Josh McDaniels: I’m trying to do my best in job I have now

AP

We have five confirmed head coaching vacancies around the NFL at the moment and we’re still waiting to find out whether the Cardinals and Chargers will make it seven by parting ways with Norv Turner and Ken Whisenhunt respectively.

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ name has already come up in connection with the openings in Cleveland and Chicago. The former Broncos head coach talked a bit about the prospect of a second shot at running a team on Monday. McDaniels stopped well short of declaring himself a candidate for any jobs and said his focus is on the playoffs while also suggesting he’d be okay with his current job title being a temporary one.

“I’m happy here,” McDaniels said, via WEEI.com. “My family is happy here. We’re excited about what’s ahead of us here in the playoffs, and to talk about any other opportunities at this point is, to me, irrelevant, because I’m totally focused on this season and what this season holds. I couldn’t be more excited to be here and be a New England Patriot and try to do the best job that I can with the title I have right now.”

With the Patriots on a bye week before starting the playoffs, McDaniels could interview for interested teams this week.

Getty Images

In September, someone (possibly with the Eagles) was putting out the word that the Eagles nearly traded for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick prior to the 2012 draft, and that the Eagles otherwise wanted to pick Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Philly instead settled for Nick Foles in the third round.

Now that Nick Foles has become Nick Freaking Foles, you’ll hear no chatter about what might have been in Philly.  Instead, the current buzz centers on the front office’s foresight.

That’s the gist of the latest item from Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com, with extensive quotes from G.M. Howie Roseman:  The Eagles saw in Foles that which no one else did.

Fine.  So why did they nearly trade for Kaepernick?  And why did they covet Wilson?  And why did someone (possibly with the Eagles) leak that in September?

The competing, albeit chronologically separate, quarterback narratives hint at a certain amount of insecurity in the organization, especially as it relates to the selection of players before the arrival of coach Chip Kelly.  While the Eagles successfully concealed for months the post-Andy Reid power structure, word eventually emerged that Kelly negotiated final say over personnel as part of his deal.

As a result, Roseman sets the table for Kelly.  And Roseman needs Kelly to regard Roseman as a competent table setter.  Otherwise, Kelly eventually could have the power to hire his own guy to set the table.

In September, the message is that Roseman wanted Kaepernick or Wilson over Foles.  Now, the message is that Roseman wanted Foles.

Meanwhile, Kelly is the guy who picked Mike Vick over Nick Foles prior to Week One.  Based on Foles’ performance, that could be the strangest decision of them all.

Getty Images

Despite being listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game at San Diego with a knee ailment, Giants running back Brandon Jacobs is making the trip west with the club on Saturday, Conor Orr of the Newark Star-Ledger reported.

One of the Giants’ reserve tailbacks, Jacobs did practice on Thursday or Friday. He missed the Giants’ Week 13 win at Washington with his knee ailment.

The 31-year-old Jacobs has rushed for 238 yards and four touchdowns on 58 carries for the Giants, who re-signed him after the season opener.

If Jacobs is out, Peyton Hillis would be the top backup to starter Andre Brown.

AP

The Chiefs have added some tight end depth in advance of Sunday’s game at Washington, promoting Dominique Jones from the practice squad. The club announced the move on Saturday morning.

Jones, 26, has played in 10 NFL regular-season games in the last two seasons, all with Indianapolis. The Chiefs signed him to the practice squad on Oct. 30.

Jones and Sean McGrath look to be the Chiefs’ only tight ends for Sunday’s game at Washington. Veteran Anthony Fasano (concussion / knee) has been ruled out.

To make room for Jones, the Chiefs released wide receiver Chad Hall.

AP

What goes into the decision to go for it?

Saints coach Sean Payton was asked Friday about risk taking as a play-caller, and he indicated the call on whether to go for it was often related to the playbook.

“We will look closely at situations, timing in the game,” Payton said according to a transcript from the club. “A lot of times the decision to go for it on fourth down or hypothetically a two-point play is based on whether you still have a play you like.

