HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Troy Aikman Interested In Becoming NFL GM

September 5th, 2014 at 10:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Troy Aikman has proven highly successful in two realms of the NFL world. As a quarterback, he led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles before being enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2006. As a broadcaster, he is a member of Fox’s number-one NFL announcing team, pairing with Joe Buck and acting as the network’s lead analyst. With his Fox contract expiring at the end of the season, Aikman hinted to Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News that he might like to add another job title to his NFL résumé — general manager.

“I think it is a challenge that would drive me competitively,” Aikman said of joining a front office. “I think I would be good at it. …But I am not naïve enough to think I could go from the broadcast booth to general manager without plenty of hard work.” Aikman, 48 in November, doesn’t have any experience as a scout, cap manager, or executive, as he joined the broadcasting world directly following his retirement from playing.

If he decides to pursue a general manager position, Aikman could look at the success of John Elway, another Hall of Fame quarterback who, like Aikman, lacked executive experience before taking over as the Broncos GM and leading his team to the Super Bowl. Elway, who added talented individuals like Tom Heckert to assist him in the day-to-day responsibility of managing a team, has generally proven to be a shrewd talent evaluator and personnel man.

On the other end of the spectrum is Dan Marino, who effectively took over as the Dolphins’ GM in 2004, but resigned the position just three weeks later. Many believed that Marino underestimated the difficulty of transitioning from a cushy broadcasting job to the grind of an NFL front office. The ex-Miami quarterback is once again working with the Dolphins, albeit in a non-football operations capacity.

Of course, speculation tying Aikman to the Cowboys’ GM gig would run rampant were he to formally declare his interest in pursuing such a role. Dallas is currently led by owner/general manager Jerry Jones — for years, critics have called for Jones to hire an actual, experienced GM to run the team. Aikman doesn’t have the background of a GM-type, but it would be interesting to see if Jones would consider him for a front office position if he expressed enthusiasm for such a job.

Josh Gordon Doesn’t Intend To Sue NFL?

September 5th, 2014 at 10:31pm CST by Luke Adams

10:31pm: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk disputes that Gordon has ruled out legal action against the NFL, citing a league source who says that Gordon “has not abandoned plans to sue.” Rather, Gordon will wait for the ongoing drug policy battle between the league and the union to play out in the hopes that a deal reducing or vacating his suspension will be struck.

6:46pm: While it seems unlikely, reports this week have suggested that there’s a chance a new agreement on drug testing between the NFL and NFLPA could overturn some suspensions currently being served by players who wouldn’t have been disciplined under the new policy. We’ll have to wait to see how that story develops, but in the meantime, we know one thing: Josh Gordon has no plans to sue the NFL after his one-year suspension was upheld, writes Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN.com.

“The whole being in limbo thing, I’m over it,” Gordon said. “I’m not waiting on the edge of my seat anymore.”

Gordon also tells Merrill that he checked himself into a rehab clinic in Malibu back in July, despite the fact that he doesn’t consider himself an addict. He had to cut the program short to report to training camp and prepare for his appeal, but he spent two weeks at the facility, writes Merrill. The Browns wideout also said he doesn’t think he has smoked marijuana since before he entered the NFL, suggesting that his failed test was a result of second-hand smoke.

So why did Gordon check himself into rehab if he doesn’t believe he’s an addict and claims not to have smoked marijuana anytime recently? “Just to see,” he said. “To seek out some help on decision making. Not drug use or drug abuse, but decision making. Life skills. How to be your own person and stuff like that.”

Having accepted his fate for the coming season, Gordon has found non-NFL employment in the interim. As we heard yesterday, 2013’s leading receiver has accepted a position with the Sarchione Auto Group in Northeast Ohio, where he’ll act as both an on-floor salesman and as head of the group’s local outreach projects.

“I plan to spend it staying busy, that’s for sure,” Gordon said. “Staying positive and surrounding myself with positive, good people who are only here to support me. Nothing to tear me down negatively. Just carry on about life. There’s definitely life outside of football.”

