National Football League News and Rumors
49ers issue perfunctory non-statement statement on CrabtreeMike Florio, profootballtalk.com The 49ers have acknowledged the allegation of sexual assault against receiver Michael Crabtree via the issuance of a standard, perfunctory statement that really doesn’t state anything. “We are aware of the allegation against Michael and understand tha… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As the 49ers prepare for their second straight NFC title game, they’re dealing with an unexpected and unwelcome distraction. MDS pointed out earlier tonight that receiver Michael Crabtree is being investigated for sexual assault. Cam Inman of Bay Area… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As we wait to hear whether and to what extent ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap will vouch for the credibility of an athlete who granted Schaap an exclusive off-camera interview, there is new evidence regarding the lack of credibility demonstrated by Manti Te’o's … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The number of minority play-callers in the NFL has now doubled. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Colts have struck a deal with Stanford offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton for that same position in Indianapolis. Hamilton coached Colts quarterba… |
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Michael C. Wright, ESPN.com Chicago continued its frenetic pace of adding to the coaching staff, and is finalizing a deal to bring in former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mel Tucker for the same position with the Bears, according to NFL sources. |
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Ashley Fox, ESPN.com Atlanta QB shouldn't need to do more to prove he's clutch and a winner |
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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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NBC Sports, yahoo.com Bruce Arians' successful tenure as Colts head interim coach got a few heads to turn, and the Arizona Cardinals saw enough to make him their next coach. After the excitement of accepting a new job passes, Arians needs to address how Arizona can become a … |
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NBC Sports, yahoo.com The future looks bright in San Francisco as Colin Kaepernick has secured his position under center, but where does this leave Alex Smith? Expected to earn $8 million in 2013, Mike Florio says it makes no sense for the 49ers to invest that much money in … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Less than three weeks after he was fired as offensive coordinator of the Raiders, Greg Knapp is back in the AFC West. The Broncos have announced that Knapp is their new quarterbacks coach. Knapp fills the spot on the coaching staff that became vacant wh… |
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What has the Falcons reveling in their game with the 49ers? Can the Ravens' defense hold up against the vaunted Patriots' offense? Peter King answers these and more in his Last Word. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Rams running back Steven Jackson said before the Rams’ regular season finale that it was possible he might be preparing for his last NFL game. Three weeks later, he still says he isn’t sure if he’ll return to the Rams, leave in free agency or retire… |
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Rex Ryan's power base with the Jets, which these days falls a bit short of being Woody Johnson's co-owner, just got a little stronger with the hiring Friday of John Idzik as general manager. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com When Raheem Morris signed on to coach the Redskins defensive backs before this season, many felt that it would be a temporary stop on the way back up the ladder for the former Buccaneers head coach. Morris is getting chances to prove those people right.… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On the second day of his employment as coach of the Eagles, Chip Kelly addressed the first challenge he’ll face from a personnel standpoint. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Kelly and Vick met on Friday. However, there has been no resolut… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Chargers’ new head coach Mike McCoy has settled on his defensive coordinator. It’s the same guy who ran things on that side of the ball for Norv Turner. The Chargers announced Friday that John Pagano will stay with the team for the 2013 season. Pa… |
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ATLANTA (AP) -- Cincinnati Bengals tackle Andre Smith was free on bond Friday after his arrest on a charge of carrying a gun at Atlanta's airport. |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com After nearly 38 years in the business, at age 60, Bruce Arians finally is an NFL head coach. |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com The kicking competition in San Francisco is officially over. David Akers will continue to be the kicker for the 49ers as the team announced they have waived Billy Cundiff on Friday. Cundiff was signed nearly three weeks ago amid concerns over Akers cons… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Apparently, the days of ground-and-pound in New York are over, and the speculation about another controversial quarterback has already begun. According to multiple reports, the Jets are going to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg … |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Ray Horton, who spent the past two seasons as Arizona's defensive coordinator, was named to the same position with the Browns on Friday. |
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Jim Caldwell nearly went undefeated as a rookie coach in Indianapolis three years ago and he's one win away from returning to the Super Bowl as an assistant with Baltimore. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Panthers elected to go for continuity rather than an outside voice, promoting quarterbacks coach Mike Shula to offensive coordinator, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. The Panthers interviewed Hue Jackson and Pat Shurmur (who runs a… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Four teams are still trying to win the Super Bowl this season while 28 others work to make the moves that will put them in position to challenge for a title in the years to come. On Friday’s Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network, they’ll be covering… |
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Mike Rodak, ESPN.com New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones (ankle) is one of five Patriots players listed as probable for Sunday's AFC Championship Game. |
