New York Links: Coughlin, Idzik, Ryan
The Jets and Giants are well out of playoff contention themselves, but should have an opportunity to play spoiler over the next couple weeks. The AFC East cellar-dwellers are preparing to host the Patriots this Sunday, and an upset victory would significantly impact New England’s quest for the conference’s No. 1 seed. Meanwhile, the Giants close their season in Week 17 with a game against the Eagles, whose postseason hopes could hinge on winning that game.
As we wait to see if either the Jets or Giants can trip up a division rival in the season’s final two weeks, let’s round up a few Tuesday links out of New York….
- Giants ownership has been mum about Tom Coughin‘s future with the team, and that’s just fine with the head coach, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post details. Asked if his job status occupies his thoughts, Coughlin replied, “No, it doesn’t. We’ve got two games to go and we want to be the best we can be in these next two games.”
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com identifies five players on the Giants‘ roster who qualify as potential building blocks, led by Odell Beckham, who is “already the best player on the team,” in Raanan’s view. One of the five is free-agent-to-be Jason Pierre-Paul, who won’t come cheap, but should be a priority for the club this offseason.
- Meanwhile, players like defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka and cornerback Prince Amukamara remain under contract with the Giants for the 2015 season, but the team may need to rework or extend those deals, among others, says Patricia Traina of Bleacher Report.
- While you can point to several missteps made within the last year by general manager John Idzik, letting Darrelle Revis go to the Patriots when the cornerback had interest in returning to the Jets was the GM’s worst move, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post outlines several potential landing spots for Rex Ryan, if and when he’s let go by the Jets, identifying several head coaching jobs likely to open up. While Ryan has reportedly told friends he’s interested in a television job, and wouldn’t want to work as a defensive coordinator, Cannizzaro thinks the Giants‘ DC job could be an ideal fit, which sounds like a long shot to me.
Extra Points: JPP, Cameron, Gruden, Locker
Jason Pierre-Paul’s walk year spike may cost the Giants, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. After performing solidly but not spectacularly for the bulk of the season, Pierre-Paul is putting on a great show down the home stretch, just in time to increase his worth. “That’s one of those things that go unnoticed, but I think people are starting to realize he gets tremendous sack numbers but his sack numbers, just because they went down, they don’t realize how much of a hustle player he is,’’ said second-year defensive end Damontre Moore. More from around the NFL..
- Not everyone is looking strong heading into free agency. Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap looked at three players who hurt their stock with their play on Sunday, including Browns tight end Jordan Cameron and Ravens running back Justin Forsett.
- Jon Gruden openly wonders if the Bears should have kept Josh McCown and ditched Jay Cutler, as Mike Sando of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) writes. While Cutler has struggled, I would note that McCown hasn’t exactly shined in Tampa Bay.
- Given his issues with durability as well as the fundamentals of the position, Jake Locker will have to settle for a backup job as a potential reclamation project in 2015, writes Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. The Titans quarterback was placed on IR earlier today.
- With many issues still to be settled, it sounds unlikely that the league will put a team in Los Angeles in time to play in 2015, writes Peter King of The MMQB.
- In an interview on WBBM-AM 780, Bears GM Phil Emery spoke about last week’s controversy involving offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer. Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune has the goods.
- In case you were worried, the Super Bowl will go on, despite the failure of Congress to renew the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.
NFC Notes: Cardinals, Garrett, Buccaneers
The NFL playoff picture cleared up in some ways in Week 15, with teams like the 49ers and Vikings officially falling out of contention. But with just two games left on the schedule for each team after tonight, several clubs remain in the hunt for the conference’s No. 1 seed and homefield advantage. Intra-divisional showdowns will be key over the next two weeks, with the Cardinals preparing to host the Seahawks in Week 16, and the Lions and Packers gearing up for a Week 17 game at Lambeau Field.
While we wait to see how the NFC standings shake out, and which contender is left out of the postseason, let’s check in on a few items from around the conference….
- Appearing on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM today, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim indicated that his team will add a quarterback to its practice squad “for emergency purposes” (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). The club intends to stick with Ryan Lindley and Logan Thomas on its active roster, while Drew Stanton recovers from his knee injury.
- While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stopped short of publicly announcing that Jason Garrett would return for next season, an extension for the head coach seems like something of a formality at this point, writes Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s very obvious that he is doing very well and his hard work is paying off,” Jones said of Garrett.
- The Buccaneers are in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall pick for the 2015 draft, which would give them the opportunity to select a quarterback like Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston. However, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk suggests that Tampa Bay should focus on building a roster with a great defense and a strong running game rather than continuing to search for a franchise quarterback. Smith argues that allocating money and resources to areas that other teams aren’t necessarily prioritizing, rather than playing catch-up at QB, could give the club a competitive edge.
