National Football League News and Rumors
Frank Gore Blew Up Lance Briggs: Bears-49ers, In One GIFSean Newell, deadspin.com San Francisco 32, Chicago 7: In his first career start, Colin Kaepernick out-dueled Jason Campbell and it was not even close. Kaepernick had 243 yards and two touchdowns to Campbell's 107 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The usually sticky-fi… |
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Eli Manning looks refreshed from week off, and NY Giants will need quarterback at best for Green Bay Packers gameNov 19, 2012
Reports had the ball flying out of quarterback Eli Manning’s hand with greater velocity and accuracy than at any time in the last four weeks. |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com It was quite the starting debut for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick and pass rusher Aldon Smith put on a show Monday night as the 49ers throttled the Chicago Bears in a 32-7 victory. Kaepernick, starting in place of a concus… |
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Sean Newell, deadspin.com Things are so bad in Philadelphia that reporters are just asking Andy Reid if he's going to quit to save himself the indignity of being fired. The Eagles were soundly defeated by the Redskins yesterday, 31-6, bringing Philly down to 3-7 and all by itsel… |
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Former NY Giants quarterback and CBS analyst Phil Simms scrambles on ‘elite’ remark of Eli ManningNov 19, 2012
It's hard believing a tough guy like Phil Simms would be troubled by reaction to his branding Eli Manning the un-elite. Yet watching a guy who spent a career on offense get so defensive Sunday on national television gives reason to believe he wished he … |
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Further review of this week’s key officiating callsNov 19, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Every Monday on NBC Sports Network’s Pro Football Talk, former NFL official and current NBC officiating consultant Jim Daopoulos looks at three of the questionable calls from the Sunday that was. This past Sunday, it was particularly ugly in Atlanta whe… |
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New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick losing 'genius' aura and Rob Gronkowski injury is just the latest exampleNov 19, 2012
Bill Belichick is certain to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years after he’s finished coaching three titles gets him in but to call him a football genius these days is completely outdated. |
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Curtis Crabtree, profootballtalk.com Seattle Seahawks guard James Carpenter has yet to be cleared to return to practice nearly three weeks after being with a concussion. Carpenter had not been cleared to return when the Seahawks reconvened following their bye week for a practice on Monday.… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com A young quarterback making his first NFL start is taking on the NFL’s best defense on Monday Night Football. Obviously, it’s a mismatch. And by that I mean the Bears’ defense is no match for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick got off to … |
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The 49ers are having no trouble with the vaunted Bears defense. Backup QB Colin Kaepernick has thrown two touchdown passes as San Francisco is shredding Chicago in the fourth quarter. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Lions cornerback Drayton Florence made the tackle on Detroit’s first defensive snap in Sunday’s loss to the Packers, and he immediately looked like he might have suffered a concussion: He and Packers receiver Randall Cobb had a helmet-to-helmet collis… |
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Your Monday Night Football Open ThreadNov 19, 2012
Sean Newell, deadspin.com Chicago at San Francisco: So, this might have been a decent game but neither starting quarterback will be playing due to concussions. Instead it's Jason Campbell and Colin Kaepernick. Yikes. Kaepernick did surprise the Jets earlier this year with some s… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are surging, with four wins in a row and a 6-4 record. They host the high-flying Falcons on Sunday, with a chance to narrow Atlanta’s once-insurmountable lead in the NFC South to two games. And 11,000 non-premium tickets are a… |
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Kaepernick got significant reps on SaturdayNov 19, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Though it seemed liked a surprise to learn on Monday that 49ers quarterback Alex Smith didn’t receive clearance to play despite all signs pointing to him starting eight days after suffering a concussion, the team apparently saw this one coming - and m |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com If Brandon Jacobs really does hate his boss, another game warming the bench is unlikely to change that. Jacobs, the 49ers running back who still hasn’t played this season, is inactive once again for tonight’s game against the Bears. As expected, both … |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com Concussions will keep quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Alex Smith out of Monday night's Chicago Bears-San Francisco 49ers game. Both starters were injured last Sunday and have not been cleared to return to the lineup. Jason Campbell will start in place of Cu… |
