Mario Williams

East Notes: Dolphins, M. Smith, Coughlin

January 10th, 2016 at 11:42am CST by Rory Parks

In a fascinating post from Armando Salguero this morning, the Miami Herald scribe dives into the Dolphins‘ front office drama that the team hopes will come to an end in the Adam Gase era. In 2013, Salguero writes that the relationship between then-Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin and then-GM Jeff Ireland was on the rocks, and owner Stephen Ross ultimately chose to fire Ireland. Ross also debated firing then-offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, and in order to save his assistant and friend, Philbin privately blamed the team’s offensive struggles on quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Although Philbin continued to toe the company line publicly, reaffirming his faith in Tannehill on numerous occasions–with one or two notable exceptions–his internal discussions had a much different tone. Philbin urged the team to draft Derek Carr in the first round of the 2014 draft, and even after Tannehill enjoyed a relatively successful 2014 campaign, Philbin continued to take out his frustrations on Tannehill, a trend that continued into the team’s difficult start to the 2015 season. Ultimately, that situation was one of the factors that led the Dolphins to hire Gase, who they expect to forge a relationship with the quarterback they’ve committed to and to make him the best player he can be.

Now let’s dive into a few more notes from the league’s east divisions, beginning with more out of South Beach.

James Walker of ESPN.com affirms that Dan Campbell‘s future with the Dolphins will be determined by Gase, but Walker does add that Ross would like to keep Campbell on the team’s coaching staff. In a separate piece, Walker writes that Gase will be calling the team’s offensive plays.
Mike Smith will interview with the Giants for their head coaching vacancy tomorrow, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
Mike Garafolo of FOXSports tweets that there were “rumblings” that the Giants would interview Hue Jackson for their head coaching job, but they may not get that chance, as there are multiple reports suggesting that the 49ers could hire Jackson as early as today.
Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer says former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin will meet with the Eagles tomorrow to discuss their head coaching vacancy. Interestingly, Berman calls the meeting an “interview,” and not a “feeling-out” as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested yesterday.
Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News compiles an offseason to-d0 list for the Bills, a list topped by an extension for GM Doug Whaley and a release of Mario Williams.
David Moore of the Dallas Morning News looks into why the Cowboys have been unable to land an adequate backup quarterback for Tony Romo, and Moore says head coach Jason Garrett should bear as much responsibility for that failing as owner Jerry Jones.

NFLPA Revokes Certification Of Agent Ben Dogra

January 6th, 2016 at 6:51pm CST by Zachary Links

6:51pm: Dogra’s legal reps issued a statement to reporters in which he vowed to appeal the ruling (via Josina Anderson of ESPN.com on Twitter):

“Ben Dogra adamantly denies engaging in any conduct that was not in the best interests of his clients or NFL players. Ben has always been a strong advocate for NFL Players and is thankful for the show of support from his clients and others in the industry during this process. Ben will appeal the unprecedented, proposed discipline to neutral arbitration as provided under the NFLPA Regulations and looks forward to finally having an opportunity to examine and challenge the claims against him. The proposed discipline will not occur during the appeal process. It is therefore important that clients, NFL players, NFL teams, and Certified Contract Advisors understand that the discipline does not limit or prohibit Ben from representing his clients during the appeal process.”

6:12pm: On Wednesday, the NFLPA announced that the union’s Committee on Agent Regulations and Discipline (CARD) unanimously voted to impose discipline on agent Ben Dogra for multiple policy violations. Based on verified information included in a thirty-eight (38) count disciplinary complaint, Dogra has had his certification revoked for a minimum of three years and a $200K fine.

Dogra has the right to appeal before an independent arbitrator, so he has a chance to overturn the union’s ruling and regain his license to represent players. The union’s statement did not get into specifics about Dogra’s alleged wrongdoing but one has to imagine that details will emerge soon.

