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As expected, the Washington Redskins have released running back Clinton Portis, who was due to earn $8.3 million in 2011.

"It was kind of a mutual decision," Portis said. "They could have sat and held on and played around. They gave me an opportunity to further my career and go somewhere where I can help."

Portis, who will turn 30 years old in September, needs only 77 yards to reach 10,000 in his career. In his first four seasons (two with Denver and two with Washington), Portis eclipsed the 1,500-yard mark three times.

In his last five seasons, however, Portis has missed eight or more games in three of them. He finished with a career-low 227 yards this season.

One possible landing spot for Portis is New Orleans, according to ESPN blogger Pat Yasinskas.

As a free agent, Portis can sign with any team before the league year ends (March 3rd). After that, he would have to wait until a new collective bargaining agreement is in place.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Oakland Raiders used their franchise tag on linebacker Kamerion Wimbley today, per Adam Kaplan (via Pro Football Talk).

Provided the franchise tag continues to exist and the current rules carry over to the next collective bargaining agreement, a franchised player receives the average salary of the five highest-paid players at his position.

By using the franchise tag on Wimbley, the Raiders linebacker will earn a little more than $10 million in 2011.

Earlier in the week, the Raiders exercised a one-year, $3.5 million buyback, but it was rejected by the league due to violating the "30-percent rule."

Wimbley, who was the first-round pick of the Browns in 2006, had nine sacks in his first season with the Raiders. In his rookie season, Wimbley had 11 sacks.

In total, there were 14 players designated with the franchise tag this year (see team-by-team list).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Miami Dolphins have used their franchise tag on nose tackle Paul Soliai, per ESPN's John Clayton.

Provided the franchise tag continues to exist and the current rules carry over to the next collective bargaining agreement, a franchised player receives the average salary of the five highest-paid players at his position.

That means Soliai's salary will jump from less than $500,000 in 2010 to more than $12 million in 2011.

Soliai, who was the team's fourth-round pick in 2007, had 39 tackles and two sacks last season.

In total, there were 14 players designated with the franchise tag this year (see team-by-team list).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Texans running back Arian Foster had his knee scoped today to repair cartilage damage suffered during the Pro Bowl.

If this were the regular season, McClain points out that Foster would be ready to go within three weeks.

Foster led the NFL in rushing (1,616 yards) in 2010. In addition, Foster caught 66 passes for 604 yards and scored a total of 18 touchdowns (16 rushing and two receiving).

When it comes to fantasy football, should Foster be the No. 1 pick in 2011?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today the Jacksonville Jaguars used their franchise tag on tight end Marcedes Lewis, per the Florida Times Union.

Players designated with the franchise tag will earn the average of the top five salaries at their position. For a team-by-team list of players designated with the franchise tag, click here.

"That's like a Catch-22 because you can look at it two ways," Lewis told Tania Ganguli of the Times Union a couple of weeks ago. "OK, they franchised me so they want to keep me here to play. But then if that was the case, then why not just sign me to a long-term deal? You don't know what to think. At that point, you don't know how the feel about you. Why one year? That's a sticky situation right there. At the same time, I don't have no control over that. I'm going to continue to get better."

Lewis, the team's first-round pick in 2006, had 58 receptions for 700 yards and a team-high ten touchdowns in 2010. Lewis became the first tight end in franchise history to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Although Lewis was designated with the franchise tag, both sides will continue to negotiate a long-term deal.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cleveland Browns used their franchise tag on kicker Phil Dawson.

Provided the franchise tag continues to exist and the rules carry over in the next collective bargaining agreement, players designated with the franchise tag will earn a guaranteed salary of an average of the five highest-paid players at their position.

For Dawson, that means he will earn approximately $3.25 million next year.

Dawson, who earned $1 million last year, ranks first on the team's all-time list for field goals made and is third all-time in scoring behind Lou Groza and Don Cockroft.

In addition to Dawson, Panthers center Ryan Kalil was also designated with the franchise tag today.

It's the first time that a center has been designated with the franchise tag since 1996 when Detroit used it on Kevin Glover.

Kalil, who was the Panthers' second-round pick in 2007, has gone to the Pro Bowl for two consecutive years and will earn a guaranteed salary of roughly $10.5 million in 2011.

For a team-by-team list of players designated with the franchise tag, click here.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Denver Broncos and cornerback Champ Bailey have agreed to a four-year contract today as announced by Broncos executive vice president (and Hall-of-Fame quarterback) John Elway.

"Champ is truly one of the NFL's elite players, a 10-time Pro Bowler who is playing at the absolute highest level," Elway tweeted.

According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, the deal is worth $43 million, of which $15 million is guaranteed.

Klis tweeted, "Champ took pay cut to stay. He made $13 million in 2010. He will make $11 mil guaranteed in 2011. The other $4 mil guar is in 2012."

Bailey, who the seventh-overall pick by the Redskins in 1999, has 48 career interceptions, which is the most by a cornerback -- and third most of all players -- during that span as pointed out by Mile High Report.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The bad news?

An initial report indicated Georgia starting quarterback Aaron Murray broke his ankle in two places playing a pick-up soccer game.

The good (or less bad) news?

The updated report is that Murray has a sprained -- not broken -- ankle and is expected to be ready to return for spring practice.

Per Seth Emerson of Ledger-Enquirer, the Bulldogs have their first spring practice on March 10th, which is the day before spring break, and Georgia doesn't practice again until March 22nd. So, in other words, it's possible they sit Murray on the March 10th practice to allow him extra time to heal.

As a freshman, Murray threw for 3,049 yards, 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 2010.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to a source of Mike Preston from the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens will release backup running back Willis McGahee.

However, that is not going to happen before the official league year ends as general manager Ozzie Newsome says "there will be no players released before March 3."

Considering McGahee's salary would jump from $3.6 million last year to $6 million this year, it would make sense. By comparison, Jamison Hensley notes that Ray Rice is due to earn $550,000 in 2011.

As Preston points out, it would also make sense for the Ravens to try to retain McGahee's services -- albeit at a lower cost.

In the past two seasons as the team's featured back, Rice has carried the ball a total of 561 times for 2,559 yards in addition to his 141 receptions for 1,258 yards.

During that same span, McGahee has 209 rushing attempts for 924 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Utah linebacker Timote Nai Fotu was busted for driving under the influence Sunday morning, per the Deseret News (via Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports).

As Fornelli writes about Fotu being arrested at 10 a.m., he "either drank his way through the entire night without sleep, or passed out and was still intoxicated when he woke up."

Fotu, who has two years of eligibility remaining, started nine games in 2009 but missed the 2010 season due to a torn ACL.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Steelers linebacker James Harrison was scheduled to have back surgery a week ago, but it was postponed due to a fever.

Per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Harrison had the surgery this morning. The procedure Harrison had was a discectomy, which removed a piece of a herniated disc off a nerve.

"Everything went great," said Bill Parise, his agent. "the consensus was no one could figure out how he could play through the season. It was significant but textbook. The surgery went exactly as they wanted it to. James' recovery should be complete."

Harrison, who won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award in 2008, finished the season with 100 tackles, 11 sacks and two interceptions.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Minnesota Vikings have placed their franchise tag on linebacker Chad Greenway, per Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.

If the availability and rules regarding the franchise tag carry over to the next collective bargaining agreement, it means that Greenway would earn the average salary of the five highest-paid linebackers in the league, which should be a little more than $10 million in guaranteed salary for 2011.

By using the franchise tag on Greenway, that means they won't use their tag on wide receiver Sidney Rice although there's the possibility of the team using their transition tag on him.

Greenway, the team's first-round pick in 2006, was the team's defensive MVP and led the team in tackles (145). Over the past four seasons, Greenway has finished with 100-plus tackles -- minus his 99-tackle season in 2009 -- each year.

The deadline for teams to designate players with the franchise tag is February 24th. To see a team-by-team list of players who have received the franchise tag destination, click here.

[Update: Pro Football Talk reports that the Vikings can't use the transition tag on Rice since he hasn't been in the league for six years.]

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who played his high school football about 15 miles from the Eat, Drink and Sleep Football headquarters, was back in Connecticut at a football camp run by his brother D.J., who played at UConn and currently coaches Southington High School football.

"It's just good to give back to the community," Hernandez said, per Zac Boyer of the Hartford Courant. "It's good to give back to the kids in Southington and it works out for my brother. I love kids, I know it's going to make the kids' day with me coming here, and so, why not?"

Boyer notes some of the questions the kids asked Hernandez including "Does Bill Belichick ever smile?"

In response to another question at the camp, Hernandez revealed that he had hip surgery.

"You've always got to make changes," he said. "You can't be the same player two years in a row. You've got to be better every year, and there will be something that the coaches will tell me I need to work on, so I'll make sure to get it done."

Hernandez, the team's fourth-round draft pick last year, finished the season with 45 receptions for 563 yards, which led all rookie tight ends, and six touchdowns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers used their franchise tag on linebacker LaMarr Woodley, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Players designated with the franchise tag receive the average salary of the five highest-paid players at their position so that means Woodley will get a hefty pay increase after earning $550,000 in 2010.

Woodley, the team's second-round pick in 2007, will earn slightly more than $10 million in 2011 provided the franchise tag continues to exist at the end of the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that expires after March 3rd.

Over his first four seasons with the club, Woodley has accumulated 39 sacks in the regular season and 11 more in the post-season.

In addition, Woodley has double-digit sacks in each of his past three seasons and is the only player in league history to record a sack in six consecutive post-season games.

For a team-by-team list of players designated by the franchise tag this season, click here.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Kansas City Chiefs used their franchise designation on outside linebacker Tamba Hali, per the team's website.

"Tamba is a key contributor to our football team, and we have a tremendous amount of respect for him both personally and professionally," General Manager Scott Pioli said. "We want Tamba to remain a member of the Chiefs, and we will continue to work together with the hope of reaching a long-term agreement."

Per Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs used the non-exclusive franchise tag on Hali.

With the non-exclusive version, another team can negotiate with Hali. If they make an offer, the Chiefs will have the ability to match the offer. If they don't, they would receive two first-round picks as compensation from Hali's new team.

Hali, the team's first-round pick in 2006, led the AFC in sacks (14.5) in 2010. In addition, Hali had two sacks in their playoff loss to the Ravens.

Note: Here is a team-by-team list of players designated with the franchise tag for 2011.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Before the start of the 2009 season, the Oakland Raiders sent their 2011 first-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for defensive end Richard Seymour, who was about to enter the final year of his contract at the time.

In order to keep him for another season, the Raiders used their franchise tag last year on Seymour. There was some speculation that they would do so again in 2011.

They won't.

Per SI.com's Jim Trotter, the Raiders and Seymour agreed on a two-year extension worth $30 million, of which $22.5 million is guaranteed.

As Trotter points out, the average salary of $15 million per year would exceed that of Bears defensive end Julius Peppers, who earns an average of roughly $14 million per year. That would make Seymour the highest-paid defensive player in the league.

Seymour, the Patriots' first-round pick in 2001, finished with 48 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 13 games in 2010.

The Patriots have two first-round picks in 2011: 17th overall, which is the one acquired from the Raiders, and 28th overall.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In the 2009 NFL Draft, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman was the last of three quarterbacks to be selected in the first round.

Not only has Freeman outplayed the other two quarterbacks (Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez), but no quarterback other than Drew Brees has posted as big of a year-over-year improvement in quarterback rating as Freeman has in his first two seasons in the league since 1980.

Freeman's improvement and development is one of the main reasons behind the Bucs' seven-game year-over-year improvement and Freeman doesn't want a potential lockout to derail his (and the team's) progress.

“Hopefully the CBA gets resolved,” Freeman told the Tampa Tribune (via Pro Football Talk), “but if it doesn’t, I’ve already been in contact with all of our receivers and everybody’s excited to come [to Tampa] in March and get going. We’re going to hit up a couple of the local high schools here and work out that way. Hopefully, they’ll let us use their weight room or whatever it is we need, because we’re anxious to get going.”

Freeman threw 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 2010 after throwing 18 interceptions in his rookie season.

Even better, Freeman had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 15-to-one in the final eight games of the year. Not only did Freeman's passer rating improve greatly from 2009 to 2010, but his passer rating was significantly higher in the second half (106.8) than the first half (85.8) of last season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A day after only one team used their franchise tag, several teams did so today.

Not only did the Colts use their exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Peyton Manning, the Eagles did the same thing to quarterback Michael Vick.

Although many players are frustrated by receiving the franchise tag Vick tweeted (via NFL Network's Jason La Canfora): "Proud to be an Eagle. 2011 will be a huge success!"

Meanwhile, Eagles kicker David Akers received the transition tag, which "disappoints" his agent.

The Steelers are expected to use their franchise tag on linebacker LaMarr Woodley, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Want to represent the Steelers (or your favorite NFL team) in our fan-based NFL Mock Draft? Select your team here.

The Vikings are unsure whether they will use the franchise tag or not.

Meanwhile, the Chargers franchised wide receiver Vincent Jackson, the Jets franchised linebacker David Harris and the Ravens franchised defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

Solomon Wilcots of NFL Network says the Bengals should be proactive and move quarterback Carson Palmer when there's a new CBA.

It's unclear whether Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, who had off-season knee surgery, will work out at the NFL Scouting Combine or wait until Clemson's Pro Day, per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

Eastern Washington running back Taiwan Jones won't run at the Combine, per Rob Rang of CBS Sports.

The Tennessee Titans have named Chris Palmer their offensive coordinator today.

See a list of all NFL head coaches and coordinators here.

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Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The San Diego Chargers have used their non-exclusive franchise tag today on wide receiver Vincent Jackson, the team's second-round pick in 2005.

Jackson, who was tendered as a restricted free agent last year, held out the first ten games of the 2010 season due to his frustration over not getting a long-term deal.

Per ESPN blogger Bill Williamson, Jackson earned a little more than $200,000 after accounting for fines and his holdout. The franchise tag will pay Jackson the average of the five highest-paid wide receivers in the league in 2010, which will be more than $10 million.

In 2010, Jackson finished with only 14 receptions for 248 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came in one game, in five games. In 2009, however, Jackson set career-highs in receptions (68), receiving yards (1,167) and touchdowns (nine).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

As expected, the New York Jets used their franchise tag on linebacker David Harris, per Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News.

Harris, the team's second-round pick in 2007, was the team's leading tackler (99 tackles) and named team MVP this season. In fact, Harris has led the team in tackles in three of his four years in the league.

With the franchise tag, a player receivers the average of the five highest-paid players at his position or 120 percent of the player's salary in the previous year (whichever is greater).

Based on estimates from Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, the value of the franchise tag for linebackers is roughly $10 million.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau plans to return for another season, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"I'm not coaching anywhere but here," LeBeau said today (via the Post-Gazette).

LeBeau has signed a one-year deal with the club each year since returning in 2004 for his second stint as defensive coordinator.

In 2010, the Steelers defense ranked first in scoring defense (14.5 points per game) and second in total defense (276.8 yards per game).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Baltimore Ravens have designated defensive tackle Haloti Ngata as their franchise player today.

“The tender allows us to secure Haloti as a Raven right now,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said, per Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun. “As we have said, our intention is to enter into a long-term contract with him. We want him to be a Raven.”

With franchise tags, a player receives the average salary of the five highest-paid players at his position or 120 percent of his previous year's salary, whichever is greater.

Per Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, the franchise-tag number for defensive tackles jumped to $12.5 million in 2011 from only $7 million in 2010.

Ngata, who was the team's first-round pick in 2006, had a career-high 5.5 sacks and 63 tackles in 2010. Since the 2006 season, the Ravens have allowed a league-low 31 rushing touchdowns.

A two-time Pro Bowler (2009 and 2010), Ngata earned All-Pro honors for the first time in his career this season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Entering an NFL off-season of elevated uncertainty, there was at least one sure thing: there was no way that Indianapolis would allow its franchise quarterback to walk via free agency.

Earlier today, Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay tweeted, "We have placed the Franchise Tag on Peyton [Manning] while we continue to negotiate a long term deal."

Of course, free agency won't begin on March 4th -- league year ends March 3rd -- if there is a lockout, which seems highly likely at this point.

Per Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star, the Colts used the exclusive rights franchise tag, which means that Manning cannot negotiate with other teams unlike the non-exclusive version that is typically used.

(With the non-exclusive version, a player can negotiate with other teams. If another team makes that player an offer, the team that used the franchise tag has the ability to match the offer or receive two-first picks as compensation.)

The franchise tag designation means that a player's salary will be the greater of an average of the top-five salaries at his position or 120 percent of his prior year's salary. Based on his 2010 numbers, Manning's salary will be in excess of $23 million, according to Richards.

This is the second time that the Colts have used the franchise tag on Manning. They used it on February 23, 2004 only to sign Manning to a long-term deal on March 2nd that nullified the tag.

In 2010, Manning threw for career-high 679 pass attempts (second-highest season total in NFL history), 4,700 yards and 33 touchdowns. It was the second consecutive year in which Manning threw for 4,500-plus yards and 30-plus touchdowns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Not only was Raiders running back Michael Bush arrested in Indiana on Saturday, so was Chargers receiver Legedu Naanee.

Per the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Pro Football Talk), Naanee was arrested for public intoxication and resisting arrest.

Naanee was repeatedly asked to leave an active crime scene. Failing to try to leave the crime scene until the officer told him he was under arrest, Naanee was pepper sprayed and continued to resist arrest.

“Do you know who I am?” Naanee said. “I am an NFL player and I’m going to sue your ass.”

Expected to become a free agent once a new CBA is in place, Naanee had 23 receptions for 371 yards and a touchdown in ten games last season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Baltimore Ravens have signed coach John Harbaugh to a three-year extension worth $12 million, per Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun.

"Having John increases our opportunity to compete for the NFL championship every year, which is our goal,” Ravens president Dick Cass said in a statement.

In his three seasons as Ravens head coach, Harbaugh has a 32-16 regular-season record in addition to a 4-3 post-season record. His 36 total wins is the most by a Ravens coach in his first three seasons; Brian Billick had 35 victories from 1999 to 2001.

During the past three years, the Ravens are the only team in the NFL to win a playoff game each year.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The New England Patriots have assigned their franchise tag to guard Logan Mankins, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Mankins, who becomes the first player this off-season to get the franchise tag, would earn a guaranteed salary of roughly $10.1 million in 2011 once he signs the franchise tender.

However, there is uncertainty surrounding the franchise tag due to the uncertain labor situation in the NFL.

In addition, Mankins held out at the beginning of 2010 to express his displeasure about being tendered as a restricted free agent so he's unlikely to be thrilled about receiving the franchise tag.

"Well, Logan Mankins is one of the best players on the team and I think there’s been a little misunderstanding about some things that have been written. I just personally want to say: I hope he’s with us for a long term and we’re going to try to do whatever we have to do to make sure that happens," [team owner Robert] Kraft said earlier this month, per Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe.

Mankins, the team's first-round pick in 2005, earned a Pro Bowl appearance, the third of his career, in 2010 despite not reporting until the eighth week of the season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison will have shoulder surgery on Monday, per NFL.com and Harrison on Twitter.

Harrison tweeted on Friday that he "should only be down 4 to 6 weeks."

In the divisional-round game against Baltimore, Harrison finished with three sacks although he injured his shoulder in that game. He recorded a fourth post-season sack in Super Bowl XLV.

Harrison, recipient of the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, had 100 tackles and 10.5 sacks during the regular season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Heading into the 2010 season, Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bush was expected to get as much of the workload as -- if not more than -- backfield mate Darren McFadden.

Instead Bush suffered a broken thumb and missed the first two games of the season. Meanwhile, McFadden took his opportunity and ran with it.

Despite missing three games, McFadden, the team's first-round pick in 2008, finished with 1,157 rushing yards and ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (89.0).

Of course, there is a lot of uncertainty this off-season due to the labor situation and likely NFL lockout.

While the thumb injury last year was bad luck, Bush, who will become a free agent this off-season, created more uncertainty for himself by his actions last night.

Per WLKY.com, Bush was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Indiana early Saturday morning.

In 14 games last season, Bush rushed for 655 yards and eight touchdowns in addition to catching 18 passes for 194 yards.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Tennessee Titans have promoted Mike Munchak from offensive line coach to head coach, per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

Not only did the Titans interview Munchak, but they interviewed three other coordinators: Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.

Munchak, who was the first round pick of the Houston Oilers in 1982, has only played or coached for the Oilers-Titans franchise.

In addition, Munchak was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001 (see full list of Hall-of-Famers).

"Mike has been successful at everything he has been associated with at our franchise and I have no reason to believe that he won't be successful as our head coach," [owner Bud] Adams said in a statement (via ESPN). "He earned Hall of Fame distinction as a player and yearly he has been one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL. He understands where we have been and knows where we need to go."

Munchak, who becomes only the second head coach since the team moved to Nashville, replaces Jeff Fisher, who compiled a record of 142-120 in 16 seasons.

See also: Full list of NFL head coaches and coordinators.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Steelers receiver Hines Ward stated last year that he would retire if he were part of three teams that won the Super Bowl and go out on top like former teammate Jerome Bettis.

During the course of this week, Ward was asked about his future plans.

"What is left for me to accomplish if we win this (game)?" Ward asked on Tuesday (via NFL FanHouse). "I don't know. To win another? I'm very blessed to be in a position ... to win three Super Bowls."

After a disappointing loss in the Super Bowl, Ward confirmed that he would be back for another season.

“I’ll be back,” Ward said, per Scott Brown of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I’m not going anywhere.”

In last night's game, Ward finished with seven receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. In the process, Ward became the sixth player in NFL history to have double-digit receiving touchdowns in post-season play.

Ward, who will turn 35 in March, is tied with Randy Moss for eighth all-time in receptions (954) and ranks 21st all-time in receiving yards (11,702).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For the second time in four years, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been named the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) by the Associated Press.

While it was widely expected for him to win the award in a landslide, Brady becomes the first player in NFL history to be a unanimous selection for the award.

When Brady won the award in 2007, he received 49 of 50 votes.

In the past four seasons, the award has gone to either Brady or Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who has won a total of four MVPs. (See all past winners.)

Earlier this week, Brady won the AP's Offensive Player of the Year award and Patriots coach Bill Belichick won the AP Coach of the Year award.

"When the season is over, 31 teams are disappointed about the outcome," Brady said (via ESPN Boston). "There is only one champion, and nobody plays this game for second place. The desire and hunger is about winning, which to me never gets old. The motivation to get up and work every day for that goal is something that challenges us all.

"Our team has very high expectations, and our team will come back this year with the same purpose," he said. "Whether or not that leads to a championship season will be determined by the commitment each player makes to do their job as best as they possibly can."

Brady threw an NFL-record 355 consecutive pass attempts without an interception and finished the season with 36 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As expected, the Associated Press has named Eagles quarterback Michael Vick as their NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

With 29.5 votes, Vick easily beat Seahawks wide receiver Mike Williams, who finished second with eight votes.

Vick becomes the fourth Eagles quarterback to win the award: Randall Cunningham (1992), Jim McMahon (1991) and Roman Gabriel (1973) -- see past winners here.

In addition, Vick will finish second in MVP voting to New England's Tom Brady, who was the 2009 Comeback Player of the Year. The MVP will officially be announced tomorrow morning.

Vick, who played only 12 games in 2010, finished with career-highs in passing yards (3,018), passing touchdowns (21), completion percentage (62.6 percent), quarterback rating (100.2) and rushing touchdowns (nine).

Williams, the tenth overall pick by Detroit in 2005, had 65 receptions for 751 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. Before 2010, Williams had career totals of 44 receptions for 539 yards and two touchdowns in 30 games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Associated Press has named Patriots coach Bill Belichick as their NFL Coach of the Year for the third time. He also won the award in 2003 and 2007 (see past winners).

Belichick, who led the Patriots to a 14-2 regular-season record, easily beat out Bucs coach Raheem Morris, who led the Bucs to a seven-game improvement over their 2009 record (3-13).

It was the fourth 14-win season of Belichick's career.

"When I chose him, people at the league office, people in this town, sent me tapes of him in Cleveland and said, 'You don't want to hire this guy,'" Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. "And, remember, he went 5-11 (in his first year with Patriots) and we gave up a No. 1 draft choice (to the Jets to get him). People thought we were nuts. So I think that probably was one of the best decisions I've made in football."

Belichick, who was 37-45 as Browns coach, has a 126-50 record as Patriots head coach.

If you're a glass-half-full guy, Belichick is 14-5 all-time in the post-season with three Super Bowl titles. If you're a glass-half-empty guy, Belichick is on a three-game losing streak in the post-season since losing to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As expected, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was named AP's Offensive Player of the Year. It was the second time in four seasons that Brady won the award (see past winners).

From 1995 to 2010, only three other quarterbacks have won the award: Drew Brees (2008), Peyton Manning (2004) and Brett Favre (1995).

Both Brady (21 votes) and Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (11) received double-digit votes.

When Brady won it the first time (2007), the Patriots finished with a perfect 16-0 regular-season record and lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. That season, Brady set the NFL single-season record for passing touchdowns (50).

This year, Brady set the NFL record for most consecutive pass attempts (355) without an interception as he threw 36 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

Despite playing with a stress fracture in his foot in the second half of the season, Brady threw two-plus touchdowns and no interceptions in each of the final nine regular-season games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)