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Lions bench WR Young for Thanksgiving gameNov 19, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com The Detroit Lions are benching wide receiver Titus Young for Thursday's game against Houston following what coach Jim Schwartz calls "unacceptable" behavior during Sunday's loss to Green Bay. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Raiders owner Mark Davis said after Sunday’s loss to the Saints that he expects to see progress, and right now his team isn’t giving him that. Raiders coach Dennis Allen said today that Davis is right to be upset. “Hey, I’m right there with him,”… |
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Source: Burress expected to visit with SteelersNov 19, 2012
ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Free-agent wide receiver Plaxico Burress is expected visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers and take a physical for his former team, a league source told ESPN. |
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London Fletcher dealing with sprained ankleNov 19, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Redskins linebacker London Fletcher’s consecutive games played streak is in jeopardy again. Fletcher sprained his left ankle during Sunday’s 31-6 win over the Eagles and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com reports that Fletcher’s ankle is in a walk… |
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Ravens WR Jacoby Jones gives Michele Tafoya a wink and a ‘Thank you, gorgeous’ during SNF interviewNov 19, 2012
Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Baltimore Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones had another great game in his team's 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. His 63-yard punt return was the only touchdown the Ravens could come up with against Pittsburgh's typically impressive defense, and that … |
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Samer Kalaf, deadspin.com On Saturday, NFL writer Peter King accidentally tweeted out his phone number. We wrote about it. King brought up his phone number fiasco in this week's Monday Morning Quarterback column, in a section titled "The End of the 973-650-0966 Era": More » |
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NFL Slaps Ed Reed With One-Game SuspensionNov 19, 2012
Dom Cosentino, deadspin.com In the third quarter last night, Ravens safety Ed Reed drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for this helmet-to-helmet hit on defenseless Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who didn't even bother to fake an injury. This being Reed's third such violat… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Titus Young, the Lions’ troubled young wide receiver, is being sent home for the week. Lions coach Jim Schwartz said today that Young was told to go home when he showed up at the facility today, and he will be inactive for the Thanksgiving game against … |
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Redskins' Meriweather out rest of seasonNov 19, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com He was all over the field making plays for the Washington Redskins, and his name isn't Robert Griffin III. Now Brandon Meriweather's season is done after one game with a torn ACL in his right knee -- and right after his left knee had finally healed. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Giants got back to work on Monday after their bye and returned to face the same kinds of questions they were facing before being given the week off by coach Tom Coughlin. Those questions have to do with the team’s poor play in two losses before the … |
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Jaguars name QB Henne starter against TitansNov 19, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Chad Henne is getting another shot at starting in the NFL. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Falcons backup offensive lineman Joe Hawley has been suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances. The Falcons announced the suspension on the team’s official website. Hawley, who has played in six games w… |
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Look back at Sunday with PFT on NBC Sports NetworkNov 19, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Picking just a handful of moments to talk about from Sunday’s action would leave too much out so Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network is going to talk about everything you need to know from this weekend’s action. Tom Curran of CSN New England will … |
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Ravens' Reed gets 1-game banNov 19, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) Baltimore Ravens star safety Ed Reed has been suspended for one game by the NFL for repeated violations of rules prohibiting hits to the head and neck area of defenseless players. |
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Jack Dickey, deadspin.com Ah, 2011. I remember it like it was just last year. The powerfully frisky Cardinals clawed and pecked their way to 8-8 with a 7-2 finish. They beat the Eagles in Philly. They beat the Cowboys. They beat the Niners. They started woefully, but they finish… |
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Steelers' Leftwich (ribs) likely out, sources sayNov 19, 2012
Chris Mortensen, ESPN.com Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich fractured two ribs early in Sunday night's 13-10 loss to the Ravens and is unlikely to start this week, according to team and league sources. |
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Broncos' McGahee (torn MCL) out 6-8 weeksNov 19, 2012
