Breer’s Latest: Lions, Manning, Hardy, Brady
As he does each week, Albert Breer of NFL.com spoke with several executives and scouts around the league, delving into some of the pertinent topics in the NFL heading into Week 8. Let’s dive in…
- The Lions made several changes to their coaching staff this week, including firing their offensive coordinator, but there could be more staff alterations on the horizon, per Breer. Martha Ford, the owner of the club, didn’t play a role in hiring head coach Jim Caldwell, so his status going forward remains unclear. Additionally, if the rest of the coaching staff is terminated after the conclusion of the season, it’s likely that the front office, including GM Martin Mayhew, would be fired as well, adds Breer.
- Peyton Manning is in the middle of the worst season of his career, and some personnel men feel the veteran Broncos quarterback’s play might stagnate even more as the weather gets colder. “I thought it was pretty clear he’s not the same guy, and he’ll probably never be the same guy,” one AFC scout told Breer. “Now, it’s a matter of whether they can function the offense well enough with him. And with that defense, they can,” added the scout, noting the importance of Denver’s run game as an aid to Manning.
- The uproar surrounding Greg Hardy‘s recent behavior is nothing new — as evidenced by his run-ins with the law that caused him to miss nearly all of the 2014 season — and Breer writes that concerns about Hardy’s off-the-field behavior date back to his college days at Ole Miss. Once he entered the league in 2010, Panthers teammates would often have to ensure that Hardy simply made it to practice. As one source noted about the Cowboys defensive end: “You never know what you’re gonna get.”
- Following the NFL’s filing of a brief to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the Tom Brady appeal decision, the court announced that the hearing would take place on February 1 — the Monday of Super Bowl week. The NFLPA, unsurprisingly, finds the decision “alarming” (in the words of union spokesman George Atallah), while the league indicated it would comply with the schedule handed down by the court.
- Noting the gap in appeal between NFL and NCAA head coaching jobs isn’t what it once was, Breer puts together a preliminary list of NFL candidates who might be interested in moving to the college ranks, including the Colts‘ Rob Chudzinski, Bengals OC Hue Jackson, and Bills OC Greg Roman.
West Notes: Raiders, Cardinals, Broncos
After enduring three years of losing, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie is finally starting to see his rebuilding plan pay off a little, writes Josh Dubow of The Associated Press. With young players like Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack contributing significantly to an improved Raiders team, McKenzie suggests that he and the club has to “take the punches” for a few years.
“The key was really looking at the big picture, not get so down on myself and the team at that point knowing what was ahead of me,” McKenzie said. “It wasn’t easy. I’m used to being in the playoffs. I haven’t been since I’ve been here. That’s the goal.”
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s West divisions:
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at how the Raiders‘ roster and cap management got the team to this spot, and speculates on what the next move is for Oakland.
- Cardinals GM Steve Keim told Arizona Sports 98.7 that he’s gearing up to speak to agents about contract extensions, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. Keim didn’t specify which players he’ll be targeting, but one can speculate that veterans like Chris Johnson and Jermaine Gresham – both on one-year deals – are candidates. Defensive backs Justin Bethel, Rashad Johnson, and Jerraud Powers are also potentially heading toward the open market.
- Asked in a mailbag about the possibility of the Broncos and Bears working out a trade, perhaps for a player like running back Matt Forte, Mike Klis of 9News says he can’t see John Fox and Adam Gase wanting to do a deal that would help the Broncos win a Super Bowl. Fox and Gase, of course, are in their first year with the Bears, having left Denver last offseason.
- According to NFL executive Eric Grubman, the league as a whole is negotiating with the St. Louis task force about its stadium plan for the Rams, as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details. Grubman on the NFL’s response to the task force’s term sheet: “We have some questions about the term sheet which we hope to get answered over the course of the next couple of days or week, and I think probably next week and the weeks after, we’ll be in discussions with the task force.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/27/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves:
- The Broncos released nose tackle Marvin Austin from injured reserve,Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets.
- The Rams signed safety Christian Bryant, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Chargers released center J.D. Walton, as Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Texans promoted safety Kurtis Drummond from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets.
