Ben McAdoo

NFC Notes: Hyde, Ngata, McAdoo, Bucs QBs

October 18th, 2017 at 6:39pm CST by GregGoldstein

Despite the noise of a Carlos Hyde trade, Kyle Shanahan attempted to put an end to those rumors during a media session today. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee passes along that the first-year 49ers head coach said that the reports of a speculative trade involving the running back were “absolutely, absolutely 100 percent false.” The rumors started to pick up after San Francisco was making calls to teams about now-former 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman. Despite the pushback, rookie Matt Breida has slowly started to cut into Hyde’s touches in recent weeks. The former Georgia Southern running back had his first double-digit carry game two weeks ago against the Colts, even though the rookie touched the ball just six times this past Sunday. Nevertheless, the 49ers are still winless through six weeks, which means that the trade winds will continue to swirl around the team with the deadline just a few weeks away.

Building off the news that Ben McAdoo gave up play calling to offenisve coordinator Mike Sullivan for their Sunday night contest against the Broncos, it is now known that neither owner John Mara nor Giants executive chairman Steve Tisch asked the head coach to give up the offensive playbook, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It would seem that McAdoo made this decision on his own with the results being positive thus far as the team shocked many by going into Denver and winning by double digits.
Now that Haloti Ngata is out for the season with a torn biceps, the question remains: Just how long will the 33-year-old continue to play in the NFL? The Lions defensive lineman told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that he has not made any decision about the future yet. “We’ll have to see. To be determined,” Ngata told the press. The veteran has not been the same player he was with the Ravens since he joined Detroit in 2015. Ngata did show signs of life this seasn, racking up two sacks in the team’s first five games, which matched the halfway mark of the number of QB takedowns he put up in the two seasons prior.
Although Jameis Winston left last Sunday’s game because of a shoulder injury, the Buccaneers still don’t expect to sign another QB for this week’s affair against the Bills, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Auman reports that Tampa Bay seems to be comfortable with Winston suiting up as an emergency backup for Ryan Fitzpatrick, if he can’t start. The move sounds a bit risky considering that the team still does not have a third-string QB with Ryan Griffin currently working to get off the IR. However, the news may be encouraging to some as it seems Winston has most likely avoided a long-term injury.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Eli, Redskins, Eagles

October 16th, 2017 at 8:04pm CST by GregGoldstein

Although the Jaguars have been speculatively mentioned as a trade destination for Giants quarterback Eli Manning given the presence of executive VP Tom Coughlin, Manning has no interest in being dealt, as Bob Glauber of Newsday writes. “I’ve not heard [the Jacksonville speculation], I’ve not felt it, not thinking about it,”Manning said. “I don’t want to play anywhere else. I love this team, love this organization, and I want to be here.” New York, of course, won its first game of the season on Sunday night, while Jacksonville fell to 3-3 with a loss to the Rams. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles‘ role in the team’s offense has been severely reduced, but general manager David Caldwell & Co. will likely finish out the campaign with Bortles under center before targeting signal-caller upgrades in the offseason, as Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com writes.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

On the heels of their dominant first win of the season over the Broncos on Sunday night, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY pointed out (Twitter link) that Giants coach Ben McAdoo gave play-calling responsibilities to offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan for the team’s Week 6 affair. McAdoo had been a subject of criticism given the Giants nightmarish start to the season, but it looked like the change may have things turned around, at least for the time being, as New York avoided many big mistakes with the offense going to a more run-oriented approach. The team rushed for a total of 148 yards on the game, with starter Orleans Darkwa accounting for 117 of those yards on 21 carries.
In another Giants twist, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is scheduled to report to the team’s facility tomorrow morning for a meeting/update on his status, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. The 10-year cornerback was suspended indefinitely last week for a number of events, which included walking out on a team meeting as well as storming off the field after the Giants lost to the Chargers two weeks ago. Rodgers-Cromartie was one of the best nickelbacks in football last season with him being voted to a second team All-pro by Pro Football Focus and the Associated Press in 2016-17. However, New York’s defense didn’t seem to miss the veteran defensive back all too much as the team picked off Trevor Siemian twice and held the Broncos out of the endzone for much of the game last night.
The Redskins will likely work out free agent kickers this week as incumbent Dustin Hopkins battles a hip injury, head coach Jay Gruden told reporters, including Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Hopkins — who is dealing with a partially torn hip and will miss Week 7, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com — converted both of his field goal attempts on Sunday, but missed an extra point that nearly proved crucial in a tight victory over the 49ers. On the season, Hopkins has been successful on 81.8% of field goals, and both of his misses were on 50+ yard attempts.
The Eagles worked out linebackers Donald Butler, Sean Spence and Jelani Jenkins today, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. After starter Jordan Hicks suffered a foot injury this past Thursday night, it looks like Philadelphia is on the hunt for a potential replacement. Hicks, 25, does not yet have a timetable of when he’s likely to return, and with Joe Walker being the only other middle linebacker currently on the roster, if Philadelphia was to sign a free agent, the player would stand to have a legitimate chance of getting meaningful playing time.

