2014 September - Pro Football Rumors

New York Notes: Richardson, Boyd, Vick

September 19th, 2014 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links

Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson isn’t happy about the fine he received for unsportsmanlike conduct, writes Jane McManus of ESPNNewYork.com. “I’ve never really agreed with the fines anyway,” Richardson said, “because it’s only really on the defensive guy to get a fine. Unless the offensive guy blatantly punches somebody in the face or something crazy. I think the fine system in strictly for the D.”

Former Jets draft pick Tajh Boyd has signed with the Florida Blacktips of the FXFL, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The Clemson product, who was selected in the sixth round, recently worked out for the Giants but he apparently wasn’t able to land a spot with them.
The trick plays the Jets have used Michael Vick in haven’t worked yet but the veteran quarterback is hopeful that will change soon, writes Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday. “At the end of the day, I’m a full-time quarterback. I do that because it’s football and I love to play the game and I like having success,” Vick said Thursday, referring to his roles in gadget plays designed by coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. “So hopefully, one of these days, one of those plays will work.” For all of his diplomacy, one has to imagine that the free agent addition would be happier as the No. 1 quarterback than as a wildcat QB or a decoy.
Tiki Barber isn’t ready to give up on the Giants yet, writes Justin Terranova of the New York Post. “Most importantly they finally have a run game that can be consistent and that takes so much pressure off the quarterback,” Barber said. “I think it will click I just hope that they aren’t so far out of it [by the time it does]. Last year, they started 0-6 and it was a scramble and a fight and they almost got back into it. You never want to be in that situation. This weekend’s game is paramount for that very reason, 0-3 is very difficult to rebound from.”

NFL $100K Play-Action Contest At DraftKings

September 18th, 2014 at 11:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Take your shot this weekend at a $100K prize pool in the latest NFL Play-Action Contest at DraftKings! The first-place finisher will win $10K, and the top 11,500 entrants will get paid. The entry fee is $2 – or free if you make your first deposit – and first-time depositors at DraftKings will also receive a 100% bonus up to $600.

The one-week contest for Week 3’s slate of NFL games gets underway this Sunday, September 21 at 1:00pm eastern time. It’s a salary cap style contest, so you’ll have a budget of $50K with which to fill nine lineup spots — one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one Flex, and one Team Defense. Here’s a look at what my current Week 3 roster looks like, for example:

Sign up for the $100K DraftKings NFL Play-Action contest today for your chance at the $10K first-place prize!

This is a sponsored post from DraftKings.

Vikings Notes: Peterson, Asiata, Simpson

September 18th, 2014 at 10:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest on the Vikings..

Phil Grant, the assistant DA for Montgomery County, Texas, told Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) that his office is prepared to hold talks on a “reasonable” plea deal for Vikings star Adrian Peterson. Grant said (link) Peterson’s case could take anywhere from 6-18 months to go to trial. Meanwhile, his office would be open to discussions, possibly ahead of Peterson’s October 8th court date.
With Peterson out, Matt Vensel and Mark Craig of The Star-Tribune look at the Vikings‘ current running back situation. Matt Asiata, who isn’t the most fleet-footed tailback out there, figures to be the lead guy. Jerick McKinnon, who is much more athletic but not as sturdy of a blocker, should also get carries.
Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter) isn’t surprised that Jerome Simpson was released, but he is somewhat surprised that the Vikings didn’t wait until the wide receiver’s suspension was through on Monday.

NFC South Notes: McCoy, Angerer, Hardy

September 18th, 2014 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow has missed a combined four tackles in the first two games of the season and while some have been critical of the Delaware product, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan refuses to put all of the blame on him, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Sure there is [room for him to play better]. But we don’t have anybody on defense at this point that is playing at a high level. I think they all would say that they want to play better than they’ve played. Some have played better than others, don’t get me wrong. But I think to a man, they want to play better.” More from the NFC South..

