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AFC Notes: McCown, Chargers, Bills

October 25th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the AFC…

  • Browns quarterback Josh McCown wasn’t checked for a concussion until after today’s game, and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets that the NFL will “review” whether the signal caller’s potential head injury was “handled properly.”
  • Chargers offensive lineman Orlando Franklin was carted off the field during his team’s loss to the Raiders, and Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes (via Twitter) the former second-rounder suffered a left leg injury. Franklin didn’t speak following the game, but Gehlken tweets that the lineman could “barely walk.”
  • Furthermore, Gehlken tweets that Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman left the stadium with his right arm in a sling. It’s believed to be a biceps injury, and the writer says the team is worried there’s a possible tear.
  • Bills coach Rex Ryan is confident that Tyrod Taylor will return following the team’s bye, reports Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News (via Twitter). Ryan also said the EJ Manuel would “100 percent” be the Bills backup quarterback.

QB Notes: Stafford, Cowboys, McCown

October 11th, 2015 at 7:14pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Lions head coach Jim Caldwell benched longtime starting quarterback Matthew Stafford during the team’s 42-17 loss to Arizona on Sunday after Stafford threw three interceptions and averaged just 5.5 yards per attempt on 32 passes. Backup Dan Orlovsky came in for Stafford and wasn’t much better, completing just over 55 percent of his 38 passes for 5.0 yards per attempt, a touchdown and an interception. Afterward, Caldwell said Stafford is still the 0-5 Lions starter going forward, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).

More on Stafford and some other QBs from around the NFL:

  • Stafford was probably the least surprised about his benching, as Caldwell informed the 27-year-old at halftime that he’d sit if he threw a third pick, per NFL Network’s Albert Breer (via Twitter). Stafford did, so Caldwell stuck to his word and pulled him.
  • Unlike Caldwell, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is considering a quarterback change and will evaluate the position during his team’s bye week, Clarence Hill of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (Twitter link). Brandon Weeden fared well statistically in his two starts prior to this week, but the club lost both outings and fell to 0-3 with him under center Sunday in a 30-6 loss to New England. Weeden had his worst game of the year, going 26 of 39 for 188 yards and an interception. That could open the door in Week 7 for veteran Matt Cassel, whom the 2-3 Cowboys acquired in a trade with Buffalo last month.
  • Surprisingly, one QB who has been playing great lately is Browns journeyman Josh McCown. The 36-year-old threw for a franchise-record 457 yards in Cleveland’s 33-30 win over Baltimore on Sunday. That gives him an eye-popping 1,154 yards over the last three weeks. Further, McCown has thrown six touchdowns against only one interception during that span, and Bud Shaw of Northeast Ohio Media Group writes that he’s the biggest reason the 2-3 Browns have to believe in themselves. Their defense – which was supposed to be a strength – has underachieved, and McCown’s stellar play of late has silenced calls for big-name backup Johnny Manziel.

Extra Points: Browns, Bears, Rex, Eagles

October 4th, 2015 at 9:17pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Browns wideout Dwayne Bowe signed for $9MM guaranteed during the offseason and was expected to upgrade a receiving corps in desperate need of help. That didn’t happen through the first three weeks of the season, though, as the former Pro Bowler went without a catch in the opener and then missed the next two games because of a strained hamstring. Nevertheless, the ninth-year man entered Sunday’s game against San Diego brimming with confidence.

“I can’t wait to go out there and showcase my talent and be a ringleader for the guys and go out there and bring home a win,” Bowe said, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

Bowe got back on the field in Week 4, but he once again failed to catch a pass. Quarterback Josh McCown, who completed passes to eight different teammates, targeted Bowe just once. The Browns lost, 30-27.

