HEADLINES

Detroit Lions News & Rumors

North Notes: Lions, Lombardi, S. Smith

October 26th, 2015 at 6:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Lions coach Jim Caldwell told reporters, including Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter), that he did not consider take over play calling duties after deciding to let go of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. While the offense won’t be revamped in a couple of days, he says that he does anticipate some schematic change taking place (link).

Caldwell also explained that he wasn’t told to make any of these coaching decisions and that team leadership council is not consulted in these types of situations, per Justin Rogers of MLive.com (on Twitter). Considering the head coach said earlier in the day on Monday that no coaching changes were coming, he either had an abrupt about-face, or wasn’t telling the whole truth either then or now.

Here’s more from the North divisions..

  • No one should be surprised if Steve Smith plays next season, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. Hensley theorizes that if the Ravens believed that Smith is retiring then they would entertain trade offers for him in the midst of this lost season. By holding on to him, the Ravens may have a chance to persuade him to return. Even at the age of 36, Smith has 18 more catches than anyone else on the Ravens, and his 510 yards receiving are nearly two times as much as any teammate.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun also believes that the Ravens are hanging on to Smith in an effort to talk him out of retirement and he endorses that plan, particularly with the team’s dearth of quality options at wide receiver. Beyond that, Zrebiec believes that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti is aware of Smith’s popularity and that he doesn’t want to see the team’s attendance suffer for the rest of the year for the sake of acquiring a late-round draft pick.
  • Bears coach John Fox says that the release of Jay Ratliff was “in the best interest of the team,” as ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson writes. Fox didn’t elaborate on the incident that led to Ratliff’s release, but he did indicate that it was on the precipice of becoming a major issue. “That’s why you have security,” Fox said. “That’s why things are in place. Sometimes if you think you need that, that’s what you do for the safety of your building.”

Lions Fire OC Joe Lombardi

October 26th, 2015 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Just hours after head coach Jim Caldwell told reporters that there wouldn’t be any coaching changes made this week, the Lions have made a major change to their offensive staff. According to Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News (via Twitter), the team is firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, along with offensive line coaches Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan.

Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com has confirmed the changes to the Lions’ coaching staff, tweeting that quarterbacks coach Jim Bob Cooter is taking over for Lombardi as the club’s offensive coordinator. Per Twentyman, tight ends coach Ron Prince will assume the role of offensive line coach, while Devin Fitzsimmons takes over as tight ends coach.

The Lions are off to a disappointing 1-6 start this season, and the underwhelming play of the offense has been a main reason for the team’s struggles. Matthew Stafford has been up and down throughout the season, throwing nine interceptions through seven games, well on his way to surpassing the 12 he threw in 16 games last year.

Detroit’s running game has been worse than its aerial attack, with leading rusher Ameer Abdullah having compiled just 222 yards on 3.6 yards per attempt — no other back has more than 60 yards, and Joique Bell is averaging less than two yards per carry. Overall, the Lions are averaging less than 20 points per game, ranking 26th in offensive DVOA through six weeks, per Football Outsiders.

While the Lions will hope that the changes to the offensive coaching staff will jump-start the team, it’s possible these won’t be the last moves made by the team this season. Albert Breer of the NFL Network notes (via Twitter) that there have been “rumblings around the league about larger-scale changes in Detroit,” since Martha Ford is now in charge of the ownership group, and observers aren’t sure what to expect from her.

As for the team’s new offensive coordinator, Cooter drew some interest around the league this past offseason. The Bears were interested in Cooter for their offensive coordinator opening, but the Lions denied Chicago permission to interview the ex-Broncos assistant, showing how much they valued him.

NFC Notes: Levy, Lions, JPP, Hardy

October 26th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

A week after undergoing surgery on his troublesome hip, Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy is still contemplating trying to return this year, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details. Asked why he isn’t shutting it down for the season, Levy replied, “We’re not mathematically out of it yet, are we?”

