HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Giants Commit To OBJ; Won’t Commit To Eli Manning

January 2nd, 2019 at 11:24am CST by Zachary Links

At a Wednesday press conference, Giants GM Dave Gettleman reaffirmed that Odell Beckham Jr. remains in the team’s plans. However, he declined to commit to a future with longtime franchise quarterback Eli Manning. 

“We didn’t sign him to trade him,” Gettleman said when asked about the temperamental wide receiver (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY).

When pressed further about OBJ, Gettleman told reporters, “You heard what I said.” However, it’s a different situation when it comes to Manning.

Gettleman said he had a “very extensive” and “no-holds barred” conversation with Manning on Monday, suggesting that Manning could be on his way out.

“We will do what’s in the best interests of the New York Giants. We’re trying to build sustained success. That takes brutal honesty and some tough decisions,” Gettleman said (Twitter link via Vacchiano).

Early in the 2018 season, it seemed certain that Manning wouldn’t be the Giants’ quarterback in 2019. The Giants were 1-7 and the season was circling the drain again, with Manning struggling heavily in his first year in Pat Shurmur’s offense. But, the Giants managed to turn things around by winning four of five games and had a near upset win over the Colts.

Manning, ultimately, finished out with his best statistical season in years, and his yards per attempt was his best posting since 2011. Before the Giants’ home finale, we heard that Manning was still more likely to return as the team’s QB than not. Now, however, that’s very much in question.

Oklahoma’s Cody Ford To Enter NFL Draft

January 2nd, 2019 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

Oklahoma junior offensive lineman Cody Ford announced that he will forego his final year on campus in order to enter the NFL draft. Ford ranks as one of the best guards in this year’s class and may wind up as a first round pick. 

[RELATED: Lincoln Riley Signs Extension To Stay At Oklahoma]

Ford was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2018 and helped Oklahoma win Joe Moore Award, given to the country’s best offensive line. Clearly, Ford has a chance to lock in NFL riches, and coach Lincoln Riley recently explained that he understood the desire of Ford and other top OU prospects who wanted to jumpstart their pro careers.

“I mean, you see guys do it different ways,” Riley said. “I would never agree with somebody going to be a free agent. I mean, that’s [foolish]. But some guys do, and so I think the best thing we can do is we be proactive. We don’t make it like the elephant in the room that nobody talks about. We try to be proactive with them, talk about them, educate them and their families. We have a lot of talks with NFL GM’s, NFL coaches, the people that are [in the know].”

Ford played at left guard in 2016 and 2017 but shifted to right tackle this past season. At the pro level, the 6’4″, 337-pound Ford is projected to play on the interior, but his versatility will work to his advantage.

Packers To Interview Joe Philbin

January 2nd, 2019 at 10:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers will give interim head coach Joe Philbin a chance at removing the interim tag. The two sides will have their official interview on Thursday or Friday, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 

Philbin is in the mix, but he’ll have to outshine a number of impressive candidates to walk away with the job. Already, the Packers have scheduled sit-downs with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell, and Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur. After meeting with Philbin, Packers brass will hit the road to meet with each of their coaches. Campbell and McDaniels, of course, will be taking time from their playoff preparations to speak with Green Bay.

Philbin took over as the Packers’ interim head coach following Mike McCarthy‘s dismissal in early December. the Packers went 2-2 in Philbin’s final games, wrapping up an immensely disappointing season. Between his four games as the Packers’ interim leader and three years plus as the Dolphins’ head coach (2012-2015), Philbin owns a career 26-30 record.

Eric Bieniemy Declines Cardinals Interview

January 2nd, 2019 at 9:23am CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy declined an opportunity to interview with the Cardinals, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’s set to interview with the Jets and Buccaneers on Wednesday, the Dolphins on Thursday, and the Bengals on Friday, so he has a full plate as he also gets set for the Chiefs’ Divisional Round game on Jan. 12.

