Archives for January 8, 2016

'But when Ryan wrote a check with mouth — a guaranteed playoff berth after 15 years of misses — that his team couldn’t cash, the rumblings started: Whaley and Ryan were at odds; both were in danger of being fired; Whaley had issues with the assistant coaches; Terry gave them an ultimatum, “Make the playoffs in 2016 or become jobless.”'

'“They were saying we’re supposed to be one of the best defenses ever," Brown said, "and we went out there and laid an egg throughout the whole year. It’s as simple as that. So we definitely take on the blame and that’s what’s going to happen. When you’re supposedly a good defense and have a defensive-minded head coach, to go out there and not be one of the top defenses in the league is definitely not a success.'

'Here are 10 potential salary cap cuts, along with the amount of money the team could save before and after June 1. The league’s collective bargaining agreement with players allows teams to designate up to two players as “post June 1 cuts” even if they are released before that date.'

'"A year away from the game proved ideal (in anything but ideal circumstances), as Incognito came back and played better than we’d ever seen from him before," wrote PFF's Khaled Elsayed in explaining Incognito's selection to the team.'

'His impact has undoubtedly been felt, though, and he's on his way to becoming an elite NFL wide receiver. He may not be there just yet, though. For now, there are still 12 receivers above Watkins in my eyes.'

'"Anytime you get a contract extension in the NFL, it's pretty big," Butler said to John Murphy on the John Murphy Show on Thursday. "No matter what really goes on, I'm a firm believer in faith that everything happens for a reason. We have a great team, great coaches, great organization, great teammates. I look forward to this upcoming season and being able to build off of everything that happened this year, learn from a lot of the things that didn't go so well, and continue to be the best teammate I can be and be the best player as well."'

'Roman went on to say that even though he hasn’t been paying that much attention to it, it’s been “somewhat strange, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”'

'Without further ado, the season-long grades and rankings, with a synopsis for each player that took at least 150 snaps in 2015…'.

'“Coaches around the league always talk about ‘next man up.’ I waited for my opportunity, and I feel like I made the most of it,” he said. “I feel I [held up my end of the bargain" target="_blank"> to the best of my abilities.”'

'“Rex came up to us in a meeting before the Eagles game and he asked us, ‘What do you guys feel comfortable playing,’” said defensive tackle Corbin Bryant. “And he also said, ‘If you guys don’t feel comfortable with a call we’ll take it out.’”'