NFL Notes: Roger Goodell, Dolphins, Redskins, & Titans

Roger Goodell

NFLPA’s executive director DeMaurice Smith says the NFLPA and the NFL are engaged in “the right conversations” in negotiations regarding Commissioner Roger Goodell’s role in the player-disciplinary process.

“I never talk about collective bargaining during the process,” Smith said, via Mark Maske of the Washington Post. “I think the only good news is that we continue to talk. We continue to bargain…. One person’s talks is another person’s bargaining is another person’s negotiations. I mean, look, to make it as simple as possible: I think it’s positive that we’re having the right conversations.”

Smith believes NFL owners are willing to collectively bargained solution in the end.

“We’ve been interested in collectively bargained solutions to commissioner discipline now for seven years, at least since I’ve been here, and decades before that,” Smith said Thursday. “As for where we are, I still believe that if there is a willingness on behalf of the NFL owners to have a collectively bargained solution to the commissioner discipline problems, we’ll have it. And talks continue. But until there is that will for the owners to have a resolution where we don’t have reoccurrences of the issues that we’ve had, the fights that we’ve had previously, we won’t have it.”

Dolphins

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill is not allowed to call anything other than a run or pass play at the line of scrimmage.

According to Jackson, there are other situations where Tannehill is forced to stick with the play call no matter what the opposing defense is.

Dolphins interim coach Dan Campbell explained that opening up the playbook could impacct the team’s rhythm.

“When you do that, there’s two schools of thought,” Campbell said Thursday. “When you do that, certainly Ryan can handle that mentally but you take the chance it slows him down in his rhythm. You open the full playbook up, those are sometimes the problems you run into. I’ll be honest with you. His first few years with Mike Sherman, he somewhat had that a little bit.

“He had a lot of options he could do. He did a good job of getting us into the right plays and protection, but we felt like it slowed him down a little bit with his rhythm. We felt like he could be a better passer by taking a little bit of a load off of him. And he is throwing the ball better.”

Redskins

Despite being moved to safety by the Redskins, DeAngelo Hall says he still views himself as a cornerback.

“I think I’m a corner playing safety right now,” Hall said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. “Who knows what the future holds.”

Redskins HC Jay Gruden mentioned that this move could prolong Hall’s career, much like it did for Charles Woodson.

“You look at the success that [Charles] Woodson is having at Oakland, . . . He can play until he’s probably 45,” Gruden said. “He’s playing unbelievable. D-Hall has similar-type ball skills and that’s what you look for in a free safety. We have two corners that are playing pretty good so there’s a chance he’ll get work at free safety. We’re not throwing him to the curb at corner by any stretch. But it’d be a great transition for him because of his athletic ability and his ball skills.”

Titans

• Ian Rapoport reports that Titans WR/KR Dexter McCluster is believed to have suffered a knee sprain during last night’s game.
• Rapoport adds that McCluster will undergo further testing, and could miss some time. However, the injury is not considered major.