Of course, no team is mathematically out of the postseason yet, and no team will be for several more weeks. But with the Lions in the NFC North cellar at 1-6, the playoffs seem awfully unlikely, so I’d be surprised if Levy doesn’t land on IR within the next couple weeks.

Here’s more from across the NFC:

  • After another disappointing loss in Week 7, Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said his team isn’t making any changes to its coaching staff this week, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
  • If Jason Pierre-Paul were to sign his franchise tender with the Giants, and the team placed him on the non-football injury list for the rest of the season, it would likely result in the NFLPA filing a protest over the move, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The union’s goal would presumably be to get Pierre-Paul free agent status, rather than having the Giants keep him under team control.
  • While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones supported Greg Hardy publicly, there are people within the organization that view the defensive end’s behavior as “juvenile,” says Cole in a separate video. The team seems invested in Hardy for this season, but Cole thinks that the former Panther will have to change his attitude in order for his time in Dallas to last more than just one year.
  • The Falcons worked out former Tuskegee linebacker Quavon Taylor last Friday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/15

October 23rd, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Rob DiRe

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves:

  • The Lions have claimed defensive tackle Khyri Thornton off waivers, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Thornton was cut by the Patriots yesterday. He will fill the spot opened when the Lions waived defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen this morning.
  • The Rams have promoted running back Trey Watts to the active roster, and waived safety Christian Bryant to make room for him, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • The Panthers have also promoted a player from the practice squad to the active roster, bringing tight end Scott Simonson up, according to Max Henson of Panthers.com. The team placed tight end Richie Brockel on the IR to make room for Simonson.
  • Washington has removed wide receiver Issac Blakeney from the IR with an injury settlement, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

Lions Cut Ishmaa’ily Kitchen

October 23rd, 2015 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

Two weeks after signing him, the Lions have waived defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). No corresponding move was announced immediately, so the club is likely to promote a player from its practice squad on Saturday.

Kitchen, 27, earned 279 defensive snaps for the Browns in 2014, making 27 tackles. After being cut by Cleveland earlier in the year, Kitchen signed with the Lions prior to Week 5, when the team needed to add some depth at defensive tackle due to injuries. He appeared in just 15 defensive snaps for Detroit in his two weeks with the team.

The decision to cut Kitchen suggests that Haloti Ngata should be good to go this weekend. Ngata, who has been sidelined due to a calf injury, returned to practice for the Lions this week, and was a full participant on Thursday.

As for which player might replace Kitchen on the roster, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link) speculates that perhaps tight end Casey Pierce could be elevated from the taxi squad.

Workout Notes: Titans, Brown, Johnson, Dixon

October 21st, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Just over seven months after he announced his retirement from the NFL, cornerback Cortland Finnegan had a workout today with the Patriots. Finnegan, 31, was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. As such, it came as a bit of a surprise when Miami inked the former Ram to a two-year, $11MM deal in 2014. He might not be worthy of that kind of pay, but he could make for an intriguing depth option for the Pats or another team.

Here’s a rundown of today’s other workouts from around the NFL, with all links going to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post on Twitter, unless noted otherwise..

North Notes: Finley, Levy, Robinson, Pitta

October 21st, 2015 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

In an interview with Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, former Packers tight end Jermichael Finley discussed his decision to retire, explaining that some time away from the game helped him put things in perspective.

“Just watching games, the game is getting violent,” Finley said. “Every week you see something. In high school, you see a kid dying in a football game. I see someone in the NFL getting another neck injury or an ACL. Outside looking in, it’s not all that it’s made it to be. We’re so locked in as football player, it started to become our reality in life.”