As detailed by Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal last year, Dogra had an impressive stable of NFL clients while with CAA Football. Dogra was fired by the firm in late 2014 and joined up with Relativity Football, taking a sizable list of high-end players with him. Notable names that stayed with Dogra include Adrian Peterson, Gerald McCoy, Robert Griffin III, DeMeco Ryans, Mario Williams, and Sebastian Vollmer. Now, those players and others will have to find new representation if the sanctions against Dogra stick.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Bills, Jets, Eagles

January 1st, 2016 at 7:48pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Given his 2016 cap hit ($19.9MM) and apparent inability to fit into head coach Rex Ryan‘s scheme, there’s a strong likelihood defensive end Mario Williams will play his final game with the Bills on Sunday. The 30-year-old has totaled just 17 tackles and a career-low four sacks this season, grading a terrible 94th out of 107 edge defenders by Pro Football Focus’ standards (subscription required). Williams’ downturn in performance could be symptomatic of his attitude, as an anonymous teammate alluded to (Twitter link via The Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne).

“We could easily have 5 solid players contributing than 1 guy who doesn’t give a s—,” the player stated.

Williams issued a retort (Twitter link via Dunne).

“I could just literally not be out there,” he said. “When I get my opportunity, do it. Everybody who said that, they’ll see.”

More from the NFL’s two East divisions:

Running back Bilal Powell‘s offseason decision to re-sign with the Jets on a one-year deal is paying dividends for both him and the team, the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta writes. Powell had to choose between the Bills (and Ryan, his ex-coach) and Jets, whose backfield was less crowded than Buffalo’s at the time. Powell ended up staying in New York, and has been an important dual-threat weapon for a club that could be headed to the playoffs. Powell is averaging 4.5 yards per rush this season and, as Mehta notes, leads all NFL backs in receiving yards (299) and broken tackles on passing plays (12) since Week 11. In assessing Powell, head coach Todd Bowles said, “He’s been more of a complete back than even I thought he was coming in. He can block. He can run. He’s not just a pass catcher. He does a bunch of things for us.” Of course, what’s bittersweet for the Jets is that, as a pending free agent, Powell’s success could lead him to a raise and a different uniform in the coming months.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie needs to clarify vice president of football operations Howie Roseman‘s role and hold him accountable for it – just as Lurie did with Chip Kelly – submits Jeff McLane of Philly.com. Lurie should give full control of the Eagles’ personnel department to Roseman and sink or swim with him in that position, according to McLane. Roseman’s say over the roster diminished when Kelly took the reins, which is ironic when you consider Roseman was key in the hiring of Kelly. He now has some of that power back with Kelly gone, but Lurie said that Roseman’s work with the personnel department will be “as a collaborator.” That isn’t enough for McLane, who believes someone needs to be in position to take the lion’s share of responsibility for building the roster. McLane also notes that Roseman could drive away potential head coaching candidates because he doesn’t have a scouting background and is perceived as a difficult person with whom to work. Nevertheless, Lurie and team president Don Smolenski will follow Roseman’s lead with respect to Philly’s coaching search, McLane reports.
Earlier this week, after the Eagles fired Kelly, offensive tackle Lane Johnson claimed strife between Kelly and Roseman took a toll on the players. Johnson also stated players were hesitant to approach Kelly. Safety Malcolm Jenkins, Johnson’s teammate, disagrees. Regarding Johnson’s opinion on the Kelly-Roseman feud, Jenkins said (per Les Bowen of Philly.com) that Johnson “reads too many articles.” On Johnson’s notion that Kelly wasn’t approachable, Jenkins added, “I think the perception was not necessarily the reality.”

East Notes: Chip, Dolphins, Bills, M. Williams

December 31st, 2015 at 7:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Hours after being fired as head coach of the Eagles, Chip Kelly released a statement reflecting on his tenure (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports). The statement, which can be read in full at the link, saw Kelly thank both owner Jeffrey Lurie and Philadelphia fans, while expressing regret that he wasn’t able to lead the club to a Super Bowl title.

