Aaron Kromer - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Brady, Weddle, Lewis, Kromer

July 30th, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Zachary Links

A U.S. District Court judge ordered the NFL and NFLPA to try to resolve their differences over Tom Brady‘s suspension without litigation, as ESPN.com writes. Of course, it seems unlikely that the two sides will peacefully resolve the conflict regarding the Patriots quarterback. Here’s more from the AFC..

Chargers safety Eric Weddle says that he will not hold out from camp but added that he believes this will be his last year with the team, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Weddle and the Bolts have been embroiled in a contract dispute all offseason and there has been no sign of the two compromising on an extension.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis wants to win a Super Bowl this season and “walk away” afterwards to leave the game on top, Paul Daugherty of The Cincinnati Enquirer writes.
Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer entered a written plea of not guilty in a Florida court, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Kromer is scheduled for a September 2nd pre-trial hearing.

East Notes: Brady, Kromer, Randle

July 24th, 2015 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

After speaking to multiple sources, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) says the NFL believes Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will ultimately accept a reduced suspension in order to avoid having the DeflateGate saga continue to be a distraction into training camp and the preseason. We’ll see if that’s ultimately the case, but we probably won’t find out today — a report this morning indicated there was “no chance” of an announcement on Brady from Roger Goodell before the weekend.

Here’s more from Cole on Brady, along with a couple other items out of the NFL’s East divisions:

According to Cole, the wording of Brady’s penalty could be crucial — the Patriots signal-caller would be more inclined to accept a penalty for not cooperating with the league’s investigation, but would likely continue to fight any penalty that’s based on his perceived involvement in deflating footballs.
The Bills are likely to part ways with offensive line coach Aaron Kromer following his arrest earlier this month, sources tell Joe Buscaglia of WKBW. For now, the team is weighing its options while Kromer remains on indefinite paid leave as his legal case plays out.
After stealing $123 worth of cologne and underwear from a Texas mall last October, Cowboys running back Joseph Randle has been put on six months of probation, according to an Associated Press report. At the time of the incident, the Cowboys opted to fine – but not suspend – Randle, who could still face additional discipline from the league now that the case has been resolved.

East Notes: Revis, Kromer, Cofield, Giants

July 22nd, 2015 at 10:25am CST by Zachary Links

Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis told Sports Illustrated that he considered retirement in 2012 after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee (partial transcript via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com).

“I did think about retiring,” Revis told SI. “I had never been seriously injured before, and I didn’t know how to handle it.”

Revis’ surgery was previously believed to be reconstructive surgery, but a microfracture procedure is more complicated and requires a longer recovery time. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..

New Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman had actually pegged Chris Foerster as his first choice to coach the offensive line, a league source told Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. Instead, the Bills ended up with Aaron Kromer, who could be on his way out after his offseason incident.
Defensive tackle Barry Cofield remains unsigned but he told SiriusXM NFL Radio (audio link) that he’s healthy and just waiting for a call. Cofield, 31, suffered his first major injury in 2014, as he missed about half the season for Washington after an ankle injury forced him onto the injured reserve list with the designation to return. While the veteran lineman returned to action in November, he only started three of eight games for the season, marking the first time since 2007 that he appeared in a game he didn’t start.
The Giants‘ offense could put up major points with Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, and free agent addition Shane Vereen, but the club’s former offensive coordinator isn’t sure that enough has been done to address the team’s offensive line woes, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. “The tragedy of that is they’ve made some strides over the last couple years to address that issue,’’ Kevin Gilbride told NFL Network. “The problem is it all went astray when William Beatty got injured in the offseason.’’

Bills To Decide On Aaron Kromer Soon

July 21st, 2015 at 6:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are wrapping up their investigation into the arrest of offensive line coach Aaron Kromer and a decision on his future with the team could be known before the end of the week, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes. Kromer, of course, allegedly punched a teenage boy in a dispute over beach chairs.

If Kromer is dismissed, the Bills would likely promote assistant offensive line coach Kurt Anderson to offensive line coach, an NFL source told Carucci. Carucci also hears that if Kromer is canned, they’ll follow a course of firing him with cause and, therefore, not pay him his salary, believed to be slightly more than $1MM annually. Kromer then could file a grievance, but from the outside, that would seem like an uphill battle at that point.

Kromer is due in court on August 12th, when he is expected to enter a plea. However, the Bills are not obligated to wait for that or any plea deal the coach might work out with prosecutors, according to Carucci’s NFL source, and there are strong indications they won’t.

The 48-year-old was at the center of another story in Chicago last season, when he admitted to being the leak for a report in which an anonymous Bears source criticized the play of quarterback Jay Cutler. Having gone from an interim head coach in New Orleans to an offensive coordinator in Chicago to an offensive line coach in Buffalo, Kromer had already seen his coaching career trending in the wrong direction in recent years.

