HEADLINES

Johnny Manziel

AFC Notes: Bills, Browns, Ravens, Rackley

May 21st, 2014 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

A day after Bills president and CEO Russ Brandon said an update would come soon on the investment bank and legal firm that will handle the sale of the franchise, the club has made that announcement. Per Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter), the Bills have selected financial firm Morgan Stanley and legal firm Proskauer Rose to head up the sale process. According to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (via Twitter), the team added in a press release that prospective bidders for the franchise figure to be contacted “within the next 30 days.”

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Appearing on WKNR in Cleveland (audio link), GM Ray Farmer suggested that if the Browns hadn’t been able to trade up for Johnny Manziel, the quarterback they would’ve landed instead was “already on the roster.” The implication there is that it was Manziel or bust for the team during the draft. I’m not sure I totally buy that, but it’s a nice way to give a vote of confidence to both Manziel and Brian Hoyer.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com believes we could see some movement on the trade market involving backup quarterbacks in the near future. La Canfora points to the Ravens, Browns, Texans, and Chiefs as some situations to watch, noting that new Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak could have interest in bringing a player like Case Keenum or T.J. Yates to Baltimore.
  • General manager Dave Caldwell said last week that Jacksonville released offensive lineman Will Rackley because he didn’t fit the club’s scheme, and the Jags wanted to give him a chance to find a better situation elsewhere. It sounds like the former Jaguar appreciates that opportunity — as he tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, Rackley is embracing a fresh start with the Ravens: “This could be a great fit for me. I think they’re looking mostly at me playing guard now, whatever I can do to help the team.”

Poll: Most Interesting Rookie Storyline?

May 18th, 2014 at 7:09pm CST by David Kipke

The 2014 NFL draft was surely never short of intrigue. The draft featured defensive Jadeveon Clowney, described by Todd McShay as “the most physically talented defensive lineman I’ve ever evaluated.” It saw Johnny Manziel, the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, fall to the Browns at the 22nd overall pick — the same exact pick that they used to take eventual bust Brady Quinn out of Notre Dame in the 2007 draft. Brandin Cooks, the 2013 Biletnikoff Award winner for college football’s best wide receiver, was drafted by Saints. Many speculate that the explosive Cooks could mesh very quickly with the Saints’ signature offensive air attack.

Additionally, Teddy Bridgewater, considered a year ago to be a near-lock to go at the very top of the first round, slipped to the Vikings, who traded up for the 32nd overall pick to select the Louisville product. To top it all off, on the draft’s third and final day, Michael Sam, the first openly gay man ever to enter the NFL draft, was selected by the Rams 249th overall in the seventh round.

With the draft over, the eyes of the NFL shift to September and the upcoming season. Which of these rookie storylines do you find most compelling as we approach the 2014 season? If you think another rookie storyline will be even more compelling next season, please share and discuss below!

QB Coach: Browns Owner Involved In Trade For Manziel

May 16th, 2014 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

Although general manager Ray Farmer and the Browns have repeatedly denied that owner Jimmy Haslam exerted any influence in the team’s draft room last week, quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains suggests that’s not quite the case. Appearing on Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly on ESPN Radio in Arkansas, Loggains said that a text from Johnny Manziel inspired Haslam and the Browns to trade up for him.

“We’re sitting there and they keep showing Johnny on TV,” Loggains said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “And Johnny and I are texting and he shoots me a text and he says, ‘I wish you guys would come get me. Hurry up and draft me because I want to be there. I want to wreck this league together.’ When I got that text, I forwarded it to the owner and to the head coach (Mike Pettine). I’m like, ‘This guy wants to be here. He wants to be part of it.’ As soon as that happened, Mr. Haslam said, ‘Pull the trigger. We’re trading up to go get this guy.'”

Although the Browns eventually made a deal with the Eagles to move up to the No. 22 spot, the team also talked to the Titans (No. 11) and Cowboys (No. 16), Loggains confirmed. The quarterbacks coach also suggested that the Browns felt they had to get ahead of the Chiefs at No. 23: “We knew they would draft him.”

As for Haslam’s role in making the deal, it certainly sounds like he was very much involved in the decision, even if he didn’t necessarily have to overrule his staff to get it done. Previous reports have suggested that the Eagles had several offers for that 22nd overall pick, and that the Browns only landed the pick after sweetening their proposal to include a third-rounder. Based on Loggains’ comments, it sounds as if Philadelphia may have ended up trading with one of those other clubs had Haslam not provided the push to get something done.

Extra Points: Gordon, Draft, Cousins

May 12th, 2014 at 10:44pm CST by Rob DiRe

Josh Gordon‘s suspension may have been a surprise to the coaching staff, but the front office was prepared going into the draft that they would be down a receiver in 2014. Browns‘ owner Jimmy Haslam made it clear that they did not draft a receiver because they are still committed to Gordon, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

“All of us have made mistakes when we were that age,” said Haslam. “We’re counting on Josh being a good football player for the Browns for a long time to come.”

