If you’re eager for the start of the new NFL season, you’re probably agonizing over the wait ahead. All we have that we know of are the minicamps and organized team activities to get us through the longest and most boring portion of the offseason.
NFL news roundup: Ravens hire Steve Spagnuolo, Packers shuffle offensive line
A look at what happened in the NFL on Friday, including the shuffling of the Green Bay Packers offensive line and the hiring of Steve Spagnuolo by the Baltimore Ravens.
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But given that the 2013 NFL draft just recently wrapped up, there are still a few things happening with the recently-drafted rookies and the free agents still on the market. There will be a few more roster moves over the next few days before it goes truly dark and on Friday, there was plenty of note going in the NFL.
The biggest news of the day revolved around the Baltimore Ravens bringing in Steve Spagnuolo as a senior defensive assistant. Spagnuolo seemed to have the St. Louis Rams on the right track at times, but faltered enough for the team to make a move and bring in Jeff Fisher. It was only a matter of time before he was picked up by another team.
Over at Baltimore Beatdown, they discussed the hiring of Spags:
Overall, I think this is a good signing and I think that no matter how bad a former head coach/coordinator’s track record may be, it is always a good move when you can add one to the coaching staff in a minor role. I think that Spagnuolo’s experience will help him demand respect from the young Ravens’ defense which will hopefully do wonders for their development process.
In other news, the Green Bay Packers made a move along their offensive line, shifting right tackle Bryan Bulaga (heretofore known as left tackle Bryan Bulaga) to the left side, and Josh Sitton to left guard. It's an important shuffle, and the team is hoping it will pay off big time with their two best linemen on the left side.
Bulaga’s biggest knock coming out of college was that he might not be unable to play the left side with his relatively short arms and the way he moves, but Green Bay has seen enough of him to believe they’re making the right call. Discuss the move with fans over at Acme Packing Company here.
Then, ESPN New York reported that Geno Smith was passed on by a lot of teams due to his maturity, or lack thereof. The report suggested that teams in the top 10 wanted nothing to do with him at that stage in the draft, questioning both his leadership and his willingness to learn. The word "diva" was used, as well. The New York Jets will have their hands full if even half of it turns out to be true.
Many felt the Cleveland Browns would work hard to bring in some competition for Brandon Weeden with the new regime, but it looks like it's only down to two players in 2013. Still, competition is competition, and reports surfaced Friday that Jason Campbell would be given an equal chance to win the quarterback job. Weeden will probably be the favorite, but Campbell has shown flashes of high-level play in his career, so neither outcome would be surprising.
The other interesting bits of news from Friday include the fact that the Dallas Cowboys plan to cut right tackle Doug Free if he doesn't accept a pay cut by June 1, and that Houston Texans safety Ed Reed recently had surgery. Free has struggled at right tackle, along with most of Dallas' offensive line, so it's no surprise to see this happen. Reed expects to be ready for training camp after his hip surgery, as well.
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