense is a big reason for that. The team ranks ninth in the league in yards allowed per game in 2017, fourth in points allowed per game, and it has generated a league-leading 33 turnovers. Nonetheless, the Ravens have largely feasted on rookie and/or second-string quarterbacks this season, and the team’s defense has struggled against more established signal-callers.
Schefter refers to Pees as one of the league’s top defensive minds whose units frequently feature exotic looks, but that would be news to Ravens fans. Pees’ defenses in Baltimore have been generally marked by conservative play-calling and late-game collapses, with some notable exceptions.
However, he has been a part of two of the league’s more successful franchises over the past 14 years. He broke into the NFL as the Patriots’ LB coach in 2004 before being promoted to New England’s DC in 2006. He left New England for Baltimore in 2010 and served as the Ravens’ LB coach in 2010-11. When Chuck Pagano left his job as Baltimore’s DC to accept a head coaching position with the Colts in 2012, Pees was elevated to defensive coordinator.
The Ravens won the Super Bowl that year, a game that featured a last-minute goal-line stand by their defense. In addition to that championship ring, Pees earned a ring with the Patriots, who won Super Bowl XXXIX when Pees was their LB coach.
The Ravens have typically promoted from within when it comes to their defensive coordinators. Under head coach John Harbaugh, all four defensive coordinators that the team has employed — Rex Ryan, Greg Mattison, Pagano, and Pees — were previously position coaches on the team’s staff. Don Martindale, Baltimore’s current LB coach, would be the top in-house candidate to replace Pees, though the Ravens would surely be interested in reuniting with Pagano, who is expected to be fired by the Colts.
Packers Expected To Part Ways With Dom Capers
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but the Packers are expected to part ways with longtime defensive coordinator Dom Capers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Capers, 67, has been with the team since 2009, but it appears as if his ninth season will be his last.
Capers’ unit will finish outside the top-15 in league rankings for the sixth time in the past seven years, and the last time it enjoyed a top-10 ranking was in 2010, when the Packers won the Super Bowl. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Capers could step down or retire to avoid the ignominy of a firing.
Silverstein opines that Green Bay has the makings of a solid defense, but that moving on from Capers is essential. He also believes that the team needs to bring in a new coordinator from outside the organization to provide the defense with a completely fresh start. He looks at some of the top names that could be available, including current Bears DC Vic Fangio and current Lions DC Teryl Austin, though it does not appear that there are currently any substantive rumors linking the Packers to the names on Silverstein’s list.
Capers, meanwhile, is probably prepared to call it a career. He broke into the league with the Saints in 1986 and has twice served as a head coach (for the expansion Panthers in 1995 and the expansion Texans in 2002). He has one Super Bowl ring, which, as noted above came as Green Bay’s DC in 2010.
Rapoport’s Latest: Mularkey, Arians, Rodgers
It’s a busy day in the NFL, as some teams fight for the playoffs while others prepare for the offseason and their next head coach. Let’s take a look at some of the latest reports from NFL.com scribe Ian Rapoport on the eve of Black Monday:
- Despite the fact that the Titans could clinch a playoff spot today, Rapoport says that head coach Mike Mularkey is in trouble, and if Tennessee loses to Jacksonville this afternoon, Mularkey could be fired. Indeed, he could be canned even if the Titans make the playoffs but lose in the wildcard round. Apparently, ownership is frustrated with the development of Marcus Mariota, and if the Titans dismiss Mularkey, they could go hard after Patriots OC Josh McDaniels.
- Rapoport tweets that the Cardinals have not given up hope of enticing head coach Bruce Arians to return, though ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Arians is likely to step away from coaching after Arizona’s season finale today.
- The Packers recently extended Davante Adams, and Rapoport tweets that the team will make an extension for Aaron Rodgers its top priority this offseason.
- There are expected to be two head coaching openings in the NFC North, with the Bears and Lions preparing to look for their next sideline general this offseason. Rapoport names Patriots DC Matt Patricia as a top choice for Detroit, while the Bears could look hard at a QB guru for young signal-caller Mitch Trubisky. Rapoport tweets that the Saints‘ Pete Carmichael, the longest-tenured OC in the league, could get a look for the Chicago job.
