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Davon House

Cornerback Notes: Cromartie, Gilbert, House

February 14th, 2015 at 6:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent Cardinals cornerback Antonio Cromartie reiterated his interest in returning to the Jets, tweets the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz. On rejoining the Jets, whom he spent the 2010-13 seasons with before they released him last year, Cromartie said, “It would be an easy choice, if the opportunity presented itself,” according to Schwartz. Cromartie racked up 13 interceptions and two Pro Bowl nods during his tenure in New York.

Here’s more on Cromartie and a couple of his fellow NFL corners:

  • The 31-year-old Cromartie spent 2014 with the Cardinals, for whom he appeared in all 16 regular-season games, amassed three interceptions and made another Pro Bowl. Cromartie’s defensive coordinator in Arizona was Todd Bowles, whom the Jets hired as their coach last month. Despite being in the midst of a four-year playoff drought and hiring a first-time head coach, Cromartie said, “I don’t think the Jets are rebuilding at all,” according to Schwartz.
  • The Browns‘ Justin Gilbert is drawing heat from team owner Jimmy Haslam. “Justin clearly needs to mature,” Haslam told reporters earlier this week, according to the Akron Beacon Journal’s Nate Ulrich. Gilbert, the eighth overall pick in 2014, totaled just 29 tackles and one interception during his rookie year. Despite his less-than-glowing appraisal of Gilbert, Haslam isn’t giving up on the 22-year-old, whom he called a “very gifted athlete.” Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith writes that Gilbert will be in danger of being labeled a bust if he doesn’t mature in his second year.
  • Finding a starting job will be the main priority for Packers free agent CB Davon House this offseason, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein. “I don’t like the role just playing special teams, especially when I know I can contribute,” said House. The 25-year-old went on to acknowledge that, although he’d like to stay with the Packers, he doesn’t think he’ll be one of the team’s main priorities this offseason because Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga also need new contracts. “I won’t be back until they all get done. It makes no sense for me to get done before them,” he told Silverstein.

FA Notes: Fairley, Cowboys, Saints, Eagles

February 14th, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Following news that Nick Fairley was cleared of his DUI charge, the Lions defensive tackle made it clear that he wants to stay in Detroit longterm.

“I love Detroit, to be honest,” Fairley said (via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press). “I feel the city, the people in it. I love the atmosphere of basically the hard work that they bring. I’m just all work, and that’s definitely the vibe I get from the city, and I like it.”

The former first-rounder struggled through a knee injury in 2014, finishing with career-lows in tackles (eight) and sacks (one).

Let’s take a look at some more notes regarding this year’s free agent class…

 

NFC North Notes: Packers, Cobb, Mathis

January 23rd, 2015 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

With cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Davon House both eligible for free agency this offseason, the Packers must decide whether to retain one, neither, or both, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. For his part, House would like to see both he and Williams work out new deals with the team.

“In a perfect world, we both come back,” House said. “But there’s only two starting corners on each team. Tramon is well-deserving. I feel like my potential is pretty high. So we’ll see, we’ll see.”

Here’s more from around the NFC North:

  • A team source tells Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com that he can’t see Packers GM Ted Thompson letting wideout Randall Cobb get away in free agency. However, Cobb says that until he has signed on the dotted line, he “can’t be for certain on anything.”
  • Asked at the end of the 2014 season if he wanted to play one more season, cornerback Rashean Mathis suggested that he may have more than one year left in him, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details. Although Mathis turns 35 before the 2015 season, he’s coming off a strong year, and would like to re-sign with the Lions, though he didn’t rule out the possibility of playing for another team.
  • Longtime Vikings nose tackle Kevin Williams is playing for the Seahawks now, looking for his first Super Bowl ring next Sunday, but when he eventually retires he wants to sign a one-day contract with Minnesota and go out as a Viking, as he tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

NFC Links: Colston, Cutler, Bucs, Packers

December 24th, 2014 at 8:23pm CST by Ben Levine

ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett explores a couple reasons why Marques Colston‘s future with the Saints is uncertain. The 31-year-old’s production has dropped the past three seasons, and he’s set to make $7MM in 2015. Of course, the veteran wideout could agree to a pay cut, and that would certainly make teammate Drew Brees a happy camper.

“First of all, I think he’s gonna be here for a long time,” Brees said. “But just as I talk about him as a player, as a person, as a teammate and all those things, he’s everything you would want. Everything you would want. And I’ve been lucky to have him for nine years, and I’m gonna be lucky to have him for a few more.

