HEADLINES

Jamie Collins

AFC Rumors: Titans, Revis, Collins, Broncos

December 5th, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

On their third head coach in four years after employing just one during the previous 15, the Titans are working diligently to find a full-time replacement for the recently fired Ken Whisenhunt.

GM Ruston Webster, controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk and interim president/CEO Steve Underwood to find the team’s next coach as Mike Mularkey helms the Titans through another disappointing season.

“I’m working with Steve every day along those lines and also talking to Amy,” Webster told ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky. “I talked to her for a long time yesterday. Yeah, we’re right in the middle of it. Right now it’s mostly background work, building lists.”

Tennessee is 23-42 since their 9-7 season in 2011, Mike Munchak‘s first before he was fired after the 2013 campaign.

Webster told Kuharsky in working on this search he assumes he’ll be part of the power structure once a coach signs on.

Here are some other items coming from the AFC as Week 13 Sunday looms.

  • With Darrelle Revis set to miss Sunday’s Jets-Giants game with a concussion, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes the 30-year-old All-Pro’s future isn’t as certain as people may think, considering he’s now suffered head injuries in each of his past four seasons. Revis sustained official concussions this season and in Sept. 2012 and missed time with concussion-like symptoms in December 2013 and in January of this year.
  • Jets cornerback Marcus Williams‘ emergence points toward him ascending to the starting lineup full-time next season in place of Antonio Cromartie, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Cimini expects the Jets to strongly considering cutting Cromartie after one season of a three-year deal, with the nine-year veteran having no dead money on his contract after this season. A second-year UDFA, Williams will make just $600K in 2016.
  • Expected to return after a four-week absence, Patriots outside linebacker Jamie Collins provided little on the illness that sidelined him. “I was sick,” Collins told media, including Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “That’s all I know. I was just feeling real bad. I don’t want to talk about it, bring up memories.” The athletic linebacker’s lack of interest in disclosing what was behind a mysterious absence falls in line with the Patriots’ M.O. That notwithstanding, New England figures to need his services now that it’s expected to be without Dont’a Hightower for a bit.
  • The Broncos delaying their season-defining decision on whether to officially bench Peyton Manning should be put off as long as possible, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. Renck notes that while Osweiler’s inspired more confidence among his teammates than Brian Griese had when he was prematurely promoted in 1999, an injury or subsequent struggles from the career backup would make a Manning return awkward if the team had already declared him the backup.

AFC Notes: Collins, Manning, Browns

November 29th, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Star linebacker Jamie Collins has been out of the Patriots’ lineup since the end of October because of an illness, one that president Jonathan Kraft isn’t worried will spread throughout the team, per Mike Petraglia of WEEI.

“Jamie’s getting better and getting stronger every day,” Kraft said Sunday. “I know people in non-football life that end up with really bad viruses and get knocked out of their professional lives for a while.”

Continued Kraft, “This was something that doesn’t have us worried about the physical infrastructure at the facility. There wasn’t anything related to Jamie’s issues that had anything to do with the facility.”

Kraft’s words indicate that Collins’ illness isn’t MRSA, a staph infection-causing disease that has affected NFL teams in the past. Most recently, it ended the season of Giants tight end Daniel Fells in October.

Collins returned to practice Friday, so it appears he’ll be back in game action sometime this season.

And now a look at some of the Patriots’ AFC counterparts, including their Sunday night opponent:

  • Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, currently on the shelf because of a plantar fascia injury, is eager to return to the field as soon as possible. The team doesn’t share in his eagerness, though, and it’s causing friction between the two sides, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Regarding the possibility of a healthy Manning backing up Brock Osweiler, a source told La Canfora, “We know this much — he’s not going to go quietly. He’s going to have to be dealt with.”
  • After briefly losing his job to Johnny Manziel, Josh McCown is back as the Browns’ starting quarterback – which he’s ambivalent about, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. While McCown relishes playing again, he isn’t pleased that his opportunity comes at the expense of Manziel – whom the Browns benched because of off-field issues. “You understand that you have a job to do, and the coaches make the decision and tell you you’re playing and you move forward accordingly,” said McCown. “But at the same time, I’m in the room with [Manziel] every day, and we’ve built a relationship. I’m a big advocate of his and a fan and a friend as well.”
  • The Browns have noteworthy free agents-to-be in safety Tashaun Gipson, tight end Gary Barnidge and receiver Travis Benjamin. If they only re-sign one, it should be the 25-year-old Gipson, writes Tom Reed of Cleveland.com. Gipson hasn’t been as sharp this season after leading the AFC in interceptions in 2013 and ’14, which could drop his price. That’s something Reed believes the Browns should look to capitalize on after they couldn’t reach a long-term deal with Gipson last offseason, when he was coming off a Pro Bowl campaign.