NFLPA Refused HGH, Gordon Offer

September 5th, 2014 at 10:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While we heard yesterday that the NFL was considering vacating the suspensions of Josh Gordon, Wes Welker, and other players as part of a new drug policy agreement, the union doesn’t seem to have looked fondly upon that proposal. A league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the NFLPA refused an offer from the league to expunge Gordon’s one-year ban in exchange a resolution on HGH testing.

Per Florio, the union is loathe to consider an accord that aids one player (Gordon) at the expense of others. The new policy would likely raise the league’s THC limit, which currently sits at 15 nanograms per mililiter, to something approaching the standard of MLB (50 ng/ml) or the Olympics (150 ng/ml). Gordon’s positive marijuana test came back with 16 ng/ml, just one nanogram over the limit.

On the matter of HGH, Florio reports that the NFLPA wants commissioner Roger Goodell to give up disciplinary power on HGH issues that don’t relate to a positive test. Instead, the union prefers that a third-party arbiter handle such instances.

For his part, Gordon indicated earlier today that he does not intend to sue the league to in order to play in 2014.

AFC Links: Jaguars, Jets, Patriots, Browns

September 5th, 2014 at 9:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s round up some news from the AFC…

  • The Jaguars worked out a trio of kickers today, according to Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Jay Feely, Alex Henery, and Derek Dimke all tried out for Jacksonville, which is likely updating its emergency list of kickers as incumbent Josh Scobee deals with a quadriceps injury.
  • Yates also notes that the Jets worked out linebacker Steve Beauharnais, who spent 2013 with the Patriots. Beauharnais, a Rutgers product, had a workout with the Giants on Tuesday.
  • In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Adam Schefter points out that while Golden Tate and Brandon LaFell have eerily similar statistics since both entered the league in 2010, Tate was guaranteed $10.5MM by the Lions over the offseason, while LaFell’s contract with the Patriots guarantees him just $3MM. While the pair’s traditional numbers are comparable, Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) strongly favored Tate, grading him as the 18th-best receiver in 2013 — LaFell, meanwhile, was ranked at No. 94 among WRs.
  • Without Josh Gordon in the fold, the Browns’ receiver corps seems to lack not only talent, but size — as Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer writes, the Browns’ average receiver stands 5’11”, 191.4 pounds. But general manager Ray Farmer isn’t second-guessing his decision to not add more WR depth, or to release veterans like Nate Burleson or Anthony Armstrong. “There’s no reason to waver,” Farmer said. “Talent is talent. I think that question everyone wants to know is ‘How come I don’t know him? How come I’ve never heard of that guy?’ I can’t answer that question. I don’t know the answer to it. I know that our scouts do a really good job of hitting the streets and figuring out who’s who on which roster and when we can pick up a guy and who’s out there to make our team better.”

NFC Notes: Bulaga, Winston, Rams, Panthers

September 5th, 2014 at 8:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers’ offensive line didn’t fare too well after right tackle Bryan Bulaga went down last night, and Green Bay’s front five will be without the 2010 first-rounder for a while longer. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter), Bulaga has suffered a torn MCL. While the Packers are lucky Bulaga didn’t re-tear his ACL, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets that the 25-year-old will miss two-to-four weeks while recovering from the injury. Derek Sherrod, whom Pro Football Focus (subscription required) handed a -6.4 grade on just 42 snaps in last night’s contest, will fill in at RT.

Meanwhile, Demovsky adds (on Twitter) that while Green Bay might consider adding free agent tackle Eric Winston, there’s “nothing concrete” on that front as of yet. Winston, 30, signed with the Seahawks on July 29 but was released just a month later.

