Kromer Arrested for Assault and Battery

Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer was hired to lead a group that include volatile guard Richie Incognito. By the sound of things, it may be Incognito that’s influencing Kromer instead.

Kromer was arrested for assault and battery on Sunday morning for allegedly punching a minor. The incident stemmed from a dispute at Inlet Beach in Florida pitting Kromer and his son against his neighbor’s son, a minor.

According to the police report, Kromer was upset at three boys for their use of beach chairs left by beach access. He was so upset, apparently, that he grabbed one boy’s fishing pole and threw it into the water; pushed one of the boys to the ground and punched him in the face; and threatened to kill the victim’s family if he called the police.

Basically, he turned into the “Rage Monster” from the Dude Perfect videos.

Kromer was arrested at 1:39 a.m. and released from custody on bond at 3:10 a.m., according to jail records.

“We are aware of the report and in the process of gathering the facts,” the Bills said in a statement.

This is not the first time Kromer has been in hot water. Last season in Chicago, he admitted to being the team source who anonymously criticized franchise quarterback Jay Cutler to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. Kromer was eventually forced to give a tearful apology to the entire Bears roster.

And the same rule that applies to offensive linemen applies to offensive line coaches: The more you hear about them, the worse they are performing.

There is much interest in how the league will handle Kromer’s inevitable suspension, especially given the rash of bans that have been doled out or adjusted over the last couple weeks. It is likely Kromer is looking at a minimum of six games. Assistant offensive line coach Kurt Anderson will direct the unit in Kromer’s absence.

Kromer began his coaching career with the Raiders, which seems consistent with someone who would attack a group of minors on the beach. His other claim to fame was serving as the interim head coach of the Saints for six games during the 2012 season while New Orleans was dealing with the fallout from the “Bounty Gate” bans. The Saints started the season 0-4 under Kromer before ultimately failing to make the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Houston Anticipates the Heat

Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston would have every right to be focused on his contract right now. Tagged as Kansas City’s franchise player back in March, he has until Wednesday to sign a long-term extension with the team or be forced to play on a one-year, $13.195 million deal. But instead, he is focused on how dominant his team’s pass rush can be.

Houston, who was one sack away from breaking the single-season record in 2014, believes he and teammate Tamba Hali will be the league’s best pass-rushing duo in 2015. Hali renegotiated his contract earlier this offseason to ensure he returns as Houston’s sidekick for at least one more season.

“I’d say so. I think everybody should think the same way,” Houston told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer’s Hayes Rule at a charity event. “I think you should think that as an NFL player, think you’re the best and believe you’re the best. I really do think we are.”

The Chiefs finished with the league’s No. 2 pass defense last season. They also ranked in the top-five in sacks (46), led by Houston’s 22. Team officials hope Houston will be around to anchor that pass rush for years to come, although there is not much optimism in Kansas City that Houston will agree to a long-term deal by Wednesday’s deadline.

Coach Andy Reid said last month he is hopeful Houston will not sit out training camp if a long-term deal is not reached.

“(Both sides) are continuing to talk, and whether he’s here or not, that just depends on how things go. So we’ll continue to move on and hope that he is here at the beginning of camp,” Reid said at the time, according to the Kansas City Star.

Reid is also hopeful his dynamic pass-rushing duo will become a fearsome threesome. Dee Ford, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, played just 122 snaps as a rookie. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton has indicated he would like to expand Ford’s role going forward.

Hyping Up Hill

Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has turned into the team’s hype man this offseason. His effusive praise has been focused mostly on his quarterbacks, Andy Dalton and A.J. McCarron, but this week he turned his attention to RB Jeremy Hill.

The 2014 second-round pick from LSU was dominant over the second half of last season, when he led the league in rushing yards and yards per carry. He finished with 1,124 rushing yards despite topping the 40-yard mark just once before November. Hill exploded after supplanting Giovani Bernard in the starting lineup in Week 9, running for more than 145 yards in wins over the Jaguars, Saints, Browns and Broncos.

Now, Jackson is imploring Hill to embrace the hype he built up during that dominant debut season.

“We can’t run from it because they’re going to say it,” Jackson told ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey. “Now you’ve got to go live up to it. There should be no pressure in that. All it is to go out and work. To me, if a guy wants to be great, he’s got to relish that. He’s got to want that and then go exceed it.

“That would be my challenge to (Hill). I expect him to exceed whatever the expectation is about him.”

The Bengals plan to lean heavily on their running game now that Hill and Bernard are both healthy (it was a hip injury to Bernard that opened the door for Hill in the first place). Bernard figures to play mostly on third downs and in two-minute situations, given his pass-catching skills and evasiveness in space.

But it is Hill who will be under the spotlight with his forceful running style that has some comparing him to former Bengals great Corey Dillon.

“People bring it up to me every now and then but I try not to get distracted with it,” Hill said, “because I know it can be taken away at any moment. I know, if you throw a couple of bad performances in there, it’ll all get thrown out the window. So you really can’t get caught up in all that. You’ve just got to come in here every day and do your job — and it’s a cliché, maybe — but you’ve really got to do it. It’s a cliché for a reason.”

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