Author: Jason Cole

The Senior Bowl filled its last quarterback spot for next week by picking Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who will now get the rare chance to play in two all-star games.

Garoppolo is already in practice for the East-West Game in Florida and then will go to Mobile, Ala., after Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron opted not to play in the Senior Bowl because of an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

However, some people believe McCarron dropped out of the game because he did not want to test his arm against other quarterbacks who are believed to have stronger throwing ability.

One other player considered for the opportunity was Pitt quarterback Tom Savage, who is considered one of the best throwers in the country and is a former five-star recruit out of high school.

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According to a report from the East Hanover Police Department, New York Jets tight end Kellen Winslow was initially observed exposing himself and masturbating during a November incident in which synthetic marijuana was found in his car.

On Nov. 19, police responded to a call from a woman. She had parked next to Winslow’s car. That’s when things got strange.

“As she exited her vehicle, she commented to the male regarding how cold it was. As she stood near the open driver side window of the Escalade, she observed the males [sic] erect penis. She stated that she believed he was masturbating. [The woman] provided a written statement regarding her account,” the report read via NJ.com.

Winslow was later charged with possession of the synthetic substance.

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Cleveland wide receiver Davone Bess was arrested early Friday morning on a charge of battery on an officer at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport. This is the third incident involving Bess since the team put him on the reserve/non-football injury list last season. Bess has had two photos placed on social media that show him apparently using marijuana. The team has said it is looking into the situations.

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Philadelphia personnel man Tom Gamble has dropped out of consideration for the general manager jobs with both Tampa Bay and Miami. Gamble was considered the top candidate for the Dolphins job before the team began interviews. Gamble has a long-time relationship with Carl Peterson, who is advising Miami owner Stephen Ross in the search.

Gamble is in his second stint with the Eagles after starting his NFL career with the team 25 years ago. He was hired by Philadelphia less than a year ago. Gamble is the son of former Eagles President Harry Gamble, who has recently fallen ill.

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Detroit moved quickly Tuesday to hire Jim Caldwell as its next head coach after Ken Whisenhunt took the head coaching position with Tennessee on Monday. Caldwell, who is currently the Baltimore offensive coordinator, impressed the Lions with a thorough breakdown of quarterback Matt Stafford during his interview with the team, helped lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in 2012 and was the head coach in Indianapolis for three years.

Caldwell helped the Colts reach the Super Bowl in 2009. He has a lengthy offensive background, which was important to the Lions. Detroit’s top four candidates all were offensive coaches as assistants. Aside from Whisenhunt and Caldwell, the Lions talked extensively with former Ten-nessee coach Mike Munchak and former Houston coach Gary Kubiak.

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New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said he’s willing to do “whatever I can” to help the Saints deal with salary cap problems the team is facing this offseason, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

However, the Saints, who are projected to be at least $10 million over the salary cap for next season, may be limited to how much they can do with Brees outside of an extension of his contract as they try to figure out how to get under the salary cap and keep top free agents Jimmy Graham and Malcolm Jenkins.

Brees counts for $18.4 million against the salary cap next season, including a $10.75 million base salary. However, his cap number increases to $26.4 million ($18.75 million base salary) in 2015 and then $27.4 million ($19.75 million base) in 2016. In other words, moving money from this year’s base salary to the next two seasons will only create a bigger problem in the following years.

The situation gives Brees tremendous leverage in the situation, particularly if the team asks him to do an extension of the contract. One issue worth watching in the deal is that Brees and Graham are represented by the same agency, CAA.

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It appears the New Orleans Saints carefully monitored the use of tight end Jimmy Graham in to prevent them from having to use the wide receiver franchise tag on him this offseason if the team is unable to work out a long-term deal.

But only during the regular season.

According to stats kept by Pro Football Focus, Graham lined up in the slot or at wide receiver 49.8 percent of the time during the regular season. The rule on the franchise tag states that a player must be tagged at the position which he plays the most.

However, during the playoffs, Graham lined up in the slot or split wide 69.6 percent of the time. That raised the overall percentage of time he played in the slot or at wide receiver to 52 percent in the 2013 season.
That could create a massive debate over whether Graham gets a tag of more than $10 million or one that’s closer to $6 million. In 2013, the franchise tag for wide receivers was $10.53 million. For tight ends, it was $6.06 million.

For the Saints, that would be a significant issue because the team is currently projected to be more than $10 million over the salary cap this offseason before making any moves. Aside from Graham, the team has safety Malcolm Jenkins up for free agency.

But Graham’s leverage on a long-term deal will be drastically impacted by his franchise tag. Graham’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, is expected to ask the Saints for a record contract for tight ends. However, the amount of the franchise tag could impact his demand.

The issue of play-time percentage for tight ends was a factor last year when Tennessee toyed with the idea of putting the tight end franchise tag on Jared Cook, who played more than half the time in the slot or split wide. Ultimately, the Titans backed off the idea and allowed Cook to be-come a free agent. He then signed with St. Louis.

In 2012, Graham played more than 65 percent of all downs in the slot or split wide. That was more than Cook.

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After being unable to hire Ken Whisenhunt as head coach, the Detroit Lions are expected to bring two or three candidate back for final interviews in which they will meet with owner William Clay Ford Sr.

However, former Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell is considered the front-runner for the job, according to a source. Caldwell, former Tennessee coach Mike Munchak and former Houston coach Gary Kubiak are among those who have interviewed for the job with the Lions putting an emphasis on offensive coaches. All four top candidates have offensive backgrounds. Caldwell has received strong recommendations from quarterback Peyton Manning and former boss Tony Dungy.

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The Denver Post reported Monday that Broncos starting cornerback Chris Harris has a torn ACL in his knee and will miss the remainder of the playoffs. Harris was injured during the third quarter of Denver’s victory on Sunday against San Diego. He will now miss the AFC Championship Game against New England. Harris is the third significant defensive starter the Broncos have lost to injury this season, joining linebacker Von Miller and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson. Safety Rahim Moore is also still nursing an injury that has kept him out of the lineup.

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San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis credited running back Frank Gore with helping him get ready for his 1-yard, toe-tapping touchdown catch on Sunday in the playoff game at Carolina.

Davis said that earlier in the week during practice Gore came to him and threw him several passes to simulate the diving catch along the side of the end zone, Gore telling Davis, “We’ve got to have this this week.”

The catch was Davis’ only one of the game and was initially called incomplete until it was reversed after review. As Davis came to the sideline, he thought about what Gore had said during the week.

“I had a flashback of Frank throwing me that ball,” Davis said. “And when I sat down on the bench, I was like, ‘My God, that’s the same exact catch that Frank was throwing me this past week.’”

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