Coaching Notes: USC, Payton, Fisher, Fins
It wasn’t an NFL coaching job, but the USC head coaching position was expected to have an impact on the NFL, since a number of the school’s potential candidates were current coaches or coordinators around the league. However, the Trojans announced today (via Twitter) that interim coach Clay Helton will become the team’s permanent head coach going forward, meaning that Chip Kelly and other coaches around the NFL can be crossed off the list.
It sounds like USC did reach out to Kelly to gauge his interest before deciding to move forward with Helton though. According to FootballScoop.com (Twitter link), USC officials met with Kelly last week, but the Eagles head coach prefers to remain in the NFL. Similarly, USC checked in on Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, who told the Trojans he’s not leaving Oakland, tweets Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
Here are a few more coaching-related items from around the league:
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com believes that the Saints should “go ahead and start sniffing around” for teams that may be interested in giving up a draft pick or two for head coach Sean Payton, since this winter looks like a good time for an overhaul. La Canfora identifies the Browns, Colts, Dolphins, and Titans as teams that might have interest in Payton, and suggests that the draft pick return could be “substantial.”
- Having lost four games in a row, Jeff Fisher‘s Rams are in a downward spiral, and Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com believes it’s time for the team to make coaching change at season’s end.
- Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) hears that the decision to fire offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was made by Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell, who had “shown signs of displeasure” with the offense during the club’s last few games.
- The Giants could have taken a commanding lead in the weak NFC East division with a win over Washington on Sunday, but the fact that the team couldn’t get it done puts head coach Tom Coughlin on the hot seat, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- Several weeks ago, with his team scuffling along at 2-5, head coach Bill O’Brien didn’t exactly look safe in Houston. Four wins later though, Texans owner Bob McNair is giving O’Brien credit for the team’s success, telling Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, “I think he’s doing a fine job.”
AFC East Notes: Taylor, Edelman, Dolphins
Assuming he plays the entire game against the Patriots tonight, Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor should ensure that he plays at least 50% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps this season, notes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). And if Taylor meets that 50% threshold this season, it means he could end up spending one less year in Buffalo.
When Taylor signed a three-year contract with the Bills in the offseason, the pact included a clause that allowed it to void after two years if the ex-Raven played at least half of the club’s snaps this season. At the time, with Taylor projected to be a backup, those terms didn’t appear significant, but they certainly do now. Barring an injury tonight, Taylor will now likely be eligible for unrestricted free agency following the 2016 season.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the AFC East….
- Schefter also examines another notable contract, tweeting that Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman will lose about $47K each week in per-game roster bonuses while his foot injury keeps him out of action. If he misses the rest of the season, Edelman will lose out on about $328K, so the injury is a costly one for both the player and the team.
- After falling to 4-6 on Sunday, the Dolphins need to start looking ahead to 2016, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. While players and coaches still insist the club is capable of running the table and vying for a playoff spot, the franchise needs to start considering who the head coach will be in 2016, and what personnel changes must be made in the offseason.
- Dan Campbell‘s performance in relief of Joe Philbin is “obviously enough to earn him a legitimate interview” when the Dolphins hunt for a permanent head coach after the season, says Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. However, Salguero believes Miami needs to target someone with more extensive head coaching experience, identifying Sean Payton and Chuck Pagano as potential candidates, if they’re available.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Dolphins
The latest news regarding a pair of AFC East clubs:
- Fifth-year Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson – making just under $7MM this year – is due for a new contract in the offseason, which he says has motivated him this season. “I know that I’m underpaid right now and I’m gonna play like … I’m somebody that needs to be paid,” Wilkerson told Steve Serby of the New York Post. Wilkerson has four straight seasons of at least five sacks – including seven already this year – and knows he’ll be on the receiving end of a blockbuster payday in the offseason. He just isn’t sure which team will give it to him. “[S]omebody’ll pay me if the Jets don’t,” he said. The Jets weren’t able to lock up Wilkerson during the summer, and the 26-year-old shut down negotiations entering the season because he didn’t want them to serve as a distraction.
- Like Wilkerson, Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie could also be in another uniform in 2016. As Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes, Cromartie has struggled this season and what’s left of the four-year, $32MM deal he signed last winter won’t be difficult for the Jets to get out of during the offseason. Unlike Wilkerson, the 31-year-old Cromartie isn’t concerned about his long-term status. “The only thing I can control is finishing this year on a high note. That’s it. I can’t put myself in a position where I’m thinking, ‘What’s going to happen after this season?’ My goal is to try to help bring a Super Bowl here.”
- Dolphins interim coach Dan Campbell has gone 3-2 since taking over for the fired Joe Philbin and has his team in the playoff hunt in the AFC. While it’s unlikely that 4-5 Miami ultimately reaches the postseason, it could help Campbell’s cause that he and Dolphins football czar Mike Tannenbaum have a good relationship. “He’s really just helped me get my feet wet here,” Campbell told Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. “I would say a lot of it is behind-the-scenes-type things that he’s helped me take care of, from who sits on the plane to handling things down at the stadium.” Added Tannenbaum, “Dan and I have a great partnership. We collaborate and discuss a lot of different things.”
