NFC Notes: Bryant, Underwood, Lattimore
Even after signing a deal that pays him an average of $4.75MM per season with the Jaguars, defensive lineman Red Bryant still isn’t happy about the way his tenure with the Seahawks ended. “It’s football,’’ Bryant told Terry Blount of ESPN.com. “What have you did for me lately? I guess what [Chris Clemons and I] did for them lately wasn’t good enough anymore.” Seattle, in part, let Bryant go in order to retain a far superior talent in Michael Bennett, but it’s not surprising to see a player a bit miffed at his former team. Let’s look at some more notes from the NFC:
- Though Tiquan Underwood has struggled to distinguish himself during his time with the Panthers, the team is not yet giving up on him, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Head coach Ron Rivera said the 27-year-old has “a skill set [Carolina would] like to have,” but if Underwood can’t crack the Panthers depleted receiving corps, his NFL future could be in doubt.
- 49ers running back Marcus Lattimore is almost a year removed from a suffering a gruesome knee injury while at South Carolina, but San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh says the young ball-carrier still isn’t ready for practice. “He’s been doing well,” Harbaugh told Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “There’s been gains, but that’s where we’re at – not quite there yet.”
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes it’s possible that Rolando McClain “shakes things up” at linebacker, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Reports yesterday indicated that Bruce Carter could be losing his handle on Dallas’ weakside linebacker job, so perhaps McClain summon some of the talent that made him the No. 8 overall pick in 2010.
- Chris Brown of Grantland pens an interesting look at Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, detailing not only the former Oregon head man’s offensive philosophies, but his unique approaches to sport science, nutrition, and practice regimens.
NFC East Links: Brent, Foles, Giants
The latest out of the NFC East..
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones “has heard nothing” from the NFL pertaining to a possible Josh Brent reinstatement, according to Charean Williams of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram (Twitter link). Brent was set to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at the beginning of August and discuss his re-entry to the league. About 65% of PFR readers believed that Brent, whose driving under the influence led to the tragic death of teammate Jerry Brown, should not be able to play in the NFL again.
- Bruce Carter is the Cowboys’ presumptive starter at weakside linebacker, but as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes, Rolando McClain is pushing for more playing time on Dallas’ front seven. McClain has been working as the starter at middle linebacker, with Justin Durant shifting to the “Will” position, meaning Carter is having to fight for snaps.
- In a piece for ESPN Insider (subscription required), Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus points to the Eagles as one of five teams that could contend for the Super Bowl with improved quarterback play. Despite his excellent counting stats, Nick Foles finished with just a +7.4 grade from PFF.
- David Molk, a Chargers sixth-round pick in 2012, is working as the backup to Eagles center Jason Kelce, and the former Michigan Wolverine feels he’s the perfect fit for Chip Kelly’s up-tempo scheme. “Frankly, as far as this offensive line and [how] this offense is built … this is what I am made for,” Molk told Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. “Smaller, quicker, faster guy who’s strong, uses good balance. This is what my tools are made for.”
- Giants general manager Jerry Reese was succinct when discussing his team’s 2014 hopes with Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks. “There are two guys on our team that have to play really well and it’s Eli Manning and Jason Pierre-Paul,” said Reese. “If those guys play well, I think we’ve got a chance to be really good.”
Quintin Mikell Mulling Retirement
Free agent Quintin Mikell may have played his final game. The longtime Eagles safety told Michael Barkann of CSNPhilly.com that he’s looking into retirement.
“I just had surgery a couple months ago on my foot and just kind of got back healthy there,” he said. “It’s not official but I think it’s done.”
When asked if it was possible that he might return to the league, and possibly the Eagles, Mikell said it would have to be the right situation for him to come back. The 33-year-old, who spent eight years in Philly, played 14 games with the Panthers last season after being picked up on a one-year contract. However, the veteran suffered a right foot injury in the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the 49ers that required offseason surgery.
In eleven total seasons with the Eagles, Rams, and Panthers, Mikell played in 169 games, made 103 starts, and notches 545 tackles with 12 interceptions.
