ilove: October 2013

Thursday, 31 October 2013

Source: Bengals DT Atkins suffers torn ACL

Updated: November 1, 2013, 1:14 AM ET

By Coley Harvey | ESPN.com

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Cincinnati Bengals have been bitten by the injury bug once again. This time, the victim was a player the team can ill-afford to lose.

Fourth-year defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who was re-signed at the start of the season to a deal that will pay him $ 55 million, left Thursday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins with a right knee injury that Bengals trainers believe may be related to his anterior cruciate ligament. A Bengals source confirmed to ESPN’s Bob Holtzman that Atkins tore his ACL, but will have an MRI Friday to confirm the diagnosis.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis told reporters he wasn’t sure if Atkins had an MRI at the stadium that revealed that. He hinted that he wanted further testing of Atkins once the team got back to Cincinnati.

The injury came late in the second quarter of a game that Miami ultimately won in overtime, 22-20. Atkins was replaced at the time by Wallace Gilberry, although reserve defensive end Brandon Thompson will be the player most called upon to fill Atkins’ shoes if the injury is indeed of the season-ending variety the Bengals fear.

“It’s the next man up, it’s time to go, we’ve got to continue,” Thompson said. “I’ve been preparing since I’ve been here, and now it’s my time to step up and do what I have to do.”

Atkins’ injury occurred with 4:45 left in the second quarter, when his leg appeared to get rolled up underneath one of his teammates and a Dolphins ball carrier, who was being tackled at the end of a 3-yard run. As soon as the play was over, Atkins rolled over onto his right side and took off his helmet. The training staff was immediately summoned as other Bengals kneeled and disappointedly looked on.

After several moments, Atkins eventually was helped up by teammates and helped off the turf by others who flanked his left and right sides. Miami scored four plays after Atkins’ departure.

“It’s tough, but this team’s had adversity before,” cornerback Terence Newman said. “We’ve just got to fight through it.”

Four days ago, the Bengals lost four players to injury during their 49-9 win over the New York Jets. Three of those hurt in that contest — linebacker Rey Maualuga, defensive back Taylor Mays and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth — were inactive Thursday.

Maualuga is out three to four weeks with a knee and concussion injury, Mays is done for the season after hurting his shoulder, and Whitworth wasn’t available after his left knee was too swollen for him to comfortably play Thursday night.

A native of nearby Pembroke Pines, Fla., Atkins entered the game with 18 tackles and five sacks. He had one first-quarter sack on Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill before his departure.

The Bengals also briefly lost linebacker James Harrison to a left thumb injury late in the second quarter, and running back Giovani Bernard left for good in the fourth quarter following a 35-yard touchdown run. After dodging a pair of tackles to his right and cutting back across the field during the run, Bernard broke five tackles before flipping into the end zone at the end of the play. Lewis said Bernard had a bruise on one of his ribs.

Dolphins left guard Richie Incognito left the game in the first quarter with a neck injury and was ruled out for the second half. Miami backup Nate Garner filled in for Incognito in the second quarter.

Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll was ruled out for the game with a concussion.

Information from ESPN Dolphins reporter James Walker was used in this report.

Previously covered Florida State for Orlando Sentinel and Georgia Tech for Macon Telegraph

Northwestern University graduate

ESPN.com – NFL

Source: Bengals DT Atkins suffers torn ACL

49ers activate Smith after 5-game absence

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Aldon Smith is back with the San Francisco 49ers.

Smith was activated off the non-football injury list Thursday. He went into an alcohol treatment center Sept. 23 — three days after his second arrest on suspicion of drunken driving since entering the NFL in 2011. He was released from the treatment center this week.

Smith met with coach Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday.

“I met with him face to face today,” Harbaugh told San Francisco radio station 95.7 The Game on Wednesday. “Aldon was in the building. … It was great to see the reaction of others who saw him and Aldon’s reaction of being back here with some of the guys. He looks great, and we’re having a good day. I mean, that was the object of today — let’s have a great day. I think that’s the way Aldon’s approaching things each day too … the goal to have a great day.”

San Francisco general manager Trent Baalke said last week he is hopeful Smith will play this season but that the team wants to see “progress” from its young linebacker. Sources said Thursday the team believes Smith is ready to get back to the daily life of being an NFL player and that it is best for him to be with the team.

