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Matt Cassel

Extra Points: Young, Sam, Cassel, Pats RBs

February 27th, 2015 at 9:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The NFL will hold its first-ever combine for veteran players March 22 in Tempe, Ariz. Like the scouting combine, which takes place every February and is designed for teams to observe draft prospects, the veteran edition will include position drills and physical tests. At least two household names will be among the 100 invitees participating at the combine. Quarterback Vince Young and defensive end Michael Sam will be in attendance, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, respectively.

Young, whom the Titans chose third overall in the 2006 draft, last appeared in an NFL game in 2011 as a member of the Eagles. The one-time Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Texas announced his retirement last June after a disappointing career that included stints with five different organizations. The 31-year-old Young has had a change of heart, though, and will try to return to the league. His attempt at blazing a comeback trail will begin at the combine.

One of the players joining Young will be Sam, 25, the ex-University of Missouri star who has made headlines since last year as the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL. The seventh-round pick of the Rams last April hasn’t yet appeared in an NFL game and hasn’t been a member of a team since the Cowboys released him from their practice squad in October. Although Tom Pelissero of USA Today reported earlier this month that Sam has a one-year contract offer on the table from the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, Sam wrote last week on MMQB.com that, despite ups and downs, he has “remained focused on getting back on an NFL roster.”

Elsewhere around the league…

  • The Bills were one of two serious contenders for the services of quarterback Josh McCown, who signed with the Browns on Friday. Having lost out on McCown, Buffalo will continue its search for a veteran QB and, per Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo, could turn to the Vikings’ Matt Cassel. Minnesota would save $4.75MM on its 2015 cap by cutting or trading Cassel prior to June 1. The 32-year-old has garnered extensive playing experience (91 games, 71 starts) as a member of three franchises in 10 seasons and, if he ends up with the Bills, could serve as competition for EJ Manuel.
  • Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported earlier this month that Patriots running back Shane Vereen was hoping to cash in on the free agent market to the tune of $5MM annually. Vereen laughed off the report via Twitter on Thursday and called it “not true.” Vereen, who will turn 26 next week, has been a useful cog in the Pats’ offense the last couple years, especially as a pass catcher. The former second-round pick has hauled in a combined 99 passes and six touchdowns in 24 games over the previous two seasons. As a runner, he has averaged a solid 4.2 yards per carry, albeit on just 217 attempts, during his four-year career.
  • Vereen isn’t the only Pats RB looking toward free agency. Stevan Ridley is also on track to hit the market next month. “I’m excited about it,”  the 26-year-old told Sirius NFL XM hosts Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on Friday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Ridley went on to say that he’d “love” to stay in New England, but acknowledged that signing someplace else could present “more opportunities.” Ridley has averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored 22 touchdowns in four seasons with the Patriots. His best output was in 2012, when he rushed for the seventh-most yards in the league (1,263) and eight scores.

Tuesday Roundup: Cassel, Winston, Peterson

February 24th, 2015 at 8:38pm CST by Rory Parks

Vikings GM Rick Spielman said that nothing definitive has been decided about bringing Matt Cassel back to the team, but Spielman was complimentary of his veteran signal-caller when discussing him earlier this week. “We went through our process, we evaluated all of our players,” Spielman said, according to Brian Hall of FOXSportsNorth.com. “We looked at everything from what they bring to our football team, in the locker room, off the field, what they bring to us on the field. But we also have to look at where they’re at from a standpoint of their contract, where we’re at from a cap standpoint…Matt’s done a great job. Came in and has won some games when he had to play. He’s a great locker-room guy. Matt has a lot of value to us.” Cassel is signed for the 2015 season at a salary of $4.15MM, and he’ll count $4.75MM against the cap.

Now for some more links from around the league on this Tuesday evening:

  • Tahir Whitehead filled in capably for Stephen Tulloch when Tulloch went out last season, and that leaves the Lions with an interesting choice this offseason, as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes. Detroit could continue to roll with Whitehead at middle linebacker and carve out some space by parting ways with Tulloch. The 30-year-old is slated to count $5.8MM against the cap next season. Whitehead, meanwhile, costs just $713K.
  • The consensus around the league is that the Buccaneers will draft Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick, according to a tweet from the NFL Network (citing its own Ian Rapoport).
  • The Colts are in dire need of a running back, and Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes that the team will be closely monitoring the Adrian Peterson situation. If Peterson and the Vikings part ways, Indianapolis GM Ryan Grigson, a noted risk-taker, may pull the trigger.
  • Falcons defensive end Osi Umenyiora has no plans to retire, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Umenyiora, 33, will become a free agent on March 10, and he said he would like to play at least one more season. If he could choose, Umenyiora stated that he would like to finish his career where it started: with the Giants.
  • Packers fullback John Kuhn is one of the last members of a dying breed, but the impending free agent reaffirmed his importance to the Green Bay offense in 2014, earning first team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. As Weston Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com writes, there is mutual interest in Kuhn’s return to the Packers.
  • Former Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne, who has garnered interest from at least a dozen teams, is expected to sign with a club this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (writing for the National Football Post).
  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com believes middle linebacker Nate Irving could be a fit with the Raiders if the impending free agent is not re-signed by the Broncos.
  • Parys Haralson, who signed a one-year deal with the Saints in February, hopes to end his career in New Orleans, writes Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune.
  • Jason Fitzerald of OverTheCap.com provides the Panthers‘ salary cap outlook for the 2015 season.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

 

Vikings GM Expects To Retain Adrian Peterson

February 18th, 2015 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

While the general consensus as recently as a few weeks ago suggested that Adrian Peterson‘s time in Minnesota was probably over, members of the Vikings’ brass have been going to bat for the embattled running back lately. Today, Vikes general manager Rick Spielman became the latest key member of the organization to suggest he wants to see Peterson wearing purple again in 2015, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press details.

“I think our whole organization is on that same page (about wanting Peterson back),” Spielman said. “What team wouldn’t want an Adrian Peterson talent? He’s a unique player that you don’t see come around too often and Adrian’s been a key part of our organization. He’s made a mistake. He’s doing everything and he’s got to follow through and rectify and do the things the NFL is requiring him to do.”

Peterson and the Vikings are in a tricky situation, given where his suspension and his contract currently stand. The team isn’t allowed to be in contact at this time with the running back, who isn’t eligible for reinstatement until at least April 15. Once he’s reinstated, Minnesota will likely want to address his contract, since Peterson is currently on the books for a $12.75MM base salary and a $15.4MM cap hit.

Since the free agent period begins several weeks before Peterson is eligible to be reinstated, most teams will have already completed their major offseason roster moves by that point, meaning the running back’s leverage will be reduced. That may be one reason why the Vikes are leaning toward bringing him back — AP may be more inclined to take a pay cut or restructure his deal if there aren’t many other legit suitors out there for him, particularly if Minnesota continues to publicly support him while he serves the suspension.

Besides addressing Peterson, Spielman also said today that he likes Matt Cassel, but wouldn’t commit to whether or not the Vikings have decided to bring him back as their backup quarterback for 2015, tweets Tomasson.

Vikings Place Cassel, Fusco On IR

September 24th, 2014 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

Quarterback Matt Cassel and guard Brandon Fusco both received new deals from the Vikings this offseason, with Cassel inking a two-year pact to avoid free agency while Fusco agreed to a four-year extension. However, just three weeks into the 2014 season, both players are done for the year. The team announced today in a press release that it has placed Cassel and Fusco on season-ending injured reserve.

Taking Cassel’s and Fusco’s spots on the roster are a pair of practice squad players, in tight end Chase Ford and offensive lineman Austin Wentworth. Their promotions opened up two new spots on the practice squad, which have been filled by quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and tight end Ryan Otten.

Cassel, who suffered a broken foot in the Vikings’ Week 3 loss to the Saints, will be replaced under center by rookie Teddy Bridgewater, while Christian Ponder transitions from the league’s most notable No. 3 signal-caller to Bridgewater’s backup. Although Cassel is under contract for two years, it’s extremely difficult to imagine him returning to a starting role in Minnesota at any point, unless Bridgewater struggles mightily during his rookie year. With Ponder facing free agency in 2015, perhaps the club decides to bring Cassel back as its No. 2 option in 2015, but given his $4.15MM base salary, he may have played his last game in Minnesota.

The Vikings have yet to use their IR spot with the designation to return, so the fact that neither Cassel nor Fusco – who sustained a shoulder injury – received that designation seems to suggest the team doesn’t believe either player will be healthy enough to return this season.

Injury Updates: Sunday

September 21st, 2014 at 8:43pm CST by Rob DiRe

The NFL is almost through another week of football, and the injuries are piling up yet again. An unfortunate reality of the league is that no team will leave healthy from week to week.

Zach Links and Luke Adams have already discussed some of the bigger names to go down. Matt Cassel‘s foot injury paved the way for Vikings‘ first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater‘s NFL debut. Dennis Pitta left the Ravens‘ win with a dislocated hip, and Chargers‘ tailback Danny Woodhead could miss the rest of the season with a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula.