- The Rams have promoted defensive tackle Doug Worthington to the active roster from the practice squad and released Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
- The Colts have elevated wide receiver Quan Bray to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and waived safety Dewey McDonald, as Kevin Bowen of Colts.com tweets.
- The Vikings have promoted linebacker Brandon Watts to the active roster, as Andrew Krammer of 1500 ESPN tweets. In a related move, cornerback Jabari Price has been placed on IR.
- The Falcons will bring back safety Charles Godfrey again and release linebacker Allen Bradford, who was inactive this weekend against the Titans, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
Sunday Roundup: Mallett, Trades, Guion
Ryan Mallett missed the Texans‘ team charter to Miami Saturday and had to make the trip via commercial airline, per Karen Warren of The Houston Chronicle. Mallett is in uniform and will be the team’s No. 2 quarterback today, as expected–the Texans do not have another quarterback on the roster–but he will certainly be fined, and his future with the club has never been more in doubt. Mallett, who also missed a training camp practice this year–he said his cell phone battery died, so his cell phone alarm would not go off–is due $2.5MM in 2016, the second year of his two-year contract, but Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle believes the team will cut ties with Mallett after the 2015 season (Twitter link). If Tom Savage was not on injured reserve, Warren says it would not be a surprise if Mallett was cut today.
Now for some more links from around the league:
- The Bears‘ Matt Forte, the 49ers‘ Vernon Davis, and the Falcons‘ Roddy White have been the biggest names included in this year’s trade rumors, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Kevin Patra of NFL.com) does not believe any of the three will be traded, and he sets forth his rationale for why each will stay with their current clubs for the remainder of 2015.
- According to Rapoport (via Twitter), there are three notable college coaches who would be open to an NFL head coaching job after this season: UCLA’s Jim Mora, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly, and Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin. In a separate tweet, Rapoport notes that NFL GMs believe Kelly would be an especially good fit with the Giants, if Big Blue has a head coaching vacancy after 2015.
- Earlier this year, Johnny Manziel was saying and doing all the right things, and he had earned considerable praise for his on- and off-field behavior and for apparently turning his life around. But after an alcohol-related incident that culminated in an encounter with police several weeks ago–an incident for which he will not be facing any charges–questions about his future in the league have resurfaced. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Browns officials had been bracing for some sort of negative publicity, as Manziel’s demeanor and dedication had taken a turn for the worse after Josh McCown returned from injury to reclaim the starting quarterback job from Manziel, who led the club for one week. Some within the organization have been hoping to part ways with Manziel for some time, and this latest development will give that contingent a little more ammunition, as they have further proof that Manziel is not a team-first type of player.
- Packers DT Letroy Guion‘s recent legal troubles have been well-documented, but according to Michael Cohen and John Diedrich of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Guion has faced domestic violence charges as well, which had previously gone unreported. In two of the three cases brought against Guion, the charges were dropped, and in the third, Guion paid restitution to avoid additional penalties. He has been accused of stalking and of hitting the mother of his child in the jaw. Those incidents occurred from 2011 to 2013 when Guion was with the Vikings, and if it turns out he never reported the charges to the club, he could face further discipline from the league.
- The Bears are actively scouting college quarterbacks as they prepare for the post-Jay Cutler era, and Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune examines two potential targets, California’s Jared Goff and Michigan State’s Connor Cook, in detail.
- Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post examines in detail how Broncos GM John Elway has methodically constructed Denver’s defense, which has been the league’s best in 2015.
AFC Notes: Pagano, Jags, Titans, Broncos
Rumors have persisted that Colts coach Chuck Pagano is fighting to keep his job. While the rumors seemingly haven’t fazed the team, the players certainly recognize their coach’s questionable job security.
“Every team has adversity,” cornerback Vontae Davis told Stephen Holder of IndyStar.com. “If the job was easy, then everybody could be a head coach. I think he’s the man for the job.”
Offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo echoed that sentiment.
“He doesn’t bring any of that in here,” he said. “I actually don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
Let’s check out some more notes from around the AFC…
- Michael DiRocco reports that Jaguars wideout Marqise Lee is one setback away from landing on the injured reserve. The second-year player has only played in two games this season, but the organization isn’t ready to just cut bate from the former second-rounder.
