HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Gary Kubiak To Remain With Ravens

January 11th, 2015 at 8:58pm CST by Rob DiRe

Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has decided to remain in Baltimore, according to the team’s official website and Twitter page.

“It is flattering and humbling to be invited to interview for a number of NFL head coaching positions,” said Kubiak, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN (via Twitter). “But I have decided to stay with the Ravens.”

“This is a special organization,” said Kubiak, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). “And we, like [Coach Harbaugh] says, are building something great.”

The Ravens had a tremendous single season turnaround after a disastrous 2013 season offensively. One year after missing the playoffs with ineffective contributions from both Joe Flacco and the running game, the Ravens set season records with 409 points and 5,838 yards, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

Kubiak was an intriguing potential head coaching candidate — he was viewed as a favorite to land the Bears job, as new general manager Ryan Pace reportedly was in hot pursuit of his services. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes that Kubiak knows he will get one more opportunity, and is waiting for the right situation (via Twitter).

 

Coaching Updates: Bowles, Kubiak, Austin

January 11th, 2015 at 8:02pm CST by Rob DiRe

The 49ers may have lost head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, but they are very interested in Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, writes Eric Branch of SFGate.com. Bowles interviewed for their vacancy on Friday, and although nothing has been scheduled officially, he is expected to be asked back for a second interview (via Twitter).

Here are some more updates on potential head coaches this Sunday:

  • New Bears general manager Ryan Pace’s first task is to find a new head coach, and he plans on pursuing Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, writes Chris Boden of CSNChicago.com. Kubiak had not interviewed for any jobs with the team’s season continuing, but now could be an option to fill vacancies. Reports had it that Kubiak may elect to stay in Baltimore.
  • The Bears are scheduled to interview Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin for their head coaching position on Tuesday, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • The Raiders have expressed interest in Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, and after the team was eliminated from the playoffs earlier today, the process of landing the former Jaguars head coach may have accelerated, writes Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News.
  • For the 49ers, only two of their potential head coaching candidates are still in playoffs, in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.

Reaction To Bills Hiring Rex Ryan

January 11th, 2015 at 7:01pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Bills hiring Rex Ryan happened quickly and was a surprise to many fans and pundits around the NFL. Here’ more on the move:

  • Ryan decided to take the Bills job after the Falcons moved slowly, and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News believes the Bills made him feel wanted. Ryan thought he had the Atlanta job after the 2007 season, but felt strung along and was not going to let that happen again.
  • The move might be good for the Bills, but it isn’t bad for the Falcons, writes Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The team has other options, and ultimately, he believes Ryan was turned off because he was not fully embraced by general manager Thomas Dimitroff.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports was among those surprised, believing Ryan would rather take the open job with the Falcons. He writes that the Bills were viewed as possibly the worst job available, with no quarterback and no first round pick this year (via Twitter).
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com agrees that this might have been a questionable decision for Ryan, as he goes from one bad quarterback situation to another (via Twitter).
  • Bills’ first-round pick Sammy Watkins is excited to have Ryan on the way to Buffalo, according to his Instagram.
  • Ryan was believed to be most interested in the Falcons job, according to La Canfora (via Twitter). Not only does Atlanta have Matt Ryan and Julio Jones as an established offense, but they also play in a poor division with a driven owner, writes La Canfora (via Twitter). The bonus is that he would be closer to Clemson, where his son plays college football.
  • Falcons owner Arthur Blank had tremendous interest in Ryan, but the process was delayed due to a death in the Blank family, writes La Canfora (via Twitter). “I understand on some level Rex being worried about not getting any coaching job,” writes La Canfora (via Twitter). “But more patience and I think he coulda had his top job.”
  • Ryan has reportedly asked defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to remain in his position as Bills defensive coordinator, but they would be an odd marriage, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN. The two coaches have different philosophies when it comes to scheme and how to pressure quarterbacks.