Here’s a look at more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

Alex Marvez of FOX Sports lists three potential candidates for the Dolphins‘ head coaching job, identifying former Lions coach Jim Schwartz, Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula, and UCLA coach Jim Mora Jr. as viable options for Miami.
Bills safety Aaron Williams‘ season is over, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), who reports that Williams’ practice period has expired. Williams, who was on injured reserve/designated to return, was said to be mulling retirement earlier this month as he deals with a neck injury.
Former Syracuse offensive tackle Sean Hickey, who has spent time with the Saints and Patriots this year, visited the Bills, according to Wilson (Twitter link).
Wilson also passes along a workout note on the Giants, tweeting that New York auditioned defensive back C.J. Conway this week. Conway is a familiar face for the Giants, having started the year on the team’s practice squad before being cut in Week 2.
We learned earlier today that the Bills plan to cut defensive end Mario Williams during the offseason, and that decision won’t disappoint at least of Williams’ teammates, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News (Twitter links), who quotes a fellow Bill as saying Williams displays “zero effort,” “doesn’t care about anybody but himself,” and has “totally checked out.”

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Bills Plan To Cut Mario Williams In Offseason

December 31st, 2015 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Mario Williams hasn’t exactly had a smooth transition this season adjusting to Rex Ryan‘s defense, and the high-priced defensive end may not be the Bills’ plans beyond 2015. A person with “direct knowledge of discussion” tells John Wawrow of The Associated Press that Buffalo intends to cut Williams during the offseason.

Asked today about the report, Ryan dismissed it, saying he has no idea where it’s coming from, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. And it’s worth noting that even if the Bills have tentative plans in place now, there’s no guarantee those plans will be executed several weeks or months from now. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bills deemed Williams expendable.

In addition to the steep drop in his production this season – he has 17 tackles and four sacks after recording 42 and 14.5 last year – Williams will be one of the priciest defensive players in the NFL in 2016. His cap charge is set to increase to $19.9MM, which is accompanied by an $11.5MM base salary. Releasing the veteran pass rusher would save the Bills nearly $13MM in cap room, leaving the club with only $7MM in dead money on its books.

When I examined the Bills’ 2016 cap situation back in October, I identified Williams as a candidate to have his contract restructured, rather than being dropped form the roster entirely. But since then, the extent of his struggles in Ryan’s system have become more obvious, so it makes sense that he’s now considered a release candidate.

If the Bills cut Williams after the Super Bowl, he wouldn’t be subject to waivers — he’d immediately become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team.

Bills Rumors: Polian, Taylor, Whaley, Williams

December 24th, 2015 at 9:05am CST by Sam Robinson

After declining to re-join the Bills’ front office in January, Bill Polian has volunteered his services to the current Bills’ hierarchy as a consultant, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News reports.

The Bills’ general manager from 1986-1992 and 2015 Hall of Fame inductee, Polian told Carucci he will only provide consulting services for the Bills.

“Listen, I owe this franchise virtually everything I have in the National Football League,” Polian said. “A good reason why a yellow jacket’s on my shoulder is because of the Buffalo Bills. The bottom line is, I want this team to succeed.”

Although the 73-year-old Polian turned down an offer to be the Bills’ football czar, his being inducted into the Hall of Fame in August could help his chances at departing ESPN and reuniting with his former team, Carucci writes.

Here are some more Polian- and Bills-related items on Christmas Eve.

Among the stances Polian offered to owner Terry Pegula in recent months was that semi-breakout quarterback Tyrod Taylor is not the team’s long-term answer under center. “You can win with Tyrod if the other pieces are good,” Polian told Carucci. “If there are six or seven Pro Bowlers at other positions, you can win with Tyrod. But he’s not the quarterback of the future. He’s not Jim Kelly, and, although he doesn’t have the same track record, he’s probably comparable to Frank Reich. But he’s not 6-feet-4 like Frank Reich. He’s small and he’s going to get hurt, and he did. Now, you have to find his backup and the quarterback of the future.”
Polian also would likely cut EJ Manuel if brought in as a consultant after recommending the sputtering ex-first-rounder’s release to Pegula in a recent phone conversation. Manuel has one year left on his rookie contract and represented a source of friction between current GM Doug Whaley and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Carucci notes. The latter wanted Buffalo to retain Matt Cassel as Taylor’s backup, while Whaley, who played a key role in bringing Manuel to Buffalo at No. 16 overall in 2013, preferred the cheaper Manuel stay. Whaley has one year left on his contract, and per the Buffalo News, hasn’t had extension discussions.
Polian referred to the current Bills offensive line as “aging and unathletic,” a take that confused Buffalo News reporter Tyler Dunne, given that only Richie Incognito is over 29 among the current nucleus up front. Dunne also does not like the potential for coordination between Polian, Whaley and Rex Ryan, with Polian being critical of both recently.
Mario Williams‘ spree of assessments on the shortcomings of the Bills’ 21st-ranked defense continued, with the veteran insisting the current personnel does not fit Ryan’s scheme, per an Associated Press report. The 30-year-old edge presence also acknowledges his days with the Bills could very well be over soon. “Of course there’ll be changes,” Williams told media. “I mean, that’s obvious. You just wait and see if my number’s called.” Williams’ 2016 cap number of $19.9MM would be by far the most on the Bills.

