This is the October 3, 2012 news archive. View today's NFL news and rumors.

National Football League News and Rumors

NY Giants in need of motivation heading into Sunday's game against the lowly Cleveland Browns

nydailynews.com

The Giants are not very good at the regular season. They struggle against lesser teams and find many ways to drop winnable games against the Eagles. Eli Manning would be far better off if he could just fast-forward to the playoffs and put on his road wa…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

In early 2011, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler absorbed plenty of criticism after tapping out of the NFC title game with a knee injury.  The naysayers were legitimized by Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who openly questioned Cutler’s toughness on…

nydailynews.com

Rex Ryan's words lacked the zip, the conviction, the comedy act of the last three years. The bluster was gone, the fire missing from his eyes. Who stole the old Rex and brought back Eric Mangini?

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

CNNSI.com

Tim Tebow might be the most talked about backup in the NFL, but he was outshined by a different second-stringer last week. Chris Burke examines why the Jets QB has yet to take off.

ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees may have some familiar faces in the crowd Sunday night as he takes aim at NFL history.

Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com

After the Jets confirmed that veteran receiver Santonio Holmes is done for the season, coach Rex Ryan got the inevitable question about whether his replacement could be Plaxico Burress. But Ryan said the Jets are going in a different direction. Although…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

The Jets have dominated the news in recent days, and not for good reasons. It will continue, and not for good reasons. Eventually, it will result in the news that Tim Tebow is the quarterback. Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com recently reported that two pe…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

Earlier this year, it seemed likely that the UFL was done.  Now that a new season has begun, it’s death seems to be virtually certain. Players and coaches aren’t getting paid, as explained by the Virginian-Pilot.  Said UFL president and Virginia Des…

Doug Farrar, yahoo.com

"You can say a lot of things about me as a coach, okay? I'm sure you do, and so do a lot of other people. But I'm just telling you something -- one thing I'm not, is scared. Are we gonna go for it on fourth down every time we have it at our own 20-…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

The good news for Dolphins running back Reggie Bush is that his knee injury has healed to the point where it doesn’t show up on the injury report. The bad news for Dolphins running back Reggie Bush is that he now has a hip injury. Bush was limited in pr…

CNNSI.com

BEREA, Ohio (AP) -- Josh Cribbs opened his eyes and was surprised to see his teammates huddling around him on their knees. He got up and was approached by Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, who shook Cribbs' hand.

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen has concerns about getting to Titans quarterback Matthew Hasselbeck, given his ability to get rid of the ball quickly.  Making it even harder for Allen to get to Hasselbeck on Sunday could be a groin injury that hampere…

Erik Malinowski, deadspin.com

It's got to be tough for NFL offensive linemen, whose entire vocation, at least more than any other position on the field, is dependent on how much they weigh. If you're skinny, you won't ever be an offensive lineman. It's their duty to stay as large as…

Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com

Oakland coach Dennis Allen grinned as he shook the hand of Denver coach John Fox following the Broncos’ 37-6 beatdown of the Raiders on Sunday, and some Raiders fans have complained that it looked like their coach wasn’t taking the loss as hard as he …

CNNSI.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Coach Mike Munchak says veteran Matt Hasselbeck will be the starting quarterback Sunday when the Titans visit Minnesota.

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said earlier this week that wide receiver Greg Jennings aggravated his groin injury in last Sunday’s win over the Saints and suggested that Jennings might be shut down for a week so that he could fully heal before returning t…

Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com

The Patriots have a lengthy injury list as they prepare for Sunday’s game against the Broncos. The most significant injury to keep an eye on is the hip injury that has been hampering Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who sat out practice today. The Pat…

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams expected to get a fine for a hit on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Sunday’s game. That doesn’t mean he was happy to find the letter informing him of the fine in his locker on Wednesday. Williams drew a flag for …

Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com

New Jets cornerback Aaron Berry said after he signed this week that he knows he’s working on his last chance in the NFL after the Lions dumped him this summer for getting arrested twice. But Berry says that if there’s a coach willing to give second ch…

Tom Ley, deadspin.com

On Monday, we brought you the story of Eagles running back LeSean McCoy's supposed catch phrase. Today, we received an email from Robert Edwards of the Gloucester County Times that adds a bit more credence to the story: More »

ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com

Maybe taking a break from football was just what the Indianapolis Colts needed.

Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com

The four-team United Football League started its fourth season of operation on Sept. 19, with the fledgling league receiving a boost from a broadcast agreement with CBS Sports Network, who is airing all 16 regular season games (over eight weeks) this se…

Arash Markazi, ESPN.com

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, councilmember Jan Perry, and AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke officially signed the implementation agreement Wednesday for Farmers Field.

