NFL News

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Frank Reich: Obviously, my desire is to be a head coach again

Posted by Charean Williams on November 8, 2022, 5:30 PM EST

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The Colts gave Frank Reich his first head coaching job. He hopes it’s not his last.

Colts owner Jim Irsay fired Reich in a phone call Monday morning.

Reich told Mike Chappell of Fox 59 that, in the short term, he and his wife, Linda, are driving to North Carolina to visit children and grandchildren, and taking time to decompress. After that, Reich hopes to find the next coaching job.

“I think you keep all your options open,’’ Reich told Chappell. “Obviously my desire is to be a head coach. I love the game. I love everything about the game, so you keep all of your options open.’’

Reich, 60, leaves Indianapolis with a 41-35-1 record that includes a 1-2 mark in two playoff appearances. He regrets his Colts failed to win the AFC South and never seriously challenged for a Super Bowl title.

The Colts, who named former player Jeff Saturday as interim coach, are 3-5-1 and have lost three in a row.

“There’s disappointment and hurt,’’ Reich said. “It hurts. It hurts to have it happen in the middle of the season, but I understand the business side of things. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Irsay and I’ve come to trust his instincts and his knowledge of the game. I just know he’s doing what he thinks is best for the team.

“I can live with that. I gave my heart and soul to the job, to the guys, to everything I did there. I didn’t take anything for granted.’’

[Futureshock]

Wow

Raiders to release Johnathan Abram

Posted by Myles Simmons on November 8, 2022, 3:25 PM EST

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The Raiders are moving on from one of their former first-round picks.

Las Vegas is releasing safety Johnathan Abram, according to multiple reports.

Abram was the third of the three first-round picks the Raiders made in 2019, their last season in Oakland. Selected at 27th overall, Abram missed nearly all of his rookie year after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week One. He returned for 2020 and became a productive starter.

But Abram — along with No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell and No. 24 overall pick Josh Jacobs — had his fifth-year option declined in the spring. The team was reportedly attempting to trade him but could not find any takers.

While Abram started the 2022 season playing nearly every snap, his playing time was reduced in Week Five. In Week Eight, he was removed from the starting lineup. He played 34 percent of the defensive snaps in the loss to New Orleans and 46 percent of the defensive snaps in the loss to Jacksonville.

Abram has recorded three interceptions, 12 passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, eight tackles for loss, and nine QB hits in 36 games with 34 starts. Like all players cut after the trading deadline, Abram is subject to waivers.

[Futureshock]

I think a team would be on the hook for $747k. Not a lot to see if he could fit.

[Futureshock]

Fritz Pollard Alliance expresses concern regarding Colts hiring process

Posted by Mike Florio on November 8, 2022, 3:11 PM EST

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The NFL has no problem with the decision of Colts owner Jim Irsay to hire an interim coach from outside the building without complying with the Rooney Rule. The Fritz Pollard Alliance does.

“The Rooney Rule is the only universal hiring policy used by the NFL to promote fairness and diversity,” the Fritz Pollard Alliance said in a statement. “However, [Monday’s] news in Indianapolis illuminated a gap in the league’s stated objective. If the spirit of the rule is to expand opportunities, we believe that it must be consistently applied, even in the hiring of interim positions.”

We agree. The Rooney Rule should apply to interim hires, specifically if the hire is coming from outside the current coaching staff. Hopefully, the rule will be changed immediately.

It’s not enough for it to apply to the eventual search for a replacement. The interim job gives the candidate a valuable opportunity to better position himself to get the permanent assignment. In this case, Jeff Saturday will get two months to audition for the job, on the job.

That said, Irsay may have a problem when January rolls around. What if minority candidates refuse to interview, especially in light of the fact (based on Monday night’s introductory press conference) that Irsay seems to be predisposed to giving Saturday the job?

It would be a fitting outcome for Irsay. Unless the league finds a way to carve out another one-time excuse/loophole that gives Irsay a pass. The NFL seems to be determined to never declare to the world that a team has violated the Rooney Rule, since a finding that one has done it makes the entire operation look bad.

[froot loops]

I think a team would be on the hook for $747k. Not a lot to see if he could fit.

They are pretty tight on money, they could do it but they may have to do some restructuring later on in the season.

[Futureshock]

He's not bad, but, they may not want o invest there with Walker coming back next year and Kerby-Joe playing well right now. IDK

[Futureshock]

Mike McDaniel: Nothing that’s happening with Tua Tagovailoa is a surprise to me

Posted by Myles Simmons on November 9, 2022, 12:40 PM EST

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Through nine games, Tua Tagovailoa has performed as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

He currently leads the NFL with a 115.9 passer rating and 9.2 yards per attempt. He’s fifth with 15 touchdown passes, despite missing a pair of games. Since returning from a concussion in Week Seven, he’s completed 70.3 percent of his passes for 945 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s also been sacked only twice.

On Wednesday, head coach Mike McDaniel praised Tagovailoa when asked about the quarterback’s success and how he’s handling it.

