Stupid comment by new Jaguars owner regarding fans

Posted by Mike Florio on January 12, 2012, 6:19 PM EST

AP

Jaguars owner Shad Khan ruffled a few feathers in Jacksonville on Wednesday during the press conference that introduced Mike Mularkey as the third head coach in team history.  Khan, it seems, has a very specific idea of what it means to be a “fan” of the team.

“For me a fan is somebody who is a season ticket holderfor the Jaguars,” Khan said, via FirstCoastNews.com.  “So that is a key definition we need to get out.  We want to hear from people, we want a huge amount of constructive feedback.  We need input, but we need that from fans who are season ticket holders.”

The Jeff Fisher leverage game continues...

Posted by Mike Florio on January 12, 2012, 4:43 PM EST

AP

As the football-watching world watches and waits for free-agent coach Jeff Fisher to pick between the Rams and the Dolphins, there’s a new development.

And it’s a strange one.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports, citing a source close to Fisher (i.e., Fisher), that Fisher isn’t playing the Dolphins against the Rams, and vice-versa, in order to get the best possible deal.  Taking it a step farther, Schefter reports thatneither team has even made an offer to Fisher.

Lions re-sign all three coordinators

Posted by ttwentyman on January 12, 2012 – 1:44 pm 

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said today the team has re-signed all three of its coordinators to new contracts.

Gunther Cunningham (defense), Scott Linehan (offense) and Danny Crossman (special teams) will all return to the sideline next season.

The extensions actually occurred months ago during the regular season but were confirmed by Mayhew today.

Mayhew also expects to start working on an extension with head coach Jim Schwartz, who is entering the final year of his deal.

“We plan to start to work on that in the next couple weeks or so,” Mayhew said of the Schwartz deal.

He also said the team is now working on extensions with its assistant coaches.

“We hope to have all those guys back,” he said.

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Richardson and Kirkpatrick to enter NFL Draft

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 12, 2012, 2:41 PM EST

Getty Images

Two of the most talented players on this year’s national championship team have decided to leave the NCAA behind and enter the NFL draft.

Alabama running back Trent Richardson and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick both said they’re turning pro at a press conference on the Alabama campus today. Alabama coach Nick Saban said he’s “100 percent supportive of both of these young men.”

Both Richardson and Kirkpatrick have a good chance of being Top 10 overall picks. Richardson is universally regarded as the most talented running back in the draft, and Kirkpatrick will battle LSU’s Morris Claiborne, who also announced today that he’s turning pro, for the title of best cornerback in the draft.

Irsay acknowledges the challenge ahead of Grigson

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 12, 2012, 11:54 AM EST

New Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson didn’t want to make any decisions about Colts coach Jim Caldwell on his first day on the job Wednesday.

He admitted that he just met Caldwell for the first time and he needed time to evaluate.  Just not too much time: The Colts are expected to make a decision on Caldwell by early next week.

Early speculation about possible coaches for the Colts center around Grigson’s Eagles ties, including Philadelphia offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. The ability to develop a quarterback would seem foremost on Grigson’s wish list for a candidate.

Graham Gano broke back in two places

Brad Biggs - National Football Post

Sometimes it is not pretty when kickers or punters get involved on tackles.

Just ask Washington Redskins kicker Graham Gano broke his back in two places trying to make a tackle in the team’s season-ending game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jets expected to simplify their offense for Sanchez

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 12, 2012, 10:53 AM EST

AP

Mark Sanchez isn’t going to respond to the latest barrage of attacks against him.  A Jets spokesmen told ESPNNewYork.com that Sanchez doesn’t comment on anonymous sources.

What Sanchez says publicly doesn’t matter. He needs to show he can play, and he won’t be able to do that for a while.

Rich Cimini writes about the challenges Sanchez will face in the locker room and the direction of the team’s offense. New offensive coordinator Tony Sparano emphasizes power running and max protection.

Redskins add Raheem Morris to their staff

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 11, 2012, 9:14 PM EST

AP

Raheem Morris will work for an NFL team other than the Buccaneers for the first time, but his role will be familiar.

The Redskins hired Morris to be their defensive backs coach, according to Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times.  Morris didn’t consider taking a year off despite having a year left on his contract.

“Man, I’m not into that,” Morris said. “I’m a football coach. This is what I do, it’s who I am. I’m entirely too young to sit out a season. I don’t need any rest, I don’t have any worn out feeling.”

Morris had the same role in Tampa for four years before taking over as the team’s head coach in 2009. Morris worked with both Redskins G.M. Bruce Allen and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in Tampa.

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Is Mark Davis a "Tommy Boy"?

Posted by Mike Florio on January 11, 2012, 10:16 PM EST

Getty Images

Our good friend Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports has penned yet another intriguing and thought-provoking item.  This one focuses on the possible reasons for the termination of Raiders coach Hue Jackson.

Silver’s theory is that Jackson knew too much about how poorly late owner Al Davis used to treat his son, Mark Davis, and that Mark Davis wants to remove from the organization anyone with direct knowledge of those interactions.  “To project an image of authority,” Silver writes, “Mark Davis needs to surround himself with employees who didn’t see him routinely disparaged and condescended to by his legendary father.”