“I mean he’s a mainstay. There’s not any person who I’ve ever played with who has been more steady, more consistent in every way. He’s the consummate teammate.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFC…

  • Despite making only four appearances this season, the Saints still claim they haven’t given up on second-round pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste. Both coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said they knew the cornerback would be a project, and they continue to echo that sentiment. “When we made that selection, we kind of understood exactly what we were receiving from an experience standpoint,” Payton said (via Triplett). “I like what I’ve been seeing from him. … For us, we like a lot of the characteristics we value in that position, and he has them. I think with the selection there were certain things we understood regarding him, and you have to have a vision. I think we had that.”
  • Jay Cutler will return as the Bears starting quarterback this weekend, and the embattled star says he’ll be playing for “the guys that have been in the huddle all year long.” As Michael C. Wright explains, Cutler understands that there could be some drastic changes within the organization this offseason. “I think you’ve just got to prepare yourself that anything could happen,” Cutler said. “That’s kind of what I’m prepared for. I mean, everyone could stay. Everyone could get axed. You just never know what direction it’s going to go. You just have to stay open-minded and know that things happen for a reason.”
  • The Buccaneers haven’t been particularly good recently, but that hasn’t prevented Mason Foster from wanting to stick around. The linebacker has battled injuries, and ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas says there’s no guarantee the 25-year-old will return. However, if it were up to Foster, he’d make Tampa Bay is permanent home. “I definitely want to stay in Tampa,’’ Foster said. “Both my sons were born in Tampa. I’ve got a lot of ties down here, and I love Tampa. It would be great. It would be amazing to stay here. But football is a business so you know there’s a chance you won’t be here.’’
  • Packers cornerback Davon House has missed the last two games as he tries to recover from a fractured right scapula. The upcoming free agent understands that his season may be over, and that means his tenure in Green Bay could also be finished. “I’m still not cleared, so if the season were to end this Sunday I played my last game as a Packer probably,” House said (via Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press Gazette). “You have to be real in my shoes. You have to be real. It’s my fourth year. It’s not guaranteed I’ll be back in March, so it’s a chance I played my last game. Is that highly (likely), no? But it’s still possible.”

NFC Notes: Cobb, House, Prater, Cowboys

October 11th, 2014 at 3:14pm CST by Rob DiRe

Randall Cobb has started the season by catching six touchdowns in the first five games, and has been one of the best receivers in the league working out of the slot. Set to hit free agency this offseason, the Packers failure to ink him to a long term extension has been a well covered topic.

Rob Demovsky of ESPN writes that it might be Cobb who is pushing off extension talks. Cobb said as much earlier this offseason, when he told the media he hadn’t accomplished enough to earn that extension.

He notes that if Cobb is looking at similar money to what Jordy Nelson received, that he will need to produce more catches and yards on a consistent basis to go along with his frequent trips to the endzone. Our readers at Pro Football Rumors believed that Nelson was the more important piece of the offense, responding to a poll from early July.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

  • Demovsky also addresses whether the Packers would be more likely to try to keep Tramon Williams or Davon House when their respective contracts are up. He writes that although Williams is currently playing at a high level, that House is an ascending player and that general manager Ted Thompson traditionally prefers youth. Williams will turn 32 in March.
  • The Lions focused on improving their offense this offseason, including adding Golden Tate in free agency and Eric Ebron in the draft. However, their offense has been paltry, ranking 27th in the NFL in points per game, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. The team has missed eight field goals through five games, and have signed kicker Matt Prater this week, hoping to solve some of their kicking woes. Prater couldn’t be worse than the duo of Nate Freese and Alex Henery, and if the team had converted those eight field goals, the offense would have risen to a respectable 16th in points per game.
  • The Cowboys have jumped out to a 4-1 start behind an improved defense and more consistent offense, but Rick Gosselin of DallasNews.com believes age is a major factor in their success. The Cowboys have the second youngest average age in the NFL after the Bills, in a team building philosophy that emulates their opponent this weekend, the Seahawks. It also brings back memories of the 1992 Cowboys who were the first of three championship teams in a four-year span. Those Cowboys were also among the youngest rosters in the NFL.

NFC Notes: Murray, Harbaugh, House

October 10th, 2014 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s leading rusher, DeMarco Murray, told Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com today that he’s happy his camp has opened extension talks with the Cowboys, though he acknowledged it’s not something he’s focused on at this point. While Murray’s hot start in the final year of his rookie contract has made him a logical extension candidate, Joel Corry of the National Football Post notes that even in a career year, the running back may not receive a huge offer from the Cowboys. The team also has to address other potential free agents like wideout Dez Bryant, and if Murray’s workload continues at its current pace, the club could have concerns about his future production, particularly given his past durability issues.

As we wait to see if negotiations between Murray and the Cowboys move forward, let’s take a look at a few more notes from around the NFC….