East Notes: Vernon, Hardy, Dolphins
Defensive end Olivier Vernon, who has had to step up for the Dolphins with Cameron Wake out for the season, didn’t have a sack on Sunday against the Eagles, but he had an impact on the game, recording a handful of quarterback hits and hurries.
Vernon’s latest solid performance has Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wondering why the Dolphins aren’t more inclined to engage in at least preliminary extension talks with the defender’s camp during the season. Vernon isn’t the Dolphins’ only notable free-agent-to-be, and Miami doesn’t make a habit of discussing new deals during the season. However, as Salguero writes, waiting until the offseason and having to decide whether it’s worth using the franchise tag on Vernon could cost the team much more.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:
- Head coach Jason Garrett didn’t want to go into any specifics about a report on Greg Hardy being late for a Cowboys‘ meeting last week, but he also didn’t deny it happened, as Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com writes. “Suffice it to say that we have standards here with the Cowboys, that if a player were to miss something or be late for something, we address it in-house, and we address it the right way,” Garrett said. According to Archer, the penalty for such a transgression would be a fine, per team rules.
- With a game against the Dolphins on tap this weekend, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted in an appearance on 105.3 The Fan that his team previously tried to hire Dan Campbell as its tight ends coach, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
- The Dolphins are hosting former Patriots linebacker Cameron Gordon for a visit today, tweets agent Brett Tessler. While the Michigan product spent some time on New England’s roster, he has yet to appear in an NFL regular season game.
- Jets quarterback Geno Smith exercised poor judgment once again in the wake of last week’s loss to the Bills, and it’s the latest example of why he doesn’t have a long-term future with the organization, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Several Philadelphia News staffers, including Les Bowen and Paul Domowitch, evaluated the performance of Chip Kelly as the Eagles‘ general manager, with none of the 23 poll respondents giving Kelly better than a C grade.
Extra Points: Foles, Benjamin, Dolphins
Earlier tonight, the Rams announced that they will be benching quarterback Nick Foles in favor of backup Case Keenum. However, coach Jeff Fisher told reporters that, at some point, Foles will resume starting duties.
“Nick also understands that he eventually will be under center for us again,” Fisher said (via Mike Florio of PFT). “But this is my decision based on what I think is best for this team offensively is to go this direction.”
While we wait to see how things shake out in St. Louis, here’s more from around the NFL:
- Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said in the wake of the team’s 30-9 loss to the Steelers that he doesn’t expect to make any changes to the coaching staff as the club enters its bye week. However, it seems increasingly likely that an offseason house-cleaning is around the corner, according to Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal, who doesn’t envision GM Ray Farmer hanging onto his current position.
- Despite the Browns‘ struggles this season, wide receiver Travis Benjamin says his desire to re-sign with the team remains unchanged, adding that he’s willing to stick with the franchise for the long haul, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- Sources tell Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports that Dolphins executive VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum currently has a “strong say” when it comes to who plays on Sundays for Miami. Interim head coach Dan Campbell seems to be fine with that, and Garafolo wonders if that makes Campbell a stronger candidate to land the permanent job, since other candidates may not be able to co-exist as well with Tannenbaum, who likes to have input on game-day decisions.
- Former Ravens defensive tackle Terrence Cody has been acquitted of the most serious animal cruelty charges levied against him, as Alison Knezevich of The Baltimore Sun tweets. However, Cody was convicted of multiple neglect charges.
- The Saints worked out linebacker Brad Jones and running back Vick Ballard today, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Dolphins Holding Off On Coaching Search
Ever since Joe Philbin was dismissed in Miami, there has been a great deal of speculation as to who his next successor might be. As it turns out, the Dolphins feel that they might have their next head coach already in the fold. The Dolphins plan to give interim head coach Dan Campbell a total of 4-6 weeks on the job before they start looking for a new coach, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
That means that tonight’s contest against the Patriots, which was already pivotal for the 3-3 Dolphins’ hopes in 2015, carries extra significance. Campbell is already two weeks into his tenure as the interim head coach, so he is potentially getting four more games to show what he can do. The early results under Campbell have been promising and the offense is performing as expected behind the running of Lamar Miller. Of course, with all due respect to the Titans and Texans, the Patriots are the ultimate test for the resurgent Dolphins.
If Campbell can lead Miami to victory over intra-divisional rivals New England and Buffalo, his odds of being retained for 2016 and beyond will certainly improve. If he doesn’t, one has to imagine that we’ll see some big-name coaches linked to the job once more, including Saints coach Sean Payton.
Coaching Rumors: Dolphins, Pagano, Texans
A report this weekend indicated that Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley is expected to receive consideration in the offseason for the Dolphins‘ head coaching job. However, asked if there’s any truth to those Haley rumors, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) replied, “None.”
It isn’t the first time that Salguero has shot down a Dolphins-related report from La Canfora — during the 2014 offseason, La Canfora reported that the club was exploring trades involving players like Mike Wallace and Dion Jordan, which Salguero’s sources emphatically denied. It’s not entirely clear if the team was indeed considering deals back then, but the Dolphins ultimately traded Wallace a year later, and probably wish they had moved Jordan as well.
