HEADLINES

Derek Hagan

Extra Points: Lewis, XFL, Manziel

October 19th, 2019 at 7:39pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

When Arizona State announced they were hiring former Jets and Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards, the decision was met with a lot of ridicule. Nobody’s laughing now though, as Edwards has done a near-universally praised job turning around the program the last couple of years. Edwards has emphasized that he’s running the program like an NFL team, and he’s hired a bunch of ex-NFL guys to fill out his staff. Apparently, a few of those guys might be eyeing a return to the league. Former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, who serves as an advisor to ASU, is going to be in “serious consideration” for an NFL head coaching job next cycle, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter video link).

Lewis was fired by the Bengals following last season after 16 years at the helm in Cincinnati. He was never able to win a playoff game but he completely changed the Bengals’ culture for the better and turned them into a consistent winner, making the playoffs seven times and winning the AFC North four times. Lewis caught a lot of flak toward the end of his tenure in Cincy when things got stale, but the Bengals’ 0-6 start in 2019 sure makes him look a lot better by comparison. It’ll be very interesting to see if he starts getting interviews as Garafolo predicts.

Here’s more from around the football universe:

  • Lewis isn’t the only one on ASU’s staff who might get poached. Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce is “going to be a coach in the NFL sometime very soon,” Garafolo says. Pierce spent ten years as a linebacker in the league, most notably with the Giants. The former pro bowler, who last played in 2009, won Super Bowl XLII with New York. Garafolo also highlights former NFL receiver and Arizona State alum, Derek Hagan, as someone who could make the jump to the NFL soon. He currently serves as an analyst for the Sun Devils.
  • The XFL draft was held recently, and Johnny Manziel wasn’t one of the names called. That’s quite foolish from the league’s perspective, opines Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Florio notes that Manziel has expressed interest in playing in the upstart league, but XFL commissioner Oliver Luck said the league’s interest “remains to be seen” a few months ago and hasn’t provided an update since. “The sooner they add him to a team, the sooner the XFL will build the buzz that it sorely is lacking,” Florio writes. It’s hard to argue with Florio on this one. Manziel played briefly in the AAF, but hasn’t gotten any known interest from an NFL team in quite some time. He’s already burned a bridge with the CFL, so getting added to Vince McMahon’s league would seem to be his last option for the moment.
  • Recently released Buccaneers linebacker Devante Bond has been suspended four games, a source told Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Laine reports that he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Bond was just cut a few days ago, and it’s highly possible the Bucs knew this was coming when they decided to part ways. Bond was drafted by Tampa in the sixth-round out of Oklahoma back in 2016, and missed his entire rookie season due to a hamstring injury. He’s started six games the past two seasons.

AFC Notes: Titans, Bortles, Bills, Raiders

July 8th, 2014 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Johnson has never rushed for fewer than 1,047 yards in an NFL season, but with his cap number on the rise and the price of running backs around the league on the decline, the Titans decided to release him this offseason. As the new Jets running back tells Brian Costello of the New York Post, Tennessee’s decision will provide plenty of incentive for him to succeed in 2014 and beyond.

“Of course I have a chip on my shoulder,” Johnson said. “It gives me more motivation to continue to work hard and come here and be that guy I’ve been my whole career. I want to prove [the Titans] wrong. They released me and I want to let them know they made a mistake.”

Here’s more from around the AFC, including a couple items related to Johnson’s old team:

  • In a piece for the Tennessean, Jim Wyatt surveys the Titans‘ landscape at wide receiver, and looks specifically at the odds of journeyman Derek Hagan cracking the regular season roster. Like fellow Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, Wyatt suggests it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Tennessee add another receiver to the roster in August or even September.
  • No. 3 overall pick Blake Bortles is on board with the decision to sit in his rookie season, with Chad Henne starting at quarterback for the Jaguars. However, as he tells NFL Media’s Bryan Fischer, Bortles will be ready if he’s called upon earlier than expected.
  • The Bills will have some decisions to make soon on their running backs, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, who says he thinks Buffalo wants Bryce Brown to develop into one of the team’s lead backs. If that’s the case, the futures of C.J. Spiller or Fred Jackson, who are both eligible for free agency in 2015, figure to be up in the air.
  • After an offseason which saw the Raiders add several veteran free agents, including some with championship experience, cornerback Taiwan Jones believes there’s a different feeling in Oakland heading into this season, according to Eddie Paskal of Raiders.com.

Titans To Sign Derek Hagan

June 17th, 2014 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Titans have agreed to terms with veteran wideout Derek Hagan, the team announced today (via Twitter). Another receiver, Lamont Bryant, was cut to clear room on the roster for Hagan.

Hagan, 29, has bounced around the league, playing for several teams since being drafted by Miami in the third round in 2006. In 83 career regular-season contests for the Dolphins, Giants, Bills, and Raiders, the Arizona State product has grabbed 129 balls for 1,480 yards and six touchdowns.

Hagan sat out the 2013 season after being released by Tampa Bay in training camp, but indicated back in April (Twitter link) that he hoped to return to the NFL for the ’14 campaign. He figures to compete for a spot on Tennessee’s 53-man roster this summer.