HEADLINES

Greg Olson

Extra Points: Battle, Broncos, Saints, Jags

July 4th, 2015 at 6:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There is a strong chance that former Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle will be taken in Thursday’s supplemental draft, which allows NFL clubs to select players who for some reason (academic trouble or disciplinary issues are a couple of examples) were unable to enter the standard draft. If a team does choose Battle, it should be the Eagles, Jets or Giants, opines Mark Eckel of the Star-Ledger.

Battle – who is in need of further seasoning – could learn behind established tackles in the Eagles’ Jason Peters or the Jets’ D’Brickashaw Ferguson before eventually taking over for either, writes Eckel. Meanwhile the Giants have two recent first-round tackles in Justin Pugh and Ereck Flowers, but Eckel believes they’d be wise to follow the example of NFC East rival Dallas and try to stock up even more along the O-line. 

Landing Battle would likely cost any of the above teams a third-round pick, per Eckel, with the Falcons ahead of them in the draft order. Atlanta is the leading candidate to pick the 22-year-old, on whom it could use a fourth-rounder.

More from around the league:

  • Broncos running back C.J. Anderson burst on the scene in 2014, his second season, with nearly 1,200 total yards (849 rushing, 324 receiving) and eight touchdowns in his first true taste of NFL playing time. Anderson enters this season as Denver’s starting back, but Mike Kils of 9News writes that the 24-year-old isn’t resting on his laurels. “I’m going to keep my head down, keep grinding every day and keep pushing. What happened last year, happened last year. That’s completely over and done with,” said Anderson, who will try to fend off Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman for reps.
  • Saints rookie quarterback Garrett Grayson is glad he ended up in New Orleans to serve as Drew Brees‘ apprentice, though the third-round pick from Colorado State also would’ve been happy if the Cowboys or Broncos selected him. “There were three teams that I said I’d love to end up at, and that was the Saints, Cowboys and Broncos,” Grayson told NFL.com, per Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com. “They’ve all got older QBs. Two of them are first-ballot Hall-of-Famers.”
  • Speaking of Brees, the 14-year veteran’s arm hasn’t shown any real signs of decline, ESPN’s Mike Triplett writes. According to Triplett, Brees attempted 35 throws of 40-plus yards from 2009-11 and completed only seven for 356 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. Compare that to 2012-14, when Brees went a far better 15-of-35 for 773 yards, seven scores and no picks, and it’s obvious the 36-year-old can still get the ball downfield. That said, in 2014 Brees did put up his lowest yardage and TD totals since 2007 on throws that traveled 20-plus yards, Triplett notes.
  • Although new Jaguars offensive coordinator Greg Olson is tasked with helping turn around a unit that finished last in points and second last in yardage a year ago, he’s encouraged with the results so far.  “Actually, it’s gone a little bit better than I hoped,” Olson said after minicamp, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “It’s a really intelligent football team from position to position and that’s made the transition much smoother for them and me.” For what it’s worth, the Olson-led Raiders were the only team to amass fewer yards than the Jaguars last season, and they managed a mere 15.8 points per game compared to the Jags’ 15.6.

Jaguars Notes: Blackmon, Marrone, Olson

February 5th, 2015 at 7:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars overhauled the coaching staff underneath head coach Gus Bradley this offseason. Jacksonville added years of high-level NFL experience to the offensive side but, as we know, sometimes too many cooks can spoil the broth. At a press conference earlier today, the Jaguars discussed the breakdown of responsibilities for their coaches heading into 2015 and much more. Here’s a look at the highlights and other news out of Jacksonville..

  • Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon has made some progress towards his reinstatement but still has a ways to go, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter links). Blackmon still has to satisfy criteria within the drug program and then apply for reinstatement.
  • New Jags offensive line coach Doug Marrone told reporters, including Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, that he left the Bills without any guarantees of landing a head coaching gig elsewhere.
  • Marrone has taken heat for his departure from Buffalo but he defended himself from that criticism while emphasizing that he wants to move forward. “At the end of the day, I had two outstanding years in Buffalo,” Marrone said, according to DiRocco. “I think that Terry and Kim Pegula, they’re going to be outstanding. I really can’t say enough for the people within the organization, from the trainers, from the PR department, from the equipment people. They were outstanding. At the end of the day, I had a three-day window on my contract, which was obviously difficult because of the time aspect of it. My family and I made a decision to leave.”
  • The challenge, Bradley says will be ensuring that offensive coordinator Greg Olson, Marrone, and quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett all work together cohesively, DiRocco tweets. All three men are former offensive coordinators. Bradley added that he doesn’t want to run the Raiders offense or the Bills offense – he wants to put together what’s best for his players (via Vito Stellino of The Florida Times-Union on Twitter).
  • Bradley said he didn’t know much about Marrone before he started talking to him, according to John Oehser of Jaguars.com (on Twitter). The head coach did talk extensively before hiring him, however.
  • Bradley said he didn’t talk much to Marrone about how things ended in Buffalo, Stellino tweets. Marrone originally came by just to discuss football philosophy and not to interview, which is why they didn’t get in depth on that (via DiRocco on Twitter).
  • New offensive coordinator Greg Olson said that he had a good experience in Jacksonville in 2012 and is appreciative of the chance to return, according to DiRocco (on Twitter). He was also surprised by the number of different faces that he saw since he was with the Jags in 2012 under Mike Mularkey (link).
  • Adam Gase, Olson, and Marrone all interviewed with the team at the same time, DiRocco tweets.
  • Olson said he talked to the Bears and Rams about offensive coordinator openings, but he didn’t officially interview, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union tweets.
  • The Jaguars have made a few tweaks to their coaching staff, moving quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo to senior offensive assistant and adding the title of run-game coordinator to defensive line coach Todd Wash’s job, according to O’Halloran (Twitter links).

Jaguars Hire Greg Olson As OC

January 21st, 2015 at 9:49am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 9:49am: As expected, the Jaguars have made their hiring of Olson official today, announcing that he is the team’s new offensive coordinator (Twitter link via John Oehser of Jaguars.com).

TUESDAY, 8:24pm: The Jaguars are expected to name Olson as their new offensive coordinator on Wednesday, according to DiRocco (on Twitter).

7:42pm: Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that the Jags will not hire an offensive coordinator tonight.

4:42pm: Gus Bradley claims that he has yet to offer the job to anyone, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times Union (on Twitter).

2:55pm: The NFL’s annual version of musical chairs continues today, as former Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson has landed a new job, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). La Canfora reports that, after an extensive search, the Jaguars are hiring Olson to become their new offensive coordinator.

Olson’s two-year stint with the Raiders wasn’t overly successful, with his offense finishing in the bottom five in the NFL in DVOA both years, including 30th overall in 2014. Still, Olson didn’t have a ton of talent to work with in Oakland — in 2013, Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin split time at quarterback, and this past season, second-round rookie Derek Carr took the reins, with James Jones and Andre Holmes acting as his top receivers.

In Jacksonville, where he coached quarterbacks in 2012 prior to joining the Raiders, Olson will work with another 2014 draftee, in third overall pick Blake Bortles. There’s plenty of uncertainty heading into the offseason in Jacksonville as well, with Cecil Shorts eligible for free agency and Bortles having struggled in his rookie year. However, there’s also some young talent on the roster, including Denard Robinson, Allen Hurns, Allen Robinson, and Marqise Lee.

Besides talking to Olson, the Jaguars also interviewed several other candidates as they searched for a replacement for Jedd Fisch. Adam Gase, Nathaniel Hackett, Greg Olson, Anthony Lynn, and Kirby Wilson are among the interviewees who are still available and whom Olson beat out. The biggest surprise in the bunch is Gase — he was viewed a strong candidate for the team, particularly after the Ravens elected to hire Marc Trestman as their offensive coordinator.

The hiring of Olson is the second major addition to the offensive staff today by the Jaguars, who also reached an agreement with Doug Marrone to become the team’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach.

Raiders Hire Bill Musgrave As OC

January 19th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Following a couple weeks of speculation, Jack Del Rio is finally solidifying his coaching staff. The Raiders have hired Bill Musgrave as their new offensive coordinator, the team announced on Twitter. The NFL Network’s Michael Silver was the first to break the news (via Twitter).

Musgrave’s coaching career began with Oakland in 1997, when he served as the team’s quarterbacks coach. Since then, the 47-year-old has bounced around the league, including stints as the Jaguars and Vikings offensive coordinator. This past season, he served as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach. Besides the Oakland connection, the hiring is also a reunion for Del Rio and Musgrave, as the two coached together in Jacksonville.

The team had previously expressed interest in Broncos coordinator Adam Gase, but those plans may have changed following his interview with the Ravens this evening. The team also reportedly pursued Marc Trestman, with recent reports suggesting that Trestman was going to be in for an interview later this week. However, ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson tweets that there is a “lot of disappointment” surrounding the organization’s inability to add Trestman, so the former Bears coach may have rejected the opportunity in Oakland.

