HEADLINES

Brian Ginn

Extra Points: CBA, Seahawks, Lions

January 16th, 2020 at 9:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier today, union leader DeMaurice Smith reported that the owners and players have struck a tentative agreement on the players’ guaranteed portion of revenues, increases in minimum salaries, changes to the offseason, and a reduction in training-camp contact. The league was quick to throw water on that report, as a memo to teams noted that the two sides still had to tackle a number of issues (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter).

“A number of important issues remain to be resolved and we remain committed to the bargaining positions reviewed with you at the December meeting,” the memo said. “We believe that the most constructive approach is not to negotiate publicly but to continue the discussions directly and privately with the union, with the active involvement of CEC members and the supervision of the full committee.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Seahawks defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson suffered a standard Jones fracture during last Sunday’s loss to the Packers (via Pelissero on Twitter). Jefferson will undergo surgery, and the eight-week recovery time should have him healthy right before free agency begins. The 26-year-old had another productive season in Seattle, compiling 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 14 games (12 starts).
  • The Lions have a number of players who are set to hit free agency, and Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press takes some guesses at who will stay and who will go. The writer believes that wideout Danny Amendola, safety Tavon Wilson, and safety/special teamer Miles Killebrew will ultimately stick around, while defensive tackle Mike Daniels, punter Sam Martin, and cornerback Rashaan Melvin are projected to bolt.
  • Dolphins quality control coach Matt Lombardi will be taking a promotion with the Panthers, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Lombardi was hired last winter and spent one season in the role. We learned earlier this evening that the Panthers had also poached Colts defensive line coach Mike Phair.
  • The Bears officially announced a number of previously-reported coaching moves this evening: the hiring of offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, the hiring of John DeFilippo as QBs coach, and the promotion of Dave Ragone to passing game coordinator. The team also announced a handful of additional promotions, including Brian Ginn as assistant special teams coach, Chris Jackson as assistant wide receivers coach, and Shane Toub as defensive quality control coach (via The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain on Twitter).

Coaching Notes: Lions, Cardinals, Bears

February 5th, 2018 at 9:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Matt Patricia is already adding to his new coaching staff. Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Lions have hired Paul Pasqualoni. The coach’s role in Detroit is unclear, although Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com wonders if he could be the team’s new defensive coordinator.

Pasqualoni, 68, has bounced between the NFL and NCAA during his long coaching career. In the NFL, he served as defensive coordinator of the Dolphins and Cowboys, and he was head coach at Syracuse for more than a decade. In fact, Patricia coached under Pasqualoni with the Orange during the early 2000s. Pasqualoni spent the past two seasons serving as the defensive line coach at Boston College.

Let’s take a look at some more coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • The Cardinals have hired a college coach to fill out their staff. Sporting News’ Alex Marvez reports that the team has hired Charlie Harbison as their new cornerbacks coach. The 59-year-old last served as the co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach for the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The Cardinals have also hired Kirby Wilson as their new running backs coach. Wilson spent the past two seasons in the same role with the Browns.
  • Former Steelers great Hines Ward was hoping to be considered for the team’s wide receivers coach job before it went to Darryl Drake, Marvez writes. Ward, who currently works as a contributor for CNN Sports, remains interested in coaching. “There was some interest, but I can’t hire myself,” Ward said. “If the opportunity presents itself, it’s something where I’d have to sit down and seriously think about it.“
  • Following news that Bears coach Matt Nagy had added Brad Childress to his staff as an offensive consultant, it sounds like the coach isn’t finished with his hires. Adam Caplan tweets that the Bears are also expected to hire Brian Ginn as an offensive assistant. Ginn was at Delaware for almost two decades, where he served as offensive coordinator (among many other roles).
  • The Bears are also expected to hire Bill Shuey as a defensive assistant, reports Caplan (via Twitter). Shuey previously served as the Eagles linebackers coach, where he coached alongside Nagy. Shuey also had a stint as defensive coordinator at Division III Widener for a handful of seasons.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.