National Football League News and Rumors
Lolo Jones apologizes for insensitive tweet directed at Eric LeGrandKristian Dyer, yahoo.com An innocent tweet by former Rutgers defensive lineman Eric LeGrand at Olympic sprinter Lolo Jones has resulted in a Twitter backlash against Jones. LeGrand, who suffered a spinal injury in a game against Army on Oct. 16, 2010 which left him paralyzed fr… |
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Sources: Jets WR Holmes may be out for yearOct 2, 2012
Rich Cimini, ESPN.com The New York Jets are bracing for the likelihood of not having wide receiver Santonio Holmes for the remainder of the season, according to sources. |
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With NY Jets struggling to find playing time for Tim Tebow, here are 12 other ways he can helpOct 2, 2012
T IM Tebow has a quarterback rating 34.6 points higher than Mark Sanchez, even though the backup has thrown only one pass. Imagine what he could do if he threw, say, four or five passes. |
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Ray Lewis won’t wait around to face his sonOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com After last week’s win over the Browns, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis told NFL Network that he’ll know when it’s time to call it quits as a player, and that when the time comes he’ll be done — with no waffling and no unretiring. On Tuesday’s Pro … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The latest collusion claim filed by the NFLPA continues to confound us (or at least me . . . the other guys may not care about it at all, along with plenty of you). Did collusion happen in 2010? Absolutely. Did the NFLPA give up any legal claims for c… |
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Niners' DB Rogers 'shocked' by Jets' effort on DOct 2, 2012
Rich Cimini, ESPN.com One of the worst defensive performances in Rex Ryan's coaching career turned even worse Tuesday night, when San Francisco 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers accused the New York Jets of quitting late in Sunday's 34-0 blowout. |
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Chargers sign veteran CB Carr to bolster depthOct 2, 2012
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Cornerback Chris Carr has signed a one-year contract with the San Diego Chargers. |
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Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com According to official playing-time documents, no quarterback played in 100 percent of his team's offensive snaps during the 2011 season. The closest to achieve that goal was Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who missed three of the Ravens' 1,080 … |
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Running With PurposeOct 2, 2012
Will the Patriots rush their way to the playoffs? Chris Burke delivers his Second Read observations from Week 4, including J'Marcus Webb's turnaround, the 49ers' dominance and more. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With all the talk (and, to date, that’s what it’s primarily been) about the Jets using the Wildcat formation, the 49ers quietly have outdone the Jets. There was nothing quiet about the Niners’ use of Colin Kaepernick on Sunday, who rushed for 50 yar… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Rams typically don’t talk much about their success, or lack thereof, when it comes to selling tickets. Before the season, the Rams declined to specify whether or to what extent they took advantage of the rule that allows teams to sell as few as 85… |
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Reeling Cowboys heading into bye, brutal stretchOct 2, 2012
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- The Dallas Cowboys certainly picked a bad time for an awful game, one that will stick with them for an extended period. |
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Julio Jones’ hand hindered him in Week FourOct 2, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com There were plenty of stars on the Falcons offense during Sunday’s 30-28 comeback win over the Panthers. Matt Ryan threw for 369 yards, Michael Turner had 171 total yards and Roddy White had 169 yards and two touchdowns. Conspicuously absent from that li… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com In 2011, NFL Films launched its remarkable A Football Life series with a two-part study of Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The next episode, which focuses on the ’95 Browns, should more accurately be regarded as a Belichick prequel. The study of the … |
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Heyward-Bey returns to practice, expects to playOct 2, 2012
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey practiced for the first time Tuesday since being hospitalized by a helmet-to-helmet hit as the Oakland Raiders worked on fixing their problems during the bye week. |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Chargers previously tried to sell tickets to their home game against the Chiefs by marketing tickets to Chiefs fans. San Diego has now adopted an approach less likely to fill up Qualcomm Stadium with fans who will be rooting for the visiting team. … |
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Cutler: Needed break before talking with TiceOct 2, 2012
Michael C. Wright, ESPN.com Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said he needed a break after a frustrating play before talking with offensive coordinator Mike Tice. |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Four weeks is a pretty small sample size in an NFL campaign, but here are a few things that have either become obvious to us, or could happen through the final 13 weeks of the 2012 NFL regular season. The Arizona Cardinals are the best team in the NFL W… |
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Roddy White talks about Falcons’ hot startOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Atlanta Falcons have had four straight winning seasons. They are five wins away from their fifth. But receiver Roddy White realizes that the team that has gone 0-3 in the postseason since 2008 won’t be taken seriously until the Falcons win at leas… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Bengals are 3-1 and playing at home on Sunday, but they haven’t been able to sell enough tickets to avoid a television blackout just yet. The team announced Tuesday that they have received an extension from the league in hopes of selling enough of t… |
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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) -- The New York Jets have signed fullback Lex Hilliard and waived wide receiver Patrick Turner. |