Let’s look at some more news items from the NFC:

  • The Rams tried out veteran linebackers Pat Angerer and Kelvin Sheppard today, according to Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Angerer spent most of his career with the Colts before latching on with the Falcons for the summer, while Sheppard was cut by Indianapolis last week.
  • Panthers tight end D.C. Jefferson, a second-year player out of Rutgers, has been suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Jefferson is currently on Carolina’s injured reserve after being waived-injured late last month.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap breaks down the details of Junior Galette‘s extension with the Saints, which includes a roster bonus and escalators which come into play if Galette notches 12 sacks in 2014. Fitzgerald also notes that New Orleans will likely have to restructure the pass-rusher’s deal as soon as next offseason due to its cap management woes.
  • Most teams carry only one fullback and some don’t even bother to have one at all. So why do the Vikings have two in Jerome Felton and Zach Line? “In college, no one has them anymore. They don’t have any fullbacks in college football,” coach Mike Zimmer said, according to Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. “So typically you’re taking a tight end — if they have those. There’s hardly any blocking tight ends anymore. So you’re taking them and making them fullbacks or taking linebackers and making them fullbacks. When you find one, if you have a fullback offense, you keep them.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

11 PS Players Earning More Than The Minimum

September 5th, 2014 at 5:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Players on NFL practice squads are eligible to receive a minimum salary of $6,300 per week, which works out to a 17-week salary of about $107K if a player remains on his team’s practice squad for the entire season. In most cases, teams don’t pay more than the minimum to fill those practice squad spots, since clubs have much more leverage than the players vying for those 320 total openings.

In some cases though, if a team really likes a player, or if he’s drawing interest from several teams for their practice squads, a club will increase that weekly rate. So far this year, with all 32 teams having filled up their 10-man squads, at least 11 players are known to be receiving salaries worth more than the minimum. NFL writer Brian McIntyre rounded up all those players and their salaries for us in a series of tweets, so let’s check out the full list, sorted by weekly salary:

Magee’s practice-squad salary is the most notable on this list — his weekly figure adds up to just below $495K for the full season, which is the minimum salary for a second-year player on an active roster. In other words, if he spends the entire season on the practice squad, Magee could still earn more money than some players on active rosters, which is a sign of how much the Bucs want to keep him around.

Gordon, Welker Bans Could Be Reduced

September 5th, 2014 at 4:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

FRIDAY, 4:17pm: In a series of several tweets, Hill passes along the latest on the negotiations: Per multiple sources, there’s no chance anything gets finalized today, and the two sides still aren’t sure about the retroactive lifting of suspensions, and how it would apply to domestic violence incidents as well as drug-related penalties. One roadblock has been the NFL’s desire to suspend players immediately upon an arrest for suspicion of DUI, rather than a conviction, which the NFLPA doesn’t intend to agree to.

12:40pm: NFLPA executive George Atallah (on Twitter) says there’s no sense of urgency from the players’ side in overhauling the drug policies. In his estimation, it seems that the league is planting stories to infer that a deal is close.

11:25am: The league is now wary of opening up Pandora’s box by retroactively lifting suspensions, Hill tweets.

10:16am: Sources tell Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter) that the new drug policy is very close to getting done. When and if the new policy is enacted, Orlando Scandrick‘s suspension will be lifted immediately.

8:39am: Under the new proposed policy, the 29 players suspended for stimulants since 2011 would’ve been entered into a program without a suspension, Breer tweets. On the flip side, 22 players who were assessed five-figure fines for DUIs would’ve been suspended (link).

8:28am: NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith told 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. that he’d want all players busted during the 2014 league year to be penalized under the new rules, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. “If we get a deal done that covers players in this league year, I don’t like that we punish players under a deal active in the old league year,” Smith said (link).

Breer’s understanding (link) is that a revised policy would raise the threshold for an A sample on a marijuana test from 15 ng/ml to 50 ng/ml, the same threshold used by MLB and the military. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Gordon’s failed drug test reportedly took place in the 2013 league year, so he wouldn’t necessarily be off the hook if the league and the NFLPA agreed to adjust the current drug policy (link).

THURSDAY: We learned earlier today that the while the league and the NFLPA have intensified talks regarding implementing HGH testing and overhauling the current drug policy, union president Eric Winston has cautioned that an agreement isn’t quite ready yet. If negotiations proceed quickly, two players affected by the policy — Josh Gordon and Wes Welker — might be able to return to the field soon, reports Mike Florio on NBC (link via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).

