ProFootballTalk: Who can turn Saints’ defense around?

Sean Payton wasted no time when firing defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Who’s next up in New Orleans?

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Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III met the media on Wednesday afternoon for the first time since getting benched by coach Mike Shanahan this week.

Griffin said that his job for the rest of the season is to help Kirk Cousins win games for the Redskins, but made it clear that he would prefer that his job responsibilities still included starting at quarterback.

“I’m sure everybody knows by now that coach decided to shut me down for the rest of the season. We talked, I talked to coach, he talked to me about it. I expressed my desire to play,” Griffin said. ” He explained to me his reasoning. At the end of the day, coach’s decision is what we go with.”

Griffin dodged a question about whether he would want to play for Shanahan again next year in the increasingly unlikely event that Shanahan’s apparent staredown with owner Dan Snyder doesn’t end with a new coach. He did say he “can’t bother” worrying about whether Shanahan’s stated reason for making the move at quarterback, protecting Griffin, was the actual reason, although his demeanor and body language suggested he was bothered.

Snyder declined to comment on his way into the owners meetings on Wednesday and Shanahan is due to address the media shortly.

AP

Christian Ponder has recovered from his concussion, but Matt Cassel’s still going to start at quarterback for the Vikings this weekend.

That was the word from coach Leslie Frazier when he addressed the media on Wednesday. Cassel has completed 37-of-71 passes for 508 yards, three touchdowns and an interception since taking over for Ponder during the Week 13 victory over the Bears. Sunday’s game against the Eagles will be his fourth start of the season.

No announcement was made about a starting running back, however, and none will be coming until Friday at the earliest. Frazier said, via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, that both Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart will try to practice on Friday. Frazier feels more optimistic about Gerhart, who hurt his hamstring, playing than he does about Peterson.

Frazier added that Peterson has ditched his walking boot and will be in the pool working on Wednesday. He won’t play without practicing on Friday, same as Gerhart, and the Vikings may be rolling with Matt Asiata and Jerome Felton in the backfield if things don’t break their way.

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Tuesday’s decision to replace the Week 16 Sunday night game between the Patriots and Ravens with a showdown between the Bears and Eagles surprised many.

And for good reason.  The Ravens are chasing the No. 6 seed, the Patriots are chasing the No. 1 seed while trying to hold off the Bengals for the No. 2 seed, and the two teams have met in the last two AFC title games.  (That said, Bears-Eagles has significant playoff implications, too.)

So why did the NFL swap the games?  According to John Ourand of SportsBusiness Journal, the league made the decision in part to have maximum flexibility for the regular-season finale in Week 17.

The current broadcast contracts (which expire this year) require that the gap between games pilfered from CBS and FOX for Sunday night be more than three.  If Pats-Ravens hadn’t been flexed, the gap would have been at three, with CBS losing 25 and FOX losing 22.  Without taking a game from FOX for Week 16, only FOX could have lost a game for Week 17.  Now, both networks are in play for Week 17.

The goal for the league (and it’s always an NFL decision, not an NBC decision) when selecting the prime-time game in Week 17 is to identify a game that has playoff implications unaffected by any of the outcomes in the other 15 games.  That becomes easiest when two teams are squaring off for a division title, with the winner securing a playoff spot and the loser earning a trip home.

AP

Kirk Cousins will be Washington’s starting quarterback on Sunday against Atlanta, but he says there’s no quarterback controversy.

Cousins told reporters today that he believes Robert Griffin III is the franchise quarterback, and he expects Griffin to get his starting job back in 2014 and beyond.

“Even as I start this week, I believe that this is Robert’s team going forward into next season,” Cousins said. “The reason they’re resting Robert is because this is his team, he is the franchise quarterback. They wouldn’t rest him if that wasn’t the case. So my job is to help this team get a win against Atlanta and then the last two weeks after that. I’m going to try to excel in my role as a backup quarterback to Robert.”

That’s probably true, but the reality is that it’s way too early to say anything about who the quarterback in Washington will be in 2014 because right now we have no idea who the coach in Washington will be in 2014. And if Cousins plays better in the next three games than Griffin has played over the last 13 games, it’s at least possible that some new coach could come in and open up a quarterback competition in 2014.

More likely, however, is that Griffin will return to his spot atop the depth chart when 2014 begins. And if Cousins plays well enough over the next three games to show that he deserves to be an NFL starter, Washington will probably use him as trade bait, rather than move him ahead of Griffin.

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When it comes to his negotiations with the University of Texas, Alabama coach Nick Saban has plenty of leverage.  Texas now may have some, too.

According to Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com (via CBS Sports), Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh are potential candidates for the Longhorns vacancy.

It sounds ridiculous on the surface.  Why would coaches of two of the most prominent NFL franchises consider any college job?

