Jay Gruden - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Revis, Briles, Cowboys

December 7th, 2014 at 10:49am CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots will have a big decision to make regarding the future of star cornerback Darrelle Revis this offseason, and Tom Curran and Mike Giardi of CSNNewEngland.com discuss in a video piece what that decision will entail. Although Revis has stated that he does not need to be the highest paid cornerback in the league to be happy, Curran and Giardi note that Revis is a shrewd businessman and that it will take a fair (read: highly-lucrative) offer to get a deal done.

Let’s take a look at a few more items from the league’s east divisions:

In the same piece, Curran and Giardi examine how the Patriots might negotiate with injured linebacker Jerod Mayo. They note that New England may approach Mayo with an incentive-laden offer based upon health, which was the team’s strategy when negotiating with Vince Wilfork.
Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that losing Aaron Dobson for the season serves as yet another reminder of how difficult it has been for the Patriots to draft and develop quality receiving talent under Bill Belichick (though Belichick has usually done more than enough to compensate for that deficiency in other ways).
In a piece that will probably surprise no one, ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes that Jets GM John Idzik has alienated members of his coaching staff and front office, further fueling the belief that the team’s administration will undergo a complete overhaul in the offseason.
Jason Cole of Bleacher Report notes (via Twitter) that if Washington fires first-year head coach Jay Gruden after the 2014 season (as PFR’s Rob DiRe discussed last night), the team should pursue current Baylor University head coach Art Briles, whose offense would mesh well with Robert Griffin III‘s skillset. Albert Breer of the NFL Network, however, tweets that it would be a “shocker” if Briles were to leave Texas.
Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com describes how the Cowboys might go about manipulating their salary cap in order to create enough room to retain Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray, and Rolando McClain, but he notes that the player Dallas should really focus on is right tackle Doug Free.

Organization May Side With Robert Griffin III

December 6th, 2014 at 7:17pm CST by Rob DiRe

The rift between Washington head coach Jay Gruden and franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III has been widely reported on. Since Gruden benched Griffin in favor of Colt McCoy, speculation about the former first-round pick’s future has taken him down many paths.

If the choice is left to Gruden, Griffin may very well be on his way out in Washington. Lucky for Griffin, it may not be Gruden’s choice. The leaders in the organization including owner Dan Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen may be leaning to towards siding with Griffin over Gruden, given the choice, writes Jason Reid of the Washington Post.

The leadership group has not given up on their young quarterback, but Gruden seems to be committed to moving on from the embattled 24-year old passer. In Reid’s report, he writes that if Allen and Snyder decide the team will continue with Griffin as the starter, that Gruden could be fired after one year. That would leave the team responsible for the final four years of his five-year guaranteed deal, on top of hiring a new coach and starting over again 2015.

Allen is in a tough position with this decision, as he was the general manager to oversee both the trade to acquire Griffin in 2012. On the other hand, Allen also hired Gruden, and in a way, his legacy with Washington is tied to the success of both. Firing Gruden after one year would reflect poorly on him, but trading Griffin for pennies after giving up so much to move up and take him three years ago would be damning as well. Of course, the best way for Allen to protect his job is if either way, the decision he has to make this offseason lead to a winning season in 2015 and going forward.

Gruden Wants RGIII Out Of Washington

December 4th, 2014 at 6:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Washington coach Jay Gruden made waves when he was critical of Robert Griffin III earlier this year and there were more than a few eye rolls when he walked back those comments soon after. According to Jason Reid of The Washington Post, if it were up to Gruden, Washington would take whatever it could get for RGIII in a trade this offseason.

This season, Gruden feels that he has seen enough to realize that Griffin is, at best, a long-term project as a pocket passer. The coach believes that he displayed poor footwork and had an alarming lack of pocket presence for a signal-caller in his third season. Beyond that, Gruden has told team officials that he has major concerns about Griffin’s decision making off the field. After working with RGIII for more than 10 months, Gruden has made it clear that he is done with him, multiple people within the organization told Reid.

Still, that’s not an easy call for owner Dan Snyder and GM Bruce Allen, as they had key roles in the decision to trade four high-round draft picks for the pick to select Griffin. Reid speculates that Gruden could deal with having Griffin on the roster as a backup next season, but it’s difficult to envision the former No. 2 overall pick signing up for that. If Gruden is is truly adamant about moving on from Griffin, this could be a very interesting offseason to watch in D.C.

