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Mike Pettine

Recent Signings Facing Former Teams In 2014

April 23rd, 2014 at 9:13pm CST by Rob DiRe

The 2014 NFL schedule has been released, and it gives us an interesting chance to see some players face their former teammates for the first time. Some of these players were traded or otherwise unwanted by their former teams, and others spurned their hometown fans for greener pastures elsewhere. In all cases, there are some fans or players who must be licking their chops to finally treat these players in their new colors as enemies for the first time.

The following players will get the chance to play against their former teams in 2014:

  • Matt Schaub will either get a chance to show up his replacement in Week 2, or possibly hope to avoid getting tormented by Jadeveon Clowney when the Texans visit the Raiders on September 14th (4:25 EST, CBS).
  • DeSean Jackson would love a chance to show the world the Eagles made a mistake, and he will return to Philadelphia for Week 3 on September 21st (1:00 EST, FOX). Jackson will get a second chance on Saturday, December 20th (4:30 EST, NFL Network/CBS).
  • Branden Albert got see Tamba Hali and Justin Houston in practice for years. He will get them in a game for the first time when the Dolphins host the Chiefs on September 21st (4:25 EST, CBS).
  • Julius Peppers can wreak some havoc in a new system in his former stadium when the Packers visit the Bears on September 28th (1:00 EST, FOX). Peppers will get a second chance in Green Bay on November 9th in primetime (8:30 EST, NBC).
  • Steve Smith told the fans to “Put your goggles on cause there’s going to be blood and guts everywhere,” when he signed with the Ravens. Well have your goggles ready for Week 4, when the Ravens host the Panthers on September 28th (1:00 EST, CBS).
  • Alex Smith didn’t get to see Jim Harbaugh last year, but will finally get his shot to go after his former coach when the Chiefs travel to face the 49ers on October 5th (1:00 EST, CBS).
  • Eric Decker will get to watch Peyton Manning and the Broncos’ offense churn on without him when the Broncos play the Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 12th (1:00 EST, CBS).
  • Brandon Spikes will have to be prepared for the Patriots after a contentious offseason, as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been known to pick on players before. The Bills host the Patriots on October 12th (1:00 EST, CBS) and travel to New England on December 28th (1:00 EST, CBS).
  • Darrelle Revis will get to feast on a passing offense that struggled in 2013, and will likely invite Eric Decker to Revis Island when the Patriots host the Jets on Thursday Night Football on October 16th (8:25 EST, CBS/NFL Network). Revis will then get to return to a stadium filled with jeering fans on December 21st (1:00 EST, CBS).
  • Jared Veldheer seemingly couldn’t leave Oakland quick enough, and the Raiders will host his Cardinals on October 19th (4:25 EST, FOX).
  • Jason Hatcher had a career season with the Cowboys in 2013, and now returns to a 3-4 defense hoping to build upon his great season against his former team when the Redskins head to Dallas for Monday Night Football on October 27th (8:30 EST, ESPN). His second meeting with the Cowboys will be in Week 17, when the Redskins host their rivals on December 28th (1:00 EST, FOX).
  • Aqib Talib took the money to switch from the AFC runner up to the AFC champion, and he will take part in his third Brady-Manning matchup, his first as a Bronco, on November 2nd (4:25 EST, CBS).
  • Hakeem Nicks looked like he hated playing with the Giants in 2013, and this is his chance at revenge after feeling mistreated by the Giants organization and fans when the Colts visit MetLife Stadium for Monday Night Football on November 3rd (8:30 EST, ESPN).
  • Jared Allen gets to tee off against the Vikings offensive line he has been practicing against for the past six years, and for the first time since 2007 will finally get to share the field with Adrian Peterson on November 16th when the Bears host the Vikings (1:00 EST, FOX). Allen will head back to Minnesota on December 28th (1:00, FOX).
  • Lovie Smith gets his shot to beat the team that fired him, and will bring former Bear Josh McCown with him to move the football against a no longer feared Bears defense on November 9th (1:00 EST, FOX).
  • Mike Pettine left the Bills to coach the Browns, and will have to return to Buffalo on November 30th (1:00 EST, CBS).
  • Michael Johnson left the Bengals to be the featured pass rusher for the Buccaneers, and he will get his chance to beat Andrew Whitworth and the Bengals offensive line to get a hit on Andy Dalton on November 30th (1:00 EST, CBS).
  • Rodger Saffold can show the Raiders exactly how healthy he is after the team signed him to a huge money deal and subsequently failed him on his physical, voiding the deal. The Rams host the Raiders on November 30th (1:00 EST, CBS).
  • Henry Melton got hurt after receiving the franchise tag by the Bears, and will get a chance to prove he is still an effective player when the Cowboys visit the Bears for Thursday Night Football on December 4th (8:25 EST, NFL Network).
  • Chris Johnson will get to face the Titans for the first time, as he tries to show the team he still has some miles left on his tires when the Jets go to Tennessee on December 14th (4:05 EST, CBS).