NFC Rumors: Bradford, Seahawks, McAdoo

October 8th, 2017 at 10:51am CST by Rory Parks

Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford took the majority of first-team reps with the offense this week, according to Stacey Dales of the NFL Network (via Twitter), and her colleague, Ian Rapoport, tweets that Bradford looks increasingly likely to suit up for Minnesota’s matchup against the Bears tomorrow night. Bradford, of course, has missed the team’s last three games with a knee injury after a brilliant Week 1 performance, and the Vikes have gone 1-2 in that time. His return will be most welcome.

Now for more from around the NFC:

Seahawks RB Eddie Lacy looked sharp in last week’s win over the Colts, and Rapoport tweets that, with fellow running back Chris Carson likely to miss the rest of the season, Seattle is treating Lacy like the starter. However, the team may still elect to use a committee approach rather than devote a lion’s share of the carries to Lacy.
Seahawks G Luke Joeckel is expected to play against the division-rival Rams today and then undergo knee surgery during the team’s bye next week, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Joeckel has performed reasonably well in his first year in Seattle, and it is unclear whether his surgery will force him to miss the team’s next game, which will take place on October 22.
Giants head coach Ben McAdoo is not on the hot seat despite his team’s horrific 0-4 start, according to Rapoport (video link). Rapoport spoke with a team source this week who pointed out that the club does not have a quick trigger when it comes to major decisions, and New York still believes McAdoo will be a successful head coach in the NFL.
Rapoport tweets that the Buccaneers‘ kicker audition, which is expected to take place tomorrow, will include Josh Lambo in addition to Mike Nugent and Andrew Franks, whose names were previously reported. Incumbent kicker Nick Folk‘s future with the team will become clear after that audition, though it is possible Tampa Bay retains Folk.
We learned earlier today that the 49ers have commenced efforts to extend running back Carlos Hyde.

East Notes: Dolphins, Giants, Patriots, Eagles

September 24th, 2017 at 4:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins still haven’t offered contract year wide receiver Jarvis Landry a new deal, but 24-year-old slot weapon isn’t worried about the lack of negotiations. “The number I may want may not be the number the team is willing to give me,” Landry told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “It’s about finding that negotiating price that works for both parties. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten offers. But when the process starts, I want nothing less than what I deserve.” Landry ackowledged he would accept the franchise tag in 2018, although Miami is unlikely to extend an offer — even over one year — of $15MM+ for a slot receiver.

