City Of London - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Vick, Saints, London, Bears

November 11th, 2014 at 10:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Would things have gone differently for the Jets this season if Michael Vick was the team’s starter from Week 1? Running back Chris Johnson sure seems to think so. “Yeah, I think so. I think if he was starting from day one it would be totally different,” Chris Johnson told Seth Walder of the Daily News. “He came in and his role was to help Geno (Smith) develop and try to help him the best he can, but at the end of the day it turned out how it turned out and (we’ve) just got to live with it.” More from around the NFL..

Reserve offensive tackle Nick Becton, who was just signed from the Giants practice squad, could be let go by the Saints to make way for the returning Joe Morgan, writes Evan Woodbury of The Times-Picayune.
Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com takes a deep dive into the NFL’s desire to expand to London, and finds that while a franchise in England could be viable, the league may be overlooking more logical markets stateside, such as Toronto and Mexico City.
While it appears the Bears don’t intend to make any coaching changes for now, Peter King of TheMMQB.com suggests the team should make a statement by parting ways with defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, whose unit has allowed 106 points in the last two games.
Vick’s future in New York is uncertain, but Danny Knobler of ESPNNewYork.com says that the Jets should make him their quarterback for next season. The 12th-year vet will be 35 next season, but Gang Green has seen some solid play from him over the course of two-and-a-half games.
The Ravens miss having linebacker James Ihedigbo in the fold, tweets Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. The veteran safety left to join the Lions in the offseason and has been making key plays for them this year.

NFL Announces 2015 London Games

November 6th, 2014 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

1:05pm: Per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), all six teams heading to London next year will have their bye weeks following their overseas games. The automatic bye for teams playing in London could be removed as soon as 2016, says Breer.

9:45am: The NFL has officially announced its three games scheduled to take place in London’s Wembley Stadium during the 2015 season. The Dolphins, Lions, and Jaguars will all be heading back to Europe after playing games there this season. Here’s the full schedule:

Week 4 (October 4): Jets at Dolphins
Week 7 (October 25): Bills at Jaguars
Week 8 (November 1): Lions at Chiefs

The Daily Mail had previously reported that the league intended to increase the number of games in London next season from three to five, but it appears that’s not the case. Still, 2015’s lineup reflects the NFL’s desire to further experiment with the schedule and the stadium — games will be held in London on back-to-back weeks for the first time, and with three games bunched together in five weeks, the schedule will put Wembley Stadium’s playing surface to the test. The NFL’s international chief, Mark Waller, explained earlier this season why such changes were coming.

“I’m less focused on going from three (games) to four, four to five, five to six,” Waller said in September. “Can we do back-to-back games? Will the surface hold up? Can we start sending teams there without the bye attached? It’s not about the number anymore. … We’re at a place now where if we continue to do the job with the fans, the fan base will grow, and we’ll be able to have a team (in London). The questions now are logistical.”

While the NFL’s full schedule for 2015 has yet to be announced, it’s worth keeping an eye on whether any of the teams visiting London will do so without having their bye the following week, as Waller suggests.

Additionally, the Jets/Dolphins game in Week 4 represents the first time a divisional matchup has been held in London. The decision by Dolphins ownership to give up a divisional home game is already being panned by local media.

La Canfora’s Latest: Smith, Trestman, London

November 2nd, 2014 at 9:31am CST by Dallas Robinson

As he does most every Sunday, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has provided several interesting nuggets in a series of articles before today’s slate of games. Let’s dive right in…

