We hear there’s a lot of sentiment in the desert for the Cardinals to select Arizona CB Antoine Cason in the 2008 draft. Not only does Cason have a lot of obvious local appeal, but he would also help fill a key area of need.
Our Seahawks sources aren’t optimistic at all about the team getting any future contributions from former first-round pick Marcus Tubbs, who has missed each of the past two seasons with injuries to both knees.
The next starting quarterback for the Falcons had better be prepared to match wits with new GM Thomas Dimitroff. At his introductory press conference, Dimitroff admitted to being a QB snob and said he will be looking for cerebral signalcallers.
Though Panthers DT Kris Jenkins has said he’d like to play for a team closer to his home in Maryland, such as the Redskins or Ravens, we hear Carolina has no plans to trade him. He is too valuable a member of the defensive line, and it would take an offer of a very high draft pick, likely a first-rounder, for the Panthers to consider a deal.
The Chiefs tried to lure esteemed OL guru Alex Gibbs out of retirement to help a new offensive staff and coach with his son, David Gibbs, who handles the team’s DB coaching role, but Kansas City lost out to Houston for his services. With the Texans, Gibbs is reunited with Gary Kubiak, with whom he worked in Denver.
Besides WR Eddie Kennison and CB Ty Law, we hear C Casey Wiegmann is another veteran who could be shown the door in Kansas City during the offseason. Wiegmann, a free agent, is not as good of a fit with the Chiefs as he once was because he isn’t playing in space as often as he was under the Dick Vermeil regime. When asked to block at the point of attack for the newer inside running game, he is not playing to his strengths and often gets overpowered. If the Chiefs shift to a zone-blocking system under new coordinator Chan Gailey, however, that could keep him in town for another year or two.
It seems inevitable that, unless he gets a much more substantial offer or a shot to compete for a starting job elsewhere, Josh McCown will be back with the Raiders in 2008 to serve as the backup to JaMarcus Russell. Well-versed in the playbook and a solid locker-room presence, McCown has the trust of head coach Lane Kiffin.
Look for the Raiders to be in the market for a right offensive tackle this offseason, as Cornell Green doesn’t appear to have a future after a penalty- and injury-plagued season.
The new head of the Broncos’ defense, Bob Slowik, may not have the greatest track record in similar roles during his career, but the Broncos’ players are looking forward to better communication with him than they had with Jim Bates.
It was beginning to look as though the Bills were fearful of outsiders upsetting the chemistry in their front office and coaching ranks. Shortly after divvying up departed general manager Marv Levy’s responsibilities among existing members of the front office without hiring anyone new, coach Dick Jauron promoted four position coaches in the wake of offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild’s departure and OL coach Jim McNally’s retirement, again without bringing somebody new aboard. However, Jauron went outside the organization late in the week, hiring former Redskins, 49ers and Lions OG-OT Ray Brown as the team’s new assistant OL coach.
Yes, the Jets’ running game was an utter disappointment in 2007. No, RB Thomas Jones’ job is not in jeopardy. An O-line upgrade, particularly at the OLG and ORT spots, is of greater importance. Head coach Eric Mangini took the first step toward improving the unit on Jan. 18, hiring Bill Callahan, who had been recently canned as head coach at Nebraska, to serve as an assistant head coach. Although criticized for his work as the skipper of the Cornhuskers and the Oakland Raiders, Callahan earned high marks for his work as OL coach with the University of Wisconsin, the Eagles and the Raiders prior to his head-coaching stints.
The Dolphins’ sagging defense is sure to receive the biggest face-lift, but new Dolphins skipper Tony Sparano is sure to address the shortcomings of the offensive line, his position of expertise. Sources tell us the only two O-linemen who should feel safe in their jobs are OLT Vernon Carey and C Samson Satele, although Carey could conceivably flip over to the right side.
The firing of Browns defensive coordinator Todd Grantham underscores how popular head coach Romeo Crennel is with his players, the way we hear it. Reports have surfaced suggesting Grantham and Crennel were not on the same page and that Grantham didn’t see eye-to-eye with his players, either.
Look for the Browns to try to bring back versatile LB Chaun Thompson, one of the last draft picks still on their roster from Butch Davis’ time coaching the team and choosing the personnel.
The Bengals could have an interesting OLB prospect in Eric Henderson, an undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech who spent the ’06 season on Cincinnati’s practice squad and the ’07 season on injured reserve after suffering a dislocated wrist. With a new defensive coordinator (Mike Zimmer) and with four linebackers (Landon Johnson, Dhani Jones, Lemar Marshall, Caleb Miller) eligible to become unrestricted free agents, Henderson could work his way onto the LB depth chart if he plays well in the offseason.
The Steelers are expected to open up the competition for the starting center job after Sean Mahan had an up-and-down first season with the club. Young Darnell Stapleton will get a look, the way we hear it.
How much does Colts WR Marvin Harrison have left in the tank? We hear that question is legitimate after a stubborn knee injury limited the future Canton inductee to six games, including the postseason, in 2007. He’ll turn 36 in August, and it may be a bit much to expect him to revert to All-Pro form at that age. This past season also demonstrated that with Harrison out, the Colts lack an effective No. 3 receiver for their spread formations behind Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez.
