NFL Notes: Jon Gruden, Cowboys, Jets, & Lions

Jon Gruden

Former NFL HC Jon Gruden, who is annually rumored to be a top-tier head coaching candidate, referred to the Tennessee head coaching position as a “dream job” for him.

“I don’t know how close. I love football. I’ll be the first to tell you, I miss coaching,” Gruden said, via Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. “But I do look at my job here as a lot like coaching. i get a chance to be around it 364 days a year and I feel like I’m improving, but I don’t have a team. Tennessee is a dream job for a lot of people, me included. Timing wasn’t right. I’ll say this about the Volunteers, they got the right guy. I think Butch Jones is going to put the Volunteers back on the map. It might happen this year.”

Cowboys

• Cowboys DE Ken Boatright was strapped to a board and removed from the practice field with a neck injury. (Todd Archer)
• Boatright was able to move his legs, which is obviously a positive sign.

Jets

It sounds like Chris Ivory could get an opportunity to end up being the Jets’ every-down running back in 2015.

“Right now I’m doing pretty much everything,” Ivory said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN New York. “And I just [want to] make them feel comfortable with me in there with everything they have me doing.”

Even HC Todd Bowles praised Ivory for his ability to excel in different areas as a running back.

“He’s as advertised,” Bowles said of Ivory on Wednesday. “We knew he was tough and he could pound it up in there. But he cuts well, he’s got good vision [too].”

“He’s going to have to become a better receiver,” Bowles added. “He has decent hands. He just needs to concentrate a little more.”

Lions

Lions DC Teryl Austin discussed what the team’s defense is like without DT Ndamukong Suh with ESPN’s Josina Anderson.

“I don’t think there was a big emotional shock,” explained Austin. “I looked at it pragmatically, and the fact that when it got to free agency anything could happen. (Suh) signining with another club was absolutely a possibility when negotiations were tabled at the beggining of last year…We want the best for our guys and he earned every dollar that he got. Realistically, emotionally, I was kind of happy for him that he was able to get what he deserves pay wise. We would’ve loved to have him here, but it just didn’t work out financially. I just wish him the best…We were fortunate enough to get Haloti (Ngata) which is awesome. I am a firm believer Josina, that everything kind of works for a reason.”

Austin added that everything is “going fine” with Suh no longer in the middle of their defense.

“It’s going fine. Obviously we got a proven player with Haloti (Ngata), and I know he’s a little dinged up, but he’ll be fine,” Austin said. “I’m not worried about that. But we’re receiving a lot of good progress from the other guys we got. I mean they’re not going to be Suh. But it’s like anything; it’s the sum of our parts and that’s what’s going to make us good.”