Free agent to be: Rocky McIntosh

Position: Linebacker

Age: 31

Years in the league: 8

What he made last season: $555,000 (cap value); $840,000 (cash value and base salary).

What he did last season: McIntosh had the least productive season of his career, but that also came because he saw far fewer snaps than any other time in the past five seasons. McIntosh had only 38 defensive snaps as the team’s fourth linebacker. He had six defensive tackles, but had a knack for making plays in goal-line or fourth-down situations. He was also a key special-teams piece, making nine special-teams tackles. Of those nine tackles, seven came in two games -- Week 3 against his former team, Washington, and Week 4 against Chicago.

His potential market value: Someone will end up signing him. McIntosh said during the season he hopes to continue playing and although he barely played for the Lions, there is likely another team out there that will give him a shot to at least get into camp and try to earn a spot on their roster. At the very least, he could be a good special-teams player for one of the NFL’s other 31 teams.

Will he fit the Lions still: No. General manager Martin Mayhew said Friday the team informed Rocky McIntosh he would not be returning to the team in 2014. Now sometimes situations change and there is always the possibility if McIntosh is out there and the team has needs later on, they'd revisit it. But right now, McIntosh’s time with Detroit has come to an end after one season with the club.

What happens: McIntosh plays somewhere in 2014, although it might be in a very limited role. He is still a smart, instinctual player who can be a good mentor on a team with a lot of young, talented linebackers. The value of McIntosh to teams would likely be more in a mentoring role than anything else, as both his snaps and production have decreased ever since 2010, when he played a career-high 888 snaps and made a career-high 110 tackles. But barring the unforeseen to many, including Mayhew, McIntosh won’t be with the Lions.


(espn.com)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Embattled Detroit Lions kicker David Akers is among five veterans who were informed by general manager Martin Mayhew they will not return next season.

Safety John Wendling, defensive end Israel Idonije, offensive lineman Dylan Gandy and linebacker Rocky McIntosh also are out.

Mayhew would not discuss the future of players he has not yet personally talked to. That includes cornerback Rashean Mathis, who is set to become a free agent next month after starting most of his one season with the team.

Akers is the most notable player of those who will not return. He signed with the Lions last offseason, but fell out of favor after struggling with his accuracy.
He was 19-of-24 on the season, good for a 79.2 percent hit rate that was his second-worst mark since 2007.

Mayhew said he expects kickers John Potter and Giorgio Tavecchio to compete for the job after signing futures deals this offseason, though the club could pursue veterans in free agency.

Wendling spent the past four seasons with Detroit as a special teams ace, and was a captain the past two years.

"He's a heck of a guy," Mayhew said Friday morning in Indianapolis during a breakfast session with local reporters. "Spoke to him and told him I appreciated his efforts the past few years. I certainly wish him the best."

Idonije, Gandy, and McIntosh spent one season with Detroit as reserves.


(mlive.com)maimai

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Rocky McIntosh doesn't see many plays on defense. The fourth linebacker on a team that predominantly plays nickel defense, the veteran from Miami, Fla., gets into the game in very specific scenarios.

But over the past three games, when he's been in, he's made the play.

He played three snaps against Dallas and made one tackle, had one snap -- and one tackle -- against Chicago and seven snaps and two tackles against Pittsburgh. That's a pretty high rate of tackle-to-snap.

"I've played a while, so nothing really comes as a surprise," McIntosh said. "So just go out there and do what you've got to do.

"I just think with experience comes a reaction when you're out there playing and just go out there and make plays. You can narrow down what they are going to run, you're able to see what is going to happen and recognize the personnel that's in the game."

Here's where the clutch factor comes in. He made a key third down stop against Pittsburgh in the third quarter last Sunday, stopping Le'Veon Bell for a 2-yard loss.

Against Chicago, he stopped running back Michael Bush on 4th-and-1 for no gain, resulting in a turnover.

So how did he manage that?

"Just being around, studying," McIntosh said. "Just playing the game. Playing the game within the game."