Sunday Roundup: Gresham, Elam, Kromer

July 19th, 2015 at 12:55pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s have a look at some links from around the league on this Sunday afternoon:

We learned earlier today that Jermaine Gresham would be visiting the Cardinals this week, and Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com says it would be no surprise if Arizona landed the suddenly popular tight end, given the team’s need for a pass catcher at the position and GM Steve Keim‘s propensity to bring in a veteran free agent right as training camp opens.
Matt Elam has been a big disappointment for the Ravens, who selected the former Florida safety with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Elam’s move to strong safety in 2014 should have been beneficial to him considering his skill set, but he led the team in missed tackles and struggled mightily in coverage. As Bo Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com writes, Elam is the Raven facing the most amount of pressure this season.
Ben Goessling of ESPN.com says the Vikings‘ safety position next to Harrison Smith is up for grabs, as evidenced by GM Rick Spielman‘s unsolicited praise of second-year player Antone Exum after the draft.
Some Lions fans are already looking ahead to the 2016 season, and as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes in his latest mailbag, no matter how the team’s defensive tackles perform this year, that will be a position of need for Detroit given free agency and the age of Haloti Ngata.
Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer is on indefinite paid leave, and he can only return to full status when his criminal case ends. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes, the first opportunity for Kromer to resolve his case is August 12, when he is expected to enter a plea. If he has a plea deal in place with prosecutors at that time, the case could be over on that day. However, he would still be subject to a fine, suspension, or both under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. Buffalo has not announced how it intends to replace Kromer once camp opens.
Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union examines the Jaguars‘ running back situation heading into training camp.
Marc Sessler of NFL.com looks at the best remaining free agents on the defensive side of the ball, a list that includes veterans like Dwight Freeney looking for one last contract and busts like Da’Quan Bowers.

East Notes: Kromer, Cassel, Harris

July 16th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer is scheduled to appear in court for an August 12 plea date, following his arrest last weekend, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. With Kromer having been placed on indefinite paid administrative leave by the Bills this week, that August court session could go a long way toward determining whether or not he’ll have a job with the team by the time the regular season gets underway.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

We’ve been hearing in recent weeks that Matt Cassel may be in danger of losing his roster spot on the Bills, but Rodak believes that, despite a shaky spring and a sizable salary, Cassel still has about a 60% chance of making the regular season roster.
This week, ESPN.com’s AFC East writers weighed in on which coach is on the hottest seat in the division. Unsurprisingly, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin ran away with the dubious distinction. Philbin is 23-25 as Miami’s head coach. Meanwhile, Rex Ryan (Bills) and Todd Bowles (Jets) were just hired earlier in 2015, and Bill Belichick‘s job with the Patriots certainly seems safe.
Wide receiver Marcus Harris, cut by the Giants yesterday with an injured designation, underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee last month, which led to his removal from the team’s 90-man roster, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. Assuming he’s not claimed today, Harris figures to land on the Giants’ injured reserve list. It’s the second straight year that the 26-year-old has seen his chances of earning a spot on the club’s Week 1 roster dashed by injuries.

Extra Points: JPP, Kromer, Jets

July 14th, 2015 at 9:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL hasn’t had a developmental league since NFL Europa ended in 2007, but that could all change soon. Former Giants coach Jim Fassel told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter), “Don’t be surprised if there was a very good spring league opening next year in the NFL,” Fassel said. Plenty of “minor league” football organizations have come and gone over the years, but it stands to reason that a domestic NFL developmental league could find a way to support itself. Here’s more from around the NFL..

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been discharged from the South Florida hospital where he had his right index finger amputated, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com writes. There has still been no formal contact between Pierre-Paul and the Giants regarding the next steps in his rehab, but the team hopes to communicate with him as soon as possible about what he and they can expect. JPP has yet to sign his $14.813MM franchise player tender, but the Giants have no plan to rescind it.
The AFC East staff writers at ESPN.com all weighed in on who they think is the No. 1 rising star in the division. James Walker cast his vote for Jets rookie defensive lineman Leonard Williams. The USC star was the best player available at No. 6 and even though the Jets didn’t need another stud defensive lineman they pounced anyway. Things are a bit crowded on the line, but Walker believes that new Jets head coach Todd Bowles is a smart enough defensive mind to find ways to get Williams on the field.
The Walton County Sheriff’s office says it’s now also pursuing charges against Zachary Kromer, the son of Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Zachary Kromer allegedly put his hands around the throat of one of the friends of the boy who claimed to be assaulted by Aaron Kromer.

Bills Place Aaron Kromer On Paid Leave

July 14th, 2015 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills have placed offensive line coach Aaron Kromer on indefinite paid leave following his arrest in Florida, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link) passes along a statement from team president Russ Brandon explaining the decision.

“Over the last few days our organization has continued to gather information in regards to the alleged incident involving offensive line coach Aaron Kromer,” Brandon said in the statement. “We have been in regular discussions with the league office and have decided to place Aaron on indefinite paid administrative leave in accordance with the league’s Personal Conduct Policy while we continue to work our way through the investigative process with the league.”