- With Titans running back David Cobb set to return from injury, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com wonders if Terrance West could be the odd man out. The team swapped a conditional draft pick for the former Browns running back, but West still hasn’t appeared in enough games for that to matter.
- Peyton Manning and the Broncos are struggling offensively, finding it difficult to run the football and getting little production from their tight ends. Owen Daniels should have a chance to get healthy during the bye week and be more productive coming out of it, but if he’s not, Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests the team seriously consider trading for Vernon Davis, Jared Cook, or Martellus Bennett.
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
West Rumors: Jenkins, 49ers, St. Louis
Three of the four Rams‘ starting defensive backs are eligible for free agency after the 2015 season, and cornerback Janoris Jenkins is perhaps the most notable of the free-agents-to-be. According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the team has had ongoing discussions with Jenkins’ agent since the spring, making a contract offer to the cornerback last week during St. Louis’ bye. Still, it sounds like Jenkins may want to test the market this winter.
“I’m not talking about the contract,” Jenkins said. “I ended that last week, when they gave me those numbers. It was something I didn’t want to hear. I ended it just like that. I’ll play it out. I’m gonna bet on myself.”
Let’s check in on a few other items from out of the NFL’s West divisions….
- The 49ers‘ loss to Seattle on Thursday night is the kind of game that “has to send people back to the drawing board,” according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who has heard whispers that “something big” could happen in San Francisco. “I don’t know what it’s going to be. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but clearly the 49ers can’t go on this way,” Maiocco said, adding: “There are a lot of very upset people in the 49ers organization.”
- After the 49ers‘ latest loss, it’s becoming clear that the club is in a rebuilding year, writes Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Several St. Louis aldermen are introducing a bill at a Friday board meeting that would call for a public vote before allowing the city to spend approximately $150MM on a new stadium, says David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to Hunn, the mayor’s office has cautioned that such a bill could kill plans to build a new stadium for the Rams or another NFL team.
- In his look at the most important additions of the Broncos’ offseason, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post identifies safety Darian Stewart as “a big upgrade” over former starter Rahim Moore, and praises defensive coordinator Wade Phillips for turning Denver’s D from good to great.
Workout Notes: Titans, Brown, Johnson, Dixon
Just over seven months after he announced his retirement from the NFL, cornerback Cortland Finnegan had a workout today with the Patriots. Finnegan, 31, was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. As such, it came as a bit of a surprise when Miami inked the former Ram to a two-year, $11MM deal in 2014. He might not be worthy of that kind of pay, but he could make for an intriguing depth option for the Pats or another team.
Here’s a rundown of today’s other workouts from around the NFL, with all links going to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post on Twitter, unless noted otherwise..
- The Titans worked out running backs Bryce Brown, Storm Johnson, George Arkinson and quarterback Michael German (link).
- Safety Ahmad Dixon worked out for the Bengals today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Falcons worked out linebackers Emmanuel Acho, Carlos Fields, Khaseem Greene, and Ronald Powell (link).
- The Panthers tried out Nate Askew, Chykie Brown, Bradley Fletcher, Connor Hamlett, Douglas McNeil, Bear Pascoe, and cornerback Cassius Vaughn (Twitter links).
- The Bears worked out defensive backs Ri’Shard Anderson, Robert McClain, Brandian Ross, and Pierre Warren (link).
- The Broncos worked out Harold Spears, Paul Browning, DaVaris Daniels, Sage Harold, John Lowdermilk, Andrew McDonald, and Ryan Murphy (Twitter links).
- The Lions worked out Desmond Martin and Corey Washington (link).
- The Colts worked out Carrington Byndom and Jeromy Miles (link).
- The Dolphins worked out defensive backs Garry Peters and Kevin White (link).
- The Jaguars worked out wide receivers Jordan Leslie, Uzoma Nwachukwu, and L’Damian Washington (link).
- The Vikings worked out defensive lineman Chigbo Anunoby (link).
- The Patriots worked out center Jared Smith (link).
- The Jets worked out Greg Scruggs and Marcus Lucas (link).
- The Seahawks worked out Darius Eubanks, Danny Gorrer, Damaris Johnson, Nick Kasa, Horace Miller, Dontay Moch, Tyler Slavin, Matthew Wells (link). They also hosted Harold Spears and Dax Swanson (link).