Falcons head coach Mike Smith is not expected to return in 2015, writes La Canfora, who notes that owner Arthur Blank is expected to target a high-profile name to take Smith’s place. La Canfora speculates that Jon Gruden and Jim Harbaugh could both be candidates for the Atlanta job, and while it’s just my speculation, it’s fair to wonder if Blank would try to lure ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher away from his broadcasting gig.
After the Bears suffered an embarrassing loss to the Patriots last week, some in the organization believed head coach Marc Trestman’s job was in jeopardy. Bears ownership eventually stated a vote of confidence in Trestman, but sources tell La Canfora that the Chicago locker room is devoid of leadership. Additionally, general manager Phil Emery’s roster construction, particularly the decision to extend Jay Cutler at an exorbitant price, has come under fire around the league.
There’s no truth to a recent report that the NFL wants to play five games in London in 2015, according to La Canfora. However, the league is confident it can schedule games in London on consecutive weekends next year. Last week’s 9:30am EST kickoff was well-received in the league offices, meaning such early start times could be seen again in 2015 (Twitter link).
The NFL has scheduled a special meeting for its stadium and fiance committees for later this month. Relocating a team to Los Angeles isn’t officially on the docket, but sources tell La Canfora that the matter is expected to be discussed.
Bills receiver Sammy Watkins has been steadily improving in 2014, and mere rookie progression might not be the only reason. Watkins, the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, was playing through broken ribs during the early portion of the season.
Browns tight end Jordan Cameron will likely miss the next two games with a concussion, and sources tell La Canfora that because this Cameron’s third concussion, both his short- and long-term future are uncertain.

NFL To Play Five London Games In 2015?

October 26th, 2014 at 9:36am CST by Rory Parks

Citing the London Daily Mail, ESPN.com news services reports that the NFL will play five games in London next season.

The league, which has played at least one regular season game in London’s Wembley Stadium every year since 2007, is expected to make an official announcement soon, according to the Daily News report. However, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy tells ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell that the Daily Mail’s report isn’t accurate.

If the league does indeed increase the number of overseas contests for next season, it will only add to the reportedly increasing momentum to put an NFL franchise in London.

Poll: Should NFL Expand To London?

September 27th, 2014 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

As we wrote yesterday, the NFL’s international chief, Mark Waller, still believes the league is on track for potential expansion to Europe by around 2022. With the NFL ramping up to three games played at Wembley Stadium in London this season, Waller and company are beginning to experiment in different ways with those overseas contests, as he explained to Albert Breer of the NFL Network.

“I’m less focused on going from three (games) to four, four to five, five to six,” Waller said. “Can we do back-to-back games? Will the surface hold up? Can we start sending teams there without the bye attached? It’s not about the number anymore. … We’re at a place now where if we continue to do the job with the fans, the fan base will grow, and we’ll be able to have a team (in London). The questions now are logistical.”

While the NFL’s global marketing plan is ambitious, it’s worth considering whether having a franchise in London is the logical next step for the league. In my view, getting a team back in Los Angeles should be the NFL’s top priority, but that doesn’t necessarily preclude the possibility of expanding to London. Reports continue to suggest that when a combination of the right team, the right owner, and the right stadium come together, NFL football will return to L.A., and the league’s goal of installing a franchise overseas can be viewed as an entirely separate issue.

Still, with no NFL franchise seemingly on the verge of relocation at the moment, one has to wonder if the league is willing to move multiple teams within the next few years to get teams in L.A. and London. At 32 franchises, the NFL already features more teams than any of the other major North American sports leagues, so further expansion seems somewhat dubious.

That’s one possible roadblock for a London team, and Waller himself names a few more — it’s not clear yet whether Wembley Stadium will be capable of hosting eight games per season, or whether European fans more accustomed to following another form of football would continue to turn up and support a franchise full-time. Additionally, traveling from one coast of America to the other is already viewed as a significant handicap for West Coast clubs. The idea of having eight teams per year traveling overseas for games likely won’t be an easy sell.

What do you think? Does it make sense for the NFL to attempt to get a franchise in place in London within the next decade or so, or is that an overly ambitious plan for the league?

NFL Aiming For London Franchise In 2022

September 26th, 2014 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Raiders and Dolphins set to play the first of this season’s three NFL games in London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday, the league is increasing its push to introduce an NFL franchise across the Atlantic, as Albert Breer of the NFL Network writes. The league’s international chief, Mark Waller, tells Breer that he believes the NFL remains on track to have a team permanently in place in London within the next decade.

“When we started (with the International Series in 2007), I reckoned it’d take 15 years to do it,” Waller said. “That was what I expected, and we’re still on course. We’re at the midpoint now.”