Adam Schefter and Chris Mortense, ESPN.com Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee has a torn MCL and will miss six to eight weeks. |
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Breaking Down Andre Johnson's Winning CatchNov 19, 2012
Jonathan Bales, nytimes.com With 273 yards on 14 receptions, the Texans' Andre Johnson set a personal record for receiving yards, and it was his final catch of the game that was his most impressive. |
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No decision on Cardinals quarterback yetNov 19, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt feels good about his decision to cut back on safety Adrian Wilson’s playing time, but that hasn’t pushed him to pull the trigger on a call about his starting quarterback for this week’s game against the Rams. Darren Ur… |
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Eli back in flow as Giants cling to division leadNov 19, 2012
Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN.com Eli Manning returned from the New York Giants' bye week refreshed, recharged and with his arm feeling lively as the team enters a season-ending six-game stretch that will determine whether it reaches the playoffs. |
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Source: Cowboys' Murray, Smith likely outNov 19, 2012
Calvin Watkins, ESPN.com The Dallas Cowboys likely will not have two of their valuable offensive talents for the Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Redskins. |
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Percy Harvin’s ankle still “sore and pretty tender”Nov 19, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Giants quarterback Eli Manning returned to work after a bye week on Monday and reported the pop was back in his arm. Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin didn’t have quite the same return to health during Minnesota’s week off. Harvin didn’t participat… |
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Niners officially scratch Alex SmithNov 19, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com It’s official. 49ers coach Alex Smith won’t play on Monday night against the Bears. The team announced the decision on Monday, explaining that the team’s medical director and concussion expert, Dr. Dan Garza, made the determination. It’s still unc… |
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Rivera feels secure as Panthers coach ... for nowNov 19, 2012
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Ron Rivera says based on recent conversations with team owner Jerry Richardson he doesn't know if he'll remain the Carolina Panthers head coach beyond this season. |
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Report: Gronkowski will miss 4-8 weeksNov 19, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The chain of reports regarding the broken arm suffered by Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has included various accounts of his expected absence. The latest comes from our pal Tom Curran of CSN New England. Per Curran, Gronkowski will miss four to eig… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Even though Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said quarterback Blaine Gabbert would be questionable this week, Mularkey’s not waiting around to make a decision. The Jaguars coach just announced that Chad Henne would start this week against the Titans, after a… |
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Ryan focused on Jets instead of tweaking PatsNov 19, 2012
Jane McManus, ESPN.com Jets coach Rex Ryan is taking an unfamiliar tact ahead of his team's Thanksgiving night game against the Patriots. Humility. |
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49ers' Smith officially out vs. BearsNov 19, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has been declared out for Monday night's game against Chicago with a concussion. |
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Dez Bryant: Getting booed hurt my heartNov 19, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant had a very productive Sunday. He caught 12 passes for 145 yards to help the Cowboys come back in the second half against the Browns and ultimately win the game in overtime. That didn’t stop him from hearing boos at Cowbo… |
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Eli Manning says arm has more “pop” after bye weekNov 19, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Eli Manning said Monday he came out of the bye week with more “pop” in his arm, insisting his arm wasn’t weaker before the break. At the same time, he couldn’t deny the rest did him some good. “It was coming out where I wanted it to,” Manning … |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com After Andy Reid said he wasn’t going to quit on the Eagles, he moved on to updating the status of quarterback Michael Vick and running back LeSean McCoy. Both players are recovering from concussions and both are still at the first stage of the process. … |
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Timothy Burke, deadspin.com ESPN's SportsCenter Facebook page attempted to capitalize on Robert Griffin III's solid game against the Eagles yesterday by posting the mangled meme you see above. In addition to the expected racist arguments, among the 1,000-so comments were dozens of… |
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Eagles' Reid: Resigning would be a 'cop-out'Nov 19, 2012
ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Andy Reid said Monday that he won't resign as the Philadelphia Eagles' coach because quitting on his team would be a "cop out" after he has asked the players to keep fighting. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com At 2-8 with a pair of scintillating road trips to Philadelphia (3-7) and Kansas City (1-9) on tap, the Panthers have gone well past frustration. Now, they’re not even frustrated with the frustration. After blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead to lose… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com When he walks out onto Lincoln Financial Field a week from tonight, Eagles coach Andy Reid knows he’s going to hear the loudest boos of his coaching career. But he says he can live with that. Reid said at his press conference today that he believes he a… |
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Saints' Brees giving $1 million to Sandy reliefNov 19, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees says he is donating $1 million to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Florio suggested that the Steelers reach out to quarterbacks familiar with Todd Haley’s offensive stylings on Monday morning and the chances of that happening don’t actually look too bad. Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com reports that the Steelers fear… |
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Packers stick with struggling kicker CrosbyNov 19, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com The Green Bay Packers are still backing struggling kicker Mason Crosby. |
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Barry Petchesky, deadspin.com LeSean McCoy wasn't the only star player to get needlessly injured late in a blowout. Reports out of New England say Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski broke his arm late in the Patriots' 59-24 stomping of Indianapolis, and has already undergone surgery. He's e… |
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Have an N.F.L. Question? Judy Battista Has AnswersNov 19, 2012
The New York Times, nytimes.com Judy Battista, the N.F.L. reporter for The Times, will answer questions from readers. |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Cardinals grab a fumble return on a heady play If this isn't the play of the season, it's certainly the flip of the year -- Arizona Cardinals cornerback Greg Toler rushing to pop the ball back inbounds on a Jason Snelling fumble. Sadly, the Cards couldn… |
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Jerry Jones downplays Sunday chat with HolmgrenNov 19, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Mike Holmgren’s tenure with the Browns doesn’t officially come to an end until the year is out, so he was in Dallas with the team on Sunday. After a week filled with talk about Holmgren’s interest in coaching the Cowboys and Jerry Jones’ appreciat… |
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Report: The NFL Made Disability Payments For Brain Trauma While Publicly Denying That Football Causes Brain TraumaNov 19, 2012
Dom Cosentino, deadspin.com Officially, it was three years ago that the NFL first acknowledged that repeated concussions can indeed have a long-term effect on mental health. In the six years before that, the league had taken the opposite stance, publishing a series of scientific p… |
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Who's next for MNF if Gruden leaves?Nov 19, 2012
It has become one of the favorite parlor games in sports broadcasting: When is Jon Gruden leaving ESPN? |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Eagles have lost six straight games and are coming off a 31-6 pasting at the hands of a 4-6 Redskins team on Sunday afternoon. Players seem resigned to the fact that coach Andy Reid will be gone in the near future, although it seems that Reid will r… |
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Leading Off: Eyesores of All KindsNov 19, 2012
Lynn Zinser, nytimes.com Yipes! Stripes! The Steelers' throwback uniforms were just one reason Sunday's game against the Ravens was tough to watch. |
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Arians likes the fact Luck was “mad at himself”Nov 19, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com There was one important reason Colts interim coach Bruce Arians wasn’t panicking about Andrew Luck’s performance in New England last night. “It was a lot better than the first day Peyton Manning came up here,” Arians said, via Mike Garafolo of USA… |
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Jammal Charles wants Romeo Crennel to stick aroundNov 19, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Chiefs’ latest loss left quarterback Matt Cassel pretty sure that his run in Kansas City is coming to an end, but running back Jammal Charles isn’t ready to give up on coach Romeo Crennel. In the wake of Sunday’s 28-6 loss to the Bengals, Charle… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Mike Ditka was back to talking football on Monday morning, three days after he was hospitalized in Chicago with a minor stroke. The 73-year-old Ditka appeared on Mike and Mike in the Morning and said he’s feeling fine and eager to get back to work as an… |
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Cassel sees what’s coming, Quinn stays positiveNov 19, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Matt Cassel won’t say as much, but he seems to know it’s over. And Brady Quinn doesn’t seem to know where he is. After being benched for the second time this season, this time at halftime of a 28-6 loss to the Bengals, the Chiefs opening day startin… |
