Tag: Michael Irvin

Michael Irvin reveals details behind bad relationship between DeAndre Hopkins, Bill O’Brien (Texansw

The Arizona Cardinals shocked the NFL on Monday when they were able to get DeAndre Hopkins — one of the top receivers in the league — in exchange for a couple picks and running back David Johnson, whose production has dropped off significantly the past couple seasons.

The Arizona Cardinals shocked the NFL on Monday when they were able to get DeAndre Hopkins — one of the top receivers in the league — in exchange for a couple picks and running back David Johnson, whose production has dropped off significantly the past couple seasons.

Michael Irvin reveals details behind bad relationship between DeAndre Hopkins, Bill O’Brien (Cardswi

The Arizona Cardinals shocked the NFL on Monday when they were able to get DeAndre Hopkins — one of the top receivers in the league — in exchange for a couple picks and running back David Johnson, whose production has dropped off significantly the past couple seasons.

The Arizona Cardinals shocked the NFL on Monday when they were able to get DeAndre Hopkins — one of the top receivers in the league — in exchange for a couple picks and running back David Johnson, whose production has dropped off significantly the past couple seasons.

Did DeAndre Hopkins share with Michael Irvin the real reasons the Texans traded him?

Michael Irvin shared his conversation on ESPN’s “Get Up” about DeAndre Hopkins’ meeting with Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien.

There is no doubt that something occurred behind the scenes to fray DeAndre Hopkins’ relationship with the Houston Texans. Why else would the AFC South club trade its three-time All-Pro receiver in the prime of his career?

According to Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Wedensday, the relationship between Hopkins and coach Bill O’Brien, now full-time general manager, deteriorated to the point a departure was imminent.

“I couldn’t rest my mind on it. I called him again 24 hours, late yesterday and then he was willing to talk more. And I said, ‘Tell me what happened in Houston,’ and he went into it.

“He told me, he said, ‘Michael, it was a bit of a power struggle there.’ Because Coach O’Brien thought he had too much influence over the locker room. He called DeAndre Hopkins in a meeting to talk about this and kind of just hash it out. In that meeting, he started that meeting telling DeAndre Hopkins this, and it blew my mind when DeAndre Hopkins told me this.

“He said, he told DeAndre Hopkins, he said, ‘The last time I had to have a meeting like this it was with Aaron Hernandez.’ And I was like, did he put in Aaron Hernandez in this meeting?

“He said, ‘Yes, he did. Michael, that blew my mind that he would bring that up. I’ve never been in any trouble. Why would he equate me with Aaron Hernandez?’

“And from there the meeting just deteriorated that they got to talking about how DeAndre Hopkins has a few kids from different women. And he said, he told DeAndre that he doesn’t like that he has his baby mommas around sometimes. And from there I think the relationship just went bad, and thus we got a trade of DeAndre Hopkins from Houston from basically, like I said earlier, a ham sandwich all because of that relationship.”

Hopkins didn’t respond directly to the video or the comments therein on Twitter Wednesday, but the former 2013 first-round pick from Clemson did seem to subtweet the situation.

“This is being blown way out of proportion,” Hopkins wrote. “As I’ve said before, I enjoyed and am proud of my time with the Texans. I have the utmost respect for Coach O’Brien and that will not change. Now, I’m ready to play for the Cardinals.”

The Texans didn’t exactly get a ham sandwich in the trade with the Arizona Cardinals. Houston swapped Hopkins for All-Pro running back David Johnson, and also gave up their 2020 fourth-round pick to get the Cardinals’ 2020 second-round selection and 2021 fourth-round pick.

Regardless, the move was one a team makes when in rebuilding mode, not in championship mode. The Texans’ passing game will still have two-time Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson under center, but receivers Randall Cobb, Will Fuller, Keke Coutee, Kenny Stills, DeAndre Carter, and Steven Mitchell will all have to step up.