- Washington worked out Tommy Streeter, Nick Harwell, Anthony Johnson, Toby Johnson, Ronald Powell, Kelcy Quarles, and Julius Warmsley (link).
Community Tailgate: Undefeated NFL Teams
As the NFL season nears its halfway point, there are plenty of topics and storylines to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those stories. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. We’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.
Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.
While no NFL team is in danger of going 0-16 this season, there are a handful of teams whose hopes of a 16-0 campaign are still alive. Through six weeks, an impressive five teams remain undefeated, with three of those clubs holding a 6-0 record. The three 6-0 teams are the Broncos, the Bengals, and the Packers, while the Patriots and Panthers sit atop their respective divisions with 5-0 records.
Green Bay and Denver, typically offensive powerhouses led by Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning, have been buoyed by their defense in the early going, each limiting opposing teams to about 17 points per game. Cincinnati and New England, meanwhile, have dominated on the offensive side of the ball, with the Bengals averaging over 30 points per contest, while the Pats put up nearly 37 a game. The final undefeated club, Carolina, had its first statement win in Week 6, defeating the Seahawks in Seattle, thanks to an impressive showing from Cam Newton.
All five teams look very likely to make the postseason, and it’s possible that one will even make a run at an undefeated season. But not all five are created equal. What do you think? Which of the five undefeated clubs looks the strongest, or the weakest? How would you rank these five teams at this point in the season, and going forward?
Weigh in below in the comments section to let us know your thoughts!
AFC Notes: Jags, K. Williams, Pouncey, Bills
The Jaguars‘ current agreement to play one home game per season in London expires in 2016, but it sounds like team owner Shad Khan, along with the NFL, may be getting ready to make an announcement on that subject. According to Conor Orr of NFL.com, Khan said he didn’t “want to scoop anything,” but hinted that an announcement regarding a new agreement for the Jaguars’ international games may be forthcoming.
As we wait for news on the Jags, let’s round up a few more AFC notes…
- Speaking to reporters today in London, Bills head coach Rex Ryan acknowledged that Kyle Williams‘ knee injury is “significant,” as Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets. Williams is currently expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks with a PCL issue, though Ryan’s comments may suggest that the injury is even more serious.
- Reports last week indicated that Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey was expected to undergo a second operation, potentially jeopardizing his season. However, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Pouncey didn’t undergo a second procedure on his broken left fibula, and Tomlin is still expecting the veteran center to return this season, writes Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- In a piece for CBSSports.com, former agent Joel Corry eyes 12 teams with potential quarterback instability on the horizon, identifying the Broncos, Chiefs, Jets, Texans, Browns, and Bills as the AFC teams without a long-term option set in stone.
- Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin, who remains on the non-football injury list for now, appears ready to return to practice today, and could be activated to Buffalo’s 53-man roster if and when the team determines he’s ready, says Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.
AFC Notes: Broncos, Mariota, Yanda
In case you were too busy watching playoff baseball, here are a few AFC stories you might have missed this Tuesday:
- The Broncos are being held back by more than quarterback Peyton Manning, and people around the league tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) that they believe Denver should trade for a tight end. Cole has heard the name of Rams tight end Jared Cook mentioned as someone who would be a good fit, but it’s unknown whether St. Louis would entertain trade offers. 49ers tight end Vernon Davis could be another player that would make sense for Denver.
- The Titans are willing to give quarterback Marcus Mariota extra time to heal up, since they feel comfortable with using Zach Mettenberger as a fill-in, according to Cole (video link). Not only do the Titans feel that Mettenberger can be a capable quarterback in the short-term, but they are also eager to get him out there so that he can show his stuff to other teams in need of a quarterback. If Mettenberger looks good under center, he’ll increase his trade value and Tennessee could get something of worth in return for him.
- Marshal Yanda‘s contract extension is a win-win for the Ravens and the Pro Bowl guard, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun writes. Yanda inked a four-year, $37.4MM extension late last week, giving him $17.8MM in guaranteed cash. The deal doesn’t make him the highest-paid guard in the league, but it did give him additional financial security. As for the Ravens, they were able to lock up a four-time Pro Bowl selection and prevent him from hitting the open market. Yanda was due to become a free agent following the season.