Jay Cutler Unhappy With Coaching Staff
Earlier this week, Bears’ offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer was revealed to have spoken to the media about the organization’s doubts of quarterback Jay Cutler‘s abilities as the signal caller in Chicago. Despite a public apology, Cutler is extremely unhappy with the coaching situation, writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
Cutler’s contract is guaranteed at least through 2015, and there is an expectation on his part that staffing changes will occur in the offseason, according to La Canfora. Due to the comments made by Kromer, La Canfora believes that organization will have grounds to fire him with cause.
Kromer’s job was not safe to begin with, amidst reports that head coach Marc Trestman is already on the hot seat. The Bears would most likely be reluctant to fire a coaching staff only two seasons into its tenure, but the recent unrest could convince them otherwise. If there is a serious rift between the coaching staff and Cutler, it might be logical to move on from one of the two, and Trestman could lose that battle.
Trestman has not only upset his quarterback, but possibly his entire team. Reports that Trestman addresses the team from behind in meetings, and the tremendous focus on offense might be growing tired, especially considering the lack of success on that side of the ball and overall. With a number of problems surfacing for Trestman, Kromer’s comments may be the last straw that brings a short and uneven NFL coaching career to an early end.
North Notes: Cutler, Leonhard, Peterson
Tonight’s look at the North divisions..
- We could see the emergence of a possibly intriguing quarterback trade market, as Bill Barnwell of Grantland writes. That includes Bears signal caller Jay Cutler, whom management is reportedly having buyer’s remorse over. If the Bears did decide to put him on the block, Cutler would likely be the most talented and most highly-regarded QB available. Teams looking for a quarterback like the Jets, Texans, and Titans could all have interest.
- It sounds like Browns coach Mike Pettine will try to convince Jim Leonhard out of retiring this offseason, writes Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “We’ll cross that bridge at some point,” said Pettine, with a smile, when asked if he’ll make a plea to the veteran safety. Leonhard has played at each stop on Pettine’s NFL resume. He played for the Ravens during Pettine’s final season as their outside linebackers coach, the Jets in three of Pettine’s four seasons as their defensive coordinator, and the Bills last season when Pettine was their defensive coordinator.
- Adrian Peterson is considering retirement but all things considered, Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune feels that a return to the Vikings remains likely. Peterson has also been connected to the Cowboys, but Hartman can’t envision the Cowboys letting Murray go in favor of AD.
NFC Notes: Bears, Saints, Giants
The Aaron Kromer saga continues in Chicago. It was revealed yesterday that the Bears offensive coordinator was the anonymous source who claimed the organization had doubts about Jay Cutler as their quarterback. Kromer eventually addressed those comments (via ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright):
“I made a very poor decision of talking about things outside the building and I admit that, can’t take that back. But I recognize I made a mistake. When I did, [I] instantly went right to the offensive unit and apologized as well as apologized to Jay in front of the offense that he was singled out in the situation. I wish I wouldn’t have made that mistake. It’s happened, and we’re a group and a unit. We worked it out together. The rest will be handled internally, and we’ll work through that.”
Meanwhile, head coach Marc Trestman gave a brief opinion on the situation:
“I was clearly disappointed with Aaron. He clearly knows what he did was wrong.”
Let’s take a look at some other assorted notes from around the NFC…
- A couple of teams had their eye on Bears quarterback David Fales prior to his promotion from the practice squad. Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times says (via Twitter) that the Patriots and Chargers had interest in the sixth-round pick.
- Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweeted a list of players who tried out for the Saints: kicker Dustin Hopkins and wide receivers Michael Campbell, Danny Coale, Willie Snead and Ifeanyi Momah.
- Saints coach Sean Payton dismissed reports that he’d be a candidate for the open Michigan job, stating he has “no interest in any other job but this one” (via team’s Twitter).
- Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News explored the Giants draft options outside of the quarterback position. The writer mentioned Nebraska defensive lineman Randy Gregory, Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, Alabama wideout Amari Cooper, and Alabama safety Landon Collins.
Minor Moves: Saturday
Here are Saturday’s minor moves, with the most recent transactions added to the top of the list:
- The Packers have placed backup linebacker Jamari Lattimore on the injured reserve, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo. The team will promote safety Chris Banjo from the practice squad to take the open roster space (also via Garafolo).
- The Dolphins have promoted defensive back T.J. Heath, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. The former Jacksonville State standout previously spent time with the Jaguars, Bengals, Bills and Browns.
- The Seahawks have released cornerback Kennard Cox from their practice squad, tweets The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. Taking his place will be linebacker Allen Bradford, who was cut from the team’s active roster earlier this week.
Earlier updates:
- The Raiders have signed safety Ras-I Dowling and linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu to the active roster from the practice squad, according to the team website. They have also placed safety Larry Asante on the reserved/injured list.
