Month: June 2015

Michael Sam has rejoined the Montreal Alouettes

This follows Sam being placed on the reserve-suspended list after leaving the team briefly for personal reasons.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he returns,” Alouettes general manager Jim Popp told the Montreal Gazette previously. “I’m surprised he left. I was very surprised. If he doesn’t come back, I would think football’s over for him. He’s the one that has to face that. But I don’t think he doesn’t want to play football. That’s why he came here.”
Sam was absent from the team for two weeks.
“Thank you all so much for your support,” Sam wrote on Twitter. “Great to be back in Montreal with the club. Let’s go #Als!”
A former Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Missouri who was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round and was cut by the team and then briefly on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, Sam was the first openly gay active player in the NFL.
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

Rarely does an NFL team see a franchise player leave town, either via trade or free agency. When it does happen–take Peyton Manning’s departure from Indy to Denver for example–it takes a perfect storm of dysfunction to usher the split along. It follows, of course, that no organization should expect to have to deal with rumors concerning the future of multiple long-time contributors.

Unfortunately, the San Diego Chargers currently face the unexpected.

The issues started around the time of the draft, when QB Philip Rivers found his name included in a trade with Tennessee for the second overall pick. It partially made sense: Rivers would be back with the offensive mind of Ken Whisenhunt (with whom Rivers nearly reached 70% completion and posted the third-best QBR in the league in 2013), and Marcus Mariota would have a team already built around him, creating an environment in which he could succeed as a rookie. Obviously, nothing like that ever materialized, and Mariota quietly and quickly went second overall to the Titans. Even so, having a finger that close to the trigger on a franchise quarterback is disconcerting for the future.

News surrounding S Eric Weddle is even less encouraging. Like Rivers, he’s entering a contract year, and has been very vocal throughout camp about his dissatisfaction with the team and their negotiations. ESPN’s Eric Williams wrote last week about Weddle’s frustrations:

“It’s obvious that I’m not part of this organization’s long-term plan. The NFL is a business, and I can accept that. I just wish the organization had been up front with me from Day 1.”

Ouch. He’s still attending camp, but Williams also reported that Weddle told his agent not to contact the Chargers after July 30 if they haven’t reached a multiyear deal by that date. 

The three most lucrative contracts on San Diego’s roster–Rivers, Weddle, and TE Antonio Gates–all expire at the end of this season. They might have enough money to keep all three (they’ll have upwards of $41 million in cap space), but the rumblings about Rivers and Weddle suggest they’ll have to slap their precious franchise tag on one of them to get them to stay through 2016. The tag would probably be wasted on Gates; while he enjoyed one of the best statistical seasons of his career in 2014 (12 TDs and 821 yards on 69 catches), he’s not worth the $9.32 million a franchised tight end will get under a projected $160 million cap. That leaves Rivers and Weddle as candidates, but which one makes more sense?

The Case for Franchising Rivers

Weddle is a terrific player. He’s led the Chargers defense in tackles by a wide margin each of the past three seasons, while contributing 11 takeaways. He was the best player on a top-5 unit by pass yards allowed in 2014. 

But he’s not a quarterback.

In today’s league, a good quarterback is the baseline requirement for competency. This reality means that San Diego, like any other team, is better equipped to deal with the loss of a safety than the loss of a signal-caller–especially one like theirs.

Rivers turns 34 this December, so he’s not young by any means. That said, there’s no reason to think he’s facing significant decline. While last season was not as impressive as Rivers’ rejuvenation under Whisenhunt, he still put up numbers to please Charger fans and Rivers fantasy owners alike. He tossed 31 TDs against 18 INTs, while accumulating 4,286 yards at a clip of 7.52 per attempt. He also posted a 66.5% completion rate, the second-best of his career. 

His decline from great to very-good is likely in large part due to the problems on the offensive line, which plummeted from 8th in 2013 to 17th in 2014 by adjusted sack rate. Thankfully, the Chargers noticed and signed G Orlando Franklin out of Denver and T Joseph Barksdale out of St. Louis, both solid players that should shore up the line.

These signings, combined with the young offensive weaponry (WR Keenan Allen, TE Ladarius Green, and rookie RB Melvin Gordon) show that San Diego is committed to creating an offense around their quarterback. This level of investment makes franchising Rivers a no-brainer, if they have to choose between him and Weddle.

The Case for Franchising Weddle

Ultimately, however, it probably won’t be a choice between the two, which is part of why the Chargers should absolutely tag Weddle after the 2015 season. 

Even in the light of the pre-draft trade rumors, all recent news depicts a quarterback happy with his organization and eager to finish his career with them. Rivers called the idea of retiring a Charger “awesome”, apparently putting to rest the rumblings about contract disputes and trades. If San Diego is able to negotiate a long-term deal with Rivers, there’s no reason to franchise him, especially since Weddle’s eventual departure looks more like a reality every day.