Washington Not Giving Up On Robert Griffin III

November 29th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Rob DiRe

Washington’s head coach Jay Gruden has decided to start backup Colt McCoy over Robert Griffin III this weekend against the Colts, leading to increased speculation about whether or not RGIII has a future with the team. Griffin’s play over the past few weeks since returning from a dislocating ankle has been frustrating at best.

Still, despite his performance, the fan base and Washington media has seemed desperate to replace Griffin since last season. The team spent the offseason hearing that Gruden preferred Kirk Cousins over Griffin, with many fans and media personalities believing Cousins could prove to be the better option.

The unrest only swelled after Griffin went down early in a game against the Jaguars in Week 2, where Cousins came in and had a huge day, leading to a 41-10 victory that serves as one of the few bright spots of the season.

Cousins was lauded for his talent, and Griffin was all but written off as injury prone and underwhelming, before Cousins quickly played his way out of the lineup with a horrible stretch of quarterback play. McCoy then took over the role of quarterback savior after beating the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

Griffin’s return to the lineup once again produced poor results, and with McCoy taking over as the starter once again, Griffin’s future with the team is now in doubt. Many have considered that Washington would seek to trade him this offseason, or move on from him altogether by simply releasing him.

The rift between Griffin and Gruden does not necessarily mark the end for the pairing. Gruden says this most recent benching will have no influence on the long-term plan at quarterback, but that he is just looking to play the best quarterback for this game, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter).

Griffin’s time on the bench could last just one game, or go through the end of the season. Either way, Griffin will once again open next season as the frontrunner to start in Washington, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio writes that while many pundits believe any optimism left in the organization for RGIII to return to his 2012 performance is only hot air to try to build his trade value, the team truly does plan to keep him around.

Gruden wants Griffin to get better, and first he must get healthier. This time on the bench could give Griffin a chance to do both, and hopefully a healthy 2015 season will go a long way to repairing his value as a franchise quarterback in Washington.

Extra Points: Griffin, Glennon, DEA

November 23rd, 2014 at 9:19pm CST by Rob DiRe

Robert Griffin III has struggled since returning from injury this season, and Washington’s head coach Jay Gruden has the power to bench the former first-round pick, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com. In the past, Griffin had been protected by ownership, but patience could be running thin within the organization.

Here are some other notes from around the NFL:

Speaking of quarterbacks getting benched, Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times argues that the Buccaneers need to return Josh McCown to the sidelines. McCown is not playing well, and although Mike Glennon has failed to perform well either, the young quarterback at least deserves a chance to prove himself as the team’s starter.
The DEA has continued its investigation of NFL medical staffs this week, focusing on the alleged mishandling of prescription drugs, writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Although the investigation is ongoing, there will likely not be any more post-game searches.
San Antonio is a long shot to obtain the Raiders from Oakland, but they will still attempt to lure an NFL franchise to their city, writes Tom Orsborn of ExpressNews.com.“I’ve seen stranger things happen when parties stay in the game. If staying in the game is a low-cost option, I wouldn’t walk away if I were San Antonio,” said Marc Ganis, a league consultant and president of SportsCorp. “Now, that doesn’t mean I’d pour lots of resources into it, or raise people’s hopes dramatically. But I certainly wouldn’t walk away, because you never know what happens in these things. These things can turn in odd ways.”
We have looked at top head coaching candidates a number of times so far this season, and will do so again as Adam Caplan of ESPN compiles a comprehensive list of assistant coaches who will be sought after for interviews this offseason (subscription required). At the top of his list are Patriots‘ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Seahawks‘ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and Cardinals‘ defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Caplan also highlights Baylor’s Art Briles, Stanford’s David Shaw, and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn as college coaches who could make the jump to the NFL.

South Notes: Gruden, Titans, Saints, Bucs

October 15th, 2014 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Before Jay Gruden signed on to coach the Redskins, he had a very positive interview with the Titans, writes Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. “It was a good visit,” Gruden said. “I was very interested in the job, but Washington called me I guess the night after the interview and had me fly up here and they offered me the job right away.” Gruden says he was never offered the Tennessee job and soon after, the Titans hired Ken Whisenhunt as their head coach.