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No bounty ruling, yetOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com After Browns linebacker Scott Fujita met with Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday, completing the process of sitting down with each of the four players whose suspensions were vacated, it was reported that Goodell would re-issue discipline to the player… |
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Dolphins bring in WR Gaffney, cut Naanee looseOct 2, 2012
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- Receiver Jabar Gaffney has signed with the Miami Dolphins, who terminated the contract of receiver Legedu Naanee. |
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Samer Kalaf, deadspin.com The Jets are in trouble. Their last game against the 49ers was an embarrassing 34-0 rout. Mark Sanchez passed for 103 yards. The Jets' next game is Monday night against the Texans, and the team has to improve. So someone on the Jets' Facebook page came … |
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Lex Hilliard lands with JetsOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Jets need a receiver. On Tuesday, they signed a running back. As we tweeted during Tuesday’s edition of Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network, the Jets have added running back Lex Hilliard. Hilliard was drafted in 2008 by the Dolphins, who were … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was one of the most critical players of the NFL’s use of replacement officials, and he was glad when the lockout ended and the regular refs came back. At least, he was glad until he saw the regular refs work on Sunday. … |
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Brandon Jacobs declares himself ready to goOct 2, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The 49ers haven’t seen any return on their investment in running back Brandon Jacobs through the first four weeks of the regular season, but the voluble former Giant says that is about to end. Jacobs, who has been battling a knee injury since preseason,… |
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WR Heyward-Bey returns to practice for RaidersOct 2, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey practiced for the first time Tuesday since being hospitalized by a helmet-to-helmet hit as the Oakland Raiders worked on fixing their problems during the bye week. |
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Darrius Heyward-Bey returns to practiceOct 2, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Like most teams, the Raiders are heading into the bye week with hopes of healing up a few injuries before they return to the field for their next game. That effort got off to a good start on Tuesday. According to Paul Gutierrez of CSNBayArea.com, wide r… |
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Associated Press, ESPN.com The Colts' front office followed coach Chuck Pagano's advice and hired Bruce Arians, an assistant who had coached with or against Pagano for the better part of a decade. |
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Mjd, yahoo.com The folks at TMZ have gotten their hands on legal documents related to Michael Vick's bankruptcy case, which is great news for those of you who closely follow the details of Vick's financial situation. According to TMZ, Vick has banked $31 million since… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com With the subject of Peyton Manning’s arm strength all the rage, Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia chimed in Tuesday, saying he couldn’t see anything wrong with it. Granted, it’s not as if he’d watch film with his boss Bill Belichick and… |
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Ray Lewis joins PFT on NBC Sports NetworkOct 2, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com We’ve already given you a sneak peek at what Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis will be talking about when he joins Mike Florio for an interview during Tuesday’s edition of Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network. If you want to hear everything that Lewis ha… |
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Dolphins sign Jabar Gaffney, cut Legedu NaaneeOct 2, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Dolphins receiver Legedu Naanee had a costly fumble in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals, and it may have contributed to costing Naanee his job. The Dolphins have released Naanee today and signed veteran receiver Jabar Gaffney to replace him. Naanee has no… |
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Rex rules out none of the free-agent receiversOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com With all signs pointing to receiver Santonio Holmes being done for the season and with several big-name free-agent receivers on the market, it makes sense to wonder whether the Jets would try to replace Holmes with someone like Terrell Owens, Chad Johns… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Before the season started, Bills General Manager Buddy Nix responded to growing hype around his team by saying that it was time for the Bills to “step it up.” Coach Chan Gailey is sending a similar message in the wake of the team’s total meltdown fr… |
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Crazed fan attacks dancing Canadian mascotOct 2, 2012
Mjd, yahoo.com I know it's just a part of my twisted and childish psyche, but there are few things in the world I find funnier than mascot violence. The ladies narrating this video nearly ruined this for me, though, with how they reacted so somberly to a tackle of Buz… |
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Skelton still not 100 percentOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Last Friday, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt offered candid insight during an interview on Pro Football Talk regarding the status of quarterback John Skelton and the looming question of whether Skelton or Kevin Kolb will play when Skelton fully recovers … |
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Payton has no plans to ask to attend Saints gameOct 2, 2012
Suspended New Orleans coach Sean Payton doesn't plan to ask the NFL for special permission to witness Saints quarterback Drew Brees breaking Johnny Unitas' NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass. |
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Steelers should get key trio back against EaglesOct 2, 2012
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin expects linebacker James Harrison and safety Troy Polamalu to play Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles barring any setbacks. |
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Despite struggles, Seahawks sticking with WilsonOct 2, 2012
Despite Seattle's offensive struggles in its first four games, the Seahawks are sticking with rookie Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback. |