“Sometimes, say in short-yardage situations, you’ve run a play you really like, converted, maybe you would run another one. A lot of times it depends on if you have that play still that you haven’t shown. That factors in more than you think.

“I think it also is based on the game in itself and how it is unfolding, what you are doing defensively and what you are doing offensively and paying attention to that and trusting your instincts when the time comes. Each game is different.”

Excluding 2012, the Saints are 51-of-111 on fourth downs (45.9 percent) in regular-season games in Payton’s tenure. Also, they are 5-of-11 on fourth down (45.5 percent) in postseason contests coached by Payton.

By the numbers, the Saints are a little less than a coin flip to convert on fourth down. But should they go for it, we can safely assume Payton — a well-regarded play-caller — has something he’s confident in springing on an unsuspecting defense.

Getty Images

On Monday night, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman applied a cheap shot to Saints receiver Kenny Stills.

The officials didn’t miss it.  The league office didn’t, either.

According to Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Sherman was fined $7,875 for the blow to Stills.

But Stills had no problem with the hit, and he doesn’t think Sherman should have been fined.

“I don’t think it deserves a fine,” Stills said.  “We had just been talking trash to one another, and I guess he saw an opportunity to take a shot.  It’s football.  You’re going to get hit. . . .  I didn’t take any offense to it.  I think it’s funny.”

But the league didn’t, and the victim of the illegal hit has no say in the discipline.

AP

By the time he carries the ball again, it will be a year and a half since the grisly knee injury that ended his college career.

But after three weeks practicing with the 49ers, rookie running back Marcus Lattimore is convinced he’ll be ready when his time comes.

The 49ers had a three-week window to let the rookie running back practice, and he went through the last one Friday. He won’t be activated from the non-football injury list, but showed enough during his limited work to be encouraged.

“If I had to play, I would play,” Lattimore told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “Without question, if they needed me, I could play. But they don’t need me right now.”

Instead, Lattimore gets what amounts to a redshirt year. The 49ers took the player who was considered a first-round talent in the fourth round this year, knowing he probably wouldn’t contribute in 2013 because of the grotesque right knee injury.

“This extra time is just going to give me enough time to get comfortable without the brace I was wearing and go out there and play like nothing ever happened,” Lattimore said. “Three weeks, and I got better every week. And that was my main goal, to get better every week. The soreness went down every week. I was out there moving around and being myself. And I know the things I have to work on now. . . .

“My confidence is good. I know I still got it. Going into next year, I can’t wait.”

The 49ers were deep enough in the backfield and had enough extra draft picks to take the chance, and now get a year to see if the investment proves to be worth it.

AP

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota recently decided to keep playing football for free.  Or, more accurately, for money that someone else gets paid.

UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley currently is wrestling with the same decision.  According to Tony Pauline (via Rotoworld), Hundley wants to enter the draft.  Persons close to Hundley are advising him to stay in school.  Obviously, UCLA is doing all that it can to keep him — in large part because plenty of people at UCLA are among those who get paid a lot of money by the money Hundley helps earn.  (But doesn’t personally receive.)

As Pauline puts it, the question is whether Hundley is content to be a second-round pick in 2014 or a potential top-10 pick in 2015.

And here’s where we tell Hundley what no one with a vested interest in Hundley staying in school will tell him:  Under the current rookie wage scale, that doesn’t matter as much as it used to.

While being a top-10 pick could carry with it some off-field opportunities that don’t exist for second-round picks, the potential path to a truly life-altering contract becomes much shorter for a second-round pick in 2014 versus a first-round pick in 2015.

With top-10 picks no longer making gigantic money, it’s arguably better to start the clock on a second contract.  For Hundley, entering the draft in 2014 means that he’d be eligible for free agency in 2018.  If he waits until 2015 and rises to round one (there’s no guarantee he will), Hundley won’t be eligible for free agency until 2019 or, if the team exercises its first-round option on a fifth year, 2020.

It’s not as if Hundley would be sitting on the bench if he’s a second-round pick, unless a team with a clear-cut franchise quarterback decides to invest a selection that high on a backup.  In today’s NFL, where quarterbacks taken in the first two rounds get put on the field quickly because the people who drafted them and who coach them may not be there to use them later, Hundley probably will play right away, like 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith did.