According to Waller, he and the league has been subtly testing the London market and fan base for the last several years, with an eye toward putting a franchise there full-time. After increasing the number of games per year in London from one to two, and now to three, Waller’s experimenting is now expected to become increasingly more deliberate.

“I’m less focused on going from three (games) to four, four to five, five to six,” Waller said. “Can we do back-to-back games? Will the surface hold up? Can we start sending teams there without the bye attached? It’s not about the number anymore. … We’re at a place now where if we continue to do the job with the fans, the fan base will grow, and we’ll be able to have a team (in London). The questions now are logistical.”

Although the NFL still has a long way to go before a team in Europe becomes a reality, Waller tells Breer that the London market is just a jumping-off point for the sort of growth the league hopes to experience globally. In the longer-term, using the longer template somewhere else in Europe or Latin America – perhaps Germany or Brazil – is a goal for the NFL.

For now though, the league continues to focus on London, and this year’s trio of games, starting with this Sunday’s Oakland/Miami contest, will be another key stepping stone as the NFL works toward establishing its first international franchise.

NFL Notes: Goodell, Tagliabue, London

September 20th, 2014 at 8:32am CST by Ben Levine

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held a press conference yesterday to discuss the league’s revised personal conduct policy. Of course, plenty of pundits offered their opinions on the commissioner’s statements, including former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi. Speaking on ESPN, Bruschi wasn’t positive in his review of the league’s commish (via ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio)…

“We needed someone to go up there and be a leader,” Bruschi said. “To be a leader and say something substantial. To give all of the public out there, all of the fans, all of the former players, all of the current players. To give them hope that things will be done right, and that wasn’t done because I don’t think Roger Goodell is the guy that can do that anymore.

“Fixing a mistake is one thing, but he can’t escape this. He can’t escape this. Because the NFL, a big thing about them also is image. How the NFL is portrayed. And as long as Roger Goodell is leading the NFL and he’s the face behind the shield, you will have the same emotions you had today, watching that press conference, listening to him speak in circles, wondering, ‘Man, what is this guy talking about?’ So as you continue and move forward and Roger Goodell is the Commissioner, you will continue to feel that way every time you see him.

“In my opinion, in my personal opinion, being a former player that spent 13 years in this league trying to do the right thing, I want a new Commissioner to lead my league. I want a new Commissioner to go out there and say the right things and be that leader, because right now, Roger Goodell is not that. And I don’t think he can ever be that. Roger Goodell needs to step down and move on, and we need new leadership. The big reset button needs to be pressed on the NFL right now, and it starts by Roger Goodell stepping down.”

Let’s check out some more notes pertaining to Goodell and the NFL…

Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole spoke to a pair of league executives about the press conference, and neither was impressed with the way Goodell handled himself. One expressed his belief that Goodell didn’t “measure up” to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who recently had to deal with the Donald Sterling controversy.
Peter King dove into the SI Vault to uncover a 2006 article where he discusses the retirement of former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. In addition to Goodell, King suggests Falcons president Rich McKay and Ravens president Richard Cass as possible replacements.
The NFL “very much” wants a franchise in London and believes that fan support will not be a concern, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.

AFC Notes: Dalton, Glenn, Colts, London

July 11th, 2014 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after star wideout A.J. Green said he doesn’t want to play with any other quarterback besides Andy Dalton, the Dalton support campaign continued, with Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson praising his QB.

“We are tethered together,” Jackson told Michael Silver of NFL.com. “And I’ll jump off a building with this guy, because I believe in the things he’s trying to accomplish with his career, and I think I can help him.”

