HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Giants Plan To Add Rob Ryan To Staff

February 8th, 2022 at 5:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Don Martindale plans to bring some familiar faces to his new team. The relocating defensive coordinator is eyeing Rob Ryan and Bryan Cox for his first Giants staff, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.

Ryan has settled onto the position coach tier, doing so after receiving several cracks as a coordinator. The former DC for the Raiders, Browns, Cowboys, Saints and Bills has coached inside linebackers in Washington and Baltimore since working on Rex Ryan‘s Buffalo staff in 2016. The Ravens, however, opted not to retain him after parting ways with Martindale.

Interestingly, Martindale was Oakland’s linebackers coach under Ryan during each of the latter’s five seasons running the Raiders’ defense (2004-08). They reunited on Baltimore’s staff last season.

A former linebacker, Cox has not been a full-time NFL staffer since the 2016 season, when he was the Falcons’ defensive line coach under Richard Smith. The Falcons canned select staffers after their historic Super Bowl collapse, and Cox was among those let go. Cox was primarily a D-line coach from 2006-16. He worked with Ryan in Cleveland from 2009-10.

The Giants are also interviewing Adam Henry for their wide receivers coach role, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Henry previously served as New York’s wideouts coach from 2016-17 under Ben McAdoo. He has since coached receivers in Cleveland and Dallas.

Latest On Texans’ Coaching Staff

February 8th, 2022 at 5:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

In 14 months, Lovie Smith has gone from being dismissed as the University of Illinois’ head coach to securing a third shot as an NFL HC. The Texans officially hired Smith on Monday, and the veteran defensive-minded coach will pull double duty in his next assignment.

Smith, 63, will retain defensive play-calling responsibilities, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The former Bears and Buccaneers HC had been in the college ranks for five seasons prior to resurfacing as the Texans’ defensive coordinator last year. Now, he will wear two rather important hats for the rebuilding team.

GM Nick Caserio said Tuesday that Smith’s hire did not take place because of Brian Flores‘ lawsuit against the NFL, via the Houston Chronicle’s Brooks Kubena. Flores and Josh McCown were believed to be the final two in the running for the job. The longtime quarterback having never coached in the NFL likely played into Smith’s hire, but Caserio predictably indicated the team had not made a decision until it landed on Smith. Caserio did not deny McCown remained in play for another role with the team, though Smith already has his offensive coordinator in place.

Pep Hamilton is in line to call Houston’s offensive plays, being promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. While Hamilton’s rise was on the radar before Smith entered the equation, Smith said keeping the Texans’ QBs coach was “a must.” One of Smith’s first acts as Houston’s head coach was communicating to Hamilton his importance for developing Davis Mills. A year after overseeing Justin Herbert‘s rise to Offensive Rookie of the Year as Chargers QBs coach, Hamilton helped Mills show promise down the stretch.

“Pep has an expertise when you look at his background,” Smith said Tuesday. “What he did in Los Angeles with Herbert to where he did with Davis here. He is a fundamental coach who has a defensive mentality on toughness. I am so excited about him being on our staff and to see what he is going to do.”

Smith is moving quickly on his assistants as well. The Texans are hiring George Warhop as their offensive line coach and Hal Hunter as his assistant, ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Warhop, 60, has now been employed as an O-line coach by a fourth of the NFL’s teams. From 1996 through last season, Warhop has been with the Rams, Cardinals, Cowboys, 49ers, Browns, Buccaneers and Jaguars. Warhop’s Tampa Bay stay began when Smith arrived in 2014. Warhop coached the Jags’ O-lines for the past three seasons.

Hunter, 62, has extensive experience as well, including at the coordinator level. He spent the 2012 season as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator, moving up to that post after coaching the previous six Bolts O-lines — groups that helped LaDainian Tomlinson secure first-ballot Hall of Fame entry. Hunter was last in the NFL as the Giants’ O-line coach from 2018-19.

