National Football League News and Rumors
Jets G.M. candidates included Randy Mueller, tooMike Florio, profootballtalk.com It’s been difficult to keep track of the various candidates for the Jets G.M. job because, well, there are just too many of them. There’s another one who previously had been unknown. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that former Saints a… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Dowell Loggains will remain the offensive coordinator for Tennessee, and coach Mike Munchak has hired three new assistants -- Sylvester Croom, Shawn Jefferson and George Henshaw. |
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LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -- Rod Marinelli will not return as the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator next season. |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell is staying in Seattle after being pursued for a handful of head coaching vacancies around the league. Now he has a new deal in Seattle. According to John Clayton of ESPN, the Seahawks gave Bevell a n… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com At best for Manti Te’o, he was embarrassingly naive. Other athletes could be similarly gullible. And the NFL should be concerned about that as the Te’o case unfolds. If Te’o's version is accurate, any NFL player could fall victim to the phenomen… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com The Arizona Cardinals have hired Bruce Arians as their new head coach. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com For most of the last two weeks, it appeared that the Cardinals were attempting to implement a cake-and-eat-it approach to Ray Horton, keeping the head-coaching candidate as defensive coordinator and hiring an offensive-minded head coach. Though the latt… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com It was believed that new Bears coach Marc Trestman would keep Jeremy Bates, the quarterbacks coach whose strong relationship with Jay Cutler commenced when they were together in Denver. But the Bears have now announced that Bates is out. It’s the first … |
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Third-and-Long: Kyle Long taking different path to the NFL than father Howie and brother ChrisJan 17
Doug Farrar, yahoo.com LOS ANGELES -- Oregon offensive lineman Kyle Long may share a last name and bloodline with his father, Hall-of-Fame defensive end Howie, and his brother, current St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris. He also shares a dream of playing in the NFL, but Kyle … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Over the weekend, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is pushing coach Jason Garrett to give up his play-calling duties. The process continues. Per a league source, the Cowboys are quietly looking for a new offensive coordin… |
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Maggie Hendricks, yahoo.com On Thursday night's "Parks and Recreation," some Indianapolis Colts showed up to make a character's dream come true. Andy Dwyer, as played by Chris Pratt, never had a bachelor party before his wedding (for which he wore a Reggie Wayne jersey.)… |
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Maggie Hendricks, yahoo.com The brotherly bond between Chandler and Arthur Jones is evident. They come together to support their brother Jon, the UFC light heavyweight champion. They were together when Chandler was drafted to the New England Patriots. However, that brotherly bond … |
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NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Jets are closing in on hiring a general manager, with Seattle executive John Idzik the apparent front-runner. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Broncos have been criticized for choosing to take a knee with 31 seconds left in regulation on Saturday and the score against the Ravens tied at 35. And since success has a thousand fathers and failure is an orphan, Broncos receiver Eric Decker was … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com For 14 years, Eagles coach Andy Reid had final say over the team’s roster. Today, it’s not clear who holds that power. New Eagles coach Chip Kelly was asked whether he has final say on Thursday, and he didn’t answer the question directly. “My ro… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Wide receiver and kick returner Devin Thomas has ended his brief retirement to sign with the Detroit Lions. |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Judges decided Thursday that the custody fight over the infant daughter of former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, who fatally shot his girlfriend before killing himself, will be handled in Missouri, not Texas. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Jets should draft linebacker Manti Te’o, if for no reason other than gratitude. Te’o's travails have made us all forget, for a while, the dysfunction enveloping the New York Jets. But we’ll be reminded of it soon, when the Jets hire a General … |
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New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma's defamation lawsuit against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in connection with the bounty case was dismissed by a federal judge on Thursday. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com While it’s no surprise after they hired Aaron Kromer as their offensive coordinator/line coach, the Bears have now fired former offensive coordinator Mike Tice. Tice, along with running backs coach Tim Spencer and offensive line coach Tim Holt were let … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Of all people in the media, Mike Mayock occupies the most unique position when it comes to the question of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o's draft stock in the wake of the hoax that he was or wasn’t involved in. Mayock is NFL Network’s in-house dra… |