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HeadlineNews, ESPN.com The NFL is considering revisions to the "Rooney Rule," which mandates that teams must interview at least one minority candidate for front-office and head coaching jobs. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On Wednesday night, Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick did linebacker Manti Te’o no favors. Apart from framing a Clintoneque question regarding the use by Te’o of the term “met,” Swarbrick said that Te’o would be addressing the situat… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Buccaneers tried to hire John McNulty a year ago, but the Cardinals blocked their request to interview him for their offensive coordinator job. Now that he’s available, he gets to join them in a lesser role. Bucs GM Mark Dominik said Friday McNulty … |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com It’s been more than five minutes since he was fired by the Cowboys, but Rob Ryan might be closing in on a new job. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Ryan will interview with the Rams about becoming their defensive coordinator on Sat… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com New Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians says he knows the Cardinals can win a Super Bowl. In part because he was there when they almost did it. Arians emphasized at his introductory press conference that winning the Super Bowl is his one and only goal, an… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com We’ve known for a while that Beyoncé Knowles will be the halftime entertainment during the Super Bowl and now we know who will sing The Star Spangled Banner before the game. The NFL announced Friday that Alicia Keys will do the honors in New Orleans ne… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On Friday, a feud suddenly emerged between Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and former Eagles president (and current Browns CEO) Joe Banner. Lurie believes Banner has been criticizing Eagles G.M. Howie Roseman, and Banner denies it. The strangest aspect of t… |
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Lynn Zinser, nytimes.com Eight N.F.L. teams hired coaches in the past few weeks. Not a single hire was African-American. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com As he tries to rebuild an offensive staff in a make-or-break season, Panthers coach Ron Rivera is looking back into team history for help. Rivera fired running backs coach John Settle and wide receivers coach Fred Graves, then lost offensive coordinator… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The NFL has acknowledged disappointment regarding the lack of diversity in this year’s round of coaching and G.M. hires. There’s another trend that the league should regard as even more troubling. As former Buccaneers and Colts coach Tony Dungy, now… |
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Dom Cosentino, deadspin.com Cam Newton's decision to re-enroll at Auburn has been a quiet storyline this week, but Newton's not the only national-title-winning QB again giving school the old college try. Vince Young is back in the classroom at the University of Texas, and he more … |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com When Rex Ryan took over as Jets coach, he made some big promises about bringing a Lombardi to Gang Green. He hasn’t had much luck securing the trophy, so he’s trying another route. Multiple reports indicate the Jets interviewed Saints quarterbacks coa… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert announced last week that he was cutting running back Chris Rainey, just hours after Rainey was arrested — and just nine months after Colbert drafted Rainey, despite character concerns stemming from Rainey’s college career. … |
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Tom Ley, deadspin.com Oh dear. What can one even say about this video, created by the Baltimore police department in anticipation of this weekend's AFC championship game between the Ravens and the Patriots? It's got everything that a terrible hype video needs: "Seven Na… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Bengals tackle Andre Smith is set to become a free agent in March if he doesn’t work out a deal with the team or get the franchise tag. He may have some legal issues to sort through while trying to secure his football future, however. WCPO-TV is reporti… |
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have introduced new head coach Gus Bradley, giving the franchise a fresh start with a high-energy guy. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com If you’re ever going to be optimistic as an NFL owner, the day to be optimistic is the day you hire a new coach. The inherent implication when you make a change is that things can only get better, but Jaguars owner Shad Khan said during Gus Bradley’s … |
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LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -- The Chicago Bears have hired Matt Cavanaugh as their quarterbacks coach and Skip Peete as their running backs coach. |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com Gus Bradley's trip to the East Coast was supposed to be a one-day deal. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com As an NFL Network commentator, Mike Lombardi was critical of the Browns’ decision to spend a first-round draft pick on quarterback Brandon Weeden. So now that Lombardi has been hired to run the Browns’ front office, does that mean it’s time to find … |
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Working across the country from his more celebrated brother, John Harbaugh has made the Ravens one of the most consistent winners in the NFL, writes Peter King. |
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AFC Championship Game preview: Patriots running game is the key to a return trip to the Super BowlJan 18
Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots 6:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass. Talk about familiarity. This Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots will face one another for the sixth time in the last four se… |
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Barry Petchesky, deadspin.com On Monday, CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora did a hatchet job on Eagles GM Howie Roseman. He wrote that Roseman was "drunk with power" and "woefully out of his depth," and to add the sheen of authority, La Canfora cloaked it in "a g… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Chargers know that if they’re going to have to improve, they’re going to have to get Philip Rivers back on track. They continue to hire solid offensive coaches around him, with Sports Illustrated’s Peter King reporting they’re hiring Frank Rei… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com It’s the Friday before the conference title games and we want to know what’s on your mind. Mike Florio will take questions from PFT Planet about the two big games coming our way on Sunday and everything else from around the football world on Friday’… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com New Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley was energetic at his introductory press conference on Friday morning, and he said energy is what he’ll bring to the moribund franchise in Jacksonville. “Let’s bring some enthusiasm to Jacksonville like the city des… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com LOS ANGELES -- For the second straight year, the NFL Players Association will hold its Collegiate Bowl at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The game will take place on Saturday, Jan. 19. at 6:00 p.m. ET. Several interesting names will take the fie… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Former Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid had a hand in helping the franchise find his successor. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Since arriving as a first-round draft pick in 2000, Brian Urlacher has been one of the Bears’ best and most popular players. But he may not have a future in Chicago. New Bears coach Marc Trestman was asked twice on Thursday about Urlacher’s future, an… |
