Raiders Reached Out To Christian Ponder
3:50pm: The Raiders got positive news on Carr’s thumb and he could conceivably play on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. If Carr is good to go, that could put plans for signing Ponder on hold.
2:55pm: Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will have an MRI on his injured hand today and the team doesn’t expect him to play Sunday, sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. With Carr potentially sidelined, the Raiders have reached out to quarterback Christian Ponder to express their interest.
Ponder was in camp with the Raiders this summer but he was a roster casualty when Oakland reduced its roster to 53. The Eagles were quick to express their interest in the former No. 12 overall pick, but he declined to work out for them, citing family reasons, according to Mortensen.
Ponder, 27, started 36 games during his four years with the Vikings, though he was essentially the team’s No. 3 signal-caller in 2014, behind Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Cassel on the depth chart. With a career 59.8% completion rate and 75.9 passer rating, Ponder didn’t find a very active market when he hit free agency this offseason. His best season came in 2012, when he threw 18 TDs and 12 picks for a playoff-bound team.
AFC Mailbags: Ravens, Rivers, Carr, Jags
We took a look at ESPN.com’s NFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift our focus over to the AFC…
- The current group of Ravens tight ends have a combined one NFL start, and Jamison Hensley believes the draft will present an opportunity for the team to acquire a veteran. The writer suggests Brandon Pettigrew (Lions) or Marcedes Lewis (Jaguars) as potential targets.
- Considering Rich Cimini can’t envision Marcus Mariota dropping to pick number six, he doesn’t think a Philip Rivers trade will work out between the Jets and the Chargers. However, if Mariota were to be available, the writer says the Jets would need to get a long-term commitment from Rivers before pulling the trigger.
- Bill Williamson would be “stunned” if the Raiders drafted Marcus Mariota and traded Derek Carr. The team’s coaching staff is counting on Carr to be part of the future of the organization, so a shift in philosophy would be a “major storyline.”
- Besides an edge rusher, wideout Amari Cooper would be the only other player the Jaguars would consider with the third pick, opines Mike DiRocco.
Extra Points: Titans, Morgan, McKenzie
The Titans are 2-13, and looking at a very high draft pick this offseason, but they also have a number of contributors who are set to hit free agency at the end of the year. Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com takes a look at a 16 players who the Titans will make decisions on, and gives an idea of whether the team will try to keep them.
Notably, he writes that Michael Roos would probably not sign even if the Titans wanted to keep him. With Taylor Lewan taking over at left tackle, Roos would likely find work elsewhere rather than make the transition to right tackle. Jake Locker is another player who isn’t expected to return, although his is a case of the team not being interested.
Kuharsky doesn’t pick out many players the team would have to keep, aside from Derrick Morgan, but most of the list are players who can contribute but are not vital to the operation, much as one would expect from a two-win team.
Here are some other notes from around the league:
- While Morgan is probably the best player on the Titans that is hitting free agency, he has said that the team has not approached him at all regarding an extension, according to Terry McCormack of TitansInsider.com (via Twitter). Kuharsky wrote that Morgan adjusted well to the 3-4 defense, but could pursue a return to a 4-3 in free agency.
- Raiders‘ general manager Reggie McKenzie has had a tumultuous season, in which he fired head coach Dennis Allen and heard rumors that his own job may be in jeopardy. However, he believes that he has built a foundation in Oakland, highlighted by rookies Khalil Mack and Derek Carr, writes Vic Tafur of SFGate.com. “Derek and Khalil stopped being rookies a little while back. Now they are veteran players. They can carry this into next season and help build this team into winners,” said McKenzie. “They’ve shown their teammates who they are as players and men off the field, and they’re definitely guys everybody can count on.”
- The Panthers have activated defensive end Frank Alexander for this week’s matchup against the Falcons, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). Alexander is coming off a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The move was expected after the team decided not to activate him in time for the Browns’ game on Sunday.
Extra Points: Goodell, Vikings, Harvin, Dogra
In the wake of the Adrian Peterson decision, tensions between the NFL and the player’s union are high once again, writes Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Commissioner Roger Goodell exerted significant power in suspending Peterson for the season, singular power the the union was under the impression he would no longer be wielding on his own. According to Maske’s source, the two sides have no good will between them.