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

As tempting as it might be, as much as they want to fight for him, the Colts are working hard to not make the rest of this season about coach Chuck Pagano and his battle with leukemia. They still break each practice with his name, but they know they hav…

Samer Kalaf, deadspin.com

Tom Brady was involved in one of the best GIFs of Week 4 when he was caught on camera saying "Fuck you, bitches" after running for a four-yard touchdown. But no one was able to discern who the "bitches" were. The Buffalo Bills? The f…

Mike Rodak, ESPN.com

After a one-year hiatus, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Denver Broncos quarterback will square off again at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

If you’re looking for a debate this Wednesday, there’s no reason to wait until Wednesday night. The Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports Network crew will be kicking around plenty of the biggest topics of the day in football nation. Erik Kuselias, Mike Flo…

Jack Dickey, deadspin.com

ESPN the Magazine has a fun story out today about Dan Snyder and our old friend Dave McKenna. It presents a slightly friendlier portrait of Snyder than you might find on, say, Deadspin—where we've called Snyder a "prick" and a "churlish l…

Associated Press, ESPN.com

Former NFL receiver Sam Hurd pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a new indictment accusing him of trying to obtain cocaine and marijuana while he was out on bond awaiting trial on charges of trying to start a drug ring in the Chicago area.

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

The Bengals are starting to look healthier at cornerback after facing the Jaguars with just three healthy bodies at the position. Leon Hall practiced on Wednesday for the first time since injuring his hamstring during a September practice and Nate Cleme…

Patrick Burns, deadspin.com

This is a regular feature breaking down, minute-by-minute, the content that appears on ESPN's 11 p.m. edition of SportsCenter throughout the week. More »

nydailynews.com

Dear Running Doc: The New York Jets announced Wednesday that Santonio Holmes, their best wide receiver, suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot, yet X-rays were negative. They said he would be out for the season. What is this injury? Paul F., Garden City…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

With a new season of TV shows debuting last week, the NFL continues to prove that nothing brings an audience together like the ultimate reality show:  Live professional football. A pair of NFL games got the highest ratings last week, with Giants-Eagles …

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice said he had no problems with quarterback Jay Cutler walking away from him during Monday’s win over the Cowboys. Tice seemed no more bothered by Cutler’s continued churlishness than Bears fans who are willing to ov…

Michael C. Wright, ESPN.com

Mike Tice said Wednesday that his relationship with quarterback Jay Cutler is "good," and he downplayed an incident that was captured by Monday Night Football cameras that seemed to show Cutler walking away from Tice during a heated exchange.

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

It’s an undeniable reality of life in the NFL.  At the end of the year, there will be bad teams.  And some of their coaches will be fired. Until then, we’ll monitor those who should be monitoring whether the locks get changed on December 31, the day…

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

Earlier on Wednesday, Florio pointed out that things were looking awfully thin at receiver for the Browns. Josh Cribbs, Mohamed Massaquoi and Travis Benjamin all missed Monday’s practice with injuries, leaving the team with three healthy wideouts ahead …

CNNSI.com

DALLAS (AP) Former NFL receiver Sam Hurd has pleaded not guilty to a new indictment in the drug case that derailed his career.

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

Plenty of folks have questioned the decision of the Panthers to punt inside Atlanta territory with the game on the line.  Add Panthers receiver Brandon LaFell to the list. “It’s fourth and inches, we’ve got Mike Tolbert, we’ve got Jonathan Stewar…

Sam Borden, nytimes.com

How would fans have reacted if the Giants had run a fake instead of kicking against the Eagles in the final seconds?

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

The Eagles came out of Sunday night with a few injury concerns, but they all seem to be well under control. Quarterback Michael Vick, running back LeSean McCoy and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha all practiced on Wednesday. Vick suffered a knee contusion lat…

CNNSI.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Chiefs put tight end Kevin Boss on injured reserve with a head injury Wednesday after doctors determined they would not clear him to play the rest of the year.

CNNSI.com

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) Santonio Holmes will miss the rest of this season with an injured left foot, leaving the struggling New York Jets without their top offensive playmaker.

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

There are fashion statements, and there are statements. With the NFL allowing players to wear pink during games this month to promote breast cancer awareness, you find out a little color goes a long way. But check out the shoes Panthers quarterback Cam …

Benjamin Hoffman, nytimes.com

A choice between a team with a suffocating defense and one with a reliable placekicker.

