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Ray Rice

AFC North Notes: Blount, Sheard, Rice

November 19th, 2014 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers parted ways with disgruntled running back LeGarrette Blount yesterday, and it doesn’t sound like his teammates were too upset about the decision. As Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, center and team captain Maurkice Pouncey referred to Blount’s release as a “blessing in disguise.”

“We’re fine,” Pouncey said. “We have our starting running back. It’s probably a good thing that it happened. At the end of the day, if it was a cancer, he ended up leaving on his own. That’s a blessing for us. At the end of the day, we’re good. We don’t need him.”

As we wait to see whether or not Blount clears waivers later today, here are a few more notes from around the AFC North:

  • Head coach Mike Pettine indicated on Monday that Browns linebacker Jabaal Sheard may be out for the rest of the season with a foot injury, but the team has received some good news on Sheard, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport tweets that Sheard, who got a second opinion on the injury, won’t require surgery and should be back in a week or so.
  • Now that the NFL has announced Adrian Peterson‘s suspension and arbitrator Shyam Das made a decision on the NFLPA’s grievance related to the Vikings running back, the next issue on the legal docket for the league is a ruling on Ray Rice, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. A decision is expected within the next week, and could come at any time, and it appears likely that the former Ravens running back will have his indefinite suspension overturned.
  • In the wake of Blount’s release from the Steelers, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders why the team signed him in the first place, given his history of off-field incidents.
  • Earlier this morning, I asked whether Blount or Ben Tate will be the better pickup of the two AFC North running backs cut yesterday.

South Notes: Colts, Rice, Tate, Texans

November 18th, 2014 at 7:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest from the AFC and NFC South..

  • A source close to Ben Tate tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that he will get claimed by a team before the Colts (at No. 21) get the chance.
  • There has been some speculation that the Colts, with a need at running back now that Ahmad Bradshaw is out for the year, and a head coach in Chuck Pagano who has a history with Ray Rice, may be interested in the suspended running back if he’s reinstated. However, Ed Werder of ESPN.com reports that Indianapolis would have no interest in signing Rice as a potential replacement for Bradshaw.
  • However, another prominent free agent running back could be a consideration for the Colts. The team has begun researching running back Ben Tate — including his character and potential fit in Indy’s scheme — and appear interested in possibly claiming him off waivers, a source told ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. The Colts have to be especially mindful of whether a tailback can fit in given the complexity of their offense.
  • The Falcons had Travian Robertson plucked from their taxi squad earlier today and they’re looking into replacements already. Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reports that Atlanta is auditioning defensive tackle Kheeston Randall today.

AFC North Notes: Rice, Peterson, Campbell

November 12th, 2014 at 6:40pm CST by Zachary Links

More than halfway through his first season as a head coach, Mike Pettine says he still hasn’t gotten the feeling that he has mastered the craft, writes George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal. “No, this is, very much so, a what-have-you-done-lately business,” the Browns coach said. “We go from the high of the Pittsburgh game to the low of Jacksonville, and I think the day you think that you have the answers or you’ve got it all figured out you’re very close to being humbled. It’s a challenge week to week. Each week is a fresh set, and you’re judged on that as you go. I’ll have a lot more time when the season’s over to sit down and go back and say, ‘What did we do right? What did we do wrong? What do we need to change moving forward?” More out of the AFC North..

  • Based on what he has been hearing, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report expects Adrian Peterson to play again while former Ravens running back Ray Rice probably won’t. Both embattled running backs are viewed as pariahs, but Rice is the bigger pariah of the two. Rice will probably be reinstated sometime soon, but at the moment, team officials say there is almost no interest in the running back. One exec says that teams are weighing Rice’s ability versus the media storm that would rain down on any team that employs him. Very few teams, if any, want to take that on.
  • The Ravens worked out fullbacks Jordan Campbell and Nikita Whitlock, tight ends Tom Crabtree and Nathan Overbay, and quarterback Bryn Renner, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News regraded the 2014 draft and gave Ravens rookie C.J. Mosley an A+, putting the No. 17 pick far ahead of Jadeveon Clowney (No. 1 overall), Greg Robinson (No. 2), and other highly-touted prospects.

Ray Rice Ruling Expected By Thanksgiving

November 9th, 2014 at 10:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Following Ray Rice‘s appeal hearing this past week, former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones is expected to make a ruling on the case sometime before the end of November, according to reports from Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Canfora indicates that a decision may come before Thanksgiving, while Rapoport says it should happen within the next three weeks.

Although last week’s two-day hearing has concluded, the two sides are scheduled to present closing arguments to Jones this coming Thursday, with an understanding that a ruling on the case will come within 10 days of that date, says La Canfora. Meanwhile, Rapoport indicates that the final briefs from both sides are due to Jones a week from Monday, at which point she should have all the materials necessary to make a decision.