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Saints kick tires on five receiversOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com At a time when the Jets should be looking for help at receiver (more on that in a bit), the Saints have brought in five wideouts for a tire-kicking. A league source says the Saints worked out Brian Robiskie, Deon Butler, Jason Hill, Rasheed Davis, and P… |
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Jake Locker's injured left shoulder likely will keep the Tennessee Titans quarterback from playing Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings and there's a possibility he could miss several games. |
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Report: Jets fear Holmes out for seasonOct 2, 2012
The latest news on wide receiver Santonio Holmes doesn't sound good for the New York Jets. |
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Son of Unitas sends Brees letter about TD recordOct 2, 2012
METAIRIE, La. (AP) With Drew Brees in position to break Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas' record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass, Unitas' son has sent words of encouragement to the Saints quarterback. |
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Ray Lewis says Chuck Pagano is a “man of men”Oct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Tuesday’s Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network features an interview of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. Among other things, Ray is asked to share with football fans something they should know about former Ravens defensive coordinator and current Colts… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com A 1-3 start to the season isn’t a concern to Lions President Tom Lewand, who says that the Lions have confidence that they can turn things around. “As I stand here before you today at 1-3, it doesn’t faze us,” Lewand said in a speech at a business… |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Entering the year, you could have made a pretty strong argument that the two most talented players on the Jets roster were Darrelle Revis and Santonio Holmes. Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson might have gotten a few votes and Antonio Cromartie alm… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Philadelphia Eagles star receiver DeSean Jackson grew up in and around Compton, Calif., when that area was the rap capital of the world. Though he went a different way with what has been a highly productive football career, Jackson hasn't forgotten his … |
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Drew Magary, deadspin.com Time for your weekly edition of the Deadspin Funbag. Got something on your mind? Email the Funbag. Today, we're covering the roaches, porn estates, dead NFL players and more. |
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PFT Live: Did Romo take a step back on Monday?Oct 2, 2012
NBCSports.com, profootballtalk.com Mike Florio updates the biggest quarterback stories around the NFL starting with Tony Romo’s Monday night debacle when he threw five picks to help the Chicago Bears blow out the Dallas Cowboys. Florio says if Romo is supposed to be an elite QB, he shoul… |
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Steelers expecting Polamalu, Harrison to playOct 2, 2012
ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that both safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison are expected to play Sunday when the Steelers host the Eagles. |
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Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Steelers have gotten good news on the injury front in recent days. It started with an optimistic report about running back Rashard Mendenhall’s chances of playing against the Eagles in Week Five and continued through Monday’s practice when linebac… |
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Parity, indeed. After four weeks, the NFL has some haves and have-nots, and then a whole lot of teams in between. Don Banks assesses the outlook of those stuck in the center. |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Raiders have given up 22, 35, 31 and 37 points in each of their four games, only one of which they won. That’s an average of 31.2 per game, 28th in the league. But Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour wasn’t discouraged by what he saw when he wat… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Green Bay running back Cedric Benson is only averaging 3.6 yards a carry this season, but that doesn’t make the Packers’ coaches think they should give him the ball less. If anything, they think they should give him the ball more. Packers offensive co… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss isn’t paranoid. He’s just smart enough to know everyone’s out to get him. Moss said Monday it was suspicious that it just so happened that rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III’s headset went out at just the in… |
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Lions hope to play “pissed off” after bye weekOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Detroit Lions have limped into their bye week with a 1-3 record. But for a clock-operator error in Week One against the Rams, the Lions could be 0-4. Either way, it’s a steep decline from last year, and it has the Lions doing some soul-searching. … |
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Hurd's cousin to plead guilty in drug caseOct 2, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com A cousin of Sam Hurd has agreed to plead guilty in a federal drug conspiracy case involving the former NFL receiver. |
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Dallas' Jones 'disappointed' after MNF routOct 2, 2012
Calvin Watkins, ESPN.com Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is disappointed, but he's not offering excuses after the team's lopsided 34-18 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night. |
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Roddy White joins PFT LiveOct 2, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com One of the NFL’s top receivers will chat with Mike Florio on today’s Pro Football Talk Live. Falcons receiver Roddy White, who leads the 4-0 Falcons with 27 catches for 413 yards, is today’s guest. White is coming off his best game of the season, ca… |
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Ex-Bear Tommie Harris arrested in ChicagoOct 2, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Former Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris has had a rough year, and he has now been arrested in an incident in Chicago that sounds troubling. Harris, whose wife died in February at the age of 29, leaving him with two young children, was arrested in Ch… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On Monday, Jets receiver Santonio Holmes underwent an MRI exam on his injured foot. The team said only that he’ll miss “weeks.” It’s now nearly Tuesday afternoon, and there has been no definitive word regarding the specific injury. In this regar… |
