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Steelers Notes: Roethlisberger, Defense, FAs

January 21st, 2015 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Steelers co-owner and president Art Rooney II met with several Pittsburgh reporters today, addressing a number of topics of interest for the team as the 2015 league year approaches. Via the Twitter accounts of Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, here are a few of the highlights from Rooney’s session:

Getting a contract extension done with Ben Roethlisberger as soon as possible would be ideal, but it doesn’t have to be done ASAP, says Rooney, adding that it “takes two to tango,” though he’s not expecting any major problems in negotiations. Roethlisberger had an excellent 2014 campaign, which may increase his price this offseason, but Rooney says he’ll “take that problem.”
The Steelers will stick to the 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Keith Butler, who previously worked on Dick LeBeau‘s staff.
The club hasn’t made personnel decisions yet, but intends to talk to James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, and Brett Keisel about their futures during the next few weeks. Pittsburgh would also like to keep Jason Worilds, but isn’t sure whether using the transition tag again is the right move.
While Rooney praised William Gay‘s 2014 performance, he admitted that the team needs to add some players in the secondary for the 2015 season.
The Steelers intend to take their usual process to free agency, and if the opportunity arises to sign a starter, the team will take it.
Asked about the release of LeGarrette Blount, he played a starring role in the Patriots’ championship game win, Rooney said he was disappointed with how it turned out, but called it “the right decision” for the Steelers.

NFL Investigates Patriots, Deflated Footballs

January 21st, 2015 at 3:12pm CST by Rob DiRe

3:12pm: According to a report from WEEI.com, the 11 Patriots footballs determined to be below the acceptable inflation level were tested and removed from circulation at the half. During the second half, the team’s 12 backup game balls were subbed in — those balls were at an acceptable inflation level. The WEEI.com report indicates that testing was completed just as the second half was getting underway, which is why officials stopped play and swapped out the kicking ball on the first play in the third quarter.

An earlier report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk confirmed that the 11 underinflated balls were tested before the game and were at an acceptable level of inflation at that point.

In other words, while the inflation level of the balls likely had no impact on the outcome of the game, it seems something happened to that original set during the first half, since they had significantly less air at halftime than they did during the pre-game check.

WEDNESDAY, 7:40am: The NFL has determined that 11 of the 12 game balls used by the Patriots on Sunday were underinflated by about two pounds per square inch of air, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. According to Mortensen, the investigation is ongoing as the league attempts to determine how the balls became underinflated, but a source described the league as “disappointed” and “angry.” The NFL has not yet determined what, if any, sanctions or penalties will be imposed upon the Patriots.

MONDAY, 9:01am: The Patriots posted an impressive performance against the Colts last night in the AFC Championship, winning 45-7 at home on a rainy, windy Foxboro night. The victory stamped a sixth trip to the Super Bowl for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Of course, a trip to the Super Bowl without controversy just wouldn’t be the “Patriot way.”

The NFL is currently investigating the Patriots because of their alleged use of deflated footballs during last nights game, reports Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).

Ben Volin and Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe confirm the investigation (via Twitter). The story was first reported by Bob Kravitz of WTHR in Indianapolis.

According to NFL rules as tweeted out by the New York Daily News for convenience, the home team is responsible for making a number of footballs available for testing prior to kickoff, to assure they meet the specifications required by the league.

Volin writes that the Patriots could be subject to a $25K fine, plus additional discipline for Belichick and any front office personnel involved. He also notes that WTHR reported the Patriots could face a potential forfeiting of draft picks, much like they were forced to following the SpyGate scandal.

The New York Daily News notes that a deflated football would be much easier to throw and catch in inclement weather such as what was experienced last night. They also put together quotes from Brady dismissing these allegations, stating that they are “ridiculous” and “the last of my worries.”

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk confirms that several abnormal footballs were removed from play throughout the course of the game. He also writes that he believes the league will come out with more information on the matter as soon as this morning.

AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Dolphins, Jets, Bills

January 21st, 2015 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters, including Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey had nothing but praise for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. While Hickey didn’t commit to picking up Tannehill’s fifth-year option for 2016, Beasley views that as a lock at this point, and suggests that the two sides could even work out a longer-term agreement this offseason.