Here are some more notes from around the NFL:

  • Redskins‘ general manager Bruce Allen said the team did not come close to trading backup quarterback Kirk Cousins during the draft, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter).
  • Offensive tackle was an area of need for the Ravens heading into the draft, but based on the way the board fell, the team missed out on some potential tackles and didn’t want to “reach down” just to add one, as general manager Ozzie Newsome tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Vikings‘ general manager Rick Spielman had Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater as the number one and two quarterbacks in the draft, reports Albert Breer of NFL.com. If they were unable to draft either of those two players, they could have targeted Jimmy Garoppolo early in round two or Tom Savage in round three.

King’s Latest: Manziel, Browns, Jags, Falcons

May 12th, 2014 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King of TheMMQB.com leads off by writing about the Rams‘ drafting of Michael Sam and Johnny Manziel‘s Thursday night wait in the green room. King also provides a few interesting tidbits, so let’s dive in and round them up….

  • Manziel thought there was a decent chance he’d be selected by the Rams at No. 13, and when St. Louis passed, he became concerned about a free fall. Before the Browns eventually jumped up to No. 22 to nab Manziel, the Eagles were close to trading the pick to another club, likely the Vikings.
  • Browns GM Ray Farmer on the decision to trade the No. 4 overall pick to the Bills, who used it to select wide receiver Sammy Watkins: “We were very close to turning in the card. We very easily could have turned in the card with Sammy’s name on it.”
  • The Jaguars and Falcons had “many discussions” about a trade that would have included Jacksonville’s No. 3 overall pick and Atlanta’s No. 6. The Falcons would also have included at least a third-round pick to complete the deal, but the Jags decided to stay put to make sure they got Blake Bortles. Had the Falcons moved up to third overall, they planned to take the same player they ended up landing at No. 6: Jake Matthews.
  • Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell on turning down the trade: “There were so many teams that wanted quarterbacks—at one, four, five, seven and eight, and they were all within striking distance of us. I just kept thinking, ‘One of those teams has to see what we were seeing in Bortles.’ So let’s say we move back and make a deal. What are we going to take in the third? A guard? You can find guards. You can’t find the quarterback you think fits your team best. So in the end it wasn’t a hard decision for us.”

Browns Notes: Manziel, Draft, Gordon, Brooks

May 10th, 2014 at 9:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Following the first night of the draft, Browns GM Ray Farmer dismissed the notion that owner Jimmy Haslam tried to influence any of the team’s selections, including the trade up for Johnny Manziel. Farmer reiterated that point today, according to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

“I can tell you with 100% certainty that Jimmy Haslam at no point demanded, requested, tried to influence the process in any way,” Farmer said.

Here’s more on the Browns:

  • Farmer confirmed that, before trading up to No. 22 for Manziel, the Browns attempted to move up to the Titans’ pick at No. 11, tweets Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter), the Browns GM said the club had “a bundle” of potential targets in mind as it tried to trade up.
  • Farmer on the Cowboys not taking Manziel at No. 16: “I don’t think I was surprised as much as I was happy” (Twitter link via Ridenour).
  • Although there are published reports suggesting Josh Gordon is facing a season-long suspension, Farmer said he still can’t comment on the situation, adding that he understands fans’ frustration and disappointment (Twitter link via Cabot).
  • Agent Scott Bergman tells PFR (via Twitter) that his client, running back Jourdan Brooks, has been invited to try out at Cleveland’s minicamp. Brooks, who played his college ball at Morgan State, previously spent time in camp with the Bengals.

East Notes: Manziel, Patriots, Cowboys

May 9th, 2014 at 10:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here’s the latest from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that the Patriots were considering taking Johnny Manziel at pick No. 29 (via the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin on Twitter). This report clashes with a leaked Pats scouting report on Manziel, which painted the quarterback in a largely negative light.
  • Cowboys owner Jerry Jones conceded that Manziel was the highest player left on Dallas’ board when it picked at No. 16, but noted that the team simply has too much invested in Tony Romo, according to Charean Williams of the Fort-Worth Start Telegram (via Twitter).
  • The Dolphins’ selection of Jarvis Landry could mean the team parts ways with Brian Hartline after the 2014 season, tweets Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post. Miami could save a little over $6MM by cutting Hartline after the coming season.
  • Jace Amaro, taken by the Jets in the second round (No. 49), thought New York might select him in the first round, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
  • Eagles coach Chip Kelly agrees with the sentiment that this draft is exceptionally deep, tweets Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. “There are guys right now still on the board that we have rated in the third round that will be there tomorrow,” said Kelly.

AFC East Rumors: Pryor, Bills, Johnson

May 9th, 2014 at 5:03pm CST by Zachary Links

New Jets safety Calvin Pryor says that his big hits will provide an “intimidation factor” for the Jets’ defense, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. “Believe me, there is a huge thing with his hitting ability; big hits still win games,” head coach Rex Ryan said. “They’ll flip the momentum of a game faster than anything in my opinion, and I’ve always said that, and this young man will provide that for us.” More on that and some of the fallout from the Bills‘ big trade today..