Per Florio, one alteration to the new policy would raise the THC threshold for triggering marijuana-related bans; Gordon, of course, was suspended for the 2014 season after his sample tested barely over the THC limit. Another change to the policy would transfer amphetamine use from the performance-enhancing umbrella to the substance-abuse realm. A first-time PED offense triggers an automatic four-game ban, while a substance-abuse incident does not.

If the proposed rule changes grandfathered in already-suspended players, Gordon, Welker, and others that are currently facing bans could return to action. In fact, Florio noted that if the deal between the NFL and the union gets done in the next few days (which is unlikely), the two star receivers could potentially play on Sunday. Welker, of course, might still be limited by his latest concussion, but nevertheless, it would be a stunning reversal of fortunes for the Broncos, Browns, and other teams who have lost key players to drug suspensions. It’s unclear if the suspensions would merely be lessened, or if they’d be vacated completely.

Meanwhile, Albert Breer of the NFL Network hears (Twitter link) that retroactive penalty changes aren’t what’s holding up discussions of a new deal — rather, DUI policy is the “[number one] hangup” in negotiations. We heard last week that commissioner Roger Goodell wants a mandatory de-activation and two-game suspension for DUI offenders, a stance the NFLPA has fought. Breer adds that Sunday is being treated as a “soft deadline” for talks, as union representatives probably don’t want negotiations dragging into the season.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Texans, Broncos, Jags, Spiller

September 5th, 2014 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

With Ryan Mallett no longer in the Patriots‘ plans, the Texans were able to acquire Tom Brady‘s former backup last weekend on the cheap, parting ways with just a sixth- or seventh-round pick, depending on how much playing time Mallett sees in Houston. According to Lance Zierlein of Sports Talk 790 in Houston though, Mallett wasn’t the only signal-caller the Texans explored trading for. Zierlein tweets that Houston also targeted Matt Barkley of the Eagles before landing Mallett.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • The Broncos‘ contract talks with receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas aren’t dead but they’re not active either, writes Mike Klis of The Denver Post. Demaryius Thomas‘ agent Todd France probably wants to see a resolution to Dez Bryant‘s contract talks before striking a deal. Meanwhile, the Broncos have exchanged proposals with Orange Julius’ agent Frank Bauer but those talks appear to have stalled.
  • The Jaguars worked out kickers Derek Dimke and Alex Henery and even though they liked what they saw, they sent them home now that Josh Scobee is recovering from his groin injury, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
  • Bills running back C.J. Spiller, who could hit the open market this offseason, is signing on with agent Chad Speck, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
  • When Tom Brady and the Patriots part ways, former Pats center and CSNNE analyst Dan Koppen says it will be Bill Belichick‘s call, not Brady’s. “As long as Bill is here, he will make those decisions,” said Koppen. “If Tom is not carrying his weight or he’s in a decline Bill’s going to bring him in the office and have a little speech. “Maybe he gets a hug at the end, but I guarantee it’s going to be, ‘Tom, we’re going to release you. Thanks for coming. We appreciate everything You’ve done, but I’ve got to do what’s best for the football team.'”
  • In his latest piece for NFL.com, Albert Breer examines the quarterback situations for the Jaguars, Chiefs, Raiders, and Bills, including a look at the rookies in Jacksonville and Oakland, as well as Kansas City’s investment in Alex Smith.
  • People around the league believe that Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith has plenty of good football ahead of him, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “Steve’s getting up there in age, but he hasn’t changed his tenacity and physicality,” said former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, an NBC analyst. “He’s still able to impose his will. When you talk about his style of play, pairing up with the Baltimore Ravens, the two go hand in hand. He brings that toughness to the offense they haven’t had since Anquan Boldin was playing for them.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Doug Marrone, Bills’ Front Office

September 5th, 2014 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

2:39pm: A league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the cause of the heated exchange between Marrone and team officials was the Bills’ decision to sign Kyle Orton so late in the preseason to a contract that suggests he may see playing time this season. As Florio points out, for Buffalo to have a good season, E.J. Manuel will likely need to play well, and bringing in a highly-paid veteran backup a week before the season begins may not be the best approach for building his confidence.