“I think it reflects a fundamental disagreement about the role of the commissioner’s office in the disciplinary process,” said Gabriel Feldman of the sports law program at Tulane University. “I think it’s a reflection of the tension that has existed. It’s not surprising. It would have been surprising if the Players Association had not sought so vigorously to have Peterson reinstated. To some extent, it is each side playing the role it’s supposed to play.”
Here are some other notes from around the NFL this Saturday evening:
- In Peterson’s absence, the Vikings will be forced to continue the season using a running back-by-committe approach, and that may be the plan going forward, writes Matt Vensel of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. He writes that the player taking carries for the Vikings next season could be any one of the players on the active roster, Peterson, or someone they take in the 2015 NFL Draft.
- The Jets‘ have seen a lot of improvement with their midseason acquisition of Percy Harvin, and are happy with how he has fit in so far, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. They will have a tough decision to make at the end of the season on whether to keep him at his hefty price tag of $10MM, but Harvin hopes to remain with the team.
- Since Ben Dogra has been fired, CAA Sports has also terminated the contracts of a number of employees who worked closely with the embattled NFL agent, writes Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal. On behalf of Dogra, his attorney, Rusty Hardin, stated that he was unsure of any “supposed cause” for his firing and ensured that none of the agent’s clients had left (via Twitter). He also commented on Dogra’s future, saying he “hasn’t decided where he is going to land or whether he is going to start his own firm.” (via Twitter).
- Three of the top four quarterbacks selected in this past NFL Draft have seen significant game action this season, and Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post has compared their play to see who has played best and who has shown the most promise for the future. The answer to both questions so far point to Derek Carr, who has impressed with his decision-making and his quick release, according to Gabriel. Blake Bortles has struggled and Teddy Bridgewater has yet to be unleashed, while Johnny Manziel is the only one of the four to not receive any significant playing time this season.
Monday Roundup: Cutler, Trades, Landry
Our Zach Links wrote earlier that Bears GM Phil Emery is not currently thinking about parting ways with head coach Marc Trestman, and Emery and Trestman both reaffirmed their support for embattled quarterback Jay Cutler one day after Chicago’s embarrassing Week 8 loss to the Patriots. As Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com writes, Emery and Trestman remain committed to Cutler, attempting to accentuate the positives in their signal caller’s performances while acknowledging the struggles.
Emery claimed that his club’s decision to stick with Cutler has nothing to do with Cutler’s salary, but ESPN’s John Clayton is understandably skeptical. In his “Clayton Minute” video segment, Clayton says that, given the Bear’s $18MM annual commitment to Cutler, Chicago simply has no other choice than to hope that Cutler can right the ship.
- Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times writes that Emery has been approached with “two or three interesting” trade proposals, but nothing that helps the Bears win in 2014. As Emery stated that the team is far from giving up hope on this season.
- Derek Carr is showing tremendous promise and the Browns have to be second-guessing their decision to target Johnny Manziel in the draft instead of him, writes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer.
- Browns head coach Mike Pettine says that the team’s phones are ringing but cautions that the deadline brings few trades in comparison to the amount of talk that happens, tweets Nate Urlich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
- Citing ESPN’s Adam Schefter, CSNBaltimore.com staff reports that the league has levied a $1.4MM salary cap charge on the Ravens as a result of Ray Rice‘s grievance against the club. According to Schefter, it is normal practice for the NFL to make such a move when a grievance is pending. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun writes that the cap charge reduces the Ravens’ cap room to about $4.1MM. Baltimore may need to utilize some of that room, as star cornerback Jimmy Smith is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a left foot sprain, according to Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com.
- Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that his club is unlikely to make any more trades,according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (via Twitter).
- The Colts are in no hurry to bring back LaRon Landry after his four-game PED suspension, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com looks at how Jon Beason‘s salary, and the Giants‘ salary cap, will be affected by Beason’s season-ending injury.