Stephen A. Smith, Michael Irvin have 6-minute shouting match over Dak Prescott

Stephen A. Smith and Michael Irvin had the longest shouting match over Dak Prescott’s contract status.

The Dallas Cowboys just gave another monster deal to a star player, locking up star wide receiver Amari Cooper for five years with a $100-million contract, but the Cowboys were unable to reach a long-term deal with franchise quarterback Dak Prescott by Monday’s deadline. The team placed an exclusive franchise tag on Prescott, ensuring that the 26-year-old would not become a free agent, and will pay him around $33 million in 2020.

The Cowboys reportedly offered Prescott a contract worth $33 million annually, but the deal was rejected. NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported that the Cowboys offered an improved deal that would have been in excess of Jared Goff’s contract (four years/$134 million, $110 million guaranteed), but ultimately had to resort to tagging Prescott.

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith and Cowboys Michael Irvin got into a heated debate over whether the Cowboys were treating Prescott fairly in negotiations. Smith began the debate by erupting, and managed to maintain that energy for the entire segment.

“Four straight years, never missed a start! Winning record in three of the four years! Completed 65 percent of his passes in three of the four years. Just nearly threw for 5,000 yards. You paid Ezekiel Elliott. You paid Jaylon Smith. You now paid Amari Cooper. You paid every damn body but your quarterback?

…. You’re going to sit there with a straight face and act like you don’t know any better? Don’t you sit here and act like Dak Prescott has been treated fairly.”

Stephen A. wisely paused in the middle to take a drink and lubricate his throat, or he may have been hoarse by the end of the show. Irvin then had his turn to unleash, while Max Kellerman just sat quietly and watched the chaos unfold.

According to Irvin, both Prescott and Jones are simply doing business, and neither side is in the wrong.

“I want you to stop the rhetoric that Jerry’s doing Dak wrong…. We’ve gotta stop saying Jerry is doing him wrong. This is business! If Jerry had offered him $25 million a year right now, then I would be with you [saying] ‘oh my god, Jerry is way out of line.’ But when he’s offering him 33, 34, and we don’t even know what Dak is asking for?

…. I’m going to tell you what I’m OK with. The exclusive franchise makes him $33, 34 million dollars this year. A 40-million dollar deal next year! So over the next two years he’s going to make $75 million dollars! I don’t say that’s doing somebody wrong.”

Has Jerry Jones disrespected Dak Prescott by not working out a long-term deal by now? You make the call:

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The crazy theories about Tom Brady’s free agency decision are just beginning

The insanity is just getting started.

NFL free agency is still a month away. That means there’s plenty of time for escalating theories, takes and rumors about New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and where he’ll end up.

You know it by now, but let’s rerun through the details. Brady is set to enter free agency when the new league year begins on March 18. He can begin negotiations with other teams as early as March 16 (during the legal tampering period). In the meantime, the Patriots have exclusive rights to negotiations for an extension. And yes, Brady seems to be legitimately considering a departure from New England. But amid the hubbub, there will be plenty of illegitimate suggestions as to where he could and should go.

It seems one of those suggestions cropped up this weekend. Former Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin said he heard at the Super Bowl that Dallas has interest in Brady. Here’s what he said on WEEI’s “Dale & Keefe.”

“I am telling you right now, at the Super Bowl in Miami, some very significant people that I had conversations (with were) leaning in that same direction,” he said. “It was shocking. I had a vodka cranberry in my hand and when they said it to me I put the drink down and said, ‘Let’s talk a little bit more about this.’ I promise you, I had a conversation with people, I can’t tell you who, about that same scenario going down.

“I just don’t know if there’s a real possibility of that happening.”

Irvin later backtracked on his remarks on Twitter with a clarification: “I never said Jerry (Jones) or anyone in the organization said this to me. It was NOT anyone with the (Cowboys).” So it’s unclear how seriously we should take Irvin’s information. But it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Cowboys bail on 26-year-old Dak Prescott, who is also slated for free agency, in order to acquire Brady, who has just a few years left in his career. Prescott made significant strides in 2019, with a 65.1 completion % for 4,902 yards, 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Why ditch him for Brady?