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

Head coach Ben McAdoo intends to retain control of the Giants‘ offensive play-calling, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Of course, that report was filed before New York fell to 0-3 with a loss to the Eagles today, but Big Blue’s offense played well in the second half, as Eli Manning completed three touchdown passes (two to Odell Beckham Jr. and one to Sterling Shepard). However, the Giants coaching staff is “turning up the temperature” on the New York players, and that intensity only figures to increase now that the club remained winless today.
Veteran linebacker David Harris had played all of three defensive snaps heading into today’s game, and that’s largely due to the Patriots‘ defensive formations, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. New England used mostly nickel and dime looks against the Chiefs and Saints in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively, and given that Harris is behind Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts on the defensive depth chart, he didn’t see much action. That could conceivably change if the Patriots use more base looks, but Harris is mostly a run-stopper at this point in his career.
The Patriots signed former Vikings quarterback Taylor Heinicke to their practice squad last week, a sign that New England wants to develop him for the long haul, as Reiss details in a separate piece. New England didn’t have a quarterback on its practice squad in either 2014 or 2015, so the addition of Heinicke likely speaks about the prospect himself, per Reiss. From Heinicke’s point of view, the opportunity to learn under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady was “too enticing to pass up,” a source tells Reiss.
As part of the 2016 trade that sent cornerback Eric Rowe to New England, the Eagles will see their fourth-round return upgraded to a third-round pick if Rowe plays in 50% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps in 2017. Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice examines where that deal stands, and whether the possibility of acquiring a third-rounder lessened the pain of sending a 2018 third-round pick to Buffalo for fellow corner Ronald Darby earlier this year.

East Rumors: Lawrence, Jets, McAdoo, Pats

September 21st, 2017 at 9:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Demarcus Lawrence has won matchups with Giants right tackle Bobby Hart and Broncos right-edge protector Menelik Watson en route to 3.5 sacks in the Cowboys‘ first two games. However, the fourth-year defensive end is not big on attributing his early run of success to being in a contract year. And the former second-round pick wants to impress Cowboys management rather than pursue a UFA path.

“I mean, it’s a contract year, so what?” Lawrence said, via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “I want to be here forever. This year don’t define me as a player. Y’all might say it’s because it’s a contract year, but the first year I was balling. My second year I was balling. My third year I had trouble with my back, so it didn’t seem like I was there. This year doesn’t define me.”

That injury and a four-game suspension limited Lawrence to nine regular-season contests last season. He registered just four sacks after recording eight as a second-year player. Lawrence missed nine games as a rookie due to injury, so the former Boise State standout staying healthy would be a key component of his push for a second Cowboys contract.

Here’s the latest from the East divisions, shifting to a contract that didn’t come to pass.

Jay Cutler said the Jets scheduled multiple visits for him to visit New York as a free agent, but each ended up being cancelled. Now coming to the Big Apple as the Dolphins starter, Cutler said the sides weren’t in the mere exploratory stage but also noted (via the Associated Press) the Jets weren’t “aggressive” in their pursuit of him as a then-UFA. Cutler will face former Bears teammate Josh McCown this weekend in the AFC East tilt.
Malcolm Butler played at least 96 percent of the Patriots‘ defensive snaps in 2015 and ’16, but Eric Rowe took his place in the starting lineup last week against the Saints. The subject of trade rumors this offseason — with the Saints being the frontrunner for that would-be deal — the contract-year corner tried to brush that topic off. “This is where I play; this is where I’m happy at,” Butler said (via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com), “just have to continue doing my thing.” This is the latest chapter in the Butler/Pats saga, one that looks likely to end after this season. Both Rowe and Stephon Gilmore have seen groin injuries emerge, so Butler may well return to the Pats’ starting lineup against the Texans. However, Butler’s received no indication that he’ll return to a first-string role.
Ben McAdoo is not dismissing the idea of ceding the Giants‘ play-calling reins, but it doesn’t sound like he wants to give them up, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv notes, adding it might take a front office direction to get the second-year coach to give up that responsibility. While writing OC Mike Sullivan suddenly calling plays wouldn’t be a cure-all, Vacchiano opines that McAdoo is occasionally “lost” trying to manage the game and call plays.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Peterson, Giants

September 20th, 2017 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles‘ running game has been dreadful through two games but Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com thinks the team could swing a trade to turn things around.

His list of prospective trade targets starts with dissatisfied Saints running back Adrian Peterson, though he doesn’t envision the veteran having a much bigger role in Philly than he currently does in New Orleans. A return of LeSean McCoy, on the other hand, makes more sense in the writer’s mind. The Bills have repeatedly denied that McCoy is on the block, but Buffalo is clearly rebuilding and it would make sense for them to trade him if the right offer comes along. Vikings running back Latavius Murray also makes the list after he signed on to be Minnesota’s top rusher but lost the gig to rookie Dalvin Cook.