Browns Notes: Manziel, Mack, Ward

March 3rd, 2014 at 10:51pm CST by Peter Sowards

At first glance, a headline of “Browns didn’t interview Johnny Manziel at NFL Combine” figures to draw the ire of Cleveland fans. The team needs a franchise quarterback, and Manziel projects to be a top-5 selection (The Browns own the No. 4 and No. 26 picks).

“We didn’t speak to him at the combine,” Browns coach Mike Pettine said Monday at the Cleveland Auto Show, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I didn’t personally. He was not part of the formal interviews.” 

However, as Cabot points out, the Browns still have ample time to bring Manziel in for an individual workout and interview, as well as the Texas A&M pro day on March 5.

It’s possible — and likely — that the Browns used their allotment of 60 combine interviews to speak with players whom they don’t plan on bringing in for private meetings.

More from the Browns and Cabot…

  • Center Alex Mack becomes the highest-paid center in the NFL with the application of the transition tag today, notes Cabot, in line to earn at least $10.039MM guaranteed in 2014 if not signed to an offer sheet.
  • Pettine doesn’t look at the transition tag as a one-year deal, but as a way to sign Mack long-term. “We felt that that was the best avenue for us to go,” Pettine said. “He’s an outstanding player. We want him to be a Cleveland Brown for a long time. The [transition tag] will allow us the opportunity to potentially do that.”
  • Since NFL rules dictate that each team can only tag one player per offseason, strong safety T.J. Ward did not receive a franchise or transition tag. “I wouldn’t read into it,” Pettine said. “It only eliminates the ability to have tagged him. He’s an outstanding player and he’s a Cleveland Brown and we’ll make the decision for what’s best for him moving forward.”

Extra Points: Benton, Dolphins, Amendola

March 1st, 2014 at 8:01pm CST by Peter Sowards

The Dolphins have promoted John Benton to offensive line coach and named Jack Bicknell Jr. the team’s assistant offensive line coach, the team announced today.

Benton was originally hired by the Dolphins on January 29. He replaces Jim Turner, who was fired earlier this month for his involvement in the Richie Incognito–Jonathan Martin bullying scandal.

Bicknell spent the 2013 season as the Steelers‘ offensive line coach. Before that, he had NFL stops with the Chiefs and Giants, and 24 seasons coaching at the collegiate level.

Here are some more bits and pieces from a relatively slow Saturday night…

Latest On Browns’ Front Office Shakeup

February 11th, 2014 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

The Browns shocked the football world today when they announced that Ray Farmer has been promoted to general manager, replacing Michael Lombardi, who is leaving the organization. Meanwhile, CEO Joe Banner is also on his way out, though not immediately. The Browns held a press conference this morning to discuss the front office overhaul, but before they did, a number of reports about the moves surfaced:

  • A league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that owner Jimmy Haslam felt like Lombardi had to go and that Farmer deserved to have complete control over the football decisions, “unfettered by Banner’s authority” in football operations.
  • Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports suggests (via Twitter) that failing to deliver on who they could hire to replace former coach Rob Chudzinski may have doomed Lombardi and Banner in Cleveland.
  • NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport passes along a few notable tidbits on the Browns’ coaching search, tweeting that Farmer wasn’t present during Pettine’s interview. Rapoport adds that if Cleveland had been able to hire Adam Gase of the Broncos, the club wanted to pair him with Seahawks exec Scot McCloughan, replacing Lombardi (Twitter link).
  • Rapoport also reports (via Twitter) that the team secretly interviewed Wisconsin’s Gary Andersen back in January. The Badgers coach confirmed as much to Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports (Twitter link): “After our initial conversation, I decided not to pursue the position.”
  • Lombardi and Banner were surprised and “devastated” by the Browns’ decision, according to Will Burge of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Burge also hears from a source (Twitter link) that Haslam made the announcement rather abruptly in a meeting this morning.

