National Football League News and Rumors
Texans embrace the role of underdog that they earned with their subpar playMike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Texans enter the divisional round of the playoffs as decided underdogs to the Patriots. And the Texans embrace that role. Which is a good thing, because they’ve earned that role. “Yeah, I love being the underdog. It’s my claim to fame,” defe… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The girlfriend of former (eventually) Steelers running back Chris Rainey says that Rainey didn’t assault her, and that the charges against him should be dropped. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Rainey’s lawyer read an email from the woman … |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com It took a bit longer than five minutes for him to find a new job, but not too much longer in the grand scheme of things. Three days after he was fired by the Dallas Cowboys, longtime NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan may have been hired by the St. Loui… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As the Jets prepare to hire a successor to Tony Sparano as offensive coordinator, the list of candidates stands at three. Per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, they are former Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, Bengals assistant Hue J… |
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Joe Namath, yahoo.com As he did last year, NFL Hall of Famer and New York Jets legend Joe Namath will join Yahoo! Sports and the Shutdown Corner Blog for commentary and analysis. Make sure you like the Official Joe Namath page on Facebook. And with playoff news always breaki… |
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What do Aldon Smith (above), Michael Oher and Arian Foster have in common? Peter King says all three players will be under big pressure as their teams try to survive the divisional round. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With the universe of cities that could host the Super Bowl expanding to include cold-weather locations and brand-new venues, the NFL has the ability to drive an increasingly hard bargain when it comes to awarding the game. And the folks in Santa Clara c… |
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Ashley Fox, ESPN.com Franchise aims to forget its star-crossed past with a run to the Super Bowl |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The Eagles are scheduled to meet with Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden on Monday, continuing their slow search to replace Andy Reid. |
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Dom Cosentino, deadspin.com Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. NFL playoffs and all sorts of stuff on tap. The weekend gang will be here to keep you on top of any good nonsense. Come on by. More » |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Shuffling position coaches is a rite of January, with many of the guys coming and going never registering with the general public. But the guy the Titans fired Friday, special teams coach Alan Lowry, drew up one of the most famous plays in NFL playoff h… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Throughout the regular season, there was a regular Friday post wrapping up the final injury reports of the week. Frequent readers of that post will know that you could set your clock to the Patriots listing some large portion of their roster as question… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Days after the Falcons lost director of player personnel David Caldwell to the Jaguars, they’ve promoted from within to replace him. The Falcons announced that Lionel Vital, formerly the associate director of player personnel, has been moved up a notch … |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Andy Reid is wasting about as much time putting together his first coaching staff in Kansas City as he did in finding his new job. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com When new general managers take over in January or February, they usually hang onto the existing scouting staff to get them through the draft in April. But after that, old guys are usually fair game. Still, the Rams diverted from the normal post-draft ho… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com When the Jaguars fired Jack Del Rio as their head coach during the 2011 season, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker stepped in as the team’s interim coach. Fast forward a year and the Jaguars are in search of a head coach again with Tucker set for a shot a… |
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Mike Rodak, ESPN.com The New England Patriots made a massive overhaul to their injury report on Friday, removing 15 players who had been listed as limited in Thursday's session. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Earlier today, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith made it known that, if the NFL were handling the HGH testing issue like Major League Baseball, the NFL would have implemented HGH testing before MLB. The NFL disagrees. “This is a continuation of t… |
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NBC Sports, yahoo.com Everyone has pegged Tim Tebow going to the Jacksonville Jaguars as a "virtual certainty" based on ESPN's report, but new GM Dave Caldwell has gone on the record to say he can't envision a scenario where the QB is a member of his team. If Jacks… |
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NBC Sports, yahoo.com Not much sizzle to the name Rob Chudzinski? Mike Florio says once Chudzinski starts winning in Cleveland, he'll get all the sizzle he deserves. With new decision-makers in place, the Browns have found a coach they can trust over the long haul in Chudzin… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com It’s just about time for the talking to stop and the games to start. Before the talking totally wraps up, though, we’ve got Friday’s edition of Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network coming to bring you everything you need to know for the Divisiona… |
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Jay Busbee, yahoo.com Playing in freezing weather is bad enough for any football player, but when you've spent your entire 13-year career playing half your games in a dome, well ... it's a bit of an adjustment. And Peyton Manning is a bit late in his career for adjustments, … |
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Sunday divisional playoffs preview: Tom Brady will lead potent Patriots offense to AFC title gameJan 11
Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com Houston Texans at New England Patriots Sunday, January 13, 2013 Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass. The Houston Texans have the most wins in franchise history, won a second consecutive AFC South title and, after last week's 19-13 win over the Cincinnati Be… |