The Raiders haven’t officially parted ways with offensive coordinator Greg Olson, but the coach has consistently been mentioned in the rumor mill over the past month. It can be presumed that the 51-year-old will likely be released from his contract instead of accepting a demotion, though that’s only my speculation.

AFC Mailbags: Jets, Chiefs, Jags, Titans

January 17th, 2015 at 10:30am CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN’s NFC mailbags earlier today. Let’s now check out some notes from the AFC…

AFC Links: Gase, Broncos, Jags, Browns, Jets

January 14th, 2015 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

With one team (the Bills) having introduced their new head coach today, and two more clubs (Jets, Raiders) closing in on their targets, there are four head coaching jobs still available, and it appeared coming into today that the 49ers were moving toward locking up Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase. However, nothing’s done between Gase and the Niners yet, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, who tweets that the Broncos OC met with John Elway to discuss Denver’s head coaching vacancy today. Per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links), it wasn’t a formal interview, but if there’s mutual interest between the two sides, that formal interview could still happen.

As we wait to see whether or not Gase sticks with the Broncos, let’s round up a few other notes from around the AFC….

  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter links) have updates on a pair of offensive coordinator searches. Per Rapoport, Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson will interview for the same role with the Jaguars, while Cabot reports that the Browns will speak to their tight ends coach Brian Angelichio about their offensive coordinator opening.
  • Steve Smith had a nice bounceback season in his first year in Baltimore in 2014, and remains under team control for 2015, but the Ravens want him to take a little time to decide whether or not he wants to continue his playing career, writes Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. John Harbaugh said yesterday that the team would like Smith, who turns 36 this year, to take three weeks to see how he feels.
  • Texans GM Rick Smith praised new Jets GM Mike Maccagnan, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. “He has been a valued and trusted confidant over the years and is an outstanding talent evaluator,” the GM said. Maccagnan previously served as Houston’s college scouting director.
  • Maccagnan and the team’s new head coach (now known to be Todd Bowles) will each report directly to owner Woody Johnson, tweets Mehta. Maccagnan, meanwhile, will have final say over the 53-man roster. The setup in Buffalo will be similar, according to Mehta (Twitter links) — new head coach Rex Ryan will report directly to owner Terry Pegula, but GM Doug Whaley has final say on the 53-man roster.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com gave his thoughts on Maccagnan yesterday, prior to the Jets‘ hiring of Bowles as its head coach. While there are question marks about Maccagnan, Cimini is glad to see that the team didn’t hire a bean counter like predecessor John Idzik. Maccagnan is a football man with roots in player evaluation, rather than a cap guru.
  • In his second offseason as the Browns‘ general manager, Ray Farmer will have plenty of notable free agent situations to address, according to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, who identifies six unrestricted FAs and three restricted FAs that will be priorities in Cleveland.

Raiders Name Tony Sparano Interim Coach

September 30th, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

1:32pm: The Raiders have made the decision official, announcing in a press release that Sparano is the team’s new interim head coach

12:58pm: After firing head coach Dennis Allen last night, the Raiders have decided on his interim replacement, according to Jim Trotter of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the club will announce Tony Sparano as the new head coach later this afternoon. Sparano had previously been acting as Oakland’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach.

For Sparano, who will turn 53 next week, this will be his second chance at an NFL head coaching job. The new Raiders interim coach previously led the Dolphins to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth in 2008, his first year with the club. However, consecutive losing seasons followed, culminating with his firing in 2011 when Miami got off to a 4-9 start. Overall, Sparano led the Dolphins to a 29-32 record, with no postseason victories.

Scott Bair and Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com had previously reported (via Twitter) that the Raiders were deciding between Sparano and senior offensive assistant Al Saunders. Owner Mark Davis was said to prefer Saunders, but appears to have left the decision up to general manager Reggie McKenzie. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson was viewed as the other internal candidate, and Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle says Olson made a push for the job (Twitter link).

While Sparano takes over for now, the team will likely reevaluate the position after the season. Unless Sparano leads a massive turnaround during the last 12 games, I’d expect the Raiders to consider higher-profile candidates, such as former head coach Jon Gruden. Landing Gruden may be a long shot, but Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link) hears that the current ESPN analyst is a big fan of rookie signal-caller Derek Carr.

