OWINGS MILLS, Md. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome says the decision to fire offensive coordinator Cam Cameron in December was orchestrated solely by coach John Harbaugh.
Cameron was dismissed the day after Baltimore lost to the Washington Redskins on Dec.?9. There had been speculation either Newsome or owner Steve Bisciotti pushed Harbaugh into making the call.
Asked Friday if that was the case, Newsome said "no!" eight times and added, "That wouldn't be fair to John."
Quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell replaced Cameron and helped rejuvenate quarterback Joe Flacco and the offense. The Ravens are heading to the Super Bowl after scoring 90 points in three playoff games.
Newsome says Harbaugh discussed firing Cameron during the ride home after the Redskins game, then solidified his decision the next day.
No charges against Crabtree
San Francisco's district attorney won't file criminal charges against 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree after reviewing evidence of an alleged sexual assault in a hotel after the team's playoff victory against the Packers.
After examining a "thorough investigation" submitted by police, District Attorney George Gascon said Friday his office determined that no charges would be filed "at this time."
Around the league
Dallas: The Cowboys hired Rich Bisaccia as special teams coach three weeks after he joined the Auburn staff in a similar capacity. New Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Friday that Bisaccia had "an offer that he felt he could not turn down" after the Tigers hired him to coach running backs and special teams on Jan. 3. The Cowboys reported their hiring on the team's website. Bisaccia was special teams coach at Tampa Bay from 2002-10 and worked alongside new Dallas defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli.
Houston: Running back Arian Foster says players are going to step up at the Pro Bowl this year, but don't expect 100 percent effort. After practicing with his AFC teammates, Foster said that it's unrealistic to expect full effort from the top athletes when they're limited in the plays they're able to run. Effort has emerged as the top theme for this year's Pro Bowl as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear the all-star game won't be played going forward if it's second-rate football.
Kansas City: The Chiefs hired former Packers defensive back Al Harris to coach their secondary and Mark DeLeone as a quality control coach and also retained assistant strength coach Brent Salazar.
Minnesota: Rookie left tackle Matt Kalil is headed to Hawaii after all. Kalil was added to the NFC's Pro Bowl roster Friday to replace Washington Redskins tackle Trent Williams, who is injured. Kalil was the fourth overall draft pick last April and immediately established himself as a top player at one of the game's most important positions. He helped pave the way for Adrian Peterson to rush for more than 2,000 yards and usually faced the opponent's top pass rusher as the protector for Christian Ponder's blind side.
New York Giants: The team signed tight end Jamie Childers, cornerback Buddy Jackson and kicker-punter Jake Rogers to reserve-future contracts.
Oakland: The Raiders rounded out their coaching staff by hiring former NFL defensive coordinator Bob Sanders as linebackers coach. Sanders spent the past four seasons in Buffalo, coaching defensive linemen and linebackers. He was defensive coordinator in Green Bay for three seasons before that.
San Francisco: Kicker David Akers calls his struggles this season a "head scratcher" and says if the 49ers win the Super Bowl it will erase all of his 14 misses this season. Akers missed an NFL-worst 13 field goals this season and then hit the upright on a 38-yarder in last week's NFC championship game. He says he feels like he is kicking the ball well and he's off by a matter of inches, which is frustrating because "an inch is a mile in our game."
Seattle: The Seahawks hired former Cleveland and Miami executive Matt Thomas as their new vice president of football administration.
No comments:
Post a Comment