HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Giants To Interview Jim Schwartz

December 31st, 2017 at 8:30am CST by Rory Parks

The Giants plan to interview Jim Schwartz for their head coaching vacancy within the next week, according to ESPN’S Adam Schefter. Schefter’s sources indicate that Schwartz will be a favorite — if not the favorite — for the position.

Jim Schwartz

Schwartz, who is currently in his second season as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, previously served as the Lions’ head coach from 2009-13. His tenure in Detroit was largely disappointing, as he compiled a 29-51 regular season mark in the Motor City and took his team to the playoffs just once in five years, losing his only postseason game.

Nonetheless, he has long been regarded as one of the league’s best defensive minds, having worked as the Titans’ defensive coordinator from 2001-08, and he was immediately tabbed as the Bills’ defensive coordinator following his ouster from Detroit. He has helped turn the Eagles into one of the league’s powerhouses, and in so doing, he has restored his viability as a head coach.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, echoing previous reports, indicates that new Giants GM Dave Gettleman is partial to current Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, whom Gettleman knows well from his time in Carolina. Nonetheless, Giants ownership prefers a candidate with previous head coaching experience, which could give Schwartz a leg up. La Canfora also names Steelers’ offensive line coach (and former Titans head coach) Mike Munchak as a dark-horse candidate for Big Blue’s head coaching gig.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, in addition to providing a list of candidates the Giants planned to interview for their GM position had they not hired Gettleman, also confirms that New York will be focusing on veteran head coaching candidates (Twitter link).

Should Schwartz leave Philadelphia, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com tweets that Eagles DB coach Cory Undlin would be a logical in-house candidate to replace him.

Giants Souring On Ereck Flowers?

December 30th, 2017 at 7:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ereck Flowers has started all 15 Giants games this season and has missed just one game in his career. The third-year left tackle looks set to miss Week 17.

Flowers told coaches he would not play against the Redskins, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. Although he’s questionable with a groin injury, Flowers has “checked out” and is ready for Big Blue’s season to end, per ESPN.

If Flowers does suit up, he will be benched. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports Dave Gettleman approved the benching of the former first-round pick, doing so along with making the call to waive Bobby Hart — who had started intermittently over the past two years. Both Flowers and Hart refused to practice on Friday, Vacchiano reports, adding the Giants are “fed up” with the duo’s attitudes. That resulted in Hart’s exit, but the team has more money tied up in Flowers.

Flowers is listed as questionable to play in Sunday’s meaningless game, but he practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday prior to sitting out Friday. A source told Vacchiano that Flowers would probably not be active Sunday.

The University of Miami product has disappointed since the Giants made him the No. 9 overall pick in 2015, and it seems unlikely the team will exercise his fifth-year option at this point. Although, Flowers has been incredibly durable and these options are guaranteed against injury only, in the event the sides mend fences in the near future. As for Flowers’ 2018 status, his $2.4MM base salary is fully guaranteed; he’ll count $4.5MM against the Giants’ cap whether he’s on the team or not.

The Giants have discussed moving Flowers to right tackle or to guard in the past, per Vacchiano, who adds the team is not expected to bring him back as the starting left tackle next season. Flowers has been Big Blue’s left tackle starter since his first offseason, when a Will Beatty injury moved him from right to left tackle.

Gettleman said Friday the offensive line needed fixing. Both Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg are free agents. With Flowers’ status less certain after recent events, the Giants are close to starting from scratch up front.

Texans Notes: Lechler, Savage, Joseph

December 30th, 2017 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shane Lechler will turn 42 before the 2018 NFL season begins, but the Texans punter wants to play a 19th season. He is not under contract beyond 2017 but wants said 19th campaign to come in Houston.

“Is this my last year? No, it’s not,” Lechler said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I have too much, I think, to offer to the game, and I hit the ball good consistently this year. I went into the year with a good plan and, for the most part, it worked out. … I think the way this year we were hit so hard with injuries, there’s no way I would walk away with the talent in this room. I’m very excited about next year and I’m looking forward to it.”

The Texans and Lechler agreed on one-year deals in each of the past two Marches. He earned $2MM this season after signing for $1.8MM in 2016. Lechler’s final years with the Raiders during the early 2010s were for more money, but he seems to have settled on a consistent path with the Texans. Lechler’s currently averaging 48.9 yards per punt, which would be his best single-season figure since his most recent All-Pro slate of 2010.

Here’s the latest out of Houston.