Here’s more on the Browns and a few of their counterparts from around the NFL:

  • After the Bears dealt linebacker Jared Allen to Carolina earlier this week, fellow LB Willie Young asked Chicago for a trade, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Young played defensive end in the Bears’ 4-3 scheme last year and had 10 sacks. They switched to a 3-4 this season, forcing him to shift to linebacker, and he’s currently without a sack. Young doesn’t believe he’s a fit for the Bears’ defense anymore, and if the team agrees, Florio writes that it should grant his request and send him elsewhere.
  • The Bills turned in a horrendous performance in their 24-10 loss to the Giants on Sunday, especially with respect to discipline. Their 17 penalties gives them 57 for the year, the most any team has had through the first four weeks of the season since 2005, per ESPN’s Mike Rodak. Head coach Rex Ryan wasn’t upset with his team, however. Contrarily, he said he was “proud” of how the Bills played. “Can you play a lot smarter? Absolutely,” Ryan continued. “But I’ll take a team that can fight over a team that won’t — that will sit back and take it — any day of the week. And bring on the next team.”
  • Much of the dialogue regarding the Browns this year has centered on the quarterback position – whether they should start McCown or Johnny Manziel. That shouldn’t be the case after Week 4, writes Bud Shaw of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Shaw believes McCown’s sensational Sunday output (32 of 41 for 356 yards and two touchdowns) should be enough for him to keep the No. 1 job going forward. A better performance from Cleveland’s defense, which allowed 438 total yards (358 passing), could’ve helped earn the team a win and improve to 2-2 instead of drop to 1-3.
  • The Eagles’ Chip Kelly was a successful coach during his first two NFL seasons, leading the team to back-to-back double-digit-win seasons and a playoff berth. Now, after the Eagles gave him full control over their roster, Kelly looks like both a coach unable to adjust to how other clubs are game planning against Philly and a football czar who built a highly flawed team, opines Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report.
  • Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson suffered a left knee injury during their 23-20 loss to Washington on Sunday and will have an MRI on Monday. Johnson said he re-injured his MCL, and Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer speculates that it’s a sprain (Twitter link).

AFC Notes: Jets, Bills, Dolphins, Browns

September 27th, 2015 at 8:11pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick performed nicely for the Jets in leading them to a 2-0 start, completing well over 60 percent of passes and tossing four touchdowns against two interceptions. However, the 11th-year man came back to earth on Sunday in a 24-17 loss to the Eagles. He threw a whopping 58 passes and three picks while averaging a paltry 4.88 yards per attempt. Afterward, head coach Todd Bowles gave Fitzpatrick a vote of confidence, but he acknowledged that the 32-year-old is going to have to limit mistakes to stay atop the Jets’ depth chart.

“Ryan (Fitzpatrick) is our starter,” said Bowles, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini (Twitter link)

Bowles then added, “You’re not going to win a game throwing three interceptions.”

A look at a few other AFC teams, including some notable injury news:

  • Although a hamstring injury has slowed Bills running back LeSean McCoy since August, head coach Rex Ryan is reluctant to give him a week off, per ESPN’s Mike Rodak (Twitter link). McCoy, whom Ryan estimates to be at 80 percent, wasn’t much of a factor in the Bills’ 41-14 thrashing of Miami on Sunday. The three-time Pro Bowler rushed for a mere 16 yards on 11 carries, though he did find the end zone for the first time this year on a 10-yard reception.
  • Like McCoy, receiver Sammy Watkins – one of Buffalo’s other big-time playmakers – was limited Sunday because of injury. The second-year man caught one pass for 39 yards before leaving with a calf injury. Ryan referred to Watkins’ ailment as a “big concern” after the game, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweeted.
  • While McCoy and Watkins didn’t make huge impacts Sunday, the same wasn’t true for most of their offensive cohorts in Bills uniforms. Their embarrassment of the Dolphins should lead to the end of defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle‘s tenure, opines Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Among Salguero’s reasons: The Dolphins have just one sack this year (none in the last 11-plus quarters), and tackle Ndamukong Suh has gone from a superstar in Detroit to a nonentity in Miami. That won’t cut it for a player who signed a mega-deal worth over $100MM to join the Dolphins in the offseason.
  • Browns quarterback Josh McCown injured his right hand in the team’s 27-20 loss to Oakland on Sunday and subsequently had X-rays, which were negative, according to ESPN. “I don’t want to speak on it,” McCown said. “I’ll let coach (Mike Pettine) speak on it, but I feel good.”