Besides, if Hundley wants to enter the draft, he should.  Even if it’s ultimately the wrong decision, it’ll be his decision and not someone else’s decision.

Of all the potential lessons to be learned via this process, the worst one would be to not let other people make your decisions.

Jets LB Calvin Pace has teamed up with former Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell to file a lawsuit in North Carolina regarding the sale of a former cigarette factory.

There will be a Pouncey reunion in Pittsburgh this weekend, when Mike’s Dolphin’s visit twin brother Maurkice’s team.  (Hopefully, they’ll leave the Free Hernandez hats at home.)

The guy who slid down the edge of the upper deck at a Bills home game and fell onto the crowd below has pleaded not guilty to assault and reckless endangerment.  (As to being a word that starts with ass and rhymes with hole, he should have pleaded no contest.)

Yes, Patriots LB Jerod Mayo is on injured reserve, but he’s still finding a way to help his team.

On this date in 1980, the Browns’ “Kardiac Kids” blew a 10-point lead but then came back for their first 10-win season in eight years.

The next man up (and possibly next man down) at center for the Steelers is Cody Wallace.

Ravens WR Torrey Smith is only 250 receiving yards away from a franchise single-season record.

The forecast for Sunday’s Bengals game in Cincinnati calls for snow, freezing rain, and sleet.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano says the decision to trade for RB Trent Richardson “was always a long-term thing.”  (Which is easy to say now, given that it’s clearly not a short-term thing.)

Yes, the Jaguars could still make the playoffs.

Titans DT Jurrell Casey is good at both sacking the quarterback and stopping the run.

On the possibility of making their interim coach their permanent coach, the Texans get a word of warning from Dallas.

Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno has been named the team’s Ed Block Courage Award winner.  (He’s also been selected to water the practice field with his tear ducts.)

Chiefs WR Junior Hemingway is drawing praise for his run blocking.

The Raiders have a 12-game losing streak in the Eastern time zone.

Get to know Chargers TE Ladarius Green, the possible heir to Antonio Gates‘ throne.

Cowboys executive V.P. Stephen Jones thinks that great times are coming; “I really think this is the beginning of something special,” Jones said.

The Redskins could see a lot of defensive players leave via free agency.  (Given the performance of the defense this year, that may not be a bad thing.)

The Eagles’ punt team has played an unsung role in the team’s surge.

Giants WR Victor Cruz says the contract Jay Z negotiated for former Yankees 2B Robinson Cano is a “stepping stone” to bigger things.

The Bears have given a refund to a local family who had eight tickets worth $920 stolen by friends of the family’s children.

If the Lions win three of their final four games, they’ll win their first division title since 1993.

Quarterback guru Steve Clarkson, who helped Vikings QB Josh Freeman prepare for the 2009 draft, thinks Freeman should have skipped the rest of the season after being cut in Tampa.

Embattled Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers says he has no intention to retire.

Buccaneers WR Tiquan Underwood says Rutgers WR Brandon Coleman “could play in the NFL right now.”

Falcons WR Julio Jones is off crutches.  (We’ll be impressed when he’s off bread.)

Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams‘ numbers are still down, but he doesn’t care because the team is winning.

Saints C Brian de la Puente has named his son “Rivers,” the same name former Saints DB Steve Gleason gave to his son; “I want my son to know [Gleason's] story, and I think one day he will,” de la Puente said.

Drake hung out with the Seahawks on Thursday.

He’s on pace for career-high receiving numbers, but Rams TE Jared Cook isn’t happy with his performance.

Cook could have a big game against the Cardinals (like he did in Week One), given Arizona’s chronic inability to cover tight ends.

49ers QB Colin Kaepernick has never beaten the Seahawks.  (More accurately, he’s never not been blown out by the Seahawks.)

Getty Images

Eagles running back LeSean McCoy has heard the comparisons between himself and Barry Sanders. But McCoy doesn’t particularly agree with those comparisons.