East Notes: Philbin, Bills, Donnell
Following the recent suspension of starting safety Reshad Jones–the second significant Dolphins defender to test positive for a banned substance this summer–head coach Joe Philbin broke character and was visibly frustrated with the poor choices made by certain members of his club, writes Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. Philbin will now be without Jones and Dion Jordan for the first four games of the season, which thins out Philbin’s defensive rotations in the secondary and defensive line and further destabilizes a defense that looked shaky in the team’s first preseason game against Atlanta even with Jones and Jordan on the field. Look for Jimmy Wilson, who performed well as Miami’s nickel corner last season, to replace Jones and for Jamar Taylor to temporarily become the team’s No. 3 corner.
Now some more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- Despite earlier reports to the contrary, Mike Ozanian of Forbes.com writes that all bids to buy the Bills have been below $1 billion, which Ozanian calls an “embarrassment” for the NFL and the investment bank hired to sell the club.
- Although Jets‘ head coach Rex Ryan did not dismiss the possibility of using Michael Vick in a change-of-pace (read: Wildcat) role, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com believes Ryan was merely engaging in some gamesmanship. The risk of injury to Vick, Cimini believes, would be too great.
- After his strong performance in the Cowboys‘ first preseason game against San Diego, Kenneth Boatright might be working his way onto the team’s 53-man roster, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.
- Larry Donnell, who took was on the field for 25 of the Giants‘ 26 first-half offensive snaps in Saturday’s preseason contest against Pittsburgh, appears to be leading New York’s tight end competition, says Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
- Giants‘ quarterback Eli Manning threw just two passes in the team’s four offensive drives on Saturday–completing neither–because New York’s offensive line has not yet earned the trust of new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. In a separate piece, Raanan points out that the starting offensive line, which was retooled after a disappointing 2013, stayed on the field after Manning was removed from the game.
- Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Eagles‘ rookie receiver Jordan Matthews disappointed in Friday’s preseason opener against Chicago, while backup QB Mark Sanchez impressed. Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com concurs and provides a position-by-position breakdown of the team’s offensive performance.
NFC East Notes: Thurmond, Eagles, Cowboys
When asked about the most impressive player he’s seen in Giants camp, ESPN’s Dan Graziano identified cornerback Walter Thurmond, saying the free-agent acquisition has been “making life miserable for slot receiver Victor Cruz in practice. Thurmond could be a difference-maker at that nickel corner position for the Giants this year.” Thurmond, 26, signed a one-year, $3MM deal in March, at which time ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former director of pro personnel for the Eagles, lauded the signing as a potential steal: “If he can stay healthy and out of trouble, it’s a tremendous value signing. . .He’s a dynamite press corner, who is as good with his technique as [Seattle’s] Byron Maxwell, as [Seattle’s] Richard Sherman. Walter is very good. He can play in the nickel because he’s big enough, because he can tackle, because he’s a good blitzer. And he can play on the outside. Not only can he press, he can play them all.”
The numbers back up Riddick’s assessment. Despite starting just three of 12 games played last season for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, Thurmond tallied 24 tackles, six pass breakups, an interception (29-yard TD) and a forced fumble. Additionally, his 5.7 coverage rating was higher than teammate Brandon Browner, who signed for three years and $16.8MM in New England.
So why did the Giants land such a good player at such an affordable deal? He’s been plagued by injuries since entering the league, and was popped for a four-game suspension last season for violating the substance-abuse policy. Nevertheless, he brings supreme confidence to the Giants secondary. In April Thurmond proclaimed himself the best slot corner in the league. By July, he was drawing praise from teammates and coaches, including head man Tom Coughlin, who likes Thurmond’s attitude. Now, a week into August, he’s established himself as the ‘Quiet Assassin.”
Here’s a few more NFC East links:
- Eagles rookie receiver Jordan Matthews had a pair of drops in an “inconsistent” pro debut last night, according to PhillyMag.com’s Tim McManus.
- On the flip side, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was impressed by a defensive rookie. “I thought Beau Allen was a disruptive force out there,” Kelly told PhillyMag.com’s Sheil Kapadia.
- With DeMarco Murray and Lance Dunbar sitting out, Joseph Randle was a bright spot for the Cowboys, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
- Cowboys.com analyst Bryan Broaddus broke down the tape from the first preseason game and posted his observations. Among them, he praised the offensive line, as well as second-year receiver Terrance Williams, who is rapidly becoming a complete receiver.