Here’s more from out of the league’s two South divisions:

Titans tight end Craig Stevens underwent surgery today to repair a torn quadriceps tendon, and will be sidelined for the season, writes Terry McCormick of 247Sports.com.
The Saints‘ reasons for releasing fourth-round linebacker Khairi Fortt were never made entirely clear, and head coach Sean Payton declined to elaborate today on the team’s thinking, indicating that the move was in the club’s best interest, tweets Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Fortt was claimed off waivers by the Bengals and has since been cut by Cincinnati as well.
The Buccaneers, who signed corner Isaiah Frey earlier today, are clearly toying with their nickel back spot, tweets Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune. Keith Tandy worked in that role last week and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier has said that the team needs better play out of that position.
The Buccaneers likely re-signed Lonnie Pryor to their practice squad in anticipation of Jorvorskie Lane‘s suspension, Cummings tweets.
Bears cornerback Charles Tillman told Robert Klemko of The MMQB that he “maybe” has two years left in the tank. Tillman also says that divine intervention led him to sign with Chicago this offseason rather than join Lovie Smith with the Buccaneers.
In an investigative piece for ESPN The Magazine, Shaun Assael takes a look at the addiction issues battled by Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC East Notes: Thurmond, Eagles, Cowboys

August 9th, 2014 at 10:19am CST by Matt Feminis

When asked about the most impressive player he’s seen in Giants camp, ESPN’s Dan Graziano identified cornerback Walter Thurmond, saying the free-agent acquisition has been “making life miserable for slot receiver Victor Cruz in practice. Thurmond could be a difference-maker at that nickel corner position for the Giants this year.” Thurmond, 26, signed a one-year, $3MM deal in March, at which time ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former director of pro personnel for the Eagles, lauded the signing as a potential steal: “If he can stay healthy and out of trouble, it’s a tremendous value signing. . .He’s a dynamite press corner, who is as good with his technique as [Seattle’s] Byron Maxwell, as [Seattle’s] Richard Sherman. Walter is very good. He can play in the nickel because he’s big enough, because he can tackle, because he’s a good blitzer. And he can play on the outside. Not only can he press, he can play them all.”

The numbers back up Riddick’s assessment. Despite starting just three of 12 games played last season for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, Thurmond tallied 24 tackles, six pass breakups, an interception (29-yard TD) and a forced fumble. Additionally, his 5.7 coverage rating was higher than teammate Brandon Browner, who signed for three years and $16.8MM in New England.

So why did the Giants land such a good player at such an affordable deal? He’s been plagued by injuries since entering the league, and was popped for a four-game suspension last season for violating the substance-abuse policy. Nevertheless, he brings supreme confidence to the Giants secondary. In April Thurmond proclaimed himself the best slot corner in the league. By July, he was drawing praise from teammates and coaches, including head man Tom Coughlin, who likes Thurmond’s attitude. Now, a week into August, he’s established himself as the ‘Quiet Assassin.”

Here’s a few more NFC East links:

Eagles rookie receiver Jordan Matthews had a pair of drops in an “inconsistent” pro debut last night, according to PhillyMag.com’s Tim McManus.
On the flip side, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was impressed by a defensive rookie. “I thought Beau Allen was a disruptive force out there,” Kelly told PhillyMag.com’s Sheil Kapadia.
With DeMarco Murray and Lance Dunbar sitting out, Joseph Randle was a bright spot for the Cowboys, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
Cowboys.com analyst Bryan Broaddus broke down the tape from the first preseason game and posted his observations. Among them, he praised the offensive line, as well as second-year receiver Terrance Williams, who is rapidly becoming a complete receiver.
With DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon sitting out, Aldrick Robinson took advantage of an opportunity in the Redskins’ first preseason game. “Aldrick Robinson, he just continues to make play after play after play,” head coach Jay Gruden told CSN Washington’s JP Finlay after the game. Robinson could be a breakout candidate in his third season, but he’ll have to earn targets since the team added Jackson and Andre Roberts in the offseason to go along with Garcon and veteran Santana Moss. Additionally, rookie Ryan Grant has been impressive early in camp.