- With six sacks and 13 solo tackles in his last three games, Giants defender Jason Pierre-Paul is finishing strong as he approaches potential free agency, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. Pierre-Paul and Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant top Fitzgerald’s list of players in contract years who improved their stocks this week.
Giants Leaning Toward Retaining Coughlin
Two weeks ago, the Giants were coming off their seventh straight loss, and it looked likely that the team would be moving on from head coach Tom Coughlin at season’s end. Since then, the team has recorded dominated victories over Tennessee and Washington, and while those aren’t exactly the most impressive opponents, Coughlin’s future in New York suddenly looks a little more stable.
According to Steve Serby of the New York Post, the odds of Coughlin returning to coach the Giants for 2015 have “skyrocketed dramatically,” with one source telling Serby that there’s a 99.9% chance that Coughlin will be back. Serby lays out a number of reasons why Giants ownership may be inclined to keep Coughlin in charge of the club — the 2014 team has been ravaged by injuries, stability is a priority for the franchise, and Coughlin is still Eli Manning‘s preferred head coach.
Meanwhile, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News agrees that “there’s at least a decent chance” Coughlin will keep his job, and rookie wideout Odell Beckham Jr. is a big reason for that. While that may be oversimplifying things, Beckham’s play in recent weeks has shown that if he’s paired with a healthy Victor Cruz and the team restocks its offensive line, the offense appears to have a very bright future.
That Giants’ offense struggled to get points on the board at times earlier in the year, but Manning, Coughlin, and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo all seem to be getting comfortable with McAdoo’s West Coast scheme, which was implemented this year. The organization reportedly views McAdoo as Coughlin’s eventual successor, but the OC likely won’t be ready to take over in ’15, so it makes sense that New York would lean on Coughlin for at least one more season.
Giants ownership is expected to make a formal decision on Coughlin after the end of the regular season.
Coaching Notes: Harbaugh, Coughlin, Philbin
Whether or not the 49ers‘ window is closed, head coach Jim Harbaugh’s time with the team may be in its waning moments. His relationship with CEO Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke has deteriorated, and questions have arisen over his future with the team since before the 2014 season.
Harbaugh expects to meet with the organization about his future, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
“I’m always available to sit down with the owner and general manager, absolutely,” Harbaugh said. “Yes, at some point I expect that.”
Here are some other notes regarding coaches on the hot seat:
- Giants‘ head coach Tom Coughlin has long been rumored to be at the end of his rope as the team’s head coach, due to his advanced age and the team’s poor performance. Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com believes coach Coughlin deserves one more year. O’Connor believes that his two Super Bowl rings have earned him the benefit of the doubt, and believes the organization owes him the opportunity to coach the phenomenal rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in 2015.
- After being blown out by the Patriots, the Dolphins should consider moving on from head coach Joe Philbin at season’s end, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. With the team’s playoff hopes nearly out the window, Salguero argues that anything short of two wins and an unlikely playoff berth would cement the season as another disappointment.
- Buccaneers‘ head coach Lovie Smith has also been underwhelming, but the team would be unlikely to move on from him so soon, writes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Smith is in the first year of a five-year deal, and it would be unusual for the organization to make a move so early into the contract.
Coaching Updates: Coughlin, Philbin, Broncos
Let’s take a look at a few items regarding two head coaches who are on the hot seat and two more who might join the head coaching ranks in 2015:
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Giants head coach Tom Coughlin wants to coach for another season, and there is no guarantee that New York will fire its long-time sideline general. Steve Serby of the New York Post adds that it is not time for Coughlin to be replaced.
- Rapoport tweets that Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin‘s fate will be determined by how his team finishes the 2014 season. If Miami suffers another December swoon, Philbin’s job will be in jeopardy. Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that if Philbin is fired, the team does not plan to pursue Jim Harbaugh, contrary to numerous reports stating otherwise.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post writes that the Broncos can expect to replace both offensive coordinator Adam Gase and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio after this season, as both are prime candidates to land head coaching gigs.
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.
NFC Links: Quinn, Colston, Sanchez, Warner
With the resurgence of the Seahawks‘ defense, the team’s defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has re-emerged as a top head coaching candidate this offseason, according to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com.
Here are some other links from around the NFC:
- The Saints are looking at salary cap hell in the coming seasons, which could lead the team to move on from some veterans. According to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, the Saints could release Brodrick Bunkley, David Hawthorne, and Marques Colston this offseason due to their high salaries.