For starters, the money may be a lot better than what Tomlin and Jim Harbaugh currently are making or eventually will be making in their NFL jobs in Pennsylvania and California, respectively, especially when considering that the head coach of the Texas Longhorns pays no state income tax.

Then there’s the thing that drew Saban back to college after a two-year stint with the Dolphins:  Control.

True control.  No salary cap, no draft, no aggressive media.  No General Manager or others in the front office who’ll plant stories or whisper in the ear of the owner about how the coach should be blamed for struggles.

And no owner.  While there’s an Athletics Director and a school president and a board, the coach becomes the highest paid, highest profile, and in turn highest powered figure in a college town with a major college football program.

There’s currently no reason to think Tomlin or Jim Harbaugh would be interested in leaving for Texas or any other team.  But they both could be interested in extending and/or improving their current deals.  (Tomlin is signed through 2016, and Jim Harbaugh is under contract through 2015.)

Besides, NFL head-coaching contracts don’t seem to be as meaningless as college contracts.  Saban got out easily from his deal in Miami because he specifically negotiated the ability to leave for a college job.

Saban got that term because he had leverage.  Saban currently has it again.  Turning the gaze to other candidates gives Texas a little of it back.  And it in turn gives Tomlin and Jim Harbaugh a little leverage of their own.

Especially if/when either or both declare, “I’m not going to be the Texas coach.”

AP

Rob Ryan’s done some impressive work this season as defensive coordinator in New Orleans, but if he can stop the Panthers three times this year, it will be quite the trick.

Jets coach Rex Ryan said Wednesday he made sure to call his brother before facing the Panthers Sunday, since Rob’s team held them in check so well last week. The Saints held the Panthers to 13 points, with a late cosmetic touchdown covering the fact the Panthers managed a pair of short-range field goals the rest of the day.

“Oh yeah without question I’ve already talked to him,” Rex said on a conference call, via Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. “Our defenses are two different defenses, he has his own style, so do we. But again, without question I’ve already talked to him about the things he picked up. Just anything you would do against any opponent, but in particular he just played them this past week so I definitely already talked to him.”

The Panthers also struggled with Rob’s Cowboys defense last year in a 19-14 Dallas win.

Of course, Panthers coach Ron Rivera could return the favor, and he wouldn’t exactly need the friends and family plan to figure out how to slow the Jets’ offense.

AP

In 1982, Chargers receiver Wes Chandler played in just eight games of a nine-game, strike-shortened season, and yet he still managed to catch 49 passes for 1,032 yards. That average of 129.0 receiving yards per game remains an NFL record, and few receivers have ever even come close.

But Browns receiver Josh Gordon might break it this year.

Gordon, who was suspended for the first two games of the season, is currently leading the league with 1,400 receiving yards. That average of 127.3 yards a game puts him in second place on the all-time yards per game list, dangerously close to breaking Chandler’s record.

For Gordon to break the record, he would need to gain 407 receiving yards over the last three games of the season, and finish this season with 1,807 yards. Considering that Gordon has 774 yards in his last four games, it’s certainly not a stretch to think he can gain 407 yards in his next three games.

If Gordon does break Chandler’s record, his 2013 season will deserve to be remembered among the greatest seasons that any wide receiver has ever had.

AP

Jay Cutler was the Bears’ starting quarterback for Brian Urlacher’s last four seasons in Chicago. Now Urlacher thinks Cutler should lose his starting job.

Urlacher said on FOX Football Daily that Josh McCown has proven that he’s the best quarterback on the Bears, and McCown should remain the starter regardless of Cutler’s health. Urlacher also said that if he were still on the Bears, he wouldn’t want to see the coaches go back to Cutler when McCown is playing well.

“It’s going to be awfully hard to take Josh out of there right now the way he’s playing,” Urlacher said. “In my opinion, he should be the guy, he should be the starting quarterback of the Bears, even if Jay Cutler is healthy. You can’t take a guy who’s this hot out of the football game. If I was on that team, I would have a hard time with them taking him out.”

Urlacher also suggested that the Bears may be overstating the seriousness of Cutler’s injury to avoid having to make a tough call about their starting quarterback.

“I think Jay might be healthy right now,” Urlacher said.

Whether he’s healthy now or not, Cutler is expected to be healthy enough to play before the end of the season. When that time comes, the Bears have a difficult decision. But Urlacher doesn’t sound like he thinks the decision should be particularly difficult: The Bears’ best quarterback is McCown.

AP

The Packers are rolling toward a Sunday date with the Cowboys and they’re holding out fading hope that Aaron Rodgers will be able to join them.

Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel will join Mike Florio on PFT Live on Wednesday to discuss that possibility. Rodgers hasn’t been medically cleared as of Wednesday morning and he said that he experienced pain when he practiced last week, two things that seem to work against a green light coming in time for the game against Dallas. We’ll find out from Dunne if the Packers can win without their best player or if last week’s win was more about playing a bad team at home than anything the Packers did.

