By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The sunny optimism of a Gulf Coast training camp didn’t last long for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dirk Koetter’s second season fizzled with a 5-11 finish, bringing with it trash bags and vacation plans for his Buccaneers. A top-10 offense in yards gained per game (18th in points per game) couldn’t withstand the damage done by the league’s worst defense in yards allowed per game.

One of the members of that offense, free-agent signing DeSean Jackson, lamented the group’s underachievement in 2017 on Wednesday, starting with quarterback Jameis Winston. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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These Jaguars haven’t been here before, and they aren’t exactly keeping quiet.

Clearly feeling himself and his teammates, cornerback Jalen Ramsey grabbed the mic at EverBank Field late Sunday and told fans welcoming the Jaguars home that the team was going to the Super Bowl and was going to win it.

That’s great. Reach for the stars, Jalen. There’s just one detail that needs to be mentioned: They haven’t yet won the AFC. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Ken Norton Jr. is reuniting with Pete Carroll.

With Kris Richard on his way out of Seattle, Norton is returning to the Seahawks as the team’s defensive coordinator, the team announced Tuesday. Norton served as the team’s linebackers coach from 2010-2014 before leaving to become Oakland’s defensive coordinator in 2015.

In addition to Norton, the team named former Colts quarterbacks coach Brian Schottenheimer as its new offensive coordinator and Mike Solari as its offensive line coach. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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It’s pretty safe to say, at 32 years old, Darrelle Revis isn’t going to rediscover his better, Revis Island version of himself.

But for a cornerback who joined a team in the final quarter of the regular season, he feels as though he did well enough to get another shot at playing in 2018.

“The material I put on [videotape] from the little time I had, not going through training camp and being here for the installs, I was OK,” Revis said, via ESPN. “I wasn’t great or my best ever. No way. But at the same time, for what I came in here and was asked to do, for the most part I’m happy with it. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Calais Campbell has served as Jacksonville’s defensive catalyst this season, his first with the franchise.

But who knew he could see the future?

Campbell chatted with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero about the tilt between the Jaguars and Steelers last week after Jacksonville’s 10-3 win over the Buffalo Bills. What you’re about to read might blow your mind. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Pittsburgh is going home earlier than most expected, and plenty of Steelers fans will likely spend much of the offseason second guessing the team’s coach.

Trailing 42-35 with 2:18 to play and two timeouts remaining, Mike Tomlin elected to onside kick instead of kicking deep. Pittsburgh never had a chance on the onside attempt, which failed to go the necessary 10 yards before it was recovered by Jacksonville. The Jaguars eventually moved a whole nine yards before kicking a field goal to extend their lead to 10 and essentially ice the Divisional Round victory.

Tomlin explained his decision after the 45-42 loss. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Doug Pederson knows he doesn’t have a game-changing quarterback. Fortunately for the Eagles, he realized this before it was too late.

Pederson adjusted his play-calling late in the first quarter after two drives proved what we already knew — Philadelphia couldn’t win the game primarily on the arm of Nick Foles — and it made a world of difference in what ended up being a 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

“Part of our success this season has been the balance, balance of run and pass. We got back to that,” Pederson said after Philadelphia’s Divisional Round victory. “We stuck with it and guys executed the game plan extremely well.” Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Steve Sarkisian joined the Atlanta Falcons with the daunting task of replicating one of the most explosive offenses in league history.

He did a decent job in 2017, enough for the Falcons to qualify for the postseason and score an upset win over the Los Angeles Rams in their wild-card meeting. He was doing just enough to keep the Falcons in their Divisional Round game Saturday against the Eagles, too, until fourth-and-goal in the final 65 seconds of the game.

With Atlanta trailing by five and the season on the line, Sarkisian elected to call a sprint out for Matt Ryan, who’s one of the league’s best pocket passers but is most definitely not the best at throwing on the run. The play call forced Ryan to sprint out right, surveying and floating in space under the pressure of a pass rush, left only to toss it up in vain to Julio Jones. The play ended in an incompletion, a turnover on downs and the end of Atlanta’s quest to defend its NFC title. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The sweeping changes are almost complete in Green Bay.

Green Bay hired Joe Philbin as offensive coordinator and Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday.

Philbin returns to Green Bay after spending 10 seasons with the Packers in a variety of assistant roles from 2002-2011. He served as offensive coordinator from 2007-2011 before accepting a head coaching position with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. Philbin went 24-28 with the Dolphins before he was fired after a 1-3 start to the 2015 season. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Joe Haden‘s exit from the Cleveland Browns was unceremonious, unsurprising and for a team that ended up going 0-16, unnecessary.

Haden was a cap casualty on a team that had a surplus of cap space. Asked to take a pay cut by former Browns GM Sashi Brown, Haden refused, instead requesting a release and freedom from a team he’d given years of service.

The cornerback recently revealed his feelings surrounding his departure and almost immediate signing with division-rival Pittsburgh, for whom Haden will suit up and play in his first career playoff game on Sunday. Continue reading →