Houston is also hiring Tim Berbenich as its tight ends coach, Fox 26’s Mark Berman tweets. This will be new territory for Berbenich, who spent last season as the Raiders’ running backs coach. In 19 seasons as an NFL assistant, Berbenich has primarily coached running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks. He was a Colts staffer during each of Hamilton’s three years as Indianapolis’ OC.

Follow The NBA Trade Deadline At Hoops Rumors

February 8th, 2022 at 4:48pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA trade deadline is less than 48 hours away, and our sister site Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors on Twitter) has all the latest news and rumors for each of the league’s 30 teams!

We’ve already seen two major trades today, with CJ McCollum reportedly heading to the Pelicans in a seven-player trade, and the Kings shocking the basketball world by sending rising star Tyrese Haliburton to the Pacers for two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis in a six-player swap.

Amid an eight-game losing streak, former MVP James Harden has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with the Nets – will he be traded for disgruntled Sixers star Ben Simmons? Could a trade between the defending champion Bucks and the Celtics be brewing? Will the Pacers continue to reshape their roster by dealing the league’s leader in blocked shots per game, Myles Turner? Will the Lakers be able to make moves to assist aging superstar LeBron James?

For the latest updates on those stories and more, check out Hoops Rumors today! Last season saw a total of 24 in-season trades, including 16 on deadline day alone, and this season could be just as action-packed! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @HoopsRumors.

Vikings Interview Sean Desai For DC Job

February 8th, 2022 at 3:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite having just one year of defensive coordinator experience, Sean Desai has emerged as a popular candidate this year. As staffs continue to be assembled, new head coaches have been eager to speak with the 2021 Bears DC.

Desai has now gone through three such interviews; the Vikings represent the third. Desai interviewed for the vacant Vikings’ DC job over the weekend, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). This follows Desai meetings with the Raiders and Giants.

Both the Raiders and Giants made their hires, in multiyear DCs Patrick Graham and Don Martindale. The Vikings have yet to decide on their new DC. This position will take on greater importance given the impending Kevin O’Connell HC hire. Minnesota’s next DC will be the team’s unquestioned defensive play-caller.

Although the Bears slogged through a disappointing season — their first sub-.500 campaign since 2017 — they ranked sixth in total defense. Chicago had bumped up Desai last year to replace the retired Chuck Pagano, and the new play-caller helped a largely Khalil Mack-less unit to a respectable season — one that included Robert Quinn breaking Richard Dent‘s 37-year-old team sack record.

The Vikings have also interviewed Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and requested a meeting with Lions secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant. Former Browns HC and Packers DC Mike Pettine, however, is the rumored favorite.

Should the Vikings head in another direction, Desai appears to have a fallback plan. The Seahawks are interested in adding him to their staff in a non-DC role. Seattle promoted Clint Hurtt to DC and added Ed Donatell as well. Desai would make three ex-Vic Fangio disciples (and two 2021 DCs) on one staff.

Titans Extend Mike Vrabel, GM Jon Robinson

February 8th, 2022 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Titans could not turn their No. 1 seed into a postseason win, they are rewarding the top power brokers responsible for the team earning that first-round bye.

Mike Vrabel and GM Jon Robinson signed extensions with the team Tuesday. Vrabel is entering his fifth year as Titans head coach, while Robinson is going into his seventh as GM.

The Robinson-Vrabel partnership has changed the course of the Titans, who have made the playoffs in three straight seasons. This past 12-5 result gave Tennessee its first No. 1 seed since 2008, and the season could well lead to Vrabel earning Coach of the Year acclaim at this week’s NFL Honors banquet.

Vrabel has yet to have a losing season as Titans HC, and he broke the team’s four-year run of 9-7 seasons by winning the AFC South with an 11-5 record in 2020. He also oversaw upsets of the Patriots and Ravens in the 2019 playoffs, leading the Titans to their first AFC championship game since 2002.

The Titans gave Vrabel a five-year deal when he took the job in 2018, which would have made 2022 a walk year for the former Super Bowl-winning linebacker and Texans defensive coordinator. Vrabel, 46, has solidified himself in this role and is the longest-serving Titans HC since Jeff Fisher. The Titans battled through numerous injuries this season, deploying a historically high number of players due to the various maladies. Vrabel’s team defeated three of the four conference finalists this season — the Chiefs, Rams and 49ers — but its upset loss to the Bengals ended the run early.

