HEADLINES

Shonn Greene

AFC South Notes: Titans, Colts, Hilton

June 16th, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Titans had planned to hire a new president/CEO, that search has been put on hold, and interim president Steve Underwood will continue to hold the position through the 2015 season, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.

“We had applications from a number of people that I have known for many years who have been presidents of NFL clubs, who were highly qualified, and they’d be good leaders,” Underwood said. “But we didn’t interview any of them; we never got that far along in the process. I just think our ownership group, as the weeks went by, they got a better and better comfort level in the direction we’re heading and they decided they’d rather put that off if I would decide to stay and get us through the season.“

As the Titans’ ownership group and front office has done repeatedly in recent months and years, Underwood also reiterated today that the franchise is not for sale, according to Wyatt.

“There is no talk of selling. The owners haven’t entertained it,” Underwood said. “The people who suggest a sale are guessing and I don’t have to guess — I know there is not a sale underway. They are not entertaining offers for a sale. There is no ‘for sale’ sign in our yard.“

Here’s more from out of the AFC South:

  • Shonn Greene wasn’t cut today by the Titans because he was out of shape or injured — according to head coach Ken Whisenhunt, the running back passed a physical before he was released, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • The Colts aren’t pursuing Evan Mathis, and it appears unlikely that the team will reconsider that stance, a source tells Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.
  • Mike Chappell of Indy Sports Central looks at T.Y. Hilton‘s resume in an attempt to assess his value, noting that it’s far from a given that Hilton will get an extension. Colts owner Jim Irsay has rarely signed any player to an extension, including Peyton Manning, who played out his contracts before signing new ones. The Colts also have rookie Phillip Dorsett in the fold, which could give them a fallback option if Hilton is not retained in the long term.
  • Trent Cole‘s best years are almost certainly behind him, but he told reporters this week, including Mike Wells of ESPN.com, that he feels “rejuvenated” after joining the Colts this offseason.

Titans Release Shonn Greene

June 16th, 2015 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

9:12am: The Titans have officially released Greene, the team confirmed today (via Twitter).

8:26am: The Titans intend to release veteran running back Shonn Greene from their roster this morning, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Because Greene is a vested veteran, he won’t have to pass through waivers, and will immediately become a free agent when the move is official.

Greene, who will turn 30 in August, joined the Titans in 2013 on the heels of a pair of 1,000-yard seasons with the Jets. However, the former third-round pick never matched the success he had in New York during his two seasons with the Titans. As a part-time contributor, Greene totaled 687 yards and six touchdowns over the course of the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

Heading into the final year of his contract, Greene didn’t report to the Titans’ offseason program until very recently, according to Wyatt (via Twitter). Given his minor role in Tennessee’s offense over the last two years, it’s somewhat surprising Greene was even still on the roster at this point. He had been scheduled to earn a salary of $3.25MM in 2015, and the Titans will reduce his cap hit from about $4.183MM to $833K by cutting him.

With Greene out of the picture, 2014 second-rounder Bishop Sankey appears poised to handle the majority of the load in the Tennessee backfield. David Cobb and Antonio Andrews should also get the opportunity to compete for touches, with Dexter McCluster acting as an all-purpose weapon.

AFC South Notes: Colts, Greene, Titans, Jags

April 25th, 2015 at 1:52pm CST by Ben Levine

The Colts have thought outside the box as they’ve attempted to round out the bottom of their roster. As Stephen Holder of the Indy Star points out, the team currently has four former CFL players, two college basketball players and a Kenyan rugby player under contract.

The mix of different backgrounds isn’t unusual to general manager Ryan Grigson, who is willing to look anywhere to make his team better:

“If you have elite athletic traits, you can do this. This isn’t one of those specialized sports, like golf. If you have a level of toughness and you can move and you have instincts, if you have those at an elite level, you’re going to get a chance.”

Let’s take a look at more notes out of the AFC South, including additional whispers from Indianapolis…

AFC Links: McCourty, Chargers, Titans

January 9th, 2015 at 2:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Ravens wideout Steve Smith will be facing off against the Patriots this weekend, and the veteran acknowledged that he was pursued by New England during the offseason.

“Yeah, I talked to [Bill Belichick] and it was a great opportunity as well,” Smith told Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. “Anytime you have an opportunity to go to some teams, it’s always good. When your phone stops ringing, you need to start thinking about if I’m in the right profession.”

Let’s see what else is going on around the AFC…

Shonn Greene Arrested

October 25th, 2014 at 12:45pm CST by Ben Levine

12:45pm: ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky tweets that Greene’s roster spot is not in jeopardy following the arrest.

11:10am: Titans running back Shonn Greene was arrested last night on a variety of charges, reports Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. The most serious was a resisting stop charge that Wyatt attributes to Greene leaving the scene of an incident. Greene was also charged with “a handicap parking violation, driving on a revoked/suspended license, reckless driving and resisting stop/halt/frisk.”

According to Wyatt, the entire incident began in Franklin, Tennessee when Greene parked his car in a handicap space. After being approached by a parking enforcement officer, the 29-year-old attempted to get away, nearly hitting the officer’s car while attempting to drive around the vehicle. Greene then sped away from the scene, and he eluded police a second time when he was later caught in traffic.

Greene turned himself in around 9 p.m., posted a $2K bond and was released by 10:38 p.m.

Sergeant Charles Warner said that the running back escalated the entire event:

“The entire situation could have been avoided if he would have left that handicap space for who it was intended for. The fact that he didn’t and got caught being parked there, he could have stopped things from going any further than a parking ticket if he would have simply communicated with the parking enforcement officer and not taken such evasive measures to get away from her, increasing the seriousness of what would have been a simple parking ticket.”