Here are some other injury notes from around the NFL:

Matt Cassel Suffers Broken Foot

September 21st, 2014 at 3:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Matt Cassel went down in today’s 20-9 loss and the Vikings got some bad news about their starting quarterback after the game. At the postgame press conference, head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters that the QB has several fractured bones in his foot, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (via Twitter).

It’s not known how much time Cassel will be sidelined for, but it’s safe to assume that rookie Teddy Bridgewater, who took over under center after Cassel’s exit, will be the starter next week against the Falcons. The Vikings also have former first-round pick Christian Ponder on the active roster, so they probably won’t have to scramble for an out-of-house option. Still, it’s conceivable that Minnesota could look into signal callers for their practice squad. The ten-team taxi squad doesn’t feature any QBs.

Cassel emerged out of the Vikings’ three-headed QB battle this offseason to win the starting job when some expected Bridgwater to win the competition. In three games this season (or, rather, two-and-change), Cassel completed 59% of his passes for 372 passing yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. All of those picks came last week against the Pats.

The 32-year-old re-signed with Minnesota on a two-year, $10MM in March.

Matt Cassel To Remain Vikings’ Starter

September 14th, 2014 at 5:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

Matt Cassel threw four interceptions during the Vikings’ 30-7 loss to the New England Patriots, and the team was unable to get any offense going after an opening drive touchdown pass to backup running back Matt Asiata.

Vikings’ fans began openly begging for rookie first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater as the offense continued to stall throughout the game.

Those fans will not get their wish, at least not yet, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune. Head coach Mike Zimmer will not make a change at the quarterback as the team prepares to face the Saints in New Orleans next week.

“As I’ve said before, I’m going to hold the quarterback position just like every position here to the same standard,” Zimmer said. “And I also said I wasn’t going to have a quick hook. Matt needs to play better. It’s pretty obvious he needs to play better.”

If Cassel keeps throwing the ball to the other team, the Bridgewater era might be coming to a start early in the season.

NFC Notes: Cassel, Brent, Packers, Garrard

August 25th, 2014 at 2:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Even after the Vikings traded back into the first round of May’s draft to select Louisville product Teddy Bridgewater, the prevailing wisdom was that Matt Cassel would be the Week 1 starter at quarterback in Minnesota. Per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1 (Twitter link), that notion has held, as head coach Mike Zimmer has informed the Vikings’ players that Cassel will indeed open the season as the team’s No. 1 QB.

Zimmer himself confirmed the news to reporters, including Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (on Twitter), saying that Cassel was the favorite in the competition from the start. “Matt did not do anything to lose the job this preseason,” said Zimmer. “I think he’s played great. The team has a lot of confidence in him.” Through three preseason games, Cassel has completed 26 of 39 passes for 367 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, while Bridgewater has completed 26 of 40 pass attempts for 266 yards, four scores, and no picks.

On a macro level, this news means that no rookie quarterback will be his team’s Week 1 starter (unless Matt Schaub‘s injury lingers and David Carr is forced to take the reins for the Raiders). Chad Henne was chosen to start over Blake Bortles in Jacksonville, and Johnny Manziel lost out out Brian Hoyer in Cleveland. Still, I’d be surprised if two or three (or perhaps all four) of said rookies aren’t starting games by season’s end.

More notes from the NFC:

  • While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appears ready to save a roster spot for Josh Brent, the defensive tackle likely won’t require an active roster spot when the NFL reinstates him. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com, the league is expected to suspend Brent if and when he’s reinstated. “He’s not just going to walk back onto the field,” a source tells Werder.
  • Even after B.J. Raji‘s season-ending biceps injury, Green Bay has enough depth along the defensive line that it won’t be signing ex-Packer Ryan Pickett, writes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
  • Unhappy with incumbent Alex Henery, the Eagles had been scouting teams with a surplus of kickers, tweets Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Berman points to Dustin Hopkins, released by the Bills this morning, as one option for the Birds.
  • It’s unclear if he was simply being humorous, but David Garrard lobbied the Rams (via Twitter) to give him a call following Sam Bradford‘s season-ending injury. Garrard is 36 and has dealt with numerous injuries in the last few years — it’s highly doubtful St. Louis would be interested.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Rookie Quarterback Roundup: Bortles, Bridgewater, Carr, Manziel

August 9th, 2014 at 8:02am CST by Matt Feminis

Jaguars No. 3 overall choice Blake Bortles had an encouraging pro debut against Tampa Bay last night, completing 7-of-11 pass attempts for 117 yards, “which included three drops and just one questionable decision, a check-down effort on 3rd-and-19 that was tipped and nearly picked off,” according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Paul Tenorio. Head coach Gus Bradley was quoted after the game, saying, “I thought [Bortles] did a nice job, showed some good poise. We felt like we could protect him. Just the poise factor, we wanted to see that in him, and he did a nice job.”

