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Tom Coughlin

NFC Mailbags: Panthers, Ingram, Bush, Giants

November 29th, 2014 at 10:59am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN’s NFL writers are opening the mailbags and answering reader questions. Let’s take a look at some interesting notes from the NFC…

  • The Panthers could move on from DeAngelo Williams after the season, says David Newton. Meanwhile, Jonathan Stewart, who still has a couple of years left on his contract, is more likely to stick around.
  • Mike Triplett wouldn’t be surprised if the Saints let Mark Ingram walk and opted to utilize their running back depth instead.
  • It would make sense for the Lions to consider trading Reggie Bush if they were to receive a solid offer, writes Michael Rothstein. However, the writer believes Bush still has a place in the team’s offense, and he adds that it would be tough to move a 30-year-old running back.
  • Dan Graziano’s gut tells him that both Giants coach Tom Coughlin and general manager Jerry Reese will be safe following the season, but he warns that the final stretch of the season could ultimately determine their fate.
  • John Keim guesses that Washington could expect a third or fourth-rounder in exchange for Robert Griffin III. He expects a “low-rounder at best” for Kirk Cousins.

NFC Notes: Cutler, Lynch, Ingram

November 16th, 2014 at 12:39pm CST by Rory Parks

Jay Cutler‘s future with the Bears has grown quite murky over the course of his shaky 2014 campaign, and David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes that the league’s highest-paid player this season also looks like its worst bargain. Haugh adds that if Chicago replaces head coach Marc Trestman or GM Phil Emery in 2015, Cutler’s stability vanishes completely. Furthermore, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes, the Bears could trade Cutler after this season and save $12.5MM. The team is therefore not financially tethered to the quarterback it hoped would be its franchise savior, and Schefter reports that there would be a fair amount of interest in Cutler if Chicago were to make him available via trade.

Now for some more links from the NFC:

Poll: Best Head Coaching Candidates

November 14th, 2014 at 11:02pm CST by Rob DiRe

Colts‘ offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Browns‘ offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan have accomplished plenty on their offenses this season, with each team currently leading its current division through nine games. Those performances could lead to big paydays as head coaches next season.

They are not the only coordinators being rumored for head coaching jobs. Giants‘ offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has been talked about as a possible successor for Tom Coughlin. Broncos‘ offensive coordinator Adam Gase could follow the path of his predecessor, Mike McCoy, who jumped from a record-setting Peyton Manning-led offense to the top job for the Chargers.

The defending champion Seahawks have taken a step back from last season, but the market may not have cooled on both of their coordinators. Both offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn have both been talked about as head coaching candidates, with particular interest coming from the Jets if general manager John Idzik is retained in New York and head coach Rex Ryan is fired.

Todd Bowles has helped put together a great defense in Arizona, as the Cardinals have gone 8-1 despite injuries on the defense. Lions‘ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin could be in a similar position, as his team is currently leading it’s division based on the strength of the defense.

Add to the mix the possibility of Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher returning to the sidelines, or even the possibility of a college coach like David Shaw of Stanford jumping to the NFL, and teams will have a number of options should they decide to pursue a new coach in 2015. That list does not include the head coaches that will lose their jobs at the end of the season, a number of them will hit the open market with impressive records of success. That list could include Ryan, Mike Smith, and Jim Harbaugh, among others.

New York Notes: Workouts, Coughlin, Harvin

November 11th, 2014 at 5:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Cornerback Derek Cox was among the free agents to work out for the Giants today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), but Cox was far from the only veteran in for an audition. Per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, the Giants looked at 13 players in total. Here’s the full list, along with a few other notes on the NFL’s two New York teams:

  • The full list of players who tried out for the Giants today, in addition to Cox, via Raanan: Defensive backs Jalil Brown, Kanorris Davis, Thomas Gordon, Robert Steeples, Brandon Taylor, and Josh Victorian; quarterback Dominique Davis; wideouts Lee Doss and Chris Matthews; defensive tackle Clifton Geathers; linebacker Uani Unga, and tight end Evan Wilson.
  • As the Giants stumble toward the finish line in another disappointing season, head coach Tom Coughlin should make this his last year, announcing his retirement at season’s end before the team has a chance to ask him to “retire,” argues Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. Of course, we’ve seen Coughlin’s Giants squads make surprising late-season runs before, but it’s unlikely that this year’s team gets back into playoff contention.
  • Many players wouldn’t be happy making the move from the defending champions to a 2-8 club, but wideout Percy Harvin is “at peace” with the Jets, as he tells Danny Knobler of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • After watching Mark Sanchez light up the Panthers in Philadelphia last night, Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post writes that the only way the Sanchez saga could get stranger is if he somehow made his way back to the Jets. Of course, as Hubbuch points out, the Jets figure to be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, and Sanchez will be eligible for free agency. A reunion seems awfully unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
  • George Willis of the New York Post outlines a handful of reasons why the Jets shouldn’t tank in the hopes of landing the No. 1 pick and quarterback Marcus Mariota.