Evan Silva, profootballtalk.com

The NFL announced Wednesday that Chargers linebacker Donald Butler received AFC defensive player of the week honors for making six tackles, a half-sack, and returning an interception for a touchdown in San Diego’s Week Four win over the Kansas City Chie…

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

The Texans are more willing to go with two quarterbacks than three safeties. According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans have waived quarterback John Beck so they could bring back safety Troy Nolan. The Texans needed Nolan again after…

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

There’s only one stadium still in use by teams from both Major League Baseball and the National Football League, but one is all you need to create a scheduling problem. The league could be dealing with one in a couple of weeks. Should the Oakland A’s …

Erik Malinowski, deadspin.com

Any rap song about Seattle, or so I'm told, has to include shoutouts to all the great Emerald City sports stars, and Riff Raff provides all of them: Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr., Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, and Brian Bosworth, with a Craig Sager reference throw…

Mjd, yahoo.com

Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick are two of the most exciting quarterbacks in the National Football League, and they will square off on Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles renew their cross-state rivalry. Had Mike Tomlin gotten …

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

It has not been an easy start for the Saints, but their interim head coach thinks things are about to get a lot better. Aaron Kromer believes his team is on the verge of busting out after an 0-4 start that some have attributed to the hangover from the t…

Matt Ehalt, ESPN.com

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan disagreed with San Francisco 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers' claim that the Jets quit during Sunday's 34-0 loss at home.

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

Perhaps there were times a painful bruised knee would have knocked Redskins left tackle out of a game. But he said Wednesday that he had to prove himself after last year’s drug suspension, and that led him to return. “That’s a driving force behind a…

Brian McIntyre, yahoo.com

As expected, New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum announced on Wednesday that wide receiver Santonio Holmes has been placed on season-ending injured reserve. The veteran receiver sustained a Lisfranc injury to his left foot at the start of the …

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers says that the Jets quit during Sunday’s 34-0 thrashing at MetLife Stadium.  Jets coach Rex Ryan says that’s not the case. “I think we have a reputation in this league of being a tremendous defense,” Ryan told the me…

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

The Giants aren’t sure whether they’re going to have wide receiver Hakeem Nicks back in the lineup this week and now there’s a question mark next to the status of one of the guys who has put up good numbers filling in for him the last two weeks. Coa…

Evan Silva, profootballtalk.com

The San Francisco 49ers dominated the lifeless, reeling New York Jets by a score of 34-0 in Week Four, and for his efforts in the game, Niners linebacker Patrick Willis earned NFC defensive player of the week honors. Willis racked up ten tackles against…

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

When the Lions return from their bye in Week Five, they could be bringing an old face back with them. Tim Twentyman of the Lions website passes along word that safety Louis Delmas was on the practice field with the rest of the team during the portion of…

Evan Silva, profootballtalk.com

Rams rookie placekicker Greg Zuerlein has been a sort of underground, early-season sensation. He’s been booming long kicks left and right, and along the way earned nicknames ranging from “Legatron” to “Young G.Z.” We like Young G.Z. the best. Fo…

Evan Silva, profootballtalk.com

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was chosen as the NFC offensive player of the week after engineering Green Bay’s Week Four win over the New Orleans Saints, 28-27. The defending NFL Most Valuable Player completed 31-of-41 passes for 319 yards, four tou…

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

Jets coach Rex Ryan announced the expected Wednesday, saying wide receiver Santonio Holmes would be placed on injured reserve with his Lisfranc injury, and will need surgery, according to multiple reports. The Jets are signing wide receiver Jason Hill t…

Rich Cimini, ESPN.com

For the second time in nine days, the New York Jets announced a season-ending injury to one of their best players. This time, it's wide receiver Santonio Holmes.

Samer Kalaf, deadspin.com

To make up for the loss of Santonio Holmes, the Jets added receiver Jason Hill today, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. This is the same Jason Hill who called the Jets "overhyped" last season. More »

Doug Farrar, yahoo.com

Surprise, surprise -- some of the NFL players you'd think would care the least about personal appearance actually do notice when you note, and they're not at all happy about the ways in which NIKE's new uniforms, introduced for the 2012 season, fit thei…

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

With Santonio Holmes expected to miss the rest of the season with his Lisfranc injury, the Jets are going to fill his spot with wide receiver Jason Hill, according to multiple reports. Yeah, that Jason Hill. Hill was the same guy who called the Jets “ov…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

Despite high hopes for the 2012 season, the Carolina Panthers have plunged to 1-3.  In Charlotte, G.M. Marty Hurney is catching most of the blame.  He joined WFNZ’s Mac Attack on Wednesday morning to face the music. And Hurney didn’t run from realit…

Evan Silva, profootballtalk.com

Broncos placekicker Matt Prater was awarded AFC special teams player of the week for Week Four after converting all three of his field-goal attempts and four extra points in Denver’s smashing, 37-6 blowout victory over the Oakland Raiders. Prater also p…

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

Fumbling on his second professional carry cast David Wilson the trust of his coach, and it’s no accident he’s played only 14 offensive snaps in four games. But he’s starting to show the spark the Giants envisioned as a return man, and that could hel…