Kromer, who joined the Bills this offseason after having served as the Bears’ offensive coordinator, was arrested late Saturday night on a misdemeanor battery charge. According to the Walton County Sherrif’s Office, Kromer allegedly confronted a group of three boys – who had been fishing – over the use of beach chairs. The victims told Walton County deputies that Kromer grabbed their fishing pole and threw it in the water, then pushed one of the boys to the ground and punched him in the face. The victim, a juvenile, also said Kromer threatened to kill his family if he reported the incident to the police.

The decision to place Kromer on paid leave is based on the NFL’s personal conduct policy, which last season applied to players like Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy — those players were placed on the commissioner’s exempt list while their legal situations played out. In Kromer’s case, I imagine the process will be similar, with the Bills possibly deciding to let him go and/or the league opting to suspend him if he’s determined to be guilty.

With Kromer on leave from the club, assistant offensive line coach Kurt Anderson figures to be the top candidate to take over his role, at least in the interim.

Sunday Roundup: Bills, L.A., Dalton, McClain

July 12th, 2015 at 8:57pm CST by Rob DiRe

Among all the chaos surrounding Aaron Kromer in Buffalo, the Bills are more than likely going to be looking for a new offensive line coach for the upcoming season. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report is asked if the organization could convince former Bills offensive line coach Jim McNally out of retirement.

McNally spent 28 seasons as an NFL offensive line coach, retiring in 2007 after a four-year tenure in Buffalo. He semi-unretired in 2010 to serve as a consultant to the Jets under Rex Ryan for two years, before taking on a similar role with the Bengals, where he began and spent most of his NFL career.

Cole notes that at 71 years old, McNally isn’t a prime candidate for the job, but that he does have the background to make him an interesting option (via Twitter).

Here are some more notes from around the NFL:

With all the excitement surrounding the possibility of a team coming to Los Angeles, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times makes several predictions about what to expect in the coming months from the NFL regarding the potential move. Among them, he opines that San Diego and St. Louis will present their cases at the owners’ meeting in New York but Oakland will not, that the league will sign leases with one or two temporary stadiums by the end of the year, and that the NFL will begin counting potential season ticket holders this fall.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton took some swings during the Legends and Celebrity Softball Game as part of All-Star Weekend in Cincinnati, but he arrived to a mix of boos and cheers among the hometown fans, writes Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com. Dalton was not worried about the reaction, and went on to hit two mammoth home runs during the game, to which brought the cheers in the stadium, and plenty of snark from the Twitter faithful, many of which Dehner compiled in his piece.
With linebacker Sean Lee set to return for the Cowboys and Rolando McClain suspended for the season’s first four games, Bob Strum of the Dallas Morning News says he wouldn’t assume McClain will stick with Dallas all year, suggesting the club may decide at some point that the off-field issues aren’t worth it.
The Broncos have until Wednesday to reach a long-term deal with franchise player Demaryius Thomas, leading Benjamin Hochman and Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post to debate as to the receiver’s value. Noting that Denver has a limited Super Bowl window given Peyton Manning‘s age, the scribes agree that the club will want to work out an extension, ultimately landing on a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $65-70MM. PFR’s Luke Adams projected the exact same figures last June.
Staying in Denver, Broncos general manager John Elway is still positive that the disappointing 2014 draft class will have a bigger impact, even with a brand new coaching staff, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Only Bradley Roby saw significant snaps, with a number of the players selected not seeing any action at all. Second-round pick Cody Latimer saw only 37 snaps at receiver for the season, but the group should see significantly increased roles in 2015.

Luke Adams and Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

NFL Could Place Aaron Kromer On Leave

July 12th, 2015 at 6:11pm CST by Rob DiRe

Regardless of what the Bills end up deciding to do with offensive line coach, Aaron Kromer, who was arrested last night, the NFL has the ability to place Kromer on paid administrative leave immediately, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.

The league has the right to make such a move based on the NFL’s personal conduct policy, which extends not only to players but to all NFL employees as well. Consider it likely that the league will take this route while it conducts a thorough investigation into the matter. While such an investigation could take weeks or months, according to Rodak, the league would reserve the right to keep Kromer out of his job on paid leave until it came to a decision on his punishment.

Rodak also reproduces the relevant part of the updated player conduct policy that applies to this situation. This new policy was enacted last December, and therefore Kromer is subject to it. It states that the league has the right to place anyone on paid administrative leave if they are formally charged with a crime of violence or if an investigation leads the Commissioner to believe the personal conduct policy was violated.

Importantly, Rodak notes that this paid leave will last until the league office comes to a final decision, even through the appeals process if necessary: “Leave with pay will generally last until the league makes a disciplinary decision and any appeal from that discipline is fully resolved.”

For Kromer, that means that even if the Bills decide to keep him on staff, he won’t be involved with the team in any capacity until after the league investigates these allegations and decides whether to suspend, fine, or clear him.