“Do you doubt that he’s handling it well? Let’s motivate that guy,” McDaniel quipped, tongue-in-cheek. “You just have a feeling about people when you’re forecasting uncharted territory. You don’t totally know, but you feel like you know.

“Anything that’s happening with him isn’t a surprise to me. It would’ve been a surprise if it hadn’t, just because the day-in, day-out work that I’m witnessing and the work that his teammates do and how his rapport is with them and all of that. But it doesn’t surprise me how he’s handled success because literally it has no distinction from when we first started working, before Game One and training camp and OTAs. And that’s awesome. That’s what I would’ve guessed.”

Still, McDaniel added, it’s been cool to see things come to fruition.

“[H]e knows exactly who he is,” McDaniel said. “He knows exactly what he needs to do to do his portion of his job well. And he’s not deviating from that at all. Very cool and good to see, but not surprising in the least.”

Tagovailoa will try to keep his strong play rolling with Sunday’s matchup against the Browns.

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Maybe Tua can give Wilson some tips.

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Kirk Cousins: Stefon Diggs trade worked out well with how Justin Jefferson has played

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 10, 2022, 4:07 AM EST

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For two years together in Minnesota, Kirk Cousins and Stefon Diggs were an effective quarterback-receiver pairing. Then the Vikings traded Diggs to Buffalo, and Cousins admits he was concerned.

But in that trade the Vikings acquired the Bills’ first-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, and they selected wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who made instantly replaced Diggs’ role in the offense. As the Vikings prepare to play the Bills on Sunday, Cousins says it all worked out.

“I think it’s one that’s worked out for everybody involved,” Cousins said. “Stefon was looking for a different opportunity, and his production in Buffalo would suggest that’s worked out very well for him. . . . Being able to get Justin made it sting a little less, with the way Justin’s played. But make no mistake about it, Stefon is an elite receiver, he’s shown that here, he’s shown that there, and he’s doing it again this year, and it doesn’t surprise me in the least, having played with him.”

Cousins said Diggs let him know months before the March 2020 trade that he was asking the Vikings to move him, and that Diggs assured him it wasn’t about any frustration with Cousins.

“Stefon was looking for another opportunity and I’m happy for him,” Cousins said. “He made it pretty clear from the start, ‘This has nothing to do with you.’ We talked about it. In pro sports, there’s a level of players needing to protect themselves, look out for themselves and their careers, and I understand that.”

The Vikings took a risk when they granted Diggs’ trade request, and that decision would look a lot different if some other team had drafted Jefferson before the Vikings got him with the 22nd pick. But Jefferson made the risk pay off.

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Dalvin Cook looks forward to playing his brother for the first time

Posted by Charean Williams on November 9, 2022, 10:42 PM EST

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Vikings running back Dalvin Cook usually roots for his younger brother, but not this week.

For the first time, Cook will face James, a rookie running back for the Bills.

“Yeah, it’s different,” Dalvin Cook said, via Sam Thiel of the team website. “I never had the opportunity to be in this predicament, but one of the best to be in. It’s a fun time for my family. But it’s something that I will remember forever. Just taking it all in. A lot of emotions Sunday.”

Dalvin Cook, a second-round selection in 2017, has 150 touches for 727 yards and six touchdowns this season. James Cook, a second-round pick this year, has 35 touches for 243 yards and a touchdown.

Dalvin is providing advice to his younger brother . . . while also trash talking.

“Every day. Every day. Every day,” Dalvin said. “I’ll talk to him. Just call him and mess with him and see where his head is at.”

A few weeks ago, Cook played in his hometown of Miami for the first time as a pro. Now, he will play his brother for the first time.

“It’s definitely going to be fun,” Dalvin said. “It’s just funny how things work out. We made it to the stages of our career that we aimed for when were younger. So, we’ve just got to take advantage of it.”

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Commander’s strong rebuke of D.C. Attorney General invokes Brian Robinson shooting

Posted by Mike Florio on November 9, 2022, 7:46 PM EST

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Daniel Snyder can’t sell the Commanders soon enough.

In a week in which Snyder has been temporarily trumped as the league’s most embarrassing owner by his sudden arch-nemesis, Colts owner Jim Irsay, Snyder has reminded everyone that he put the “diss” in dysfunction with a shameful statement that attempts to use the shooting of Commanders running back Brian Robinson as a shield against external scrutiny.

Following a Wednesday announcement that D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine will be making a “major announcement” on Thursday, the Commanders issued a characteristically combative statement.

“Less than three months ago, a 23-year-old player on our team was shot multiple times, in broad daylight,” the Commanders said. “Despite the out-of-control violent crime in D.C., today the Washington Commanders learned for the first time on Twitter that the D.C. Attorney General will be holding a press conference to ‘make a major announcement’ related to the organization tomorrow.”

But why invoke the shooting of Brian Robinson? What does it prove? The crime against Robinson is irrelevant to any crimes that the Commanders may have committed.