Cowboys Notes: Garrett, Bryant, Murray

January 11th, 2015 at 5:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

Whether you thought that was a catch or not, the Cowboys’ terrific 2014 season is over. That leads to a lot of questions the team will have to address, from coaches to players. The decisions they make this offseason will be crucial if the Cowboys want to build on a surprise 12-4 season.

  • Head coach Jason Garrett is a free agent this offseason, free to sign with any team if he chooses, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. With five teams currently still with openings at head coach, things could get interesting should they decide to pursue Garrett. Despite his pending free agency, owner Jerry Jones expects Garrett to return in 2015 with a new contract.
  • Field Yates of ESPN agrees that the team needs to bring back Garrett, but adds that the team needs to re-sign Dez Bryant, and make decisions on DeMarco Murray and Rolando McClain (ESPN Insider link).
  • With the season over, teams could be calling to try to steal some Cowboys’ assistants away from the team. Rod Marinelli, Scott Linehan, and Bill Callahan could all be hot commodities this offseason, writes Brandon George of DallasNews.com in a chat. George notes that the Cowboys have the money to keep them, but could lose them to promotions with other teams.
  • Especially with the Cowboys’ tight salary cap issues, Rod Marinelli is an important component of the defense, writes Brandon George of DallasNews.com in a chat. His scheme allows the team to get production out of sub-par talent, and he will be difficult to replace. George also believes that the team will not target a wide receiver with Terrance Williams continuing to be productive across from Bryant.

Bucs Expected To Hire Rod Marinelli As DC

January 11th, 2015 at 4:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After the Cowboys’ loss to the Packers today, head coach Jason Garrett is now a free agent and is free to sign with any team. If he’s retained as expected, though, he may have to find a new defensive coordinator, as the Buccaneers are expected to hire Rod Marinelli to their DC position, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Marinelli, whose contract also just expired, worked in Tampa Bay from 1996-2005 as a defensive line and assistant head coach.

Assuming he finalizes a deal with Tampa Bay, Marinelli will replace Leslie Frazier, the former Vikings head coach who led the Bucs’ defense in 2014. Despite adding Michael Johnson and Alterraun Verner to defense that already contained stars in Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David, Tampa’s defense finished just 25th in both yards allowed and points allowed; advanced metrics liked the unit a little better, as it finished 18th in DVOA. On the flip side, Dallas’ defense, which was expected by many to be among the worst in the league, was 14th in yards allowed, 15th in points allowed, but 22nd in DVOA.

The 65-year-old Marinelli was the head coach of the Lions from 2006-08, and was with the Bears from 2009-12 in a variety of defensive roles. Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith, of course, was Chicago’s HC during that time, so the two are obviously familiar. The Cowboys, meanwhile, will need to find a replacement for Marinelli — longtime Steelers DC Dick LeBeau recently resigned, but he runs a 3-4 scheme while Dallas has run a 4-3 front under Marinelli. If Jim Schwartz ultimately doesn’t stick around as Rex Ryan’s defensive coordinator in Buffalo, he would be a nice fit with the Cowboys.

Week In Review: 1/4/15 – 1/11/15

January 11th, 2015 at 4:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

  • The Bills are expected to hire Rex Ryan as head coach, signing him to five-year deal worth $27.5MM. Buffalo is also set to bring in Greg Roman as its offensive coordinator.
  • Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will forgo his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL draft.
  • Rams owner Stan Kroenke plans to build a stadium in Los Angeles, while the city of St. Louis unveiled plans for a new stadium of their own.
  • The Dolphins hired Mike Tannenbaum as executive VP of football operations.
  • The Bears hired Saints director of player personnel Ryan Pace as general manager.
  • Washington hired ex-49ers and Seahawks executive Scot McCloughan as general manager.
  • The Jets are expected to hire Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan as general manager.
  • The Falcons restructured their front office.
  • Investigator Robert Mueller released his report of the Ray Rice case.