At today’s press conference, Haslam began by taking questions from reporters on his own, addressing many lingering questions, including a few of the topics mentioned in the above list. Here are the highlights from Haslam (all link go to various reporters’ Twitter accounts):

  • Banner will continue to work in a transitional role in the organization until May or June.
  • Farmer, head coach Mike Pettine, and team president Alec Scheiner will all report directly to Haslam.
  • Haslam had nothing but praise for Banner and Lombardi, suggesting that the duo had left the team in a good position with regard to the draft and cap space.
  • The team has no regrets about its head coach and is happy with the one it landed, in Pettine. Haslam added that reports of candidates not wanting to speak to the Browns are inaccurate.
  • Haslam shot down the idea of the Browns as a dysfunctional organization, or one without any continuity, pointing to the fact that Farmer has been in the front office for a year and the team’s scouts are already in place, so it’s not a complete overhaul.
  • Today’s moves are the last major changes coming to the Browns organization. Presumably, that statement applies to the 2014 offseason.
  • Farmer will have the final say on the Browns’ 53-man roster, while Pettine will make the decisions on game-day rosters.
  • Farmer played a key role in the Browns’ coaching search. However, that role primarily involved information gathering rather than actually being in on the interviews.
  • Haslam wouldn’t say whether any coaching candidates told him they wouldn’t accept the job if Banner or Lombardi was employed.
  • Haslem didn’t promise Farmer the Browns’ GM job to get him to remove his name from the Dolphins’ GM search.

Finally, Farmer took to the microphone and spoke to the media about a number of topics. Here were the noteworthy takeaways from the new GM’s portion of the presser (all Twitter links):

  • Farmer has signed a four-year deal with the Browns, which should keep him under contract through the 2017 season.
  • The Dolphins GM job was “not right” for Farmer, according to the new Browns GM, dismissing the idea that he withdrew his name from consideration because he knew the promotion in Cleveland was coming.
  • Farmer sidestepped football-related questions about the franchise tag and D’Qwell Jackson‘s contract situation, indicating that those decisions will be made at a later date.
  • While Farmer had been in communication with Haslam for a few days about the upcoming front office changes, he didn’t know definitively until last night that he’d be promoted to GM.
  • The team is in contact with troubled receiver Davone Bess, and the Browns’ top priority is making sure he gets any help he needs.

Browns To Seek QB In First Round

January 26th, 2014 at 10:11am CST by Rory Parks

All signs point to the Browns drafting a quarterback in the first round of this year’s draft, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. As new head coach Mike Pettine sets out to return his team to relevancy in the AFC North, he and the rest of Cleveland’s front office must decide whether a collegiate star like Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, or Blake Bortles can become the Brown’s long-coveted savior under center. Citing unnamed sources, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora recently wrote that the Browns would be willing to trade up in the draft to grab Manziel if necessary, but Browns CEO Joe Banner said that although he is by no means taking the Texas A&M star off the board, it is far too early to make such a determination.

Of course, the Browns do have Brian Hoyer on the roster, who impressed in limited action in the 2013 season. Hoyer won the two games that he started last season before tearing his ACL in the first quarter of his third start against the Bills. Ulrich notes that Hoyer is expected to be ready for organized team activities in May, but given the severity of the injury, nothing is certain in that regard.

Hoyer does have Pettine’s endorsement on his side. Shortly after being hired by the Browns, Pettine called Hoyer a “winner” with “off the charts” intangibles (link). However, it may be difficult for the Browns to pass on a talent like Manziel or Bridgewater, especially since they have two first-round picks to work with (Nos. 4 and 26 overall). If La Canfora’s sources are accurate and the Browns are indeed targeting Manziel, they may well have to move up to get him. ESPN Insider Mel Kiper recently predicted Manziel would be taken by the Texans with the first overall selection.

Coaching Notes: Browns, Redskins, Jets, Giants

January 26th, 2014 at 9:00am CST by Rory Parks

The Browns would like to hire Bills linebackers coach Jim O’Neil as their new defensive coordinator, but if the Bills should block O’Neil from interviewing with Cleveland, the Browns will pursue Ravens inside linebackers coach Don “Wink” Martindale, tweets NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Martindale served as the Broncos defensive coordinator in 2010 before joining the Ravens, and was the Raiders linebackers coach from 2004 to 2008.

Although their tenures with Baltimore never overlapped, new Browns head coach Mike Pettine worked as the Ravens outside linebackers coach in 2008 under John Harbaugh. According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, if Harbaugh vouches for Martindale, Pettine will value Harbaugh’s endorsement.

  • Newly-extended Jets head coach Rex Ryan is looking to fill out his coaching staff, and LSU special teams coach Thomas McGaughey has become a leading candidate to replace Ben Kotwica as New York’s special-teams coordinator, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Kotwica recently left the Jets to become the Redskins special-teams coordinator.
  • Speaking of the Redskins, Washington has hired Randy Jordan to be its new running backs coach. Jordan beat out former Redskins running back and coach Ernest Byner for the post, and his hire fills the last vacant position coach job on Jay Gruden‘s staff.
  • The Giants, meanwhile, continue the overhaul of their offensive coaching staff by hiring Oregon State offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf as their new quarterbacks coach. Along with fellow new hires Ben McAdoo and Craig Johnson, Langsdorf will try to help turn around a Giants offense that struggled mightily in 2013 under the shaky hand of quarterback Eli Manning.