- The Ravens have promoted running back Fitzgerald Toussaint from the practice squad to the active roster, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The team has placed offensive tackle Jah Reid on injured reserve after re-aggravating a hand injury (via Twitter).
- The Bears have placed linebacker Darryl Sharpton on the injured reserve list, and signed quarterback David Fales to the active roster, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).
- The Browns have signed former Saints‘ kicker Garrett Hartley, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter). The team has released kicker Billy Cundiff with an injury settlement (via Twitter).
- The Panthers have promoted linebacker Kevin Reddick from their practice squad and have waived linebacker Horace Miller, according to team’s official Twitter page.
Extra Points: Saints, Kromer, Patriots, Lions
The Saints are known for pushing the limits of the NFL’s salary cap, and the club will have some tough decisions to make prior to the 2015 season, as Bill Barnwell of Grantland and Mike Triplett of ESPN.com outline. For his part, Barnwell classifies New Orleans’ offseason strategies as high-variance — when the team hits on free agents, the plan works, but when new additions struggle, the scheme fails. While Barnwell believes that the Saints will be in “salary cap hell” when Drew Brees‘ play begins to deteroriate, Triplett thinks it’s possible that the team continues with its current tactics, cutting players and restructuring contracts year-after-year in order to create financial relief. Here’s more from around the league…
- In his latest notes column for NFL.com, Albert Breer looks at some potential general manager candidates, looks at the free agency case of Patriots safety Devin McCourty, and points to the Falcons head-coaching job as perhaps the most desirable position that could be available this offseason.
- Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer isn’t considering resigning after revealing that he was the source for a story that painted Jay Cutler in a negative light, tweets Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.
- The Patriots worked out former LSU defensive back Delvin Breaux, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Breaux, 24, currently plays for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. As Reiss notes, New England could be looking at players to sign to reserve/futures contracts.
- Rugby star Jarryd Hayne visited with the Lions today, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Hayne, who has also met with the 49ers and Seahawks, is trying to start his NFL career as a running back.
Extra Points: Bears, Stanton, Draft, Conduct
Last week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that the Bears are having serious doubts about Jay Cutler going forward. In a bizarre twist, offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer confessed to the team that he was the anonymous source for parts of the report and apologized for his actions, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. One source said that Cutler shook his head during Kromer’s apology and two players that spoke with Biggs were stunned by what they had witnessed. Head coach Marc Trestman, Kromer, and others on the staff could be on the hot seat this offseason.
- Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton has been diagnosed with a sprained ACL and MCL, according to Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 in Arizona (Twitter link). As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the injury isn’t expected to end the 2014 season for Standon, who is considered week to week. That’s good news for the Cards, who will hope to have the QB back in time for their first playoff game.
- Three NCAA underclassmen – Tulane cornerback Lorenzo Doss (Twitter link), Syracuse safety Durell Eskridge (Instagram link), and Virginia defensive end Eli Harold (Twitter link) – announced via social media this week that they’ll leave school early to enter the 2015 NFL draft.
- The NFLPA and its leaders may not like the league’s new, more “robust” conduct policy, but they only have themselves to blame for ceding so much power to Roger Goodell and the NFL, writes Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.
- Giants co-owner John Mara tells Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com that the new conduct policy is “a step in the right direction” for the NFL, and also answered questions regarding the Ray Rice case and the pending Robert Mueller report.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Bears Put D.J. Williams On IR, Sign Montell Owens
In advance of Monday night’s game against the Saints, the Bears have made a change to their 53-man roster, placing veteran linebacker D.J. Williams on the injured reserve list and signing fullback Montell Owens to replace him, the team announced today (Twitter link).
Williams, whose season is over due to a neck injury, was the Bears’ primary middle linebacker this season, starting 12 games and appearing in 417 defensive snaps for the team. While he was solid for most of the year, he had his worst game of the season in Week 14, according to Pro Football Focus’ ratings (subscription required). Williams’ shaky run defense against the Cowboys earned him a -4.1 grade for the game, bringing his grade for the season down to -6.8.
As for Owens, the veteran fullback was released from the Lions’ injured reserve list earlier this week, having deemed fully healthy, and it didn’t take him long to find a new job. A two-time Pro Bowler as a special teamer with the Jaguars, Owens has 56 career carries for 292 yards and three touchdowns, but will likely play a complementary role on special teams – and perhaps offense – in Chicago.
Extra Points: Goodell, Raiders, JPP, Browns
On the same day the NFL announced that its owners have approved a new personal conduct policy for the league, Outside the Lines reporter Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN.com has published a story suggesting commissioner Roger Goodell‘s testimony during Ray Rice‘s suspension appeal hearing was inconsistent with his public statements.
On September 10, Goodell wrote a memo to the league’s 32 owners in which he said that “on multiple occasions, we asked the proper law enforcement authorities to share with us all relevant information, including any video of the [Rice elevator] incident.” However, the 631-page transcript of Rice’s appeal hearing, a copy of which was obtained by Outside the Lines, suggests that the NFL never actually formally requested the elevator video from the one law enforcement agency that actually had it, the Atlantic City Police Department.