The season is underway, but the Buccaneers and Gerald McCoy are still discussing a contract extension, according to Jason La Canfora (on Twitter), who says that there’s a healthy dialogue going between the two sides. Buccaneers GM Jason Licht reached out to agent Ben Dogra in late May and, months later, a deal is still in the works. Our own Rory Parks wrote back in May that McCoy can reasonably expect an extension in the five-year, $55-60MM range.
Free agent linebacker Pat Angerer worked out for the Saints this week, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Angerer, a 2010 second-round pick, was cut by the Falcons in late August as a part of their first wave of cuts. Angerer racked up 226 tackles in his first two NFL seasons but has played more sparsely over the last two years, in part due to foot and knee injuries. He also worked out for the Jets recently.
For Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy to play in 2014, he’ll need his November 17th trial to go forward, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Hardy’s attorney was initially pushing to get the trial delayed until 2015, but he’ll now have to get his legal situation settled before he’s welcomed back on the field.

West Notes: Cardinals, Dwyer, Raiders

September 18th, 2014 at 7:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Good news for the Seahawks as Marshawn Lynch and Kam Chancellor were each full participants in today’s practice after sitting out on Wednesday, writes Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. A healthy Beast Mode is always reason to smile, but on the flipside, defensive end Bruce Irvin was forced to sit out with a rib injury. Pete Carrolll & Co. have their fingers crossed for good health for Sunday when the take on the Broncos. Speaking of the AFC and NFC West colliding, here’s a look at news out of both divisions..

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians didn’t mince words when discussing the status of running back Jonathan Dwyer, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “Until he’s exonerated he will not be a member of this football team. If and when he is exonerated, I will gladly take him back,” Arians told reporters.
Arians said that Chris Rainey was released because Cardinals star running back Andre Ellington is healthy and playing, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. With Ellington playing and averaging more than 5.0 yards per carry, Rainey was no longer needed.
The Raiders released defensive end Shelby Harris earlier today but they’re not closing the door on him, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets. Head coach Dennis Allen told reporters that the organization likes Harris and says that he could be a practice squad candidate.
Pressure is mounting on the 49ers to take action against Ray McDonald and earlier today, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was grilled by a CNN reporter, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes.

Vikings Release Jerome Simpson

September 18th, 2014 at 5:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings announced (via Twitter) that they have released wide receiver Jerome Simpson. Simpson was slated to return in Week 4 after the completion of his suspension, but Minnesota wasn’t interested in welcoming the veteran back.

Simpson was suspended for the first three games of the 2014 season after he was arrested for a DUI in November of last year and he apparently still has more legal trouble ahead of him. It was reported earlier today that Simpson has a November arraignment scheduled for misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession, driving with an open bottle, and violating limited license restrictions, related to a July incident in Minnesota.

The 28-year-old set a career high last season for receiving yards and was two catches shy of his best season ever in that category, but his off-the-field troubles hurt his negotiating leverage and his checkbook this offseason. Ultimately, he saw his salary chopped from $2.1MM in 2013 to $1MM in 2014 and he said in June that he was surprised by that.

“I can’t lie. I was definitely surprised that I get paid less than what I got last year,” Simpson said. “I had my best numbers. But I guess when you got that negative thing on you, they kind of got you behind the eight-ball.“

The 28-year-old hauled in 48 catches for 726 yards and one touchdown in 2013. While the Vikings can’t afford to lose offensive talent from a football perspective in the wake of the Adrian Peterson situation, they also couldn’t afford another public relations hit given the events of the past week. Also, as far as their receivers go, they can still lean heavily on the likes of wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and tight end Kyle Rudolph.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Peterson, Hardy, Vick, Arians

September 18th, 2014 at 5:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings and Panthers put Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy on the exempt list, respectively, and some teams believe that it’s being misused, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It was really put in place for players coming off suspension to get reacclimated,” one league source said. Some teams believe that the clause essentially allows the Vikings and Panthers to carry 54 players on their rosters. In Florio’s view, this usage of the clause could be the wave of the future if players continue to find themselves in legal trouble. Here’s more from around the NFL..