Smith, 24, is expected to play in the 49ers’ next game, Nov. 10 at home against Carolina. Smith has 4.5 sacks in three games this season and has an NFL-leading 38 sacks since 2011.

The 49ers will have a roster exemption for a week for Smith. Therefore, he can practice for a week and the team won’t have to make a roster move until the day before the Carolina game.

On Saturday, in London, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the fact that Smith sought treatment and missed five games on his own will be factored in when the league determines if he will be suspended. The league could opt to fine Smith and take away a game check or two.

Out of good faith, the 49ers paid Smith while he was gone. His game check was about $ 99,000 a week.

Smith was charged Oct. 9 with three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon, stemming from a party at his home in June 2012. Smith will be due in court twice — Nov. 12 and Nov. 19 — to face DUI and weapons charges.

Also in September, Smith and former teammate Delanie Walker were named in a lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court by a Northern California man who said he was shot at a party at Smith’s house on June 29, 2012.

The players charged a $ 10 admission and $ 5 per drink, the lawsuit said. Smith and now-Titans tight end Walker, 29, were allegedly intoxicated on Smith’s balcony when they fired gunshots in the air while trying to end the party, the lawsuit said.

Before the 2012 home opener last September, Smith was the passenger in a car during an accident in Santa Clara County in which the driver swerved to avoid hitting a deer. Smith sustained a cut beneath his right eyebrow. He apologized and insisted he would change his ways.

Smith, selected seventh overall in the 2011 draft out of Missouri, had previously been arrested on suspicion of DUI in January 2012 in Miami shortly after the 49ers lost in the NFC Championship Game.

The 49ers are 5-0 since Smith left. However, his return will give the team a spark as it heads into the stretch run.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Covered AFC West for five seasons for ESPN.com

Covered Broncos for Denver Post

Also covered Vikings, Packers, Seahawks

ESPN.com – NFL

49ers activate Smith after 5-game absence

Betting: How to bet Cincinnati-Miami

Line analysis and ATS picks from Vegas experts on the Thursday night game

Updated: October 31, 2013, 11:44 AM ET

By Jeff Gold | ESPN Insider

If we give Denver the unofficial yet fun title of “Best team in the AFC,” who’s second? The Bengals appear to be as good a candidate as any. Some other contenders for the title include the Patriots, Colts and Chiefs. Who would you pick if any of those teams played Cincinnati this week on a neutral field?

The Bengals, winners of four straight, appear to have the AFC North firmly under control, sitting 2.5 games up on second-place Baltimore. If nothing else, they appear likely to avoid their annual first-round playoff exit at Houston in the Saturday afternoon postseason opener when Marvin Lewis makes head-scratching decisions from the outset to the final whistle.

If this game was played three weeks ago, the line would likely be reversed. Instead of the Bengals laying a field goal, Miami would be giving a few points. But the Dolphins’ season has been in complete disarray over the past month, as they have lost four straight after a 3-0 start.

If you want to consider the approach that the more desperate team is often the better bet, Miami would be the choice Thursday night. But the Dolphins’ receiving corps is so banged up that as of Wednesday, they had only three active receivers. At least it makes it unlikely that Mike Wallace won’t complain about not being targeted enough, something he’s done in the past, even in wins.

According to ESPN PickCenter, a whopping 87 percent of the public backs the Bengals in this one. The astute public is always in touch with streaks, so no surprise to see overwhelming support for Cincinnati.

Let’s hear bookmaker Jay Kornegay’s thoughts and ATS picks on Thursday night’s game from our panel of wiseguys.

Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins

Spread: Opened Bengals minus-2; now Bengals minus-3
Total: Opened at 42; now 43

To read more about how to bet Thursday’s Cincinnati-Miami game from Vegas handicappers, you must be an ESPN Insider.

Joined ESPN in 2010

Researcher/reporter for ESPN The Magazine

Covers NFL and gambling

ESPN.com – NFL

Betting: How to bet Cincinnati-Miami

Sideline Meltdowns

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Publish Date: Oct 29, 2013, 05:35 PM ETDuration: 01:54

ESPN.com – NFL

Sideline Meltdowns

NFLPA: Meriweather sorry for his comments

Updated: October 31, 2013, 11:33 AM ET

By John Keim | ESPN.com

DeMaurice Smith said Washington Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather is sorry for comments he made Monday, directing ire over his suspension to the league’s rules and Chicago Bears receiver Brandon Marshall.

