HEADLINES

Mike Smith

NFC South Notes: Newton, Falcons, Bucs

July 26th, 2014 at 9:31am CST by Matt Feminis

Four paragraphs into an article about the Panthers’ Fan Fest, Charlotte Observer writer Joseph Person quotes Cam Newton, who admits his ankle isn’t fully healed yet: “I can’t stress enough that I’m not 100 percent yet. I’m treating it day in and day out.”

Here’s some more NFC South reading:

  • One of Newton’s newest blockers, 21-year-old rookie guard Trai Turner, is drawing early praise, according to the Observer’s Jonathan Jones, who quotes veteran center Ryan Kalil: “He’s so young and he’s doing such a good job.”
  • Falcons head coach Mike Smith was interviewed the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Orlando Ledbetter. Smith said there will be competition at the Falcons’ free safety spot, but veteran Dwight Lowery is the starter to begin training camp. As for the nickel back job, Robert McClain, Josh Wilson, Javier Arenas and Ricardo Allen are vying for reps.
  • Buccaneers new head man Lovie Smith isn’t deviating from the coaching philosophy and roster structure that sustained him for nine years in Chicago. He’s hand-picked his game managing quarterback in Josh McCown, writes Chris Urso of the Tampa Tribune: “The Bucs don’t need a Drew Brees. Lovie Smith would settle for a Trent Dilfer, a Brad Johnson. The man went to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman at quarterback.” And on the defensive side of the ball, Smith has demanded players trim down in order to play fast and execute his Tampa 2 scheme, writes Alan Dell in the Bradenton Herald.
  • Jason Fitzgerald at OverTheCap.com gave his reaction to yesterday’s Carl Nicks news, saying, “The contract was a good example of the problems that can occur with the all cash salary cap model that is employed by Tampa Bay. Because all cash contracts contain no signing bonus it often leads to lower cash flows in the first year of the contract than awarded in more traditional NFL contracts. The players also receive no “dead money” protection in the contract. These factors lead to teams overpaying for talent and guaranteeing large portions of the contract. Nicks received a ridiculous $25 million in fully guaranteed salary upon signing, an unheard of total for a guard. $31 million of the contract was guaranteed for injury.” Ultimately, the Buccaneers payed Nicks $25MM for nine games of work.

Extra Points: Clowney, Glenn, Shembo

July 19th, 2014 at 1:10pm CST by Matt Feminis
  • Texans No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney’s status for the beginning of training camp is still up the air, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. Clowney, who is recovering from June sports hernia surgery, remains day-to-day with no timetable established for his return.
  • The Ravens placed backup nose tackle Terrence Cody on the physically unable to perform list for the beginning of training camp, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Cody, who is recovering from hip surgery, can be be activated whenever he’s healthy enough to resume practicing.
  • In minor transaction news, the Bills signed receiver Tori Gurley and cornerback Kamaal McIlwain to fill empty roster spots, according to BuffaloBills.com insider Chris Brown.
  • Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn is on the Active/Non-Football Illness list, but GM Doug Whaley doesn’t think Glenn will be lost long-term, according to WGR 550’s Joe Buscaglia. Said Whaley: “We don’t think so at this time. It’s just gonna have to see on how he progresses. We hope not. We’re still waiting on some reports on him, but it looks like it’s gonna be one of those day-to-day things and we’ll see how it progresses.”
  • In the meantime, highly publicized rookie Seantrel Henderson will man left tackle in Glenn’s stead.
  • Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union takes an in-depth look at the Jaguars’ new-look offensive line, including quotes from offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch praising the athleticism of Luke Joeckel and the leadership of Zane Beadles. “He’s certainly as advertised and then some,” Fisch says of Beadles.
  • Falcons fourth-round outside linebacker Prince Shembo has a realistic chance of earning starts, writes Orlando Ledbetter in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ledbetter says the team will “force-feed” information to Shembo, whom head coach Mike Smith is “very excited” about. “He’s picked up the system very well,” said Smith. “He doesn’t have any experience, but we will get him a lot, I can assure you that in the preseason.”
  • James Harrison, Jermichael Finley and Santonio Holmes headline AP writer Dennis Waszak Jr.’s list of 13 notable, veteran free agents still looking for work with training camps getting underway.
  • The Patriots issued a press release saying Bill Belichick and Aaron Hernandez exchanged 34 total text messages, not 33 pages worth. According to Boston Globe correspondent Dan Adams, filings released Monday did not reveal the contents of the text messages or what Patriots employees shared with authorities, but did reveal that Belichick, Robert Kraft were interviewed by investigators, who also searched the locker of a player.
  • The NFL is moving swiftly to address the issue of underqualified underclassmen flooding the draft, reports NFL.com’s Albert Breer. In an effort to deter potentially undraftable players from declaring, the league’s advisory committee will streamline (simplify) its evaluation grades to include first round, second round or neither. Additionally, colleges will be restricted to five evaluation requests unless an abundance of talent dictates the need for more (e.g. Alabama, LSU, Florida State, etc.). Writes Beer: “At the heart of the changes are staggering statistics stemming from the 2014 draft class — of the record 107 who declared, 45 went undrafted. A majority of those 45 remain unsigned by NFL teams as undrafted free agents.”