  • The NFL and NFLPA released a joint statement regarding the handling of Tom Savage‘s concussion, and the Texans will not be disciplined for how they dealt with the matter. However, the statement said the outcome was “unacceptable and therefore further improvements in the protocol are necessary.” As a result of the Savage incident, the NFL will make enhancements to its concussion protocol. Kevin Patra of NFL.com details the updated chain of events.
  • Johnathan Joseph‘s second Texans contract will expire after Sunday’s game against the Colts, but the 33-year-old cornerback wants to stay in Houston. This will wrap up Joseph’s 12th NFL season; he’s played seven of those with the Texans on two contracts. He will turn 34 in April. “This has been home for me; I’d like to continue it being my home,” Joseph said, via Wilson. “At the end of the day, that’s not my call to make. We’ll see what happens. I think I’ve had a great run here.” Joseph rates as Pro Football Focus’ No. 62 corner (out of 121 full-time players at the position), and the former Pro Bowler would figure to draw interest on a short-term deal come March. The Texans have Kareem Jackson and Kevin Johnson under contract for 2018 but have started Joseph the past seven seasons.
  • The Texans could be forced to make a difficult choice after Week 17, with the Bill O’Brien–Rick Smith relationship looking to have deteriorated to or near the point of no return.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/17

December 30th, 2017 at 4:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

Atlanta Falcons

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Giants Fire Player Evaluation VP Marc Ross

December 30th, 2017 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

On his first day as Giants GM, Dave Gettleman fired one of the few other candidates interviewed for his position.

Gettleman dismissed VP of player evaluation Marc Ross on Saturday. Ross interviewed for the vacant GM job earlier this month and had been with the Giants since 2007. He’d worked in his current post for five years.

Among Ross’ duties while with the Giants were overseeing the Giants’ draft and the franchise’s college scouting department. Prior to rising to his most recent NFL post, Ross served as the director of college scouting under Jerry Reese.

“I worked with Marc when I was with the organization before,” said Gettleman. “I have great respect for him and high regard for his work. Clearly, we’re going in a different direction, but that doesn’t make these kinds of decisions any easier.”

The Giants have landed some gems in the draft during Ross’ run in his current post — Odell Beckham Jr., Jason Pierre-Paul and Landon Collins being the most noteworthy names during Ross’ tenure — but they’ve struggled in key spots as well in recent years. Ereck Flowers and Eli Apple both arrived as top-10 picks, and they have not panned out to this point.

Ross, assistant GM Kevin Abrams and former NFC East front office presence Louis Riddick joined Gettleman this month in interviewing for the Giants’ GM job.

Nick Perry Headed To Packers’ IR

December 30th, 2017 at 2:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nick Perry won’t finish the season on the Packers’ active roster. Green Bay placed its top edge defender on IR on Saturday, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.

The Packers signed fullback Joe Kerridge to take Perry’s spot on the 53-man unit. Perry was already set to miss Week 17 due to injuries.

Foot, ankle and shoulder ailments have slowed Perry this season. He played in 12 games and recorded seven sacks — four off his career-best 11 of last season. The 27-year-old outside linebacker played 542 snaps this season and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 40 full-time edge defender. The Packers re-signed Perry to a five-year, $60MM deal, entrenching him as a big part of the franchise’s future.

Kerridge has played in 12 Packers games over the past two seasons.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Jets, Pouncey

December 30th, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

James Harrison fired back at the Steelers regarding his 2017 tactics, saying he repeatedly asked for a release this season. The Patriots linebacker said he asked for a release at the beginning of the season when it was clear his role was not what he thought it was going to be, but the team didn’t grant the request, he said on Instagram (via NESN’s Doug Kyed, on Twitter). The 39-year-old edge defender, who did have an extensive role in 2016, said the Steelers continued to tell him he would play only to deactivate him on Sundays or dress him and not deploy him. Harrison has played just 40 snaps across five games this season.

The new Patriots defender — who said he may not have “handled his frustration” well, seeming to confirm some of the accounts of ex-Steelers teammates — said he asked to be released (well, waived, since the trade deadline has passed) early last week before finally seeing the team do so. Harrison said Pittsburgh did not assure him he would be brought back, but the team also didn’t close the door on that possibility prior to his Patriots signing. He described the signing with New England as a “business decision.”

Here’s more from the AFC East.

