Mar 11, 2013
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Written by Marc Caviglia |
Disgruntled wide receiver Percy Harvin had been rumored to be traded from the Minnesota Vikings and less than 24 hours after demanding a trade, he got his wish. In need of a playmaking wide receiver, the Seattle Seahawks traded multiple draft picks in exchange for the dynamic Harvin. The Vikings will receive the No. 25 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, a Round 7 selection this year and a middle round pick in 2014.
Feb 27, 2013
Even though the NFL league year doesn’t start for another two weeks, and no trades are set and stone, the San Francisco 49ers have agreed to send quarterback Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for draft picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. It’s reported that the 49ers will receive a Round 2 selection (No. 34 overall) this year and a Round 2 selection in the 2014 draft.
Sep 27, 2012
NFL commissioner apologized for the performance of the replacement officials in the first three weeks of the season.
“We're sorry to have to put our fans through that,” Goodell said on a Thursday afternoon conference call with reporters .
Goodell believed a deal would be reached with regular officials before the negativity of questionable calls Sunday night and Monday night spurred greater urgency.
“It doesn't always happen at the speed we all would like it to happen,” Goodell said. “They were very anxious to get back on the field. I believe we would've reached an agreement this week.
“I think there was pressure on all of us to get an agreement done,” Goodell said.
Goodell said he was sorry to put fans through the lockout and recognized Packers fans feel they were robbed of a victory at Seattle on Monday.
“Anytime you have these controversies, they stay with us,” Goodell said. “There are a lot of calls that are looked back in history. That's a part of sports. That's a part of history. ... I know the great Packer fans -- as frustrating and disappointed as they are in the outcome -- they also understand that's something that's happened for decades.”
Goodell said it was a personal priority for Week 4 to have all games covered by regular officials. The crew of Gene Steratore stepped forward to work Thursday's game at Baltimore.
The result of marathon negotiations Tuesday and Wednesday was an eight-year agreement that Goodell said believes was important to the future of the game.
--Defensive tackle Warren Sapp, defensive end Warren Sapp and offensive linemen Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden and late quarterback Steve McNair lead the first-year modern-era candidates nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
Contributors include team owners Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., Robert Kraft, Art Modell, Bud Adams and Jack Kent Cooke. Provided contributors are not currently playing or coaching, they can be considered for nomination.
The Hall of Fame released its full list of 127 nominees -- 89 players, 14 coaches and 24 contributors -- on Thursday, which will be narrowed to 25 candidates who are named semifinalists in November. That list is reduced to 15 modern-era finalists announced in the month leading up to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, where the Class of 2013 is announced in a live press conference on Feb. 2, 2013.
---Kellen Winslow was released by the Patriots.
Winslow reportedly asked for his released and the Patriots granted his request prior to Thursday's practice.
Winslow made just over $48,000 and logged four offensive snaps with one reception in his only game with the team Sunday night at Baltimore.
--The Dallas Cowboys signed punter Brian Moorman, who was released by the Bills with a net of 32.7 yards per punt in three games.
Moorman was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and steps in for injured Cowboys punter Chris Jones. Jones will miss at least two weeks with a sprained knee.
Moorman has allowed an NFL-worst 172 return yards and coach Chan Gailey said he was missing directional punts he'd normally nail.
---You know it's a big deal to have the NFL referees back on the field when the naming of the officiating crew for Thursday night's Baltimore-Cleveland game becomes news.
The NFL announced Thursday the names of the crew members who will work the first game since a contract agreement was reached with the league late Wednesday, ending a dispute that had forced replacements to work the entire preseason and the first three weeks of the regular season.
Gene Steratore, entering his 10th season, was named the referee. Joining him will be umpire Bill Schuster, head linesman Wayne Mackie, line Judge Jeff Seeman, field judge Bob Waggoner, side judge Jimmy DeBell, back judge Greg Steed, replay official Larry Nemmers and replay assistant Ken Dollar.
---Kansas City has lost starting center Rodney Hudson for the remainder of the season and Ryan Lilja is expected to step into his spot for the Chiefs.