NFC North Notes: Packers, Bears, Vikings

July 19th, 2014 at 10:27am CST by Matt Feminis

The injury-related retirement of Packers running back Jonathan Franklin means there are third-down snaps to be had, writes ESPN Wisconsin’s Jason Wilde in a position preview. If/when Eddie Lacy is off the field, the leading candidates are DuJuan Harris — if he can show improvement in blitz pickup — and “old reliable” fullback John Kuhn.

Here’s a few more NFC North links:

  • The Packers’ run defense fell off significantly last season, and the team made a concerted effort to get younger and more athletic along the defensive line. In fact, 28-year-old B.J. Raji is now the “old man of the line.” In the spotlight, however, is 2013 first-rounder Datone Jones, whom Press-Gazette’s Pete Dougherty calls a “critical player for meaningful improvement.” Jones sustained a sprained ankle in the preseason opener and didn’t get healthy until the end of the season. The team expects Jones to step up his game this season, as he will have significantly more responsibility than his niche role as an inside, sub-package rusher last year.
  • The Bears, who were even worse than the Packers against the run last season, also expect to have a better defensive front in 2014. A healthy Jay Ratliff is one of the reasons why. The veteran defensive tackle is 33, but is 100 percent healthy now, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, who shared a text message he received from a Bears employee: “It helps that we signed Rat. He’s a soldier if healthy!” If that’s the case, it will be a coup for the Bears, who scooped up Ratliff in November for a late-season look-see after he was released by the Cowboys. Encouraged by Ratliff’s health, the Bears retained him on a team-friendly, two-year deal, expecting him to provide disruption from the three-technique.
  • Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times identified the Bears’ 10 most important players, including defensive lineman Lamarr Houston, whom the Bears see as a “star in the making.”
  • Bears head coach Marc Trestman sat down with the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer for an extensive one-on-one interview in which Trestman touched on a variety of topics, including Jay Cutler, Jared Allen, locker-room culture and leadership, among other things.
  • Vikings fourth-year tight end Kyle Rudolph, who shed 15 pounds this offseason, believes he’s an improved route runner thanks to new offensive coordinator Norv Turner, writes ESPN’s Ben Goessling.

NFC Notes: Falcons, Shembo, Bostic, Sherrod

June 7th, 2014 at 9:04am CST by Matt Feminis

“Our sub defense is our base defense because we play it 65 percent of the snaps,” Falcons head coach Mike Smith tells Daniel Cox of atlantafalcons.com. And while defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s unit is multiple and versatile, he wants players to be dependable at one job first and foremost, particularly in the secondary: “I would like that back end to be set with guys that are really good at one position. I’d rather have a specific guy right now than a jack-of-all trades. When you get to the front, the jack-of-all trades really becomes a little bit more valuable because when you’re attacking protections…or going from 3-4 to 4-3, those looks, that’s where you want it to be a little bit more versatile.”

Here’s some more morning NFC links:

  • ESPN’s Vaughn McClure relays brief quotes from Nolan on his defensive rookies, including fourth-rounder Prince Shembo, who will be used at inside linebacker despite playing outside at Notre Dame.
  • Bears outside linebacker Jon Bostic struggled during his rookie season, but the team thinks the second-year pro will be better as the defense moves away from a base cover-2 scheme, writes Adam Jahns in the Chicago Sun-Times. “I feel a lot more comfortable this year, especially with all the changes to the defense,” said Bostic. “A lot of the changes that we did make, it’s a lot more natural for me. I can play how I’ve been taught literally from little league to high school to college to now. It’s back to playing how I used to.”
  • Packers 2011 first-rounder Derek Sherrod, who went through the off-season program healthy for the first time, faces a make-or-break season after the team declined his fifth-year option, notes ESPN’s Rob Demovsky in his Saturday mailbag.
  • The Seahawks starting linebackers — Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Malcolm Smith — will combine to make approximately$2.86MM in base salary next season, notes Todd Dybas of the News Tribune.
  • “If you think [Redskins receiver] Santana Moss is a goner come September, think again,” says Rich Tandler of CSN Washington.
  • The Rams are converting defensive lineman Mason Brodine, who spent two seasons on the practice squad, to tight end, per Joe Lyons of the Post-Dispatch.

Falcons Extend Smith, Dimitroff, McKay

January 27th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Falcons have officially extended the contracts of head coach Mike Smith, general manager Thomas Dimitroff, and president/CEO Rich McKay, the team announced today (link via Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com). Smith and Dimitroff each had one year added to their current deals, while McKay received four new years, extending his contract through May 2019.

“We are fortunate to have talented key leaders at the Falcons who are dedicated to a common goal of being a league leader on and off the field,” owner and chairman Arthur Blank said in a statement. “I have great respect for the skills and commitment of Rich, Thomas and Smitty, and I look forward to continuing to support and work with them in the years to come.”

Smith and Dimitroff have spent six seasons with the Falcons so far, and are coming off a disappointing 4-12 campaign. However, the team still has a 60-36 record during their respective tenures, with 2013 representing the lone sub-.500 season during that six-year stretch.

For Smith, who received a three-year contract extension with one year left on his original deal in February 2011, the one-year extension removes his lame-duck status heading into the 2014 season.