- With DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon sitting out, Aldrick Robinson took advantage of an opportunity in the Redskins’ first preseason game. “Aldrick Robinson, he just continues to make play after play after play,” head coach Jay Gruden told CSN Washington’s JP Finlay after the game. Robinson could be a breakout candidate in his third season, but he’ll have to earn targets since the team added Jackson and Andre Roberts in the offseason to go along with Garcon and veteran Santana Moss. Additionally, rookie Ryan Grant has been impressive early in camp.
NFC East Notes: Henery, Giants, Redskins
We learned this afternoon that Giants offensive lineman Eric Herman has been suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Let’s take a look at some more notes from New York and the rest of NFC East.
- Eagles kicker Alex Henery isn’t worried about the NFL’s plan to move extra points to 33 yards for the first two preseason games, writes Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com. “It’s pretty hard to miss from where the extra point was,” Henery said. “Now it’s just a little bit farther. As long as it’s not windy, it should be pretty makeable.” Henery has missed only one of his 117 career extra point attempts.
- The Giants’ secondary isn’t short on pedigree — both Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were first-round picks, and Walter Thurmond is a Super Bowl winner. But it’s 2013 undrafted corner Charles James II who is drawing interest during practice, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
- James II isn’t the only unheralded Giants player turning heads — receiver Marcus Harris, nicknamed “Soup”, is trying to follow in the steps of fellow undrafted pass-catcher Victor Cruz and become a viable NFL player, according to Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News
- John Keim of ESPN.com offers a profile of Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson, a 2012 fourth-round pick out of Texas.
Extra Points: Burnett, Long, Adams
ESPN’s staff put together a list of each team’s starter whose job is in jeopardy. Among the most notable are 49ers running back Frank Gore, Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus and Packers safety Morgan Burnett. On Burnett, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky says, “When the Packers drafted Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round, the thinking was that he would start alongside Burnett. Now, there’s a chance he could start instead of Burnett. Coach Mike McCarthy likes what Micah Hyde has done at free safety, and when Burnett strained his oblique muscle this week, he put Clinton-Dix in Burnett’s strong safety spot. The Packers made a major investment in Burnett last summer with an $8.25 million signing bonus as part of a four-year extension, but he followed it with an unproductive season.”
Here’s a few miscellaneous links from around the league:
- Panthers veteran linebacker Chase Blackburn is on that list, as second-year man A.J. Klein is pushing for the starting job, but Blackburn is embracing his role as mentor, writes Scott Fowler in the Charlotte Observer.
- With the Eagles in Chicago to play the Bears tonight, Zach Berman of Philadelphia Inquirer writes about the relationship between Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long and Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, who helped Long get his career back on track during their time together at Oregon.
- The Steelers were hoping 2012 second-rounder Mike Adams would challenge for a starting tackle job, but that’s not happening, writes ESPN’s Scott Brown. Adams has been inconsistent, and “It would be charitable to put Adams among the Steelers’ best seven offensive linemen through the first 11 practices,” according to Brown. Adams started 10-of-15 games played last season, but struggled and “earned” a -4.9 overall rating from Pro Football Focus.
- Cowboys rookie safety Ahmad Dixon’s ‘Welcome to the NFL’ hit left him with a concussion, reports Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram.
- The Seahawks’ secondary has established itself as the “Legion of Boom.” The Buccaneers are trying to establish the offensive equivalent, with the trio of Vincent Jackson, first-rounder Mike Evans and second-rounder Austin Seferian-Jenkins going by the “Three Dunkateers,” writes USA Today’s Jim Corbett.
East Notes: Eagles, Revis, Idonije, McCoy
While most teams around the NFL are shuffling players in and out at the back of their rosters, the Eagles have stood pat all summer, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out. According to Berman, Philadelphia’s last roster move came on May 19, which is the longest any NFL club has gone without signing or cut this year. Besides being relatively healthy in camp so far, the Eagles also like the 90 players currently on their roster, according to GM Howie Roseman.
“We’re trying to upgrade, we’re trying to get better at every spot,” Roseman said. “We’re trying to have the best possible 90-man, the best possible 61, the best possible 53 when there’s opportunities to do it. But at the same time, to change for change’s sake doesn’t make a lot of sense, either. It’s not the right message.”
Let’s check in on a few other notes from out of the NFC East and AFC East….
- While there may be mutual interest between Darrelle Revis and the Patriots in a contract extension, no actual negotiations have occurred yet, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Nonetheless, Howe takes a closer look at what a longer-term agreement with the cornerback might look like, if the Pats try to lock him up.
