New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was in the fourth or fifth day Wednesday fighting a flu bug that first infected his children and had waylaid his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
“I’ll be good. I’m not worried about it at all,” Brady said before the Patriots’ first practice in preparation for the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Brady’s illness is not a serious concern and is not impacting preparation for the Super Bowl.
—The NFL team investigating why 11 of 12 footballs used by the Patriots in their AFC Championship Game win were underinflated has asked the physics department at Columbia University for help, according to The New York Times.
Ted Wells, who along with NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash is leading the investigation, made the call to the school’s physics department Monday.
New England coach Bill Belichick said last Saturday that weather conditions may have affected the air pressure. Heavy rain and strong wind were in Foxborough the night of the game, and temperatures were in the low 50s and high 40s.
—The Washington Redskins named Matt Cavanaugh as quarterbacks coach.
Cavanaugh joins the Redskins with 22 seasons of coaching experience across the professional and collegiate levels. The 2015 season will mark the 32nd NFL season of Cavanaugh’s career, including 14 combined seasons as a quarterback for the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants from 1978-91 and 17 seasons as an NFL coach.
Cavanaugh served as quarterbacks coach of the Chicago Bears in 2013-14. Prior to joining the Bears, Cavanaugh spent 2009-12 coaching quarterbacks for the New York Jets, helping the team to two AFC Championship Game appearances.
—San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomsula reportedly has reached into his NFL Europe past for his quarterbacks coach.
Steve Logan, Tomsula’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2006 with the Rhein Fire, reached a two-year deal with the 49ers on Wednesday, according to WRAL-TV in Raleigh, N.C.
Logan, 61, had been out of football since 2011, working in radio and TV, including for WRAL.
Logan spent 11 years (1992-2002) as the coach at East Carolina, where he was 69-58 and coached future NFL quarterbacks Jeff Blake and David Garrard.
—The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly hired a quarterbacks coach and running backs coach.
Nathaniel Hackett, who was the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons under Doug Marrone, will rejoin Marrone in Jacksonville as coach Gus Bradley’s QB coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
Former Oakland Raiders assistant Kelly Skipper will be running backs coach under new Jaguars offensive coordinator Greg Olson, the Florida Times-Union reported.
—The Baltimore Ravens filled out the rest of John Harbaugh’s coaching staff, including Chris Hewitt as defensive backs coach, Matt Weiss as cornerbacks coach and Drew Wilkins as a defensive assistant.
The Ravens also promoted Richard Angulo to tight ends coach and Mike Macdonald to defensive assistant, and they hired Andy Bischoff as offensive quality control.
—The Cleveland Browns will hire former Florida assistant Joker Phillips to coach wide receivers and are considering former NFL backup quarterback Kevin O’Connell for their open quarterbacks coach position, according to reports by ESPN.
O’Connell, a third-round pick of New England in 2008, was meeting with Cleveland on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter.
O’Connell, 29, recently has been a quarterbacks tutor, and the Browns likely are interested in him because he worked with Browns rookie Johnny Manziel before the 2014 draft.
Phillips comes to Cleveland, per Adam Caplan, after two years as Florida’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. Before that, he was head coach at Kentucky for three years.
— Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has declined the chance to be the defensive coordinator for new Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio.
The Raiders offered Grantham the position under a two-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Wednesday. Shortly later, various media outlets reported that Grantham will remain on Bobby Petrino’s staff at Louisville.
Grantham, a longtime defensive assistant in the NFL, spent the 2014 season as Petrino’s coordinator, overseeing the nation’s No. 6 defense.
—The Indianapolis Colts and Canadian Football League wide receiver Duron Carter, son of Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter, have agreed on a contract for the 2015 season, CBSSports.com reported.
Carter totaled 1,939 receiving yards for the Montreal Alouettes in two seasons after opting to play in the CFL when he went undrafted in 2013. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound receiver had 75 catches for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
Carter, 23, wasn’t eligible to sign with an NFL team until Feb. 10, but the Indianapolis Star reported that the receiver has an agreement with the Alouettes that he will be released from his contract immediately if he signs an NFL contract.