Smith, the NFL Players Association’s executive director, issued a statement Thursday, saying he spoke with Meriweather after the player made his inflammatory comments.

“

I spoke to Brandon. He is passionate about the game, and I know he is sorry for what he said. He is concentrating on helping his team win the rest of the season. Brandon knows that all players have a responsibility to each other and to play within the rules of the game.

” – DeMaurice Smith

Meriweather, who was suspended one game for repeated illegal hits, said Monday that “I guess I just got to take people’s knees out. That’s the only way. I would hate to end a guy’s career over a rule, but I guess it’s better other people than me getting suspended for longer. You just have to go low now, man. You’ve got to end people’s careers. You got to tear people’s ACLs and mess up people’s knees. You can’t hit them high anymore.”

“I spoke to Brandon. He is passionate about the game, and I know he is sorry for what he said,” Smith said in his statement. “He is concentrating on helping his team win the rest of the season. Brandon knows that all players have a responsibility to each other and to play within the rules of the game.”

A source told ESPN NFL Insider Ed Werder earlier this week that the NFL will not discipline Meriweather for his comments but will closely monitor his play on the field as he returns from his one-game suspension.

On Monday, when he was asked for his thoughts on Marshall saying that Meriweather should be suspended or even kicked out of the league, the safety said: “He feels like I need to be kicked out of the league? I feel like people who beat their girlfriends should be kicked out of the league too. You tell me who you’d rather have: someone who plays aggressive on the field or someone who beat up their girlfriend?”

Marshall, who was on the end of one of Meriweather’s flagged hits, has been arrested multiple times for domestic violence. Following the arrests, Marshall was acquitted or no charges were filed.

Later Monday, Marshall told ESPN 1000′s Waddle and Silvy Show that he is praying for Meriweather and that the two are simply on “different pages” when it comes to player safety.

“He actually reached out to me last week, and I told him that I was more concerned about him and his health, because I think a few weeks before our game I saw him lying on the field just out cold. It was a scary situation. I never want to see him or any player lay out like that,” Marshall said. “As far as what he said today, you can only pray for someone with those feelings. So that’s all I have to say about that.”

ESPNChicago.com’s Jeff Dickerson contributed to this report.

Covered the Redskins for the Washington Examiner and other media outlets since 1994

Authored or co-authored three books on the Redskins and one on the Cleveland Browns

ESPN.com – NFL

NFLPA: Meriweather sorry for his comments

Rank "Em: NFL Week 8 MVP Watch

Two of Earl Thomas’ 10 tackles came as the Seahawks made a goal-line stand in the final seconds of a 14-9 win over the Rams. Calvin Johnson set a Lions franchise-record with 329 receiving yards against the Cowboys, just seven yards shy of the NFL single-game receiving record. Both players had MVP-worthy performances, but where does their output rank among other deserving candidates? Below are the 10 players NFL Nation reporter Dan Graziano has in his weekly MVP watch. Click the images below to set your own rankings!

Drew Brees

Jamaal Charles

Andy Dalton

Calvin Johnson

Andrew Luck

Peyton Manning

Philip Rivers

Aaron Rodgers

Tony Romo

Earl Thomas

ESPN.com – NFL

Rank "Em: NFL Week 8 MVP Watch

McClain left NFL before rage led to disaster

Updated: October 30, 2013, 11:59 AM ET

ESPN.com news services

Rolando McClain felt so full of anger before he walked away from the game that he was worried he would do something he would regret.

“I felt like Aaron Hernandez, like I just wanted to kill somebody,” McClain said in an interview for this week’s ESPN The Magazine.

After a string of off-field trouble, McClain was released by the Oakland Raiders in April and signed with the Baltimore Ravens. But he abruptly decided to retire at the age of 23.

He eventually returned to Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he had been a star at Alabama, to get his life together. Among the goals he decided to set for himself: To finish his degree.

The peaceful life in a college town stands in stark contrast to the pressures and trouble he experienced in his NFL life.

According to the interview, from the moment he signed a contract with the Raiders for a guaranteed $ 23 million, he became the target of friends and relatives. During a six-month span, he said he spent almost $ 600,000, mostly on cars, to satisfy requests for money.

