Tom Coughlin

NFC Notes: Eagles, 49ers, Giants, Packers, Saints, Gettleman

Eagles GM Howie Roseman met with the media following the first-round selection of Marcus Smith 26th overall, and Philly.com’s Jeff McLane had seven follow-up thoughts. Most notably, Roseman shared his initial plan of attack. Plan A entailed the team having a list of six players likely to be gone by No. 22 (where the Eagles originally were position prior to the trade down) but worth moving up for. To the best of McLane’s knowledge, that list included Anthony Barr, Odell Beckham Jr., Kyle Fuller, Ryan Shazier, Brandin Cooks and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

When those players were gone, Roseman was prepared to move down, pick up an additional pick and choose the best player available. McLane is ” not convinced Smith was at the top of that list, but of the players there he played a premium position of need and thus was moved to the front.” McLane also spoke to other teams’ representatives whose grades on Smith ranged from second to fourth round.

Here’s several more quick-hitting, NFC news and notes:

  • The Eagles place on emphasis on college graduates, says Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
  • The Giants drafted Weston Richburg 43rd overall last night, and what made him attractive to the team was his ability to not only block effectively, but handle the responsibility associated with the position, says ESPN’s Dan Graziano. [Tom] Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese both said the center’s responsibility for handling line and protection calls will increase under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. Giants VP of player evaluation Marc Ross said Richburg scored an impressive 31 on the Wonderlic test and impressed the Giants in his combine interview with his intelligence.”
  • The 49ers were very active Friday night, making five trades that netted veteran receiver Stevie Johnson as well as running back Carlos Hyde (No. 57), center Marcus Martin (No. 76), linebacker Chris Borland (No. 77) and offensive lineman Brandon Thomas (No. 100). Eric Branch at sfgate.com recaps the team’s busy day here. The 49ers also have seven picks in the final four rounds.
  • The 49ers deep stable of running backs now includes Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James, Marcus Lattimore and Hyde. James wants more playing time and is open to a trade, but the team has no plans to move him, says ESPN’s Bill Williamson.
  • The Packers are confident Davante Adams is the next in a long line of productive receivers drafted in the second and third round, writes Bob McGinn in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
  • Redskins second-rounder Trent Murphy, whom the team expects to contribute right away as a nickel rusher, “protects the team’s long-term interests at OLB,” tweets NFL Network’s Albert Breer.
  • With the selection of big cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste 53rd overall, the Saints continue to build a “Seattle-like secondary,” writes Larry Holder of Nola.com.
  • The Panthers announced via Twitter that GM Dave Gettleman will draft remotely via Skype today so he can be present for his son’s college graduation.

NFC East Notes: Garrett, Redskins, Giants

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said last month that he’s not thinking about his contract situation, despite entering the last year of his deal. Following those comments, owner Jerry Jones stressed that 2014 is not necessarily a make-or-break season for Garrett, and he expressed that sentiment in stronger terms yesterday. Asked if the head coach must lead the Cowboys to the postseason this year in order to keep his job, Jones said he doesn’t look at it that way “at all,” according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • According to head coach Jay Gruden, no teams have contacted the Redskins about acquiring Kirk Cousins. Gruden indicated today he’s excited to have Cousins backing up Robert Griffin III , tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
  • Discussing Brian Orakpo, Gruden said he wouldn’t mind the linebacker playing out the 2014 season on his one-year franchise tag to see what he can do before the Redskins lock him up to a long-term deal (Twitter link via Jones).
  • The Giants added Rashad Jennings and re-signed Peyton Hillis in free agency, but with Andre Brown likely to sign elsewhere and David Wilson still recovering from neck surgery, head coach Tom Coughlin suggested today that the team will likely need to add another running back to be safe (Twitter link via Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post).
  • Coughlin, the NFL’s oldest current head coach, also said today that he feels great health-wise and feels like he can keep coaching beyond this season, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.

Giants, Coughlin Agree To Extension

11:59am: Coughlin’s extra year is at a similar salary as the last contract, which means he’ll earn ~$7MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

11:34am: Giants coach Tom Coughlin told reporters that he has agreed to a one-year extension with the club, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (on Twitter). Coughlin’s current deal, a three-year, $20MM pact signed after Super Bowl XLVI, only took him through the upcoming 2014 season, so this contract will keep him in place through 2015, once finalized.

The 67-year-old Coughlin is the oldest coach in the NFL and he apparently doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon. Giants co-owner John Mara recently told ESPN Radio that he intended to talk to Coughlin about a contract extension soon. “He’s going to be our coach here next year,Mara said. “And hopefully for longer than that, but we haven’t sat down to even talk about that yet.”

Coughlin, of course, helped lead the Giants to Super Bowl victories for the 2007 and 2011 seasons. This past year, of course, wasn’t as fruitful as those seasons. The Giants started the season 0-6 and even though they managed to cobble together some victories after that point, they were too far in the hole and finished with a 7-9 mark. For his career, Coughlin owns a collective 158-130 record. With the Giants, Coughlin is 90-70.

NFC East Notes: Davis, Coughlin, Eagles

Earlier today, we heard that the Redskins would be active in free agency, both in retaining their own players and pursuing other options. However, it sounds like one of Washington’s free agents, tight end Fred Davis, may see his stock dip precipitously. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears from a source that Davis, who has a history of failed drug tests, will face a six-game suspension (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • The oldest coach in the NFL, 67-year-old Tom Coughlin, still feels as if he could coach multiple years beyond 2014, as he tells Ian O’Connor of ESPN Radio (link via ESPNNewYork.com). Giants co-owner John Mara recently told ESPN Radio that he intended to talk to Coughlin about a contract extension soon. “He’s going to be our coach here next year,” Mara said. “And hopefully for longer than that, but we haven’t sat down to even talk about that yet.”
  • In a pair of pieces for PhillyMag.com, Sheil Kapadia takes a look at a number of defensive prospects at the Senior Bowl that could interest the Eagles.
  • Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com wonders if Redskins free-agent-to-be Brian Orakpo might be a fit for the Eagles, eventually concluding that Philadelphia may not want to spend big money on a single player.