Coaching:

  • The Buccaneers hired ex-Falcons play-caller Dirk Koetter to the same position.
  • The Steelers and offensive coordinator Todd Haley agreed to an extension through 2016.
  • Longtime Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau resigned his position.
  • The Browns and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan parted ways.
  • The Giants parted ways with defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.
  • Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer left the Rams to join the University of Georgia.

Extended:

Signed:

Retired:

Draft Early Entrants:

  • Malcom Brown, DT – Texas (link)
  • Landon Collins, S – Alabama (link)
  • Amari Cooper, WR – Alabama (link)
  • Dorial Green-Beckham, WR – Oklahoma (link)
  • Benardrick McKinney, LB – Mississippi State (link)
  • Andrus Peat, T – Stanford (link)
  • Shane Ray, DE – Missouri (link)
  • Shaq Thompson, LB – Washington (link)
  • P.J. Williams, CB – Florida State (link)
  • T.J. Yeldon, RB – Alabama (link)

Torrey Smith, Forsett Hope To Re-Sign With Ravens

January 11th, 2015 at 3:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Ravens suffered an excruciating divisional round loss to the Patriots last night, and could see their offensive coordinator leave for a head coaching position in the next few weeks. However, a pair of key free agents have expressed their desire to remain in Baltimore — both receiver Torrey Smith and running back Justin Forsett‘s contracts are expiring, but both indicated today that they’d like to re-sign with the Ravens.

Smith, 25, said he would prefer to not even reach free agency, meaning that he’d like to sign an extension before the start of the new league year (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun). Smith, a Virginia native, says Baltimore now feels like home after spending four years with the Ravens. For his career, Smith has averaged 53 receptions for nearly 900 yards and eight touchdowns; he didn’t meet those catch or yard marks in 2014, but did haul in 11 touchdowns. The Maryland alum is also the best receiver at drawing defensive pass interference — this season, he drew 12 PI calls, which led to 261 yards in field position for Baltimore.

The free agent receiver market is interesting in that in contains four elite options in Demaryius Thomas, Dez Bryant, Randall Cobb, and Jeremy Maclin, a second-tier choice in Smith, and then a dramatic dropoff. Thomas and Bryant are increasingly unlikely to reach free agency, as they’ll either be extended or franchised by the Broncos and Cowboys, respectively. But for WR-needy clubs that miss out on Cobb or Maclin, Smith presents a fine alternative, especially for a team looking for a deep threat.

Smith, who graded as the league’s 37th-best receiver among 110 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), might not be in the Ravens’ plans despite his intentions to stay. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in December that the club could let Smith walk in free agency, and given the other options mentioned above, he might not find a strong market for his services. PFR’s Rory Parks examined Smith’s contract case before the season, writing that Antonio Brown‘s five-year, $42.5MM deal with the Steelers could act as a benchmark. After something of a lackluster season, Smith probably won’t be able to match those years or that AAV.

Forsett, meanwhile, sounds a little less certain that he will be retained by the Ravens. “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to show what I can do,” Forsett told Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “It’s been a long time coming and I just want to build on it. I would love to stay here and be a Raven, but there’s a business part of that. I’ve experienced a lot of the business side of it, but hopefully we can get something done.” Forsett, 29, played 2014 under a one-year, $730K deal after being released by the Jaguars. Because he was on a minimum salary benefit contract, he isn’t eligible to sign a multi-year deal with Baltimore until free agency begins in March.

Forsett, a veteran of seven NFL seasons, enjoyed a career year in 2014, rushing for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns, adding another 263 yards on 44 receptions — he also graded as PFF’s sixth-best running back. He’ll join an impressive free agent RB class that also boasts DeMarco Murray, Mark Ingram, Frank Gore, and Ryan Mathews, so although Forsett doesn’t have the wear-and-tear that other veteran RBs do, the abundance of options and his advanced age could limit his market. Still, he’s probably the best option for Baltimore in 2015 (especially if zone-blocking aficionado Gary Kubiak stays on as OC), and Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com predicted in November that the team would reward Forsett with a two- or three-year deal with a modest signing bonus.