- Both Cowboys coordinators (DC Rod Marinelli and OC Scott Linehan) are on the hot seat and will be thoroughly evaluated, per Rapoport (video link).
Texans To Retain Bill O’Brien?
Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, the Texans are expected to retain head coach Bill O’Brien, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Schefter cautions that there are still issues to be discussed and contractual matters to sort out — O’Brien has just one year left on his original five-year deal, and it is unlikely the team would allow him to coach next season without signing him to a contract extension in the coming months — but O’Brien is likely to be back with the team in 2018.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, though, says O’Brien will have a “pivotal” meeting with ownership tomorrow, and that nothing has been decided about his future at this point (Twitter link). Wilson reports that all options, including dismissal, are still on the table.
It has been reported that O’Brien and GM Rick Smith have a seriously strained relationship, that those tensions have reached the breaking point, and that ownership is likely to prioritize Smith over O’Brien. Nonetheless, O’Brien has enjoyed some success in Houston, and seemingly every report concerning his job security with the Texans adds that he would be a top choice for other teams looking for a new head coach this offseason. Indeed, Wilson tweets that O’Brien, should he become a free agent, would become the top option for the Giants, who are also zeroing in on Jim Schwartz.
The Texans could be deciding that, if so many other teams want O’Brien, perhaps they should give him another chance. Indeed, it is difficult to fault him for his club’s struggles this year given injuries to top players like rookie QB Deshaun Watson and superstar J.J. Watt (not to mention the team’s difficulties in finding a capable QB prior to landing Watson).
For what it’s worth (and that could be a great deal), Watson has publicly endorsed O’Brien.
Raiders To Pursue Jon Gruden
Now that the Buccaneers are expected to retain Dirk Koetter as their head coach in 2018 (though Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks that Tampa Bay could easily reverse course in that regard), the Raiders are upping the ante in their pursuit of Jon Gruden. Gruden, of course, previously served as head coach of Tampa Bay and Oakland, though his name has been more heavily connected to the Buccaneers in recent weeks.
But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Raiders are preparing to pursue Gruden with an offer so strong that it could include an ownership stake in the team. Schefter adds that Gruden, currently an ESPN analyst, will be tempted to accept the offer, though he would prefer to wait until the regular season concludes and Oakland formally makes a decision on current head coach Jack Del Rio.
There are complications to a potential reunion. For instance, if Raiders owner Mark Davis does indeed offer Gruden an ownership stake, the contract would need to be approved by all 32 owners and the league finance committee, and such approval could be difficult to attain, as ownership would not want to set a precedent. Furthermore, Del Rio and Gruden are represented by the same agent, Bob LaMonte.
Nonetheless, one has to figure that if the Raiders want Gruden, and Gruden wants them, the two sides will find a way to make it happen. After all, Gruden never wanted to leave the Raiders to begin with, and though Oakland has struggled this season, there are a lot of factors that make its head coaching job an enviable one. Plus, although Gruden has been frequently discussed as a highly-coveted head coaching candidate in past years, this is the first year that he has made calls around the league in an effort to piece together a potential staff.
Interestingly, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) names current CBS analyst (and former Raiders QB) Rich Gannon as someone that Gruden has contacted as a potential quarterbacks coach.
Gruden declined to specifically comment on the Raiders’ position.
Giants To Interview Jim Schwartz
The Giants plan to interview Jim Schwartz for their head coaching vacancy within the next week, according to ESPN’S Adam Schefter. Schefter’s sources indicate that Schwartz will be a favorite — if not the favorite — for the position.
Schwartz, who is currently in his second season as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, previously served as the Lions’ head coach from 2009-13. His tenure in Detroit was largely disappointing, as he compiled a 29-51 regular season mark in the Motor City and took his team to the playoffs just once in five years, losing his only postseason game.