Let’s round up a few more items on the Dolphins and some of their AFC East rivals…

Asked about the future of wide receiver Mike Wallace with the Dolphins, Hickey was noncommittal, and certainly wasn’t as effusive with his praise for Wallace as he was for Tannehill, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The GM made it clear that the decision on Wallace would be a collaborative effort that would involve head coach Joe Philbin and new executive VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum.
Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell, who worked with Todd Bowles in Miami, is expected to join the Jets‘ staff, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear what Dorrell’s role in New York would be, but he has worked as a quarterbacks coach and a receivers coach in the past.
Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf, who advised the Jets during the team’s search for a general manager and head coach, are done with the club for now, but aren’t ruling out potentially continuing the relationship in the future, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
The Bills‘ front office continues to undergo some changes under new ownership, according to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has fired director of pro personnel Tom Gibbons. Gibbons’ contract had been set to expire in June, after this year’s draft.

Peyton Manning Leaning Toward Returning

January 21st, 2015 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

2:26pm: Manning’s contract only involved a mandated physical after the 2012 and 2013 seasons, so if he does decide to take a physical before making his decision, it’ll be his choice, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (all Twitter links).

11:20am: The Broncos have replaced their head coach and their offensive coordinator since being eliminated from the postseason 10 days ago, and will soon hire a new defensive coordinator as well. However, no offseason move could impact the team more than Peyton Manning‘s potential departure. For now though, it appears that the future Hall-of-Famer is leaning toward returning to the Broncos.

Three “trustworthy” sources tell Woody Paige of the Denver Post that Manning won’t – or can’t – make his final decision until he takes the annual physical exam that is mandated by his contract, but that he wants to play for the Broncos in 2015.

Manning remains under contract with Denver for two more seasons, but only a small portion of his deal would count against the cap if he decides to retire and/or is cut by the club. If he wants to return, and the Broncos sign off on the results of his physical, Manning would see his $19MM salary for 2015 become guaranteed on March 10, the first day of the 2015 league year.

While 2014 as a whole was another incredible season for Manning, who racked up 4,727 passing yards and 39 touchdowns, it ended on a down note, as injuries hampered him during Denver’s divisional loss against the Colts. In that game, the former first overall pick completed just 26 of 46 passes for 211 yards, and misfired badly on a number of deep balls. If he’s healthy for Week 1 in 2015, there’s certainly reason to think that Manning could rebound and have another strong year, but he’ll turn 39 in March, and nagging health issues could become the norm going forward.

General manager John Elway and the Broncos have instructed Manning to take a few weeks to think about his decision, so we likely won’t get resolution on the issue until at least February, or perhaps even March.

Extra Points: Luck, Wilson, Ireland, Chudzinski

January 21st, 2015 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

With Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson now eligible for extensions, there’s speculation that new high watermarks could be set for quarterback salaries and guarantees, but there’s also “major concern” among rival agents about negotiations for the two star signal-callers, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). As Cole explains, both players are represented by fairly inexperienced agents — Wilson is repped by Mark Rodgers, primarily a baseball agent, while Luck’s uncle William Wilson reps the Indianapolis star.

These two deals are expected to have a significant trickle-down effect on future contracts for players at every position, not just for other quarterbacks. Wilson and Luck already have such impressive resumés that they should be in line for guarantees in excess of $50MM+ on their next contracts, rather than anything close to the limited guaranteed money that players like Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton accepted in their recent extensions, so fellow agents are hoping that neither Luck’s camp nor Wilson’s camp settles for a modest deal, lowering the bar for future extensions.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

After Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reported overnight (via Twitter) that former Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland was expected to become the Saints’ college scouting director, general Mickey Loomis confirmed today to reporters that Ireland had indeed been hired to oversee the team’s college scouting process (Twitter links).
Having reported earlier that the Colts were denying Rob Chudzinski permission to speak to teams about offensive coordinator jobs, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds an important piece of clarification (via Twitter): Chudzinski’s contract is set to expire in a week, at which point he’s free to interview anywhere, meaning he could still be in play for a team like the Bears, 49ers, or Rams.
In addition to having their attempt to talk to Chudzinski rebuffed, the 49ers were denied permission to speak to Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph about their defensive coordinator opening, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Cincinnati also blocked the Broncos’ efforts to pursue Joseph for a DC job.
According to Jason Fitzgerald’s projections at Over the Cap, the Patriots, Chiefs, and Bengals appear likely to land third-round compensatory picks in this year’s draft for losing Aqib Talib, Branden Albert, and Michael Johnson – respectively – in free agency a year ago. Fitzgerald also forecasts rookie pool amounts by team for 2015, with the Buccaneers’ rookie cap projected to exceed $8MM.
While the Rams are often said to be “only” a quarterback away from contention, finding that QB isn’t exactly an easy task, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Wagoner passes along a number of quotes from Rams general manager Les Snead about the team’s quest to identify a long-term answer at the position.
Former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at the upcoming offseasons for the league’s championship weekend losers, the Packers and Colts.

