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Geno Smith

AFC Mailbags: Tannehill, Landry, Forsett, Shorts

November 15th, 2014 at 9:36am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means a fresh batch of NFL mailbags from ESPN.com’s writers. Let’s start with some interesting notes out of the AFC…

East Notes: Cowboys, Jets, McAdoo

November 9th, 2014 at 10:52am CST by Rory Parks

Less than two weeks ago, the Cowboys were 6-1 and sitting pretty atop the NFC East. Then, late in a Week 8 loss to the Redskins, Tony Romo went down with a back injury that will hinder him for the rest of the season, and Dallas went on to drop last week’s contest to the Cardinals to fall to second place in the division. Although the Cowboys have a good chance to right the ship today against the 1-8 Jaguars, all is apparently not well in Big D.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that 20 Cowboys players missed curfew on Friday night, and that the club’s coaches and veteran players are “frustrated.” Furthermore, Rapoport notes in a series of tweets that Dallas harbors off-the-field concerns with star receiver Dez Bryant, who is due for a massive contract extension. Rapoport notes that DeSoto City Police have been called to Bryant’s home six times in four years, for a variety of reasons, and that explains why the Cowboys were only willing to guarantee $20MM of the 10-year, $114MM extension they offered to Bryant. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe believes, justifiably, that this “news” regarding the frequent police activity at Bryant’s house is simply an attempt for the Cowboys to gain leverage in negotiations with Bryant. As Volin tweets, “the annual ‘smear Dez Bryant’s reputation’ campaign is here.”

In any event, the Cowboys must find some way to quickly subdue their bubbling inner turmoil lest a once-promising season gives way to another winter nightmare.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • The Jets, who also find themselves in disarray, recently employed what Rapoport (via Twitter) termed an “egregious example of heavy-handed coaching.” According to Rapoport, before Geno Smith threw one of three interceptions in the team’s Week 8 loss to Buffalo, the Jets coaching staff told Smith to throw the ball to Percy Harvin. Apparently, this was not a way to get the team’s new wideout more involved in the game, it was a way to try and simplify the game for Smith by dictating his reads. Looking for some way to improve Smith’s performance, an increasingly desperate coaching staff tried to play the game for him, and it predictably backfired.
  • Nonetheless, Manish Metha of the New York Daily News believes a bye week coaching change would make very little sense for the Jets and that Rex Ryan has earned the right to fight with his team to the end of the season.
  • There are rumors that this could be Tom Coughlin‘s last year with the Giants, and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes that New York sees a future head coach in current offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com describes how the Patriots caught a break with Akeem Ayers and Ryan Wendell this season.

Jets Notes: Smith, Idzik, Ryan

November 8th, 2014 at 9:47am CST by Ben Levine

Jets quarterback Geno Smith has been recovering from a shoulder injury, and it looks like the backup quarterback will be suited up for his game against the Steelers this weekend. As Smith prepared to get back on the field, the former starter addressed a handful of topics yesterday, including fans’ criticism of general manager John Idzik and his own performance in 2014 (via Jane McManus of ESPN.com)…

“You can’t really put blame on any one person or any one player. It’s a collective effort…No one’s more frustrated than I am or the guys in this locker room.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the the Big Apple…

  • ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini guesses that if Rex Ryan is ultimately relieved of his duties, Idzik would likely reach out to former Jets coach and current Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Cimini also mentions some of the popular candidates (Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher, Jim Harbaugh) as well as Stanford coach David Shaw. Later, Cimini notes that owner Woody Johnson has never hired an “offensive-minded” head coach.
  • The Jets are struggling with their depth at cornerback, and Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News says the team’s matchup against the Steelers this weekend will bring focus to Idzik’s decision to let Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis go.
  • Ryan opened up to the media on Friday, admitting that he is a bit jealous of his former assistant’s success with their new clubs. “It’s unfortunate a lot of guys got it going pretty good − except me,” said Ryan (via Abramson).