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Josh Freeman wasn't perfect, but on Sunday he looked a lot like a recent Super Bowl winner, Peter King writes. He was just one QB who had an impact, good or bad, on Week 11. |
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Monday morning one-linersNov 19, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Bills have gotten stability at cornerback with the addition of Stephon Gilmore. The Dolphins can look to the 2009 Jets for a glimmer of hope this season. CB Aqib Talib called his Patriots debut “sloppy” despite an interception return for a touchdo… |
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The Gruden leverage game acceleratesNov 19, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Next week, when the Panthers and Eagles prepare to square off on Monday Night Football, one of the guys from the ESPN broadcast team eventually could end up being a candidate to coach not one but both of the teams that will be playing. Awkward. Indeed, … |
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A.J. Smith’s Hail Mary throw could be comingNov 19, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With the Chargers losing to the Broncos and falling three games plus a tiebreaker behind the Broncos with six games to play, the chances of an AFC West crown have fallen into the gulf residing between “slim” and “none.” But the postseason remains … |
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Ronde Barber knows the formula for Bucs turnaroundNov 19, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Buccaneers safety Ronde Barber could enjoy yesterday’s win over the Panthers with a bit of familiarity. Because the team he saw on the other sideline was in many ways the same as the one he was on last year, the one that turned a 3-1 start into 4-12 and… |
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Andy Benoit, nytimes.com Julian Edelman wound up stealing the show against the Colts, but as always, it's Tom Brady who makes the Patriots go. |
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Report: Reid will coach on Monday nightNov 19, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With the Eagles’ bye week a distant memory, the question becomes whether a week with one extra day in it will result in a coaching change. Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Andy Reid will remain the head coach when the Eagles host th… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com The Arizona Cardinals' quarterbacks: It's quite something if the quarterback on the other side of the field throws three picks in the first quarter, and five in the entire game, and he's just the third-worst quarterback on the field. So it was for the A… |
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Brady, eloquently, on Gronk: “It sucks”Nov 19, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com When Tom Brady left Gillette Stadium last night, he was enjoying a 59-24 win. The reality that he lost one of his most dangerous weapons didn’t kick in for about an hour afterward. “I know he got injured, but I obviously didn’t know the extent,” B… |
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Steelers should get ready to call Croyle, PalkoNov 19, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Lost in the fact that the Steelers inexplicably stuck with a banged-up and ineffective Byron Leftwich at quarterback in the latter stages of Sunday night’s loss to the Ravens is the fact that Charlie Batch has gotten very limited reps in the team’s ne… |
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Lions coaches growling at each other during lossNov 19, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Lions didn’t stomp on any Packers Sunday. Keeping them off each other might have been more of a challenge. Lions receivers coach Shawn Jefferson was seen barking at offensive coordinator Scott Linehan after a conservative set of play-calls in the re… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Matt Schaub, QB, Houston Texans: In his last three games before Sunday's matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars -- games against the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and Chicago Bears -- Schaub had thrown for a total of five touchdowns. His one-score, tw… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com I used to think that I, and I alone, knew the perfect solution to the question of how overtime games should be decided. Nine years ago this week, I wrote about my proposal to reduce the importance of the coin toss in the NFL’s system of sudden-death ove… |
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Ravens deliver painful loss to SteelersNov 19, 2012
The Ravens delivered a painful 13-10 loss to the Steelers -- pain Baltimore was all too happy to inflict, writes Chris Burke. Jacoby Jones' punt return was the game's biggest play. |
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Ravens use defense, special teams to defeat the Steelers and take commanding lead in AFC NorthNov 19, 2012
Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com The Baltimore Ravens generated just 200 yards of total offense, but used timely defense and a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jacoby Jones to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 13-10 at Heinz Field on Sunday night. Playing without Ben Roethlisberger,… |
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NFL Run & Shootaround: Dre DayNov 19, 2012
On any given Sunday (or Monday, or Thursday), your NFL Run & Shootaround crew will be gathered around multiple televisions, making inappropriate jokes... |