It also makes more monetary sense to franchise Weddle, because of the comparable salaries. This year, Rivers will cost the Chargers just over $17 million, while Weddle (who turns 31 in January) will make a shade over $10 million. Under a $160 million cap, the price to franchise a quarterback would be a staggering $20.7 million, while a safety’s salary would come out to a far more manageable, realistic $10.7 million. Franchising Rivers means paying at least $3 million extra for a 34-year old QB who was probably staying anyway; franchising Weddle means a marginal increase for a 31-year old safety, who would otherwise leave.

As much as the team needs Rivers, their need for Weddle might outweigh the importance of protecting their investment on offense. As I mentioned earlier, their defense was good against the pass, but not very good overall. The Chargers were 13th in points allowed, and a painfully mediocre 25th in defensive DVOA. Sadly enough, this was an improvement on 2013, when they finished dead last in DVOA. Safeties are generally more replaceable than quarterbacks, but most safeties are not Eric Weddle. For a defense struggling to keep their heads above water, losing their veteran leading tackler will be a crushing blow.

If San Diego wants to (a) keep a franchise player and (b) have any semblance of a good defense after this season, they have to use their franchise tag on Weddle next offseason. Hopefully they can use that time to convince him to stay for the long haul.

Throughout the 2014 NFL season, the national storyline involving the Texans mainly related to JJ Watt dominating opposing defenses. 

Aside from Watt, the Texans record at 8-8 says nothing more than an average football team. 

Given that this is an improvement from the 2013 season when Houston finished 2-14, there is enough reason to suggest the Texans are primed for a double-digit win season and potentially a playoff bid in 2015. Although the Texans were a .500 team, all eight wins were by more than seven points and five of the Texans loss were within a touchdown and an extra point. 

The Texans did finish the season with eye-catching numbers. The Houston defense ranked in the top-10 in points allowed and finished third in turnover differential with +12. Compare that to the team that won the division, the Colts, who were -5 in that area.
Offensively the Texans’ rushing attack was top-10 in the league and the offensive line allowed just 26 sacks, good for fourth best. That offensive line will return all five starters from last year. 

That Texans rushing attack can also be credited to of course Arian Foster, but there is depth at that position as well with Alfred Blue who looked good sharing some snaps with Foster. 

More importantly, Houston spent the off-season improving the areas of weakness, specifically the passing game, both offensively and defensively.

In the draft Houston added receiver Jaelen Strong to give them a young duo with Nuke Hopkins, who posted a rather unnoticed 1,210 yards and six touchdowns. Additionally, the Texans drafted Wake Forest corner Kevin Johnson, arguably was the top cover corner in the draft.The selection adds depth behind proven veterans Kareem Jackson and Jonathan Joseph. 

Factor in the signings of receiver Cecil Shorts and safety Rahim Moore and the Texans showed a strong commitment to ensuring the passing game improved on both fronts.
Then there is the schedule. Two divisional opponents, Tennessee and Jacksonville, don’t project to be much of a threat this year. That could conceivably be four wins for the Texans. Additionally, Houston will face both teams in the final two weeks of the season. Even division favorite Indianapolis has some weakness.  

The non-divisional schedule looks promising with road games against Atlanta, Buffalo and Miami, all of whom failed to make the playoffs in 2014. Houston’s home non-divisional opponents also look manageable with games against Kansas City, Tampa and the New York Jets. 

This isn’t to say the Texans are without flaws. Defensively, outside of JJ Watt, there isn’t another player who has shown much of an ability to rush the passer. 

On offense, the Texans traded starter Ryan Fitzpatrick to the Jets, meaning there will be a battle between former Cleveland Brown passer Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett. Tom Savage also figures to be in the mix to some capacity. None of the three have been overwhelmingly good during their respective NFL stints.

Still, Houston had similar problems last year and they still found a way to put up an 8-8 record. It is far from a perfect team, but they seem to be poised for ascension for the 2015 NFL season due to their off-season additions and relatively light schedule for the upcoming year.

Former NFL offensive lineman Damion Cook died of a heart attack Friday night.
He was 36 years old.
Cook played 26 career NFL games, starting 10 of them.
Cook, a head football high school coach in Maryland, played for the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns.
He went undrafted out of Bethune-Cookman in 2001.
Cook also played in the United Football League with the Omaha Nighthawks and in the Arena Football League with the Tampa Bay Storm.
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun
 

Over the past few weeks, I have broken down my favorite picks of rounds 1-7 of the 2015 NFL Draft. Now it is time for the 8th round: Undrafted Free Agents (UDFA). Despite not being drafted, these players play a crucial role on every team in the league, year in and year out. Big names such as Arian Foster, Wes Welker, Jeff Saturday, Kurt Warner, Antonio Gates, and Warren Moon were all undrafted. 

Bouncing between teams before finding consistent playing time is common for UDFA. They often take unconventional paths to playing time, and many learn to play special teams to remain in the NFL. 

Here are my top-rated UDFA from the 2015 draft class:

OL La’El Collins, LSU – Dallas Cowboys

If there was any debate about which team has the best offensive line in the NFL, the discussion ended with the signing of La’El Collins. He was ranked fourth overall on my big board and graded as the top offensive lineman in the class. 