Jets Links: Smith, Ryan, Idzik

November 5th, 2014 at 7:53pm CST by Rob DiRe

Quarterback Geno Smith is getting closer to healthy after suffering a shoulder injury before being benched in the loss to the Bills two games ago, reports Jane McManus of ESPNNewYork.com. Smith will need to be available in case he gets an opportunity to return to the field for the Jets and show something positive before the end of the season, in what will amount to an audition for every team in the league. The Jets will likely have a chance to select a passer high in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Here are some other links around the Jets’ organization:

  • Head coach Rex Ryan is confident in the offense and their ability to move the ball, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. With recent addition Percy Harvin joining Eric Decker and Michael Vick, the offense looks very different than years past. “Right now, I feel good about where we are,” said Ryan. “I just think, ‘Man, I’m not so sure I’d want to defend against this offense.'”
  • As Jets’ fans continue their campaign against general manager John Idzik, Ryan has come to the defense of the embattled executive, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). “I personally don’t think it’s appropriate,” said Ryan. “I don’t understand how it can be on one man.”
  • Ryan can defend Idzik all he wants, but despite what happens these last seven games in 2014 he will most likely be fired, and deservedly so, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. Fitzgerald points to Ryan’s poor record against playoff teams and mediocre teams – while the Jets have feasted on the worst teams in the league – as one reason the team needs to move on. He also points out Ryan’s propensity for getting blown out as another reason to see him leave.

Jets Notes: Smith, Ryan, Idzik

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:27pm CST by Rob DiRe

Although Geno Smith has now been benched twice this season and Michael Vick is currently the starter, Conor Orr of NFL.com writes that Smith is more likely to be the long-term solution at quarterback.

He notes that his colleague Ian Rapoport reported the Jets could turn back to Smith as early as next week against the Steelers. While it may not be likely, there is still some hope within the organization that he could become the franchise quarterback.

Here are some other notes from around the spiraling Jets:

  • Coming out of West Virginia University, many scouts and executives who met with Smith felt that he lacked the ability to become the face of a franchise. His poise in the midst of adversity was questionable at the time, and after turning the ball over 37 times in his first 24 starts and being sent to the bench, those comments ring true, writes Adam Caplan of ESPN.
  • Jets’ general manager John Idzik’s job has come into question with the recent struggles, and Amy Trask of That Other Pregame Show on CBS asked why they made the hire at the time (via Twitter). Former Jets’ linebacker Bart Scott believed the reason the job was so hard to fill was because the new general manager knew he would have to inherit Rex Ryan.
  • Jets’ fans have started a website FireJohnIdzik.com and have raised $10,000 to post a billboard near MetLife Stadium to push for their case, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter).

Extra Points: Bradshaw, Brown, Cameron, Smith

October 29th, 2014 at 11:16pm CST by Rob DiRe

Colts‘ running back Ahmad Bradshaw is in his second season with the team, but still feels the pain after being released from the Giants after the 2012 season, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. “It didn’t take me long to get over it,” said Bradshaw. “But it hurt me because I felt that was my family, that I was a big part of that time and I still felt I had a lot of football left.” Bradshaw, along with Hakeem Nicks, will return to MetLife Stadium for the first time since leaving the team.

  • The NFL has lifted the suspension of another former Giant, free agent running back Andre Brown, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Brown received an eight-game ban prior to the season, so even though he hasn’t been on a roster since then, he has been reinstated after eight weeks.
  • The Browns are planning to be without star tight end Jordan Cameron for a while, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. With three concussions in a two-year span, the team expects him to miss at least two games.
  • Jets‘ quarterback Geno Smith might have lost his starting job, but he will not be content being regulated to the bench permanently, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. “I don’t think this is the last of me playing,” Smith said. Cimini writes that the best way to salvage the season would be to salvage Smith.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com wrote that while Jeremy Maclin has already proven to teams he is worth a big contract in free agency, there are a number of players who need a strong second half to justify a high level deal. Among the players at the top of that list are Ravens‘ receiver Torrey Smith, 49ers‘ receiver Michael Crabtree, and Giants‘ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC East Notes: Smith, Branch, Marino, Bills

October 29th, 2014 at 9:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jets have moved on from Geno Smith as the undisputed starter, but they need to close the book on the struggling quarterback altogether, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. He writes that putting Smith back in the game this season will only cloud the quarterback situation further, and that the team needs to draft a new signal-caller in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

  • Defensive tackle Alan Branch is – finally – a member of the Patriots. Christopher Price of WEEI.com looked at what the former Seahawks notable can bring to New England.
  • Dolphins‘ Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino has been privately tutoring the team’s current quarterbacks, writes Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Ryan Tannehill and backup Matt Moore are both getting personal attention from the all-time great passer.
  • The Bills have been great on the road in 2014, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Even receiver Mike Williams, who has had his troubles with the organization, has bought in. “It’s more of the family atmosphere with us. On the road, we’ve all got to stay together. All the trips, you’ve got to be with your team,” said Williams. “I think that got us a lot closer. On the road, we hang with each other more, we in the hotel with each other, we go out to new places and chill with each other. I think us just being together more on the road is showing up.”

