National Football League News and Rumors
Reagan Mauia says Lennay Kekua is realMike Florio, profootballtalk.com Just when it seems like the Manti Te’o story can get no stranger, it does. On Wednesday night, Cardinals fullback Reagan Mauia (a/k/a “The Juggernaut . . . Bitch“) said that the fake dead girlfriend of Te’o is real. Specifically, Mauia says he m… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com When the Bears announced that former Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman will become the new coach in Chicago, the team was careful to point out that Trestman helped prepare current Bears quarterback Jay Cutler for the 2006 draft. The Bears didn’t me… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com The Arizona Cardinals, one of two NFL teams still looking for a head coach, have interviewed Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and plan to talk to Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On Thursday, Chip Kelly formally will be introduced as the new coach of the Eagles. When he arrived in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, he spoke briefly with reporters regarding his decision to leave Oregon. “It was really tough,” Kelly said, via Ti… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Browns have a new head coach. They soon may have a new defensive coordinator. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Redskins defensive backs coach Raheem Morris will interview for the job on Friday. Morris previously served as head coach … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The claim from former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o that he was the victim of a hoax involving a fake girlfriend will be scrutinized aggressively by the media and, presumably, his prospective NFL employers. Based on comments from Notre Dame Athleti… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As it turns out, Todd Grantham and Dan Quinn were on the short list to become Philly’s next defensive coordinator not because the team planned to fill the position before hiring a coach, but because each was a top choice of the teams’ primary head-coa… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith said that he expects defensive end John Abraham will play in Sunday's NFC title game. |
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Notre Dame says a story about Manti Te'o's girlfriend dying, which he said inspired him to play better as he helped the Fighting Irish get to the BCS title game, turned out to be a hoax apparently perpetrated against the linebacker. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Falcons didn’t do a great job of putting hands on Russell Wilson last weekend, but they’re vowing to make sure 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick doesn’t treat them the same way. “If you get the opportunity to blow up somebody and make a state… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com During his tenure as Oregon’s head coach, Chip Kelly did something routinely that no NFL coach has done in nearly 15 years: He went for two-point conversions in the first quarter. Now that Kelly is head coach of the Eagles, he may change the way NFL tea… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the NFL's most stable franchises for years, opting for small tweaks rather than drastic makeovers. It's a formula that's worked with unparalleled success, as evidenced by the team's record six Super Bowl victorie… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Patriots got back on the practice field Wednesday to start preparations for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Ravens and they were missing just one player who has a chance of playing. Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard missed the session, but the t… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Andy Reid is putting the final touches on his first coaching staff in Kansas City, hiring former Jaguars offensive line coach Andy Heck to fulfill the same duty with the Chiefs. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The number of vacant head coaching jobs around the league is dropping fast and one of the new hires will be our guest on Wednesday’s Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network. Mike McCoy is jumping from the Broncos to the Chargers, a move that’s left hi… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones opted not to take the bait when I asked him during today’s PFT Live whether he’ll be spending next week in Hawaii preparing for the Pro Bowl or the following week in his hometown of New Orleans preparing for the Super Bowl… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Not long ago, the Browns and Eagles appeared to be engaged in a tug-o-war for the services of former Oregon coach Chip Kelly. Indeed, at one point there were reports that a deal between the Browns and Kelly was close. When a Saturday lunch meeting with… |
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Michael C. Wright, ESPN.com If former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith fails to land a head-coaching job elsewhere, he's prepared to sit out the 2013 season because he's not interested in any of the coordinator jobs, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. |
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NBC Sports, yahoo.com After claiming he will return to his post at Oregon, Chip Kelly has decided to jump ship and accept the head coaching job in Philadelphia. Kelly's offense has seen much success in college ball, but will it translate well to the pros? Mike Florio specula… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com After a three-day stretch during which police said Titans receiver Kenny Britt was refusing to cooperate with an investigation into a stabbing and shooting, Britt met with police today. “He came in, and that’s all I can tell you,” Jersey City Police… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com When the Eagles officially introduce coach Chip Kelly on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET, there will be plenty of questions for owner Jeffrey Lurie. Two critical questions need to be asked. One is obvious, the other isn’t. First, Lurie should be (and will be… |
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Arash Markazi, ESPN.com The NFL has not played a game in Los Angeles since 1994 and the league will not return to the second largest city and television market in the United States before 2014. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Suddenly, only two head-coaching vacancies remain. And there’s not much mystery with the openings in Arizona and Jacksonville. As to the latter, the widespread thinking is that G.M. Dave Caldwell is waiting for his John Carroll teammate and roommate, … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The 49ers might be road favorites this weekend against the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game, but coach Jim Harbaugh took a step to remind his players that many of them were underdogs not that long ago. As a motivational ploy, Harbaugh had photos pul… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Steelers have had plenty of success over the course of their history, but that doesn’t make them any different from anyone else when they miss the playoffs. Changes come when teams fall short of the postseason and that’s just what General Manager … |
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A Change Is Gonna ComeJan 16
It's a division built on tradition. Until now. Chip Kelly may or may not bring his exact offense to the NFL, Don Banks writes, but the NFC East's world is still about to be altered. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com We know that former Oregon coach Chip Kelly never publicly declared, “I’m not going to be the Eagles coach.” But what was he saying privately? That’s not yet specifically known. What is known is that, per a source with knowledge of the situation… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com This morning I passed along a report from CSNHouston.com that quoted Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph as saying that the Texans are a better team than the Patriots, despite the Patriots beating the Texans twice. But the Texans say Joseph didn’t say th… |