Nonetheless, he has long been regarded as one of the league’s best defensive minds, having worked as the Titans’ defensive coordinator from 2001-08, and he was immediately tabbed as the Bills’ defensive coordinator following his ouster from Detroit. He has helped turn the Eagles into one of the league’s powerhouses, and in so doing, he has restored his viability as a head coach.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, echoing previous reports, indicates that new Giants GM Dave Gettleman is partial to current Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, whom Gettleman knows well from his time in Carolina. Nonetheless, Giants ownership prefers a candidate with previous head coaching experience, which could give Schwartz a leg up. La Canfora also names Steelers’ offensive line coach (and former Titans head coach) Mike Munchak as a dark-horse candidate for Big Blue’s head coaching gig.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, in addition to providing a list of candidates the Giants planned to interview for their GM position had they not hired Gettleman, also confirms that New York will be focusing on veteran head coaching candidates (Twitter link).
Should Schwartz leave Philadelphia, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com tweets that Eagles DB coach Cory Undlin would be a logical in-house candidate to replace him.
Marvin Lewis To Leave Bengals After 2017?
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is expected to leave the team after this season to “pursue opportunities elsewhere,” per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Following today’s loss to the Vikings, however, Lewis denied the report and stated he’s made no decisions about his future, per Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
Lewis is the second-longest-tenured head coach in the league, behind only Bill Belichick of the Patriots. He was a linebackers coach in the collegiate ranks and for the Steelers before becoming the defensive coordinator of the expansion Ravens in 1996. He rose to prominence as an architect of the record-setting 2000 Ravens defense that helped capture Super Bowl XXXV and then served as the defensive coordinator/assistant head coach for the Redskins in 2002. He was hired by Cincinnati in 2003, when the Bengals were a laughingstock, and he restored them to relevance. He has posted a 123-111-3 regular season record and has guided the Bengals to four division titles. Despite his successes, however, his head coaching resume is marred by his 0-7 career playoff record, which has hung over his head especially heavily in recent seasons.
Nonetheless, there is expected to be a plethora of head coaching jobs available this offseason (even more than usual), and Schefter reports that the 59-year-old Lewis would be on the short list for a number of those positions. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, though, tweets that Lewis plans to move to a front office role. Schefter does suggest that a front office or coaching adviser job is a possibility, but only if a head coaching job does not materialize.
As for the Bengals, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Lewis’ decision came as a surprise to the team. And, as most, if not all, of the team’s assistant coaches are also on expiring contracts — some of whom are unhappy with the way they have been treated financially — Schefter suggests that Cincinnati is likely to undergo a major coaching overhaul.
Nonetheless, Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network suggest that the Bengals could opt to replace Lewis with an internal candidate like current DC Paul Guenther or special teams coach Darrin Simmons (Twitter links). But Michael Lombardi of The Ringer tweets that the Bengals’ head coaching job is highly desirable, so the team will not be hurting for quality candidates.
The Bengals do not have a comment on the situation at the moment.
Eagles Not Expected To Sign QB
The Eagles are not expected to sign a veteran quarterback to back up Nick Foles, ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter). Instead, the team will continue to deploy Nate Sudfeld as the No. 2 signal-caller.
Per Caplan, the Eagles have been so impressed with Sudfeld in practice that, even though he has never played in a regular season game, they believe he would do well if he were pressed into action. The Indiana product was drafted by the division-rival Redskins in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, but he failed to make Washington’s roster out of the preseason. Philadelphia has apparently liked Sudfeld for some time, as they gave him a generous practice squad salary and a two-year contract after he was cut by the Redskins.
The Eagles, of course, were forced to put Carson Wentz on IR earlier this week after he tore his ACL in last week’s win over the Rams, which put a serious damper on their championship aspirations. Nonetheless, team owner Jeffrey Lurie told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that his team invested a lot of money in the backup quarterback position for a reason (Foles signed a two-year, $11MM deal with $7MM guaranteed this offseason, putting him among the highest-paid pure backups in the league).
Lurie said that Foles thrived in Philadelphia under then-head coach Chip Kelly, when the talent surrounding him was not nearly as strong as it is now, so he expects Foles to perform well the rest of this season. It sounds as if he also expects Sudfeld to do well should that become necessary.