Raiders Notes: McKenzie, Sparano, Gruden

September 30th, 2014 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

Dennis Allen became the first NFL head coach of the 2014 season to be fired last night, after his Raiders lost all four of their games in September. Since then, rumors have been swirling about the team’s short-term solution at head coach, potential longer-term targets, and whether general manager Reggie McKenzie‘s job is safe. Here’s the latest out of Oakland:

  • After initially reporting (via Twitter) that Tony Sparano would not be taking over as the Raiders’ head coach, Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com clarified (via Twitter) that McKenzie was being indecisive and then Sparano is still being considered. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Sparano still looks like the most likely replacement for Allen, but offensive coordinator Greg Olson has made it known that he wants the job.
  • While McKenzie apologists may argue that he inherited an aging, overpriced roster, and has spent the last couple years getting out from under poor cap decisions, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports doesn’t believe the Raiders GM has shown any indications that he deserves to remain a part of the team’s rebuilding process. In Marvez’s view, McKenzie should be the next to go.
  • Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group points out that GMs are rarely fired in the middle of a season, but thinks that owner Mark Davis will take a long look at replacing McKenzie in the offseason. If he decides to make a change, Davis figures to “put everything he has into a basket” for Jon Gruden before exploring other candidates, according to Kawakami, who adds that the former Raiders coach has long been Davis’ top choice to take over the club’s football operations.
  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) acknowledges that Gruden could potentially be in play for the Raiders in January, but thinks it’d be an easier sell if the Raiders were headed to Los Angeles with a new stadium lined up.
  • Williamson also notes (via Twitter) that the Raiders previously made a run at Mike Holmgren, speculating that perhaps he could be part of the team’s front office picture in 2015.

Raiders Fire Dennis Allen

September 29th, 2014 at 11:00pm CST by Zachary Links

11:00pm: The Raiders’ interim head coach options are Sparano and Olson, according to Schefter (on Twitter).

10:32pm: The Raiders have informed head coach Dennis Allen that he is fired, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Raiders dropped to 0-4 after getting blown out by the Dolphins in London on Sunday. Now in the midst of their bye week, the time off should give them time to adjust to an altered regime.Dennis Allen (vertical)

Allen, 42, first broke into the NFL as a defensive assistant with the Falcons in 2002. Over time he climbed the ladder, moving from the Saints’ staff to Broncos defensive coordinator to Raiders head coach in 2012. After back-to-back 4-12 seasons and an abysmal first month of the 2014 season, the Raiders decided that they have had enough. Allen, who has served under big names like Sean Payton, John Fox, and Dan Reeves, will probably have to climb the ladder again before he gets another crack at a head coaching gig.

There’s no word on who his fill-in will be, but Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter) reported last night that Tony Sparano would be expected to take over as interim head coach. Al Saunders could also be a consideration, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (on Twitter). Offensive coordinator Greg Olson is a strong candidate, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

The news doesn’t come as a great surprise given the awful start to the Raiders’ season. The outrage from fans has been palpable and even veteran cornerback Charles Woodson aired his frustrations after the team’s Week 2 blowout at the hands of the Texans:

“That’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed for this team. I’m embarrassed for these fans. And the thing about it is, I’m part of it. I don’t know what we need to do as a team going forward. I know something is going to have to be done,” Woodson said.

Apparently, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in Oakland. Al Davis sacked Lane Kiffin and Mike Shanahan four games into their final seasons with the Raiders and son Mark Davis has done the same with Allen. In a poll last night, 65% of PFR readers said that Allen deserved to lose his job.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

La Canfora’s Latest: London, Finley, Raiders

September 28th, 2014 at 10:59am CST by Rory Parks

Thanks to a report from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, we learned earlier today that the internal struggles of the Dolphins organization goes beyond head coach Joe Philbin‘s reluctance to affirm Ryan Tannehill as the team’s starter earlier this week. That report has since been supported by a similar article from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, and La Canfora has a few other notes worth passing along:

  • La Canfora writes that the movement to put an NFL franchise in London continues to gain momentum, and he describes how the league would handle some of the logistical challenges inherent in such a a decision.
  • In a series of tweets, La Canfora notes that league commissioner Roger Goodell and Players’ Association head DeMaurice Smith met this week to discuss a new personal conduct policy, which they hope to have in place by the Super Bowl. La Canfora expands on those tweets in a full-length article.
  • In a separate piece, he writes that, although teams continues to explore the possibilities of acquiring free agent TE Jermichael Finley–the Ravens, having lost Dennis Pitta for the season, were the most recent team to monitor his progress–it is “99 percent certain” that Finley will not play in 2014.
  • In an article concerning the uncertainty of the Oakland front office, La Canfora writes that Raiders owner Mark Davis, who “has considered firing his coach and general manager several times in recent years,” continues to speak with his confidants about a potential shake-up. If Davis does end up firing current head coach Dennis Allen, offensive coordinator Greg Olson is a strong candidate to take over as interim head coach.