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Tom Ley, deadspin.com It must be hard for NFL coaches to come up with fresh motivational techniques. You can't just slap a "Play Like A Champion" banner above the door or put some mean things that an opponent said about your quarterback on the bulletin board anymor… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com With only two head coaching chairs left, and the options down to the Cardinals and Jaguars, some of the guys looking for work are going to be left out. But if you’re not getting a job, getting paid to not work is a nice alternative. That’s the case wi… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On the same day the Eagles interviewed Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, they dusted off their pursuit of Oregon coach Chip Kelly. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Eagles resumed contact with Chip Kelly’s agent, David Dunn, on Tuesday night… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Saints coach Sean Payton remains suspended, at least through the Super Bowl. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell remains no closer to accelerating the reinstatement effort. Recently, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello refuted an ESPN report that the reinstatement pe… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Eagles owe quarterback Mike Vick a base salary of $15.5 million in 2013. Vick privately has made it clear that he won’t be reducing his pay in order to stick around. But a source with knowledge of Vick’s thinking previously suggested that he wil… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson didn’t have much money to spend in his first year on the job, but the financial situation looks better heading into this offseason. On Tuesday, Grigson said that he wasn’t just going to throw money at the biggest nam… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Tom Moore says he wants to be an offensive coordinator again at the same time the team that has his most famous pupil is looking for a new coach to lead its attack. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With the Eagles job taken and the Jaguars showing no apparent interest in hiring him and the Cardinals highly unlikely to re-hire him, former Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt appears to be out of head-coaching options. And so, according to Les Bowen of the … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis didn’t get the Bears head coaching job he interviewed for, but he’s going to work for them anyway. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, the Cowboys allowed DeCamillis to make what amounts to a lateral … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com If the Patriots win their next two games, coach Bill Belichick will tie the all-time NFL records for postseason victories and Super Bowl titles by a head coach. But Belichick doesn’t want to talk about that — or any other aspect of his coaching career… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones turned in one of the most memorable plays of this season last Saturday when he reeled in a 70-yard pass for a game-tying touchdown with less than a minute to play in what became a 38-35 overtime win over the Broncos. Jo… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Mike Nolan knows a thing or two about the San Francisco 49ers. His father coached the team and he did, too. And now, he'll try to keep them out of the Super Bowl. |
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Tom Ley, deadspin.com According to the Gainesville Sun, former University of Florida and NFL quarterback Doug Johnson has had a sworn complaint alleging that he assaulted a man after the LSU-Florida football game filed against him. The accuser, 28-year-old Joe Cappelletti, c… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com On Tuesday, word broke that Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall would need arthroscopic hip surgery this offseason. The report didn’t say that the surgery was imminent, but it turns out that was exactly the case. Marshall had the operation, which Sean … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com New Bears coach Marc Trestman is already working quickly to fill his staff, and part of the work might not involve relocating anyone. According to Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times, multiple sources think Trestman will retain Bears defensive coordina… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Typically, an NFL team hires a head coach who then hires his staff. Sometimes (like in Oakland, when Al Davis owned the team), the team hires members of the staff before hiring the head coach. Rarely does that approach work. And so there’s another pos… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Bears hired Marc Trestman as their new head coach overnight and he isn’t wasting any time putting together his coaching staff. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Aaron Kromer will be the team’s new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. K… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The news that Cowboys tight ends coach John Garrett has applied for the head-coaching job at Delaware meshes with a weekend report from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is pushing coach Jason Garrett to give up play-calling duties a… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As the Falcons were in the process of blowing a 20-point lead against the Seahawks on Sunday, I wondered aloud on Twitter whether anyone, everyone, or no one would be fired if the Falcons lost. In the end, the Falcons survived (in case you hadn’t heard)… |
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Wednesday morning one-linersJan 16
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Bills S Jairus Byrd and G Andy Levitre are soon-to-be unrestricted free agents. The Dolphins are proposing that taxpayers pay for a portion of their improvements to Sun Life Stadium. The Patriots are confident in their no-huddle offense heading into Sun… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com For much of this season, there’s been discussion about Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco’s pending free agency and what kind of contract he’ll work out to remain in Baltimore. The discussions have always been framed around the offense, but the decision … |
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George Bretherton, nytimes.com The New England tight end is a versatile offensive threat. He's also a rugged presence who can clear a path for other receivers. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has been quiet about negotiations with the city for a little extra money ($125 million) to help upgrade his stadium. But he’s been even quieter about his plans for the future of the team he founded, particularly after fir… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Philadelphia media, punchy from a protracted coaching search, was joking yesterday about tracking the Gus bus, in reference to Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s inbound flight. Well, the bus is rolling south today, as Bradley has more int… |
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Chase Stuart, nytimes.com The 2013 season already seems to be a lost cause for the Jets, so it's time to build toward 2014. |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com Fresh off of losing out on the Chicago Bears head coaching job to Marc Trestman, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has a new suitor. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Arizona Cardinals have requested permission to spe… |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com While the Dallas Cowboys currently seem to be committed to keeping Jason Garrett as their head coach, his older brother appears to be seeking other opportunities. According to Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com, Cowboys tight end coach John Garrett has appl… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The San Diego Chargers aren't moving to Los Angeles or anywhere else -- at least not for another year. |
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Now that we are living in the aftermath of another Peyton Manning playoff defeat, there's only one way to determine whether no. 18's postseason record... |
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J.J. Watt just completed one of the more impressive seasons by a defensive football player in NFL history. You don't need us to tell you what he did. ... |
