NFL hands Simpson six-game suspension
Receiver accepts punishment for off-field incident, calls it ‘ fair’
SANTA CLARA — Jerome Simpson waited a year to get back on an NFL field, and even though his official return will be delayed by a six-game suspension, he called Tuesday’s punishment “fair” and thanked the 49ers for supporting him.
Simpson was released by the Minnesota Vikings last September after news broke of a traffic stop earlier that summer which led to a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy. It is the third suspension in four years for the speedy, yet embattled, wide receiver.
“I’m just really blessed to be with this organization and the people that stand behind me, the people that believe in Jerome Simpson,” Simpson said after practice Tuesday. “I can turn it around and be a success story and just prove people wrong.”
Since signing a two-year deal in March, Simpson has emerged as the probable
No. 3 wide receiver, behind starters Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith. The 49ers now must fill that role with someone else — as they say they anticipated — and leading candidates are Bruce Ellington, Quinton Patton and undrafted rookie DeAndrew White.
“The probability of a suspension was known when we signed Jerome,” general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. “Since joining the 49ers, Jerome has proven to be a great teammate. … We are in full support of the NFL’s decision and look forward to Jerome’s future contributions to our organization.”
Asked if he thought he’d get another opportunity to play in the NFL, Simpson replied: “Truthfully, no I didn’t. I didn’t. But the coaches here and ownership, they believed in me.”
Neither Simpson nor Tomsula would confirm whether his suspension got reduced from 10 games, as ESPN reported. Simpson is eligible to return Oct. 19, three days before the 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks.
“Yeah, it’s fair,” Simpson said of the six-game penalty. “The choices you make, you’ve got to deal with the consequences. I’m just going to keep working hard.
“I looked at the schedule, and it’s a good game to come back, the Seahawks game.”
Tomsula defended the 49ers decision to sign Simpson, echoing Baalke’s earlier statement that the 49ers expected a multiplegame suspension in the wake of the 2014 incident.
“We went through the research. He’s a talented football player,” Tomsula said. “We deal with everything individually. I personally feel the guy is on the right track. He understands exactly where we are, and we’re moving forward.”
“He also understands there is no margin for error,” Tomsula said. “I do believe in Jerome. I think this is going to be a success story.”
Simpson earlier missed a couple days of training camp to plead his case with NFL officials, though that did not include commissioner Roger Goodell. “You never really get to talk to Goodell,” Simpson said. “I talked to I think it was (appeals officer Harold) Henderson.”
Simpson had two catches for 31 yards in Saturday’s exhibition opener at Houston, including a 25yard reception. He won’t count against the 53-man roster until his suspension ends Oct. 19, a day after the 49ers host the Baltimore Ravens. He still can practice and play through the final exhibition, Sept. 3 against San Diego.
Monday’s suspension is another blow to a roster that’s undergone major changes in the past year, and that includes the departures of three wide receivers: Michael Crabtree, Stevie Johnson and Brandon Lloyd.
Colin Kaepernick has shown a strong rapport on the field with Simpson, whose speed the quarterback compared to Smith’s.
“I have a good relationship with Jerome,” Kaepernick said, “as far as knowing how he’s going to run routes, the speed he’s going to run them with and ultimately being able to get the ball into his hands.”
Simpson, 29, is no stranger to the NFL’s discipline department. He got suspended the first three games last season, stemming from a November 2013 arrest in which he pleaded guilty to careless driving and a third-degree driving- while- intoxicated charge.
Simpson started the 2012 season on a threegame suspension, as a result of a drug-related arrest in September 2011 when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals. He got released last Sept. 18 by the Minnesota Vikings, once news broke of a July 7 arrest for marijuana possession and other charges.
The 49ers signed Simpson in March to a two-year, $1.7 million contract, albeit with no guaranteed money and a $745,000 salary this season, according to spotrac.com.
Tank Carradine got n into a sideline confrontation at practice with one of his fellow defensive linemen, believed to be Mike Purcell, and Carradine had to be restrained by teammate Nick Moody. Carradine didn’t leave practice and participated in a few more drills before the session ended 45 minutes later. Among those who talked to him one-onone after the incident were Tomsula, Baalke and tight end Vernon Davis.
nDefensive tackle Glenn Dorsey did not practice because of an undisclosed muscle strain. A team spokesman did not believe it was related to Dorsey’s torn biceps from last training camp.
The 49ers’ surplus of n tight ends decreased by one when Asante Cleveland got traded to the New England Patriots in return for offensive lineman Jordan Devy.
All I know is, if a maverick coach (hello, Chip Kelly!) decides to game plan those two-point attempts like crazy and elicits positive results that lead to a one-point or two-point victory, you can look for other teams to jump on the deuce-seeking bandwagon.
Last season, kicks from the previous extra-point distance were converted at a 99.3 percent rate. Meanwhile, field goal attempts from between 30 and 35 yards were good 95.3 percent of the time.
Doesn’t sound like much difference. But consider that around 1,200 touchdowns scored every NFL season. So you’re talking about as roughly 50 more missed extra-point kicks than a year ago. It will be hardly automatic.
In fact, the people who spend way too much time crunching numbers have already issued a decree: If a coach believes his offense can score from the 2-yard line more than 47 percent of the time, he should never kick.
Mangini has already been pondering how to stop offenses that might be twopoint trendy. The situation definitely creates more work for defensive coaches.
“You’re sitting back,” Mangini said, “and you’re wondering, ‘OK, how many guys are going to go for two every time?’ In the past, you had a two-point package that may have been one or two plays. But now, if you get into a team that’s consistently going to go for a twopoint play, those plays are usually very specific for that situation. They’re usually not vanilla.”
So we could see a lot of gimmick or gadget plays? Sounds like fun to me. Above and beyond the math, there are several other reasons that certain coaches could become twopoint enthusiasts.
Teams with strong and skilled running quarterbacks might be eager to attempt the two-point conversion more frequently. (Colin Kaepernick just said, “Hmmmmmmmm.”)
Also, coaches might be more inclined to pass up the 33-yard one-point kick on sloppy fields in bad weather or in stadiums with questionable turf (the grass at Levi’s Stadium just said, “Hmmmmmmm.”)
Mangini also believes that the two-point decision could be big in a “momentum” type situation, with a team mounting a comeback or seeking an adrenaline boost in front of a home crowd. A defensive unit must be on its toes when a touchdown is scored against it, guard against an emotional letdown and line back up alertly.
“Then there are going to be adjustments,” Mangini said. “Do you want to pressure a two-point attempt?