Bieniemy has been a popular candidate early in this cycle and it seems awful likely that he’ll land a job behind the strength of the Chiefs’ offense and Andy Reid‘s strong recommendation.

In 2017, the Chiefs ranked fifth in total offense under Matt Nagy’s command. Bieniemy had big shoes to fill as he took over for him but Patrick Mahomes & Co. exceeded all expectations. The Chiefs finished first in total offense in 2018 by averaging an eye-popping 425.6 yards per game.

Bieniemy, who enjoyed a nine-year playing career before entering the coaching ranks, has been with Kansas City since 2013. Prior to that, the 45-year-old served as the offensive coordinator at Colorado, so he has call-playing experience despite the fact that Reid is hands-on with his team.

Packers To Meet With Matt LaFleur

January 2nd, 2019 at 9:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers and Matt LaFleur have set a date for their interview. Green Bay will meet with the Titans offensive coordinator on Sunday, according to Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com. 

As of this writing, LaFleur is one of seven known candidates for the position. Jim Caldwell and Chuck Pagano have already interviewed while Josh McDaniels, Brian Flores, Mike Munchak, and Dan Campbell are on deck.

LaFleur spent the 2017 season as McVay’s OC, though McVay called the Rams’ plays. LaFleur, though, made the move to play-caller in 2018 with Tennessee. He joins Rams QBs coach Zac Taylor and tight ends coach Shane Waldron as current or recent McVay assistants to receive meeting requests. McVay may be in his early 30s, but he may soon wind up with an impressive coaching tree of his own.

LaFleur, 39, called plays for a Titans team that had trouble keeping Marcus Mariota healthy. The Titans struggled without their starting QB at 100% and finished the year ranked 27th in points and 25th in total yards. Plagued by an elbow issue, Mariota threw just 11 touchdown passes in 2018.

Broncos To Interview Chuck Pagano

January 2nd, 2019 at 8:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos are expected to interview former Colts coach Chuck Pagano on Wednesday for their head coaching position and the interview could also stretch into Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Pagano has been rumored to be on the Broncos’ radar for some time and he’ll get an early opportunity to make his case. 

In June, Pagano, 58, told reporters that he was hoping to return to the sidelines soon after being fired from Indianapolis following a 4-12 season in 2017.

“I’ve got a couple years left in me,” Pagano said. “I’ve got unfinished business. I’d love to have another opportunity, I just love being around the guys, being on grass and competing.”

In his first three seasons with the Colts, Pagano led his squad to back-to-back-to-back 11-5 seasons in Andrew Luck’s first years in the league. He then authored consecutive 8-8 campaigns before finishing 4-12 while Luck missed the entire season with an injury. All in all, Pagano owns a career 53-43 regular season record as an NFL head coach. Before the Luck-less ’17 season, Pagano was 49-31 over five years.

Vance Joseph To Have Two Day Interview With Bengals

January 2nd, 2019 at 8:44am CST by Zachary Links

Vance Joseph‘s head coaching interview with the Bengals will take place over the course of Thursday and Friday, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s perhaps an indication that Joseph is high on the Bengals’ list as they get their search underway.

Joseph had a rough two years as the head coach of the Broncos, and nearly lost his job in Denver after one season, but he has history with the bengals. Joseph served as the club’s defensive backs coach in 2014 and 2015, guiding his unit to an NFL-leading 41 interceptions during that time.

Joseph was expected to be a top defensive coordinator candidate in this cycle, but the Bengals apparently believe that he can thrive as a head coach in the right environment. If this doesn’t shake out, however, it’s hard to see Joseph being a top head coaching candidate elsewhere after the Broncos took a nosedive in 2017 and 2018.

The Bengals have also reached out to Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and Rams offensive staffers Zac Taylor and Shane Waldron. There are also in-house candidates in the mix such as Bengals OC Bill Lazor and special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons.