2:06pm: According to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, Bills head coach Doug Marrone was recently involved in a “loud verbal altercation” with various members of the team’s front office, including director of player personnel Jim Monos. La Canfora reports that the incident between Marrone and Monos resulted in general manager Doug Whaley and team president Russ Brandon to get involved as well.

La Canfora continues by writing that Marrone has clashed with a few players during the preseason, and that the coach and the front office disagree about the value of certain players, and how they’re being used — that includes guard Kraig Urbik, whom the club reportedly shopped as trade bait recently. According to the CBSSports.com scribe, Marrone also has a “strained relationship” with Monos, and told team execs to “go ahead and fire me” during the aforementioned verbal spat.

While La Canfora’s report seems damning, a pair of Bills beat writers have suggested it may not be entirely accurate. Per Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter), a source says Monos wasn’t even present for the reported altercation, and that Marrone’s “go ahead and fire me” comment was made over beers at another time, and was being laughed about in a matter of minutes.

Meanwhile, Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 has a response from Marrone himself, who indicated that the report is “very much” overblown.

“Hey, did we have a discussion? Absolutely. I confirm that absolutely,” Marrone said. “Are we great? We talk every day, three times a day. We talk about a lot of things. We’re competitive and I couldn’t be happier with those guys, I really couldn’t. And then the thing about Jim is great, too, because I was one of the ones that recommended Jim to come here. So there’s a lot of things in that that I think I’ll probably catch a lot of heat on from my friends because it’s just not true.“

It makes sense that Marrone would deny, or at least downplay, any tension between him and the front office, so it’s hard to know exactly how much truth there is to La Canfora’s initial report. With expectations on the rise following the addition of wideout Sammy Watkins this offseason, another last-place season in 2014 might mean Marrone’s days in Buffalo are numbered, regardless of whether or not there’s friction amongst the team’s ranks.

As La Canfora notes, it’s also possible that a shake-up could be in the works when the sale process is finalized and the franchise’s new owners take over. However, Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula continues to look like the clear-cut favorite to buy the team, and La Canfora hears that a Pegula win would make it less likely that the franchise is overhauled immediately.

NFC Notes: Tate, Ellington, Boone

September 5th, 2014 at 12:42pm CST by Zachary Links

New Lions receiver Golden Tate is enjoying the offense in Detroit, writes Robert Klemko of the MMQB. “The offense is kind of a feel offense. You feel your way around. Obviously there are rules and depths, but at the end of the day you’ve got to play football and just be an athlete…Coach Lombardi’s thing is to just put guys in different places and let them make plays. In Seattle we might have thrown 15-20 times a game so it made it hard to get off there. I prefer what we have in Detroit,” Tate said.

  • Good news for Cardinals fans: the first prognosis on running back Andre Ellington‘s foot injury is that it’s a muscle injury, tweets Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. The team is still waiting on MRI results and a diagnosis from a foot specialist, however. If Ellington is sidelined, Jonathan Dwyer will presumably take the starting role with Stepfan Taylor and Robert Hughes in support.
  • During last night’s pregame show, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth said that Julius Peppers was prepared to return to the Panthers before Packers came along with an offer he couldn’t refuse, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. “He was getting ready to go to Carolina, thinking he’d just go home and finish his career there,” Collinsworth said. “Then the Green Bay Packers called and said, ‘How’d you like to be a stand-up, 3-4 outside linebacker?’ And he said, ‘I’ve been waiting my whole life to do that.’” Retaining Peppers became quite the longshot for Carolina once Green Bay offered up a three-year, $26MM deal.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap has the specifics on Alex Boone‘s new deal with the 49ers. The total contract value is $6MM over two years with another $2MM available in incentives. Those incentives are tied to being selected to the Pro Bowl and named first team All-NFL.
Load More Posts