There’s one takeaway from this situation: Brady’s situation is going to be wild. Good information is going to be hard to find, but bad information and silly theories will get the conversation restarted.

This won’t be the craziest thing we hear about Brady’s impending decision. The speculation is only going to escalate.

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Michael Irvin earths can of worms he opened with Brady-to-Cowboys Prescott talk

The Tom-Brady-to-Dallas theory simply doesn’t hold much water when looked at through the lens of common football sense. He’s 42 years old. His skills and stats have taken a noticeable dip. Yes, he’s the most decorated quarterback to ever take a …

The Tom-Brady-to-Dallas theory simply doesn’t hold much water when looked at through the lens of common football sense. He’s 42 years old. His skills and stats have taken a noticeable dip. Yes, he’s the most decorated quarterback to ever take a snap, but he’s played his entire career under one coach in one system that was built for him. This is who some think is really the answer for the Cowboys? Who are, themselves, revamping the organization with a new head coach? A coach just happens to be a quarterback-whisperer type who ostensibly took the job because- at least in part- of Dak Prescott? Who himself just happens to be a 26-year-old coming off his best season as a pro and has all the goods to be the long-term solution on a roster already loaded with young talent?

It just doesn’t pass the sniff test. But this is the offseason for America’s Team, so logic need not apply. Jerry-Jones-should-pay-Tom-Brady-whatever-he-wants is just too hot a take, too clickable a headline for some not to go off the deep end with it. And now Cowboys legend Michael Irvin has inadvertently stepped into the middle of the madness.

The Hall of Fame receiver spoke to Boston radio station WEEI on Friday and was asked for his thoughts on a hypothetical scenario that has Dallas placing a franchise tag on Prescott and signing Brady when free agency begins.

“I’m just telling you right now, at the Super Bowl in Miami, some very significant people that I had some conversations [with were] leaning in that same direction,” Irvin told the station’s Dale & Keefe. “It was shocking. I had a vodka cranberry in my hand and when they said it to me, I put the drink down and said, ‘Let’s talk a little bit more about this.’ I promise you, I had a conversation with people, I can’t tell you who, about that same scenario going down. And I was like, ‘I just don’t know if there’s a real possibility of that happening.'”

Irvin’s tale is brimming with red flags right from the jump. First of all, the conversation took place during Super Bowl Week in Miami. By the Playmaker’s own admission, alcohol was flowing. There were no doubt lots of outrageous and fantastical things being said under similar circumstances. Second, Irvin doesn’t name the “significant people.” Significant in what way? Significant to whom? And third, Irvin said- literally within seconds of hearing it- that he immediately doubted the likelihood of Brady signing with Dallas.

But despite the lack of any details, many media outlets raced to spread the story that Michel Irvin, a longtime member of the Cowboys inner circle, had suggested a Brady deal was coming. Some began speculating that the “significant people” Irvin cited were themselves Cowboys insiders or possibly even team management.

By Friday night, reporters were busy working to either confirm or deny what they could.

But rumors of the NFL’s most loved/hated player going to the NFL’s most loved/hated team had taken on a life of their own. Irvin himself took to social media over the weekend to try to set the record straight.

Some of the same outlets who had reported that Irvin was leaking team intel now claimed that the three-time Super Bowl champ was “clarifying” or “walking back” his earlier comments, when in fact, they had simply been reported incorrectly to begin with. Irvin was still addressing the fallout via his Twitter account Monday morning.

But no retraction or clarification could chop off the legs that the story had already grown. The whole mess had become fodder for the morning shows. ESPN’s Dan Graziano tried to put out the firestorm on Monday’s Get Up, saying, “I believe the Dallas Cowboys’ plan is for Dak Prescott to be their quarterback. And I don’t think that this is something that’s being talked about at any serious level in their building.”