One way or another, the Eagles have to get their running game going in Week 3 and beyond. The Eagles had just 52 total rushing yards from their running backs on Sunday and offseason pickup LeGarrette Blount wound up getting benched against the Chiefs.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

Expecting the Giants to look out-of-house at left tackle? It’s not happening anytime soon, based on what coach Ben McAdoo told reporters. “Ereck ]Flowers] is a young player, he did some good things in the ballgame,’’ McAdoo said (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “He gets singled out. That’s the way it goes in this league. Again, the breakdowns are spread out. It’s not just one player making breakdowns. The breakdowns are spread out. And I’m included. Throw me in there…He gave up a couple sacks, had some pressures in there, but it’s not all Ereck, you can’t put it all on one guy. We need to play better as an offensive unit.’’
McAdoo has been calling the Giants‘ offensive plays, but is not dismissing the idea of ceding that responsibility, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (on Twitter).
The fight between Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott and the league office continues. We’re keeping track of today’s latest news here.
Redskins players were not happy with Su’a Cravens‘ unexpected departure, and that may have played a role in the team closing the door on him this week.

NFL Expected To Fine Giants For Use Of Walkie-Talkies

December 18th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Ben Levine

SUNDAY, 10:05am: ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms that the Giants are expected to be fined for the walkie-talkie incident, but he reports that Big Blue is not expected to lose a draft pick for the infraction. Officials from rival clubs, according to Schefter, do not believe a fine is sufficient punishment. McAdoo has declined to provide further details.

SATURDAY, 10:35am: The NFL is planning to fine the Giants for the use of walkie-talkies on the sideline during last weekend’s win over the Cowboys, reports Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com. The writer notes that there’s uncertainty whether the NFL will resolve the fiasco “quickly and quietly” or launch a “full-blown investigation.”

The issue started during Sunday’s game against Dallas, when the “coach-to-quarterback system” malfunctioned, preventing quarterback Eli Manning from receiving play calls from coach Ben McAdoo. To resolve the issue, McAdoo used a walkie-talkie to communicate to Manning, which is against NFL rules. The league prevents coaches from communicating with their quarterbacks when there are less than 15 seconds remaining on the play clock, and a walkie-talkie would presumably prevent the NFL from monitoring the situation. Coaches are also not allowed to hold two-way radios during a game, although backup quarterbacks are curiously allowed to have one.

After the game, the Cowboys asked the league to investigate. Dallas hasn’t filed a formal complaint, reports ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan, but the NFL decided to launch their own investigation.

“Start off by talking about the walkie-talkie incident in the game,” McAdoo said on Friday (via Raanan). “We’ve touched base with the league, we’re working through it right now. I don’t have anything to add, but we are working with the league on the incident.”

This specific violation is a bit unprecedented. In 2015, former Browns general manager Ray Farmer was suspended four games for sending text messages to the coaching staff during games. Meanwhile, the Falcons were fined $350K and lost a fifth-round pick for a similar violation.

Nick Saban Expressed Interest In Giants Head Coaching Gig?

October 29th, 2016 at 11:07am CST by Ben Levine

Take this one for what it’s worth. Actor Tom Arnold (yup, that’s not a typo) recently told ESPN’s Paul Finebaum that Alabama coach Nick Saban expressed interest in the Giants head coach opening this past offseason. According to Arnold, the team had already finalized a deal with eventual head coach Ben McAdoo when Saban threw his name into the ring.

“They got his deal done with [Ben McAdoo] and they are ready to sign him, and they get a call from Bob Ehrman [an intermediary] who says Nick Saban wants the job,” Arnold said (via Hannah Withiam of the New York Post). “So they had to stop. This is a Saturday night. They said, ‘You have until Sunday morning at 8 a.m. to say a definite yes. Tell us what he needs for money.’ ‘Well, he needs $10 million to start with and this is the deal. He has to get it approved by his wife right.’ Well, he has to get it approved by his wife right this second because we have a coach on the string here. But if he wants to do it, it has to be right this second. So he had until Sunday morning at 8 a.m. and it didn’t work out. But it was close.”