He started to lose his love for the game and kept getting into trouble off the field. In December 2011, he was arrested in a shooting. In January 2013, he was arrested for having his car windows tinted too dark and for providing a false identity to police. Ten days after signing with the Ravens, he was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

McClain felt that if he stayed on the same path, he “would have ended up locked in a cage like an animal. That had to be the only outcome.”

Raised in a single-parent home with guns, violence and drugs all around him, McClain ran away at 15 and lived on friends’ couches. Football was an outlet for his growing anger. But he said “football was my mask.”

He has thought about attending therapy but isn’t sure.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to know, man, why I was so angry,” he said.

For now, he has found some peace away from the game, though he does hope to return to the NFL, maybe as soon as next season.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

ESPN.com – NFL

McClain left NFL before rage led to disaster

Wednesday, 30 October 2013

Sources: Martin angered, leaves Dolphins

Updated: October 31, 2013, 12:19 AM ET

By James Walker | ESPN.com

Miami Dolphins starting offensive tackle Jonathan Martin left the team following an incident with teammates, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.com.

According to sources, Martin was the subject of some ribbing on Monday and was angry about it. One source said Martin’s fellow offensive linemen were behind the incident, and it happened in the Dolphins’ lunch room.

“O-line made fun of him and he snapped,” a source said.

Martin left the team this week and is listed as doubtful for Thursday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals due to an illness. Neither source was sure when Martin would return. Backup right tackle Tyson Clabo is expected to start in Martin’s place.

Martin, a former Stanford product, was a 2012 second-round pick of the Dolphins. He has started every game for Miami this season. He spent the first six games at left tackle and one at right tackle.

Fox Sports 1 first reported the news on Wednesday evening.

A Temple graduate and Hyattsville, Md., native who lives in Miami

Joined ESPN in 2008

ESPN.com – NFL

Sources: Martin angered, leaves Dolphins

Oneida Nation meets with NFL about Redskins

Representatives of the Oneida Indian Nation on Wednesday asked NFL executives to sanction Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder for conduct detrimental to the league for continuing to use a team nickname and mascot that “promote a dictionary-defined racial slur.”

In the 90-minute meeting between Oneida Nation representatives and three senior league executives in New York City, the officials also asked for all team owners to meet with Oneida leaders the week of Super Bowl XLVIII. And they asked that Snyder and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who was traveling Wednesday and did not attend the meeting, visit Oneida Nation homelands in upstate New York.

But the Oneida representatives left disappointed, saying after the meeting with senior NFL executives Jeff Pash, Adolpho Birch and Paul Hicks that the league “defended the use of a racist name,” Oneida spokesman Joel Barkin said.

“We are very disappointed,” Barkin said. “This is the beginning of a process. It’s clear that they don’t see how this is not a unifying term. They don’t have a complete appreciation for the breadth of opposition of Native Americans to this mascot and name.”

Wednesday’s meeting occurred one day after Goodell and Snyder met about the same issue. According to The Washington Post, Snyder repeated to Goodell that he had no plans to change the team’s nickname.

“We met at the request of Ray Halbritter of the Oneida Nation. We listened and respectfully discussed the views of Mr. Halbritter, Oneida Nation Wolf Clan Representative Keller George and their colleagues, as well as the sharply differing views of many other Native Americans and fans in general,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. “The meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue to facilitate listening and learning, consistent with the commissioner’s comments earlier this year.”

It is rare for the NFL to discuss such issues with tribal leaders directly. In 1992, NFL representatives met with tribal leaders about the appropriateness of the Redskins and Chiefs nicknames, but then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue said the league had no intention of pressuring the teams to change their names.

In a two-page letter written to Goodell and turned over to league executives Wednesday, Halbritter asked executives to amend the league’s bylaws with a rule that would prohibit the NFL from naming teams with “dictionary-defined racial slurs,” a classification that Oneida leaders say includes Redskins.

Halbritter also asked Goodell to open an inquiry of Snyder under section 8.13 of league bylaws, which gives the commissioner the power to initiate disciplinary action against any owner who is “guilty of conduct detrimental to the welfare of the league or professional football.”

“As Commissioner,” Halbritter wrote to Goodell, “you have exercised your authority to act pursuant to this provision under circumstances that are far less egregious than the use of a racial epithet as a team’s name, including imposition of sanctions for salary cap violations, prohibitions of on-field celebrations that do not reflect well on the game and punishing off-field misconduct by team officials.”