Graziano did admit, though, that the story’s breaking-news buzz probably doesn’t hurt the front office as they work through contract negotiations with Prescott.

“It’s not bad for the Cowboys and Jerry and Stephen Jones if this is out there, right?” he spitballed. “You talk about leverage, right? If Dak Prescott has it in his head, ‘Oh, they might replace me with Tom Brady, maybe…’ It’s all about pushing the guy toward you in the negotiation.”

Team executive vice president Stephen Jones said just last week that talks with Prescott were “fixin’ to heat up.” He told the Dallas Morning News on Friday- the same day that Irvin told his vodka cranberry story- that the organization’s goal was to avoid using the franchise tag on Prescott.

After a weekend of flustered story chasing, Irvin joined Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan and put an end to the ordeal, grounding the rumors in the reality that he never said the Cowboys front office were the significant people he mentioned.

Rumor officially ended, well at least this one. Until something definitive happens, Prescott theories will be all over the airwaves… and all over the map. And until New England and Brady figure out their mutual status moving forward, some of those theories will undoubtedly involve Tom Terrific wearing a blue star, even with Irvin’s recent statements.

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Michael Irvin has ‘grown fond of’ Titans WR A.J. Brown

Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin was just one of many who had praise for the wideout.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown hardly could have had a better rookie campaign, and he’s earned his rightful recognition for it both throughout and after the season.

Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin was just one of many who had praise for the wideout.

Ahead of the season, Brown was out to prove himself to people like Irvin, who he believed doubted him to an extent.

“I’m going to show you,” Irvin said that I’m the guy that’s hitting the scene, and I’m going to show you guys that you’re sleeping on me. I was like ‘Okay, you’re going to win Rookie of the Year, right?’ He actually is the Rookie of the Year. So he said it, and then he went about it and got it done. I can appreciate that, man. I’ve really grown fond of him.”

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He also had some, well, not-so-great words for quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

“He did that with Tannehill. Just imagine if you gave him a (Patrick) Mahomes or something,” he said.

Irvin partially credited Brown with Tannehill’s success in 2019, who had seen some inconsistency in his years with the Miami Dolphins.

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A long offseason stands between the Titans and their first game of the 2020 season, but Brown will look to continue his success as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver when it opens in the Fall.

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Michael Irvin feels confident this team will win Super Bowl

SportsPulse: Michael Irvin spoke with USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes about the upcoming Super Bowl and gives his opinion on who he thinks will win.

SportsPulse: Michael Irvin spoke with USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes about the upcoming Super Bowl and gives his opinion on who he thinks will win.

News: Elliott’s college RB coach in mix, players didn’t fear Garrett

Plus details on Mike McCarthy’s role and his epic job interview, great expectations from Cowboys greats, and more Jason Garrett fallout.

Mike McCarthy is getting to work assembling his coaching staff in Dallas, with one positional assistant headed out the door on Thursday and another new candidate appearing in the wings. Cowboys Nation is still dissecting the nearly-hour-long press conference that introduced McCarthy officially. And new details are surfacing about how things ended with Jason Garrett… and how things had been with his players that only hastened that ending.

There’s more opinion on what’s expected of McCarthy and a bit of insight on how he intends to work (or not) with the Joneses in the front office. All that, plus a ludicrous idea from Terrell Owens- because, hey, it’s been a while. Here’s the News and Notes.

New RB coach to meet with Cowboys :: ESPN

Stan Drayton, the Texas Longhorns’ associate head coach and run game coordinator, was scheduled to meet with the Cowboys on Thursday. Drayton coached Ezekiel Elliott at Ohio State before serving as running backs coach with the Chicago Bears from 2015 to 2016.

Gary Brown, the running backs coach in Dallas since 2013, is reportedly still in the mix to return for 2020.

Players didn’t fear Garrett, thanks to Jerry Jones :: 105.3 The Fan

According to Ed Werder, a team source said this week that the Cowboys lacked the following under Jason Garrett: fear, accountability, and discipline.

NFL Network’s Jane Slater, speaking on the air Thursday with 105.3 The Fan, told a story that seemed to confirm the first item on that list.

Slater’s first-hand account of a text exchange in which a player told Garrett “to [expletive] off” and that owner Jerry Jones had given the player free rein to ignore his coach is a sobering and somewhat shocking anecdote. If true, it speaks volumes about how bad things had truly gotten in Dallas.

WR coach Sanjay Lal won’t return to Cowboys under Mike McCarthy :: Cowboys Wire

Despite leading Pro Bowler Amari Cooper to a career-best season and helping turn Michael Gallup into a breakout star, wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal will be let go from the Cowboys staff.

Lal had been with the team for the past two seasons, after serving in the same capacity for the Colts, Bills, Jets, and Raiders over the previous nine years.

McCarthy wants to coach, ‘not dictate player personnel’ :: The ‘Boys & Girl Podcast

To many, Mike McCarthy was a surprise choice for head coaching duties in Dallas. Why? It was widely assumed that the former Packers skipper was also interested in having a hand in player personnel decisions, and Jerry and Stephen Jones would be loathe to give up that kind of control in any amount.

Andrew Brandt, NFL insider and former Packers vice president, shared with NFL Network’s Bobby Belt and Jane Slater on The ‘Boys & Girl Podcast that in searching for a 2020 opportunity, McCarthy was seeking a job to be purely a coach.

Jerry Jones on Garrett breakup: Wanted a ‘soft landing’ :: NFL.com

The week-long goodbye between Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett was about more than just dismissing an underachieving coach or finalizing exit interviews. For owner Jerry Jones, it was bringing down the curtain on an era. During the introduction of new coach Mike McCarthy, Jones spoke of all the years he has employed members of the Garrett family and said that longstanding relationship was a real factor in how the coach’s release was handled by the team.

“I will tell you that I had a great 30 years around the Garrett family, and it’s wonderful. It’s a good feeling, and it is one of the best parts of my life,” Jones said.

“We all wanted this to have a very nice- if possible, under the circumstances- soft landing.”

Terrell Owens says Cowboys should dump Dak Prescott… for Tom Brady :: TMZ

In an interview this week with San Francisco radio station 95.7 The Game, former Cowboys wideout Terrell Owens revealed that he thinks his former club is just one missing ingredient away from a Super Bowl title.

“They have a quarterback that’s a free agent in Tom Brady,” Owens said. “That’s the next move.”

By Owens’s logic, the fact that current quarterback Dak Prescott hasn’t been given a new contract extension signals a tangible degree of uncertainty within the Dallas front office.

McCarthy won the job in 12-hour interview :: The Mothership

It was the interview that turned into a sleepover that turned into a job offer neither party could consummate fast enough, to hear social media tell it as it unfolded over the weekend.

Using bits of the story as shared in Mike McCarthy’s introductory press conference, Star Magazine contributor Jonny Auping dives into the epic 12-hour discussion that won Jerry and Stephen Jones over. Find out what caused McCarthy to jump out of his chair and bear-hug his new boss, and what personal remembrance led Jerry to utter the sure-to-be-famous quip about finding his new coach: “The bottom line is… I heard bells.”

Aikman, Irvin, and the lofty expectations for Mike McCarthy :: Cowboys Wire

In introducing the team’s new head coach, owner Jerry Jones likened the timing of Mike McCarthy’s availability to 1989, when a directionless Dallas club owned the first pick in the NFL Draft and future Hall of Famer Troy Aikman sat atop the war room big board.

Those great expectations are shared by team legend Michael Irvin, who compared McCarthy’s arrival to Steve Kerr taking command of the talented roster of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and swiftly winning a league title.

Aikman had an interesting perspective on the way his friend Jason Garrett’s time with the Cowboys came to an end, as well as how McCarthy was unceremoniously dumped in Green Bay with games still to play in 2018.

