National Football League News and Rumors
Cowboys will let defensive assistants interview elsewhere, but possibly not leaveMike Florio, profootballtalk.com These are strange times for the remaining members of the Cowboys defensive coaching staff. According to the Dallas Morning News, the club has given the defensive assistants permission to speak to other teams after the firing of Rob Ryan. However, they … |
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The mood surrounding Notre Dame’s football program changed dramatically this week. Just five days ago, the top-ranked Irish were confident they were on the verge of their first national championship since 1988. But Alabama splashed cold water on that id… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com At least Rob Chudzinski will have no trouble adjusting to Cleveland. The latest coach of the Browns has been employed twice before by the team, as tight ends coach in 2004 (he served as interim offensive coordinator for the final games of the season) an… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com The Cleveland Browns have hired Rob Chudzinski as their new coach. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The last time the 49ers beat the Packers, Alex Smith was the quarterback. The last time the 49ers played in the divisional round (and won), Alex Smith was the quarterback. So as the 49ers prepare to face the Packers in the divisional round of the playo… |
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Home is where the heart and barbecued shrimp are, and for Peyton Manning, the Big Easy is also where he and little brother Eli grew up and where the Lombardi Trophy will be waiting on Feb. 3 to be hoisted amid all the confetti in the Superdome. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Eric Bieniemy left an NFL job with the Vikings two years ago to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Colorado. Now, he could be heading back to the NFL. John Henderson of the Denver Post reports that Bieniemy “is under strong consider… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Lions running back Kevin Smith has had an on-again, off-again run in Detroit, the only team for which he has played during five NFL seasons. Though on the roster to end the season, it definitely has become off again, given that Smith finished the season… |
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- David Akers is keeping his job as San Francisco's starting kicker. For now, anyway. |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Mike Pettine intends to bring his aggressive approach to Buffalo in a bid to transform the Bills' high-priced, yet underachieving defense. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On Thursday, running back Chris Rainey started the day as a member of the Steelers. While he technically will still finish the day as a member of the Steelers, it’s only a matter of time before he isn’t. The Steelers waived Rainey after he was arres… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden interviewed with the Cardinals Thursday, and said he might be visiting with the Eagles next week. You’ve got to respect the casual approach the younger Gruden has taken to the interview process, after admitting h… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Bernie Kosar spent more than 10 years in persistent pain, the effects of more than one dozen documented concussions he sustained in 13 years as an NFL quarterback. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com If at first you don’t succeed, give it a shot with a new general manager. A year after interviewing for the Jaguars job that went to Mike Mularkey, Brian Schottenheimer will get a chance to replace him. According to multiple reports, the Jags asked for … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com … |
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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden is the latest to interview for the vacant head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals. |
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Frank Schwab, yahoo.com Chris Rainey had a solid rookie season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a good kickoff returner and his tremendous speed made him a nice prospect at tailback, especially for a fifth-round pick. He's not the kind of player you want to simply cut in th… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman said Thursday the organization has no concerns about Percy Harvin's character or attitude with a pivotal offseason ahead for the wide receiver's future with the Vikings. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Vikings’ unlikely turnaround from 3-13 to 10-6 has resulted in another opportunity for a player to swap a week of wintry Minnesota for sunny Honolulu. Linebacker Chad Greenway will get his second trip to the Pro Bowl, replacing Cowboys linebacker De… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Everyone knows Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt had a good season, but Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was “good season” doesn’t even come close to describing how well Watt played in 2012. According to Phillips, Watt had the greatest se… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Bears special teams coach Dave Toub is part of the cast of thousands interviewing for the Bears head coaching job. But it doesn’t take much reading of the tea leaves to think he’s not the leading candidating, since the Bears are letting him look at la… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Bengals’ postseason is over. But one of their players will be playing in one more game. Tight end Jermaine Gresham has been added to the AFC Pro Bowl roster, the Bengals announced on Thursday. He replaces Steelers tight end Heath Miller, who suf… |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com If you were looking forward to seeing Tim Tebow playing quarterback or any other position for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013, you can stop doing that now. At his introductory press conference, newly-hired general manager David Caldwell slammed the doo… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Former Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt interviewed for a second time with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, league sources confirmed to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. |
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Saturday divisional round preview: Peyton Manning is the key to Broncos reaching AFC title gameJan 10
Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos Saturday, January 12, 4:30 p.m. ET Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colo. Both divisional playoff games in the AFC feature rematches of December blowouts. In Week 15, the Broncos went into Baltimore… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Last month, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen breathlessly reported it’s a “virtual certainty” that Tim Tebow will be a Jaguar in 2013. I don’t think that term means what he thinks it means. (Unless he thinks it means “95 percent” certain.) Either wa… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Linebacker Terrell Suggs and the rest of the Ravens head to Denver this weekend for a date with the Broncos, which makes his visit to Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network a good time to preview that contest. Erik Kuselias will talk to Suggs about wha… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com It is widely believed that Jaguars owner Shahid Khan loves him some Tim Tebow. It should not be believed by anyone that new G.M. Dave Caldwell shares that view. “I can’t imagine a scenario where he’d be a Jacksonville Jaguar,” Caldwell said of Teb… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh paid $130,000 to settle a lawsuit by a woman who claims she was injured in a December 2011 car crash in Oregon involving the Detroit Lions' star, according to a Detroit Free Press report. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As the Ravens prepare to try to break a nine-game losing streak against quarterback Peyton Manning, the availability of one of their best defensive players suddenly is in question. Receiver Torrey Smith was a new addition to the Ravens’ injury report, w… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Two of the three wide receivers who missed practice for the Packers on Wednesday were back on the field Thursday, providing a strong sign that they’ll be ready to go when the Packers face off with the 49ers on Saturday. Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson wer… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers Saturday, January 12, 8:00 p.m. ET Candlestick Park, San Francisco, Calif. When the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers faced off in Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season, it was a game of defense above all. Despit… |
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DENVER (AP) The eight teams left in the NFL playoffs can thank their special teams for a good part of their success. That's one reason players are still upset Commissioner Roger Goodell has floated the idea of abolishing kickoffs altogether. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com One way or another, Jake Matthews was going to wind up following Luke Joeckel. Either Matthews, who is the son of Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews and a cousin of Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, would follow his fellow Texas A&M offensive tackle’s lea… |
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Dom Cosentino, deadspin.com Oh, look. It's another Pittsburgh Steelers player being an outstanding citizen. (Hold your fire, Steelers fans. I'm one of you. Even wore this during my commute to work today. I'm also well aware of the franchise's fine tradition of not once making the … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com … |
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NBC Sports, yahoo.com The big news of the day for those with an anti-football agenda was that Junior Seau had chronic traumatic encephalopathy. But Mike Florio says this should surprise no one. Seau played football for 20 years. The real question is how will this change beha… |
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Save The Black QuarterbackJan 10
Drew Magary, deadspin.com Drew Magary's Thursday Afternoon NFL Dick Joke Jamboroo runs every Thursday during the NFL season. More » |
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Maggie Hendricks, yahoo.com What a difference a year makes for Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. The Denver Broncos' two most productive receivers have significantly upped their yardage since last year's Tim Tebow-led season. They are preparing to play in the divisional round of t… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Packers offensive coordinator Tom Clements will have to turn his attention away from the 49ers for a little bit on Thursday. Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com reports that Clements is going to interview with the Bears for their head coaching job befo… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The latest knee injury suffered by Redskins Robert Griffin III, as bad as it is for him and his team, could do some good. It could force greater sensitivity to the quality of playing surfaces throughout the NFL. According to USA Today, the NFL Players A… |
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NBC Sports, yahoo.com The NFL is back up to six head coaching vacancies as new Jags GM Dave Caldwell fired Mike Mularkey after just one season at the helm. It doesn’t happen often, but it goes to show that one bad year can get you fired in the NFL. Greg Roman, the 49ers’ o… |
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Michael DiRocco, ESPN.com Pittsburgh Steelers running back Chris Rainey was arrested Thursday morning and charged with one count of simple battery after an altercation with a woman over a cell phone. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has been released from the hospital, which means that it’s time for him to start talking to teams about head coaching jobs. One of the teams reportedly interested in Arians is the Chargers. During an interview wi… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Even though every seemingly routine procedure which results in anything other than death is referred to as a “successful surgery,” celebrity surgeon Dr. James Andrews seems to be trying to pump the brakes on his latest high-profile operation. After ye… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com [Editor's note: Another day, another update to the various coaching and G.M. vacancies. For the first time since December 31, the list has grown, thanks to the termination of Mike Mularkey's employment in Jacksonville.] Arizona Cardinals: The Cardi… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com There have been reports of one of Andy Reid’s former quarterbacks coaches with the Eagles, Brad Childress, joining Reid in Kansas City with the Chiefs. If that happens, it doesn’t look like Childress will be the team’s offensive coordinator because … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com If this weekend’s games go as expected, the AFC’s Super Bowl team will be quarterbacked by either Peyton Manning or Tom Brady for the eighth time in the last 12 years. So it’s no surprise that in addition to trying to get back to the Super Bowl with… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Titans owner Bud Adams’ dissatisfaction with the Titans was no secret as the season wound down, but it didn’t wind up costing General Manager Ruston Webster or coach Mike Munchak their jobs. The same wasn’t true for others in the organization, howev… |
