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Larry Donnell

East Notes: Philbin, Bills, Donnell

August 10th, 2014 at 9:00am CST by Rory Parks

Following the recent suspension of starting safety Reshad Jones–the second significant Dolphins defender to test positive for a banned substance this summer–head coach Joe Philbin broke character and was visibly frustrated with the poor choices made by certain members of his club, writes Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. Philbin will now be without Jones and Dion Jordan for the first four games of the season, which thins out Philbin’s defensive rotations in the secondary and defensive line and further destabilizes a defense that looked shaky in the team’s first preseason game against Atlanta even with Jones and Jordan on the field. Look for Jimmy Wilson, who performed well as Miami’s nickel corner last season, to replace Jones and for Jamar Taylor to temporarily become the team’s No. 3 corner.

Now some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • Despite earlier reports to the contrary, Mike Ozanian of Forbes.com writes that all bids to buy the Bills have been below $1 billion, which Ozanian calls an “embarrassment” for the NFL and the investment bank hired to sell the club.
  • Although Jets‘ head coach Rex Ryan did not dismiss the possibility of using Michael Vick in a change-of-pace (read: Wildcat) role, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com believes Ryan was merely engaging in some gamesmanship. The risk of injury to Vick, Cimini believes, would be too great.
  • After his strong performance in the Cowboys‘ first preseason game against San Diego, Kenneth Boatright might be working his way onto the team’s 53-man roster, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.
  • Larry Donnell, who took was on the field for 25 of the Giants‘ 26 first-half offensive snaps in Saturday’s preseason contest against Pittsburgh, appears to be leading New York’s tight end competition, says Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
  • Giants‘ quarterback Eli Manning threw just two passes in the team’s four offensive drives on Saturday–completing neither–because New York’s offensive line has not yet earned the trust of new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. In a separate piece, Raanan points out that the starting offensive line, which was retooled after a disappointing 2013, stayed on the field after Manning was removed from the game.
  • Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Eagles‘ rookie receiver Jordan Matthews disappointed in Friday’s preseason opener against Chicago, while backup QB Mark Sanchez impressed. Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com concurs and provides a position-by-position breakdown of the team’s offensive performance.

NFC East Notes: Barbre, Randle, Carter

July 26th, 2014 at 1:00pm CST by Matt Feminis

With Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson facing a four-game suspension, head coach Chip Kelly says Allen Barbre is next in next man up, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). CSNPhilly’s Goeff Mosher (via Twitter) says Kelly likes Barbre and that the veteran would be pushing for a more prominent role independent of Johnson’s suspension. Mosher wonders aloud if that’s a veiled message to right guard Todd Herremans.

Here’s a few more NFC East links:

  • Giants third-year receiver Rueben Randle is “still something of a mystery,” writes ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “He led the Giants with six touchdown catches in 2013 but got just as much attention (if not more) for mistakes and miscommunications that helped lead to Eli Manning interceptions.” Drafted to be a deep threat in then-offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s system, Randle faces an adjustment to Ben McAdoo’s system, which will require receivers to create separation closer to the line of scrimmage.
  • Could Larry Donnell be the Giants’ starting tight end? ESPN’s Dan Graziano said the coaches “really, really like Donnell and don’t have any clearly superior options,” and noted he was listed first at the position on the team’s first unofficial depth chart. Donnell (6-5 265) went undrafted out of Grambling in 2011, but latched on and earned his way on special teams. Now, he’s in position to overtake Adrien Robinson, who GM Jerry Reese is still high on despite the fact the 2012 fourth-rounder has yet to catch an NFL pass and let his weight balloon to nearly 290 pounds last season.
  • Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter is having fun again, writes ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon, and DallasCowboys.com’s analyst Bryan Broaddus observes Carter is “playing like a player that has a much better understanding of what his responsibilities are and what technique he has to execute in order to be successful.”
  • Redskins receiver Leonard Hankerson, who is recovering from a torn left ACL and MCL, has been cleared to run, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post.

NFC Notes: Giants, Durant, Washington, Floyd

May 24th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Matt Feminis

“It seems everyone in the free world with an interest in football wants to know why the Giants didn’t draft a tight end and what they’re going to do to shore up the position,” writes Giants.com Senior Writer/Editor Michael Eisen. However, Eisen says GM Jerry Reese likes his two young, developmental tight ends (Adrien Robinson and Larry Donnell) and wants to see what the team has in veterans Kellen Davis and Daniel Fells and rookie free agent Xavier Grimble before addressing the position.

In other NFC news and notes…