2016 January - Pro Football Rumors

Jon Robinson In Lead For Titans GM Job

January 13th, 2016 at 9:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have Bucs exec Jon Robinson as the “frontrunner” for the GM job, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. An announcement finalizing his appointment could come as soon as Thursday.

Robinson spent the bulk of his career with the Patriots, where he worked with Buccaneers GM Jason Licht. It was Licht who later brought Robinson to Tampa. Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter) hears that the Titans have started telling other potential GM candidates that they have not gotten the job, so all signs are pointing to Robinson getting the position.

Robinson, a Tennessee native, was mentioned as a potential candidate for the job shortly after Ruston Webster was let go. This time last year, Robinson was a candidate for the Jets’ GM vacancy, a job that ultimately went to former Texans scouting director Mike Maccagnan.

Webster joined the Titans in 2010 as VP of player personnel and was elevated to the GM job two seasons later. The team’s 18-46 record during his tenure is tied for the second worst in the NFL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bills Hire Ed Reed As Asst DB Coach

January 13th, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills announced that they have hired Ed Reed as an assistant defensive backs coach. Reed, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time First Team All-Pro, will be making his first foray into NFL coaching.

“Ed Reed is going to be such a great asset to our team,” said head coach Rex Ryan. “Obviously he’s played in this system and been an MVP caliber guy in this system. He’s going to be such a great asset for players. He’s a real student of the game as well and he’s going to be a phenomenal coach.”

Reed, 37, played under Ryan for two different teams. The former free safety first played under Ryan in Baltimore where Ryan served as the defensive coordinator from 2005-2008. Ryan and Reed then reunited in New York in 2013 when the Jets signed Reed in his final NFL season appearing in their last seven games.

Reed has not played in the NFL since 2013. The veteran signed on with the Texans for that season after playing his first eleven years in Baltimore but he didn’t look like the No. 20 of old. After losing his starting job in Houston, he was released in November, and signed by the Jets. He finished the season with 38 tackles and four interceptions, grading as the league’s 30th-best safety per Pro Football Focus. Despite how things turned out for him that year, Reed made it known that he was still hoping to play in 2014. That opportunity, however, never materialized.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dirk Koetter Lining Up Buccaneers Coaching Staff

January 13th, 2016 at 8:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is lining up a prospective coaching staff in the event that he gets the Bucs head coaching job or any other head coaching job in the NFL, Alex Marvez of NFL.com tweets. PFT first reported (on Twitter) that Koetter was telling assistants that he had been given the top job in Tampa, but Mike Florio has since walked that report back (link).

Koetter has been identified as the leading candidate for the Bucs’ head coaching position ever since the team canned Lovie Smith. On Tuesday, Koetter had his first official sit-down with Bucs brass, though he has apparently discussed the head coaching job with the team before.

As Pro Football Rumors’ 2016 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, Koetter was among the baker’s dozen of known candidates for the Dolphins’ head coaching job before the gig went to Adam Gase. Presumably, the Bucs are happy with the work Koetter has done with No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston and losing Koetter could be detrimental to his development.

Under Koetter’s guidance in 2015, the Bucs averaged 375.9 yards per game, good for 5th in the NFL. Tampa Bay also placed 5th in rushing yards per contest with 135.1 yards on the ground per game. With Koetter calling the plays, running back Doug Martin managed to get back to his old form while 2014 third-round pick Charles Sims made great contributions as a pass-catching option.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Q&A With Rams Owner Stan Kroenke

January 13th, 2016 at 6:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Finally, football is headed back to the city of Los Angeles. Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who is historically very camera shy, appeared in front of reporters on Tuesday night after NFL owners voted 30-2 in favor of his Inglewood, California project. After that, he chatted with Sam Farmer and Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times about his team’s impending move. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

On his rationale for revamping the defunct Hollywood Park racetrack:

If we didn’t have the perspective of 40 years of doing this, I don’t think any reasonable, rational person would ever do this. But, because we look at it a certain way, we’ve been through so many of these projects, and we’re long-term investors. That’s why we did what we did and stuck our neck out that far.

On the importance of computer approximations of the new stadium in his proposal:

One of the most important things that nailed it (Tuesday) is that we just kept showing them pictures. People love pictures. And what those pictures showed was the thought and the development and the plan, and the depth of the thought.