Coach Updates: Chudzinski, Ravens, Raiders

January 21st, 2015 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up one set of coaching updates and rumors this morning, but several more have trickled in since then, so we’re due for another recap. Here’s the latest:

The Colts are blocking offensive assistant Rob Chudzinski from interviewing for any teams’ offensive coordinator jobs, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The Bears, 49ers, and Rams are among the teams that have been linked to Chudzinski and will have to look elsewhere.
A day after being officially replaced as the Jets’ offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg has found a new job, according to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who announced today that Mornhinweg had joined his staff in Baltimore as the team’s quarterbacks coach (Twitter link). Mornhinweg replaces Rick Dennison, who left the Ravens to become Denver’s offensive coordinator.
During Harbaugh’s conversation with reporters, the Ravens head coach added that he was very impressed with Adam Gase‘s interview for the club’s offensive coordinator job, but that he viewed Marc Trestman as a better fit (Twitter link via Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com).
Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) provides an update on the Raiders‘ defensive coordinator hunt, writing that Jack Del Rio has been talking to Mike Smith about the position for about a week, Eric Mangini is interviewing today, and Mel Tucker is also on the team’s radar.
The 49ers are interested in former Raiders interim head coach Tony Sparano, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, who says San Francisco would likely want Sparano as a tight ends coach.
Rumors about Dick LeBeau closing in on a deal to become the Cardinals‘ linebackers coach are a surprise to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who tweets that as of a couple days ago, LeBeau was only interested in becoming a defensive coordinator, not a position coach.

GM: Jets Will Be “Very Active” In Free Agency

January 21st, 2015 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

New Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan was introduced to local media today along with new head coach Todd Bowles, but before Maccagnan met with a full room of reporters, he sat down for a one-on-one interview for the club’s official website. Asked during that conversation about his approach to free agency, Maccagnan indicated that he expects the team to be “very active” this March.

“We definitely have a lot of cap space,” Maccagnan said. “Our goal is to look at all avenues possible in free agency. I don’t want to give away our philosophy in terms of how we’re going to attack free agency, but our goal is to ideally fill some of our needs via free agency, which will allow us to be a little more flexible in the draft in terms of looking for the best player available — building through the draft is ideally what I’d like to do, but we’ll be very active in free agency.”

After the Jets decided to part ways with John Idzik at season’s end, there was speculation that the team would try to bring aboard an anti-Idzik — someone who had strong personnel background rather than a cap specialist. Maccagnan certainly fits that bill, and it appears his approach to free agency will differ from Idzik’s as well. The ex-Jets GM sat on approximately $20MM in cap space in 2014, despite the team having multiple needs that could have been addressed in free agency, particularly at the cornerback position.

Early estimates have the Jets heading into the 2015 offseason with between $40MM and $50MM in cap room, so while Maccagnan won’t necessarily pursue star players, the club should have plenty of flexibility to consider an array of options when free agency opens on March 10.

Jaguars Hire Greg Olson As OC

January 21st, 2015 at 9:49am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 9:49am: As expected, the Jaguars have made their hiring of Olson official today, announcing that he is the team’s new offensive coordinator (Twitter link via John Oehser of Jaguars.com).

TUESDAY, 8:24pm: The Jaguars are expected to name Olson as their new offensive coordinator on Wednesday, according to DiRocco (on Twitter).

7:42pm: Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that the Jags will not hire an offensive coordinator tonight.

4:42pm: Gus Bradley claims that he has yet to offer the job to anyone, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times Union (on Twitter).

2:55pm: The NFL’s annual version of musical chairs continues today, as former Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson has landed a new job, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). La Canfora reports that, after an extensive search, the Jaguars are hiring Olson to become their new offensive coordinator.

Olson’s two-year stint with the Raiders wasn’t overly successful, with his offense finishing in the bottom five in the NFL in DVOA both years, including 30th overall in 2014. Still, Olson didn’t have a ton of talent to work with in Oakland — in 2013, Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin split time at quarterback, and this past season, second-round rookie Derek Carr took the reins, with James Jones and Andre Holmes acting as his top receivers.

In Jacksonville, where he coached quarterbacks in 2012 prior to joining the Raiders, Olson will work with another 2014 draftee, in third overall pick Blake Bortles. There’s plenty of uncertainty heading into the offseason in Jacksonville as well, with Cecil Shorts eligible for free agency and Bortles having struggled in his rookie year. However, there’s also some young talent on the roster, including Denard Robinson, Allen Hurns, Allen Robinson, and Marqise Lee.