Despite increased calls by groups and journalists to change the nickname, Snyder has said repeatedly he would “never” change the name. Snyder, who recently hired lawyer and public relations consultant Lanny Davis to help him navigate recent publicity over the issue, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Davis also did not return requests for comment.

During the meeting, Oneida representatives presented league executives with a copy of an Oneida-commissioned, 30-page study that examined whether a “scientific rationale” existed for the stance that the Redskins’ team mascot harms Native Americans. The conclusion is that it does. According to the study:

• The Redskins contribute to “prejudice and discrimination” against Native Americans by using the team name and mascot, which would be considered harassment or bullying in a workplace or if used interpersonally.

• Tests have shown that the presence of Native American mascots results directly in lower self-esteem and lower mood within this population, as well as increased negative associations of Native Americans among non-Native American groups. Importantly, these effects occur regardless of whether the Native American mascot is considered “offensive.”

• Racial slurs, racial harassment and racial bullying have been associated with poor mental health among Native American children, adolescents and adults, according to study author Michael A. Friedman, a clinical psychologist specializing in how social environment can influence mental and physical health.

“Native Americans are the only group in the United States subjected to having a racial slur as the mascot of a prominent professional sports team,” Friedman wrote in his study. “The Washington football team, whether it intends to do so or not, is contributing to prejudice and discrimination against Native Americans by persisting in using the ‘R-word.’ With the help of the National Football League’s $ 9 billion a year global marketing machine, this behavior not only repeatedly exposes Native Americans to a harmful stereotype, but also implicitly condones the use of this term by non-Native Americans, which if performed on an interpersonal level would possibly constitute harassment or bullying.”

“People ask, ‘Why now?’ but Native Americans have protested against this nickname for 40 years,” Friedman said in an interview. “There are 10 different studies showing the direct causal effects on Native Americans and how it creates a racially hostile environment.”

Friedman said that in the past 25 years, 28 U.S. high schools have dropped Redskins as a nickname.

This month, Snyder, who has owned the team since May 1999, wrote an open letter to Washington fans saying that the nickname was a cherished part of the team’s heritage and would never be changed. “After 81 years,” Snyder wrote, “the team name ‘Redskins’ continues to hold the memories and meaning of where we came from, who we are, and who we want to be in the years to come.”

Member of three Pulitzer Prize-winning teams for national, explanatory and public service journalism

Author of three books, including New York Times best-selling “First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush”

24-year newspaper career at The New York Times and Miami Herald

ESPN.com – NFL

Oneida Nation meets with NFL about Redskins

PFF: Midseason Pro Bowl draft

PFF’s writers draft two competing NFL Pro Bowl rosters

Updated: October 29, 2013, 3:20 PM ET

By Steve Palazzolo and Khaled Elsayed | Pro Football Focus

There’s a new Pro Bowl in town. The “unconferenced” format means that Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders will have their pick of players who are voted through to the Hawaii-based all-star game, with the possibility of teammates going head-to-head and much more.

So we decided to do something similar here at Pro Football Focus. Steve Palazzolo and I are going head-to-head picking our own Pro Bowl squads as we scrutinize the standout performers through Week 8. We’ve looked at the official Pro Bowl ballots, and based on who we’re allowed to pick and what we value personally, have drafted our own set of starters — Palazzolo’s Prime Timers and Elsayed’s Elites.

Below we break down our most contentious picks, avoiding the obvious selections such as Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, which are pretty self-explanatory. On the right side, you can view the entire roster for each squad, along with each player’s grades.

Palazzolo’s Prime Timers Breakdown

Darren Sproles, RB, Saints
Pick No. 24 | 2013 Grade: +9.3

While he’s not your traditional running back, Sproles brings great versatility to the passing game. He leads all running backs with a plus-10.1 receiving grade and he also leads with 2.69 yards per route run. A real matchup problem.

Jordan Cameron, TE, Browns
Pick No. 21 | 2013 Grade: +8.6

To see the rest of the Pro Bowl rosters from Pro Football Focus, you must be an ESPN Insider.

ESPN.com – NFL

PFF: Midseason Pro Bowl draft

Ryan Clark: Dez criticism a double standard

Updated: October 30, 2013, 3:55 PM ET

By Scott Brown | ESPN.com

PITTSBURGH — Ryan Clark fired back at those who have bashed Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant for his sideline theatrics last Sunday and said such criticism reflects a double standard in the NFL.