On the attendance of Seahawks owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen at the meetings in Houston and his support (Prior to Tuesday, Allen had not been in attendance for an NFL meeting in four years):

When I started working on this two years ago, I took Paul through the whole thing. I said, ‘This is what I think we can do here. I’m not sure we can do it all, but here’s what we’re working on.’ He was always interested. Then once we got to certain point, he definitely got it. He got how good it was.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers On Verge Of L.A. Move?

January 13th, 2016 at 5:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Even though they technically have one year to hash things out, the Chargers already appear poised to move to Los Angeles. The NFL has been presented with the framework of a stadium deal that would join the Rams and Chargers in Inglewood, Alex Flanagan of NFL Network tweets. The Chargers are vetting it now and, barring anything unforeseen, the Bolts will in fact go to L.A. Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News (on Twitter) hears that the Chargers received this framework on Tuesday night, after the league’s vote.

On Tuesday night, the league voted to green light the Rams’ proposed move to a brand new site in Inglewood, California. The vote came with an interesting stipulation, however, The Chargers were granted until January 16, 2017 to join up with the Rams and make the move to Los Angeles. If they did not sign off on the move, then the league would have moved on to another team to be determined with the Raiders thought to have priority.

The decision stripped the Chargers of some leverage, but they did get some bargaining chips out of it. First, they were allotted $100MM to build a brand new stadium in San Diego, if they decided against L.A. Secondly, the Rams were barred from collecting on personal seat licenses or selling naming rights to their new stadium until until February 15, 2017, unless they bring a second team aboard before then. That gave the Rams extra incentive to get something done with the Chargers, and that appears to have happened tonight.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Which Teams Voted No On Rams’ Proposal?

January 13th, 2016 at 4:38pm CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday night, 30 of the league’s owners voted in favor of the Rams‘ new project in Inglewood, California. Two owners, however, voted against the project. One might automatically think that the Chargers and Raiders were responsible for the two “no” votes, but other owners seem to think otherwise. Here’s more on that:

There was a great deal of speculation that Bengals owner Mike Brown was one of two owners to vote nay on sending the Rams to Los Angeles. On Wednesday, Brown released a statement through his team’s website to refute those claims. “Stan Kroenke has put together an exceptional plan. The league to a man is excited about this prospect,” Brown said. “It’s a huge market..It’s a market that has changed dramatically since the NFL was last there. There’s no reason the NFL shouldn’t be successful there. Especially if we go about it the right way. The Stan Kroenke Plan for Inglewood is as well thought out and as aggressive in every way as the NFL could possibly wish.”
Despite his claims, Mike Florio of PFT hears that other owners still believe that he cast a vote against the Rams move to L.A. During deliberations, Brown expressed caution about the project and explained that major revenues from the new stadium could jack up the league’s salary cap numbers. Brown is also generally against dramatic change, the source claimed.
On Tuesday night, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) asked Chargers owner Dean Spanos whether he voted against the Inglewood project. “I voted for myself. If that’s what you’re asking me, yeah,” Spanos said. There’s still some ambiguity in Spanos’ answer, but it seems that the Chargers cast one of the “no” votes for the Inglewood project. If the denial from Bengals owner Mike Brown is accurate, then it would appear that the Raiders and Mark Davis cast the other vote against the Rams’ new stadium.

Latest On Chargers, San Diego

January 13th, 2016 at 4:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest on the Bolts and the city of San Diego:

San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer says Tuesday night’s ruling from the NFL is an opportunity for a fresh start in the stadium talks with the Chargers, as Bernie Wilson of the AP tweets. The NFL has given the Chargers a one-year window to sign on with the Rams for an L.A. move. If they do not pull the trigger on a move, they will remain in San Diego with a $100MM grant from the league to help build a new stadium.
Faulconer says the Mission Valley proposal is still on the table but he will listen if the Chargers want to start over with another location (link).
Faulconer and County Supervisor Ron Roberts say they won’t budge off of their offer for $350MM in public money towards a stadium, however (link).
The Chargers believe that the framework presented to them to join the Rams in Los Angeles has workable components and would allow them to move in 2016, a source tells Jim Trotter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Chargers, their attorneys, and their financial people are reviewing the framework, but overall they feel there could be a deal to be made for 2016 (link). On Tuesday night, Giants co-owner Steve Tisch said it’s “unlikely” that the Chargers will play in L.A. in 2016.
If the Chargers are going to move this year, they need to decide before start of the league year on March 9th, Trotter tweets. Otherwise, the uncertainty over where the Chargers might play in 2016 could affect free agency.