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David Brown, yahoo.com Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is widely credited with sparking the San Francisco 49ers in the second half of the NFL season. He's already achieved pre-folk hero status on Candlestick Point. He's also definitely considered a reason the Niners might beat t… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Apparently, the creek has not, in fact, risen. The 49ers appear to be as healthy as anyone’s going to be this time of year, and defensive tackle Justin Smith has been given the go-ahead to return to action. According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, S… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl defensive end Justin Smith is listed as probable for Saturday's NFL divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a foot injury, putting his availability for Sunday’s playoff game against the Falcons in doubt. There is now no doubt. Lynch practiced on a limited basis on Friday, and … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com A post-game skirmish has led the NFL to dock the paycheck of Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams. Williams was fined $7,875 for smacking Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman in the face following Sunday’s game, the NFL has confirmed. That’s about … |
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CHICAGO (AP) -- Longtime NFL assistant and current CFL coach Marc Trestman denies a rumor that the Chicago Bears are set to hire him. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The NFLPA would like to see something done about the playing surface at FedEx Field after the sloppy conditions during last weekend’s Wild Card game, but they aren’t going to be filing a formal inquiry into the way the injury suffered by Robert Griffi… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Panthers are already moving on finding a replacement for Rob Chudzinski, who was hired as the new Browns head coach today. According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, the Panthers asked permission to interview Bengals assistant coach Hue Jackson f… |
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Rob Chudzinski called new job as Browns head coach as 'dream come true.' |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Wide receiver Jordy Nelson sat out a couple of days of practice and quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been under the weather, but the Packers are heading to San Francisco with a roster as healthy as they could probably hope for at this point in the season. … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Jets have more candidates for general manager than they have unnamed sources. According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, Seahawks vice president of football administration John Idzik will interview today for the job. Idzik had worked for the Card… |
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Former Jets coach Mike Westhoff said team's handling to Tim Tebow was a 'mess.' |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com As Peyton Manning prepares to quarterback the Broncos in the playoffs a year after he sat out his final season with the Colts following multiple neck surgeries, the coach who guided him through his comeback is calling it a tribute to Manning’s hard work… |
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Reuben Fischer, deadspin.com Elvis Dumervil, Pro Bowl defensive end, has great short-burst speed despite weighing 260 pounds, which is five pounds heavier than the more famous Elvis at the time of his death. In case you were wondering (and in case you were a Spy reader back in the … |
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Sunday divisional-round preview: Falcons’ receivers vs. Seahawks’ DBs not your ordinary match-upJan 11
Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons Sunday, January 13, 2013, 1:00 p.m. ET Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. There are many interesting match-ups to track when the Seattle Seahawks take the Georgia Dome turf against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, but the key b… |
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Judy Battista, nytimes.com Judy Battista, the N.F.L. reporter for The Times, answers questions from readers. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As the Denver Broncos prepare for the first playoff game of the Peyton Manning era, only one player is out due to injury. Cornerback Tracy Porter has been scratched due to the lingering effects of a concussion he suffered against the Browns on December … |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com A Missouri court will appoint a lawyer to protect the interests of the 4-month-old daughter of the late Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher as her grandparents argue over custody. |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The Browns have always been a part of Rob Chudzinski's life. Now, he's the man in charge. |
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Ravens put Jah Reid on IRJan 11
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The good news for the Ravens is that they have no injured players listed as less than probable to play on Saturday at Denver. The bad news is that guard Jah Reid has been placed on injured reserve with a toe injury. Reid had started seven straight game… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is the latest candidate to interview for the Chargers’ head-coaching vacancy. Bradley interviewed on Thursday night, NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports. As an assistant on a team that won a wild-card playoff … |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com The NFLPA will not demand a formal investigation of the Washington Redskins' handling of the knee injury suffered by quarterback Robert Griffin III under the sport's collective bargaining agreement. |
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Alabama tailback Eddie Lacy, cornerback Dee Milliner and right tackle D.J. Fluker are entering the NFL draft instead of returning for the Crimson Tide. |
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With the divisional round of the playoffs at hand, the potential Super Bowl matchups are within sight. Don Banks evalauates all the possible pairings and ranks them all. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com We’ve reached Friday, which means we’re just a bit more than 24 hours away from the start of the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The 49ers will be one of the teams playing this weekend and Mike Florio will have Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area on Friday… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Alabama dominated Notre Dame in Monday night’s college football national championship game, and Alabama’s offense was particularly successful going directly at what was supposed to be the strength of Notre Dame’s defense: The Crimson Tide ran for 26… |
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Mark Wahlberg Shouts Out The Falcons While Possibly Being Haunted By A Demon In A Football JerseyJan 11
