Category: League News

Panthers could have passing attack that rivals Bucs with hire of LSU’s Joe Brady

The Carolina Panthers are set to hire LSU passing-game coordinator Joe Brady to be their new offensive coordinator.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the 2019 season with the league’s third best offense in terms of both yardage and scoring. The Bucs’ high-powered offense is predicated on their passing attack, which explains in part the 30 interceptions thrown by quarterback Jameis Winston. When you live and die by the pass, you’ve got to be prepared to take the good with the bad.

Fortunately, the Bucs have arguably the league’s best receiving duo in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to make up for their quarterbacks mistakes. Godwin, himself, was recently named a second-team All-Pro. But, Tampa Bay could have some competition in the NFC South next year for title of best passing attack as the Carolina Panthers are set to hire LSU passing-game coordinator Joe Brady, who helped the Tigers win the national championship with a stellar passing attack.

The 30-year-old coach worked for two seasons with the Saints prior to joining the LSU program in 2019. He’ll be joining the staff of new Panthers coach Matt Rhule, who left the Baylor program to take over the Carolina job.

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of offense this Panthers team will have next season, but with Christian McCaffrey on the roster, you can be sure it’ll be must-watch football.

[lawrence-related id=27299,27290,27280,27268]

Potential 1st round draft pick Yetur Gross-Matos named in Penn State hazing suit

Find out which players were named in a Penn State hazing lawsuit brought by a former player.

Last week, CBS Sports had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snatching prized pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos in April’s NFL draft with the 14th pick. The Penn State star has both the size and athleticism to make an immediate impact with the Buccaneers, and would be a welcome addition to a growing young core that includes linebackers Devin White and Shaq Barrett (assuming, of course, Barrett and the Bucs reach a long-term deal this offseason).

But, today, Gross-Matos is in the news for a much different reason — one that could ultimately hurt his stock and potential first-round billing.

The suit was brought against Penn State by former defensive back Isaiah Humphries, who now plays for Cal. Gross-Matos was one of several upperclassmen named in the suit, with others being Damion Barber, Micah Parsons and Jesse Luketa.

The allegations, themselves, are pretty disturbing and you can read the entire list over on TMZ.

Suffice it to say, any Penn State player named in this suit, including Gross-Matos, will have to answer the NFL teams in the months leading up to April’s draft. Character issues are major red flags for clubs, and these allegations should not be taken lightly.

[lawrence-related id=27089,27290,27280,27268]

Take a look at the 2020 NFL calendar and some important dates to cirlce

See what dates you should be on the lookout for with the 2020 NFL calendar.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season may be over, but the work is just beginning for Bruce Arians and his squad.

After a 7-9 finish, which saw the Bucs playing some of their best football down the stretch, this team will look to keep the momentum going in the offseason as they try and retool and add to this suddenly formidable roster. With a number of unrestricted free agents, Tampa Bay will need to be wise with how they invest their money.

Now that 2019 is behind us, here is the 2020 NFL calendar for the new year, with some key dates you may want to circle, such as the NFL draft and the all-important NFL Scouting Combine. (Calendar courtesy of NFL Operations.)

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10

Sources: Panthers set to hire Baylor’s Matt Rhule as new head coach

The Carolina Panthers have chosen someone from the college ranks to replace Ron Rivera as head coach.

The NFC South will be adding a new head coach for next season, as the Carolina Panthers are reportedly set to hire Baylor’s Matt Rhule.

Rhule will replace former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who was fired by the Panthers during the season after almost nine years. Rivera was the Panthers’ winningest head coach with a record of 76-63-1. He led the team to Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season, when the Panthers went an NFL-best 15-1.

The hiring of Rhule is surprising not just because he’s coming from the college ranks, but because the Panthers are giving him such an insanely large contract. Rhule helped turn Baylor’s football program around, going 11-3 this past season after they went just 1-11 in 2017, his first year with the school, but his lack of NFL experience should be cause for concern. He spent just one season in the NFL, back in 2012 as an offensive line assistant for the New York Giants.

Rhule’s first major decision will likely be what becomes of franchise quarterback Cam Newton. Rhule will also be joining a division filled with experienced head coaches. New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has won a Super Bowl. Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has led his team to a Super Bowl appearance of their own. And, Bruce Arians is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year.

No pressure, right?

[lawrence-related id=27074,27068,27055,27047]

Playoff clinching scenarios for these teams in Week 15

Take a look at what’s on the line playoff-wise for these five NFL teams heading into Week 15.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are riding a three-game winning-streak into Detroit today for their game against the Lions. Despite being 6-7 and playing some of their best football of the season, the Bucs were eliminated from the playoffs last week after the Lions fell to the Minnesota Vikings.

Tampa Bay will miss the postseason for the 12th-straight season. They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2007 and haven’t won a postseason game since their victory over the Oakland Raiders back in Super Bowl XXXVII.

While the Bucs may be out of it, these five teams have a lot on the line in Week 15. Take a look at these playoff clinching scenarios, courtesy of USA TODAY.