Greene has compiled 190 yards on 44 carries this season, his second with the team. He inked a three-year deal worth $10MM prior to last season.

Titans Notes: Lewan, Hunter, Thompson

June 26th, 2014 at 11:03pm CST by Matt Feminis

Titans rookie first-rounder Taylor Lewan remains unsigned, but that didn’t prevent the team from training him at both left and right tackle, writes John Glennon in the Tennessean.

Here’s a few more Titans tidbits provided by offensive coordinator Jason Michael, who did an interview for the team website:

  • Talented but raw second-year receiver Justin Hunter has shown flashes of playmaking, and “the sky’s the limit” for him, but the staff needs to continue pushing him.
  • Veteran Shonn Greene (injury) and rookie Bishop Sankey (academic requirements) missed most of the team’s offseason, opening the door for Dexter McCluster to learn the system.
  • Another player who must make strides is Taylor Thompson, whose transition from college defensive end to NFL tight end has not gone smoothly. Michael did not call out Thompson, but did stop short of praising him, saying, “He’s still young to the position, with changing from defensive end, and I know we’ve talked about those things and at some point, he’s got to put that behind him and move forward and be a tight end…”
  • However, unlike Hunter, a 2013 second-rounder who scored four touchdowns and averaged nearly 20 yards per catch as a rookie, Thompson enters his third pro season with just nine catches to his credit. In a recent Daily News Journal article, Thompson admitted to enduring growing pains and a steep learning curve. Additionally, first-year position coach Mike Mularkey said his first impression of Thompson is that he’s raw and inexperienced. Thompson, whom the Titans traded up for in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, has two years remaining on his rookie contract, but the team is hoping for signs of development. He’s expected to be the team’s No. 3 tight end, but at 6-6 and nearly 270 pounds with sub-4.6 speed and natural catching ability, Thompson has breakout potential if the light comes on.

AFC Notes: Titans, Ravens, Browns, Revis

May 26th, 2014 at 2:27pm CST by Rob DiRe

Let’s take a Memorial Day look around the AFC:

  • There a number of Titans who may see their starting jobs, and even roster spots in general, in jeopardy come training camp, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Shonn Greene, Michael Oher, and Jake Locker are among the notable names who may not see as much action as expected for the Titans in 2014.
  • The Ravens selected quarterback Keith Wenning in this month’s draft to compete with Tyrod Taylor to be the backup to Joe Flacco, writes Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore,com. However, Brown writes that he is unsure if the Ravens will devote three roster spots to the position, meaning the two might not only be battling for a backup job, but a spot on the roster.
  • Ravens defensive lineman Brandon Williams is determined to come back in 2014 with more success after a toe injury kept him out of nine games as a rookie, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Williams, a third-round pick in 2013, has dedicated himself to being in better shape this season. “I’ve had a good offseason, I’ve been working out doing cardio and a bunch of other stuff,” Williams said. “I’m lighter and leaner. I’ve gotten a little stronger.”
  • Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer speculates that neither Brian Hoyer nor Johnny Manziel will win the Browns‘ quarterback job until later this summer. Reed thinks that while Hoyer is perhaps the favorite to start to open the 2014 season, if Manziel performs like he did at Texas A&M during the preseason, it will put significant pressure on the Browns’ organization to start the former Heisman Trophy winner.
  • Darrelle Revis will have a positive impact on the Patriots‘ offense this upcoming season, writes Brent Sobleski of USA Today. Tom Brady told Peter King of The Monday Morning Quarterback that he’s already tired of throwing against Revis in practice everyday. The former first-round pick out of Pittsburgh has been described by former teammate Jim Leonard as “the best practice player” he’s ever seen. Sobleski thinks that having such a worthy practice adversary will only serve to improve Brady’s game.

David Kipke contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Burleson, Jaguars, Titans

April 3rd, 2014 at 9:29pm CST by Ben Levine

On this day in (sort of) NFL history, Bo Jackson signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. The year was 1991, and the signing came only three months after Jackson suffered a career-threatening hip injury while playing in the NFL playoffs with the Raiders. Jackson would never play another NFL game, finishing with 2,782 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. Jackson would play in 23 games for the White Sox in 1991 and, after missing the entire ’92 baseball season, would appear in another 160 games between 1993 and 1994. Jackson was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in both the NFL and MLB.

Now, for some more news on the Raiders and other AFC teams…

  • The Raiders will host Northern Illinois defensive tackle Ken Bishop, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
  • Free agent wide receiver Nate Burleson will visit with the Browns on Saturday, tweets Alex Marvez of Fox Sports. Burleson met with the Dolphins earlier today.
  • The Jaguars are keeping their options open in regards to trading the No. 3 pick, and Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com looks at a couple of deals that the team could make. The “jackpot scenario,” according to DiRocco, would have to include the Texans selecting a quarterback and the Rams taking Greg Robinson. Plenty of teams would have interest in Jadeveon Clowney, meaning the Jags could move down a few spots while also adding a couple of draft picks.
  • Assuming the Titans draft a running back, there still will not be a bona fide starter among the group, ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky says in a chat. According to Kuharsky, snaps will change game-to-game between the rookie, Shonn Greene and Dexter McCluster.
  • In the same chat, Kuharsky says he wouldn’t “be surprised” if the team selected a receiver, adding that the team needs one more. When asked which players he would avoid in the first round, Kuharsky replied “the quarterbacks.”