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Kareem Jackson

AFC Links: Incognito, Rice, Pats, Jackson

February 13th, 2015 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

After signing Richie Incognito shortly after he proclaimed that he wanted to “build a bully” in Buffalo, Bills head coach Rex Ryan was in damage control mode yesterday, explaining in an appearance on WGR 550 why his team added the veteran guard despite his history of off-field run-ins.

“I’m about the biggest anti-bullying guy there is, especially off the field and in the community,” Ryan said, per Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. “I want the toughest, physical football team on the field, and gentlemen off the field. He recognizes that he has made some mistakes. He wants to prove that he is not that person now.”

While we wait to see whether Incognito proves Ryan right, let’s round up several more items from across the AFC….

  • Former Ravens running back Ray Rice issued a statement apologizing for his domestic violence incident and thanking the city of Baltimore, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun details. Rice continues to work out in hopes of signing with another NFL team, but hasn’t visited or worked out for any clubs since his reinstatement, according to Wilson.
  • With Darrelle Revis currently counting for $25MM against their 2015 cap, the Patriots are somewhat hamstrung until they can figure out a resolution for the cornerback, says Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com. According to Curran, there’s nothing new to report on negotiations with potential free agents like Devin McCourty, due in part to the Revis situation, which I explored in depth earlier this week.
  • Cornerback Kareem Jackson admits that it hasn’t really hit him yet that he could become a coveted free agent next month, writes Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. According to Jackson, he’d love to return to the Texans after seeing the progress made by new head coach Bill O’Brien last season.

South Notes: Suh, Falcons, K. Jackson

February 8th, 2015 at 9:52am CST by Rory Parks

The financial component of Ndamukong Suh‘s next deal has been discussed at length in recent months, but Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star takes a closer look at the nature of Suh’s game and describes it as something of a double-edged sword. Doyel writes that Suh is exactly the type of player the Colts have tried to avoid in recent years: a violent, cruel, and dirty player who violates the team’s mantra of winning with decency. And yet, it is those traits that, when combined with Suh’s undeniable talent, could lift the Colts from a playoff-caliber team to a Super Bowl team.

Doyel notes that the Colts have a number of talented players on the defensive side of the ball, but no great players, and no players with the type of nasty streak that can lift an entire unit. As has been proven time and time again, big-ticket free agents are rarely the answer in today’s NFL, and the negatives of their salary cap charges often outweigh their on-field contributions. But Doyel believes Suh is the exception to that rule, writing that the Colts can afford Suh even when they say they cannot, and he says the club should do everything it can to bring Suh to Indianapolis.

Now let’s take a look at a few other links from the league’s south divisions:

  • Mike Wells of ESPN.com has a look at a few questions facing the Colts this offseason, predicting that Greg Toler will return to the team but that LaRon Landry will not. In addition to safety, Wells identifies the running game and the pass rush as areas in clear need of improvement.
  • D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looks at the timeline on which Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff will be operating this offseason and the challenges they will face. Ledbetter also names the defensive and offensive lines and linebacking corps as areas of need.
  • In a separate piece, Ledbetter looks at the mixed track record of Korn Ferry, the search firm that the Falcons used in its head coaching search that culminated in Quinn’s hiring.
  • In a pair of articles, Ryan O’Halloran and Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union look at how the Jaguars‘ new offensive coaches will coexist.
  • In the wake of the Titans‘ recent hire of Dick LeBeau, Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean looks at the mixed results the team has had when making “splashy” hires in the past.
  • Nate Davis of USA Today provides a brief offseason outlook for each team in the AFC South, noting that the Texans will be in real need of cornerback help if Kareem Jackson leaves in free agency and that the team could use an upgrade at tight end.

AFC Mailbags: Jags, McFadden, Chiefs, Jets

January 24th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s start off the morning by checking out some notes from the AFC…

Panthers Links: Free Agents, Offseason

January 18th, 2015 at 6:02pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Packers are officially in offseason mode, but their front office still needs a little time to adjust to a devastating loss to the Seahawks, blowing a 16-0 halftime lead and wasting a great defensive effort against Russell Wilson and company.