East Notes: Cowboys, Jets, McAdoo

November 9th, 2014 at 10:52am CST by Rory Parks

Less than two weeks ago, the Cowboys were 6-1 and sitting pretty atop the NFC East. Then, late in a Week 8 loss to the Redskins, Tony Romo went down with a back injury that will hinder him for the rest of the season, and Dallas went on to drop last week’s contest to the Cardinals to fall to second place in the division. Although the Cowboys have a good chance to right the ship today against the 1-8 Jaguars, all is apparently not well in Big D.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that 20 Cowboys players missed curfew on Friday night, and that the club’s coaches and veteran players are “frustrated.” Furthermore, Rapoport notes in a series of tweets that Dallas harbors off-the-field concerns with star receiver Dez Bryant, who is due for a massive contract extension. Rapoport notes that DeSoto City Police have been called to Bryant’s home six times in four years, for a variety of reasons, and that explains why the Cowboys were only willing to guarantee $20MM of the 10-year, $114MM extension they offered to Bryant. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe believes, justifiably, that this “news” regarding the frequent police activity at Bryant’s house is simply an attempt for the Cowboys to gain leverage in negotiations with Bryant. As Volin tweets, “the annual ‘smear Dez Bryant’s reputation’ campaign is here.”

In any event, the Cowboys must find some way to quickly subdue their bubbling inner turmoil lest a once-promising season gives way to another winter nightmare.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • The Jets, who also find themselves in disarray, recently employed what Rapoport (via Twitter) termed an “egregious example of heavy-handed coaching.” According to Rapoport, before Geno Smith threw one of three interceptions in the team’s Week 8 loss to Buffalo, the Jets coaching staff told Smith to throw the ball to Percy Harvin. Apparently, this was not a way to get the team’s new wideout more involved in the game, it was a way to try and simplify the game for Smith by dictating his reads. Looking for some way to improve Smith’s performance, an increasingly desperate coaching staff tried to play the game for him, and it predictably backfired.
  • Nonetheless, Manish Metha of the New York Daily News believes a bye week coaching change would make very little sense for the Jets and that Rex Ryan has earned the right to fight with his team to the end of the season.
  • There are rumors that this could be Tom Coughlin‘s last year with the Giants, and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes that New York sees a future head coach in current offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com describes how the Patriots caught a break with Akeem Ayers and Ryan Wendell this season.

New York Notes: Coughlin, McAdoo, Ryan

November 8th, 2014 at 6:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Already having combined for a 4-13 record this season, the Giants and Jets will face challenges once again this weekend as they look to pick up victories. Eli Manning and the Giants will head to Seattle to try to knock off the reigning Super Bowl champs, while Rex Ryan‘s Jets will try to slow down the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger, who was tossed 12 touchdowns passes in the last two weeks. As we look forward to seeing whether either team can pull off the upset, here are a few Saturday items out of New York:

  • The Giants‘ ideal scenario would see head coach Tom Coughlin eventually decide on his own to retire, with current offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo sliding into the head coaching role at that point, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, who describes McAdoo as “Coughlin Light.” Of course, if this season continues to go south, that transition may not be possible, but Giants management is confident in McAdoo’s ability to fix the team’s offense, as well as his future head coaching potential.
  • In the view of Gary Myers of the New York Daily News, “the fire is gone” for Coughlin and Ryan, both of whom could be gone at the end of this season. As Myers notes, if the Giants and Jets both decide to make coaching changes, they’ll be in direct competition as they scour the market for candidates.
  • While Jets owner Woody Johnson would be justified in moving on from Ryan after the season, the head coach has earned the right to finish the year, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
  • Earlier today, we rounded up a few more Jets notes.

NFC Mailbags: Cardinals, Panthers, Giants

September 20th, 2014 at 12:35pm CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier today, so now let’s see what the NFC writers have to say…

  • Josh Weinfuss writes that the Cardinals need another player to contribute at defensive end, but he also notes that acquiring an upgrade at the position would be difficult.
  • David Newton puts Greg Hardy‘s chances of returning to the Panthers after the season at 50-50, saying it will all come down to the jury trial.
  • The Panthers will be looking to extend Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly this offseason, and David Newton “almost guarantees” that the team will restructure Charles Johnson‘s contract.
  • Dan Graziano believes that the Giants have a two-year plan, with hopes that they’ll see offensive improvements by 2015. As a result, the writer thinks coach Tom Coughlin will be around for at least two more seasons.

NFC Notes: Jordan, Vikings, Buccaneers

September 19th, 2014 at 10:34pm CST by Rob DiRe

Dolphins’ defensive end Dion Jordan has been reinstated and suspended again, due to a separate failed drug test. The team is still supporting Jordan, although there was a report that they shopped the former first-round pick this offseason, in order to gauge his trade value.

