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AFC South Notes: Titans, Webster, Colts

November 4th, 2015 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s been an eventful week in the AFC South, where two teams have made coaching changes, with the Titans firing head coach Ken Whisenhunt and the Colts parting ways with offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. Our round-up of division links this afternoon focuses primarily on those two teams – and those coaching moves – so let’s dive in and check out the latest….

  • Whisenhunt’s firing could be the first of many major moves for the Titans‘ franchise over the next several months, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora doesn’t expect general manager Ruston Webster to continue on with the team through 2016, noting that many rival clubs couldn’t find much talent on the Tennessee roster worth pursuing before the trade deadline. And while the team’s ownership group continues to insist the franchise isn’t for sale, there’s skepticism around the league on that front as well.
  • Rumors of a potential Marcus Mariota/Chip Kelly pairing in Philadelphia dominated the news cycle prior to – and during – this year’s draft. Now that the Titans‘ permanent head coaching job is available, could such a reunion happen in Tennessee? I wouldn’t expect Kelly to get serious consideration for the role, or to have real interest in leaving the Eagles, but the Titans could pursue the possibility after the season if they so choose, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk details.
  • Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com identifies seven more realistic potential choices for the Titans‘ full-time head coaching position.
  • Given their struggles this season, the Colts had to make a change at some point, and Hamilton was the easiest person to fire at this point in the season, says Mike Wells of ESPN.com. One person in the organization tells Wells that they’d been asking Hamilton to play with tempo for more than two weeks. However, those suggestions “weren’t being received.”
  • Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star views Hamilton as a fall guy, though he doesn’t think the former OC is entirely blameless for the Colts‘ disappointing first half. In Doyel’s view though, GM Ryan Grigson bears more responsibility for Indianapolis’ underachieving performance.

Extra Points: McCourty, Pats, Murray, Cowboys

November 3rd, 2015 at 8:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots tried hard to get cornerback Jason McCourty from the Titans, but in the end they simply could not get a deal done, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. McCourty, selected in the sixth round of the 2009 draft by the Titans, is one of Tennessee’s more effective defenders, racking up 85 tackles to go along with three interceptions a year ago. After missing the first month or so of the season with a groin injury, McCourty has been active for the team’s last four games.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The Cowboys cut ties with Joseph Randle today, but COO Stephen Jones says that he still doesn’t regret letting DeMarco Murray walk in free agency, as Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News writes. The Cowboys face Murray for the second and final time this regular season on Sunday night.
  • Representatives from San Diego, St. Louis, and Oakland will make presentations to a joint meeting of the NFL’s Los Angeles committee and the Stadium and Finance Committees next week, according to Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego (on Twitter).
  • Tight end Ryan Griffin, who is on the Texans‘ IR-DTR list, says he’ll begin working out with the team on Monday, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). The tight end adds that he feels good and believes that he’s ready to go.
  • Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com found it interesting that Titans GM Ruston Webster was not at the podium facing questions about the direction of the franchise as interim CEO/president Steve Underwood and interim coach Mike Mularkey spoke. Of course, after Ken Whisenhunt was shown the door, it’s fair to wonder what will happen to Webster. At the same time, the two execs spoke highly of him at the press conference.

Extra Points: Eagles, Cassel, Romo, Peterson

October 25th, 2015 at 9:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL as we wrap up the weekend…

  • According to CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora (via Twitter), the Eagles won’t get a 2016 fourth-rounder from the Rams if Sam Bradford plays 50-percent of his team’s snaps. Philadelphia will still have to part with a second-round pick, however.
  • Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t have the highest praise for quarterback Matt Cassel following his team’s loss to the Giants. “If you’re asking me if I’m confident that Cassel can help us win several of the next ballgames, I don’t know that,” Jones said (via The Washington Post’s Mark Maske on Twitter). With Tony Romo still about a month away from returning, it’s uncertain if Cassel will stick around in Dallas.
  • Speaking of Romo, Jones told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the quarterback would be back for the Cowboys‘ Week 10 matchup against the Buccaneers (Twitter link). Of course, as Schefter notes, Romo isn’t eligible to return until Week 11, but the owner’s optimism is certainly worth noting.
  • Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said his illness was due to a shrimp allergy, not chewing tobacco, writes ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling. Peterson was downgraded to questionable Saturday evening, but he suited up for Sunday’s victory over the Lions.

AFC Notes: S. Smith, McClain, Revis, Manziel

October 21st, 2015 at 10:26pm CST by Zachary Links

There has been speculation the Ravens might try to talk wide receiver Steve Smith out of his plan to retire after the season or that Smith will change his mind. However, the veteran says that nothing has changed. “I’m on schedule for what I discussed earlier in the year,” the wide receiver said, according to Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com.

Here’s more from the AFC..

  • If Smith is still retiring, the Ravens should trade him to a contender, Mike Florio of PFT opines. The Ravens are at 1-5 and, for all intents and purposes, they’re probably done in 2015. Florio suggests that the Packers would be a great fit for a savvy veteran like Smith.
  • Free agent cornerback Robert McClain has worked out or visited eight teams since being cut on September 5th, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The veteran’s latest visit was to the Steelers on Wednesday, per Yates. McClain’s recent visits have also included the Bears and Saints.
  • Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis told reporters, including Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter), that he never expected to return to the Patriots this past offseason. “No, the number was too high,” the corner said.
  • Johnny Manziel should be on paid leave from the Browns for his recent altercation with his girlfriend, Christine Brennan of USA Today Sports writes. Manziel’s girlfriend declined to press charges over the matter and the all of the facts are still unknown, but Brennan feels that the former Texas A&M star should be sidelined until everything comes to light.
  • On the Quick Slants podcast, CSNNE’s Tom E. Curran, Phil Perry, and Adam Hart discussed the Patriots secondary and the possibility of making an addition via trade.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Wright, Saffold

October 14th, 2015 at 9:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell told reporters, including ESPN.com’s James Walker (on Twitter), that he’s talked to Bill Parcells since taking over the job and that he has been a good “resource.” Parcells is said to still have a lot of sway in Miami’s operations, which has led some to speculate that Sean Payton could be a fit for Miami since he once served as his assistant in Dallas.

Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • Earlier this week, Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith heard that Shareece Wright was leaning toward signing with the Seahawks. Smith, not wanting Seattle to beat Baltimore to the punch, put in recruiting call to Wright, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Smith joked that he’s the reason the ex-49ers/Chargers corner signed with the Ravens, but it’s possible that he moved the needle. Wright rode the bench in SF and he’s looking to get playing time with his new squad.
  • Former Baylor wide receiver Antwan Goodley worked out for the Giants today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Rams right guard Rodger Saffold is not expected to return to the playing field soon, if at all this season, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • Chiefs nose tackle Dontari Poe has a high ankle sprain and will likely be out for a few weeks, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com tweets.

Following Specific Players On PFR

October 10th, 2015 at 6:50pm CST by Luke Adams

As we’ve outlined before, there are a number of different ways to follow Pro Football Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS. If you don’t want to follow all the site’s updates, you can subscribe to team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Although we don’t have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, it’s easy to follow all our updates on your favorite player.

If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Muhammad Wilkerson as he plays out the final year of his contract with the Jets and approaches free agency, you can visit this page. If you’re interested in keeping tabs on the latest rumors involving Matt Forte in case the Bears decide to make him available for a trade, you can find Forte’s page right here. In addition to dedicating pages to players, we also maintain archives for certain specific topics. For example, all our posts relating to the city of Los Angeles can be found here.

Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page, and each of those players also has his own RSS feed, making it even easier to follow the latest updates. Links to RSS feeds for specific players are all located on this page. You can also find links to RSS feeds for various miscellaneous categories there. For instance, if you only want to receive one update every Sunday recapping the week’s notable headlines, you can subscribe to our Week in Review RSS feed, right here.

AFC East Notes: Brady, Campbell, Wilkerson

October 8th, 2015 at 12:43pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday he had no regrets about the way he acted throughout the Deflategate drama, as Christopher Price of WEEI.com writes. Goodell was complimentary of Brady but also made it clear that he was never interested in giving him special treatment.

“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Tom. I know him personally,” Goodell said. “As I say, I admire him tremendously. He is a future Hall of Fame player. But our rules apply to everybody. They apply to every single player. And every single player expects those rules to apply to everybody. Every coach does, every fan does, every partner, every team does.”

Here’s more from the AFC East..

  • It sounds like the Dolphins are going to give interim coach Dan Campbell a chance to win the permanent job in Miami, as Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. “That’s why we did this with 12 games left, not two,” a source told Werder. Presumably, the Dolphins will consider outside options at season’s end, but a strong finish for Campbell would give him a leg up on his competition.
  • New Bills kicker Billy Cundiff told reporters, including ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak (on Twitter), “I’m here to kick off. Everything else is on a need-to-know basis.” Of course, after kicker Dan Carpenter missed a 30-yard try on Sunday, many are wondering if that plan might change.
  • Muhammad Wilkerson has been an “absolute beast” so far this season for the Jets, and Brian Costello of the New York Post suggests that the team has to find a way to lock up one of its best defensive players to a long-term deal.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Workout Notes: Bears, Broncos, Packers

October 7th, 2015 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a roundup of today’s auditions from around the NFL. All links go to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle on Twitter), unless noted otherwise..

Extra Points: Ravens, Mallett, Colts, Campbell

October 5th, 2015 at 8:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens completed a trade over the weekend, acquiring Chris Givens from the Rams for a future draft pick, and Peter King of TheMMQB.com wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not the last deal for a wide receiver Baltimore makes this season. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun agrees that the Ravens will certainly monitor the market, but notes that GM Ozzie Newsome isn’t the type to panic and trade future assets for a short-term fix.

Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • Texans coach Bill O’Brien told reporters that Ryan Mallett is still the team’s starting quarterback heading into Thursday’s game against the Colts, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Mallett completed 12 of 27 passes for 150 yards and one interception with a passer rating of 46.8 on Sunday against the Falcons.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised to see the Colts re-sign quarterback Josh Johnson on Wednesday.
  • Dolphins players “love” the newly-appointed interim head coach Dan Campbell but there’s concern about whether the play-calling will improve, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets.
  • After punter Thomas Morstead suffered a leg injury, the Saints are bringing in four punters for tryouts on Tuesday, a source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Pro Football Rumors On Social Media, RSS

October 1st, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

While the offseason is generally the busiest time of year for Pro Football Rumors, the Panthers’ acquisition of Jared Allen this week showed that teams are prepared to make major in-season roster moves as well. There are plenty of storylines to follow on PFR in the coming weeks, and you don’t necessarily have to keep refreshing our site to keep tabs on them. There are a handful of different ways you can follow us to get the latest updates on NFL news and rumors all year.

You can like us on Facebook, and receive headlines and links for all our posts via your Facebook account. You can also follow us on Twitter to have all our posts and updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. Meanwhile, if you’d like to follow us using your RSS reader of choice, you can find our RSS feed right here.

If you prefer to receive updates only on roster moves such as signings, cuts, and trades, you can follow our transactions-only feeds via RSS and Twitter. And don’t forget to check out our app for iOS and Android, which is available right here.

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