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With a trip to the Super Bowl at stake, this weekend's championship games could change the legacies of Tom Brady, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, says Don Banks. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees is very familiar with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. He’s been part of the defensive staff in Baltimore for the last three seasons, which has meant three matchups with the Patriots, and he spent four years as the … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The results are good, but 49ers running back Frank Gore was slow to warm to his team’s pistol formation and reliance on read-option runs with Colin Kaepernick at quarterback. He said the first time he saw the offense was on television “probably Oregon… |
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The scandal surrounding Manti Te'o and fictional girlfriend Lennay Kekua has transcended the sports world, but, as the situation untangles, Te'o himself is in the midst of training for April's NFL Draft. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com It has been presumed that new Eagles coach Chip Kelly will be using an offense in Philly that relies upon a mobile quarterback. That’s presumption may have been premature. As explained by Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com, Kelly said his system isn’t pred… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The first coaching staff for new Bills head coach Doug Marrone is continuing to take shape. Former NFL wide receiver Ike Hilliard will be the team’s wide receivers coach, jumping from the Redskins after one year in the same position at Washington. He sp… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Plenty of players drop out of the Pro Bowl every year because of injuries suffered during the season. Giants guard Chris Snee isn’t one of those players. Snee needs hip surgery to repair a torn labrum that bothered him for much of the season, but said T… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com If you have one of those red plastic pig hats, you’ve got a shot at a job with the Cowboys. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, the Cowboys interviewed former University of Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt recently. What job he was talking to Ar… |
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NFC Championship Game preview: Colin Kaepernick, solid defense will lead 49ers to Super Bowl XLVIIJan 18
Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons 3 p.m. ET, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. Aside from Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan serving as the 49ers head coach from 2005-08, there are not many story lines or much of a recent histo… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Mike Lombardi, the former personnel executive for the Cleveland Browns is heading back to Cleveland as the Browns' vice president of player personnel, the team announced Friday. |
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Friday morning one-linersJan 18
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com WR Donald Jones thinks he’ll be recovered from his season-ending illness in time for the start of Bills offseason work. A look at the possible cap benefits of cutting various members of the Dolphins. Patriots S Devin McCourty says he’s impressed with … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With linebacker Manti Te’o avoiding the media, others are filling the vacuum of silence. One of them is Te’o's uncle. Alema Te’o joined 97.5 The Zone in Salt Lake City on Thursday to discuss the situation for more than 30 minutes. And it quickly… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Even before the Jaguars hired David Caldwell as general manager, many thought he’d take his former college roommate Greg Roman with him as head coach. That opportunity never came, as the Jaguars hired Gus Bradley, but Roman shrugged off the suggestion. … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com It looks like the city of Charlotte is going to get something for its money. Ten years worth of something, at least. According to Erik Spanberg of the Charlotte Business Journal, a 10-year tie to the city is the “starting point for negotiations” for t… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Last month, Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians made it clear that he’s not going to take just any NFL coaching job, even though there are only 32 of them. “I’m not just gonna run away to be a head coach, I’m not gonna do that,” Arians said… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Not many people thought Tom Brady was going to become an all-time great quarterback in 2001, when he first took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe. But Brady himself thought so. Damon Huard, who was the Patriots’ third-string quarterback that year, recall… |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end Chris Clemons each underwent surgeries on Thursday. Chancellor’s surgery was for an undisclosed injury in his lower right leg. Seahawks team doctor Edward Khalfayan performed the surgery. Chancell… |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com When his football career is finally over Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant might be able to find a role on the television show Swamp People. According to Jim Corbett of the USA Today, Bryant is somewhat of an “alligator whisperer.” “I was watching … |
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New England Patriots to keep Balitmore Ravens coach John Harbaugh from Super Bowl clash with brotherJan 18
For a good part of the season, it looked like Super Bowl XLVII could be renamed the Manning Bowl On Bourbon St. with Eli’s Giants and Peyton’s Broncos on a collision course that ultimately got sidetracked before the brothers could play for the Lombard… |
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Is it possible that there are only three NFL games left? (Shut it — I'm not counting the Pro Bowl and you shouldn't, either.) I'm starting to ge... |
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Since Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis announced that he will retire at the end of Baltimore's season, his quest for another Super Bowl victory to cap his ... |
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Bill Simmons, grantland.com The Sports Guy goes through the rest of his inbox before making his NFL playoffs picks. |
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Bill Simmons, grantland.com Even the NFL playoffs can wait for the weirdest sports story of our age. |