  • Harrison said no other teams made offers to sign him, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald notes. Unsurprisingly, Harrison’s Patriots deal is for the prorated veteran minimum. He will earn $58K for his work this week plus playoff shares depending on how far New England advances, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Steelers signed Harrison to a two-year contract in March and paid him $2.13MM this season.
  • The Jets‘ Todd Bowles extension talks may have begun as recently as late December, with Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reporting Jets CEO Christopher Johnson opting to be proactive instead of letting Bowles enter a walk year and opening the door to other teams’ overtures. Specifically, Cimini writes that speculation about a Bowles/Cardinals reunion swirled for months. Bruce Arians will make a decision about his future in the offseason, but Bowles excelled as Arizona’s DC before coming to New York. Cimini also notes the Buccaneers, who are keeping Dirk Koetter for 2018, were a team the Jets knew would’ve been interested.
  • One of the reasons the Jets kept Bowles was the team’s surprisingly competitive season with several little-known players thrust to the forefront because of the offseason veteran purge. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link) Bowles doing more with less was not lost on ownership.
  • The Patriots‘ decision to unload Jimmy Garoppolo at the trade deadline hasn’t been fully embraced within the organization, with Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston reporting some felt the team should have pushed the situation as far as it could go — possibly into 2018. While trading Tom Brady was not a broached subject, Curran notes, his age and Garoppolo’s talent made some in Foxborough want to keep Garoppolo as an insurance policy. While that would have been a tricky process, given the $23MM franchise tag’s involvement, Garoppolo is likely going to be tagged after a breakout showing with the 49ers.
  • Mike Pouncey‘s severe hip injury — one that he’s said will induce a hip replacement at some point in the not-too-distant future — prompted one doctor say his career was over, the seventh-year center said (via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald). However, the Dolphins center made it through 15 games this season. Despite Pro Football Focus grading Pouncey as the league’s No. 25 center this season, Beasley notes the snapper is one of Adam Gase‘s favorites and can expect to be back in 2018.
  • PFF graded Jets guard Brian Winters as one of its worst offensive linemen this season, and the fifth-year player revealed why that might have been the case on Saturday. Winters said (via Twitter) he tore two midsection muscles in Week 2 and tried to play through the maladies the rest of the way. The recently extended lineman will undergo surgery. The Jets placed him on IR earlier this week.

Jets Place Matt Forte On IR

December 30th, 2017 at 2:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Forte‘s second Jets season will end prior to Week 17. The team placed the 10th-year running back on IR, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).

The Jets promoted wide receiver/return man Lucky Whitehead and running back Jahad Thomas to the active roster, per Costello (on Twitter), and placed running back Akeem Judd on IR.

Struggles with injuries derailed Forte’s 2017 campaign, and it’s uncertain if he will be back with New York next season. Forte has not had any discussions with the Jets about his 2018 status yet, he said (via Costello), but has indicated he wants to play next season. Costello notes Forte would probably like to return to the Jets, but team can save $3MM by cutting Forte prior to the final season of his three-year deal.

Forte finished this season with 381 rushing yards — over 500 fewer than his previous career-low figure of 813, which came last season for the Jets — and received just 103 carries. Bilal Powell and rookie Elijah McGuire ate into Forte’s workload, and the usually durable back found himself in a committee. Forte played in at least 15 games in each of his first seven seasons and suited up for 14 in his Jets debut. Knee pain limited him to 12 this season; he underwent knee surgery last offseason but said he doesn’t expect to need another operation prior to the 2018 season.

McGuire has three years remaining on his rookie deal, and Powell will make $4MM in base salary next season. Forte’s due $3MM in base, but this injury-plagued season and a non-guaranteed salary could induce the Jets to part ways with him.

The Jets signed Whitehead to their practice squad in late November.

Vikings Place LS Kevin McDermott On IR

December 30th, 2017 at 12:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Cornelius Edison is back in the NFL. The Vikings have added the center to the active roster, reports Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). To make room on the roster, the Vikings have placed long snapper Kevin McDermott on the injured reserve.

Kevin McDermott (vertical)Edison, who has spent the majority of the season on the practice squad, will actually be facing off against his former team tomorrow. The lineman appeared in six games for the Bears in 2016, but he was waived by the organization during the summer. He briefly caught on with the Falcons before landing on Chicago’s practice squad.

With starting center Pat Elflein set to miss tomorrow’s regular season finale, Edison should have an opportunity to play. The Vikings could also turn to Rashod Hill, Danny Isidora, or Aviante Collins to slide into the starting lineup.

McDermott has spent the past three seasons with the Vikings, and he hadn’t missed a regular season game during his Minnesota tenure. With the 27-year-old shelved, the Vikings will now rely on Jeff Overbaugh to serve as their primary long snapper.

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