Reiss On Browns, Quinn, Diehl, Pats

January 26th, 2014 at 8:46am CST by Matt Feminis

Front offices and coaching staffs continue to turn over throughout the NFL, including in New England, prompting ESPN’s Mike Reiss to give his take on several news items. Highlights:

  • Turning down ostensibly prestigious, high-profile NFL jobs in fear of stigmatic repercussions is all the rage right now, but before the Dolphins’ convoluted GM search, the Browns were trendsetters. Before hiring head coach Mike Pettine, the team “circled back” on Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels only to be told, ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ a second time.
  • Browns CEO Joe Banner told reporters Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was reluctantly crossed off the list because the Browns did not want to wait until after the Super Bowl, as first reported by Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
  • Reiss compared the recent retirement of Giants OL David Diehl to that of former Patriot OT Matt Light, implying Diehl’s loss could be more impactful than national perception indicates. Diehl was considered a heart-and-soul-type who brought leadership and dependability to the offensive line.
  • Reiss spitballs that the retirement of longtime Patriots offensive line coach/assistant head coach Dante Scarnecchia could open the door for former Rutgers and Tampa Bay head man Greg Schiano to join the coaching staff. Bill Belichick’s relationship with Schiano is well-documented and the New England roster is filled with Rutgers products.

Browns Notes: Pettine, Hoyer, Mack, Ward

January 23rd, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Zachary Links

It took quite a while for the Browns to make their hire, but they finally got their man in Mike Pettine earlier today. Meanwhile, Pettine told Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 (Twitter links) after his introductory presser that it almost didn’t happen. As the hiring process lingered on, the former Bills defensive coordinator worried that it wasn’t fair to keep Buffalo waiting. “That was starting to wear on me these last couple of days. I talked to [Bills head coach Doug Marrone] and it was getting to the point where I’d say, ‘Hey, if this goes on much longer I need to pull out because it’s just not fair to the Bills.‘” Here’s a look at the highlights from Pettine’s first press conference and more from Cleveland..

  • Pettine says that the perception matches the reality: the club is behind the eight-ball because he was hired so late, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. The new head coach is already getting to work on assembling his staff.
  • The new man in charge offered a strong endorsement of quarterback Brian Hoyer, Ulrich tweets, calling him a “winner” and describing his intangibles as “off the charts.” However, he did concede that even though the offense has talent, there are “some holes” to address (link).
  • The Browns submitted a request to Buffalo to interview linebacker coach Jim O’Neil for their defensive coordinator opening, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. O’Neil and Pettine also worked together with Jets. It was reported earlier today that Pettine would seek to bring O’Neil along with him to the Browns.
  • Pettine said potential free agents center Alex Mack and safety T.J. Ward are special players he’d love to have back, Ulrich tweets.
  • Browns CEO Joe Banner said team will do everything it can to support troubled wide receiver Davone Bess but wouldn’t comment further, according to Ulrich (via Twitter).
  • Banner and owner Jimmy Haslam revealed that Pettine was on their list of defensive coordinator candidates last year, Ulrich tweets.

Browns Hire Mike Pettine As Head Coach

January 23rd, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

4:44pm: Pettine agreed to a five-year contract with the Browns, according to team CEO Joe Banner (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).

3:12pm: The last NFL team without a coach has finally found its man. The Browns have hired Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine as their new head coach, with a press conference scheduled for this afternoon, according to the team (Twitter link). Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer first reported (via Twitter) that the Browns had reached an agreement with Pettine.

Long after every other head coaching position in the NFL had been filled, the Browns continued to interview candidates and consider potential options to succeed Rob Chudzinski. Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were among the names the Browns were said to be eyeing before hiring Pettine.

Pettine, who spent four years as the defensive coordinator with the Jets before heading to Buffalo last year, turned the Bills’ D into a top-five unit, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA, a significant turnaround after the team ranked 27th in 2012.

According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), Pettine will bring Bills linebacker coach Jim O’Neil to Cleveland to be his defensive coordinator, assuming Buffalo is willing to let him out of his contract. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that Pettine had identified Alex Van Pelt as a top candidate for Cleveland’s offensive coordinator opening, but Van Pelt will remain with the Packers as the team’s QB coach (Twitter links).