We wouldn’t consider Arnold a legitimate source for NFL rumors, although the comedian is good friends with Giants owner Steve Tisch. When asked if there was any legitimacy to the reports, a team spokesman responded “no.” Of course, at this point, you wouldn’t necessarily expect the organization to acknowledge that they nearly backed out of their deal with McAdoo in order to sign the Alabama coach. James Kratch of NJ Advance Media questions Arnold’s timeline (via Twitter), although he acknowledges that “the details seem rather legit.”

Saban, 64, didn’t have much success during his first stint in the NFL, leading the Dolphins to a 15-17 record in two seasons with the team. Since that time, Saban has led Alabama to four National Championships, and he also earned the AP National Coach of the Year award in 2008. As Withiam writes, Saban’s “extraordinary success at the college level has earned him respect from professional organizations.” Therefore, it’s not farfetched that the team would have at least considered hiring the coach.

McAdoo has done an admirable job during his first season as head coach of the Giants, leading the team to a 4-3 record. The former Giants offensive coordinator replaced long-time Giants coach Tom Coughlin this past offseason.

NFC East Rumors: Coughlin, Giants, Cowboys

March 23rd, 2016 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, Washington coach Jay Gruden addressed reporters at the owners’ meetings. Now, we’ll take a look at the rest of the NFC East:

McAdoo was upbeat about the fact that Tom Coughlin is still around the building and said, “as long as Tom is around, he’s a resource and we’re going to welcome him,” (link via Dan Graziano of ESPN.com). He also said that he doesn’t anticipate things being awkward once Giants players start to show up.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said the Cowboys will work out Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch today in Orlando after leaving the owners meetings, as ESPN.com’s Todd Archer writes. The Cowboys will head to Ohio State to work out prospects on Friday.
When asked if he is going to call plays, McAdoo said it is a “possibility.” When asked if he likes to call plays, McAdoo said, “I LOVE calling plays,” Peter Schrager of FOX Sports tweets. Needless to say, it sounds like there’s a good possibility of the former offensive coordinator calling plays for the Giants in 2016.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson says he likes the fullback position and even though he doesn’t have a true fullback on the roster, he plans on looking at Trey Burton as an option, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
New Giants coach Ben McAdoo doesn’t seem committed to anyone at middle linebacker, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger tweets. The Giants are still looking at draft prospects as well as free agency for options.

NFC East Rumors: Washington, Cowboys, Cruz

February 24th, 2016 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Washington executives Scot McCloughan and Bruce Allen aren’t scheduled to speak to the media in formal press conferences this week at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, but head coach Jay Gruden did so today, touching on a handful of topics surrounding the team. Most notably, Gruden expressed confidence that Washington will work something out with quarterback Kirk Cousins, suggesting that the two sides continue to talk in the hopes of hammering out an agreement (Twitter link via Mike Jones of the Washington Post).

Cousins isn’t the only quarterback that Gruden is bullish about bringing back. According to Jones (via Twitter), the head coach also wants to re-sign Colt McCoy. However, it sounds as if linebacker Keenan Robinson will depart via free agency. John Keim of ESPN.com adds that Gruden spoke to defensive lineman Jason Hatcher recently and thinks that Hatcher is leaning toward playing in 2016, rather than retiring.

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones spoke about his team’s approach to free agency, suggesting that the Cowboys don’t want to “pay a good player like he’s a great player” if they can avoid it. Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com has the details and the quotes from Jones.
Giants head coach Ben McAdoo said today that he “absolutely” expects Victor Cruz to return to the club next season, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Cruz, who has a $9.9MM cap hit, recently estimated that he has an 80% chance of being retained by the Giants.
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets that McAdoo’s comments today made it sound as if he really wants the Giants to re-sign Jason Pierre-Paul.
McAdoo also confirmed today that “there was a potential for a second interview” for the Eagles‘ head coaching job before he was promoted by the Giants. As Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets, McAdoo said he wasn’t formally offered the Eagles’ job.

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