Besides talking to Olson, the Jaguars also interviewed several other candidates as they searched for a replacement for Jedd Fisch. Adam Gase, Nathaniel Hackett, Greg Olson, Anthony Lynn, and Kirby Wilson are among the interviewees who are still available and whom Olson beat out. The biggest surprise in the bunch is Gase — he was viewed a strong candidate for the team, particularly after the Ravens elected to hire Marc Trestman as their offensive coordinator.

The hiring of Olson is the second major addition to the offensive staff today by the Jaguars, who also reached an agreement with Doug Marrone to become the team’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach.

Coach Notes: Browns, Ravens, Rams, Austin

January 21st, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

Six of the seven teams changing head coaches this offseason have officially hired replacements, and the Falcons appear fully prepared to wait for Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. However, while there may not be much drama left among the league’s head coaching searches, there’s still plenty of intrigue in the coordinator searches, as a number of noteworthy coaches continue to look for jobs. Here’s a round-up of the latest updates:

The Browns have canceled their offensive coordinator interview with Raiders senior offensive assistant Al Saunders, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). The meeting hasn’t been rescheduled, and no reason was given for the cancellation, so it’s not clear why it will no longer happen.
In addition to not interviewing Saunders, the Browns also won’t speak to former Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). A Tuesday report had suggested Mornhinweg was expected to talk to the club about the job.
While Mornhinweg apparently won’t interview with the Browns, he has drawn interest from the Ravens, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Baltimore hired Marc Trestman as its new offensive coordinator yesterday, so Mornhinweg would be a candidate for the team’s quarterbacks coach job.
The Rams have been denied permission to speak to two of their offensive coordinator candidates, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who reports that the Colts blocked the Rams from talking to Rob Chudzinski, while the Packers thwarted St. Louis’ efforts to talk to Alex Van Pelt. The Rams still hope to interview Adam Gase, who is in Chicago today to speak to the Bears.
While Teryl Austin could still technically end up becoming the Falcons‘ new head coach, it sure looks like the Lions defensive coordinator will be returning to Detroit, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details.
The Broncos will hope for a change of heart from the Bengals on secondary coach Vance Joseph, whom Denver targeted as its top defensive coordinator target, but with Cincinnati refusing to release Joseph from his contract, the Broncos are moving forward on other candidates, tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
Mike Smith has been the Raiders‘ top target for defensive coordinator since Jack Del Rio was named head coach, tweets Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune. If an established coach like Smith lands Oakland’s DC job, he’ll have more autonomy than a younger coach would — Del Rio would be more involved on D in that case, says McDonald.

Coach Notes: Weis, Gase, Bears, Mornhinweg

January 20th, 2015 at 10:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears are considering a handful of offensive coordinator candidates, including Charlie Weis, Geep Chryst (49ers), Jim Bob Cooter (Lions), and Adam Gase (Broncos), according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Weis, the former head coach of Notre Dame and Kansas, has been linked to the Browns’ offensive coordinator vacancy in the past. More coaching news..

Falcons wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie will be back with Atlanta after getting strong overtures from multiple teams in recent weeks, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The Cardinals are looking to finalize a deal that would make former Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau the team’s new linebackers coach, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
The Browns interviewed Rams quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti for their offensive coordinator vacancy, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Gase is flying to Chicago to meet with the Bears about their offensive coordinator opening, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and things could move very quickly.
The 49ers are considering Eric Mangini for their defensive coordinator opening, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. Mangini served as the team’s tight ends coach last season and was an offensive consultant with the 49ers the year before that.
The Browns are expected to interview former Jets and Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg this week at the Senior Bowl, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
A source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter) that the Bengals will not allow defensive backs coach Vance Joseph to leave his contract. Joseph was previously linked to the Broncos’ defensive coordinator vacancy.
Washington was interested in Vic Fangio, who ultimately landed in Chicago as the Bears’ defensive coordinator, but never made a formal offer to him. As head coach Jay Gruden explained today, that was because the club felt like Fangio’s mind was already made up on choosing the Bears (Twitter link via Mike Jones of the Washington Post).
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) speculated earlier today that – if Chan Gailey‘s deal fell through – former Packers coach Mike Sherman would have been interested in the Jets‘ offensive coordinator job, though the interest might not have been mutual. Sherman has a relationship with GM Mike Maccagnan dating back to his time in Houston. Hours later, the Jets finalized their deal with Gailey.