We’ll also take our weekly look at the coaching hot seat and we’ll try to include some coaches who aren’t following Mike Shanahan’s lead by heating up their own seat and then daring their team owner to kick it out from under them.

You can watch it all live at noon ET by clicking right here.

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NFL teams scored more touchdowns on Sunday than on any other day in NFL history, so it should come as no surprise that there were a lot more candidates for this week’s offensive honors than there were for those on the defensive side of the ball.

Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali has emerged from that slender pack as the league’s choice for the weekly award. Hali had two sacks and five tackles as the Chiefs steamrolled the hapless Redskins 45-10 in Washington.

Hali now has 11 sacks on the season, but the pair against Washington were his first since Week Seven. The entire Chiefs pass rush had struggled for a few weeks, something that losing linebacker Justin Houston to a dislocated elbow didn’t help, so the six sacks against Washington and Hali’s return to form were quite welcome in Kansas City.

If Hali and company can keep it going this week and lead the team to another victory, the Chiefs will clinch a playoff berth.

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Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was named the AFC offensive player of the month for October, but the honor was given just before he faced the Dolphins on a Thursday night game on October 31.

Dalton performed poorly in that game and the Bengals lost to Miami. The Bengals will spend the next few days hoping that Dalton performs better after receiving another honor from the league.

Dalton has been named the AFC offensive player of the week for his performance against the Colts in Week 14. Dalton threw for three touchdowns and ran for another one to lead the Bengals to a 42-28 victory that put them one step closer to their first AFC North title since 2009.

If they can put the finishing touches on that, the next big hurdle to clear will be the first playoff victory since 1990. If they can’t do that, it will make three trips to the playoffs and three losses for Dalton.

AP

The 49ers were worried they were a kicker away from a championship team last year, and made a move to upgrade by signing Phil Dawson this offseason.

The move has paid off, as he’s been nearly perfect.

Dawson was named NFC special teams player of the week for his four-field goal performance in a win over the Seahawks. The last one was the decider, a 22-yarder with 26 seconds left.

But he’s hit 20 straight field goals, setting a 49ers franchise record. With that kind of accuracy, they’re probably not going to need to bring kickers in for insurance in the postseason, like last year when David Akers was shaky.

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We’re still waiting on official word from the Redskins that Kirk Cousins will be their starting quarterback in Week 15, but more information about how the Redskins will handle their quarterback spot continues to leak out of Washington.

Jeff Darlington of NFL Network reports that Redskins players have been told that Rex Grossman will serve as Cousins’ backup against the Falcons. Robert Griffin III will be inactive, which, of course, makes him RG3rd String. The decision fits with coach Mike Shanahan’s statement that Griffin would be shut down for the season as a precaution against injury.

Why that desire to protect Griffin from injury cropped up before a game in a dome against a bad defense rather than on a crummy day on a crummy field against a strong defense is just one of many questions we imagine people will be asking when the Redskins face the media on Wednesday.

We’ll wait for answers to that and the other questions raised by the strange saga playing out in Washington between Griffin, Shanahan and owner Dan Snyder at the end of both a disappointing season and, almost certainly, Shanahan’s time as the team’s head coach.

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Not only is John Abraham not washed up, he’s playing as well as ever.

The 35-year-old Cardinals pass-rusher was named NFC defensive player of the week, after a 3.0 sack performance against the Rams.

Abraham has 11.0 on the season, and moved ahead of Lawrence Taylor for ninth place on the all-time sack list (133.0). He’s the active leader by about a season’s worth over Jared Allen (124.0).

Getting that kind of production from Abraham — who struggled to find a job for a bit this offseason — has been one of the keys for the Cardinals this year, giving teeth to a defense that had good parts already.

AP

The Dolphins are four days away from having to decide whether to bring back guard Richie Incognito or cut him.  Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that Incognito definitely won’t return to the team — after Sunday’s game or ever.

Salguero also believes that a decision has been made or will be made to extend Incognito’s currently paid suspension through the end of the regular season, keeping him out of action for the Dolphins or anyone for the rest of the year.

In March, Incognito becomes a free agent.

That cuts against the sense of optimism previously emanating from Camp Incognito regarding the possibility that he’ll be playing in the postseason.  Salguero believes Incognito will go along with an effort to shut him down with pay, given that he did some things he shouldn’t have done, even if NFL investigator Ted Wells concludes that those things don’t amount to bullying or harassment of tackle Jonathan Martin.

Speaking of Wells, Salguero expects the public release of the independent report to be delayed, possibly until after the Super Bowl.  Salguero also reports that Martin will not be back with the Dolphins, at any time.  Salguero writes that Martin will be traded to the highest bidder in the offseason.

Of course, there will be no bidder unless it’s clear that Martin truly wants to play football.  If no one is willing to take that leap of faith, the Dolphins may have to waive him.