Browns To Start Josh McCown In Week 3

September 23rd, 2015 at 8:34am CST by Luke Adams

Last week, reports suggested that the Browns would have played Josh McCown over Johnny Manziel at quarterback if the veteran signal-caller had been medically cleared, and even after Manziel led the team to a Week 2 win over the Titans, it appears that stance hasn’t changed. After passing through the concussion protocol and getting the go-ahead, McCown will start this weekend against the Raiders, the Browns announced today in a press release.

McCown, 36, led the Browns all the way down the field in the team’s opening series of the regular season, completing five of eight passes for 49 yards, and picking up another 23 yards on the ground. However, he suffered a concussion on the very last play of the drive, when he took a big hit while trying to dive into the Jets’ end zone.

Manziel held his own in McCown’s absence, so the leash for the veteran figures to be a little shorter beginning this weekend than it would have been at the start of the season.

In other Browns news, Berea prosecutor Jim Walters won’t be filing charges against offensive line coach Andy Moeller, according to Vince Grzegorek of Cleveland Scene (Twitter link). The Browns suspended Moeller indefinitely earlier this month while he was being investigated for a possible domestic incident.

“It is quite clear an incident of volatile nature took place,” the Berea prosecutor’s office said in a statement, per Grzegorek (Twitter link). “What is less clear is the actions of the two persons involved.”

While Moeller will no longer face charges for the incident, the NFL could still suspend him after conducting its own investigation, so we’ll have to wait and see whether or not he’s reinstated by the Browns.

AFC Notes: Colts, Decker, Raiders, McCown

September 22nd, 2015 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Prior to the season, we heard some reports about potential tension and unease between Colts general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano, and rumors of that possible rift have only intensified with the team off to a disappointing 0-2 start.

As Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk observes, a comment made by Pagano about the team’s offensive line struggles was viewed as the head coach coming down hard on Andrew Luck, but it could also interpreted as a shot at Grigson. Mike Wells of ESPN.com notes that it was Grigson who decided not to completely address the offensive line in the offseason, leaving the unit as one of the biggest question marks on the team heading into the regular season.

Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link) hears from several sources that the Grigson/Pagano rift is a result of the two men having different agendas, with the GM focused on player development and the head coach looking to win now.

As we wait to see if the Colts can bounce back from their slow start, let’s check in on a few other teams from across the AFC….

  • Jets wide receiver Eric Decker suffered a knee injury in last night’s game vs. the Colts, but he was told that he won’t require surgery on it, and that it may be a PCL issue, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). Decker, who is having an MRI today, said he’ll be smart about it and won’t rush back, so the Jets could add another receiver if they expect the veteran to miss some time. The club auditioned wideout Corey Washington today, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link), but Washington said he isn’t saying with the Jets at this time (Twitter link).
  • Former Rams draft pick Daryl Richardson will try out for the Raiders, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets.
  • The Jaguars have a workout on their schedule for ex-Bengals linebacker Jayson DiManche this week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Since being waived off Cincinnati’s injured reserve list earlier in the month, DiManche has also tried out for the Browns.
  • Speaking of those Browns, their veteran quarterback, Josh McCown, remains in the concussion protocol for now, but he could be as cleared as soon as Wednesday. If he is, he’ll receive strong consideration for the club’s starting role, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
  • Even if new acquisition Will Davis doesn’t help Baltimore immediately, the move sends a message to the Ravens‘ cornerbacks that Sunday’s performance was unacceptable, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. On Monday, Baltimore sent a seventh-round pick to the Dolphins for the former third-round choice. As Brown notes, Jimmy Smith, Lardarius Webb, and Kyle Arrington all had bad moments Sunday despite playing very well Week 1 against the Broncos.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