McCoy says it’s flattering that his elusive running style is sometimes compared to the former Lion and Hall of Famer, but McCoy also acknowledges that his own body of work is nowhere close to what Sanders accomplished in the NFL.

“I don’t really see it as a comparison,” McCoy said, via Philly.com. “I think Barry is probably the best running back to ever play this game. They compare us probably because of the cutbacks, but there is still a big gap between us two.”

McCoy is right: Although McCoy makes some great highlight-reel runs, there’s really no one like Sanders. And McCoy hasn’t been anywhere near the workhorse back that Sanders was. Sanders led the league in rushing four times, was second in the NFL in rushing three times, was third once, fourth once and fifth once. McCoy, who is currently second in the league in rushing, has never led the league and has only been in the Top 10 once before.

So while McCoy is a very good running back, he hasn’t earned the comparisons to Sanders. It’s classy of him to acknowledge that.

AP

It’s a Saturday morning in December.  Which according to PFT bylaws means that it’s time to provide an update regarding a former NFL quarterback whose lingering relevance to the game comes in other ways.

It required a coin flip between an offer recently made by the Milan Seamen and the exploits of Oak Grove High School.

In the ensuing battle of five-letter quarterbacks, the older guy won.

According to the Hattiesburg American, Brett Favre won his second football championship via a retirement gig as offensive coordinator at the high school where he worked out during his various retirements.  The Oak Grove Warriors beat Tupelo, 14-7, for the school’s first Mississippi high school state championship.

“I can’t say it’s like a Super Bowl, but it’s pretty close,” Favre said, via the Associated Press. “It really is.  It’s a different type of feeling, but I couldn’t be more proud of these guys.  It’s been a lot of fun.”

The decisive points came not from Favre’s playbook, but from a fake field goal.

“That was all the special teams’ coach,” Favre said.  “I don’t call trick plays.”

Tune in next Saturday for the latest news on the former five-letter quarterback with the demeanor of Buddy the Elf.

Getty Images

Texans owner Bob McNair apparently isn’t looking for the next Chip Kelly.

McNair said after firing head coach Gary Kubiak that his successor will be someone who has experience in the NFL. That would rule out hiring someone like Kelly, who jumped from Oregon to the Eagles last year having no NFL experience at all.

“We would like someone who has had head coaching experience, but has also had NFL experience,” McNair said. “It’s a combination of those two things would be the ideal situation and there are people who meet those conditions.”

Art Briles of Baylor and Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M have both been mentioned as coaches who might interest McNair, but the fact that neither of them has any NFL experience (not to mention that both of them signed contract extensions last month) would seem to rule them out for the Texans job. McNair also indicated that he’s looking for someone with prior head-coaching experience, not an experienced assistant coach (which is what Kubiak was when McNair hired him).

“Well, experience shows that those people who were selected to be a head coach in the NFL, met with more success if they had had head-coaching experience,” McNair said. “And if you take someone who has been a coordinator, you’re basically moving them from a lower level of management, let’s say, to a higher level of management that they’ve never been in before. So, there’s a question mark as to whether they can elevate their performance to be able to handle those additional responsibilities, and some people can’t.”

Some candidates who fit McNair’s criteria include Lovie Smith, Jack Del Rio, Jon Gruden, Ken Whisenhunt and the Texans’ current interim head coach, Wade Phillips.

Earlier, we shared (and characterized) a report regarding the NFLPA’s “runner rule.”  Per the initial Twitter report from FOX Sports, the NFLPA “tweaked” the runner rule, allowing non-certified employees who work with NFLPA agents to sit in on meetings.

PFT has since obtained a copy of the memo sent Friday to all NFLPA-certified agents.

Based on the memo, the runner rule hasn’t been tweaked or changed or revised.  The NFLPA has interpreted the rule to allow a non-certified employee to meet once — and only once — with a potential client.  The meeting must occur at the certified agent’s place of business, and the certified agent must be present.

More importantly, no other contact may occur between the non-certified employee and the certified agent.  Specifically, there can be no phone calls, text messages, emails, social media contacts, or in-person meetings.