We will surely check in with them later on. For now, we’ll turn our focus to the Panthers – the team eliminated by the Seahawks a week ago (in far less dramatic fashion) – as their offseason is in full swing.

Here are some stories surrounding the Panthers 2014 season as they head into a very important offseason where they try to win the NFC South for a record-extending three straight years.

  • Head coach Ron Rivera might be disappointed in how the team’s season ended, but he is looking forward to taking the next step in 2015, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “I got off the airplane excited about it, when I had the opportunity to talk to the team, it really was about going forward more than anything else,” said Rivera. “I think if we can take a big step we can put ourselves in position to win the Super Bowl. We’re close. I think we can get even closer.”
  • Person also hands out some grades to position groups for the 2014 NFL. Among the positions that received awful grades are the offensive tackles, safeties, and special teams units. Those positions need to improve if the Panthers want to take that next step, and with Person giving the coaching staff a C grade, Rivera himself needs to be better next year.
  • The Charlotte Observer also puts together a list of the contract status for every Panthers player, including not only those under contract, but free agents (restricted, unrestricted, and exclusive rights) as well.
  • While Person is focused on some of the players the Panthers will look to retain, his colleague Jonathan Jones examines the free agent market at some of their positions of need. Assuming a few big name players re-sign with their current teams, the Panthers could realistically benefit from the additions of players like offensive tackle King Dunlap, cornerbacks Kareem Jackson and Walter Thurmond, and safeties Nate Allen and Da’Norris Searcy. Jones also picks out four receivers the team should target in Randall Cobb, Cecil Shorts, Torrey Smith, and Dwayne Bowe.

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 Notes: Jaguars, Bills, Pats, Texans

November 4th, 2014 at 4:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Through nine weeks, there aren’t many teams in the AFC that can truly be considered out of the postseason hunt. Besides the Titans, Jaguars, Jets, and Raiders, none of whom have more than two wins, no AFC club is more than two games out of first place in its division. That group also includes an impressive 11 teams over .500, which should make for a pretty interesting second half as contenders jockey for position.

Here are a few Tuesday items from across the AFC:

  • With the Jaguars prepared to play the Cowboys in England this weekend, Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union takes a look at the team’s relationship to London and how it will affect the franchise going forward. “Some people view London as a threat to the Jaguars,” said Jaguars president Mark Lamping. “I view it the exact opposite. London is going to be one of the things that protects Jacksonville as an NFL market. It stabilizes a franchise that was unstable a few years ago.”
  • Cornerback Brandon Smith, who has fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered earlier this year, worked out for the Bills this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Smith has previously spent time with both the Bills and Jets.
  • Long snapper Tyler Ott, who was with the Patriots in training camp, was among the specialists to try out for New England today, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • As first reported by Jayson Braddock (via Twitter), Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson suffered a sprained MCL and is expected to be sidelined for three or four weeks. If Houston looks to promote a player from the practice squad for depth purposes, cornerback Charles James looks like the top candidate.
  • Browns general manager Ray Farmer spoke to reporters today, but the GM’s comments about Brian Hoyer‘s and Johnny Manziel‘s futures in Cleveland weren’t too revealing. Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com has a few details and quotes from Farmer.

AFC South Notes: Blackmon, Jackson, Texans

June 3rd, 2014 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up the latest items out of the AFC South….

  • The Jaguars don’t know when – or even if – wide receiver Justin Blackmon will be reinstated from his indefinite suspension for multiple violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, but the club doesn’t intend to cut him, says Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Although Jacksonville doesn’t anticipate having Blackmon at all during the 2014 season, it sounds like there’s still a chance he could play for the team down the road.
  • Speaking to reporters today, Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson said his reps haven’t had any contact with the team about a new contract, tweets James Palmer of CSNHouston.com. Jackson, a 2010 first-round pick, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in March if he doesn’t have a new deal in place.
  • Running back Andre Brown, who signed with the Texans this offseason, has struggled with injury problems so far in his career, but is determined to stay healthy and prove his worth to his new team this season, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.
  • After weeks of engaging in mock negotiations on a contract extension for J.J. Watt and the Texans, former agent Joel Corry and former Jets executive Ari Nissim provide their concluding thoughts on the series at the National Football Post.