National Football League News and Rumors
NY Jets coach Rex Ryan says team is desperate for win against St. Louis Rams, feels for angry fansThe Jets have been backing up for a while now, back to when they were 8-5 last season before the bottom fell out. They have lost nine of 12 games since then, lost those games by an average of 16 points. You think about where they were at 8-5, even where… |
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Top Week 11 storylinesNov 17, 2012
Peyton Manning may be gone, but thanks to Andrew Luck the Colts' rivalry with Tom Brady and the Patriots is back on. Chris Burke weighs in on the NFL's newest QB duel and more. |
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Sam Eifling, deadspin.com Apparently Stella Artois used to be advertised in the U.K. under the slogan "reassuringly expensive." Without knowing the relative merits of price and quality across the pond, I can only rejoice that such a snotty tagline has gone the way of d… |
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Could Matt Barkley’s draft stock be slipping?Nov 17, 2012
Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com USC quarterback Matt Barkley entered his senior season for the Trojans with national championship aspirations and as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. With national title hopes long gone, Barkley could also be seeing his d… |
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Niners QB Smith practices, but is still uncertainNov 17, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith practiced again on Saturday, however his availability is still uncertain for the game against the Chicago Bears. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Bill O’Brien, who quit his job as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator to become the head coach at Penn State this year, is a strong candidate for the national coach of the year award in college football. The Penn State team, which could have fallen ap… |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com Chicago Bears defensive tackle Matt Toeaina joins quarterback Jay Cutler and defensive end Shea McClellin as players officially ruled out for Monday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Toeaina was ruled out on Saturday after being unable to pr… |
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It was a bad idea back in March when the Jets traded for Tim Tebow and it looks even worse in November, especially following the events of last week when teammates and members of the organization trashed him. |
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Cedric Benson progressing from Lisfranc injuryNov 17, 2012
Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson is progressing from the Lisfranc foot sprain that forced him to be placed on injured reserve. According to Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com, Benson has been able to begin running on a treadmill that allows pl… |
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Isaac Rauch, deadspin.com One of the great things about the Jets this year-the only great thing, perhaps-is that by dealing for Tim Tebow, emphasizing the extent to which they'd use him (they said it would 25% of snaps), and not using him nearly that much (it was 10.1% before |
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Chiefs place Jake O’Connell on injured reserveNov 17, 2012
Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com The Kansas City Chiefs announced they have have placed reserve tight end Jake O’Connell on injured reserve and promoted guard Rich Ranglin from the practice squad to their active roster. O’Connell suffered a high ankle sprain in Monday night’s overt… |
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Haden makes trip, still game-time decisionNov 17, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com For many injured players listed as questionable, the questions evaporate when the plane leaves for the site of the game without him. For Browns cornerback Joe Haden, the question remains, because he made the trip to Dallas for Sunday’s game against th… |
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Concussions end season for Lions’ Amari SpieveyNov 17, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Lions safety Amari Spievey is done for the season because of a concussion, and given Spievey’s history, questions are already being raised about whether his career could be in jeopardy. The Lions announced today that they have placed Spievey on injured … |
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Kris Jenkins pulls fast one by back-tracking on comment about knocking out NY Jets QB Mark SanchezNov 17, 2012
From Joe Namath, the original rebel with a cause, to Marty Lyons, to Ray Lucas, to Damien Woody to Joe Klecko, the coaches, Bill Parcells, Herman Edwards, and others. They all walk softly and carry big mouths. |
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Patriots cut Deion Branch, call up Greg SalasNov 17, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The Patriots have made a move to get younger at wide receiver. New England today released veteran Deion Branch and brought Greg Salas up to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, Tom Curran of CSNNE.com reports. Salas was a 2011 fourth-round draft p… |
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Source: Patriots TE Hernandez 'unlikely' to playNov 17, 2012
James Walker, ESPN.com A source said Saturday that Hernandez is "unlikely" to play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. |
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The Steelers have a huge game against the Ravens in Pittsburgh on Sunday with the rematch in two weeks in Baltimore. The Ravens are 7-2, the Steelers are 6-3. |