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The Pats have lived and died on the pass, but it hasn't gotten them far lately. That might change with a dedication to the run unseen since their last Super Bowl, Ben Reiter says. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com FOX gave Brian Billick a bump into the booth for one of this weekend’s playoff games, which means he’ll be in Atlanta to call the Falcons against the Seahawks on Sunday. On Thursday, though, he’ll be visiting with Mike Florio on PFT Live to discuss … |
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Jack Dickey, deadspin.com The Jaguars' Mike Mularkey—who was the NFL's interim least-interesting head coach after Pat Shurmur's firing on Black Monday—finally got the axe today. Jacksonville had spent the days immediately after the season's end hunting for a new general manage… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Marc Trestman hasn’t coached at the NFL level since 2004. And yet he now finds himself under consideration for multiple NFL head-coaching jobs. It’s not a complete shock. Last year, the Colts considered both Trestman and his Montreal Alouettes’ … |
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There are Giants fans out there – admit it if you're one – who secretly, or maybe not so secretly, are a bit giddy over Robert Griffin III's misfortune. That's human nature, albeit a darker side. But for football fans in general, everybody got screwed… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Although the Steelers aren’t happy with an 8-8 season, owner Art Rooney II says he’s very happy with his coach and his quarterback. Rooney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he doesn’t blame head coach Mike Tomlin for a season that everyone agree… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Lions opted to retain General Manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz after a 4-12 season, but that doesn’t mean the status quo will remain in place across the entire organization. Schwartz and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham both said… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Perhaps the saddest and most unfortunate aspect of the Thursday news that former NFL linebacker Junior Seau suffered from a neurological condition common to individuals who have had repeated head trauma was that it did not come as a surprise. Seau commi… |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com In their search for a new general manager, the New York Jets have interviewed San Francisco 49ers director of player personnel Tom Gamble, New York Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross and current Jets assistant GM Scott Cohen. The Jets were in… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com When Tim Tebow was traded to the Jets from the Broncos before the 2012 season, Broncos exec John Elway said that Tebow was involved in the process that sent him to New York rather than Jacksonville. Unless Tebow hoped to be used as a symbol for larger J… |
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Tom Ley, deadspin.com According to ESPN, former NFL linebacker Junior Seau had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) at the time of his suicide last May. In an interview with ESPN, Seau's widow and son claim that researchers at the National Institutes of Health informed the… |
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Thursday morning one-linersJan 10
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Bringing Mike Pettine in as defensive coordinator means the Bills will likely be bringing more pressure. There are open concerns that TE Michael Egnew won’t (or shouldn’t) make the Dolphins roster next year, a year after being taken in the third round… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On Wednesday night, multiple reports emerged almost spontaneously and simultaneously that the Eagles are interested in Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. The feeding frenzy spawned a suggestion that the Bears are interested, too. However, Sean Jensen of the… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As first, the size of the Jets’ G.M. search prompted some league insiders to say, essentially, “Jed Hughes must be getting paid by the hour. Or maybe by the interview.” But Hughes, the veteran NFL headhunter hired by owner Woody Johnson to find a … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Michigan left tackle Taylor Lewan has made the surprising decision to return to school for his senior year and wait until 2014 to enter the NFL draft. Lewan says he has been told he would be a first-round pick if he came out this year, but he has more h… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com As intimidating a foe as the Seahawks might be, the Falcons’ biggest challenge this week will be playing against their own history. They’ve rolled up big win totals in the regular season (56 the last five seasons, only the Patriots with 60 have more),… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com When the Bills hired defensive coordinator Mike Pettine after his four-year run with the Jets, it brought immediate credibility to Doug Marrone’s staff. It might also be enough to make their defense better than the Jets’ according to one former Jet. E… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com After he was fired as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan said injuries were the biggest problem he faced. “When we weren’t short-handed, we were kicking ass,” Ryan said. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, however, doesn’t remember it that way.… |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman thinks the Atlanta Falcons receiving corps provides the biggest challenge his team has faced all season. The Falcons’ duo of Julio Jones and Roddy White, along with tight end Tony Gonzalez, are among the most … |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com While his brother, Michael, spent most of the year in the headlines for his poor play and the struggles of the Philadelphia Eagles, former Miami Dolphins quarterback Marcus Vick has been in the headlines for his exploits off the field. Those exploits ha… |
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Timothy Burke, deadspin.com Wyoming's been perhaps the most under-the-radar undefeated team this season—high-flying Larry Nance, Jr. notwithstanding—and came into tonight's home matchup against Boise State with confidence they'd advance their record to 14-0. Of course, this has … |