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Eagles release ex-starting weakside LB RolleOct 2, 2012
ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com The Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday cut linebacker Brian Rolle, who started 13 games last season, and signed linebacker Adrian Moten, whom the team had let go in the preseason. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Percy Harvin is third in the NFL with 30 catches this season and first in the NFL with 38.3 yards per kickoff return. So it’s easy to see why Harvin is pleased with how everything is going in Minnesota right now. But Harvin acknowledges that he wasn’t… |
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Dan Koppen’s used to snapping to the bestOct 2, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com He’s the new Broncos center because of an injury, but Dan Koppen now has the distinction of snapping to two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. He’s giving it to Peyton Manning now, and will see his old quarterback Tom Brady this weekend i… |
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Motorin’: Your Highlight Reel Of The Most Night Ranger-Worthy Runs From College Football’s Week 5Oct 2, 2012
Timothy Burke, deadspin.com Prompted by a discussion between Gawker's own Mobutu Sese Seko and Sports Illustrated college football writer Holly Anderson, we created this mp3 celebrating the best and only relevant moment of Night Ranger's musical career. We think it's worth using t… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Eagles linebacker, make that former Eagles linebacker Brian Rolle, has made a quick trip from starter to unemployed. According to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News, Rolle was released Tuesday after the Eagles began to leak on special teams agains… |
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McCoy says his feud with Umenyiora is overOct 2, 2012
ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com LeSean McCoy said Monday that his personal feud with Osi Umenyiora is over after both agreed following Sunday night's game that they need to put their differences aside. |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com … |
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Aaron Berry knows he’s working on last chanceOct 2, 2012
Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com The Jets had an obvious need at cornerback when they signed former Lion Aaron Berry, but they weren’t so desperate they didn’t investigate him thoroughly. They did a background check, and got an endorsement from quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh, who … |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Back when the Giants were only worried about Hakeem Nicks’ broken foot, things were simple. They’d wait for the bone to heal, he’d be better, and they’d proceed. But it’s a knee problem that concerns them now, when the wide receiver experienced … |
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Timothy Burke, deadspin.com Remember when NFL Primetime was the shit? I know it may be difficult to imagine a time in which Chris Berman wasn't an intolerable blowhard, but indeed back in the days when the NFL's Sunday night game found ESPN home Berman was, simply, a tolerable blo… |
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Chase Stuart, nytimes.com The Falcons lead the N.F.C. in points scored and have the conference's best record (4-0) despite a less than stellar defense, thanks in large part to Matt Ryan's passing. |
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Crennel cracks door for QuinnOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On Sunday, Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said that Matt Cassel is still the team’s starting quarterback. On Monday, Crennel reiterated that position — with a caveat. Crennel said the Chiefs may give Brady Quinn some of the first-team reps in practice t… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Browns safety Ray Ventrone says Thursday night’s game against the Ravens got dirty, and he blames the Ravens for that. But he won’t say what they did. “I know that they were playing dirty on offense,” Ventrone told the Associated Press. “Watch t… |
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Tuesday morning one-linersOct 2, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Brandon Bolden isn’t the first little-known running back to break out against the Bills. According to coach Joe Philbin, Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill has played better than his statistics. Patriots WR Brandon Lloyd was pretty excited to score his first to… |
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Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com Jay Cutler just can’t help himself. If he’s in prime time, he seems hard-wired to show up a teammate or co-worker. After shoving an offensive lineman and swearing at him in Green Bay and saying he had no regrets, he twice brushed off Bears offensive c… |
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Matt Ryan lets the expletives fly, tooOct 2, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com During Sunday’s win over the Bills, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had a message for no one in particular after his touchdown run was upheld via replay review: “F–k you bitches.” As it turns out, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had a similar messa… |
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Toni Monkovic, nytimes.com Maryland and Minnesota are battlegrounds on the issue of gay marriage. And now, surprisingly, so is the N.F.L. |
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The host Cowboys stumbled mightily throughout their abysmal 34-18 loss to the Bears. But credit Chicago for taking full advantage of a slew of mistakes by Dallas, writes Chris Burke. |
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Bears bully Cowboys as Romo doles out 5 INTsOct 2, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman returned interceptions for touchdowns, and the Chicago Bears beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-18 on Monday night. |
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Fourth-and-Short: A Tale of Two QuarterbacksOct 2, 2012
After consecutive losses to the Falcons and Texans in Weeks 2 and 3, the buzzards began to surround Peyton Manning. His statistics — 7.1 yards p... |
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About Last Night: Oh, No ... RomoOct 2, 2012
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Monday. The Chicago Bears intercepted Tony Romo five times, retur... |