Hudson, a second-round draft pick in 2011, suffered a broken leg in the Chiefs' win over New Orleans on Sunday and was placed on injured reserve.
Lilja will slide over from left guard and Jeff Allen will take Lilja's place.
---One day after missing practice with a sore right hip, Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford was back on the field Thursday.
The Detroit News also reported that tight end Tony Scheffler returned to practice after sitting out last Sunday's loss to Tennessee because of a calf injury.
The Lions are preparing for a division game Sunday against Minnesota.
---St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson did not practice for the second straight day Thursday because of a groin injury.
It's uncertain whether he will play this week.
Sep 27, 2012
The loss of cornerback Darrelle Revis may weaken the New York Jets defense a bit for their game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but it also creates more headaches for 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman to try to figure out how the Jets will compensate.
Rex Ryan and his Jets defensive staff are known for the variety of looks they throw at an offense, and now they may be more unpredictable in terms of how they will alter things with Revis out.
“Yeah, that's just a tragedy,” Romas said Thursday of Revis' season-ending injury. “Such a great player was befallen by injury and I'm sure they are going to adjust somehow. There's a lot of different ways they can do it and we might see all of them. A player of that magnitude allows you to do different things, isolate him. It's obvious on film, it's no secret that they would just lock him up on a guy and adjust elsewhere. Rob Peter to pay Paul, as they say. We just will be ready for anything. Rex and Mike [Pettine, Jets defensive coordinator] and that coaching staff are an outside-the-box type of staff, so we got to be ready for anything, no matter who's on the field.”
Roman has worked with Ryan, so he knows how innovative he can be on the defensive side.
“This Jets defense forces our whole staff to stay up into the wee hours of the morning,” Roman said. “Some really good coaches, great innovators, really changed defense in the NFL, forced offense to adjust. It's been happening for the past probably six or seven years. It's really given our offensive coaching staff a chance to bond early into the wee hours because one thing I can guarantee about the Jets defense is there's going to be 11 guys on the field. You never know where they're going to line up, but there's going to be 11 of them.”
Frank Gore had just 12 carries while gaining 63 yards in the loss to the Vikings, but Roman did not declare that Gore would get more work against the Jets.
“You know we are always going to do what we think is best to win the game and every game's going to play out differently,” he said. “In that particular game he got the amount of touches he got and this game could be completely different or not, we'll have to wait and see. It's game-by-game. I think we moved the ball pretty darn well. It was a limited possession game. We knew that, we talked about it at halftime and we just got to finish drives better. I'd say we moved the ball pretty well. We had a 13-play drive we had, a 12-play drive.”
Historically, the Jets have been very good against the run under Ryan, and even though they have allowed more rushing yardage than usual this season, Roman still thinks they have the talent to be tough against the run.
“No question and I think they do,” he said. “A lot of those runs were corralled pretty good and the back just made something happen. Some of those on paper you'd say, 'Wow that should never happen, really.' The New York Jets play run defense, if you go back, as good as anybody. If they want to load up on the run, they're going to get bodies down there. They're going to play the 46. I think Rex and the Jets in general, the players, they've got a great run defense.”
The 49ers may have running back Brandon Jacobs back this week.
“He's definitely practicing right now and we'll have to wait and see.”
San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio also has something new to consider -- the Tim Tebow package.
“Well you have to take it very serious,” Fango said, “because they'll play him some in there and it's more like it gets back to the college type offense where there's the gun read, the quarterback runs where he fakes it and then keeps it and it's just a quarterback power. It's an everyday power, but it's with the 11th guy on the field not the 10th. So you do have to prepare for it.”
Sep 27, 2012
Health could be an issue for one of the quarterbacks in the Minnesota Vikings-Detroit Lions game Sunday.
After Matthew Stafford (leg) practiced without limitation Thursday, it's not the Lions with the worry.
Vikings' quarterback Christian Ponder, who has completed 70.1 percent of his passes without an interception in 2012, was limited in Minnesota's practice on Thursday because of a neck injury. Ponder was not on the injury report Wednesday.
