Patriots To Sign Dane Fletcher
The Patriots are bringing back a familiar face, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that linebacker Dane Fletcher is signing a one-year contract to return to New England. Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com first noted (via Twitter) that Fletcher was in attendance for the start of the team’s OTAs today.
Fletcher, 28, spent four years with the Pats before signing with the Buccaneers as a free agent a year ago. Appearing in all 16 games for Tampa Bay, Fletcher recorded 41 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 2014. While the linebacker logged 358 defensive snaps, he also contributed significantly on special teams, racking up 11 of his tackles in kick and punt coverage.
Reiss reported earlier this month, after Fletcher paid a visit to the Patriots, that there was a “good chance” the former Buc would end up signing with New England. By waiting until after May 12 to complete a deal, the Pats will ensure that Fletcher doesn’t count against their compensatory draft pick formula for 2016.
Latest On Tom Brady, DeflateGate
Tom Brady‘s appeal for his role in DeflateGate won’t be determined by Wednesday’s 10-day deadline, two people familiar with the situation tell Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press. The collective bargaining agreement calls for appeals to be scheduled within ten days of filing, but the league and the NFLPA can agree on delaying the hearing.
It’s not immediately clear why the hearing has been held off. One could speculate that the holiday weekend has delayed the process somewhat. There could also be out-of-hearing discussions between the two parties, though it’s hard to see a settlement coming together right now given the ugliness that has transpired over the last couple of weeks.
Brady is contesting a four-game suspension handed to him for his role in the Patriots’ scandal. The team is also paying a rather stiff penalty that includes $1MM in fines and the loss of two draft picks, one of which is a first-round selection.
Sunday Roundup: Garoppolo, Tebow, G. Smith
Let’s have a look at some links from around the league on this Sunday afternoon:
- One of the silver linings of Tom Brady‘s suspension, according to Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald, is that the Patriots will get the chance to see if second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is truly Brady’s heir apparent.
- Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer believes that not only will Tim Tebow make the Eagles‘ 53-man roster, he will suit up and he will play.
- Only Cincinnati has drafted more wide receivers than the Packers since 2005, which marked Ted Thompson‘s first year as Green Bay’s GM. Thompson has selected 16 wideouts during that time.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com says Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey did not undermine head coach Todd Bowles by proclaiming that Geno Smith would be the team’s starting quarterback, as Gailey was just reiterating what Bowles had said (in a less definitive manner) on prior occasions.
- Cimini does note that the Jets are bucking a historic trend by having Smith open the season as their starting signal-caller. Football Outsiders complied a list of 10 quarterbacks over the past 25 years who performed as poorly as Smith has in their first two seasons, and although most of them were named the starter going into their third year in the league, most were also first-round draft choices. Smith, of course, was a second-rounder. Out of the 10 players that Football Outsiders listed, only two, Jake Plummer and Trent Dilfer, experienced any sort of success in the league.
- Connor Hamlett, a tight end whom the Jaguars signed as an undrafted free agent earlier this month, indicated back in January that he was not going to pursue a professional football career. But Hamlett, per Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, says, “I just took some time off because I was banged up. I love the game of football, and I wanted to play. The whole [story] kind of got blown out of proportion.” Jacksonville had a “draft-worthy” grade on Hamlett, who has a good chance to make the club. O’Halloran says the Jags could keep as many as five tight ends on the roster.
- Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com says the Jaguars could release Toby Gerhart, but the ESPN scribe goes on to explain why he believes Gerhart will ultimately stay on the roster.
- Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune says the Buccaneers, who traded a fifth-round pick to Detroit last month in exchange for George Johnson–after signing Johnson to a three-year, $9MM offer sheet–fell in love with the defensive end while watching film of Lions games in preparation for last year’s matchup with Detroit. Had the Bucs not played the Lions in 2014, Johnson might not have found himself in Tampa Bay in 2015.
Goodell’s Comments Cloud Brady Appeal
A great deal of ink and cyberspace have been devoted to DeflateGate, which is far and away the biggest storyline of the offseason. Some pieces have applauded the Wells Report and the punishments levied against the Patriots and Tom Brady, while others have condemned the report’s alleged flaws and have accused the league of jumping to conclusions and “overreacting.” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, while he does not take a general stance on the scandal in his latest piece, does point out that commissioner Roger Goodell has injected unneeded confusion into Brady’s appeal with his recent comments.