In this case, the performance of the Dolphins and interim coach Dan Campbell down the stretch will play a significant role in what candidates Miami considers after the season — if the club continues to look as good as it has in Campbell’s first two games, it’s hard not to imagine the team hiring him on a full-time basis.
Here are a few more coaching notes and rumors from around the NFL:
- While Chuck Pagano‘s job in Indianapolis isn’t totally safe, it’s highly unlikely that the Colts will make a change this week, tweets Bob Kravitz of WTHR.com. Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star is skeptical that firing Pagano is the answer to turning things around for the Colts.
- If the Colts do decide to make an in-season change, that move is most likely to happen during the club’s Week 10 bye, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole identifies offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski, and quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen as the four in-house candidates to replace Pagano.
- In the wake of Monday’s report that head coach Bill O’Brien and general manager Rick Smith disagreed on whether Ryan Mallett should be cut, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk examines the Texans‘ organizational structure, suggesting that it will likely continue to cause problems. In Smith’s view, it may be time for either the head coach or GM – or both – to go. For what it’s worth, following Mallett’s release today, Tania Ganguil of ESPN.com tweeted that Rick Smith was always on board with the decision, but disagreed about the timing of the move, which would’ve left the team with just one active veteran quarterback.
- The Lions‘ firing of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi should officially put head coach Jim Caldwell on notice, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
- The Eagles are almost certainly giving DeMarco Murray more playing time than Ryan Mathews because of the difference between the two players’ contracts and guaranteed money, and that’s just one example of how Chip Kelly‘s moves as a GM are hampering him as a head coach, says Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Michael Reghi, Bud Shaw, Dan Labbe, and Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group debate whether Browns head coach Mike Pettine should be on the hot seat in Cleveland.
Extra Points: Dolphins, Wright, Saffold
Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell told reporters, including ESPN.com’s James Walker (on Twitter), that he’s talked to Bill Parcells since taking over the job and that he has been a good “resource.” Parcells is said to still have a lot of sway in Miami’s operations, which has led some to speculate that Sean Payton could be a fit for Miami since he once served as his assistant in Dallas.
Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Earlier this week, Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith heard that Shareece Wright was leaning toward signing with the Seahawks. Smith, not wanting Seattle to beat Baltimore to the punch, put in recruiting call to Wright, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Smith joked that he’s the reason the ex-49ers/Chargers corner signed with the Ravens, but it’s possible that he moved the needle. Wright rode the bench in SF and he’s looking to get playing time with his new squad.
- Former Baylor wide receiver Antwan Goodley worked out for the Giants today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- Rams right guard Rodger Saffold is not expected to return to the playing field soon, if at all this season, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- Chiefs nose tackle Dontari Poe has a high ankle sprain and will likely be out for a few weeks, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com tweets.
AFC East Notes: Brady, Campbell, Wilkerson
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday he had no regrets about the way he acted throughout the Deflategate drama, as Christopher Price of WEEI.com writes. Goodell was complimentary of Brady but also made it clear that he was never interested in giving him special treatment.
“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Tom. I know him personally,” Goodell said. “As I say, I admire him tremendously. He is a future Hall of Fame player. But our rules apply to everybody. They apply to every single player. And every single player expects those rules to apply to everybody. Every coach does, every fan does, every partner, every team does.”
Here’s more from the AFC East..
- It sounds like the Dolphins are going to give interim coach Dan Campbell a chance to win the permanent job in Miami, as Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. “That’s why we did this with 12 games left, not two,” a source told Werder. Presumably, the Dolphins will consider outside options at season’s end, but a strong finish for Campbell would give him a leg up on his competition.
- New Bills kicker Billy Cundiff told reporters, including ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (on Twitter), “I’m here to kick off. Everything else is on a need-to-know basis.” Of course, after kicker Dan Carpenter missed a 30-yard try on Sunday, many are wondering if that plan might change.
- Muhammad Wilkerson has been an “absolute beast” so far this season for the Jets, and Brian Costello of the New York Post suggests that the team has to find a way to lock up one of its best defensive players to a long-term deal.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Extra Points: Ravens, Mallett, Colts, Campbell
The Ravens completed a trade over the weekend, acquiring Chris Givens from the Rams for a future draft pick, and Peter King of TheMMQB.com wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not the last deal for a wide receiver Baltimore makes this season. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun agrees that the Ravens will certainly monitor the market, but notes that GM Ozzie Newsome isn’t the type to panic and trade future assets for a short-term fix.
Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Texans coach Bill O’Brien told reporters that Ryan Mallett is still the team’s starting quarterback heading into Thursday’s game against the Colts, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Mallett completed 12 of 27 passes for 150 yards and one interception with a passer rating of 46.8 on Sunday against the Falcons.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised to see the Colts re-sign quarterback Josh Johnson on Wednesday.
- Dolphins players “love” the newly-appointed interim head coach Dan Campbell but there’s concern about whether the play-calling will improve, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets.
- After punter Thomas Morstead suffered a leg injury, the Saints are bringing in four punters for tryouts on Tuesday, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.