It might have taken longer than the Packers would have preferred for Cullen Jenkins to fully adapt to his new role this season as a right-side defensive end/rush tackle, but we’re told the team couldn’t have been happier with Jenkins’ performance late in the regular season and in the team’s playoff victory over Seattle — which was by far his best overall game of the season. Daily team observers noticed a real change for the better in Jenkins in the regular season’s final stages. Not only was he feeling a lot healthier after being forced to deal with nagging injuries much of the season, Jenkins admits he also regained his confidence after first becoming frustrated with his difficulty in handling his new gig.
After taking a closer look on tape at QB Rex Grossman’s play this past season, Bears coaches have concluded that some of his picks were caused more by WR Bernard Berrian’s faulty route-running than Grossman’s throws, according to our sources.
Some observers thought Mike Martz’s parting shots — albeit without actually naming his target — at OLT Jeff Backus were a bit cheap and unfair, but we hear that there were other Lions coaches who were as disappointed with Backus’ play. That said, Backus battled injuries all season and improved down the stretch.
Here’s a guy to keep in mind: Vikings OL Dan Mozes, who suffered a torn ACL last summer and missed the season but could vie for a backup job in 2008. The staff likes his intelligence and thinks he can be a valuable reserve at guard and center, provided he’s healthy and he keeps his weight up.
As soon as Norm Chow got the ax in Tennessee, there was some speculation as to whether or not the Cardinals would go after the Titans’ fired offensive coordinator with the thought of reuniting him with QB Matt Leinart, whom he coached and had a very close relationship with at USC. But with the Cardinals having recently extended offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s contract, Chow would probably have to settle for a job as a QB coach, which team sources very much doubt he would be willing to do. Beyond that, we hear that head coach Ken Whisenhunt really likes the job QB coach Jeff Rutledge, who also happens to be a close friend, did this season.
Our Rams sources believe Bengals QB coach Ken Zampese, who has met with head coach Scott Linehan about the team’s offensive coordinator vacancy, would be a good choice. Zampese has a good relationship with QB Marc Bulger and WRs Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce from his days as an assistant coach under Mike Martz in St. Louis. In addition, we’re told both team president John Shaw and president of football operations/GM Jay Zygmunt also like him a lot.
The Rams’ defense isn’t being discussed much lately with more concerns these days regarding the team’s offense, but we’re told defensive coordinator Jim Haslett is leaning toward retaining a 4-3 base scheme, with 3-4 elements liberally incorporated in passing situations.
Niners free-agent NT Isaac Sopoaga, who did a decent job on the nose this season pairing with Aubrayo Franklin, told our sources that in his exit meeting with Mike Nolan, the Niners head coach told Sopoaga that he would definitely like for him to return next season. Team sources put the odds of Sopoaga being re-signed at better than 50 percent.
In addition to the surgery for the torn ACL in his left knee suffered by Seahawks WR Deion Branch in Seattle’s playoff loss to the Packers — which we hear could keep Branch out of commission up to nine full months — the following Seahawks are also scheduled to go under the knife this offseason: RB Shaun Alexander, who had surgery this week to repair a cracked bone in his wrist that forced him to wear a protective cast all season; OLT Walter Jones, who will have surgery on the right shoulder that kept him from practicing much of the season; and DE Patrick Kerney, who will miss the Pro Bowl to have surgery on his shoulder.
Our source in New Orleans said the Saints were impressed with PK Martin Gramatica during his three-game stint with the team and will likely be brought back next season. He went 5-for-5 and hit a 55-yarder after replacing PK Olindo Mare, who finished the season on injured reserve and was inconsistent for much of 2007. There could be an open competition between Gramatica and Mare in training camp.
Tampa Bay has a glaring hole at center with its top two players at the position, John Wade and Matt Lehr, set to become free agents. Wade beat out Lehr for the starting job in training camp, but Lehr offers versatility — he can play guard or center — a trait that is highly valued by coach Jon Gruden.
Panthers owner Jerry Richardson recently broke his silence and spoke with the Carolina media for the first time since August. He was very complimentary of the Steelers and their style of play, which furthered speculation that he will make a run at hiring Bill Cowher, who lives in North Carolina, if Cowher puts himself on the market next offseason. To do that, though, Richardson would have to fire head coach John Fox, who is signed through 2010.
There is still talk about moving Giants OLB Mathias Kiwanuka back to the defensive line, at least more often, next season. A lot depends on the future of coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and whether he gets a head-coaching opportunity. It’s also dependent on whether DE Michael Strahan retires. If the latter happens, you can almost guarantee Kiwanuka will play with his hand on the ground most of the time.
The Eagles were disappointed that WR Jason Avant’s groin injury lasted as long as it did this season, but they still feel he can be a quality slot receiver next season. They think his speed gives him an edge over Hank Baskett.
Of all the players the Cowboys signed to futures contracts last week, the most intriguing is QB Richard Bartel. Some coaches felt Bartel wasn’t much behind Matt Moore, who later started three games for the Panthers, when the two were battling for the Cowboys’ third QB spot last training camp. And now Bartel has a chance to do the same with a strong offseason.