Generally speaking, when a losing party notes an appeal to a higher court, the issue to be decided on appeal determines the standard of review that the higher court will apply. Sometimes, the court will apply a “de novo” standard, which essentially means that it ignores the lower court’s ruling entirely and considers all the evidence and arguments anew. But since Brady’s suspension stems from Article 46 of the labor deal, his appeal will be decided under an “arbitrary and capricious” standard, which means that the suspension will be upheld unless it was made on improper grounds or without any consideration of the relevant circumstances. Such a standard obviously provides a great deal of deference to the ruling of the lower tribunal, and since Goodell, for all intents and purposes, was the lower tribunal, one would think that the suspension would be affirmed.
However, the commissioner did cloud the matter when he said the following:
“We have a process here. It’s long established. I look forward to hearing directly from Tom. If there is new information or there’s information in helping us get this right, I want to hear directly from Tom on that.”
As Florio writes, an appellate tribunal reviewing an issue under an arbitrary and capricious standard cannot consider any “new information.” The only information that matters is the evidence and arguments already on the record. Although Goodell was probably hoping to demonstrate that he will be as fair as possible in considering Brady’s appeal, his comments only serve to undermine a process that has already been widely criticized. If Goodell is, in fact open to hearing “new” information, Florio writes that Brady should “ask to re-open the investigation, allowing Wells to do whatever it is that he charged the NFL millions of dollars to do, and then giving [Troy] Vincent a chance to reconsider the punishment, with Goodell waiting to review the matter on appeal.” But since that will not be happening, Goodell has unwittingly handed his critics another arrow to stick in their quiver.
Kraft Hopes He Helped Brady’s Appeal
Larry King appears to have loosened Adam Schefter’s grip on NFL breaking news, if only for a sequence on Saturday night.
The longtime broadcaster spoke with Robert Kraft, and the Patriots’ owner evidently revealed (Twitter link) he hoped by relenting on a potential battle with the NFL over the Pats’ Deflategate penalties that he helped Tom Brady in his own fight in a potential goodwill gesture.
If Kraft’s line of thinking is correct, perhaps lessening some of the animosity between the Patriots and commissioner Roger Goodell will influence the commissioner to consider some of the arguments put forth by Brady’s legal team in the embattled quarterback’s upcoming appeal. Or, in a more backroom-politics-style bargain, Kraft has some kind of assurance this action will induce a lessening of Brady’s ban.
Brady still faces a four-game ban. While that’s up in the air, the Patriots’ loss of a 2016 first-round pick and 2017 fourth-rounder is certain.
Extra Points: Texans, Jaguars, Bucs, Kraft
Let’s run down some bits and pieces from the league from Saturday.
- The Lions acquired Haloti Ngata via trade to plug one of their defensive tackle holes vacated by the departures of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, and CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora notes (on Twitter) Detroit could make a similar play to find more help on its defensive interior. Detroit picked Gabe Wright in Round 4 and signed Tyrunn Walker, he of one career start, from the Saints, so a need obviously remains.
- Blake Bortles‘ offseason development choice was working with the same motion analysis specialists Tom Brady has in the past, Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union writes. The columnist reports Bortles, who rushed for 345 yards as a rookie with the Jaguars, dropped from 250 pounds to 238.
- Jags remaining unsigned draft choices T.J. Yeldon and A.J. Cann should agree to terms this week during OTAs, Ryan O’Halloran of the Times-Union notes.
- The Texans are the favorites to be this year’s featured team on HBO’s Hard Knocks, reports ESPN.com’s Tania Ganguli (on Twitter).
- Johnthan Banks figures to present a tough challenge for veteran Mike Jenkins to reclaim his starting cornerback job alongside Alterraun Verner with the Buccaneers, writes ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinkas. Although Pro Football Focus doesn’t rate Banks, a starter for most of his two NFL slates, as a particularly good cover man (93rd among corners last year; subscription required), the third-year player did intercept four passes and deflect 10. A Pro Bowler with the Cowboys in 2009, Jenkins is entering his age-30 season. Although only on a one-year contract after not being tendered as a restricted free agent by Dallas, Sterling Moore should be in this conversation as well after his breakout 2014.
- Yasinkas also expects Charles Sims to give the suddenly mediocre Doug Martin a stiff challenge for the Bucs’ top ball-carrying job. Sims averaged just 2.8 yards per tote as a rookie in limited duty, while Martin averaged 3.7 per carry on 134 carries.