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Te'o perpetuated hoaxJan 17
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) Not once but twice after he supposedly discovered his online girlfriend of three years never even existed, Notre Dame All-American linebacker Manti Te'o perpetuated the heartbreaking story about her death. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie met the media on Thursday for the first time since the end of the regular season and he was greeted with plenty of questions about his team’s offense. Running back Darren McFadden was a topic of particular interes… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Titans didn’t fire their head coach, but they’ve parted ways with plenty of assistant coaches. They’re now filling the gaps that resulted from the moves. The team has announced that Dowell Loggains (pictured), who became offensive coordinator af… |
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Mike Rodak, ESPN.com The Patriots on Thursday put tight end Rob Gronkowski on season-ending injured reserve. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com And now perhaps we know why linebacker Manti Te’o has chosen to remain silent for now. Before he speaks, his handlers need to delve into every nook and cranny of every thing that he or someone in his family said about the situation, so that he’ll be r… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Patriots have a roster spot to fill before this weekend’s game against the Ravens. They officially placed tight end Rob Gronkowski on injured reserve Thursday, four days after breaking a bone in his left arm for the second time this season. The inju… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Wherever Jimmy Johnson got the information for last week’s tweet that Marc Trestman was getting the Bears job, it didn’t come from Trestman. That’s because Trestman said he hadn’t spoken with his old mentor from his University of Miami days in 10 … |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Titans have started the process of replacing the assistant coaches fired since the end of the regular season. Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com reports that the team has hired Nate Kaczor as their new special teams coordinator. Kaczor was on head coach M… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com LOS ANGELES -- Of all the reasons Chip Kelly took the Philadelphia Eagles' head-coaching position after he swore he was staying at Oregon, perhaps the most compelling rationale was the need to strike while the iron was hot. With the success of college t… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Andy Reid has started to get things organized in Kansas City and the Chiefs coach will check in with Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network on Thursday to let us know how the process is going. Erik Kuselias will talk to Reid about his choices for key p… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Corey Graham signed as a free agent with the Ravens during the offseason and has played well, starting eight games at cornerback in the regular season and two more in the playoffs, and intercepting Peyton Manning twice in Baltimore’s upset at Denver. Gr… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com If the Baltimore Ravens need a field goal in the waning seconds of the AFC Championship Game, they'll call upon a rookie with little regard for history. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With each passing hour that Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o remains silent regarding the hoax he claims via a written statement was perpetrated on him, the initial impressions formed by members of the public harden. And even more information is surfaci… |
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What is the most intriguing quarterback matchup? Which coach is under the most pressure? Peter King offers a look into what he'll be watching during Sunday's Championship games. |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has been moved from a central Montana drug treatment center to the state prison in Deer Lodge. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The 49ers will have a trio of honorary captains when San Francisco squares off against the Falcons on Sunday, as the Niners stand on the doorstep of the Super Bowl. Two of them are on the doorstep of a fairly important doorstep of their own. Eddie DeBar… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com There was talk this offseason that Jon Gruden could be lured to return to coaching with the Eagles. But Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie says that talk didn’t come from Gruden himself. In fact, Lurie said today that when he reached out to Gruden, Gruden told … |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com The Cleveland Browns announced six additions to coach Rob Chudzinski's coaching staff Thursday, headlined by Norv Turner, who was named the team's offensive coordinator. |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Doug Marrone has hired three more assistants to his new Buffalo Bills staff, including Ike Hilliard taking over as receivers coach. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Earlier on Thursday there was a report that the Jaguars have requested permission to interview Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael for the same role on new coach Gus Bradley’s staff. It doesn’t look like an interview will happen and not becau… |
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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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New OCs: Turner to BrownsJan 17
CLEVELAND (AP) The Cleveland Browns named Norv Turner their new offensive coordinator on Thursday. |