Jones has been tasked with deciding whether or not to uphold the league’s indefinite suspension of Rice, which the union argues was levied on the running back despite no new incidents or new information surfacing since he was originally suspended for two games for assaulting his then-fiancée in a casino hotel elevator.

If he’s reinstated, Rice will be eligible to sign with any team, but that may be a moot point for at least the 2014 season. Even if he’s deemed eligible to return to the field, it’s hard to imagine a team signing Rice within the next few weeks, given the backlash that the club would certainly face.

AFC North Notes: Roethlisberger, Hoyer, Eifert

November 7th, 2014 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

At age 32, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is playing at an elite level. In the last two weeks, he’s torched the Colts and Ravens for 12 total touchdown passes, and on the season, his 20.4 overall Pro Football Focus rating is tops in the NFL. While Roethlisberger isn’t a free agent until 2016 and there are no extension talks taking place, Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole believes the veteran quarterback will seek approximately $24MM per year on his next deal, which would make him the league’s highest-paid player by average annual value. While it remains to be seen whether Big Ben will receive – or even ask for – that kind of money, he’s certainly in line for a big payday if he keeps up his current torrid pace.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the AFC North….

  • After the Browns dismantled the Bengals in Cincinnati last night, Brian Hoyer‘s record as Cleveland’s starter over the past two seasons improved to 9-3 — in games he didn’t start, the Browns posted a 1-12 record. Hoyer’s continued success is great for the Browns’ playoff chances, but it’s pushing the team further into a corner when it comes to making a decision on the signal-caller’s future, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
  • Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis told reporters today, including Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (Twitter link), that while tight end Tyler Eifert is on the mend, there’s a chance he misses the rest of the season. Eifert is currently on injured reserve with the designation to return, and is eligible to be activated as soon as next week.
  • Even before his domestic violence incident, former Ravens running back Ray Rice appeared to be on the decline, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today. So if he’s reinstated, will Rice even get another shot in the NFL? One personnel director tells Pelissero he believes the running back has “played his last game,” while a GM cautioned to “never say never,” and a veteran scout said he’ll get another chance, but “maybe not right away.”

Matt Feminis contributed to this post.

Latest On Ray Rice

November 6th, 2014 at 5:56pm CST by Matt Feminis

As part of Ray Rice‘s appeal hearing, Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome testified under oath Thursday that he heard Rice tell NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that the ex-Ravens running back hit his then-fiancée in a casino hotel elevator, reports ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr.

Thursday concluded Rice’s two-day appeal, which also included testimony from Goodell, Rice and and Rice’s wife, Janay. Additionally, the player’s union and the league submitted notes taken during the June 16 disciplinary hearing which left Rice suspended indefinitely for violating the personal conduct policy. The decision is now in the hands of U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones, who has asked for final briefs from both sides next week before she levies a ruling.

“Rice and the NFL Players Association contend the league’s indefinite suspension constitutes an enhanced punishment for the same violation and thus violates labor law,” writes Van Natta Jr. “The union also is arguing that the discipline of Rice by Goodell was inconsistent as it relates to the league’s conduct policy.”

Rice is seeking immediate reinstatement, which seems inconsequential given the PR firestorm sure to result from Rice signing with another team, though Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman tweeted a quote an AFC scout who said: “I don’t think any team will sign him. But then again, there’s always an idiot in the room.”

Van Natta Jr. says ESPN’s Outside the Lines has a pair of sources confirming Thursday’s news. The program also quoted four sources in September who said Rice had told Goodell he hit Janay. Goodell denies that claim, saying that Rice’s June 16 account of the events was “ambiguous.”

As for the testimonies from Rice and his wife, Van Natta Jr. says a gag order imposed by Jones prevented the release of details. However, sources say Newsome supported Rice’s previous explanation to Goodell.

Weighing in on the news, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio condemns the NFL by wondering:

“But does any of this matter? It was known that Rice had knocked out Janay Palmer in the elevator. Whether he used a closed fist, an open hand, an elbow, a forearm, or some other part of his body, he knocked . . . her . . . out.

“And if there were any ambiguity at all, the NFL should have gotten the video. It could have gotten the video. It failed to get the video.

“Regardless, the idea that the NFL would see any ambiguity at all in the information from Rice suggests either a lack of empathy for the victim of a knockout blow. Alternatively, it’s entirely possible that the NFL is simply feigning ignorance regarding what actually happened in order to support the knee-jerk second suspension, which came only hours after the video of the incident was published.”

Click here to read the NFLPA’s statement on the hearing.

Latest On Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson

November 5th, 2014 at 5:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Adrian Peterson‘s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, appeared on ESPN’s Mike and Mike today, and cautioned against lumping his client in with Ray Rice, writes Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. In Hardin’s view, the grand jury only decided to reconsider Peterson’s case after the elevator footage of Rice striking his then-fiancée was leaked by TMZ, and Hardin hopes that the NFL and the public will assess the two players and cases individually.