AFC Notes: M. Williams, Wallace, Hopkins

December 23rd, 2015 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up several NFC notes earlier this afternoon. Now, let’s shift our focus to the AFC….

Speaking today to reporters, including ESPN’s Mike Rodak, Bills defensive end Mario Williams insisted that he hasn’t tried to be outwardly critical of Rex Ryan’s defensive scheme, and that he’s just giving honest answers when asked about it. It seems somewhat unlikely, given the issues Williams has had this year, that he’ll be back in Buffalo next year when his cap hit increases to nearly $20MM.
Unlike Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Steelers center Cody Wallace won’t receive a suspension for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Broncos safety David Bruton Jr. on Sunday, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Wallace’s hit, which came after the play, was arguably worse than Beckham’s shot at Josh Norman, but it sounds like he’ll just be fined to the tune of $23K+ for the play, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
DeAndre Hopkins‘ agent, Hadley Engelhard, met with the Texans recently, and spoke about – among other things – how his client has already played with eight quarterbacks during his three-year NFL career, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The QB turnover hasn’t slowed down Hopkins’ production at all, but it figures to be something that comes up again between Engelhard and the Texans when the wideout becomes extension-eligible next month.
Before he retires, Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson has scored one last payday. As Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, Woodson gets a $250K bonus for being named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday night.

Bills Notes: Woods, McCoy, Williams, Taylor

December 21st, 2015 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

It appears likely that Robert Woods‘ season will come to an early end. The Bills wide receiver suffered a groin injury, and head coach Rex Ryan told reporters today that it’s “safe to say” it’s a pretty severe one (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW). While the team hasn’t made anything official yet, Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link) hears that Woods will be placed on injured reserve.

With Woods out, there’s “probably a good chance” of Dezmin Lewis being promoted from the Bills’ practice squad to their active roster, according to Ryan (Twitter link via Buscaglia). As we wait for a formal announcement from the club on that roster move, let’s round up a few more items out of Buffalo….

While Woods’ season is probably done, it sounds like LeSean McCoy may get back on the field sometime in the last two weeks. Per Getlin (Twitter link), there are no plans at this time to shut down the running back. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network adds (via Twitter) that McCoy’s MCL sprain may sideline him for Week 16, but he’s expected to be fine for Week 17.
Bills safety Aaron Williams, who is currently on IR with the designation to return due to a neck injury, won’t return to action this season, Ryan said today (link via ESPN’s Mike Rodak). Williams will continue to practice while he remains on IR.
Addressing a pair of reports that surfaced over the weekend, Ryan denied any sort of rift between him and general manager Doug Whaley, adding that he has a “great deal of respect” for the Bills’ GM. Ryan also dismissed the idea that anyone within the organization doubted whether Mario Williams was sick last week, suggesting that story was “made up” (all Twitter links via Buscaglia).
Ryan was also asked about Williams’ comments from Sunday, in which the defensive end didn’t express any openness to the idea of accepting a pay cut to remain in Buffalo. While the Buffalo head coach said he’d love to have Williams – and everyone else on the team – back next season, he acknowledged that change is a part of the NFL offseason (Twitter link via Buscaglia).
Ryan gave Tyrod Taylor another vote of confidence, telling reporters that the team is “pretty sure” of who its quarterback will be heading into 2016 (Twitter link via Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News).
Bills outside linebacker Randell Johnson sustained a high ankle sprain, and doesn’t have a great chance to play in Week 16, tweets Buscaglia. Johnson may be a candidate for IR.