  • The Bills had been shopping Stevie Johnson for a while before agreeing to send him to San Francisco today, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network (on Twitter). Breer’s understanding is that Buffalo tried to deal him to Tampa as part of the Mike Williams trade last month.
  • Johnson would have counted $8.5MM against the Bills‘ cap in 2014, but with the dead money accelerating onto this year, his cap number is now $10.225MM, tweets Tim Graham of The Buffalo News.
  • This may not come as a huge surprise, but Jets coach Rex Ryan says that the team wasn’t interested in drafting Johnny Manziel at No. 18, writes Kimberley Martin of Newsday.
  • After serving as Tom Brady‘s backup for three years, undrafted quarterback Brian Hoyer was cut loose by the Patriots in 2012. After getting his break in Cleveland and subsequently blowing out his knee, he now finds himself in a battle with Manziel for the No. 1 job with the Browns. Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com laments the QB’s bad luck.

AFC North Notes: Browns, Shazier, Dennard

May 9th, 2014 at 1:27pm CST by Matt Feminis

Although there was some speculation that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam may have had a hand in the club’s decision to trade up for Johnny Manziel, GM Ray Farmer says that “at no point in the draft did Jimmy try to influence the decisions that were made” (Twitter link via Lindsay Jones of USA Today). Meanwhile, head coach Mike Pettine says Manziel won’t simply be handed the starting job, and that he’ll compete with Brian Hoyer, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).

  • Ryan Shazier, drafted 15th overall by the Steelers, “has no holes” according to head coach Mike Tomlin, who was quoted by Ed Bouchette in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • In an additional blog post, Bouchette defended the selection: “Shazier is exactly the kind of player Chuck Noll told Art Rooney Jr. he needed when the Steelers hired him to coach them in 1969 – great athletes with great production. That’s what Shazier has. . .He also has the kind of speed where you could line him up with some of the fastest wide receivers and cornerbacks and he would beat most of them to the tape.”
  • Sitting at No. 46 in the second round, the Steelers could benefit from an expected run of offensive linemen, says ESPN’s Scott Brown, who lists ten prospects who could be on the Steelers radar, four of which are echoed by Bouchette: Penn State WR Allen Robinson, Indiana WR Cody Latimer, Notre Dame defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt and Minnesota defensive lineman Ra’Shede Hageman.
  • Also buried in Bouchette’s post were a few tidbits: Shazier is an obvious upgrade over Vince Williams, especially when it comes to speed and range; Shazier might have been preferred over CJ Mosley, in part, because of durability; and anything the team gets out of Sean Spence will be a bonus, as they are “not counting on him at all.”
  • Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome was looking for a “bonanza” to move off the 17th pick, which he used to select Mosley, whose combination of outstanding tape and special intangibles impressed team brass. The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec quotes assistant GM Eric DeCosta, who raved about Mosley: “He’s fast, instinctive, tough, smart, talented, a playmaker. People always ask about the best available player and what that means. He was the best available player on our board and he would have been the best available player on our board at 10. He’s a great football player.”
  • As they did with Alabama product Dre Kirkpatrick two years ago, the Bengals won’t ask Darqueze Dennard to start in his first year, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins

May 9th, 2014 at 12:03pm CST by Matt Feminis

Although Chip Kelly has had nothing but good things to say about Johnny Manziel publicly, it seems clear that the Eagles never really thought about taking him with the 22nd pick, writes Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine. “I love him,” Kelly said. “I think he’s a dynamic quarterback. I also think we have a very, very good quarterback situation – not only with Nick [Foles], but you add Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley – we think quarterback is a strength for us right now. We felt like the pass-rusher who we had rated higher was the guy we were gonna take.”

  • “Best player available” is used ad nauseam during the draft. However, it’s the Eagles‘ philosophy and they’re adamant about it, as evidenced by the quotes from GM Howie Roseman and elly in a column by Philadelphia Daily News writer Paul Domowitch following the (surprise) selection of Marcus Smith.
  • And then there’s the Cowboys, who did not stick to their board, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer (via Twitter). When the Cowboys lost out on their top three draft targets last night — all defensive players — they opted for a relatively safe choice in offensive lineman Zack Martin even though they had Manziel graded higher.
  • Consequently, rounds two and three have become more important for the Cowboys, says Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. After fielding a historically bad defense in 2013 and losing DeMarcus Ware, the team has plenty of holes to fill, especially on the defensive line. George mentions four defensive lineman who could be on the team’s radar tonight: Boise State’s Demarcus Lawrence, Missouri’s Kony Ealy, Oregon State’s Scott Crichton and Florida State’s Timmy Jernigan, all of whom made predraft visits to Dallas.
  • The Giants‘ selection of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. at No. 12 puts them on track to fix their broken offense, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. The LSU star caught 59 passes for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Giants wide receiver Reuben Randle, who played with Beckham at LSU, described him as a “DeSean Jackson type,” writes Ebenezer Samuel of the Daily News.
  • The Redskins were not part of Thursday night’s festivities, but they’re up at No. 34 tonight, and USA Today’s Steven Ruiz takes a look at their options. Most speculation centers around the team selecting an offensive lineman, perhaps Alabama’s Cyrus Kouandijo, Virginia’s Morgan Moses or UCLA’s Xavier Su’a-Filo.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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