While Finley wouldn’t confirm whether he was able to collect the $10MM insurance policy he took out before suffering his 2013 neck injury, he said he’s in a good place financially.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s North divisions:

  • Lions head coach Jim Caldwell told reporters today that linebacker DeAndre Levy underwent surgery on his hip and is doing fine. However, the team has yet to make a decision on whether or not Levy will go on IR, ending his season (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
  • Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson, who opened the season on the physically unable to perform list, is returning to practice this week, which means the club will have a three-week window in which to activate him, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
  • Another player who opened the year on the PUP list, Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta, returned to practice today, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tweets. Baltimore now has a three-week window to either activate Pitta and shut him down for the year, so the tight end – who admits that some people have urged him not to play again – will see how his hip feels and consult with family and doctors before making a decision (Twitter links via Zrebiec).

NFC Notes: F. Jackson, Cook, Rams, Lions

October 21st, 2015 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Renton Police Department issued a statement last night on the car accident involving Seahawks running back Fred Jackson, announcing that the collision resulted in minor property damage, but no injury to Jackson (Twitter link via Gregg Bell of the News Tribune). Renton Police confirmed that early reports of Jackson racing another team member were apparently false, suggesting that there’s “no indication” the former Bill was racing another vehicle.

Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk also hears from a team source that Jackson was uninjured in the accident, and that several teammates – including Richard Sherman and Marshawn Lynch – stopped to check on him before leaving the accident site.

Here are a few more notes from out of the NFC:

  • With teams around the league looking for athletic tight ends, Rams pass catcher Jared Cook has had his name come up in trade rumors early this season. Head coach Jeff Fisher has said he isn’t interested in trading Cook, but says the Rams have fielded calls about multiple players, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • Cook, who has only 15 catches in five games for the Rams, dismissed trade rumors and said he is happy with his role, according to Wagoner (via Twitter).
  • Fisher also had to make a statement about his job status after his alma mater of USC fired their head coach, saying he wouldn’t consider leaving the Rams to coach in college, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). Fisher cited the commitment he made to Rams owner Stan Kroenke when he took over in 2012.
  • The Lions just put one running back on injured reserve, but could get another back in the lineup as Joique Bell is getting closer to returning, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Bell had missed the last three games, and with Zach Zenner out for the season, the team only misses him more.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/20/15

October 20th, 2015 at 4:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..

Earlier today:

  • The Browns are signing linebacker Jayson DiManche off the Chiefs‘ taxi squad, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. DiManche will take the roster spot previously filled by running back Shaun Draughn, who has been waived, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal writes. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound DiManche has appeared in 28 regular-season games with one start, all with the Bengals. Draughn appeared in five games this season for Cleveland with two carries for 10 yards.
  • The Falcons signed linebacker Philip Wheeler and released safety Charles Godfrey, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Lions have claimed guard/tackle Michael Ola off waivers from the Chargers, as Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets. Ola has yo-yo’d between the Chargers’ 53-man roster and the taxi squad all season long.
  • The Colts promoted safety Dewey McDonald from the practice squad, as Stephen Holder of the Indy Star tweets. The Colts also cut Amarlo Herrera and cornerback Shaun Prater, Wilson tweets.
  • The Seahawks signed Lemuel Jeanpierre and cut Crezdon Butler, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets.
  • The Seahawks also placed linebacker Brock Coyle on IR-DTR, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune tweets.
  • The Chargers will sign safety Adrian Phillips from the practice squad as early as today, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets.
  • The Raiders re-signed strong safety Taylor Mays, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Saints have signed wide receiver T.J. Graham, according to a source who spoke with Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Vikings signed Kenrick Ellis and placed Shamar Stephen on IR, Wilson tweets.
  • The Jaguars moved wide receiver Neal Sterling to the active roster and signed safety Craig Loston, John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/15

October 20th, 2015 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: WR Titus Davis (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post)

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: LB Josh Keyes, WR Fred Williams (Twitter links via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
  • Cut: WR Kenny Cook 

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: CB Trovon Reed (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Diego Chargers

  • Signed: DL Chuka Ndulue (Twitter link via Eric Williams of ESPN)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington

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