The rule permits only one meeting at the certified agent’s office.  At the meeting, the non-certified employee can’t act as a closer.  Instead, the meeting may happen “in order to introduce that player to the range of services and capabilities offered by” the certified agent’s firm.

It’s unclear how this interpretation has resulted in the reported decision by the NFLPA to clear Kim Miale, the certified agent who works for Jay Z’s Roc Nation agency, of violating the rule.  Unless Jay Z (who is not certified by the NFLPA to represent players) attended only one meeting with the goal of introducing Jets quarterback Geno Smith to the services and capabilities of the firm with no other contact of any kind, a violation still occurred.

As a source with knowledge of the NFLPA’s rules explained it to PFT, it’s possible the union’s Committee on Agent Regulation and Discipline simply decided to cut Miale a break because she is relatively inexperienced and the rule is relatively new.

Getty Images

The Jaguars have become a juggernaut, winning four of five games after an 0-8 start that exclusively featured double-digit losses.

As they try to stretch their streak to five wins in six games, the Jags apparently will have their star running back in the lineup.  Maurice Jones-Drew, appearing on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, said that he’ll play next weekend notwithstanding a hamstring injury suffered on Thursday night against the Texans.

“Definitely,” Jones-Drew said.  “Definitely.  That’s always been the plan.  Right now, I mean, I just want to make sure everything is on track.  And then we’ll see how it goes next week but I expect to be out there playing with my teammates.”

In other words, Friday’s MRI went well.

“It’s what we, I think, what we figured out was just a strained hamstring,” Jones-Drew said.  “I’ve played with those before so it’s not that big of a deal.  You just have to get the necessary treatments and things done so you can get back and get on the field for Sunday.”

For Jones-Drew, the added importance of playing comes from an expiring contract.  Even if he were under contract for 2014, the Jags are starting to do something special under coach Gus Bradley.  To turn things around so dramatically at a time when the season was essentially over reflects well on Bradley, the players, and the organization.

Reuters

Like Broncos linebacker Von Miller earlier this year, Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner faces a lengthy suspension.  Unlike Miller, Brandon hasn’t worked out a deal.

Yet.

According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, Browner has rejected an offer that would have suspended him until early October 2014.  That arrangement would have blocked Browner’s opportunity to hit the free-agent market in March.

It’s possible that further negotiations will result in a compromise.

Per Garafolo, Browner disputes not only his placement in Stage Three of the substance-abuse program upon his return to the NFL in 2011 but also the test that triggered the current violation.  Browner claims that the “urine collector used a damaged cup and then poured his urine from that cup into another one,” according to Garafolo, and that Browner’s request to compel testimony from the urine collector at the appeal hearing was denied.

The league’s Medical Review Officer testified at the hearing that he had spoken with the urine collector, who disputed Browner’s contentions.

It’s possible that the league regarded Browner’s allegation as dubious, given that Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman successfully used precisely same argument last year to beat a four-game suspension for violation of the performance-enhancing substances policy.  For Browner, who knew he was in Stage Three at the time he provided the sample that tested positive, the high stakes created to a natural temptation to embellish.

The appeal hearing concluded nine days ago.  The substance-abuse policy requires that a decision be issued within a reasonable time.

AP

The $100,000 fine imposed on Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for his sideline side-step carries with it another potential sanction.  The league has said that “modification or forfeiture of draft choices will be considered after the final order of the 2014 draft has been determined.”

Peter King of TheMMQB.com said on Friday’s edition of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN that further sanctions are highly unlikely.

Per King, the Steelers would lose a draft pick only if the Ravens fail to make it to the playoffs based on the absence of the four extra points that would have been scored if receiver Jacoby Jones had managed to make it to the end zone on the kickoff return with which Tomlin interfered.  (The drive ended in one of Justin Tucker’s five field goals on the night.)

Net points in common game is the eighth tiebreaker among two potential wild-card teams and the ninth tiebreaker for all other ties.  As a result, the chances of those lost four points keeping the Ravens out of the playoffs are slim.

If they do, then the Steelers will face some sort of draft-pick penalty.