Zach Links contributed to this post
Mike Pettine On Carr, Manziel, Hoyer
This Sunday, the Browns will take on the Raiders who are led by promising rookie quarterback Derek Carr. While the Browns drafted the most talked about QB this year, Carr is making the biggest impact of any rookie signal caller this year. Cleveland coach Mike Pettine can’t help but be impressed by what he’s seen out of Carr. “For a rookie quarterback, the kid’s playing.. pretty well,” Pettine said, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. “You use a coaching cliché, ‘He can make all the throws.’ This is a kid that can legitimately make all the throws. You could tell he’s got a firm grasp of what they’re doing.” In an alternate universe somewhere, the Browns resisted the urge to draft Johnny Manziel and instead selected Carr. While you ponder that, here are more highlights from today’s presser, courtesy of Ulrich:
On what his discussions were like with Carr before the draft
Positive. We had a good visit with him – ran out to Fresno (State University), spent some time with him and his brother. It was good. He’s very mature. If you’re around him you wouldn’t think that he’s a kid just coming out of college. The fact that he’s so close with his brother and what his brother has been through in the NFL, I think prepared him that much more. It’s showing up in his play. You can tell he’s very much a student of the game just by how he plays. You can tell he knows certain defenses, where to go with the ball, when to get out of a run and throw it on the outside and based on coverage where to attack a defense. I think his football IQ is well ahead of the game because of his background.
On if his brother David Carr’s lack of success in the NFL ever came up when evaluating Derek Carr
No, to me, you look at it as a positive because the mistakes that his brother made or what happened to his brother can only make Derek better. Like I said, here’s a guy that’s only been sacked four times. He can make plays with his feet and get out of the pocket. He’s got a quick release, and he’s decisive with the ball and they’re blocking well in front of him.
On if the Browns had Carr rated close to Manziel on their draft board
I don’t know where he finally fell in that cluster of guys, but this year – just going back looking at the draft – you just had so many varying opinions on players. It wasn’t that there was a clear consensus on it, but when you watched the Fresno tape he was guy that you knew this kid’s an NFL quarterback.
On what makes him think that pending free agent quarterback Brian Hoyer can come back from last week’s loss to the Jaguars
Number one, I think his confidence, his preparation, his ability to compartmentalize and put something behind him, then also just confidence in the guys around him. I think all the guys know on offense that they didn’t play well enough for the offense to be successful, which was a big part in making his performance look the way that it did starts up front. That goes to the backs, to the receivers, to the tight end. It’s the whole group, and it’s a subtle effect. When you have issues in the run game that puts you in second-and-9. It’s hard for your quarterback to look good at times – second-and-9, third-and-9 than it is second-and-5, third-and-4. To me, it’s a ripple effect throughout when you’re not playing at a high level around him
AFC Notes: Raiders, Colts, Ryan, Blackmon
After taking a look at a few Thursday headlines out of the NFC this morning, we’ll shift our attention to the league’s other conference and check in on the latest from around the AFC….
- Earlier this week, Albert Breer of the NFL Network reported that Jon Gruden is a big fan of quarterback Derek Carr and that his presence could help lure Chucky back to Oakland. Now, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that Raiders owner Mark Davis actually drafted Carr in the second round of this year’s draft as a part of his plan to bring Gruden back.
- As Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star explains, the extra non-guaranteed year tacked onto the end of Robert Mathis‘ current contract isn’t the reason the Colts extended his deal. The extension included a reworking of his 2015 salary that makes it much more palatable for the team to move on from the veteran pass rusher after this season, if he’s viewed as too expensive or if he isn’t recovering well from his torn Achilles.
- Asked earlier today about head coach Rex Ryan‘s job security, Jets owner Woody Johnson said that’s something the team would evaluate at season’s end. For his part, Ryan told reporters today, “I think we’ll win this year. … I believe in my heart that I’ll be a part of [the Jets’] long-term future” (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News).
- News that Justin Blackmon has voluntarily entered a treatment facility is a good sign that the troubled receiver may finally be turning his life around, writes Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. In fact, that should make the Jaguars cautiously optimistic that the wideout may return to the field one day. Blackmon is currently serving an indefinite suspension for his third violation of the NFL’s substance abuse program.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Injury Updates: Sunday
Chargers‘ starting cornerback Shareece Wright left the matchup against the Jaguars with a knee injury, reports Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego. The team believes Wright may have sprained his MCL, but hopes no damage has been done to his ACL. He will have an MRI on Monday to confirm the injury.
Gehlken notes that Wright is in the final year of his rookie contract, which could hurt his free agency if he misses a huge chunk of the season. 2014 first-round pick Jason Verrett was inactive for the game.
Here are some other injury-related news to look out for:
- Bills‘ defensive tackle Kyle Williams was not with the team in the locker room after the game, reports Mike Rodak of ESPN (via Twitter). The team has reported that he suffered a knee injury in the loss against the Texans.
- Falcons‘ safety William Moore was forced to leave the game against the Vikings with a shoulder injury, and will not be able to return, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
- The 49ers have already suffered a number of injuries in their matchup against the Eagles. Two of the most notable are the losses of Anthony Davis and Vernon Davis. Anthony has been ruled out for the game with a knee injury, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter) and Vernon will not return with a back injury, reports Can Inman of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
- Texans‘ receiver Andre Johnson had to leave the win over the Bills early due to an ankle injury, but says the injury is not serious, according to Adam Wexler of CSNHouston.com (via Twitter).
- Raiders‘ quarterback Derek Carr left the loss to the Dolphins in London with knee and ankle injuries, reports Jerry McDonald of InsideBayArea.com. The team is reaching its bye, and does not have a game next week.
Raiders Name Derek Carr Starting QB
8:02pm: Allen confirmed to reporters, including Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (on Twitter), that Carr will be the Raiders’ starter, noting that it’s not a week-to-week proposition — Schaub is the clear No. 2.
5:14pm: After the Raiders acquired Matt Schaub from the Texans over the offseason, it was widely assumed the veteran would be the team’s starting signal-caller come Week 1. However, just six days before Oakland’s opener against the Jets, the team has made a depth chart alteration, as Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1 reports (Twitter link) that rookie Derek Carr will start at QB against New York.
Schaub had been dealing with an elbow injury throughout the preseason, but head coach Dennis Allen contended that the ailment was not serious. However, Schaub’s absence allowed Carr, the 36th overall selection in May’s draft, to take the quarterback reins during Oakland’s exhibition games. The Fresno State product ran with the starting role, completing 67% of his passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Admittedly, Carr’s success came mostly against backups, but the numbers are still impressive for a player who was considered something of a project coming out of college.
Glazer’s report indicates that Carr will be the starter going forward, rather than just a temporary replacement until Schaub is healthy. Carr will be the only rookie QB to start for his team in Week 1, as the Jaguars, Browns, and Vikings opted against starting Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater, respectively. For his part, Schaub will earn $8MM while acting as the No. 2 quarterback — another $3MM is available to him via incentives, but they are likely unreachable unless he re-takes the starting job at some point.
McDonald on Matt Schaub’s Sore Elbow
Raiders’ quarterback Matt Schaub has some soreness in his throwing elbow which kept him out of Sunday’s practice, reports Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune (via Twitter).
Dennis Allen said that the injury was not serious, and not a cause for concern. He noted that Schaub will be evaluated daily and is expected to return soon.
The short term beneficiary of this injury is rookie quarterback Derek Carr. David Carr‘s younger brother was a second-round pick, and will be getting first-team reps with Schaub sidelined for the time being (via Twitter).
Schaub brought up the soreness for the first time yesterday.
McDonald draws comparisons to the quarterback situation from last season, when Matt Flynn was set to be the starter after being brought in via a trade with the Seahawks. That was before a sore elbow held him out of practice towards the end of the preseason. Flynn would never regain a hold of his starting job, as Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin shuffled back and forth in and out of the lineup (via Twitter). Flynn would eventually be released, allowing him to rejoin the Packers later in the season.
If Carr impresses with the first team, it could accelerate his path to the starting job the Raiders hoped he would eventually take.