Elway says Chubb making “really good” progress
Ten things about the Senior Bowl and NFL:
1. Broncos general manager John Elway had a positive update about outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, who tore his ACL Sept. 29 against Jacksonville. “Really good (progress),” Elway said. “He looks great. I (jokingly) asked with about five weeks left in the season if he was ready to go. He should be ready to go for OTAs (in May) or even the offseason program (in April).”
2. Former New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Shula arrived at the Broncos’ facility Thursday morning to interview for the opening at quarterbacks coach, according to a source. Shula, who has college head-coaching (Alabama) and NFL play-calling (Carolina) experience, worked with new Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur the last two years. Shula may be the only candidate interviewed.
3. Hiring Shula, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, would make sense because of his familiarity with Shurmur’s system and philosophy, which will aid him in coaching Drew Lock as well as the teaching up the returning assistants. Shula’s largest NFL success came with Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
4. This has been a month of changes among salary cap managers/chief negotiators in the NFL, the latest being Broncos director of football administration Mike Sullivan, whose contract was not renewed. Eric Schaffer, formerly of Washington, is well-respected by teams and agents, but he may have more options if he waits until after the draft.
5. Was the Broncos’ decision on Sullivan surprising less than two months before free agency? “My guess is that they’ll be OK — it’s just a little more work for Elway and his team for the time being,” an agent said.
6. When Minnesota hired Gary Kubiak as an offensive advisor last January, my thinking was Kubiak would be valuable in assisting first-time coordinator Kevin Stefanski and also be on-hand to replace him if he got a head-coaching job. Stefanski was hired as head coach by Cleveland this month. Kubiak was reportedly hired as coordinator by coach Mike Zimmer on Thursday.
7. An interesting report by NFL Network: Instead of 60 interviews lasting 15 minutes with Scouting Combine prospects, teams will now have 45 interviews lasting 18 minutes to accommodate the on-field drills moving to prime time. Will teams bypass some players at the Combine knowing they will host up to 30 of them at their facility? Possibly.
8. South Carolina State offensive tackle Alex Taylor is a giant. During Senior Bowl Media Day on Tuesday, I thought Taylor was standing on a riser doing an interview. He wasn’t. Taylor is listed at 6 feet, 8 1/2 inches (tallest in the game) and has an 88-inch wing-span (widest).
9. Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy on Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert: “He’s a really exciting player because his best football is out front of him. He’s got size (6foot-6) he’s athletic, he’s got a hose for an arm and he’s got a great mind — I know he’s smarter than me.”
10. Elway on the overall receiver class: “There’s a lot of receivers every year. It’s a good class and it’s a deep class.”