Consider the ludicrous nature of that argument. Essentially, the Commanders are balking at potentially being investigated and prosecuted because one of the team’s employees, in a wholly unrelated incident, was shot in the same jurisdiction.

The statement from the team also included comments far more relevant to the issue at hand.

“The Commanders have fully cooperated with the AG’s investigation for nearly a year,” the Commanders said. “As recently as Monday, a lawyer for the team met with the AG who did not suggest at that time that he intended to take any actions and, in fact, revealed fundamental misunderstandings of the underlying facts. It is unfortunate that, in his final days in office, Mr. Racine appears more interested in making splashy headlines, based on offbeat legal theories, rather than doing the hard work of making the streets safe for our citizens, including bringing to justice the people who shot one of our players.”

Racine can do try to do both. He has responsibility for all potential criminal activity within the District of Columbia, whether street crime or white-collar infractions.

Here’s the deeper problem with the Commanders’ statement. Like many self-serving press releases, the two-paragraph attack on Racine is aimed at pandering to Snyder’s base of fans and supporters. The only problem with that approach is, well, he has neither fans nor supporters.

Thus, the far better approach at this point will be: (1) keep your head low; (2) keep your mouth shut; and (3) above all else, sell the team.

[Futureshock]

Brian Robinson’s agent takes issue with Commanders’ statement regarding D.C. Attorney General

Posted by Mike Florio on November 9, 2022, 8:05 PM EST

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Many aren’t happen with the clumsy and embarrassing effort of the Washington Commanders to complain about the looming “major announcement” from D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine by invoking the shooting of Commanders running back Brian Robinson. The many who aren’t happy include Robinson’s agent.

“Up until an hour ago, the Commanders handled the Brian Robinson situation with so much care, sincerity and class,” agent Ryan Williams said on Twitter. “And I was so grateful for all of it. Although I know that there are some great humans in that building, whoever is hiding behind this statement is not one of them.”

The person ultimately hiding behind the statement is owner Daniel Snyder. Surely, that statement didn’t get released without his consent. Whether it was his idea to include a reference to Robinson or whether he simply agreed to it, it’s a disgrace. It’s a shame. And, as previously mentioned, it’s another reason why Snyder should finally and expeditiously sell the team.

[Futureshock]

Packers place Rashan Gary on injured reserve

Posted by Charean Williams on November 9, 2022, 5:52 PM EST

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The Packers placed linebacker Rashan Gary on injured reserve to make room for the arrival of safety Johnathan Abram. Green Bay claimed Abram off waivers from the Raiders on Wednesday.

Gary is out for the season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in the team’s loss to the Lions on Sunday.

He leads the Packers in pressures (38), sacks (6), quarterback hits (12) and tackles for loss (7).

Gary has missed only two games in his career.

The Packers also announced they have signed receiver Jeff Cotton to the practice squad.

Cotton, a first-year player out of the University of Idaho, originally signed as an undrafted free agent with Chargers in 2020. He also has spent time with the Jaguars and Cardinals, including a stint on Arizona’s practice squad in September.

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Aaron Rodgers doesn’t practice Wednesday, Aaron Jones limited

Posted by Josh Alper on November 9, 2022, 5:10 PM EST

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Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been on the injury report with a right thumb injury for several weeks and he has alternated between limited Wednesday practices and sitting out entirely over that span.

This Wednesday was one of the ones he sat out entirely. The Packers list Rodgers as a non-participant for their first on-field work ahead of Sunday’s home game against the Cowboys.

Rodgers has not missed any game action, but he also hasn’t played up to his usual standard during the team’s five-game losing streak.

Running back Aaron Jones (ankle) was a limited participant after getting hurt in last Sunday’s loss to the Lions. Kicker Mason Crosby (back), cornerback Rasul Douglas (calf), wide receiver Allen Lazard (shoulder), guard Jon Runyan (knee), and linebacker Preston Smith (neck) were also limited participants.

Tackle David Bakhtiari (knee), linebacker Krys Barnes (concussion), linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (knee), wide receiver Romeo Doubs (ankle), linebacker Rashan Gary (knee), cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles (ankle), offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins (knee), cornerback Eric Stokes (ankle, knee), and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (knee) joined Rodgers as non-participants.

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Go get em!

Ezekiel Elliott: “We want OBJ”

Posted by Mike Florio on November 9, 2022, 4:46 PM EST

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It’s happening.

As receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. closes in on being cleared to play, the Cowboys are expressing interest in him. Specifically, Cowboys players have begun expressing interest in Beckham.

“We want him,” Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott told reporters on Wednesday, via Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “We want OBJ.”

That’s the key to getting OBJ. Wanting him. Making him feel wanted. Mobilizing players to show him “the love.”

That’s how the Rams got him last year. He was “feeling the love.” That’s how his next team will seal the deal.

And the Cowboys currently are making their play.

It’s also going to take money, and perhaps something more than a contract for the rest of the season. And as the Cowboys begin the process of making their push for OBJ, other teams like the Bills, Chiefs, Giants, or whoever are on notice.

Make your move, or lose your chance.