“

I’ve seen Tom Brady cuss and scream and do all kind of things but nobody looks at him like that. I just think it’s unfair the way we see it and the way the media portrays certain things because of personal feelings about a person.

” – Ryan Clark, on criticism of Dez Bryant’s sideline tirade

“I’ve seen Tom Brady cuss and scream and do all kind of things but nobody looks at him like that,” the outspoken Pittsburgh Steelers safety said Wednesday. “I just think it’s unfair the way we see it and the way the media portrays certain things because of personal feelings about a person.”

Clark said he saw nothing wrong with what Bryant did even though cameras showed him having heated discussions on the sidelines with several teammates, including tight end Jason Witten. Bryant’s sideline theatrics overshadowed a spectacular touchdown catch he made in the Cowboys’ 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions.

“Dez Bryant wasn’t going off. Dez Bryant said, ‘We are the best in the NFL at this.’ Doesn’t sound like going off to me,” Clark said. “Were his hands flailing, did he use some vulgarity? Yes. But his speech was ‘We are the best in the NFL at this. They can’t stop us doing this.’ What’s wrong with that?”

Clark didn’t find fault with another topic that has driven NFL discussion this week: the message that Brandon Meriweather sent when he said he would target receivers’ knees after serving a one-game suspension.

The Washington Redskins safety was suspended by the NFL for repeatedly violating the rule that prohibits hitting a defenseless player in the head.

“Obviously the position that he’s in makes him sound angry, makes it sounds a little more cruel than it truly is,” Clark said of Meriweather’s comments, “but what he’s saying is extremely true or has a lot of fact to in the sense that the one place we know we can hit guys and you won’t get fined is extremely low.

“What he says makes a lot of sense to me. You just wish he was in a better position emotionally to where people can really understand it and really know that he’s only saying he’s trying to be as safe as possible as far as not getting fined, not getting suspended, not getting penalized.”

The NFL’s crackdown on dangerous hits has forced defensive backs to lower their hitting target and there have been several instances this season that a receiver has suffered a serious knee injury because he got hit low.

Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown said he doesn’t worry about getting hit — whether it is high or low.

“It’s football,” Brown said. “We signed up for it. You put your big boy pads in and you come to play.”

Covered Steelers for six years for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Author of five books, including “Heaven Sent: The Heather Miller Story,” which highlights the friendship a young girl with cancer developed with several Steelers players

ESPN.com – NFL

Ryan Clark: Dez criticism a double standard

GONE FISHING

Photograph By Deanne Fitzmaurice for ESPN The Magazine

At age 24, Bama legend and former Raiders first-round pick Rolando McClain worried he’d be the next pro to snap. So after a string of arrests led to his release in Oakland, McClain did the unthinkable: Rather than play for the Ravens, he walked away from the NFL, moved back to Tuscaloosa and re-enrolled at Alabama. For the past four months, he’s barely watched pro football, and he has enjoyed nothing more than casting a line on the dock outside his new Tuscaloosa home.

ESPN.com – NFL

GONE FISHING

Seahawks WR Rice tears ACL, done for year

Updated: October 30, 2013, 9:10 AM ET

ESPN.com news services

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, the team said Tuesday.

Rice was injured in Monday’s 14-9 win over the St. Louis Rams.

Rice was not having much of an impact in Seattle’s pass game this season, but quarterback Russell Wilson was under immense pressure from blitzing defenses recently as the Seahawks’ makeshift offensive line failed to provide adequate protection.

Rice was targeted 35 times by Wilson, but finished the year with just 15 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns. He went without a catch against the Rams and was targeted three times before getting injured in the first half.

Throughout his three seasons in Seattle, Rice was slowed by injuries. His first season in 2011 was cut short by a serious concussion and shoulder problems that saw him limited to nine games. He played in all 16 games in 2012 and had 50 catches for 748 yards and seven touchdowns. It was his most productive season since 2009 when Rice went to the Pro Bowl after eight touchdowns and 1,312 yards receiving.

The loss of Rice leaves Seattle without a tall receiver and makes the return of Percy Harvin even more critical to an already thin unit. Harvin remains day to day, coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday on his weekly radio show. Carroll said the Seahawks pushed Harvin last week, but were then forced to rest him.

