Daily Dawg Tags: The Cleveland firings of Pettine and Blatt
Spanning the virtual globe to bring you the latest news about the Cleveland Browns and the NFL – these are your Daily Dawg Tags for Tuesday, Jan. 26.
Cleveland Browns:
Pink slips in Cleveland: Mike Pettine and David Blatt
"No one ever said being a Cleveland sports fan is boring. 2016 is not even a month old, yet two of the three major sports teams in Cleveland have made coaching changes. Terry Francona seems like he has been here for decades. The firings of Mike Pettine and David Blatt could not be more opposite. Pettine was fired as as the coach of a team tied for the worst record in its conference. Blatt was the coach of a team first in its conference."
Cleveland Browns reportedly hiring Ryan Slowik as LB coach
"The Cleveland Browns will reportedly hire Ryan Slowik as a linebacker coach. Slowik spent the 2015 season as a defensive line coach with the New York Jets, his only season with the team. Prior to the Jets, Slowik spent six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, where he worked with new Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton in 2011 and 2012."
Mike Mayock: Cleveland Browns should draft a QB in first round
"The Cleveland Browns will be facing a potential franchise-changing decision when the 2016 NFL Draft opens on April 28 in Chicago. With quarterback Josh McCown rapidly nearing the end of his career, and quarterback Johnny Manziel having no interest in working to be an NFL quarterback, the Browns have to decide what to do with the second overall selection of the first round."
Playoff quarterbacks (again) show Browns the best past to success (ESPN)
"The lesson of the playoffs for the Cleveland Browns again rested in one position. The four teams that played Sunday had one common denominator: a big, strong, stand-in-the-pocket quarterback. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer and Cam Newton can all stand and deliver a strong-armed throw. Their teams have other strengths — Carolina and Denver have tremendous defenses — but their quarterbacks are all of the same ilk."
Hue Jackson says Browns need quarterback (FanSided)
"It appears the Johnny Manziel era in Cleveland is over. This weekend, new Browns head coach Hue Jackson was asked during a radio interview if the team was settled at the quarterback position. His response was blunt and not the news that Manziel was hoping to hear, per Pro Football Talk."
NFL News:
Ron Rivera invokes Ditka’s teachings with Super Bowl preparations (ESPN)
"Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera plans to give his players and staff the same advice in preparing for Super Bowl 50 that Mike Ditka gave the 1985 Chicago Bears. “One of the things Coach Ditka emphasized to us was to enjoy the moment,” said Rivera, a second-year linebacker for the ’85 Bears team that beat the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX."
Denver Broncos: Elway wins free agency on limited budget (Predominantly Orange)
"They call him “The Duke” for a reason. John Elway is one of the best football people ever, be it as a player or executive. Heck, he might be one of the smartest guys in all of professional sports. When you know how to constantly push the right buttons, it looks something like John Elway’s career — both on the field and off — as a Denver Bronco."
Peyton Manning made $2M with win over Patriots (NFL.com)
"Back in March, Peyton Manning agreed to restructure his contract ahead of his fourth season with theDenver Broncos. That’s the nice way to put it. Another way to say it is Manning was forced to take a pay cut to keep his job. Reports indicated the Broncos wanted to slash Manning’s salary by more than half, from $19 million to $9 million, after an injury-plagued year for the aging star. Eventually the two sides agreed on a $4 million reduction in base salary that could be earned back through incentives."