Robinson, 46, has been with the Titans since coming over from the Buccaneers in 2016. Robinson’s teams have made the playoffs in four of the six seasons under his watch. Under Robinson, the Titans managed to land a starting quarterback in a trade package headlined by a fourth-round pick. While Ryan Tannehill has not been a top-tier QB, the former injury-prone Dolphins starter has stabilized his career in Tennessee. The Titans also landed Derrick Henry, Harold Landry and A.J. Brown in the second round under Robinson, who has built the most consistently good Titans teams since Fisher’s run in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Bengals Planning Zac Taylor Extension

February 8th, 2022 at 2:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

In charge of one of the longest-odds Super Bowl entrants in NFL history, Zac Taylor has transformed his career this season. The third-year Bengals HC has gone from the hot seat to extension candidate.

The Bengals are indeed preparing to give their young coach a new contract, with Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reporting the surprise Super Bowl team is planning to extend Taylor soon after Sunday’s game.

The ex-Sean McVay disciple was 6-25-1 as a head coach coming into this season and had only a partial year of NFL OC work (with the 2015 Dolphins) under his belt. Rumors about Taylor’s firing emerged, but Mike Brown opted to keep his play-caller for a third season. Taylor’s offense took a significant step forward, and Joe Burrow‘s ACL recovery went historically well — despite the burgeoning-superstar quarterback leading the NFL in sacks taken — to the point the Bengals have reached the third Super Bowl in franchise history.

Taylor’s offense features Burrow and near-lock Offensive Rookie of the Year winner Ja’Marr Chase, with Tee Higgins taking a step forward as well. Burrow and his skill-position troops compensated for Cincinnati’s below-average O-line, which the AFC champions will surely aim to bolster in the offseason. Cincinnati’s offense ranked seventh in scoring this season — the team’s highest mark since 2015.

At 38, Taylor is one of the youngest coaches in Super Bowl history. The Bengals, of course, have a track record of patience with their head coaches. Most notably, Brown gave Marvin Lewis 16 seasons — far more than most expected — after the latter turned the team around in the 2000s.

Cincinnati is also planning to keep most of Taylor’s staff. Extensions are in the works for several assistants, per Wilson, who notes wide receivers coach Troy Walters, linebackers coach Al Golden, D-line coach Marion Hobby and tight ends coach James Casey are among those set to receive new deals. Re-ups for DC Lou Anarumo and OC Brian Callahan should be expected as well. Each received moderate interest on this year’s coaching carousel, with Anarumo interviewing with the Giants and Callahan with the Broncos — former employers for each — and no other teams.

Odell Beckham Jr. Nearly Signed With Patriots, Saints

February 8th, 2022 at 1:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

Odell Beckham Jr. is squarely focused on the upcoming Super Bowl with the Rams, but he was very close to ending up elsewhere when he was briefly a free agent. According to a pair of tweets from PFF’s Doug Kyed, the wideout nearly joined the Patriots, as well as the Saints, after he cleared waivers earlier this season. 

The 29-year-old’s time in Cleveland came to an end in November, after increasing tensions with other members of the team, in particular quarterback Baker Mayfield, came to a boiling point. After a disappointing two-and-a-half-year stint with the Browns, he ultimately signed with the Rams in an attempt to go on a championship run, filling in admirably for the injured Robert Woods along the way. His time in LA. has been so successful to this point that the team wants to keep him there beyond this season.

However, things very nearly turned out much differently for Beckham. According to Kyed, he was “close” to signing in New England after speaking with Bill Belichick. He adds that Beckham believes the fit would have been “ideal” a few years earlier, when Tom Brady was still with the Pats.

Another receiver-need team was the Saints, with whom Beckham came “very close” to signing. He added, “It just didn’t feel like the right time. Right place, wrong time”. In large part due to injuries to new starting QB Jameis Winston and top WR Michael Thomas, the Saints finished dead last in the league in passing yards per game in 2012 with 202.2.