Second-year receiver Jermaine Kearse — now the tallest receiver at 6-foot-1 — will likely get the bulk of the playing time in Rice’s place until Harvin is ready to go.

Rice’s knees have been bothersome to the point he flew to Switzerland to have treatment during training camp and was brought along slowly in the preseason and at the start of the regular season. He’s due $ 17.5 million in base salary the next two seasons, meaning his time in Seattle could be done without a significant restructuring of his contract.

Seattle (7-1), which has the NFC’s best record, hosts the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7) on Sunday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

ESPN.com – NFL

Seahawks WR Rice tears ACL, done for year

Jones: Deion could have stopped Megatron

Updated: October 29, 2013, 1:27 PM ET

By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com

The Dallas Cowboys clearly do not have a cornerback on their roster capable of covering Calvin Johnson, but owner/general manager Jerry Jones thinks that one from their past would have been up to the task.

Two days after Johnson torched the Cowboys for 329 receiving yards, the most in a non-overtime game in NFL history, Jones was asked on his radio show whether he thought even Deion Sanders in his prime could shut down “Megatron.”

“Yes, I do. That’s just it,” Jones said Tuesday on KRLD-FM. “Deion has such catch-up speed and he had real good center-field ability, and I mean that … in [a] football sense. He could really play the ball, and he had such ability to get into position to play the ball.

“Now, you’re talking about the greatest cover guy maybe that’s played this game. I’ve seen where he’s been declared the greatest cover guy. Hall of Famer. But I do think he could do a real good job on Johnson. Johnson’s going to get some probably, but I think he could do a great job. Deion’s a great player.”

The Cowboys gave Brandon Carr the assignment of covering Johnson on Sunday, often without any help. Johnson dominated Dallas, catching 14 passes for 329 yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ 31-30 win.

Sanders, who played for the Cowboys from 1995 to 1999 during a 14-year career and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011, seemed to indirectly address the issue Monday on Twitter.

After listing several receivers from his era, Sanders tweeted:

Fans it’s not fair to compare Then to Now! I realize it’s fun and these kids can play but This Ain’t THAT. Truth

— DeionSanders (@DeionSanders) October 29, 2013

In a separate tweet, Sanders added:

So please stop asking me can I cover these kids 2day. They are GREAT. But I played against Receivers and Quarterbacks whom shaped this game!

— DeionSanders (@DeionSanders) October 29, 2013

Johnson had his 14 receptions on 16 targets — and one of the missed receptions was a ball that actually hit his hands, was tipped up and then intercepted. Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Monday that he thought Johnson could have finished the game with even more yards.

“That first third down of the game, he almost tipped the ball to himself, which would have been another circus, amazing catch,” Schwartz said. “With a guy like Calvin, you tend to look at that as a missed opportunity.

“Somebody else, you wouldn’t even think that. He’s a big-play machine. When he’s covered, he’s still open.”

Carr saw most of Johnson’s great performance up close and personal, but he maintained Monday that his confidence is not in tatters.

“I learned a lot for myself within that game. Some things I could have done differently. Some things I was proud of myself for doing. At the end of the day, I stood in there and I fought and that’s all you can ask for,” he said.

“I’m going to get better as time goes, we’re going to get better as a unit, but it definitely hasn’t shaken my confidence. It might have boosted it. It might sound crazy, but I learn from games like that. It’s time to move on and go on again.”

ESPN.com Lions reporter Michael Rothstein and ESPN.com Cowboys reporter Todd Archer contributed to this report.

Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009

Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks

Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM

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Jones: Deion could have stopped Megatron

Tuesday, 29 October 2013

Are the Chiefs for real?

Commentary

ESPN.com – NFL

Are the Chiefs for real?

Taylor: Dez can learn from outbursts

IRVING, Texas — Dez Bryant can’t rant and rave at Tony Romo while the quarterback is studying pictures of the Dallas Cowboys’ previous drive and figuring out how to fix the offense.

It’s unproductive. It’s immature.

And it accomplishes nothing, because all of Bryant’s points — even if they are valid — get lost in the noise.

A day after his sideline tirade in the Cowboys’ 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions made national headlines and provided sports talk shows fodder throughout the country, Bryant wanted to make one thing clear:

“I’m telling you the God’s honest truth,” he said of his third-quarter sideline outburst, “it was all about winning.