Baltimore Ravens (12-2, defeated Jets [5-9] on Thursday)

Clinch a first-round bye with:

1. Patriots loss

2. Chiefs loss or tie

Clinch home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs with:

1. Patriots loss + Chiefs loss or tie

Buffalo Bills (9-4, at Steelers [8-5], Sunday, 8:20 PM ET)

Clinch playoff berth with:

1. Bills win

New England Patriots (10-3, at Bengals [1-12], Sunday, 1:00 PM ET)

Clinch playoff berth with:

1. Patriots win or tie

Green Bay Packers (10-3, vs. Bears [7-6], Sunday, 1:00 PM ET)

Clinch playoff berth with:

1. Packers win + Rams tie or loss

2. Packers tie + Rams loss

San Francisco 49ers (11-2, vs. Falcons [4-9], Sunday, 4:25 PM ET)

Clinch playoff berth with:

1. 49ers win or tie

2. Rams loss or tie

3. Vikings loss + Packers loss

Seattle Seahawks (10-3, at Panthers [5-8], Sunday, 1:00 PM ET)

Clinch playoff berth with:

1. Seahawks win + Rams loss or tie

2. Seahawks win + Vikings loss

3. Seahawks win + Packers loss + Vikings tie

4. Seahawks tie + Rams loss

[lawrence-related id=26192,26185,26176,26165]

NFL’s salary cap expected to make sizable jump in 2020, which is good news for Bucs

The NFL announced the expected salary cap for 2020 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look like they’ll have money to spend.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the NFL informed teams on Tuesday that the league projects the 2020 salary cap to fall in the range of $196.8 million to $201.2 million, which would mark a 40 percent increase from five years ago when the cap was $143.3 million.

That’s great news for the Buccaneers, who according to Over the Cap are projected to have over $90 million in cap space. With linebacker Shaq Barrett slated to become a free agent, and quarterback Jameis Winston playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, Tampa Bay will have money to spend, but will need to be wise about their investments.

Working out a multi-year deal with Barrett seems like the best course of action for the team, while giving Winston a short term deal (possibly even the franchise tag) would be the best approach for a quarterback who has yet to lead the Bucs to the postseason in any of his five seasons.

Tampa Bay was officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday when the Detroit Lions lost to the Minnesota Vikings. The Bucs haven’t made the postseason since 2007, and haven’t won a playoff game since their victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.

[lawrence-related id=26054,26046,26036,26022]

Former Buccaneers CB Josh Shaw suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Josh Shaw was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for betting on multiple games this season.

Josh Shaw, who appeared in four games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, has been suspended indefinitely through at least the conclusion of the 2020 season for betting on NFL games multiple times this season.

The NFL found no evidence to suggest that any of Shaw’s current coaches or teammates with the Arizona Cardinals knew of his betting activity, and that no inside information was used. Shaw was put on injured reserve by the Cardinals back on Aug. 25 and hasn’t been around the team much this season.

Shaw had eight total tackles while with the Bucs, including seven solo, to go along with one fumble recovery. He was a fourth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2015 NFL Draft.

If Shaw’s name sounds familiar, you might remember him for making headlines in 2014 when he was at USC. He suffered a high ankle sprain when he jumped from a second-story apartment to save his 7-year-old nephew in a pool, or so he said. He later admitted to lying about that story and was suspended indefinitely by the school.

Don’t bet on this guy getting back into the NFL anytime soon (no pun intended).

[lawrence-related id=25551,25544,25534,25528]

Walt Anderson and crew officiating Buccaneers at Jaguars

Find out why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars should be worried about Walt Anderson and his officiating crew come Sunday.

Sunday, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars take the field, their game will be officiated by Walt Anderson and his crew. No other team of referees has thrown more flags than Anderson’s sweltering 214, of which 182 have been accepted for a total of 1568 yards.

Anderson’s squad also leads the league in 31 called pass interference penalties, but finally takes a step down from the leading ranks and sits in the second position with 67 holding calls to Shawn Hochuli’s 75. Both the Bucs and the Jaguars will have their work cut out for them as the two round out the fourth and fifth most penalized teams in the league, respectively. The Buccaneers with nine defensive pass interference calls sit only behind the Baltimore Ravens’ 10 for the most calls.

It will be a tightly called game as par for the course for Anderson’s team, so the Buccaneers will really need to take full advantage of their key match-ups.

[lawrence-related id=25490,25461,25456,25450]

Former Buccaneers CB Vernon Hargreaves claimed off waivers by Texans

One day after being cut by the Buccaneers, former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers parted ways with cornerback and former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves yesterday, just two days after he was benched in the team’s win over the Arizona Cardinals for lack of hustle.

Hargreaves had played and started in all nine games for the Bucs this season, and got off to a promising start in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers when he had an interception and return touchdown. But, apparently, Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht had seen enough.

Fortunately, for Hargreaves, there are plenty of NFL teams willing to take a chance on a 24-year-old cornerback.

I’m sure Hargreaves is hoping a change of scenery helps his career. He’ll be going to a 6-3 Texans team that sits in first place in the AFC South.

Talk about failing upward.

[lawrence-related id=24897,24892,24881,24876]