- Justin Smith‘s retirement didn’t exactly catch the 49ers in an experience sinkhole like Suh and Fairley’s did for the Lions, with Darnell Dockett and Glenn Dorsey (234 starts between them) fronting the competition. But other candidates loom in what could be more of a committee-type arrangement, writes the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch. First-round pick Arik Armstead and Tank Carradine are among those potentially able to supply depth after the loss of the unit’s leader. Dorsey rated ahead of the departed Ray McDonald — via PFF during his last healthy season in 2013, but both McDonald and Smith boasted top-flight marks last season.
- The Boston Globe’s Christopher L. Gasper argued Patriots owner Robert Kraft put his own legacy ahead of his team’s immediate future in withdrawing from a potential battle with commissioner Roger Goodell over the team’s Deflategate penalties. The Pats boss backed Goodell on the Saints’ Bountygate punishment and his initial ruling in the Ray Rice domestic-abuse incident before objecting to sanctions against his own team.
East Notes: Cameron, Shanahan, Patriots
As teams prepare for Phase 3 offseason workouts next week, here are some notes from various NFL destinations.
- Among the players who switched workplaces this offseason, Jordan Cameron is one whose skill set could reshape his new team’s capabilities, writes Matt Bowen of Bleacher Report. One of 2013’s breakout tight ends to change teams this year, along with Julius Thomas and Charles Clay, Cameron’s ability to line up in the slot or out wide and outwork second- and third-level defenders in the red zone could open up the Dolphins‘ playbook, Bowen opines. Of course, Cameron basically sat out in 2014 thanks to injury setbacks, creating a buyer-beware aura that gives this potential a notable caveat. Jets safety Calvin Pryor also appears on Bowen’s list, with the strong safety looming as a strong candidate to line up at linebacker in passing-down sets under new coach Todd Bowles.
- Former Washington coach Mike Shanahan remains steadfast in his pro-Kirk Cousins stance, going so far as to say the fourth-year quarterback “will be a big-time player for a lot of years,” per CSNWashington.com’s summation of Shanahan’s radio interview with 106.7 The Fan’s Grant and Danny Show. Cousins is just 2-7 in his career as a starter, including a 1-4 sample last season when the former fourth-round pick completed 61.5% of his passes.
- The ex-Broncos coach wasn’t as complimentary of free-falling former rookie of the year Robert Griffin III, however, seemingly calling the fourth-year quarterback’s work ethic into question — in adjusting to a pro-style offense — rather than his health record. “He’s got arm strength. He’s a very bright guy,” Shanahan said on WJFK in Washington (as summarized by NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling). “But he hasn’t done things that the NFL asks you to do, and it does take some growing pains to go through that.” Of course, as Wesseling points out, the former coach separating injuries from Griffin’s developmental struggles serves as a convenient explanation, considering Shanahan isn’t blameless regarding Griffin’s injury history.
- Longtime Patriots analyst Tom Curran of CSNNE.com continued his criticism of Roger Goodell‘s handling of Deflategate, labeling the investigation as one-dimensional without going into sufficient detail on the NFL’s procedures in this area.
- In his look at the state of the Eagles going into OTAs, the Philadelphia Enquirer’s Jeff McLane thinks it would be a shock if first-round pick Nelson Agholor didn’t become the team’s second-most-utilized receiver behind Jordan Matthews this season. The Philadelphia writer also predicts more positional versatility from the corps, with Matthews’ 92% slot usage set to fall, especially with Chip Kelly‘s assertion Agholor can handle inside and outside work after pigeon-holing departing Jeremy Maclin as strictly an outside target.
AFC Notes: Brady, Smith, Thomas, Heyward
Here are some items from around the AFC on Saturday with teams set to begin OTA sessions.
- The Broncos added two defensive linemen to push Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson in training camp and to likely spell the incumbents off the bench this season. But that depth could be in jeopardy after word surfaced of an investigation into Antonio Smith‘s alleged child abuse, writes longtime Broncos reporter Mike Klis of 9News. With the NFL showing it does not need the justice system to dole out significant punishment, Klis points out Smith now faces a battle to wear a Broncos uniform. Of the one-year, $2MM contract Smith signed in April, only his $500K signing bonus is guaranteed. Smith, 33, and Vance Walker are the only Broncos with NFL experience as 3-4 defensive ends.
- Facebook-frequenting Patriots fans have organized a “Free Tom Brady” rally set for Sunday at Gillette Stadium, according to CSNNE.com. The quarterback’s quest to not miss all of September due to his Deflategate-induced suspension endured a blow Friday when Roger Goodell refused to recuse himself from the future hall of famer’s appeal.