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) A sign reading "Our Chip's Come In" greeted Chip Kelly outside the Philadelphia Eagles' practice facility on his first day as head coach, and a few fans drove down Pattison Avenue honking their horns to salute the hiring. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com … |
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Dom Cosentino, deadspin.com We told you earlier how Arizona Cardinals fullback Reagan Maui'a told ESPN he had met Lennay Kekua, which is rather odd because she doesn't actually exist. But also buried in that report was Kekua's reference to another famous Samoan football player: Mo… |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley accepted the head coaching position with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday morning and Pete Carroll wasted little time finding his replacement. The Seahawks announced on Thursday afternoon that Unive… |
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Stuart Miller, nytimes.com The list of coaches who made it - win or lose -- to the Super Bowl with more than one team remains shorter than the similar list in the other sports. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com New Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase is 34 years old, and is calling plays for the first time. The fact he’s calling them for a 36-year-old quarterback in Peyton Manning who has effectively been calling his own since Gase was in college doesn’t… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Former Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt will become the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Two and a half weeks after he was fired as head coach of the Cardinals, Ken Whisenhunt has found a new job. Whisenhunt is the new offensive coordinator of the Chargers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported and PFT has confirmed. In San Diego, Whisenhunt … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com In the end, Deadspin beat Manti Te’o to the punch by only five days. According to Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports, Te’o had planned to disclose the hoax that he claims was perpetrated on him next Monday, January 21. If so, it would have been a bad time to … |
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Tom Ley, deadspin.com This Manti Te'o business is on everyone's mind, including Darnell Dockett's. The Arizona Cardinals defensive end is sympathetic to Manti's situation, and has some interesting ideas on how to cheer Manti up: More » |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Chip Kelly, who arrived to a hero's welcome at a Philadelphia airport on Wednesday night, was introduced at a news conference Thursday at the Eagles' training complex. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com New Eagles coach Chip Kelly is joining a very small group of men who have become NFL head coaches without any previous professional football experience. But he doesn’t think that’s a problem. Kelly said at his introductory press conference that he doe… |
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One Step From New OrleansJan 17
There will be little margin for error in Sunday's conference title games. Both contests look like thrillers, perhaps classics. Who will reach Super Bowl XLVII? Peter King picks. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Last Friday, the NFL and NFLPA demonstrated via a quick back-and-forth that they finally have reached an agreement regarding HGH testing. Sort of. In short, each side believes that if the other acted more like its baseball counterparts, the NFL would … |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com With Gus Bradley installed as the new head coach in Jacksonville, Brian Schottenheimer will be returning to his role as offensive coordinator for the Rams. Schottenheimer interviewed with the Jaguars earlier this week, the latest of several interviews t… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The NFL Films cameras caught an amusing incident between Ravens defensive end Terrell Suggs and Broncos defensive tackle Justin Bannan during Saturday’s game, in which Suggs challenged Bannan to a fight — but convinced the ref not to throw a flag by s… |
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ESPNBoston.com, ESPN.com Boston mayor Thomas Menino added to his blooper reel Wednesday, referring to Patriots 'Wilcock' and 'Gonk'. |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The Carolina Panthers interviewed quarterbacks coach Mike Shula for their vacant offensive coordinator position on Wednesday, a person familiar with the situation said. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Notre Dame A.D. Jack Swarbrick removed the “say nothing” option for linebacker Manti Te’o by telling reporters on Wednesday night that Te’o will soon address (with something more than the prepared statement he already has issued) the elaborate hoa… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The Colts have their new special teams coordinator. Tom McMahon, who spent last season as special teams coach in Kansas City, has been hired in Indianapolis, the Colts announced today. “We’re excited that Tom will be joining our staff,” head coach C… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com The Denver Broncos promoted quarterbacks coach Adam Gase to replace Mike McCoy as offensive coordinator. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Patriots said Wednesday that cornerback Alfonzo Dennard missed practice for a non-injury related issue. That’s certainly easier to log into the injury report than “in court in Nebraska.” According to Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com, Dennard was at… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Jaguars made it official, announcing that Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley had become the fifth head coach in franchise history. In their press release, the Jaguars stressed that they’ve found a long-term fit to go with new general manager… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Shortly after undrafted rookie linebacker Brandon Joiner signed with the Bengals in May, he was sentenced to three years in prison as a result of his involvement in a 2007 robbery when he was enrolled at Texas A&M. At the time, Joiner’s attorney sai… |