Police announced just prior to the draft that they intended to question Collins about the his ex-girlfriend’s homicide, and his connection to the incident scared potential suitors away. Ultimately, he was never considered a suspect and avoided a criminal charge.

The possibility that the NFL reached out to teams and told them not to select Collins is doubtful but plausible. It was shocking that all 32 teams passed up a consensus 1st round talent in the 7th round, even when taking into account Collins’ legal issues. 

7th round picks are more likely to be cut than to ever play meaningful snaps in the NFL. Without question, a 7th round pick should have been used on Collins. Once Grady Jarrett came off the board at the top of the 5th round, La’El Collins would have been my next pick. 

The Cowboys were the big winners in this situation, adding another elite talent to an offensive line already stacked with three 1st round picks (Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, Travis Frederick). As long as Collins performs to his potential, he will recoup the money he lost by missing out during the draft. 

DL Bobby Richardson, Indiana – New Orleans Saints

It was extremely surprising that Bobby Richardson was not drafted. He is a bit undersized for defensive tackle, the position he played primarily in college, at 6’3 – 285 lbs. And he has dealt with some nagging injuries in the past. However, he is far more physically talented than many of the players selected in rounds six and seven. 

Richardson has long arms (34 5/8 inches) that allow him to play taller than his height would indicate. He held his own against 5th overall pick OL Brandon Scherff and in doing so proved he is capable of battling NFL caliber offensive lineman. Richardson finished his senior season with 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, respectable numbers for a defensive tackle. 

Richardson fits best as a 5 technique 3-4 DE who can slide inside on passing downs. He will have to earn his reps and wait his turn for playing time, but Richardson has the potential to be a solid NFL player.

EDGE/TE Lynden Trail, Norfolk State – Houston Texans

In the 6th and 7th rounds, high risk-high reward guys should trump low-ceiling, safe players. Lynden Trail is certainly the former and a shrewd deal by the Texans, who swooped him up after the draft concluded. 

At 6’7 – 270 lbs with 34 7/8 inch arms, Trail possesses a rare physical skill set. However, he ran a disappointing 4.91 second 40 yard dash at the combine and played against weak competition in college, so he was not an early round pick. 

The 40 yard dash is not particularly relevant in Trail’s case, though it surely played a role in his slide in the draft. Whether he can adjust to the massive improvement in talent of his opponents in the NFL is the more pressing issue. 

Players with a ceiling as high as Trail’s rarely make it through seven rounds without being drafted. At the Senior Bowl, he worked at tight end as well as outside linebacker, but the Texans will keep him at outside linebacker. Trail is an intriguing prospect and one to look out for in the future. 

CB Troy Hill, Oregon – Cincinatti Bengals

Troy Hill’s teammate, CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, was the more touted of the corner-back pairing upon entering the draft and was selected in the 7th round by the Browns. Hill is a talented player in his own right and deserved to be drafted. 

Hill’s diminutive physical stature (5’10 – 182 lbs), underwhelming combine performance, and off-field concerns led to his free agent status. The one drill he did perform well at the combine, the 3 cone drill (6.81 seconds), is arguably the most important for corner-backs and a drill that the New England Patriots have been known to prioritize. 

Hill certainly has limitations, and likely belongs as a slot corner rather than on the outside. All things considered, the Bengals added a talented, young defensive back.

Honorable Mentions:

NFC: S Anthony Harris (Vikings), EDGE Marcus Rush (49ers), CB Garry Peters (Panthers), LB James Vaughters (Packers), RB Malcolm Brown (Rams), CB Ladarius Gunter (Packers), RB Thomas Rawls (Seahawks), DT Joey Mbu (Falcons), CB Kevin White (Falcons), WR Dres Anderson (49ers), CB Justin Coleman (Vikings)

AFC: S Cody Prewitt (Titans), LB Taiwan Jones (Jets), WR DeAndre Carter (Ravens), C BJ Finney (Steelers), C Greg Mancz (Texans), LB Zach Vigil (Dolphins), LB Mike Hull (Dolphins), DT Derrick Lott (Titans), LB Alani Fua (Cardinals)

The NFL Players Association filed a complaint against the New England Patriots.
The complaint is centered on the Patriots preventing cornerback Malcolm Butler from practicing when he missed  a voluntary practice when his flight was canceled.
NFL rules prohibit punishing a player for missing a voluntary workout.
The complaint was filed with the NFL management council without Butler’s participation. Undoubtedly, he worries about further punishment from the Patriots.
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

Clemson left offensive tackle Isaiah Battle is entering the NFL supplemental draft.
Battle started last season, appearing in more snaps than any other player on the team.
Battle was suspended in 2013 for punching a player and once last year for disciplinary reasons.
He was cited for possession of marijuana this month.
“I have some family matters to address, with a child due this summer, and I feel it is in my best interest to enter the NFL supplemental draft,” Battle said.
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun