After a four-week search, the New York Jets are poised to hire Saints receivers coach John Morton as their new offensive coordinator, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Morton will replace Chan Gailey, who held the job for two years before announcing his retirement two days after the 2016 season ended.
Morton, 47, will be the Jets’ fifth coordinator in the past seven years, and the second under coach Todd Bowles. Morton and former Texans offensive coordinator George Godsey were the only known candidates.
Previously, Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville interviewed for the job, but he decided to remain in Denver.
John Morton is credited with developing young Saints receivers Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and Michael Thomas, who formed the most prolific receiving trio in the league with a combined 242 catches and 3,205 yards in 2016. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Jets finished 26th in total offense and 30th in scoring this season.
Morton has no coordinator experience at the NFL level, but has spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach with the Raiders, 49ers and Saints.
His biggest coaching influences are Saints coach Sean Payton and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who was the 49ers’ head coach while Morton worked as the receivers coach from 2011 to 2014.
Morton returned for a second stint with the Saints in 2015 and was credited with developing young receivers Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and Michael Thomas.
Thomas, a second-round pick, finished with 92 catches, the second-most of any rookie receiver, behind only Anquan Boldin’s 101 in 2003 and just ahead of Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) and Eddie Royal (2008) with 91 each.
Thomas’ 1,137 yards ranked sixth among rookies in NFL history, and his nine touchdowns tied for 15th, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Thomas, Cooks and Snead formed the most prolific receiving trio in the league in 2016, combining for 242 catches and 3,205 yards.
Bowles still has two vacancies on his offensive staff, at quarterbacks and running backs coaches.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Ryan Schraeder didn’t hesitate when asked which member of the Atlanta Falcons offensive line has the best touchdown spike.
“Well, me, of course,” the right tackle said.
Schraeder is particularly proud of a spike during an October win at Green Bay. He put so much of his 6-foot-7, 300-pound frame into spiking the ball and it went so high that he’s not sure it has come down.
A few days later, Schraeder posted pictures of the moment around the team’s practice facility to remind those who may have missed it how good it was.
“I don’t blame him for feeling that way,” left tackle Jake Matthews said. “He’s had a few good ones. But if you go back and check the tape, I think mine went a little higher.
“Honestly, I’d say I’m the best.”
You don’t often hear offensive linemen debating about spiking the football. You don’t often hear about offensive linemen spiking the football. That honor typically goes to the player who scored the touchdown.
That changed in Atlanta in 2015 when running back Devonta Freeman showed his appreciation for the O-line after a Week 4 touchdown against the Houston Texans by letting then-center Mike Person celebrate with a spike.
It’s rare to see offensive linemen such as Alex Mack spike the football, but the Falcons’ unit has earned it with its continuity this season. Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
This year, the spikes have become such a big deal that linemen unofficially rate who’s best.
But spikes aren’t the biggest deal on an offensive line that has helped Atlanta reach Super Bowl LI. What’s bigger? They’re the only group of linemen in the NFL to start every game this season.
Not just that, but the unit that should be dubbed the “Falcons Five” has barely missed a snap.
Mack, easily the most significant addition to the Falcons’ line last offseason, is being held out of practice this week with a sore ankle. But the four-time Pro Bowl selection is expected to return next week so the line can keep its streak intact against the AFC champion New England Patriots.
That’s important because continuity up front is a big reason the Falcons have the NFL’s top-scoring offense and are headed to the Super Bowl in Houston.
“It’s not just the quarterback,” Matthews said with a laugh.
But quarterback Matt Ryan has benefited. He’s thrown a career-best 38 touchdown passes and had a career-low seven interceptions to make himself the front-runner for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
He’s benefited in the same way reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers did a year ago when only two of his five linemen missed a total of four starts. With a line decimated by injuries this season, Newton statistically had the worst season of his career.
“It’s huge,” backup Falcons quarterback Matt Schaub said of the continuity on the line. “It’s everything. That group is where it all starts, whether it’s the run game, the pass game, the protections, making all those calls. When you can have that continuity, it goes a long way.”
Before this season, Levitre, 30, hadn’t been part of a line at any level in which no starter missed a game. But it’s not as rare as you might think.
Over the past 15 seasons, 31 teams have started the same five offensive linemen in all 16 games, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Those who did typically were successful. Their average win total was 10, and only two of 31 finished under .500.
Atlanta is the fourth of those teams to make the Super Bowl. The 2007 New York Giants beat New England, the 2008 Arizona Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 2012 San Francisco 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens.
“Having five guys stay healthy all year and start every game together is something that really goes to show how close we are and how tight-knit of a group we are,” Schraeder said.
The bond goes beyond the field. These guys hang out away from the meeting room and practice. During their playoff bye week, they had a team-building bowling outing.
They typically go to the nearby district of Buckhead for dinner at least once a week. There’s competition in that just as there is in spiking.
For that title, Schraeder concedes to Levitre.
“We can all put some food away, but he’s something special,” Schraeder said.
Told of his distinction, Levitre said: “I guess I can throw down every once in a while.”
He just doesn’t throw down spikes very well. He had never tried one until earlier this year.
“If you look, I had to get my grip right a couple of times before I spiked it,” Levitre said.
When it comes to throwing down spikes, Schraeder concedes nothing, although he admittedly wasn’t so proud of his muffed attempt against the Panthers.
“Somebody hit my arm,” he explained. “I don’t think too many people saw it, though.”
It wasn’t the worst spike of the year, though. That honor, Matthews said, goes to Chester.
“Chris one time tried to do a little stupid dance, and it slipped out of his hand when he tried to spike it,” Matthews said. “That would have to be the worst.
“We don’t have an official tally, but we do like to give each other a hard time.”
More importantly, the continuity up front allows the Falcons to give opponents a hard time.
The final day of the Madden Bowl at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida, in conjunction with Sunday’s Pro Bowl, kicked off Saturday with four participants earning a trip to Houston to play out the remaining semfinals and finals matches at the Super Bowl.
We look back on Day 2 of Madden Bowl, as eight competitors battled for four spots in the single-elimination playoff bracket.
1 Related
The first quarterfinal matchup of the day saw the second-place finisher’s from Group A and B, Michael “Skimbo” Skimbo and Shay “Young Kiv” Kivlan, respectively, square off. A bevy of first-half interceptions saw Skimbo down at the half, 13-10, as Young Kiv seemed to have stifled his normally stout aerial attack. But thanks to a bit of good fortune, Skimbo would rally, using a variation of a few plays to throw Young Kiv’s defense out of sync. With the game tied at 20-20 and just under three minutes remaining, Skimbo took control of the game, connecting on a massive pass to Antonio Brown to set up what would amount to a game-winning field goal. He would clinch his trip to Houston moments later, picking off Young Kiv to earn a come-from-behind 23-20 win.
In a battle representing an NFC East rivalry, Chris “Dubby” McFarland from Philadelphia, squared off against Lavar “Mr. Hollywood” Gayle from New York to determine who would be the second person to advance to Houston. Dubby jumped ahead using excellent ball control to grind down the entire first quarter, scoring on a fourth-down quarterback sneak to get the lead. Terrific user defense by Dubby locked down what was a dynamic offense from Mr. Hollywood during the group stages, ending the first half up 10-3. From there, the game was never really in question, as Dubby relied on a combination of solid user defense and ball-control offense to tick down the rest of the clock, securing a surprising 20-13 victory.
It looked like all hope was lost for Serious Moe to record a comeback victory after he failed to pick up a fourth down attempt with a little over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but an interception with just under a minute remaining had him back in business. After a series of plays put Serious Moe in the red zone, the former Madden 2016 Championship quarterfinalist hit Deion Sanders up the seam with seven seconds left for the game-winning touchdown, capping off an incredible game by both competitors.
Day 3 rounded out with a matchup between Reggie “Boogz” Brown and Eric “Problem” Wright. Problem, relying on his typically stout defense and ball-control offense, earned a commanding 10-3 lead at halftime. But it would be Boogz who would answer back, taking advantage of Problem’s user coverage to find a soft spot in the seam and score a game-tying touchdown. Problem would respond, methodically moving the ball down the field using Williams to get within field goal range. Having worked down most of the clock, Problem would kick the go-ahead field goal, leaving Boogz with little time to mount a comeback. A subsequent incomplete pass on fourth down by Boogz would end the game, giving Problem a 13-10 win and a semifinal match in Houston.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant says Odell Beckham Jr. is not only misunderstood and has been unfairly subjected to criticism, but he thinks more players should care the way the New York Giants star wideout does about the game.
“Whenever something doesn’t go right, as far as a team loss, y’all don’t like his actions, and all it is, is just him wanting to win the game,” Bryant told ESPN after the NFC’s Pro Bowl practice Saturday. “If more people were like that on his team, maybe they would do something special.”
Beckham finished the 2016 regular season with 1,367 receiving yards, third-most in the NFL, but he was widely criticized for his performance in the wild-card round. The Giants lost to the Green Bay Packers 38-13, and Beckham dropped a pair of passes and produced just 28 receiving yards, the second fewest in any game of his career.
He was so upset after the game that he punched a hole in a wall outside the visiting locker room at Lambeau Field, sources told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, who also saw Beckham banging his head against a door.
“I hate losing. Whether it’s marbles, spades, blackjack, whatever it is,” Beckham told ESPN on Thursday. He did not admit to or discuss the wall incident specifically.
Asked whether Beckham should have to explain himself, Bryant told ESPN, “He’s a talent that a lot of people wouldn’t be able to understand. You want to criticize him. You want to talk about him because you just don’t understand him — his whole mindset, the way he goes about his game. He’s a hell of a football player. He’s a great football player.”
Beckham was also criticized for heading to Miami after the Giants beat the Washington Redskins in Week 17. He and teammate Victor Cruz were seen on singer Trey Songz’s Snapchat at a Miami nightclub partying with Justin Bieber. On Monday, the team’s day off, a photo surfaced on social media of them and several teammates hanging out on a boat, shirtless. Many felt the trip suggested a lack of focus.
Bryant doesn’t see it that way. He also said Beckham’s emotions after a game, the way he outwardly expresses his dissatisfaction with losing, suggest one thing: “The heart of a champion,” Bryant said.
“Especially him, the type of success that you run into, there’s only one person able to understand it — and that’s him and that’s me,” Bryant said. “That’s because we’re the only people who get to see that. Nobody knows how to handle that type of stuff.”
Beckham, 24, said the two talk often and that Bryant, 28, has been a sounding board for him, whether it’s football-related or when it comes to dealing with life under the microscope.
“I think we do the same for each other,” Beckham said. “We’re always giving advice. I could probably look back in my texts and there were times when stuff’s going down and I’ll be like, ‘Let’s try and do this and be better at this.’ We’re always a work in progress.”
Added Bryant: “It’s probably a relationship that a lot of people wouldn’t be able to understand. Y’all like to criticize us for the little crazy things, but that’s why we have each other, to keep each other lifted and to keep each other going.”