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Now the Patriots are one win away from a third Super Bowl appearance in six years, trying for their first championship since the '04 season. You have to like their odds. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Packers have every reason in the world to believe in the power of the read option, after watching 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick dismantle them in the playoffs. But Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is willing to take a longer view, that the sud… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Last week, Chip Kelly was adamant that he had decided to stay at Oregon rather than leave for the NFL. Yesterday, Kelly announced that he has decided to leave to coach the Eagles. So what changed? Tony Dungy, the former Buccaneers and Colts coach whose … |
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Reuben Fischer, deadspin.com Football injuries are random but inevitable. Every year, some teams will spend the season in an MRI machine, and others will end up pretty much unharmed (outside of thousands of micro-concussions). Just as predictably, some coaches will try to obfuscate… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Last week, MDS and yours truly agreed on every pick. After Saturday’s games, it looked like we’d be Thelma-and-Louiseing our way to an 0-4 weekend. But after getting it wrong by relying on the Broncos and Packers, we were perfect on Sunday with the … |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Last year, the Lions needed to give wide receiver Calvin Johnson a new deal in order to free up cap room to fill out the rest of the roster. Johnson wound up with a fat new contract as a result, something that may have quarterback Matthew Stafford licki… |
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley as head coach Thursday, the latest move in the team's rebuilding project. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Buccaneers defense struggled mightily against the pass this season, something that already caused the team to allow defensive backs coach Ron Cooper to depart for a job at the University of South Florida. Now they’ve made another change. Pewter Repo… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com 49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith made his return to the field with a partially torn triceps against the Packers last week and things went well. He played on 53 of the 58 defensive snaps, held up against double teams from the Packers and made eight t… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and his estranged wife, Pilar, must share custody of their three children pending the couple's divorce. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com A decade ago, Johnnie Cochran and Cyrus Mehri rattled the litigation sword regarding the stunning absence of minority head coaches in the NFL. The NFL responded promptly with the “Rooney Rule,” which initially required at least one minority candidat… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com When Ray Lewis announced that he’ll retire after the postseason, his old friend and former teammate Deion Sanders said he thought there was a chance Lewis would change his mind. But Lewis says he’s no Brett Favre. “Nah, I can’t come back,” Lewis… |
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Thursday morning one-linersJan 17
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Bills are giving it the old college try with a new coaching staff, populated mostly with inexperience. The Dolphins ought to be more interested in free agent WRs than drafting one, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Patriots are … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Jets linebacker Bart Scott says the problem with the team in 2012 is easy to explain: A lack of talent. Scott said on Inside the NFL that there’s nothing hard to understand about why the Jets went 6-10. That’s what happens when your personnel doesn’… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com When the Patriots sent a fourth-round draft pick to the Buccaneers for cornerback Aqib Talib just hours before the trade deadline, they were taking a major risk. Talib had talent, but he had also had so much off-field trouble that the Bucs were sick of … |
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Brian Burke, nytimes.com It's difficult to assess the value Colin Kaepernick has on the odds of the N.F.C. title game, but let's try anyway. |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com The city of Las Vegas is exploring the possibility of building a massive new “Mega-Event Center” on the UNLV campus that would rival Cowboys Stadium in regards to its size and excess. The stadium would be able to host a number of major events if it is… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The Browns have hired a pair of executive vice presidents, filling out their front office under new owner Jimmy Haslam. |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com The Chicago Bears seemed hopeful they would be able to hold on to defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli in the wake of firing head coach Lovie Smith at the end of the season. However, with new head coach Marc Trestman in place, Marinelli may no longer wan… |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com The New York Jets have one less name to consider for their vacant offensive coordinator position. According to Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday, the Jets will not hire former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron as the replacement for the fi… |