All of this in a season where McIntosh has played far less than he has in any other year. He signed with the Lions this preseason to provide depth at linebacker and has played 19 total defensive snaps. His previous career-low in snaps is 431 last year for St. Louis.


(espn.com)

Allen Park — One play is all it takes to make an impression.

In each of the past six seasons, Lions linebacker Rocky McIntosh started at least eight NFL games, first with the Redskins, then the Rams last season. With the Lions, though, McIntosh is lucky to play one defensive snap as a fourth linebacker, but that hasn’t stopped him from making critical plays.

“Whatever they tell me to do, you’ve got to do it,” McIntosh said. “It’s a job.”

Against the Bears last week, McIntosh played two defensive snaps. One was in the second quarter on fourth-and-1 with Chicago at the Lions 27, and McIntosh stuffed Bears running back Michael Bush for no gain to give the ball back to the offense.

McIntosh also covered Bears running back Matt Forte on Chicago’s first 2-point try at the end of the game, though the Bears had a second opportunity after a roughing-the-passer penalty on Willie Young.

“All he does is make plays,” second-year linebacker Tahir Whitehead said.

In a Week 8 win over the Cowboys, McIntosh played three defensive snaps. Late in the fourth quarter, Dallas running back Phillip Tanner carried on third-and-14, and McIntosh made the tackle. A holding penalty against the Cowboys left the Lions enough time to march for Matthew Stafford’s winning quarterback sneak, but if McIntosh didn’t make the tackle, the Lions couldn’t have declined the penalty and would’ve lost another 40 seconds.

“He’s been a starter in the past. That’s not his role right now, but he prepares every week that way,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. “I think that’s the key for any player is he can control his preparation and his attitude. Both have been outstanding.

“He’s done a really good job on special teams for us also. He was a good acquisition for us.”

In addition to his occasional role on defense, McIntosh is a key contributor on special teams, adding four tackles against Washington in Week 3 and three tackles against the Bears in Week 4.

McIntosh, who signed with the Lions at the end of training camp, understands his role, but he still prepares as he did when he used to be a starter. And when Sundays come, he’s ready for whatever role the coaches give him.

“You’ve just got to stay in tune,” he said. “It’s one day a week where you’ve got to give your full concentration, full focus, and that’s the way I take it.”

Even though he’s a backup, McIntosh said he doesn’t mind his role. The coaches think Stephen Tulloch, DeAndre Levy and Ashlee Palmer are the top three linebackers, and McIntosh said he agrees the coaches should go with the guys who give the Lions the best chance to win. For now, McIntosh simply adds a four-linebacker look for likely running situations, of which there could be many Sunday in Pittsburgh with rookie running back Le’Veon Bell.

The other linebackers have played well in their roles this season, so when McIntosh does enter on defense, he wants to hold up his end.

“I just feed off the rest of the guys,” he said. “That’s what they go out and do every play, and I don’t want to be left behind.”


(detroitnews.com)

DETROIT – Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten didn’t have a memorable afternoon Sunday at Detroit. And it didn’t end well, either.

Detroit Lions linebacker Rocky McIntosh taunted Witten as both teams were walking into their locker rooms, which were only a few feet away from each other.

McIntosh turned toward Witten and yelled, “It’s OK, Jason.” Witten just ignored him and kept walking. McIntosh has played against Witten often in his career since he spent the first six seasons of his career with the Washington Redskins.

Witten had only two catches for 15 yards against the Lions. Quarterback Tony Romo targeted him only twice, marking the least amount of targets Witten has had in a game since two against the New York Giants on Nov. 14, 2010.

Late in the game, Witten was the one doing the yelling. He directed it toward Dez Bryant on the sideline in an effort to try to calm down the receiver.


(dallasnews.com)

Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz was clamoring for a penalty when Jon Bostic hit Kris Durham in the back after Durham recovered an onside kick to clinch the Lions’ 40-32 win over the Chicago Bears last week.

