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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

AFC Notes: Patriots, Grigson, Thomas

November 1st, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Patriots have been very active in midseason trades in recent years, but playing on Thursday didn’t give them a big advantage in terms of trade talks ahead of the Tuesday deadline this year, writes Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. “Teams are involved with games here, yesterday, today, so even though we had a little time, I’d say teams have their rosters set for this game and probably wouldn’t want to do something, maybe a disruptive move at the end of the week,” Belichick said. “I don’t really think there’s not too much talk going on in the league. We’ll see what happens next week.”

Here are some other notes from around the AFC:

  • Reports that Andrew Luck has been playing through broken ribs for much of this season has forced Colts general manager Ryan Grigson to defend his injury reports, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Colts have been accused of not accurately communicating player injuries with the league in wake of the Luck news. “Our injury reports are accurate,” Grigson said. “If people have any questions about player injuries, they should refer to our injury reports.”
  • Browns All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas may be on the trading block, but that doesn’t mean he is looking to get out of Cleveland. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that Thomas does not want to be traded. “I’m not a quitter,” said Thomas. “I’m not a guy that gives up on my goals and my goal from day one was to be part of the turnaround here and that hasn’t changed.”

La Canfora’s Latest: Colts, Texans, Trades

November 1st, 2015 at 9:02am CST by Sam Robinson

With 2015 shaping up to be Chuck Pagano‘s last in Indianapolis, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes, the Miami Hurricanes job could be in play for the fourth-year coach.

The rest of the Colts‘ staffers are set for an uncertain future, with Jim Irsay considering changes after the thus-far-underwhelming team’s Week 10 bye.

Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton‘s job is on the line. Pagano, per La Canfora, wanted associate head coach Rob Chudzinski to run the offense, and longtime organizational staffer Clyde Christensen also looms as an OC candidate in the event Pagano’s preferences are no longer relevant.

Pagano’s Miami connection stems from being the Hurricanes’ secondary coach from 1995-2000.

Irsay hopes to lure a top head-coaching candidate to Indianapolis next year, and that would mean GM Ryan Grigson would almost certainly be shown the door, the CBS reporter notes.

Here are some additional notes from La Canfora on Week 8 Sunday.

  • The schism that formed in Houston recently between Bill O’Brien and GM Rick Smith regarding now-ex-Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett will lead to a change in the organization’s power structure, La Canfora reports. The ninth-year GM could see a reassignment if O’Brien is to assume more control, as he’s used to the head coach having from his years with the Patriots. The present setup involves both O’Brien and Smith reporting to owner Bob McNair separately, and McNair doesn’t see that as a sustainable model in light of the Mallett incident. It’s caused a divide within the organization, sources told La Canfora. “It’s gone from a slow drip to a waterfall,” a team source told the CBS scribe, describing the rift that’s become off-putting for McNair.
  • Matt Forte and Brian Cushing are available for trades, La Canfora notes, mentioning the Bears, Texans and 49ers as the teams most likely to operate as sellers in advance of the Nov. 3 trade deadline. The 49ers have also entertained teams’ interest on offensive lineman Alex Boone and have fielded calls on Vernon Davis. The Seahawks are a team that is willing to trade a depth piece to acquire an offensive lineman to help fix their biggest issue, La Canfora reports. The Ravens and Chargers, despite carrying 11 losses between them, are viewed as being more hesitant to sell off veterans.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Texans, Broncos, Workouts

October 31st, 2015 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the possibility of losing the Raiders again continues to loom over the city, Oakland is continuing to formulate solutions on a path to a new stadium.

Mayor Libby Schaaf has initiated a process of bringing to light yet another stadium proposal with the goal of having it ready to present in the next couple of weeks, per Phil Matier and Andy Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle, who write this operation’s plan is to present this proposal to a special league committee — rather than the owners — by December.

Despite bringing in a consulting firm, Schaaf faces an uphill battle in procuring a land deal that will please the parties involved. The Raiders’ believing they should not have to pay for that part of the process is not sitting well with the city or Alameda County, Matier and Ross note.

The Bay Area scribes, however, hear that Oakland has the trump card in this standoff: the fact that Raiders owner Mark Davis does not have the votes to move and is lagging behind the Rams and Chargers, the latter once agreeing on a significant partnership for a Carson, Calif.-based stadium, in the Los Angeles sweepstakes.

The league desires a wealthier owner that will make an L.A. return profitable, per the Chronicle’s investigative-reporting tandem, and Davis doesn’t match up. He’s in the process of taking on a partner to help aid this potential relocation financially.

Let’s look at some additional AFC items.

