Around the League

By Rod Walker | The Advocate

Tommylee Lewis, the Saints' receiver involved in the controversial play in the NFC championship game, has signed with the Detroit Lions.

The Lions announced the signing Tuesday.

Lewis spent three seasons with the Saints, playing both receiver and on special teams.

He caught 20 passes for 252 yards and a pair of touchdowns in New Orleans. He also averaged 9.3 yards on punt returns and 22 yards on kickoff returns.

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By Staff Report | The Advocate

The New Orleans Saints are reportedly in the mix to land pass-rusher Robert Quinn, who is a member of the Dolphins but could be traded out of Miami.

According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, Quinn is being hosted by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday.

Quinn played eight seasons with the St. Louis and then Los Angeles Rams, making two Pro Bowls in 2013 and 2014, before one season with the Dolphins.

In 2018, he finished with 6.5 sacks.

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By ARNIE STAPLETON | AP

DENVER (AP) — In no sport but the NFL do players, fans, coaches and general managers annually debate the rules of the game, advocating ways to make pro football better, safer, fairer.

Officiating is especially a hot topic around the league after a blown call late in the NFC championship game pretty much cost the New Orleans Saints a trip to the Super Bowl.

That capped a season which began with the long-awaited clarification of what constitutes a catch and then was marred by widespread confusion over what exactly is a legal takedown of the quarterback. While defenders learned new ways to tackle to avoid flags for even glancing blows to the helmet, they complained about O-linemen illegally blocking too far downfield in the run-pass option craze that has successfully seeped in from the college game.

Giants owner John Mara hears the cries to change the NFL’s replay review system after officials failed to flag the blatant pass interference penalty and a helmet-first hit by the Rams’ Nickell Robey-Coleman deep in Los Angeles territory in the NFC championship match. The non-calls helped Los Angeles force overtime and eventually win the game to reach the Super Bowl, leading to widespread displeasure with the current system regarding coaches’ challenges.

Mara said last month at the NFL combine that the...

By Justis Mosqueda | Bleacher Report

On Saturday, we broke down one move each NFL team made that gives room for optimism. Today, the other shoe drops.

We will go team-by-team, taking you through some of most questionable moves franchises have made this offseason. In two or three years, we may be able to pinpoint a drop-off in record or a coach's tenure based on these risky decisions.

Some players got overpaid this offseason. Others should still be in their old uniforms. Some teams clearly "lost" a trade. Others did not prioritize a championship window.

Every franchise started the offseason in a different place, but contextualizing where teams stood before the new league year and where they are now allows us to second-guess some of their decisions.

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By Herbie Teope - Around the NFL Writer | NFL.com

Running back Mark Ingram arrives in Baltimore with two 1,000-yard rushing campaigns on his eight-year career while with the New Orleans Saints.

The powerfully built 5-foot-9, 215-pound rusher entertained returning to New Orleans and reportedly drew interest from the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers before electing to sign with the Ravens.

So, why decide on Baltimore? Turns out Ingram was thoroughly "a thousand percent" attracted to playing with quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' run-heavy offense.

"That was very interesting and something that really caught my attention," Ingram told reporters during Friday's introductory news conference. "To have the opportunity to be in an offense that runs the ball and have Lamar with his run-pass option...

By James Brown, Alvin Patrick | CBS News

NFL players Michael Thomas, Austin Carr and Ryan Hunter are used to running, blocking or catching for a living. But for the last couple of weeks, they have been running around the halls of Congress, tackling the big issues facing the country.

"I've been fortunate to sit in on meetings with foreign policy administrators from the Middle East, whether it be constituents from the state of Missouri and the city of Kansas City, St. Louis," said Hunter, an offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs. He's interning for freshman Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri.

"This is fun because we're both new together. So Ryan's new, I'm new. We're kind of learning the ropes together," said Hawley, a Republican. "I think it's phenomenal that NFL players like Ryan, who are very busy guys and have a career that they're pursuing, want to be involved in their communities, want to be involved in service."

Full Story -- CBS News

By Cindy Boren | Washington Post

For Miami, Ryan Tannehill is out, Ryan Fitzpatrick is in.

Fitzpatrick, the man behind Fitzmagic last season in Tampa Bay, has reached agreement with the Dolphins, who last week traded Tannehill to the Tennessee Titans after seven seasons. The Dolphins met with Teddy Bridgewater last week, but he chose to re-sign with the New Orleans Saints. According to ESPN, Fitzpatrick agreed to a two-year deal.

With Jameis Winston suspended three games at the start of the 2018 season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, Fitzpatrick was the starter and passed for eight touchdowns in winning the first two games. He then threw three touchdown passes — and...

By Jennifer Armstrong - NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

It’s been an emotional week for former New Orleans Saint Mark Ingram.

The 29-year-old running back, whose eight-year run in New Orleans ended this week when he signed a three-year, $15 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens, bid farewell to the “best fans ever” in a social media post Friday (March 15) that had to be posted on Instagram because it was too long for Twitter.

Ingram thanked everyone in the organization from owner Gayle Benson and her late husband, Tom, general manager Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton to the team nutritionist, ticket office staff and media members who covered his career.

He saved his most effusive praise for his former teammates.

Full Story - NOLA.com

By Jennifer Armstrong - NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Former New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram spoke at his introductory press conference with his new team, the Baltimore Ravens, on Friday (March 15).

Seated alongside new Ravens safety Earl Thomas and flanked by coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta, Ingram was asked about his reputation as being “legendary in the locker room.”

“I don’t try to do anything special or be anything I’m not ... I just try to treat people the way I want to be treated and love on my brothers, man,” said Ingram, a 2011 first-round NFL draft pick by New Orleans and Heisman Trophy winner. “When you have a locker room that loves each other and cares about each other genuinely, you perform better, just from my experience.”

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