With Goodell and the NFL once again under scrutiny for questionable handling of investigative and disciplinary matters, let’s round up a few other notes from around the league:
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Raiders have “a much better chance” of moving to Los Angeles in 2015 than he had realized, adding that the possibility of the team relocating from Oakland to L.A. is “very legitimate.”
- While NFL teams rarely let their starting quarterbacks reach the open market, the early returns for the teams that locked their QBs up this year haven’t been good, writes Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead. The Bears (Jay Cutler), Bengals (Andy Dalton), Chiefs (Alex Smith), and 49ers (Colin Kaepernick) likely aren’t thrilled with the new deals for their respective signal-callers, considering all four teams project to finish with worse records in 2014 than 2013.
- Asked about his impending free agency, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said he’d “love to be a Giant for life,” but isn’t sure yet how things will play out (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News).
- Although Browns kicker Billy Cundiff missed another key field goal on Sunday against the Colts, head coach Mike Pettine says Cundiff remains the team’s kicker, but “he knows he has to pick it up” (Twitter link via Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald).
- Adrian Peterson is still awaiting arbitrator Harold Henderson’s decision on his suspension appeal, and the Vikings running back continues to hold out hope that he’ll be able to return the field this season, NFLPA executive George Atallah tells Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion will be represented by Athletes First agents Andrew Kessler and Dave Dunn for the 2015 NFL draft, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal.
NFC North Notes: Tillman, Tate, Lions, Bears
Veteran Bears corner Charles Tillman has been on injured reserve since mid-September after tearing his triceps in Week 2, but the time off hasn’t lessened his urge to return to game action in 2015. “I would like to continue to play,” Tillman told ESPN 1000 today (link via Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com). “Right now, all I want to do is get healthy before I make a decision to retire or to continue to play. I have every intent of coming back and playing.” Additionally, the 12-year veteran won’t limit himself to only playing for Chicago. “I’m willing to play for all 32 organizations, whoever is interested,” said Tillman. “That’s the business side. Do I love Chicago? Yeah, but at the end of the day, if Chicago didn’t want me back and that team wanted me, or this team wanted me, or that team, yeah, I’ve got to go. They’re going to pay my bills. So, sorry.” Here’s more from the NFC North.
- With Jerick McKinnon now on injured reserve, Vikings running back Ben Tate could be in line for more carries, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Tate, whom Minnesota claimed from the Browns earlier this season, is due more than $46K per game in roster bonuses for each contest he’s active, so he has financial incentive to perform and remain a part of the club’s plans for the remaining three games.
- Lions rookie receiver T.J. Jones will remain on the PUP list, ending his season, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Jones, a sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame, began practicing three weeks ago after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. However, Detroit obviously doesn’t believe he’s healthy enough to play, and as Rothstein notes, the Lions have a bevy of receiver talent, meaning little playing time for Jones.
- Defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy, whose failed physical voided his waiver claim by the Seahawks earlier this month, worked out for the Bears today, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
Monday Roundup: QB Dilemmas, Pitta, Lewis
After predictably non-committal responses in his post-game press conference yesterday, Browns head coach Mike Pettine said today that “it’s natural to lean the other way” when considering who his starting quarterback should be moving forward (per ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon) The “other way” in this case is, of course, Johnny Manziel, whom Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer believes will get the nod over the struggling Brian Hoyer in next week’s matchup against Cincinnati.
Now for some more links from around the league:
- Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes that the Ravens expect Dennis Pitta to return in 2015 and that his second major hip injury will not force him into retirement.
- Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall supports quarterback Jay Cutler, but Marshall agrees with reports that the team is probably experiencing buyer’s remorse for Cutler’s contract, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.
- The Jets will work out cornerback Keith Lewis tomorrow, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (writing for the National Football Post).
- Rick Stroud of the Tampa Times writes that Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith will re-evaluate whether Josh McCown or Mike Glennon should be the bridge to the franchise quarterback that many believe the team will select with its first pick in next year’s draft. Stroud notes that Glennon, at least, could show enough in the season’s final three weeks to generate some trade interest, and an Associated Press report suggests that Tampa Bay could indeed turn to Glennon down the stretch.
- The Eagles‘ poor offensive showing against Seattle naturally generated a great deal of conversation regarding the team’s quarterback situation, especially with Nick Foles‘ return nearing, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. However, head coach Chip Kelly said simply, “I have no updates on Nick.”
- Like its division rivals, Washington has a quarterback dilemma on its hands, but Gary Mihoces of USA Today writes that head coach Jay Gruden will wait for an update on Colt McCoy‘s neck sprain before naming a starter for Week 15.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com looks at the players who saw their stock drop in Week 14, including, of course, Hoyer.