  • Ryan Mallett remains eligible to collect $1.47MM from the Texans in termination pay, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. The Texans are carrying this figure on their 2015 payroll after extracting themselves from the two-year, $7.01MM contract they signed Mallett to in March. The reeling signal-caller can file for his remaining 10 game checks, each totaling $147K+, but the Texans are not on the hook for any money in 2016.
  • Bill O’Brien and GM Rick Smith‘s indecisiveness on their quarterback situation should put their jobs at risk, writes the Chronicle’s Jerome Solomon.
  • In advance of a matchup with the 6-0 Packers, the Broncos‘ coaching staff was noticeably stricter this week, players told Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post
  • The Colts kicked the tires on former free agent acquisition and starting guard Donald Thomas today, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Thomas played two games for Indianapolis in 2013 before suffering a season-ending injury. The former Patriots lineman sustained another in 2014, and the Colts cut his comeback short when they released him before the season.
  • The Jets worked out former Chiefs center and sixth-round pick Eric Kush on Friday, Wilson reports (on Twitter). Current Kansas City center Mitch Morse beat out Kush for the position this summer.
  • The Browns brought in defensive tackles Joe Vellano, Terry Williams and Toby Johnson for workouts this week, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
  • J.R. Tavai worked out for the Titans this week, Wilson tweets. The rookie outside linebacker who the Titans cut just before the season also tried out for the Packers earlier this week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/31/15

October 31st, 2015 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves:

  • The Dolphins placed Cameron Wake on season-ending injured reserve after the star pass-rusher tore his Achilles’ tendon against the Patriots on Thursday night, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets. The four-time Pro Bowler will be 34 next season.
  • In addition, the Dolphins pilfered one of their AFC rivals’ practice squad players in signing tackle Ulrick John from the Colts‘ 10-man taxi unit, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter). A seventh-round pick of Indianapolis’ last year, John’s been with the Colts since last season but hasn’t received any game action. Miami’s now dealing with the loss of starting right tackle Ja’Wuan James for several weeks, creating the need for an extra man at the position.
  • The Raiders promoted linebacker Korey Toomer to their 53-man roster and cut defensive end Shelby Harris, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). A fifth-round pick of the Seahawks’ in 2012, Toomer played in eight games with the Rams and Cowboys last season. Per the Associated Press’ Josh Dubow (via Twitter), Toomer has 139 career special teams snaps and no defensive plays on his resume.
  • With J.T. Thomas out for Sunday’s Week 8 game and Jon Beason questionable, the Giants signed linebacker James Morris off their practice squad and cut cornerback Brandon McGee, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports (on Twitter). The 24-year-old Morris spent time with the Patriots last year prior to landing on the Giants’ practice squad. He’s yet to suit up in a game.
  • The Titans made a repeat transaction in signing wide receiver Rico Richardson from their practice squad and cutting tight end Chase Coffman to make room, Jim Wyatt of Titans Online tweets. Cut earlier this week in favor of Coffman, Richardson will be needed for depth purposes for a second straight Sunday, with Harry Douglas out again with a rib injury, Wyatt reports (on Twitter).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/31/15

October 31st, 2015 at 1:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are Saturday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Breer’s Latest: Lions, Manning, Hardy, Brady

October 30th, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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.

AFC Notes: Mallett, Jets, Luck

October 28th, 2015 at 9:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight’s look at the AFC:

  • Speaking today to reporters, including John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien downplayed the idea that he and GM Rick Smith had a confrontation over Ryan Mallett‘s place on the team this week. Acknowledging that there are occasional disagreements between the two men, O’Brien said that “the majority of the time we agree,” adding that he and Smith “work together and communicate every day,” and aren’t engaged in any sort of power struggle.
  • Jets first-round pick Leonard Williams wasn’t shocked when the Raiders selected Amari Cooper instead of him at No. 3 in this year’s draft. “I wasn’t too surprised,” Williams said, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. “Everyone watches those pre-draft analysis and stuff like that, but it’s never completely accurate. I did think I was going to go top three or something like that, but I think it worked out pretty well that I came to the Jets. I’m under a lot of great players to learn from Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, Damon Harrison, those guys have been able to take me under their wing and show me a lot of stuff.”
  • Some have speculated that Andrew Luck returned to Stanford for a fourth year to avoid going to the Panthers with the first pick of the 2011 draft. On Wednesday, the Colts quarterback shot that theory down, as David Newton of ESPN.com writes. “Absolutely not,” the first pick of the 2012 draft said. “And I hope people don’t think that.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Workout Notes: Saints, Seahawks, Jaguars

October 28th, 2015 at 5:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s workouts from around the NFL..

  • The Jets worked out defensive end Lawrence Okoye, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Okoye, a former University of Kentucky discus hurler, had previous stops with the 49ers and Cardinals.

Earlier updates:

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/27/15

October 27th, 2015 at 4:11pm CST by Zachary Links

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.
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