North Notes: Beachum, Browns, Suggs

September 20th, 2015 at 12:41pm CST by Rory Parks

One of the more important contract situations that has not received a great deal of media attention is that of Steelers left tackle Kelvin Beachum. The former seventh-round selection from SMU started all 16 games for Pittsburgh last season and graded out as the fifth-best tackle in the league, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Beachum was particularly effective at pass-blocking, and it is no coincidence that Ben Roethlisberger and his arsenal of explosive weapons enjoyed an immensely successful 2014 campaign.

However, as Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes, the deadline for the Steelers and Beachum to come to a contract extension came and went last week, which means that Beachum will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in March. Beachum presents an interesting case, as he is the smallest starting left tackle in the league, but he has proven that he can be at least a capable starter, which is something that the Steelers have been seeking for a long time. Beachum understandably wants to be paid like one of the elite left tackles in the league, which would garner him a contract worth between $8MM and $13MM per year, but as Kaboly writes, “with the Steelers tight against the cap and Lawrence Timmons, Le’Veon Bell, Heath Miller and David DeCastro up for extensions next year, the Steelers simply can’t afford to pay Beachum market price.”

Now let’s take a look at some more links from the league’s north divisions:

  • Although Johnny Manziel is getting the chance to start for the Browns today, Josh McCown will reclaim the job when healthy, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com (citing NFL.com colleague Ian Rapoport). Cleveland brass is pleased with the progress Manziel has made thus far, but the Browns continue to believe that McCown, who won the job in training camp, represents the best chance for them to win.
  • Former NFL agent Joel Corry took a bit of a dig at the Browns this morning, tweeting that Cleveland appears to be a prime candidate to overpay for Bears WR Alshon Jeffery in free agency next offseason if Chicago does not put the franchise tag on Jeffery.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that Ravens LB Terrell Suggs, who is out for the season after tearing his ACL in the team’s Week 1 loss to Denver, is not even considering retirement. Suggs will begin rehabbing his injury shortly and fully intends to play in 2016.
  • Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune examines recent comments made by Cardinals GM Steve Keim regarding how he was able to effect such a quick turnaround in Arizona–specifically Keim’s belief in building through the draft and using free agency for short-term relief–and wonders if it is a model the Bears can realistically follow.

 

AFC Notes: Ravens, Manning, McCown, Colts

September 18th, 2015 at 7:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Let’s look at some of the news coming from AFC teams’ camps as teams begin final preparations for Week 2.

  • Eugene Monroe will miss the Ravens‘ second game after sustaining a concussion in their first, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com reports. James Hurst will likely start at left tackle. Hurst helped DeMarcus Ware receive a J.J. Watt-esque +10.6 grade from Pro Football Focus in the Ravens’ Week 1 loss to the Broncos. Breshad Perriman will also miss Week 2.
  • John Harbaugh deemed recently signed pass-rusher Jason Babin fit to suit up for the Ravens on Sunday, with the team likely using him in pass-pursuit situations behind Elvis Dumervil and Courtney Upshaw, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports.
  • Josh McCown did not believe he sustained a concussion on his end zone dive against the Jets and drove himself home from the Browns‘ facility after the game, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports. Cleveland’s primary starter expected to be cleared for this week but will comply with the concussion protocol, Cabot notes. Mike Pettine seemed to acknowledge McCown endured a setback this week, according to Cabot, noting that such an occurrence resets the recovery clock in the concussion protocol.
  • Gary Kubiak‘s offense continues to be a dud with the Broncos thus far, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports, with Peyton Manning‘s hot stretch coinciding with the 18-year veteran taking 31-of-37 snaps out of the shotgun following his second-quarter pick-six compared to being under center for seven of the 13 plays prior to Marcus Peters‘ interception, per Football Outsiders. “We’re trying to help him by running the football better and do some things,” Kubiak told media. “But we also know what he’s very comfortable doing, so we’re trying to somehow find a medium between the two and we think that will be good for our team.”
  • Joel Corry of CBSSports.com examines whether a potential Colts dynasty has been squandered due to the failure to form a quality roster around Andrew Luck. Corry’s chart of contenders’ quality players lists the Colts with having nine, a number well below their top-tier brethren; the Broncos have 17, the Patriots 15, the Packers 14 and the Seahawks 13 in this analysis.
  • Jonathan Cyprien (calf) is doubtful for the Jaguars‘ AFC Florida supremacy battle, while Luke Joeckel (ankle) is questionable, according to an Associated Press report.