- Israel Idonije‘s new one-year deal with the Giants is a minimum salary benefit contract, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan, who adds (via Twitter) that the veteran defensive end can earn a $25K bonus if he makes the 53-man roster to start the season.
- Eagles running back LeSean McCoy ranks as one of the league’s most indispensable non-quarterbacks, accroding to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider link).
- Ryan Tannehill‘s play has been up and down so far in training camp, but in his latest look at the Dolphins, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald points to a couple positive signs from the quarterback.
NFC Notes: Romo, Falcons, Packers, Patton
Bad news for the Cowboys: quarterback Tony Romo‘s recent back surgery is affecting his deep ball, writes Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram. “It’s been OK. I think the deeper the ball goes down the field, it’s a little bit more inconsistent,” quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said. “He’s thrown all the intermediates — the fours and the seven routes and the deep outs – have been fine. It’s just the nine routes and the deep posts. Those things have been a little inconsistent. I think that’s all due to his back.” More from the NFC East..
- Tyrell Johnson‘s deal with the Falcons is a one-year, $730K deal with a cap hit of just $570K, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Johnson, 29, was a second-round draft choice by the Vikings in 2008, and started 27 games with the team. The concussion suffered by Dwight Lowery on Friday created a need in the secondary for Atlanta.
- There was some speculation about former NFL tight end Randy McMichael and the Falcons since he was at their facility today, but he confirmed via Twitter that he was just visiting there with his little league team. McMichael, 35, last appeared with the Chargers in 2012 where he made ten starts but hauled in just nine receptions.
- Packers swing tackle Don Barclay could be out for the season after suffering a torn ACL during this afternoon’s practice, a league source tells Weston Hodkiewicz of Press-Gazette Media. Barclay was carted off the practice field after falling awkwardly on his right knee. After starting all 14 games at right tackle for the Packers last season in place of an injured Bryan Bulaga, he was positioned to be the primary backup at both guard spots and right tackle.
- Quinton Patton is working to fight through the 49ers‘ logjam at wide receiver, writes Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle. Patton had some bad luck in his rookie season, suffering a broken finger in training camp and a broken foot during the season that sidelined him for ten games. He’ll be duking it out with Brandon Lloyd, rookie Bruce Ellington, and others for his place.
- LeSean McCoy‘s praise of Eagles rookie wide receiver Jordan Matthews continues, as Tim McManus of Philadelphia Magazine writes. “That rookie we got, Matthews, is looking real good. There’s been a lot of talk about this draft class being deep at wide receivers, but I’m real confident in this one being the best of the class,” McCoy said. “It’s still early, you got to go through the season and see how he does, but he looks amazing.”
NFC Notes: Brent, Wilson, Bears, Foles
Former Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent is meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell this week in the hopes of being reinstated to the league after serving a 180-day prison sentence for intoxication manslaughter. And if he’s reinstated, he’ll have a roster spot available in Dallas, according to team owner Jerry Jones (link via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
“We will, yes we will,” Jones said, when asked if the Cowboys would create an opening for Brent. “In other words, we wouldn’t have it today, but we will make a roster spot.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Even with David Wilson no longer on the roster, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin thinks his team has enough running backs, tweets Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
- As for Wilson, despite his retirement due to injury, he’ll be eligible to collect his full $998K salary for 2014 while on injured reserve, as well as half of his $1.3MM salary for 2015, writes Eben Novy-Williams of Bloomberg.
- It sounds as if the Bears will add a wide receiver to their roster soon after potential No. 3 wideout Marquess Wilson suffered a fractured clavicle this week. In his latest mailbag, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune explores the possibility of the club re-signing Earl Bennett, who was cut earlier in the offseason and was subsequently signed and released by the Browns.
- In a piece for The Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap breaks down how Andy Dalton‘s new contract compares to other quarterback deals, suggesting that it may represent the return of the middle class market. The Dalton extension may also provide a blueprint for Nick Foles and the Eagles, according to Fitzgerald, since Philadelphia has a similar cap situation to the Bengals and Foles, like Dalton, still has a few question marks.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a look at perhaps the oddest detail of Colin Kaepernick‘s extension with the 49ers, which involves the disability policy the quarterback had to purchase as part of the deal.