Hue Jackson prophesied his own firing

Posted by Mike Florio on January 10, 2012, 3:11 PM EST

AP

Though Raiders coach Hue Jackson could have survived in the job if G.M. Reggie McKenzie had desired to keep him, McKenzie’s chances of keeping Hue took a major blow after Jackson openly talked about assuming more authority over the team.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, public comments from Jackson regarding his desire to exert greater influence rubbed owner Mark Davis and those advising him (e.g., John Madden, Ron Wolf) the wrong way.

Robert Griffin III declares for the NFL Draft

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 10, 2012, 3:43 PM EST

Reuters

Baylor’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III has been widely expected to leave school and enter the NFL draft, and today he’s making that decision official.

Griffin is informing Baylor coach Art Briles today that he has decided to turn pro, and an announcement is imminent, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports.

Mortensen reports that Griffin is also close to picking an agent and could do that today as well.

Rams seek permission to speak with Bengals OC, Jay Gruden

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 10, 2012, 1:38 PM EST

AP

The Rams are starting to line up backup plans to Jeff Fisher as the veteran coach decides what he wants to do next season.

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatchreports that the Rams have requested permissionto talk to Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden about their head coach position.

There was a report from the same paper that the team also wants to speak with Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. The team is covering their bases in case Fisher chooses not to come to St. Louis.

Tony Softli of espn101.com, a former Rams executive, says the Rams won’t be “held hostage” by Fisher while he decides. They will continue to interview head coaches and general managers.

Fisher’s decision is expected to come in the next few days. We wonder if there’s a chance he choose not to coach the Rams or the Dolphins.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are running our first even TTR Playoff Bracket Challenge, and the winner gets a free shirt of the team of their choice. So hurry and enter TTR's Playoff Bracket Challenge for Free!

Hue Jackson: McKenzie is going to gut this place (Oakland)

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 10, 2012, 2:50 PM EST

AP

Hue Jackson wanted more power, and he wound up with no power.

He’s out after going 8-8 in his only season as Raiders head coach. Jackson, who is friends with new G.M. Reggie McKenzie, was stunned by the development.

“He’s going to gut this place,” Jackson told Henry Wofford of CSNBayArea.com. “He [McKenzie] wants to bring in his own guys. No job is safe right now.”

Cliff Avril wants to stay in Detroit, but price tag could be too high

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 10, 2012, 12:24 PM EST

AP

Lions defensive end Cliff Avril is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, and he says he’s hoping a long-term deal can get done to stay in Detroit.

But the Lions have an awful lot of money tied up in their defensive line right now, and it raises the question of how much money they can afford to give one more defensive lineman.

“There’s a lot of money in my position group,” Avril told MLive.com. “I don’t know. It might just be a financial thing. I don’t know. It’s my first time going through free agency, so I don’t really know how this thing works upstairs.”

Tom Brady is concerned with Denver's defense, not Tebow

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 10, 2012, 10:57 AM EST

AP

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is excited about what new assistant Josh McDaniels can provide for the team this week.

Brady said the return of McDaniels, who left the Patriots after the 2008 season to become head coach of the Broncos in 2009, can only benefit New England as it game plans for Denver on Saturday night.

Greg Jennings: Aaron Rodgers is better than Favre

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 10, 2012, 8:37 AM EST

AP

Having played with both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, Packers receiver Greg Jennings says he leans toward Rodgers as the better quarterback.

“They both bring different things to the table, but honestly right now I definitely have to go with . . . Aaron, his body of work at such a young age, his attention to detail, his discipline,I think it’s really second to none — its un-paralleled,” Jennings told Ian O’Connor on ESPN New York 1050.

Is Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick a top 10 talent?

Wes Bunting - National Football Post

Breaking down the game and assigning a grade to Alabama CB Dre Kirkpatrick…

ICONKirkpatrick can disrupt timing in the pass game.

CB Dre Kirkpatrick: Alabama (6-2, 192) 
Possesses elite size and overall length for the position. Showcases a long, angular frame with some natural muscle tone through his arms and lower half. Demonstrates an impressive combination of patience, instincts and physicality off the line in press coverage. Displays the ability to sit low into his stance, and slide his feet laterally, mirroring off the line and funneling his man toward the sideline.Extends his arms well into contact with the ability to routinely re-route or disrupt the

Fox: We didn't do anything different, other than execute

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 9, 2012, 7:15 PM EST

AP

So what did Tim Tebow do differently that allowed him to have his best passing game yet when it mattered most against the Steelers?

According to Broncos coach John Fox, the Denver offense didn’t do anything differently except make the throws they needed to make.

“There wasn’t really much different other than we executed better,” Fox said at his press conference today. “There wasn’t any new, state-of-the-art plays. This thing’s about players making plays when you have success, and we did it better yesterday than we did it the week before.”

Packers told body of Michael Philbin has been identified

Posted by Josh Alper on January 9, 2012, 5:54 PM EST

Getty Images

There’s been an update from the story we’ve been following out of Green Bay all day and, unfortunately, it is a sad one.

Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin reported a short time ago that the Packers players have been told that the body of Michael Philbin, son of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, has been identified. The younger Philbin had been reported missing after last being heard from at 2 a.m. on Sunday and authorities were searching around Oshkosh in hopes of finding him. A body was recovered earlier Monday in Oshkosh.

Our thoughts go out to the Philbin family and the larger Packer family at this time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are running our first even TTR Playoff Bracket Challenge, and the winner gets a free shirt of the team of their choice. So hurry and enter TTR's Playoff Bracket Challenge for Free!