Dalton is entering the final year of his current contract, and has reportedly discussed an extension with the team, though it’s not clear whether the two sides will reach a long-term agreement in the near future. Here’s more from around the AFC:

Cordy Glenn was arguably the Bills‘ best offensive lineman a year ago, but he’s not extension-eligible until after the 2014 season, at which point locking him up figures to become a top priority for the team, says Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Because Glenn wasn’t a first-round pick, Buffalo won’t hold a fifth-year option on his rookie deal.
Pointing to Andre Johnson‘s contract with the Texans as an example, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that simple contract restructures don’t always benefit the player, since they result in larger cap hits in later years of the deal, increasing the likelihood of the player’s release. While there’s some truth to that, I’d point out that restructures also increase the dead money on a contract in those future seasons, which somewhat offsets the increased cap hit — Before it was reworked, Johnson’s deal had a more manageable cap number for 2015, but it also had less dead money for ’15, so if he’s at risk to be cut next year, that risk probably would’ve existed either way.
In his latest mailbag, Kevin Bowen of Colts.com explores how free agent signee Hakeem Nicks will fit in Indianapolis, and discusses a few other Colts-related topics.
Maurice Jones-Drew, Charles Woodson, and Marcel Reece are among the Raiders looking forward to this year’s game in London, and both Jones-Drew and Matt Schaub went so far as to suggest that the European city deserves an NFL franchise, as Neil Reynolds details at BritViewNFL.com (hat tip to Pro Football Talk).

Poll: Will L.A. Or London Get An NFL Team First?

June 2nd, 2014 at 5:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL is already a multi-billion dollar industry, and its growth doesn’t figure to slow down any time soon. The next logical step in its progression figures to involve placing a franchise in a foreign city, such as London, or a major, currently NFL-free American metropolis like Los Angeles, which has been without an NFL team since the Raiders moved to Oakland in 1995.

One regular season game has been played each year in London since 2007, and Falcons owner Arthur Blank tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com that this could be a precursor to moving a team to Europe full-time:

“I think it will lead to [a team]. I think it will start with an increased number of games. That will be translated into a very successful series of games, and eventually, I think a franchise. And maybe more than one. London’s a big city … I think eventually having that many games says that we really are playing a season in London, so we probably ought to have a team here. I think it will be a natural progression to a team.”

Blank also told King that he believes there will be “one or more teams” in L.A. in the near future. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross agrees, telling the Wall Street Journal’s Kevin Clark last week that he sees a team in L.A. “within five years” (Twitter link).

Along the same lines, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examined which teams could be moved to London or L.A., and listed the Bills (who cannot move until 2020), the Jaguars (who will play one game in London through 2016), and the Raiders, Rams, and Chargers, each of whom has been headquartered in L.A at one time.

I think that L.A. is the likelier destination for an NFL franchise. A London-based team would cause all sorts of logistical nightmares for teams, and it makes much more sense to place a team in the second-largest city in the United States. What do you think? Will L.A. or London get a franchise first?

Extra Points: London, Cromartie, FA Tryouts

January 31st, 2014 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

During his State of the NFL presser this morning, commissioner Roger Goodell downplayed speculation about the possibility of the Rams moving to Los Angeles, but sounded more bullish about the city of London getting an NFL team. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), Goodell said that selling out three games for the 2014 season helped push London “further down the road” toward a franchise. Meanwhile, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that, in his opinion, the question isn’t whether or not London will eventually get a team, but rather whether it will be via expansion or relocation.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan indicated today that he hopes cornerback Antonio Cromartie regains his form in 2014, but didn’t commit to him being on New York’s roster for next season, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News details. Cromartie is owed a $5MM roster bonus in March and carries a cap number of nearly $15MM for ’14.
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun passes along word of several free agent tryouts, reporting via Twitter that defensive tackle Torrey Davis auditioned for the Packers, linebacker Alex Hall tried out for the Cardinals, and wide receiver C.J. Akins worked out for the Panthers.
Unsurprisingly, Patriots owner Robert Kraft told reporters today, including Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter links), that he’d like to bring back both of the team’s top two free agents, receiver Julian Edelman and cornerback Aqib Talib.
As Russell Wilson prepares to play in his first Super Bowl, a handful of teams around the league are undoubtedly thinking about the opportunity they had to draft the third round pick in 2012. The Eagles are one team that came close to snatching Wilson off the board in the second round, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In a pair of Dallas Morning News chats, Rainer Sabin explains why he believes the Dan Bailey contract extension was the right move for the Cowboys, while Kevin Sherrington argues that what the Cowboys call being “aggressive” with the cap is actually mismanagement.

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