While Hardin is right that the two cases aren’t identical, they do both involve former Pro Bowl running backs missing most or all of the 2014 season due to off-field transgressions. As such, for the purposes of passing along the latest updates on both players, we’ll “lump them together” and provide today’s news right here:

5:42pm:

  • Roger Goodell was the first witness to testify under oath during Wednesday’s session, answering questions for more than two hours, including cross-examination by union attorney Jeffrey Kessler, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.
  • Rice and his wife Janay are expected to testify separately on Thursday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Schefter adds that a source told Outside the Lines a decision could come in a matter of days after the hearing concludes, though a timetable for the ruling hasn’t been set.
  • An NFLPA sources tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link) that the union is taking the position that the league “knew everything” about what happened inside and outside that elevator even before league officials spoke to Rice. “We think we can prove it,” the source said. “We’ll see.”

1:03pm:

  • Rice’s grievance hearing got underway today, and Tom Pelissero of USA Today provides a primer for what to expect. As Pelissero notes, there’s no clear timetable for when U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones will reach a decision, but the hearing is scheduled to conclude tomorrow.
  • Per Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter), there were never any talks of a settlement for Rice between the NFL and NFLPA. Given the NFLPA’s push for commissioner Roger Goodell to testify at the hearing, it makes sense that the union wouldn’t be too open to a settlement.
  • Ed Werder of ESPN.com outlines the next steps the league will take before making a final determination on whether Peterson will come off the commissioner’s exempt list and continue his playing career. A source tells Werder that there’s “no hurry but no delay either” on the process, which includes examining court documents, consulting domestic violence and substance abuse experts, holding a hearing with Peterson and the NFLPA, and more.
  • Melissa Isaacson of ESPNW.com explains why she doesn’t think the NFL should immediately reinstate Peterson.

AFC Notes: Rice, Colts, Broncos, Gipson

October 31st, 2014 at 6:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

There’s been no indication that a settlement is close in Ray Rice‘s appeal of his indefinite suspension, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The appeal hearing, set to get underway on November 5, will involve the interrogation of commissioner Roger Goodell, so a settlement could give the appearance that Goodell is wary of answering questions under oath, surmises Florio. Additionally, even if Rice is reinstated, the ex-Raven would likely want to compensated for the income he lost during his ban. Ultimately, a settlement appears unlikely, per Florio, though it would be the best outcome for both parties involved. Here’s more from the AFC.

  • The Colts held a workout for linebacker Carlos Fields, according to Aaron Wilson of Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Fields, 24, was cut from the Giants’ practice squad three days ago, and given that New York and Indianapolis play on Sunday, it’s possible the Colts attempted to glean some strategical information from Fields. Additionally, Indianapolis listed three LBs on its latest injury report, so Fields could add some depth to a banged up position if signed.
  • The Broncos’ next opponent, the Patriots, feature a left-footed punter in Ryan Allen. As such, in what was likely an attempt to practice against a lefty in advance of Sunday’s game, Denver auditioned fellow left-footed punter Michael Palardy, per Wilson (via Twitter).
  • Browns safety Tashaun Gipson, the NFL’s current interception leader, is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and as he tells Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, he’d like to remain with in Cleveland.” I’d love to finish my career playing in this city,” said Gipson. “This is the first organization to give me my opportunity, the first one that took a chance on me, an unheralded guy coming out of Wyoming that nobody wanted to take a chance on.”

AFC Notes: Broncos, Verrett, Jets, Rice

October 30th, 2014 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few Thursday items from around the AFC:

  • The Broncos have taken a step forward on the defensive side of the ball this season, and the team’s pass rush has played a significant role in the unit’s improvement. Joan Niesen of TheMMQB.com takes a look at some of Denver’s key defenders, including free agent signee DeMarcus Ware and outside linebacker Von Miller, who will soon be in line for a pricey contract extension.
  • Rookie Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett has been diagnosed with a torn labrum, and is expected to miss two or three weeks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport indicates that Verrett hopes to play through the injury and perhaps explore surgical options after the season. With Brandon Flowers also ailing, San Diego could look into adding depth at cornerback, though it’s hardly the only position where the team has been hit hard by injuries.
  • Geno Smith doesn’t represent the present or the future for the Jets at quarterback, in the view of Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who suggests that the club needs to move on from its former 39th overall pick and focus on identifying a new QB of the future.
  • While Ray Rice likely won’t ever play for the Ravens again, some team will look into signing him eventually. Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com examines what a conversation between a general manager and a head coach may look like if the topic of signing the veteran running back surfaces.

Monday Roundup: Cutler, Trades, Landry

October 27th, 2014 at 8:54pm CST by Rory Parks

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

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