Ultimately, Beckham clearly made the right choice up to this point. After the end of the season, though, the Patriots and Saints may represent destinations he is familiar with, not to mention ones that could benefit from the caliber of play he has put forth with the Rams.

Giants Hire Don Martindale As DC

February 8th, 2022 at 12:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

For the second time today, a new defensive coordinator has been hired in a move that comes as no surprise. As many expected, the Giants have hired Don Martindale to replace Patrick Graham as the team’s DC (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN). 

[Related: Raiders Hire Patrick Graham As DC]

The 58-year-old, affectionately known by many as simply ‘Wink’, was linked to the position not long after Brian Daboll was hired as the new head coach. Once it became official that Graham was leaving to take the same position with the Raiders, Martindale had the inside track to come to New York. This isn’t the first time he was considered for a role on the Giants staff; Martindale interviewed for the HC spot two years ago, before the team ultimately chose Joe Judge.

Martindale had 18 seasons of college experience spread across five different programs before entering the NFL in 2004. He’s primarily worked as a linebackers coach, though he got his first opportunity as a DC in Denver in 2010. His longest stint, in Baltimore, began at the LBs coach position in 2012, but he took over as the team’s DC from 2018-2021. Over the first three of those four campaigns, the Ravens ranked first in the league in yards and points allowed per game, according to Schefter’s colleague Jamison Hensley (Twitter link).

2021 saw Baltimore ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball, which led to a steep statistical drop off for Martindale’s unit. Part of the issue, many feel, was his unwavering reliance on the aggressive, blitz-heavy style he has become known for. Still, his track record has this move being widely applauded.

The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reports (via Twitter) that former Ravens OLB coach Drew Wilkins is one of potentially multiple position coaches expected to follow Martindale to New York. Doing so may be a wise move for them, as the contract Martindale is signing is reportedly a three-year pact, according to SI’s Albert Breer (Twitter link). With his preferred target in place, Daboll will have a highly experienced defensive play-caller to lean on in his inaugural season as a head coach.

 

Patriots To Bring Back Joe Judge

February 8th, 2022 at 10:48am CST by Adam La Rose

Joe Judge looks to have found a new home in what was once his old home. The Patriots are bringing him back, this time as an offensive assistant (Twitter link via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer). 

Breer states that the team is “working on a deal” which is “expected to get done in the coming days”, so nothing is official as of now, but it seems as though Judge is heading back to Foxborough. The 40-year-old began his NFL coaching career with the Patriots in 2012. He always worked on special teams, coordinating the unit from 2015-2019, the year before he left to become head coach of the Giants.

His final year with New England also included the title of wide receivers coach, however. That means that this new position, whatever it ends up being, won’t in fact be his first role on the offensive side of the ball. Judge had been linked to the special teams coordinator vacancy in Vegas, in large part due to the presence of Josh McDaniels as the Raiders’ new head coach. Instead, he will now take a position on a rebuilding Patriots offensive staff.

Since the position isn’t that of offensive coordinator, New England’s search for a direct McDaniels replacement will continue. So far, the two names linked to the vacancy are Bill O’Brien and Adam Gase.

Steelers To Interview Louis Riddick For GM

February 8th, 2022 at 9:53am CST by Adam La Rose

The search for a new general manager in Pittsburgh has led the team to Louis Riddick. The ESPN analyst is scheduled for an interview (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

[Related: Steelers Interview Three GM Candidates]

The 52-year-old began his front office career as a scout in Washington in 2001. He spent seven years there, then an additional six with the Eagles. The final four seasons of that time, in which he was Philadelphia’s director of pro personnel, represent his most senior job title. He has been out of the NFL since 2013, most recently working as an analyst on Monday Night Football. Last offseason, though, he received GM interest from the Lions, Texans and Jaguars.

A Pennsylvania native, Riddick played college football at Pitt, so he would certainly represent a hometown candidate to replace Kevin Colbert. He will be the fourth external candidate to interview for the role, though there are no details on when the sit-down will take place.

Here is where the Steelers’ GM search stands so far:

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