Coaching Notes: Packers, Bucs, Broncos

January 1st, 2019 at 9:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite Pat Fitzgerald emphatically proclaiming he was staying at Northwestern following Monday night’s Holiday Bowl win, the Packers are still going to make an attempt to interview him, Tom Silverstein and Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report. The Packers were expected to reach out with an interview request, with GM Brian Gutekunst expressing great admiration for the Northwestern coach and Packers president Mark Murphy having hired Fitzgerald when he was at Northwestern, but nothing has transpired yet. The 13-year Wildcats leader said Northwestern was “not going anywhere” and Chicago was “home forever.” Mike McCarthy made more than $8MM last season, according to Silverstein and Owczarski, who suspect the Packers may have to offer at least that — despite Fitzgerald having never coached in the NFL — to entice the 44-year-old college coach. The Packers have thus far requested interviews with Josh McDaniels, Mike Munchak, Dan Campbell, Matt LaFleur and Brian Flores.

Here is the latest from the coaching front on New Year’s Day:

  • The Buccaneers will have a chance to interview Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards. The parties will meet Thursday for a head coach meeting, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Thus far on the coaching carousel, Edwards — the Vikings’ DC for the past five seasons and formerly the Bills’ and Redskins’ DC — has only been connected to Tampa Bay’s vacancy.
  • Gary Kubiak may well be returning to the sideline, in a non-HC capacity. Kubiak stepped down from his role as the Broncos‘ head coach after the 2016 season, citing health concerns, but John Elway said his longtime friend may end up as part of Denver’s 2019 offensive staff. “We’ll see. We’re still in that process,” Elway said. “We still have a lot of things to go over before that, but I think it could be where it is, it could be on the offensive side [as a coach]. We’ll see what that role may be, but Gary will be around.” Kubiak has worked in the Broncos’ front office the past two years. Denver is expected to interview Vic Fangio, Flores and Chuck Pagano (while also set to meet with Rams QBs coach Zac Taylor and Steelers OL coach Mike Munchak). Going defense for a second straight hire would point to Kubiak being in line to take over as offensive coordinator.
  • Dan Quinn‘s Falcons staff continues to undergo changes. The Falcons have parted ways with tight ends coach Wade Harman, multiple sources tell Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Harman had served in this role for four seasons and had been with the Falcons for five, operating as Atlanta’s offensive line coach in 2014.
  • The Bills‘ offensive line coach and run-game coordinator the past two years, Juan Castillo received his walking papers on Tuesday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. Castillo has worked on both sides of the ball, serving as the Eagles’ DC from 2011-12 before shifting back to offense in his roles since.
  • Despite going 4-12, the 49ers will not shake up their staff. Robert Saleh will stay on as San Francisco’s DC, doing so after his unit set NFL records for fewest interceptions (two) in a season and takeaways (seven) in a season. Kyle Shanahan said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle) his entire staff will be back in 2019.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/1/19

January 1st, 2019 at 9:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the New Year’s Day reserve/futures contract decisions:

Cincinnati Bengals

  • K Tristan Vizcaino

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Vikings, Rams Discussed TE Tyler Higbee

January 1st, 2019 at 8:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kyle Rudolph has been the Vikings’ top tight end for nearly the entire decade, but the team was eyeing a complementary weapon.

The Vikings discussed acquiring Rams tight end Tyler Higbee last year, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports (on Twitter). The teams did exchange offers, the Rams wanting a sixth-round pick but the Vikings offering a seventh, per Goessling, adding the talks broke off shortly after.

A three-year Rams supporting-cast cog, Higbee was a 2016 fourth-round pick. He and rookie second-rounder Gerald Everett comprise Los Angeles’ tight end corps, with Everett being used more as a receiver. Higbee finished this regular season with 24 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns.

Minnesota has Rudolph signed through the 2019 season, but no guaranteed money (and a $7.25MM base salary) remain on the 29-year-old pass-catcher’s contract. No Vikings backup tight end caught more than 11 passes this season.

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