Falcons Narrow HC Search; Bowles Favorite

January 11th, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After the Falcons fired Mike Smith, many viewed Rex Ryan as the favorite to land the Atlanta head coaching position — Ryan, too, felt that he and the Falcons were a good match, but the two sides never scheduled a second interview, and Ryan signed on with the Bills. However, the club does appear to have narrowed its candidate pool, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that Atlanta is zeroing in Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn; per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, Bowles is viewed as the leading contender to fill the Falcons vacancy.

Atlanta met with Bowles for five hours on Saturday, writes McClure, and though no second interview is scheduled, owner Arthur Blank will look to visit with the finalists a second time before making a decision. Bowles, Arizona’s DC for the past two seasons, has also interviewed with the Bears, Jets, and 49ers — as we learned earlier today, he has a second meeting scheduled with San Francisco. If he is hired in Atlanta, Bowles would look bring in Cardinals quarterbacks coach Freddie Kitchens as his offensive coordinator, per McClure.

Quinn, meanwhile, is just as popular as Bowles on the head coaching circuit, having been linked to every available vacancy except for Oakland’s. The Jets appear to have the most serious interest, as owner Woody Johnson was reportedly set to fly to Seattle to hire Quinn had the Seahawks lost last night. Instead, Quinn, who met with the Falcons during the first wave of interviews, won’t be available to meet with other clubs again until Seattle is eliminated from the playoffs. If the Hawks make an extended postseason run, it’s fair to wonder if interested teams will give the edge to Bowles, if only to end the hiring process quicker.

The Falcons recently restructured their front office, narrowing general manager Thomas Dimitroff’s responsibilities while expanding the role of assistant GM Scott Pioli. While it’s unclear how the move affects the head coaching search — the club’s press release stated the changes weren’t related to the hunt — the shuffling of duties has to have some impact on the process. Blank appears to be taking a more active role in football operations and will probably have final say over who is named HC. Additionally, while Dimitroff will retain control over free agency and the draft, it’s uncertain who will determine the 53-man roster. Giving a new head coach that control could be an added level of enticement.

With this latest development (and Buffalo’s hiring of Ryan), the head coaching picture has clarified a bit, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) give his best guess as to how the vacancies will be filled: Bowles to the Falcons, Quinn to the Jets, Gary Kubiak or Mike Shanahan to the Bears, Jack Del Rio or Tony Sparano to the Raiders, and an internal candidate taking over the 49ers.

Bears Eyeing Gary Kubiak For Head Coach

January 11th, 2015 at 1:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Following the Ravens’ thrilling divisional round loss to the Patriots last night, Baltimore offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is free to speak with other clubs regarding their head coaching vacancies, and though we’ve heard the Jets want to interview the OC, it appears another team has more serious interest. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link), the Bears are set to make a “major push” to hire Kubiak as their new head coach, replacing the fired Marc Trestman.

As our head coaching search tracker shows, the Bears have been linked to eight candidates — Kubiak and the Broncos’ Adam Gase are the only offensive coordinators on the list (though Mike Shanahan and Doug Marrone both have offensive backgrounds). Chicago hired Ryan Pace as its general manager on Thursday, so it’s fair to assume that the former Saints executive is a fan of Kubiak; now that Pace’s voice is being heard at Bears headquarters, the search for Trestman’s successor will presumably ramp up.

In Kubiak’s first season as its play-caller, the Ravens finished eighth in points per game, 12th in yards, and ninth in DVOA. Baltimore finished 29th, 25th, and 30th, respectively, in those same metrics in 2013, so Kubiak’s influence on the offense is undeniable. As the Texans’ head coach from 2006-13, Kubiak posted a record of 61-64, earning two postseason berths. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested yesterday the Kubiak, who enjoys coaching in Baltimore and has friends in the organization, might not be interested in taking any head coaching interviews, preferring to remain with the Ravens.

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