East Notes: Williams, Collins, Cowboys, Eagles

November 21st, 2015 at 4:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some rumors coming out of the Eastern time zone as those squads prepare for Week 11, or in the Giants’ case, Week 12.

  • Rex Ryan admits there’s a 50-50 chance the Bills‘ wild card push won’t include Kyle Williams, the Associated Press reports. The 10th-year Buffalo starter and four-time Pro Bowler’s been out since Week 7 with a left knee injury. A setback in the defensive tackle’s recovery caused his season to be in jeopardy.
  • Jamie Collins will miss his third straight game with an undisclosed illness, but the Patriots‘ standout linebacker doesn’t have MRSA, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Unlike recent scenarios where the Giants and Buccaneers had to disinfect their facilities for MRSA, the Patriots have not had to do this, Howe reports.
  • Greg Hardy‘s recent tardiness issues stemmed from being “humiliated” by a Twitter mishap and the embattled Cowboys defensive end needing time to regroup before facing his teammates, Jeremy Mincey conveyed to Albert Breer of NFL.com.
  • Jerry Jones admits the Cowboys have tried to get “cute” at the quarterback spot in his tenure, bringing in players like Quincy Carter and Brandon Weeden, the Dallas owner said on 105.3 The Fan (as relayed by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “I’ve tried to get cute — and I don’t mind saying tried to be cute — at the quarterback spot,” Jones said. “I tried to get us what I thought was the equivalent of a Romo with Quincy Carter in the (second) round (in 2001). We tried to get one that was drafted high, obviously in somebody’s eyes had high potential, in this case Mike Holmgren thought Weeden was certainly a first-round pick.” Jones also lamented not trading for Matt Cassel prior to the season, believing the Cowboys would not be 2-7 had they given Cassel more time to learn the system.
  • With the Eagles moving to Mark Sanchez after Sam Bradford‘s latest injury, Breer writes of the lose-lose trade that now has both one-time starters — Bradford and Nick Foles — on the bench in their new locales. But Sanchez being a superior runner to Bradford at least makes teams account for another dimension in a disappointing Philadelphia attack. “If they just use the zone-read and run the ball, yes. Otherwise, he’ll throw the ball to the other team in crucial situations,” an NFC executive told Breer when asked if the Eagles are better off with Sanchez. Technically, Sanchez is a better runner than Bradford, but he’s never gained more than 110 yards in a season, so it’s a limited upgrade.
  • Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall is transitioning to safety, playing on the back line on passing downs as free agent signing Jeron Johnson lined up there in run situations last week, the Washington Post’s Mike Jones reports. A starter at corner for the Falcons, Raiders and Washington from 2004-15, the 32-year-old Hall’s been supplanted at his natural position this season.
  • In an itinerary of how the Giants can book their first playoff berth since their latest Super Bowl year, 2011, Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News suggests Orleans Darkwa be given a bigger role in Big Blue’s muddled running back corps. The second-year UDFA sports a team-best 4.7 yards per carry but on just 23 totes. Top ball-carriers Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams‘ per-carry figures sit under 4.0, with Williams’ sitting at 2.8.

 

AFC East Notes: Stacy, Fitzpatrick, Pats, Fins

November 13th, 2015 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

With Bilal Powell sidelined in recent weeks, Zac Stacy has seen a little more action in the Jets‘ backfield as a backup to Chris Ivory, and even got a chance to act as the team’s kick returner on Thursday night. However, those kick-return duties resulted in an injury for Stacy, who fractured his ankle, according to head coach Todd Bowles (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).

While Stacy has yet to officially land on injured reserve, the injury figures to end his season. Powell is expected to return from his own ankle injury soon, so the team may not need to another running back to its roster, with Powell and Stevan Ridley available to back up Ivory.

As we wait to see what roster move the Jets make in the wake of Stacy’s injury, let’s round up a few more notes from around the AFC East….

  • Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s game, Bowles also confirmed that Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will have surgery on his left thumb on Friday, and should be ready to play vs. the Texans in Week 11 (Twitter links via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News).
  • Given how well they’ve played this year, Patriots defenders Dont’a Hightower, Chandler Jones, and Jamie Collins all appear to be in line for big new contracts at some point in the not-too-distant future, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. All three players will see their current deals expire at the end of the 2016 season, and Howe believes that all three could earn $10MM+ annually on their next contracts, so it’ll be interesting to see if New England tries to retain all of them beyond next season.
  • The Dolphins have not approached wide receiver Rishard Matthews, who is in a contract year, about a new deal, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. It sounds to me like any extension discussions between the two sides before Matthews reaches free agency will happen after the season.
  • Free agent running back Bronson Hill paid a visit to the Dolphins this week, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

AFC Notes: Watt, Glenn, Gordon

July 21st, 2014 at 6:14pm CST by Matt Feminis

Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who will make approximately $3.6MM this year, should be in line for a four-year deal worth nearly $58MM in the opinion of Jason Fitzgerald at OverTheCap.com. Fitzgerald supplements his proposed contract with a thorough evaluation of all the factors involved.

Here’s some AFC news and notes:

  • With the waiving of Brennan Williams, the Texans will get nothing out of two 2013 third-round picks, notes Brian T. Smith in the Houston Chronicle.
  • Bills fans hoping for encouraging news about Cordy Glenn didn’t get any on Monday, as head coach Doug Marrone merely told the media he’s not allowed to go into specifics about the illness keeping his starting left tackle on the Active/Non-Football Illness list. “It’s a medical condition,” Marrone told WGR 550’s Joe Buscaglia. “I’m preparing to go on as if he’s not playing, which he’s not. I’m just waiting for the doctors, and I can’t speak about the condition because it’s something that happened outside of football.”
  • A disciplinary hearing looms for Browns receiver Josh Gordon, and the team does not seem intent on releasing the troubled receiver at this time, writes ESPN’s Pat McManamon.
  • The Titans defensive line is previewed by the Tennessean’s John Glennon, who tabbed defensive lineman Jurrell Casey as the unit’s “offseason star”: “After racking up a career-best 10.5 sacks at defensive tackle in the 4-3, Casey certainly could have been upset about the shift to a 3-4 defensive end – especially in a contract year. But he seems genuinely enthusiastic about the new scheme and new defensive coordinator Ray Horton.” Meanwhile, Jim Wyatt, Glennon’s Tennessean colleague, tweets that the team and Casey are in negotiations for a new deal.
  • Patriots second-year linebacker Jamie Collins “clearly added muscle mass as he prepared for 2014, though he wouldn’t admit how much, and he looks much more the part of an NFL linebacker,” reports Boston.com’s Jeff Howe.

Extra Points: Collins, Staley, McKinnon

July 7th, 2014 at 7:59pm CST by Matt Feminis

Let’s round up a few Monday odds and ends from around the NFL….

  • Patriots second-year linebacker Jamie Collins‘ arrow is pointing up following a terrific rookie season in which he showcased unique athleticism and versatility. In Collins, “Bill Belichick has found a new sort of prototype,” says NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal, who profiles Collins as a breakout player deserving of 900 snaps this season. For perspective, Dont’a Hightower‘s 870 snaps led Patriots linebackers in 2013.
  • Joe Staley has four years remaining on a six-year, $43.2MM contract with the 49ers, but many consider the outstanding left tackle underpaid, says ESPN’s Bill Williamson, who tweets the team could consider giving Staley a new deal. Either way, Staley isn’t expected to hold out. That’s not the case for Alex Boone, however, tweets Williamson.
  • The Steelers need second-year man Markus Wheaton to step up, says ESPN’s Scott Brown in his preview of the team’s receivers.
  • In a rundown of AFC South depth chart notes, Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuiness says he doesn’t expect Jaguars free-agent acquisition Toby Gerhart to be any better than average.
  • Meanwhile, Vikings rookie Jerick McKinnon is vying to replace Gerhart as Adrian Peterson‘s backup. A third-round pick out of Georgia Southern, McKinnon is making a strong first impression on Peterson: “He’s pretty impressive and there’s not too many guys who impress me like that, especially rookies coming in,” Peterson told Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune.
  • Despite a recent ESPN poll (Insider required) of league executives that ranked Jets quarterback Geno Smith the NFL’s worst starter, NewYorkJets.com editor-in-chief Randy Lange tries to make a case Smith’s rookie season was “better than some observers seem to think.”
  • If the season started today, the Raiders would be the worst team in football, according to Pro Football Talk.