Vikings To Hire Tony Sparano As OL Coach

January 13th, 2016 at 4:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are set to hire former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano as their offensive line coach, as Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune writes. Sparano spent last season on the 49ers’ staff.

Sparano broke in to the NFL as a quality control coach with the Browns in 1999. He most notable time came as head coach of the Dolphins from 2008-11, when he posted a record of 29-32, but only made the playoffs once (during his first season). Sparano spent the ’12 season as the Jets’ offensive coordinator before taking over as assistant head coach/OL of the Raiders in ’13. Following Dennis Allen’s firing in September of 2014, Sparano was promoted to interim head coach, and guided Oakland to a 3-9 finish. Around this time a year ago, Sparano signed on with the 49ers to serve as an assistant.

Earlier this week, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer announced that he did not renew Jeff Davidson‘s contract, creating an opening at offensive line coach in Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers Nearing HC Decision, Shanahan In Mix

January 13th, 2016 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reported that the 49ers don’t have any additional head coaching interviews on their schedule, and seem to be nearing the end of their search. Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com echoes that sentiment this afternoon, tweeting that San Francisco looks to be closing in on a decision.

Russini provides another interesting tidbit within her tweet, noting that Mike Shanahan is “strongly back in the mix” for the 49ers’ head coaching job. A Niners source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that the team likes Shanahan because of the discipline and foundation he could bring to the organization, as well as his connection to the Bill Walsh era.

Of course, if the 49ers do decide to hire Shanahan, it would raise some eyebrows, since the club could’ve brought him aboard a year ago, but elected to go with Jim Tomsula instead. After Tomsula lasted just a year as the team’s head coach, reports surfaced last week that Shanahan would once again interview for the San Francisco job, though it’s not clear if he came in for a full-fledged interview, or if the club has simply discussed the position with him.

Shanahan has a lengthy coaching resume, having served as the head coach in Los Angeles (1988-89), Denver (1995-2008), and Washington (2010-2013). Although he has a 170-138 regular season record overall, and has won a pair of Super Bowls, Shanahan produced a mixed bag of results during his most recent head coaching stint. Washington was 24-40 during his four years with the franchise, with just one winning season.

Hue Jackson is no longer a candidate for the 49ers, having been hired by the Browns today, but there are still five available candidates with whom the club conducted interviews. Bills assistant Anthony Lynn and Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo aren’t believed to be favorites for the Niners’ job, but former Eagles coach Chip Kelly, ex-Giants HC Tom Coughlin, and Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter are in play.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints To Hire Dan Campbell, Other Assistants

January 13th, 2016 at 3:31pm CST by Zachary Links

3:31pm: In addition to Campbell, Joe Lombardi, and Aaron Glenn are joining the Saints’ coaching staff, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.

Campbell will be New Orleans’ assistant head coach and tight ends coach, Lombardi will be the quarterbacks coach, and Glenn will be a secondary coach. Current tight ends coach Dan Roushar is expected to remain with the team in some capacity.

12:36pm: Although Campbell met with the Saints all day on Tuesday and feels comfortable joining Payton’s staff, the two sides haven’t finalized a deal yet, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Unless another club swoops in at the last minute with a more attractive offer, it looks like just a matter of time until Campbell and the Saints make it official.

WEDNESDAY, 9:02am: Campbell interviewed on Tuesday with the Saints, and may soon be hired as the team’s assistant head coach and tight ends coach, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 8:57pm: The Saints are set to add former Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell to their staff, according to Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear what Campbell’s position will be, however.

In his first stint as an NFL head coach, Campbell had mixed results. After taking over for Joe Philbin when the Dolphins were 1-3, the interim head coach led the team to consecutive blowout wins to get back to .500. However, Miami won just three of its final 10 games, finishing with a 6-10 record for the season and a 5-7 mark under Campbell.

Campbell, a tight end himself over the course of his NFL playing career, served as the Dolphins’ tight ends coach prior to his promotion. Dan Roushar is the Saints’ tight ends coach, so that position doesn’t appear to be open for Campbell.

Campbell and Saints head coach Sean Payton have some history together. Campbell, a former tight end, was drafted by the Giants in 1999, when Payton was coaching quarterbacks and later moved up to offensive coordinator. In 2003, Campbell signed with the Cowboys as a free agent and Payton was also there as an offensive assistant. The two were then together in Dallas for another three seasons.

The Vikings, Cowboys, and Chargers were previously identified as teams with interest in the former Dolphins interim head coach.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.