La Canfora’s Latest: O’Brien, Arians, Browns
Earlier today, we learned that Marvin Lewis is planning to leave Cincinnati after 15 years as the Bengals’ head coach, and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the Texans and their head coach, Bill O’Brien, could also be headed for a split after the 2017 season. O’Brien has led Houston to three nine-win seasons and two playoff berths, and if rookie sensation Deshaun Watson had not suffered an ACL tear earlier this season, the team might be in playoff contention yet again. However, La Canfora says the relationship between O’Brien and GM Rick Smith has long been complicated, and sources close to the situation foresee a change sooner rather than later. Houston’s head coaching job is an attractive one, largely because of Watson, and O’Brien would be an attractive candidate for one of the multitude of coaching vacancies this offseason. If O’Brien does leave Houston, La Canfora names current defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel as a logical internal candidate to replace him.
Now for more from La Canfora’s Sunday morning output, starting with more out of Houston:
- La Canfora writes that Texans QB Tom Savage remains in the concussion protocol and is unlikely to play again in 2o17. Houston is under fire for the way it handled Savage’s head injury last week, and Savage will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so it is best for all parties involved that Savage simply sit out the last three games of the year.
- We head back in October that Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians had not made any decision as to whether his career will continue past the 2017 season, and La Canfora reports that the team is preparing in case Arians decides to call it quits. Sources close to Arians believe he will not be back in 2018, and given the number of teams that will be looking for a new head coach this offseason, the Cardinals must be prepared in case they are also in need of a head coach.
- The NFL has confirmed the the Browns complied with the Rooney Rule in their hiring of GM John Dorsey, but the Fritz Pollard Alliance is still concerned with how the process unfolded. The Alliance spoke with commissioner Roger Goodell about the matter prior to last week’s ownership meetings, and it emphasized that all interviews with minority candidates should be reported to Alliance or to the league, which Cleveland did not do when it interviewed Doug Whaley for the GM job. Whaley, meanwhile, was reportedly “crushed” by the process, as he believed he had a legitimate shot at the job only to realize that the Browns were interviewing him simply to comply with the Rooney Rule.
- Goodell’s new extension runs through the 2024 season, but he hopes to have his successor in place by 2020. If that successor has made sufficient progress, it is possible that Goodell steps aside prior to 2024. La Canfora adds that sweeping changes will be made to the league office in 2018, including changes to football operations at the upper-management level across several departments.
- There is “growing support” among league owners for reverting to the pre-2009 gameday operations schedule, which means that players would not be mandated to be on the sidelines for the national anthem at primetime games. Owners are also considering making the anthem earlier, at a time when the sidelines are often vacant.
Will Andrew Luck Require More Surgery?
Even though he has been on IR since November 2, we continue to get regular reports on Andrew Luck‘s status. We learned last week that the Colts’ star QB is “doing fine” with the medical treatments that he is receiving in Europe, and today, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com offers more insight into Luck’s future.
Per Mortensen (Twitter links), Luck will return from Europe soon, and when he does, he will resume a throwing regimen that will ultimately determine whether he needs surgery on his biceps tendon. Mortensen explains that, if Luck feels pain when he starts throwing again, a procedure known as tenodesis will become an option. Medical experts say that tenodesis patients face a three-t0-six month recovery, so the team is hoping to make a decision in that regard by mid-January at the latest.
Luck is optimistic that he will be able to avoid such a procedure, and that his European treatments will resolve the shoulder problems that have been ailing him for some time. But despite similar optimism this year, he was never able to get back on the field, which is obviously cause for concern. After all, not only does Luck represent the team’s best chance to capture a championship in the near future, his massive contract would be pretty difficult to absorb if he cannot get back to full strength.
In addition to the uncertainty surrounding Luck, the Colts are also expected to fire head coach Chuck Pagano after the season. Although the Indianapolis gig is widely regarded as a desirable one, the Luck situation could make top-tier head coaching candidates have second thoughts.