Officials never threw a flag on the play, and on Friday the NFL confirmed it did not fine Bostic for that hit or Bears safety Major Wright for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Calvin Johnson that offended some Lions.

“We talk a lot about player safety and things like that and he’s laying prone on the ground, is giving himself up and takes a helmet right to the back and we don’t any call there,” Schwartz said Sunday of Bostic’s hit on Durham. “It’s a little hypocritical to talk about player safety when we allow that to not get called. But Kris toughed it out and he had to hold onto that ball and he did.”

Lions linebacker Rocky McIntosh was fined $15,750 for his horse-collar tackle on Devin Hester on a second-quarter punt return.

McIntosh was previously fined $7,875 for a personal foul in the preseason.


(freep.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Veteran linebacker Rocky McIntosh has seen it all before. 

One day after surviving final cuts to make the Detroit Lions' 53-man roster, McIntosh was released when the team claimed safety DeJon Gomes off waivers. 

McIntosh didn't panic, implying the team let him know they'd bring him back once running back Montell Owens could officially be place on injured reserve. 
"They had to move some guys around, but pretty much I knew I was going to be here," McIntosh said. 

Week 1 is a critical date for vested veterans near the bottom of the roster. If players with four or more years of accrued service time are on the roster for the first game of the season, their salary become fully guaranteed. 

With seven years of experience, the veteran's minimum is $840,000 for McIntosh.

In Detroit, McIntosh figures to have a prominent role on special teams. He played 24 snaps with those units in the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills. 

"They definitely wanted to see what I can do," he said. "I was only here a couple weeks and still had the system down, but nothing beats hard work and going out there and showing what you can do."


(mlive.com)

Linebacker Rocky McIntosh was one of the players who made his team’s initial 53-man roster only to get axed the next day to make room for a waiver claim, but McIntosh wasn’t out of work for long.

He also didn’t have to go far to find work. McIntosh re-signed with the Lions on Wednesday after the team placed running back Montell Owens on injured reserve with the designation to return. Owens will miss at least six weeks of practice and eight weeks of games before he can be activated.

Owens injured his knee in the team’s third preseason game and his loss will be a blow to Detroit’s special teams. Owens made two Pro Bowls as a special teamer while with Jacksonville, who released him in May.

McIntosh signed with the Lions in the middle of August and gives them experienced depth for both the defense and special teams. McIntosh had 44 tackles and a sack for the Rams in 2012, who he joined after six years with the Redskins.


(profootballtalk.com)

NFL teams are cutting their rosters down to the final 53 but also adding to their rosters.

OL Tyler Horn was released by the Texans.

TE Chase Ford who was cut by the Minnesota Vikings was SIGNED to the Vikings practice squad. WR Tommy Streeter who was cut by the Ravens has been signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad. DL Marcus Forston was signed to the Patriots practice squad. DE Adewale Ojomo who was previously cut by the NY Giants was signed to the Giants’ practice squad.

LB Rocky McIntosh was released by the Lions. LB/DE Baraka Atkins was cut by the New Orleans Saints. DB DeMarcus Van Dyke who was cut by the Steelers and then placed on IR, was waived off of IR with a Settlement. TE Richard Gordon was cut by the Raiders. DL Antonio Dixon was cut by the Eagles. DL Micanor Regis was cut by the Falcons.

Previously, after the third NFL Pre Season game, four proCanes were cut. Ravens WR and RB Tommy Streeter and Damien Berry were waived respectively. Eagles Safety Kenny Phillips was waived. Raiders DB Cory Nelms was also waived.

After a preseason performance that had coach Jim Schwartz seething, the Lions are calling in reinforcements.

The Lions have signed linebacker Rocky McIntosh to a one-year deal, a league source told PFT.

McIntosh worked out with the Lions last month but didn’t sign at the time. Perhaps the preseason performance against the Browns made Detroit decide it was time to bring in someone who could bolster the defense.

The 30-year-old McIntosh played in all 16 games for the Rams last year, starting nine. Prior to last year he spent six seasons in Washington.


(profootballtalk.com)