One team that inquired as to Jordan’s availability was the Eagles, and Jordan’s former college coach Chip Kelly. The Eagles were interested in acquiring Jordan via trade, and called up the Dolphins’ front office shortly after Dennis Hickey accepted the job of general manager, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

The Dolphins had no interest in trading Jordan at that time, but Salguero wonders if the recent suspensions have created a missed opportunity for Hickey to get out from a bad investment.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

  • After losing Adrian Peterson to the Commissioner’s exemption list, and releasing Jerome Simpson, the Vikings have two open roster spots to fill, reports Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. The team is considering bringing back fullback Zach Line back to the active roster from the practice squad. The team will most likely not fill that spot in time for their matchup against the Saints this weekend, but will look into it sometime next week.
  • After the embarrassing Thursday Night Football loss to the Falcons, which put the Buccaneers at 0-3, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com examined how the team has constructed its roster over the past few years. The team has spent a lot of money in free agency in recent years, and although a few of those signings have failed to work out, Fitzgerald argues that the timing of their spending sprees were misguided, noting that it is better to draft a young core and add to it. The Buccaneers tried to buy their young core and skip the first step.
  • In order to loosen up his team in the days leading up to the week three battle against the Texans, head coach Tom Coughlin is allowing the Giants‘ players to play music during warmups, writes George Willis of the New York Post. The music was suggested by the player’s leadership council.

NFC East Notes: Coughlin, Henery, Redskins, Minter

August 17th, 2014 at 10:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Giants‘ offense was sloppy in 2013, with Eli Manning struggling with turnovers early in the season. The team was unable to get on track in time to salvage a playoff run, and it ultimately cost offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride his job. The team hired Ben McAdoo to pick up the pieces and turn the offense around, but the team has been unable to do so as of yet. Head coach Tom Coughlin is unhappy with the progress being made on that side of the ball, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

“It’s obvious, I think we got to work on a lot of things,’’ Coughlin said. “We got to basically work on everything. Last night we didn’t run it, we certainly didn’t throw the ball with any consistency, we don’t have people that are definitely running open, our protection does break down from time to time and we don’t react well under pressure when we do realize there has to be a hot or a sight adjust involved and just getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hand and trying to accomplish a positive play in the face of the pressure.’’

Here are some other notes from around the NFC East:

  • Eagles‘ kicker Alex Henery seems to be winning the position competition, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Despite his struggles in 2013 and this preseason, he has been the only kicker to see action during the team’s two preseason games. Head coach Chip Kelly also noted that Henery has been very good in practice during pressure situations.
  • The Eagles have a number of preseason storylines that are becoming clearer as the preseason progresses. Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com updates a few storylines, including the ongoing injury situation, the progression of the offense in Kelly’s second season, and some recent roster moves.
  • Final roster cuts are approaching, and the Redskins have a number of players on the bubble of making the team. Rich Tandler and Tarik El Bashir take a look at a few defensive players fighting for the last few spots. They both agree that outside linebacker Rob Jackson and safety Bacarri Rambo will both make the team, while cornerback Richard Crawford will fall short of making the team.
  • Cowboys‘ defensive tackle Zach Minter made an impression in his first preseason game, writes Brandon George of DallasNews.com. Playing against the Ravens on Saturday after being signed on Thursday, Minter had four tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. That performance could help to earn him a spot on a defense that is in need of talent.

NFC East Notes: Thurmond, Eagles, Cowboys

August 9th, 2014 at 10:19am CST by Matt Feminis

When asked about the most impressive player he’s seen in Giants camp, ESPN’s Dan Graziano identified cornerback Walter Thurmond, saying the free-agent acquisition has been “making life miserable for slot receiver Victor Cruz in practice. Thurmond could be a difference-maker at that nickel corner position for the Giants this year.” Thurmond, 26, signed a one-year, $3MM deal in March, at which time ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former director of pro personnel for the Eagles, lauded the signing as a potential steal: “If he can stay healthy and out of trouble, it’s a tremendous value signing. . .He’s a dynamite press corner, who is as good with his technique as [Seattle’s] Byron Maxwell, as [Seattle’s] Richard Sherman. Walter is very good. He can play in the nickel because he’s big enough, because he can tackle, because he’s a good blitzer. And he can play on the outside. Not only can he press, he can play them all.”

The numbers back up Riddick’s assessment. Despite starting just three of 12 games played last season for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, Thurmond tallied 24 tackles, six pass breakups, an interception (29-yard TD) and a forced fumble. Additionally, his 5.7 coverage rating was higher than teammate Brandon Browner, who signed for three years and $16.8MM in New England.

So why did the Giants land such a good player at such an affordable deal? He’s been plagued by injuries since entering the league, and was popped for a four-game suspension last season for violating the substance-abuse policy. Nevertheless, he brings supreme confidence to the Giants secondary. In April Thurmond proclaimed himself the best slot corner in the league. By July, he was drawing praise from teammates and coaches, including head man Tom Coughlin, who likes Thurmond’s attitude. Now, a week into August, he’s established himself as the ‘Quiet Assassin.”

Here’s a few more NFC East links:

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