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Floyd becomes new “Z” receiver in San DiegoNov 17, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com After Vincent Jackson left the Chargers for the Buccaneers, San Diego needed a new “Z” receiver. In the Chargers’ system, the “Z” lines up next to tight end Antonio Gates, with the goal of forcing defenses to choose one for extra focus - givin… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The man who recruited Matthew Masifilo to Stanford gave him a job with the 49ers. And now Masifilo has been recruited elsewhere by another former college coach. The Buccaneers and Greg Schiano have signed the first-year defensive tackle from the 49ers”… |
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Cowboys make a roster move to shore up lineNov 17, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The continued shuffle on the Cowboys offensive line is likely to continue, as the Cowboys just added center Kevin Kowalski to the active roster, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. That’s probably a sign about the status of Ryan … |
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This Week's Signs Of The ApocalypseNov 17, 2012
Sam Eifling, deadspin.com For nearly two decades, Sports Illustrated has stirred the tea leaves to discern a weekly Sign of the Apocalypse. Deadspin salutes the magazine's ongoing effort to cover the end of times but declines to cede the scoop on the biggest event in world histo… |
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Matchup: Jets (3-6) at Rams (3-5-1)Nov 17, 2012
Ben Shpigel, nytimes.com The most popular phrase around the Jets' complex last week - well, besides anonymous players - was self-inflicted wounds. |
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Gronkowski amazed by Welker’s toughnessNov 17, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Technically speaking, Wes Welker’s questionable on the injury report with an ankle injury. But his teammates have learned to not be surprised by what he can get back up from. “The dude is one of the toughest dudes I’ve seen,” tight end Rob Gronkow… |
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Broncos' Williams set to make season debutNov 17, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Linebacker D.J. Williams is on track to make his 2012 debut Sunday against San Diego after the Denver Broncos put him on their 53-man roster Saturday. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com It’s not often that you can say an injury will help a college football player’s NFL draft stock, but that might be the case with Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. Robinson suffered an injury to his throwing elbow that prevents him from passing, so… |
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Report: Williams refusing to testify in bounty trialNov 17, 2012
Report: Williams refusing to testify in bounty trial |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola was just the latest NFL player to get McNabb-ed, to not know that a tie was a possibility. But even if it meant playing all night, he said he’d rather see anything than having to walk away with half a result. Amendola s… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The Cardinals will start two rookies at offensive tackle on Sunday, with seventh-round draft pick Nate Potter getting his first start on the left side, while fourth-rounder Bobby Massie continues to start on the right side. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhun… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Raise your hand if you understand the Lions. OK, no hands. There might not be a more mystifying team in the league, as they present a series of indications they can be good, while consistently failing to get there. The Lions are one of three teams in th… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The Dolphins had three turnovers and no takeaways in Thursday night’s loss to the Bills. The Dolphins had four turnovers and zero takeaways in last week’s loss to the Titans. Going minus-seven in turnover margin while losing two straight games is not … |
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The Ditka Family Had A Pretty Rough FridayNov 17, 2012
Isaac Rauch, deadspin.com Mark Ditka, son of Mike, is currently awaiting trial in Lake County, Illinois for his fourth DUI arrest, and for possession of a controlled substance (hydrocodone) turned up during the ensuing search of his car. More » |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com As the Eagles desperately attempt to turn their season around on Sunday, they’ll be doing it without Michael Vick, who’s out with a concussion. According to Eagles coach Andy Reid, that has Vick upset. Reid said Friday that Vick blames himself for not… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins So ... maybe Juan Castillo wasn't the problem in Philly. Before Andy Reid fired his previous defensive coordinator, the Eagles had the league's best defensive completion percentage against passes thrown 10 yard… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com A defensive player was fined for a hit on a quarterback in Sunday’s Rams-49ers tie, but it wasn’t the player who knocked a quarterback out of the game. Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar was not fined for the hit on 49ers quarterback Alex Smith that cause… |
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Saturday morning one-linersNov 17, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com South Korean rapper Psy will go Gangnam Style when the Bills host the Seahawks next month. (Maybe Reggie Bush will show up to help sing the “Hey, sexy lady!” part.) Jets CB Darrelle Revis says “[t]his week has been a tough week for the team. . . .… |
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Mike Tannenbaum defends trading for Tim TebowNov 17, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum’s decision to trade for quarterback Tim Tebow this offseason has been a non-factor on the field at best and a major distraction off the field at worst. But Tannenbaum isn’t willing to call that trade a mistake. Tan… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com It’s been a rough year for ESPN’s Outside the Lines. From the Bernie Fine fiasco or the Mickey Loomis wiretap witch hunt, Bristol’s investigative unit has been doing plenty of swinging - and plenty of missing. Friday’s supposed bombshell in t |