Johnny Manziel To Start Week 2 For Browns

September 18th, 2015 at 10:38am CST by Connor J. Byrne

FRIDAY, 10:38am: The Browns have officially announced (via Twitter) that Manziel will start on Sunday. Ulrich tweets that McCown remains in concussion protocol and won’t practice today, opening the door for the second-year signal-caller.

THURSDAY, 5:40pm: Browns quarterback Josh McCown will likely start the team’s game against the Titans this Sunday if he’s medically cleared to practice Friday morning, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal writes.

“If he’s cleared and practices fully tomorrow, I don’t see, barring anything unforeseen, a reason why we wouldn’t play him,” head coach Mike Pettine said, according to Ulrich.

McCown entered the season as the Browns’ starter, but he suffered a concussion in their 31-10 loss to the Jets after completing 5 of 8 passes for 49 yards. McCown sustained the injury in the first quarter while diving into the end zone for what could have been a touchdown. However, multiple Jets hit him and caused a fumble that New York recovered. The game was scoreless at the time. Cleveland’s second-string QB, Johnny Manziel, entered the game in relief and performed poorly, hitting on 13 of 24 throws for 182 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and two fumbles.

Manziel will start against 1-0 Tennessee if McCown isn’t medically cleared to play, though Pettine is optimistic about McCown’s chances.

“We’re hopeful, optimistic,” said Pettine. “To me, these situations you learn over time, they’re just impossible to predict.”

Browns Links: Manziel, Pryor, Johnson

August 22nd, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest on the Browns:

  • While backup quarterback Johnny Manziel looked much better than starter Josh McCown during Thursday’s game against Buffalo, don’t expect the two to flip-flop on the depth chart. Bud Shaw of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes that Manziel lost a lot of trust within the organization as a rookie last year and it’s going to take more than solid preseason work to unseat McCown.
  • Terrelle Pryor, who’s in the incipient stages of his career as a wide receiver after switching from quarterback in June, is far from a shoo-in to make the Browns’ roster. The hamstring injury that has bothered the fifth-year man for nearly all of August isn’t helping his cause, according to head coach Mike Pettine. “He’s not guaranteed a spot,” Pettine said Saturday, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. “He’s got to play, and that window narrows every day he’s not out there.”
  • Fellow Browns wideout Dwayne Bowe seems a lot more bullish about Pryor than Pettine does.  “He’s a specimen,” Bowe said Saturday, according to ESPN’s Pat McManamon. “You’ve got to have a guy like that on the field.” 
  • Like Pryor, third-round rookie Duke Johnson has also been felled by a hamstring this month. But, despite sitting out most of August and both of Cleveland’s preseason games, the ex-Miami Hurricane is still confident he can be the Browns’ starting running back as early as Week 1. “I feel like I can (start) but that’s not my decision,” he told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “If I’m not that starting guy, just know whoever is that starting guy, that’s the man for the job because we came out here and competed and we push each other to be the best.”  The Browns are hoping to get some Johnson on the field for their next preseason game. Pettine stated that “the next two weeks are big for Duke.”
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