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Aikman, Irvin and the lofty expectations for Mike McCarthy

There were bars set high and surprising comparisons galore as two Cowboys legends weigh in on the team’s new head coach.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could not have set the bar for his new head coach any higher. And he couldn’t have done it much earlier than he did. Less than three minutes into Wednesday’s press conference that introduced Mike McCarthy as the ninth head coach in team history- before McCarthy had even said a word- Jones was invoking the name of the most decorated quarterback to have ever worn the star.

He’s still figuring out where the bathrooms are at the team’s headquarters, but McCarthy is already being mentioned in the same breath as the franchise’s greatest champions. Several of those champions, including Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, think he just may prove to be worthy of the lofty comparison.

“When I first got in the NFL,” Jones recalled to begin the press conference, after reading a list of highlights off McCarthy’s impressive resume, “I looked real smart- very smart- because right as we walked through the door, Troy Aikman was the first pick in the draft. And the Dallas Cowboys had the first pick in the draft. And the Dallas Cowboys needed a great quarterback to start. Those combinations of things can make you look real smart when that timing comes together. That’s the analogy that I’m alluding to here. Yes. We. Needed. Mike. We needed a coach, but to have his availability, and to have his track record and ability to check all the boxes that I just talked about was fortuitous for this franchise.”

Likening McCarthy’s arrival to taking Aikman with the first overall pick in 1989 makes the 56-year-old coach’s mandate in Dallas crystal-clear. His joining the organization may not necessarily kickstart a dynasty per se, but it had better add a sixth Lombardi Trophy to the case in pretty short order.

For what it’s worth, Aikman himself thinks McCarthy’s hiring is an encouraging step in that direction.

“I do think that the guy that they hired is outstanding,” Aikman told The Musers on 96.7 FM/1310 AM The Ticket [KTCK-AM] on Wednesday. “I’ve known him a long time; I’ve gotten to know him very well. And I think he’ll come in and do a great job.”

Former coach Jason Garrett served as Aikman’s backup for the team’s remarkable run during the mid- to late-1990s and was there for the Cowboys’ two most recent championships in Super Bowls XXVIII and XXX. Aikman has spoken recently about the way his friend’s tenure in Dallas came to an end under the Jones regime, reminding fans that the NFL is, first and foremost, a business for those who are in it, and that even successful coaches often find themselves looking for new employment.

Aikman remarked that McCarthy knows something of that as well after his sudden dismissal from the Packers in early December of 2018.

“The way that it ended in Green Bay? I think he deserved better,” Aikman explained. “I don’t feel that, after all those years of success, that he deserved to be fired before the season ended. And I thought that he handled all of that exceptionally well, but I wasn’t certain that… I didn’t anticipate that the Cowboys would be of interest, that he would be of interest to the Cowboys. And so when I heard that it was possible that he might be named the head coach, that the interview went well, he stayed over, I thought that was a really good thing.

“I think of the guys that are available- and even if you looked at guys who aren’t available- I think that Mike McCarthy would certainly be on that short list. I think it was an outstanding hire. I think he’ll come in; it’ll be a different voice- of course it always is with a new head coach- and he’ll have a different approach, and I think for some people, that’ll be really refreshing. And we’ll see where it goes.”

Aikman’s primary receiver from the glory days thinks it may go right to the top of the NFL mountain. Michael Irvin drew a recent pro basketball analogy in speaking with TMZ about what he expects from the Cowboys’ new skipper.

While Irvin admitted that he was “mourning” the end of Garrett’s time in Dallas, he believes his friend and former teammate should get another opportunity to lead an NFL team.

“You look at the greatest of all time, and that’s Bill Belichick,” Irvin said. “You know, if he stopped at Cleveland, what would we have? But he got another opportunity in New England, and he ultimately became the greatest of all time.”

Comparing Jason Garrett to Bill Belichick may be more of a leap than many Cowboys fans can make right now. They’re still wrapping their heads around the idea that hiring Mike McCarthy might be akin to drafting Troy Aikman.

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