If commissioner Roger Goodell wanted to suspend the Hardy and Peterson now under the personal conduct policy, it would have likely backfired without their legal cases resolved, writes Jarrett Bell of USA Today. Players have a right to a hearing and an appeal and the policy would have dictated that both of the players would have played this weekend had the NFL initiated action. While the usage of the exempt list might not be in the spirit of the rule, it was far preferable to the NFL since it puts both players on the sidelines immediately.
You won’t find many supporters of commissioner Roger Goodell this week but Jets quarterback Michael Vick is one of them, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. “You have to give the man a chance, you have to him a chance, you have to give everybody a chance to get it right,” said Vick, went on to say that Goodell is “doing a great job.”
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians knows how ugly the past few weeks have been in the NFL, but he believes that, ultimately, some good can come of it, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “If this bad scar on the NFL right now makes the rest of the world aware of what’s going on, it’s damn good.”

Minor Moves: Thursday

September 18th, 2014 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this post, adding the latest moves to the top of the list throughout the day….

The Raiders have parted ways with linebacker Kaelin Burnett and defensive end Shelby Harris, the team announced today (Twitter link). Burnett had previously been placed on injured reserve, so he was cut from that list with an injury settlement. Harris’ release, on the other hand, means that the team opens up a spot on its 53-man roster.
The Saints swapped one defender for another on their practice squad, announcing that linebacker Todd Davis has replaced defensive back Pierre Warren (Twitter link). Davis had worked out for the Seahawks earlier this week.

Cardinals Sign Parmele; Dwyer To NFI List

September 18th, 2014 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

1:55pm: Though they have the option not to, the Cardinals will pay Dwyer while he’s on the NFI list, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).

1:49pm: After deactivating him yesterday, the Cardinals have now removed Jonathan Dwyer from their 53-man roster, placing him on the reserve/non-football illness list, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link), the designation, which gives the team the option of not paying the running back, was made because there’s concern regarding Dwyer’s mental health. The police report of a domestic incident involving Dwyer and his family contains references to suicide, as Somers notes.

The Cardinals have replaced Dwyer on their roster with free agent running back Jalen Parmele, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The former Raven and Jaguar was with the Cardinals during the preseason, but was a casualty when the team cuts its roster down to 53 players for the regular season.

In a related move, the Cardinals have also made a change to their practice squad, signing former Colts running back Kerwynn Williams to replace running back Chris Rainey, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com observes (via Twitter), Rainey also has a history of domestic violence.

NFC Notes: Bucs, Sproles, Simpson, Lions

September 18th, 2014 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the NFL’s biggest spenders in the offseason, the Buccaneers made a significant splash in free agency, adding Josh McCown, Anthony Collins, Michael Johnson, Alterraun Verner, and others. So far, that spending spree hasn’t had much of an impact on the field, as the Bucs head into tonight’s game in Atlanta with an 0-2 record. As John Clayton of ESPN.com observes, that’s not unusual. In recent years, any of the teams that spend most lavishly in free agency don’t see their records improve much – or at all – the following season.

Here’s more from around the NFC, as look forward to tonight’s matchup of NFC South squads:

Redskins head coach Jay Gruden confirmed this week that his team had some interest in acquiring Darren Sproles when the Saints shopped him earlier this year, adding that Washington was disappointed to see the versatile back land with a division rival (link via Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com). “It didn’t work out for us, and when you find out it’s not going to work out with us, you dang sure want him to go to the AFC somewhere,” Gruden said. “But unfortunately he went to Philly.”
Vikings wideout Jerome Simpson is on track to return from suspension next week, but he’s dealing with additional legal issues, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. Simpson has a November arraignment scheduled for misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession, driving with an open bottle and violating limited license restrictions, related to a July incident in Bloomington, Minnesota.
As Kyle Meinke of MLive.com explains, the Lions could have opted to sign Champ Bailey or another notable free agent defensive back, but added cornerback Danny Gorrer instead for two reasons — he’s familiar with the team’s scheme, and he’s versatile enough to play both inside and outside.
When the Packers elected to lock up Sam Shields to a $39MM contract during the offseason, games like this week’s contest against Calvin Johnson and the Lions were the ones the club had in mind, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.