How did the other rookie QBs fare?

  • Vikings first-rounder Teddy Bridgewater’s first play was encouraging, as he bootlegged right and threw a 21-yard strike on the move. The gain was negated by penalty, but Bridgewater performed well enough against Oakland to generate excitement despite an uneven stat line (6-of-13, 49 yards, two sacks, fumble). Overall, Bridgewater generated excitement, but clearly has aspects of his game to work on before he challenges for the starting job. “He looked unsteady at times when challenged by unfamiliar defensive alignments,” according to Brian Murray of TwinCities.com.
  • Meanwhile, Derek Carr, chosen by the Raiders four picks after Bridgewater, went 10-of-16 for 76 yards an interception (which should have been caught by the intended receiver). Carr was victimized by a few drops and bailed out on a few throws behind his receiver, but overall received passing grades in his debut. In terms of improvement areas, ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez notes the rookie needs to work on his touch.
  • As Dallas Robinson mentioned last night, Patriots second-rounder Jimmy Garoppolo looked better in his first NFL game action than he had looked in practice, outshining veteran backup Ryan Mallett. The rookie from Eastern Illinois went 9-of-13 for 157 yards and a touchdown. Garoppolo “showed a poise and pocket presence that was impressive,” according to the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian. “The players in the huddle responded to him. And, unlike Mallett, who struggled at times dealing with a shaky offensive line, Garoppolo made plays when the going got tough during Thursday night’s 23-6 loss to the Redskins in the preseason opener.”
  • As for Browns 22nd overall pick Johnny Manziel, his debut in Detroit tonight ranks as one of the most anticipated preseason games in recent memory. “The Johnny Football Circus comes to Detroit” as Free Press columnist Drew Sharp puts it. The game is sold out and the Lions issued credentials for all 200 seats of the press box, reports Sharp’s colleague Dave Birkett.

Extra Points: OTAs, Packers, Titans, Brady

June 22nd, 2014 at 9:12pm CST by Peter Sowards

Minicamps are finished. The 2014 NFL season awaits.

Players have left their respective clubs until the opening of training camp, and as ESPN.com’s John Clayton notes, coaches now will cross their fingers that they don’t receive the 3 a.m. phone call alerting them of the star player’s transgressions.

Clayton, the Worldwide Leader’s senior NFL writer, outlines seven things learned from the offseason programs, with No. 1 being the lack of readiness for rookie quarterbacks. Reading into Clayton’s words, he believes that no rookie quarterback will open the season as the team’s starting signal caller. Teddy Bridgewater is the most pro-ready, Clayton says, but Matt Cassel will get the first snap on opening day.

Taking a page out of Pete Carroll‘s playbook, Clayton writes that teams around the league are gravitating toward taller defensive backs. Case in point, the Kansas City Chiefs, who released 5-foot-9 cornerback Brandon Flowers in a cap-saving move. They’ll look to replace Flowers with 6-foot-1 Phillip Gaines, 6-foot-2 Marcus Cooper and 6-foot David Van Dyke, each of whom are first- or second-year players.

Other news and notes from around the league…

  • Among the 10 Packers stories to watch before training camp opens by Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is peace of mind at backup quarterback. It wasn’t pretty for the Pack at QB when Aaron Rodgers went down in a Week 9 loss to the Bears, but coach Mike McCarthy should feel better about this year’s situation with Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien backing up the All Pro, Dunne writes.
  • Quarterback Jake Locker, receiver Kendall Wright and the defense’s front seven are all things Titans fans should feel good about, The Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt writes. Locker should be at 100% coming off foot surgery in November and had started the 2013 season with a bang, while Wright will team with Nate Washington and Justin Hunter to ease Locker’s return to health.
  • Tom Brady‘s private quarterback coach, Tom House, admitted in an interview with SiriusXM radio that the three-time Super Bowl champion has struggled as of late to connect on the deep passes. “As he’s getting a little older you lose a little strength, you lose a little flexibility,” House said. “And what was happening was he was noticing that his accuracy and his long ball weren’t what they were three or four years ago. So we ran him through the computer, compared him to the models we have created for movement efficiency, and there were really, really small things that were causing his issues.”

 

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