Evan Silva, profootballtalk.com

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been named AFC offensive player of the week after torching the Buffalo Bills in Week Four for 340 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions on 22-of-36 passing. Brady scrambled in a fourth score. The Pats-Bills gam…

ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com

Watching replacement officials botch the end of the infamous Packers-Seahawks Monday night game two weeks ago might have been torturous for Green Bay fans, but it was glorious for a Canadian man, who won a quarter of a million dollars thanks to the resu…

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

When the Bills traded for quarterback Tarvaris Jackson this offseason, the assumption was that they felt a needed an upgrade over Tyler Thigpen and Vince Young at backup quarterback. That assumption might have been correct, but it doesn’t look like Jack…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

Cardinals quarterback John Skelton may not be back to 100 percent after suffering a Week One ankle injury, but he’s getting closer. Skelton fully participated in practice on Tuesday, two days before the team’s Week Five game against the Rams. Also ful…

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

Joe Theismann might not care for the way Tony Romo is playing now. But the good news for Romo is, the man who signs his checks has his back. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said despite last week’s five-turnover disaster, he’s confident in his quarterback, …

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

One of the great stories of the 2011 season has become an afterthought in 2012. Linebacker Aaron Maybin, a first-rounder whom the Bills dumped after only two seasons, became a key contributor in 2011 with the Jets.  But the anti-Gholston, who had six sa…

ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com

The Miami Dolphins on Tuesday signed receiver Jabar Gaffney, who was cut by the Patriots in training camp before the season.

Doug Farrar, yahoo.com

There are times when controversies aren't all they're cracked up to be. Consider the case of New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker, who was allegedly being forced out of his team's offense early in the 2012 season. Fast-forward a few weeks, and you h…

Darin Gantt, profootballtalk.com

Aaron Rodgers and Cosmo Kramer now have something in common. Or is it, AAARRRRRGGGGHHHHon Rodgers? The Packers quarterback isn’t ready to play for the Buccaneers, but he did have an idea about protecting the eye that got poked last week against the Sain…

Erik Malinowski, deadspin.com

The New York Jets appear to have lost wide receiver Santonio Holmes to a serious foot injury that will cost him the rest of the 2012 season in all likelihood. Yahoo's Jason Cole reported the news Tuesday evening, adding the following detail:

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

We don’t agree with much that Joe Theismann has to say, primarily since after involuntarily listening to him for years and years (and years), we’ve grown numb to pretty much anything he says.  But Theismann has caught our attention with a candid take…

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

With the Jets losing receiver Santonio Holmes for the season, some have suggested that they should try to swing a trade with the team that helped bring Mark Sanchez to town three years ago. The Browns, whose top-five pick in 2009 resulted in the Jets la…

Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com

Two straight overtime losses aren’t a particularly good way of generating goodwill with your fan base, something Dolphins center Mike Pouncey seems to realize. Pouncey took the unusual step of issuing a public apology to Dolphins fans this week after lo…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

One of the top election-year social wedge issues has worked its way into the NFL, with Ravens teammates Brendon Ayanbadejo and Matt Birk publicly taking opposite stances on the issue of gay marriage. Ayanbadejo supports it.  Birk recently wrote an op-ed…

Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com

As Tuesday unfolded, it became more and more clear that the Jets’ assessment that receiver Santonio Holmes will miss “weeks” more accurately is “months.” Per multiple reports, Holmes has a Lisfranc injury that is expected to sideline him for the…

Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com

Bobby Carpenter, a free agent linebacker who was released by the Patriots just before the start of the regular season, is heading back to New England. Tom Curran of CSNNE.com reports that the Patriots will re-sign Carpenter. The Patriots’ decision to si…

Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com

Said Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski of his dropped pass and fumble early in Sunday’s game against the Bills, “I can’t be having that. It hurts the team a lot, I need to be protecting the ball better. No doubt about that. It’s awesome that Tom came bac…

Andy Benoit, nytimes.com

Buffalo had a sound game plan against the Patriots but was done in by its errors.

CNNSI.com

NEW YORK (AP) -- A person familiar with the situation says New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes has a Lisfranc injury to his left foot, likely leaving the team's struggling offense without their top playmaker for the rest of the season.

Mjd, yahoo.com

Top AFC seeds: Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens Other AFC division champs: Denver Broncos, New England Patriots AFC wild cards: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers Top NFC seeds: Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers Other NFC division champs: Philad…

Mjd, yahoo.com

Santonio Holmes, the most dynamic offensive weapon the New York Jets have, is "almost certainly" done for the year, according to a report from NFL.com's Albert Breer. The Jets haven't said anything publicly about Holmes in relation to the Lisf…

grantland.com

This week, "Is This Real?" moves onto the rapidly expanding bandwagon of the 3-1 Minnesota Vikings, who are improbably tied for the division lead in t...