- After right quadricep tears forced season-ending surgeries for Colts guard Donald Thomas the past two years, his status is murky going into a third year of a four-year, $14MM contract. The soon-to-be-30-year-old cog’s inability to resume football activities yet, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, do not help his push to regain the starting left guard spot. Missing 30 of a possible 32 games since signing with the Colts in 2013, Thomas re-tore his quad last July and counts $3.75MM against the team’s cap this year. 2014 second-rounder Jack Mewhort manned the position last season.
- New Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler doesn’t figure to tinker too much with a successful blueprint, according to Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “I don’t think there are going to be too many changes,” Cameron Heyward told Varley. “It’s going to be the same details. We will have a couple of new wrinkles, but we won’t share them now.”
- The 2011 first-round defensive end also iterated a desire to play his entire career in Pittsburgh to Varley. A soon-to-be third-year starter, Heyward is set to be a free agent after the season, which will be played under the fifth-year option the team picked up in April. “The Steelers greats don’t go anywhere else. James (Harrison) did for a little bit, but he is already back. That is what I want to be, a Steelers great, and that means being here the rest of my life, football included and after,” Heyward said.
AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Tannehill, Pats
It remains to be seen how Jimmy Garoppolo will do when the Patriots are counting on him, but he looks pretty good throwing spirals on the beach. This week, Pats wide receiver Julian Edelman released video (YouTube link) of him training with the rising NFL sophomore in Los Angeles. While we wait to find out how many games Garoppolo will be starting under center, here’s a look at more from the AFC East..
- The Dolphins‘ new-look front office has new approach to contract negotiations, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. Based on conversations he has had with agents, Salguero has found that Miami is doing business a different way. They’re no longer getting caught up in the weeds as much and there has been less antagonism in negotiations compared to the last regime. That includes the Ndamukong Suh and Ryan Tannehill deals, though the Charles Clay dealings are an exception to that.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap took a closer look at Ryan Tannehill’s brand new contract with the Dolphins. Because of the inclusion of the fifth-year option from his rookie deal, Fitzgerald evaluates the pact as a five year deal rather than a six year one. Tannehill will earn significantly more than Dalton over the course of the deal but Miami is also well protected in the event that he needs to be released. What doesn’t work in the Dolphins favor, however, is the cap charges associated with the contract.
- Those bashing Patriots owner Robert Kraft should be ashamed of themselves, Gary Tanguay of CSNNE.com opines. Kraft could have long ago sold the Pats for much more than the $175MM he paid for them and if he had, there’s no telling where the franchise would have ended up.
East Notes: Tannehill, Spikes, Cowboys, Pats
While Ryan Tannehill‘s new contract with the Dolphins includes $45MM in guaranteed money, only $21.5MM of that amount is fully guaranteed, and $11.5MM of that amount comes in the form of a signing bonus, says Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). As Corry notes, the deal allows the team to pick up more than $4.5MM of much-needed cap relief for the 2016 season. However, even after taking into account Tanehill’s extension, Miami still has more money committed to ’16 contracts than any other team in the NFL.
Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) passes along a few details on Tannehill’s contract as well, reporting that the quarterback’s cap hits for 2015 and 2016 are just $4.873MM and $11.64MM respectively. The cap numbers for the last four years of the deal are in the neighborhood of $20MM.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Corry and Pelissero (Twitter links) also have the specifics on Brandon Spikes‘ one-year contract with the Patriots. The pact includes an $800K base salary, $200K in per-game roster bonuses, a $50K workout bonus, a $25K signing bonus, and a $25K Week 1 bonus, along with up to $900K in playing-time incentives. In total, the contract can be worth a max of $2MM.
- We heard earlier this morning that Ben Tate is working out for the Cowboys, but he’s not the only player auditioning for the team today. Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com tweets that the Cowboys are working out a group of running backs and wideouts, while Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com (Twitter link) hears that Felix Jones is also a part of that group.
- Several sources tell Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that, while the league will deny that any sort of agreement is in place, Robert Kraft‘s decision not to appeal the Patriots‘ DeflateGate penalties was a calculated business move, and those sources think it will have an impact on Tom Brady‘s appeal. One owner also tells Freeman that Roger Goodell had “strong support from many owners” regarding the discipline levied on the Pats, and Kraft almost certainly wouldn’t have won an appeal anyway.
- The Giants confirmed today in a press release that tackle Will Beatty underwent surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, and will be sidelined for five or six months. Here are more details on that story.