Zach Links contrributed to this post.

Jets Notes: Smith, Idzik, Ballard, Revis

October 29th, 2014 at 8:53am CST by Zachary Links

Geno Smith‘s former teammate and current FOX broadcaster Brady Quinn came to his defense in a chat with Chris Strauss of USA Today. While Smith has struggled mightily, Quinn pointed to the lack of consistency in his receiving corps and the media’s focus on the quarterback competition training camp as factors that have held him back. Something tells me that most Jets fans aren’t quite as sympathetic. More on Gang Green…

  • Smith says he can “without a doubt” be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, but in a sit down with SNY earlier this week, Jets GM John Idzik wasn’t quite as confident, Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday writes. “I don’t know that. Don’t know that. That’s still to be determined. You don’t want to try to answer that question too prematurely, especially when you’re dealing with a younger quarterback in Geno,” Idzik said of Smith, whom the organization drafted 39th overall in 2013.
  • If the Jets are in the market for a GM, they might look into Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard, who will be the hottest GM candidate after the season, two sources tell Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. Ballard was a candidate at Tampa Bay last offseason but bowed out because coach Lovie Smith would have had final say over him in personnel matters. Myers, meanwhile, thinks former Jets exec and current Falcons assistant GM Scott Pioli would be a strong fit for Gang Green.
  • Myers also hears from a source that Jets owner Woody Johnson began his interviews with GM candidates by saying that cornerback Darrelle Revis had to go. If a candidate disagreed and made a point that it might be in the Jets’ best interest to keep their best player, even if he was coming off ACL surgery with contract issues ahead, “Woody didn’t want to hear it,” the source said. Idzik, who traded Revis to the Bucs three months into his tenure, likely agreed with Johnson during the interview.
  • Idzik may have talked his way out of town with his bizarre press conference earlier this week, writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.

AFC East Notes: Vick, Jets, Bills, Patriots

October 27th, 2014 at 6:08pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After suffering a 43-23 loss at the hands of the Bills yesterday, the Jets will make a change at quarterback, head coach Rex Ryan announced today (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Michael Vick will take over under center, while second-year signal-caller Geno Smith, who completed two of eight passes with three interceptions before being benched, will ride the pine for the forseeable future. While Ryan said this change wasn’t necessarily permanent for the remainder of the season (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News), it’s easy to see the implications of this move. Ryan needs to win games immediately to have any chance at saving his job, and while Vick, 34 and a free agent after the season, obviously isn’t the long-term solution for New York, Smith hasn’t proven that he should be the starter going forward, either. The transition from Smith to Vick will undoubtedly have implications for the 2015 offseason, as general manager John Idzik & Co. make their decisions on Ryan, Smith, and the rest of the roster. Here’s more from the AFC East.

  • In addition to affirming his support for Ryan as head coach, Idzik took the blame for the Jets‘ 1-7 start during a press conference today. “Ultimately I am responsible for the performance of our team and the product that we put on the field,” Idzik told reporters, including Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today. “That lies with me. The buck stops here. My performance, to date, is unsatisfactory.”
  • When asked if he would be involved in trade deadline talks, Bills coach Doug Marrone replied, “I would hope so… but I learned in this league you never know,” according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (on Twitter).
  • There is no still official confirmation of a deal between Alan Branch and the Patriots, tweets Shalise Young of the Boston Globe. Reports of an agreement between the two sides surfaced three days ago, and though Branch has been assigned a number and a locker, New England has yet to announce the transaction.
  • Though the Patriots did make a trade for ex-Titan Akeem Ayers, head coach Bill Belichick explains to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe why such midseason deals are “tricky.”
  • James Walker of ESPN.com examines whether the Dolphins should buy, sell, or stand pat as tomorrow’s trade deadline approaches.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: McCoy, Woodyard, Mosley, Smith

October 25th, 2014 at 10:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers and Gerald McCoy exchanged countless proposals and they have been working on a deal every week since before camp, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s a deal that both sides wanted and they got it done with a reported seven-year, $98MM extension earlier today.

Here are some other notes from around the NFL:

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

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