Tag: Kevin Gilbride

Several former Jags set to take field in XFL’s return

Tre McBride is one of several former Jags who could be an early contributor in the XFL, which will have its first game on Saturday.

The NFL season may be over with Super Bowl LIV in the books, but thanks to the return of the XFL, football season will continue. The first couple of games will kick off Saturday February 8 and will run through April 19, which will mark the date of the league’s championship game.

Last month, all eight teams finalized their rosters and several Jags manage to stick. Here are the 17 former Jags who will be apart of the XFL’s return:

DC Defenders

  • CB Doran Grant
  • CB Jalen Myrick
  • DT Tony Guerad
  • S Cody Brown

Houston Roughnecks

  • CB Saivion Smith
  • OL Demetrius Rhaney
  • OL Avery Gennesy
  • S Cody Brown

Los Angeles Wildcats

  • WR Tre McBride
  • RB Dujuan Harris
  • RB Elijah Hood

New York Guardians

  • RB Tim Cook III
  • LB Nick DeLuca
  • DT T.J. Barnes

St. Louis BattleHawks

  • DT Marcus Hardison

Tampa Bay Vipers

  • QB Chase Litton
  • CB Bryce Canady
  • TE DeAndre Goolsby

Analysis

The New York Guardians, Los Angeles Wildcats, and DC Defenders will be worth watching the most if you’re looking for former Jags who could have a big impact.

For the Guardians, linebacker Nick DeLuca could be a big contributor in terms of tackles as he’s one of the few names above who has played in a regular season football game with the Jags. He started in two games for the Jags and participated in nine, accumulating 10 tackles and a sack.

Running back Tim Cook could be a bruiser type tailback for the Guardians at 6-foot-0, 247 pounds, and I could see head coach and former Jags assistant Kevin Gilbride utilizing him a lot this XFL season. Additionally, defensive tackle T.J. Barnes is a player who could eat up double teams in the middle of the Guardians’ defense at 6-foot-7, 365 pounds.

The Defenders’ defense could have some early contributions from corners Jalen Myrick and Doran Grant. Myrick offers elite speed and ran a 4.28 at the 2017 combine, so he could be utilized both on defense and maybe on special teams.

Grant, on the other hand, played alongside Myrick a lot in the 2017 preseason when with the Jags. His scrappiness should definitely get him some time on the field as he proved to be someone who was always near the ball in the Jags’ preseason practices.

Lastly, the name to look out for with the Los Angeles Wildcats is that of receiver Tre McBride. He was close to making the Jags’ final roster last year but was ultimately beat out by C.J. Board. If his hands have improved, he could be a go-to guy for the Wildcats through the air as he offers them a target with good size (6-foot-0, 210-pounds).

5 takeaways from Bears end-of-year press conference

Bears GM Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy expressed frustration for the team’s lack of success, but maintained belief to right the ship in 2020.

The Bears final press conference of the 2019 season came and went with many quick answers, a few bold statements and lots of praise for a team that underachieved in almost every way.

Speaking to the media for the first time since early September, general manager Ryan Pace, along with coach Matt Nagy, expressed frustration for the team’s lack of success, but maintained belief in their core players and the system in place to right the ship and steer the team back to the postseason.

With the rather short availability of roughly 30 minutes, Pace and Nagy gave their answers to the media’s tough questions. Here are my five biggest takeaways from what the Bears’ brass had to say.

1. Pace and Nagy are committed to Mitchell Trubisky – but only to an extent

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

When asked about quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and whether he’d be the starter going into 2020, Pace was quick to say yes. It’s not surprising, given he has one more guaranteed year under contract and they gain nothing by showing their hand and creating a quarterback controversy in late December.

But they did stress the need to bring in additional competition with quarterbacks Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray entering free agency. Pace also wouldn’t commit to picking up Trubisky’s fifth-year option, a decision that must be made this spring. Chances are the Bears find someone this offseason to push Trubisky, but the front office still sees promise in the now-veteran quarterback.

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Bears dismiss OC Mark Helfrich, OL coach Harry Hiestand, TE coach Kevin Gilbride

Following a season filled with disappointing offensive execution, the Bears dismissed Mark Helfrich, Harry Hiestand and Kevin Gilbride.

Following the offensive struggles this season, it was expected that there would be big changes made on the offensive side of the football.

Shortly after general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy met with the media for their end of the year press conference, the Bears made some changes to their offensive coaching staff.

The Bears are dismissing offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride and assistant special teams coach Brock Olivo the Bears announced Tuesday.

 

“We struggled in that area this year. That’s real,” Pace said during his presser. “I think we know it starts up front with those guys. That’s something we really got to look at from a personnel standpoint. From a schematic standpoint we’re going to look at it. That was real this year. That hurt us.”

The moves don’t really come as a big surprise considering the offense’s deficiencies this season. Specifically looking at the dismissal of Hiestand and Gilbride, who oversaw two of the most frustrating aspects of the offense this season with the offensive line and tight ends.

While Helfrich didn’t call plays for the Bears — that was Nagy — he was responsible for the install and execution of the offense. He also appears to be the fall guy for the offense’s struggles, and the Bears will look to fill the holes on Nagy’s coaching staff.

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Kevin Gilbride thinks Giants pulled plug on Eli Manning too soon

Kevin Gilbride feels the New York Giants pulled the plug on Eli Manning too soon and that the veteran will rise to the occasion on Monday.

The New York Giants entered the 2019 regular season adamant that Eli Manning was and would remain their starting quarterback, but that changed after just two weeks.

After their 0-2 start, head coach Pat Shurmur & Co. pulled the plug and inserted rookie Daniel Jones, who initially provided a spark, but it was not sustained. The Giants have gone 2-8 since and are mired into a historic losing streak.

Making matters worse, Jones is now sidelined with a high ankle sprain, meaning the Giants had to turn back the clock and again call on Manning.

Former Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, preparing for his first season as general manager and head coach of the XFL’s New York Guardians, believes Big Blue was way too quick to yank Manning in the first place.

“I love the guy (Manning), so I felt for him when he got benched (in Week 3). I thought it was a premature move, but you understand how those things happen,” Gilbride told the New York Daily News. “I knew it would happen as soon as they stubbed their toe, and they started 0-2.

“I’m sure they realize in hindsight they wish they’d waited a little longer to see if he could get the thing going in the right direction. And of course I believe in him, so I think he would have.”

Gilbride went on to say that Jones has a bright future and is likely to be a “terrific” quarterback, but added that unless the Giants beef up his supporting cast, they’ve continue to relive the same issues they’ve had with Manning over the past several years.

And even with lacking talent around him, Gilbride expects Manning to rise to the occasion on Monday Night Football.

“There are a lot of qualities he has, and a couple come to my mind immediately,” Gilbride said. “First is his ability to stay in the moment. Nothing’s too big for him. The bigger the game, the better he plays. Most guys are not like that. When the pressure’s on, their vision narrows a little bit. He’s just the right mixture of competitiveness and poise. So the bigger the moment the better he plays, which he proved many times in the playoffs and big games, on big fourth-quarter drives.

“He’s got that special quality. There’s an equanimity about him that allows him to become razor sharp in the bigger moment.”

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