Tom Ley, deadspin.com D-Block is a video web series that is produced by the Atlanta Falcons linebacking corps and broadcast from the team's locker room. It's wonderful. Earlier this week, D-Block somehow managed to get a shout out from Mark Wahlberg while he was promoting hi… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The big story out of Jaguars General Manager David Caldwell’s introduction to the media was his firm statement that Donald Duck has as much chance of being a member of the Jaguars this season as Tim Tebow. Tebow wasn’t the only quarterback who came up… |
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Opportunity Knocks againJan 11
Three years ago, Ryan Longwell was robbed of the chance to kick the Vikings to the Super Bowl. Now with the Seahawks. Peter King examines if Longwell can rewrite history? |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Other players with the resume of Donald Driver might have made far more of a stink. But the Packers veteran wide receiver has refused to make a spectacle of himself as he’s fallen down the offensive pecking order, and has even volunteered to play specia… |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced the 15 modern-era finalists and two senior nominees who will be voted on by the Hall's Selection Committee for induction as part of the Class of 2013. The committee will conduct its final vote on Saturday, Feb… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Single-season sacks leader Michael Strahan and two players who tried to block him are among 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Bills introduced their new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on Thursday and, as you’d expect, he faced a lot of questions about what kind of offense the team would run with him at the controls. There’s been talk about ratcheting things up i… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Late in the 2012 season, we created an unintended stir in Tampa by reporting that an unnamed Bucs player vented frustration after a 41-0 loss to the Saints by remarking, “Can we send these coaches back to college?“ Coincidentally or not, some of them … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com While we’re not sure whether he has a window or aisle seat, former Bears coach Lovie Smith is apparently on his way to interview with the Chargers. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that Smith is at an O’Hare Airport gate, about to board a plane… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Chris Rainey, the 2012 fifth-round draft pick who was sent packing by the Steelers after he was arrested on Thursday and accused of slapping his girlfriend, had two previously unreported run-ins with the law during his rookie season in Pittsburgh. The P… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Last week, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis parlayed his sudden pledge to retire into a rousing victory in what necessarily was his final home game. This week, Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez could help the Falcons get a little extra lift from a similar situ… |
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Friday morning one-linersJan 11
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Said Bills coach Doug Marrone of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, “I have worked closely with Nathaniel the past three years and the first thing that jumps out at you is his boundless enthusiasm. He has a genuine love and excitement for the game… |
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Toni Monkovic, nytimes.com Tim Tebow may be too popular to play football anymore -- unless he wants to quit playing as a quarterback. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com When Ron Rivera was successfully re-interviewing for his job last weekend, one of the things he doubtless was selling was the promise of continuity after winning five of his last six, and the benefit for quarterback Cam Newton. Now that Panthers offensi… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As Randy Moss embarks on his latest run at the one thing that would make his career complete, he’s not talking much to the media about his seventh career trip to the postseason. He’s talking plenty to his teammates about it. Via Cam Inman of Bay Area … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips did not say anything controversial or disrespectful when asked on Thursday about how Houston will cover Patriots receiver Wes Welker this weekend. But that didn’t stop Phillips’ comments from becoming a story… |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com After the Cleveland Browns named Carolina offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski as their new head coach Wednesday night, the Browns have already begun adding to their new coaching staff. According to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports, the Browns are expected … |
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NY Jets ready to say goodbye to Tim Tebow, but NFL could end up saying goodbye to him for goodJan 11
Tim Tebow is expected to be one-and-done with the Jets, and now that the potential landing spot in his hometown of Jacksonville is officially closed, the NFL may have seen the last of Tebow Mania. Just a little over one year ago, Tebow threw a short pas… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With 3-4 guru Mike Pettine taking over a defense that has been constructed to operate as a 4-3, the big question for the Bills has become whether Mario Williams will for the second time in three seasons be asked to play outside linebacker. The easy answ… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Lovie Smith interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday as the team continued its search to replace Andy Reid, who was fired after a 4-12 finish. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Last month, when former Colts coach Jim Caldwell abruptly became the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, Caldwell’s initiation featured a visit from his prized pupil in Indy — Peyton Manning. Four weeks later, Caldwell has had a chance to adjust. And h… |
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Rough week last week. My NFL prop picks got smoked harder than a blunt backstage at a Bieber concert. I pulled a giant oh-fer, wiping out my entire je... |
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Watch this video. Pretty cool, right? I'm not an NFL scout by trade (sorry if there was any confusion or I misled you in any way), but this 2011 vid... |
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In case you were out pretending like you've seen and have an opinion about Oscar nominee Amour, here's what you missed in sports on Thursday. The Cl... |
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This Saturday night, I plan on sitting in front of my television set for three-plus hours and praying that the Packers' pass protection is better than... |