  • In the view of ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, it would be an upset if Jim Harbaugh is still coaching the 49ers in 2015. While Schefter isn’t entirely ruling out the possibility, he says he “wouldn’t count on it right now.”
  • Davon House‘s name is a little ways down on the Packers‘ depth chart, but the cornerback could be setting himself up for a nice payday in the offseason based on his performance, writes Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Pass-Gazette. So far, the team has yet to talk to House’s agent about an extension. “If I continue what I’ve been doing, good things are to come, here or somewhere else,” House said. “Hopefully here.”
  • Top draft pick Marcus Smith is itching to get on the field more, but Eagles coach Chip Kelly says he won’t rush things with the young linebacker, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “We don’t look at a guy and say, ‘Hey, he’s this, we have to force him in,’ ” Kelly said. “I think you’d lose the rest of the guys on your team if you say, ‘Why are you playing this guy? Just because we drafted him high.’ He has to prove that he deserves playing time.”
  • Wide receiver Nick Williams, who was released from Washington’s practice squad about a month ago, tried out this week for the Falcons, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Links: Suh, Seahawks, Giants, Packers

July 5th, 2014 at 12:18pm CST by Matt Feminis

Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who identifies as an introvert, spoke with the Oregonian’s John Canzano for a piece about the All-Pro’s image “reconstruction.” Suh has taken criticism for spending his offseason in Portland instead of Detroit, but explained his reasoning: “I’m there when everyone reports. I like being in my own niche and by myself. I have my trainers here. I get 1-on-1 attention. I have every ounce of this campus to myself. My coaches have been here. I’ve probably talked with our head coach more than just about any player on the team. People here don’t care about celebrity. I can walk around and do whatever I want. I’m a normal Portland person.”

Here’s some additional NFC links:

  • Several Seahawks veterans, prominent ones, could be entering their final season with the team because of impending salary-cap implications, particularly with Russell Wilson‘s inevitable contract extension soon to hit the books, writes ESPN’s Terry Blount.
  • The NFC East position groups are being broken down by Jordan Raanan and Eliot Shorr-Parks on NJ.com. Their latest post examines the division’s tight ends. They agree the Giants have the worst tight end group in the division, and Shorr-Parks goes so far as to say, “They may just have the worst tight ends in the entire NFL, let alone the NFC East.”
  • ESPN’s Rob Demovsky discussed the Packers’ secondary depth, including seemingly forgotten man Davon House, who has had an impressive offseason.
  • Meanwhile, the Packers’ NFC North rival Bears are still trying to sort out their safety position. “Every spot on the safety depth chart registers as a battle to watch because right now every position — including the starting jobs — is up for grabs,” says ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
  • There’s room on the 49ers roster for 2014 fourth-rounder Bruce Ellington and 2013 fourth-rounder Quinton Patton, says ESPN’s Bill Williamson.
  • Falcons reserve receiver/core special teamer Drew Davis will be sidelined for six weeks after foot surgery, reports Orlando Ledbetter in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Davis was placed on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he would miss about three weeks of training camp.

NFC North Links: Cutler, Fales, Lions, House

June 28th, 2014 at 3:35pm CST by Rob DiRe

Bears‘ quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh is impressed with Jay Cutler going into year two in head coach Marc Trestman’s offense, writes Chris Boden of CSNChicago.com. “I’ve seen incredible progress,” said Cavanaugh. “He’s taken every suggestion we’ve given and he’s embraced it. From how he holds the ball to how he lines up in the`Gun’ pre-snap to how he drops back, to his throwing base to his follow-through. Every little fundamental we’ve talked to him about, he’s embraced, and it’s like night & day.”

Here are some other notes from around the NFC North:

  • Although the Bears signed veterans Jimmy Clausen and Jordan Palmer to compete to be Cutler’s backup, the team still is invested in rookie sixth-round pick David Fales, writes Boden. “He had a real good understanding of defenses, coverages, where to go with the ball, based on what the coverage was. He has a good understanding of protections — he’s figuring out ours right now,” said Cavanaugh. “But I thought just a real good core understanding of offense and defense. If you have that, you can learn the language and be productive.”
  • With some time before training camp opens, the Lions still have a number of questions that need to be answered, writes Lindsay Selengowski of DetroitLions.com. Selengowski examines how an injury to rookie receiver T.J. Jones will effect the team’s depth chart, and which second-year players are looking to contribute in 2014.
  • The Lions have an ongoing kicking battle between Nate Freese and Giorgio Tavecchio for a roster spot, writes Josh Katzenstein of DetroitNews.com. Freese, a seventh-round pick this year, has the slight edge over Tavecchio at the moment, although both struggled so far.
  • Packers‘ cornerback Davon House has found himself in a tough depth chart situation, behind starters Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, and Casey Hayward, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com. House, who played 16 games last year for the first time in his career, was relegated mostly to special teams towards the end of last year, but played well in the playoffs against the 49ers after Shields left the game with an injury.