- The Falcons are 5-8 but in first place in the dismal NFC South. Despite looking at a playoff berth, the team has already started preparing for the 2015 NFL Draft. Their biggest need is at pass rusher, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He writes that the team will also look closely at receivers, a receiving tight end, and linebackers.
- Eagles‘ quarterback Mark Sanchez has played well in starter Nick Foles‘ absence, but has looked bad against the Seahawks and Packers. He will likely need to impress during these next three games in order to keep Foles from usurping the starting job for the playoff run, if they even stay in contention with Sanchez, writes Jeff McClaine of the Philadelphia Inquirer. With the Eagles likely to only keep one of the two going forward into 2015, Sanchez could also be auditioning for next season.
- With the Cardinals‘ quarterback situation potentially in ruins after losing Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton to injuries, thoughts of Kurt Warner returning to save the 10-3 Cardinals from an early playoff exit have been floated. Those hoping for Warner to save them shouldn’t hold their breath, according to Bob McManaman of AZCentral.com. He writes that while Warner may have thought about it, the idea of him stepping in after not playing for five years is unrealistic.
- Giants‘ quarterback Eli Manning has not been spectacular the last few seasons, but it isn’t time to look for his replacement, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. The team has more pressing needs along the offensive line, at pass rusher, safety, and even possibly receiver, according to Vacchiano.
- As the problems in Washington continue, Bill Simmons of ESPN and Grantland posed in interesting question to Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post: Would the fans be willing to give up the team to another city and go without NFL football for three years, with the promise of getting an expansion team (retaining the rights to the colors and name if they want it) along with a new ownership group? Definitely a loaded question, but Steinberg initially thought 75% of fans would make that trade, and based on response from fans, he thinks he may have underestimated that number.
East Notes: Eagles, Mariota, Philbin, Cowboys
Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if the Eagles should take a shot at Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. There’s uncertainty at the position with Mark Sanchez hitting the open market and coach Chip Kelly obviously has an affinity for Oregon players. Even if Philadelphia takes a liking to Mariota, however, the asking price to move up in the draft could be high, ala the ill-fated Robert Griffin III trade. More from the East divisions..
- Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) feels that Dolphins coach Joe Philbin is coaching for his job over the next few weeks. Philbin, he notes, is 10-11 in games decided by 6 points or less, so things could be very different for the Miami coach with a few breaks going his way.
- It’s time for the Cowboys‘ major investment in the offensive line to pay off, writes Jarrett Bell of USA Today Sports. Dallas has invested three first-round picks within the last five years on this offensive line and for much of the season it has shown. Recently, though, they’ve hit some road blocks, and Bell says it’s time for them to turn it back on.
- The Giants need help on the offensive line and finding that help in the draft could be tougher than most expect, writes Jordan Raanan of the Newark Star-Ledger. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. is not high on this year’s crop and Raanan notes that of the nine lineman drafted in the top 11 of the past two drafts, only two (Lane Johnson of the Eagles and Taylor Lewan of the Titans) have positive Pro Football Focus grades this year. The good news, however, is that Big Blue will basically be adding veteran guard Geoff Schwartz again next year after he barely played in 2014.
- Jets linebacker Calvin Pace doesn’t seem to think that Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, or anyone else at the top of the 2015 draft can be a savior for the team, writes Seth Walder of the Daily News. “One draft pick isn’t going to change things,” Pace said. “If you end up with a high draft pick, that guy still has to get seasoned and become a pro. Very few times you see guys come in and change a franchise with one guy.”
NFC East Notes: Sanchez, JPP, Giants
It was once unthinkable, but Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez will be the top free agent at his position this offseason, as Jason Fitzgerald of The Sporting News writes. Sanchez, who was uncerimoneously booted from New York, is still young and some teams will still see the upside that made him a high draft pick in 2009. He also boasts a history of playoff success, having won four of six games. The team that signs Sanchez might not be doing cartwheels afterwards, but the free agent pool gets rather beak after the USC product. More out of the NFC East..
- When the Giants let Justin Tuck walk last offseason, they proved that they won’t let emotion lead them to an irresponsible financial decision. This time around, Jordan Raanaan of the Newark Star-Ledger expects more of the same when it comes to Jason Pierre-Paul. JPP is younger, of course, but Big Blue will only go so far to keep him if the bidding gets out of hand. Right now, it’s hard to say how much he’ll collect. He was a star in the making in 2011 when he had 16.5 sacks, but he hasn’t replicated that since. “He’s not that guy right now,” said former NFL agent and current salary cap expert Joel Corry. “I just don’t see him breaking the bank in free agency.”
- Washington worked out Michael Hill, Justin Jackson, and Loucheiz Purifoy, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
- The Cowboys tried out outside linebacker Lawrence Sidbury, according to Wilson (via Twitter).