Tight end Kyle Rudolph (thigh) and defensive end Jared Allen (back) were also listed as limited participants Thursday on the Vikings injury report.
Coach Leslie Frazier said he doesn't believe any of the injuries are serious and expects all three players to respond after a day of rest. Linebacker Erin Henderson (concussion) has not been cleared after not playing in the victory over San Francisco in Week 3.
Sep 27, 2012
Defensive tackle Warren Sapp, defensive end Warren Sapp and offensive linemen Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden and late quarterback Steve McNair lead the first-year modern-era candidates nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
Contributors include team owners Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., Robert Kraft, Art Modell, Bud Adams and Jack Kent Cooke. Provided contributors are not currently playing or coaching, they can be considered for nomination.
Sapp was a first-round pick in 1995. The four-time All-Pro helped redefine the defensive tackle position as a “three technique” defensive lineman and had 100 career sacks including the postseason, second in NFL history for a defensive tackle. Sapp won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers and finished his career with the Oakland Raiders.
Strahan spent his entire career with the Giants (1993-2007). He went to the Pro Bowl seven times and was a four-time All-Pro. He retired with 141.5 career sacks and 22.5 sacks in 2002.
Allen, an offensive guard who made the Pro Bowl 11 times, and was a seven-time All-Pro. He played 12 seasons with the Cowboys, who drafted him in 1994, and was a starter in the Super Bowl XXX victory over the Steelers.
Ogden played for the Ravens from 1996-2007, went to the Pro Bowl 11 times and was a nine-time All-Pro left tackle.
The Hall of Fame released its full list of 127 nominees -- 89 players, 14 coaches and 24 contributors -- on Thursday, which will be barrowed to 25 candidates who are named semifinalists in November. That list is reduced to 15 modern-era finalists announced in the month leading up to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, where the Class of 2013 is announced in a live press conference on Feb. 2, 2013.
Between four and seven new members are selected but there is no set number of enshrinees.
The entire list of candidates:
First-year candidates
Quarterback -- Steve McNair
Running Back -- Priest Holmes
Wide Receiver -- Keenan McCardell
Offensive Linemen -- Larry Allen (G), Tom Nalen (C), Jonathan Ogden (T)
Defensive Linemen -- Sam Adams (DT), Warren Sapp (DT), Michael Strahan (DE), Ted Washington (DT/NT), Bryant Young (DE)
Defensive Back -- John Lynch (S)
Kicker -- Morten Andersen
Additional Nominees
QUARTERBACKS -- Drew Bledsoe, Randall Cunningham, Ron Jaworski, Neil Lomax, Phil Simms, Danny White
RUNNING BACKS -- Jamal Anderson, Ottis Anderson, Tiki Barber, *Jerome Bettis, Larry Centers, Roger Craig, Stephen Davis, Terrell Davis, Eddie George, Brian Mitchell (also PR/KR), Gerald Riggs, Herschel Walker, Ricky Watters
WIDE RECEIVERS -*Tim Brown (also KR), *Cris Carter, Gary Clark, Mark Clayton, Henry Ellard (also PR), Keyshawn Johnson, Stanley Morgan, *Andre Reed, Sterling Sharpe, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith
TIGHT ENDS -- Todd Christensen, Ben Coates
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN -- Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Jim Covert (T), Joe Fields (C), Bill Fralic (G/T), Jeff Hartings (G/C), Jay Hilgenberg (C), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull (C), Joe Jacoby (T), Mike Kenn (T), Jim Lachey (T), *Will Shields (G), Erik Williams (T), Steve Wisniewski (G)
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN -- Carl Hairston (DE/DT), *Charles Haley (DE/LB), Ed “Too Tall” Jones (DE), Joe Klecko (DE/DT/NT), Dexter Manley (DE), Charles Mann (DE), Fred Smerlas (NT)
LINEBACKERS -- Cornelius Bennett, *Kevin Greene (also DE), Ken Harvey, Clay Matthews, Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Darryl Talley
DEFENSIVE BACKS -- Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Joey Browner (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Nolan Cromwell (S), Albert Lewis (CB), Dennis Smith (S), Troy Vincent (CB), Everson Walls (CB), *Aeneas Williams (CB/S), Darren Woodson (S)