East Notes: K. Moore, M. Williams, Bills

December 21st, 2015 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

After seeing his first action of the season on Saturday night against the Jets, Cowboys quarterback Kellen Moore will get the start for Dallas in Week 16, head coach Jason Garrett confirmed today (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Unlike teammate Matt Cassel, Moore remains under contract with the Cowboys through the 2016 season, so if he can finish strong this year, he should receive consideration for the role of Tony Romo‘s backup going forward.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

With his cap number set to increase to $19.9MM in 2016, Bills defensive end Mario Williams looks like a candidate to be released this offseason, particularly after the trouble he has had adjusting to Rex Ryan‘s defensive scheme. While a pay cut could be an option for Williams, he doesn’t sound like someone interested in taking one for the team, as Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News writes. “If this is the turnout of our defense, how does that even sound right?” Williams asked on Sunday, when the possibility of a pay cut was mentioned.
Meanwhile, after the Bills lost again on Sunday to fall to 6-8 on the season, Ryan suggested that “drastic changes” may await the club this offseason. Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com has the details and the quotes from the Buffalo head coach.
DeMarco Murray received just two touches in Sunday’s night game against Arizona, which looks like the latest sign that the Eagles may consider simply cutting their losses with the unproductive running back this offseason, says Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Mike Sando speaks to agents and NFL team salary-cap managers about what sort of salaries we should expect for quarterbacks like Washington‘s Kirk Cousins ($15MM per year), the Jets‘ Ryan Fitzpatrick ($8-12MM), and the Eagles‘ Sam Bradford (projections were “all over the map”).
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald questions what interim Dolphins coach Dan Campbell has done to deserve an interview for the team’s permanent head coaching job.

Latest On Mario Williams, Bills

December 20th, 2015 at 10:12am CST by Rory Parks

Add Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Conor Orr of NFL.com) to the chorus of voices who believe Mario Williams‘ time with the Bills could be up at the end of the season. Rapoport says there is a “clear, fundamental disconnect” between head coach Rex Ryan and his defensive line, and Williams could be at the heart of the trouble.

Williams has been relatively vocal about his dissatisfaction with Ryan’s scheme, which has been largely ineffective this season. Indeed, the Bills’ defense under Ryan has regressed in almost every way from one year ago, when the unit was led by Jim Schwartz, who is reportedly missed by a number of the team’s defensive players. But Williams’ displeasure may now be manifesting itself in other ways, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Williams missed a team meeting this week and blamed illness for his absence, which not everyone believed.

Williams’ frustration, of course, is understandable. He is playing under a new defensive coordinator for the sixth straight year, and under Ryan’s 3-4 defense, he has been asked to do a great deal more than simply rush the passer. Although Ryan’s scheme is similar to the one that Mike Pettine deployed when he served as the Bills’ defensive coordinator several seasons ago, it is clear that Williams has struggled to adapt. His run defense has been mediocre, he has not looked especially good when dropping into coverage, and his pass rush numbers are way down. After posting double-digit sack totals in each of the last three years, Williams has just four sacks this season.

Adding to Williams’ discontent is the fact that he was probably viewing the 2015 season as a contract year, even though he is technically under club control for two more seasons. As is typically the case with mega-deals like the six-year, $96MM pact Williams signed with the Bills prior to the 2012 season, no one really expected Williams to play out the life of his contract without at least some sort of restructure. As former NFL agent Joel Corry tweets, Williams would carry a cap hit of $19.9MM in 2016, a number that is especially onerous for Buffalo, which will have over $146MM in cap obligations. Williams was always going to be a cut or restructure candidate, and at this point, it looks far more likely that he will be cut. After all, it much easier for the Bills to move on from Williams than it is for them to move on from Ryan.

But even though Williams will be on the wrong side of 30 when the 2016 season begins, Rapoport expects him to generate a great deal of interest on the open market, just like Julius Peppers did several seasons ago (Twitter link). Given Williams’ track record–he has compiled 95 sacks over his ten-year career–it will be relatively easy for him to convince other clubs that his disappointing 2015 season was due primarily to scheme rather than a diminishing skill set.

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