Extra Points: Lions, Saints, Panthers, Redskins

August 2nd, 2014 at 10:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s take a look at some leftover notes on this Saturday evening…

Even though the Lions re-signed Brandon Pettigrew and drafted Eric Ebron, incumbent tight end Joseph Fauria is confident there will be enough targets and snaps to go around. “We’re all going to complement each other,” Fauria said (via Justin Rogers of MLive.com). “There’s a bunch of pieces to the pie. Maybe one week one guy will have a big game with a lot of catches, and the next weekend, it will be a different guy. It’s an interesting situation in this offense and it will be awesome to see how it plays out.”
56 of the 90 players on the Saints roster are between 23 and 27-years-old, and Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com writes that the team is full of breakout candidates.
Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer suggests that the Panthers pursue a free-agent wide receiver instead of sticking with Tiquan Underwood or Marvin McNutt.
Redskins president Bruce Allen noted some differences under new coach Jay Gruden. “It’s a different style,” Allen said (via John Keim of ESPN.com). “Each coach and each team takes on the personality of its coach and Jay has been very involved with the guys. His evening meetings really set the tone for the next day’s work.”

NFC Links: Cowboys, Cardinals, Redskins

July 12th, 2014 at 7:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Newly appointed Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will certainly have his hands full trying to fix a defense that was historically bad in 2013. As Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News writes, the 73-year-old coach will be looking to improve a squad that allowed four 400-yard passing games and ranked dead last in yards allowed.

The last time Marinelli was this high on the coaching hierarchy, he was the head coach of the 0-16 2008 Lions. That isn’t important to his players, who have embraced their coach’s passion for the game.

“Football is like a religion to him,” Anthony Spencer said. “You can tell in the way he talks about it. He is like a preacher. He believes in it so much. He believes that if you do the right things on the football field you also become a good person off it.”

Meanwhile, defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford respected his coach’s experience.

“He’s Master Splinter,” Crawford said. “Definitely.”

Marinelli elaborated on his love for football…

“I believe in everything about it,” he said. “I believe it really helps men. You help people this way. To come out and see men compete for jobs and try to help them be what they want to be, it’s something that is so important. That ability to compete every second of every day — I don’t know if you can ever live without that.”

Let’s see what else is going on in the NFC…

The Cardinals will likely hold on to four tight ends, opines ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss, but there’s no guarantee that the final spot will go to Rob Housler. The 26-year-old’s play during training camp will determine whether he makes the roster.
In regards to the bottom of the Cardinals‘ depth chart at wide receiver, Weinfuss believes that Ted Ginn and John Brown will be the third and fourth receivers, respectively. Walter Powell seems like the favorite for the fifth spot, but Dan Buckner and Brittan Golden are also in the mix.
Redskins coach Jay Gruden is preaching discipline, cornerback DeAngelo Hall said (via Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com). “Jay really preaches penalties,” Hall said. “Whether it’s false starts, whether it’s holding on the backend, anything. We have to play mistake-free football. Anytime you can do that in this league, you have a chance to win games.”

NFC Notes: Falcons, Redskins, Flowers

June 13th, 2014 at 10:05pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Falcons are still looking to free agency to solidify their roster, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. After losing Sean Weatherspoon for the season, the team has considered Tim Dobbins, Jonathan Vilma, and Nick Barnett as possible replacements. They have also been linked to Brandon Flowers, who was cut earlier today.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

Redskins‘ backup guards Josh LeRibeus and Spencer Long have been switching between left guard and right guard, writes Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. The reason for this, according to new head coach Jay Gruden, is position flexibility. “On gameday, we usually dress seven, sometimes eight linemen. Usually seven, so your sixth guy has to play center, [right] guard and [left] guard,” said Gruden. “So it’s very important that for guys to be flexible with what they do.”
The Redskins have also been working on their no-huddle offense, writes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com. While the no-huddle offense was a point of frustration in 2013, Robert Griffin III is looking to lead an improved attack this season. “We did a little no huddle today, working that stuff in. We’ll be very multiple,” said Griffin. “We’ll figure out what we do best and that’s the process—continuing to do this, continuing to learn, getting the new guys and the rookies up to speed with the offense and even ourselves, continuing to master it.”
The 49ers have prioritized improving the cornerback position this offseason, but Flowers may not be the answer, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. The team has limited dollars to spend, and would have preferred a bigger player at the position.