PUNTERS/KICKERS -- Gary Anderson (K), Sean Landeta (P), Nick Lowery (K)
SPECIAL TEAMS/POSITION PLAYER -- Steve Tasker (also WR)
COACHES -- Bill Arnsparger, Doug Blevins, Bud Carson, Don Coryell, Bill Cowher, Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, *Bill Parcells, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, Clark Shaughnessy, Dick Vermeil
CONTRIBUTORS -- K. S. (Bud) Adams, Jr., George Anderson, Bobby Beathard, Gil Brandt, C. O. Brocato, Leo Carlin, Jack Kent Cooke, Otho Davis, *Ed DeBartolo, Jr., Ron Gibbs, Ralph Kohl, Eddie Kotal, Robert Kraft, Art McNally, Art Modell, Bill Polian, Art Rooney, Jr., Steve Sabol, Carl Storck, Paul Tagliabue, Burl Toler, Sr., Jim Tunney, Ron Wolf, George Young
*On 2012 finalists list
Sep 27, 2012
The Dallas Cowboys signed punter Brian Moorman, who was released by the Bills with a net of 32.7 yards per punt in three games.
Moorman was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and steps in for injured Cowboys punter Chris Jones. Jones will miss at least two weeks with a sprained knee.
Moorman has allowed an NFL-worst 172 return yards and coach Chan Gailey said he was missing directional punts he'd normally nail.
“He's punted for a long time in this league at a real high level,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said.
The Cowboys special teams will be critical Sunday. Devin Hester is averaging 11.7 yards per punt return and led the NFL with 16.2 yards per return in 2011.
Moorman will also serve as the holder for placekicker Dan Bailey. They'll have only two full practices to work together.
Sep 27, 2012
Kellen Winslow was released by the Patriots.
Winslow reportedly asked for his released and the Patriots granted his request prior to Thursday's practice.
Winslow made just over $48,000 and logged four offensive snaps with one reception in his only game with the team Sunday night at Baltimore.
Sep 27, 2012
Safety Chris Crocker was re-signed by the Cincinnati Bengals. The 10th-year player signed with the Bengals during the 2008 season and was with the team through last season, starting every game in 2011.
Tight end Donald Lee had his contract terminated by the Bengals. The 10th-year veteran was inactive for each of the first three games this season.
Sep 27, 2012
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believed a deal would be reached with regular officials before the negativity of questionable calls Sunday night and Monday night spurred greater urgency.
“It doesn't always happen at the speed we all would like it to happen,” Goodell said. “They were very anxious to get back on the field. I believe we would've reached an agreement this week.
“I think there was pressure on all of us to get an agreement done,” Goodell said.
Goodell, as a fan of the NFL, said he'd never want to see a game marred by officiating as Monday's clearly was.
“You never want to see a game end like that,” he said. “You always want to try to avoid those controversial plays -- especially at the end of the game.”
Goodell said he was sorry to put fans through the lockout and recognized Packers fans feel they were robbed of a victory at Seattle on Monday.
“Anytime you have these controversies, they stay with us,” Goodell said. “There are a lot of calls that are looked back in history. That's a part of sports. That's a part of history. ... I know the great Packer fans -- as frustrating and disappointed as they are in the outcome -- they also understand that's something that's happened for decades.”
Goodell said it was a personal priority for Week 4 to have all games covered by regular officials. The crew of Gene Steratore stepped forward to work Thursday's game at Baltimore.
The result of marathon negotiations Tuesday and Wednesday was an eight-year agreement that Goodell said believes was important to the future of the game.
“We were in intensive negotiations the last 10 days,” Goodell said. “This was the right thing for the game. This was the right thing to do. Get the officials back on the field, get this thing concluded. That's what everyone's objective was.”