“It doesn’t matter what nobody else says on the outside. If we would’ve just won, I guarantee you probably none of this would matter. But we didn’t. I’ve just got to do a better job of understanding the way how things can look when it’s really not.”

And Romo, Bill Callahan and Jason Garrett must do a better job of giving Bryant opportunities to make plays each week.

They failed Sunday.

Romo didn’t direct a pass Bryant’s way until 55 seconds remained in the first half. By then, the Cowboys had run 26 plays spanning six series and Romo had thrown 16 passes.

That first pass to him was incomplete, but Bryant made a leaping one-handed grab to pin the ball against his helmet on the next play — despite tight coverage in the corner of the end zone — and give the Cowboys a 10-3 lead.

Bryant caught a 17-yard pass on the second play of the third quarter, then Romo threw five more passes, including a third-down incompletion to Dwayne Harris, before Bryant’s sideline outburst.

At that point, the Cowboys had run 39 plays and Romo had thrown 24 passes. Bryant had two catches for 22 yards; Detroit’s Calvin Johnson had six catches for 156 yards.

Bryant insists the much-talked about comparisons he made between himself and Johnson during the week had nothing to do with angst.

Human nature suggests it played some role.

“Man, not at all, not at all,” Bryant said. “And I think I made that very clear. It is not a comparison. It is not one. Like I said, this is the game of football.

“It is a team sport. We were out there trying to get the W. That’s the only thing that matters each and every week.”

Garrett said he spoke with Bryant on the return flight to Dallas about channeling his emotions properly and not becoming a distraction.

Romo said he has no issue with Bryant. Jason Witten hugged the 24-year-old receiver after the game — less than 15 minutes after the two had a heated sideline exchange and had to be separated by DeMarcus Ware.

Witten wanted Bryant focused on the final 12 seconds, not the score.

Romo and Witten understand the same passion they saw on the sideline is the same stuff that makes Bryant one of the game’s best receivers. We’re talking about a dude who can still provide every detail of the first touchdown he scored as a 9-year-old in Lufkin, Texas.

Bryant insists he still gets the same adrenaline rush. Ask him about playing football and he’ll tell you how much he loves the competition.

Talk to his teammates and coaches and they’ll tell you no one practices harder. They’ll tell you he is beloved in the locker room and on a never-ending quest to be a great player.

We’re not talking about a selfish player — a guy who’s more interested in his numbers than winning.

This ain’t charismatic Terrell Owens dividing a locker room.

Bryant was one of the first players to congratulate Terrance Williams after the rookie scored on a 60-yard touchdown pass.

Still, Bryant can’t take his relationship with Romo for granted.

He must treat it with respect.

“The relationship is outstanding and it’s going to forever remain that way,” Bryant said. “From the looks of it, I guess it don’t look good, but to me, it’s looks.

“Tony and I both know — and the rest of these guys know — it’s passion. It’s about going out there and trying to do what you can do.”

That’s fine as long as everyone feels the same way.

“There’s no regrets. It’s all love,” Bryant said. “Like I said, I know it looks crazy, but I promise you all it’s not.”

For now, we can accept that. Everyone makes mistakes.

Smart folks learn from them.

Jean-Jacques Taylor joined ESPNDallas.com in August 2011. A native of Dallas, Taylor spent the past 20 years writing for The Dallas Morning News, where he covered high schools sports, the Texas Rangers and spent 11 seasons covering the Dallas Cowboys before becoming a general columnist in 2006.

ESPN.com – NFL

Taylor: Dez can learn from outbursts

Cowboys" Crazy Losses

Sept. 19, 2005 vs. Washington, 14-13

Photograph By Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

With Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith getting inducted into the Ring of Honor, the Cowboys blow a 13-0 lead by giving up touchdown passes of 34 and 70 yards to Santana Moss in the final 3:46 to lose to the Washington Redskins.

ESPN.com – NFL

Cowboys" Crazy Losses

Rank "Em: NFL Power Rankings

The Chiefs remained undefeated this week, although their past two wins have been unusually close. They beat the Texans by only one point in Week 7 and staved off a comeback by the Browns in Week 8. Would you vote for the Chiefs as the best team in the NFL over the Broncos, who beat the Redskins this past week in convincing fashion? Submit your rankings!