Redskins WR Moss out 5-7 weeks; RB Hightower done for season

The Washington Redskins announced that wide receiver Santana Moss will be sidelined five-to-seven weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured hand Monday.

A double whammy for the ‘Skins as, running back Tim Hightower received news that he will out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, according to coach Mike Shanahan via the Washington Post.

Hankerson responds: Rookie third-round wideout Leonard Hankerson is taking things personal, by firing back at the fans who said he ran a wrong route Sunday via Twitter.  Why waste your time, Leonard?

View the original article here

Redskins Running Back Hightower Ruled Out for Season

Readers respond to a Sunday Review article on global warming fading from the American agenda.

Job growth is about new companies that will start small and, if they survive, perhaps grow large.

View the original article here

Column: Occupy the BCS! Could This Be the Season?

It's the reason the cartel was created in the first place, to make sure the stars align in the postseason exactly the way the major conference commissioners and their pals at the big bowl committees and TV networks desire. Or at the very least, as analyst Bill James put it a short while ago, "to create some gobbledygook math to endorse" their version of that universe. Either way, there's more than the usual reasons for optimism this could be the season that brings the BCS house of cards crashing down.

It's only week 2 of the BCS poll, but there are already signs the computers are overheating. There's no arguing with the teams on the top two lines, No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama. All three human polls — the USA Today coaches and Harris Interactive, which each account for one-third of the BCS formula, as well as The Associated Press poll — have them ordered the same way. Then the fun begins.

The computers, the final third of the BCS formula, aren't impressed by the Pac-12 or Big Ten so far, even though the humans are. Both the Harris and AP polls have Stanford at No. 3, while the coaches have the Cardinal at No. 4. But Stanford checks in at No. 6 in this week's BCS rankings because the computers have the Cardinal at No. 9, making some people wonder whether the machines, too, have a tough time staying up late to catch games on the West Coast. The real answer is simpler, and for those who want a playoff ASAP, hopeful.

There are eight undefeated teams in the Top 25 at the moment, 10 more with just one loss, and just eight weeks' worth of data for the computers to sort them out. Strength of schedule, to cite just one component, isn't nearly as a reliable an indicator as it will be later in the year. And, because of a ruckus at the end of the 2001 season that left a deserving Oregon team out of the national championship game, the BCS told computer operators the next year to drop margin of victory as a component to determine their rankings. Small wonder then that Stanford has gotten short shrift from the machines.

They have no idea the Cardinal has won 10 games in a row by 25 points or more dating to last season — the first team to accomplish the feat in 75 years — or that a few NFL teams might be sliding into the tank for a chance to draft quarterback Andrew Luck. All the machines know is Stanford has played all six of its games this season against teams with losing records and beat them. The Cardinal, as the BCS soothsayers love to point out, have plenty of control over their fate and their strength of schedule picks up beginning next week with a visit to Southern California. Oregon, 6-1 and No. 7 in the BCS ranking, should benefit similarly from a strength-of-schedule bump as the season progresses. But the Ducks are currently behind one-loss Arkansas and Oklahoma teams in the computers (12th), so even winning out may not be enough.

Big Ten flag-bearer Michigan State might be in the same boat. After upsetting Wisconsin, the conference's previous best BCS hope, the one-loss Spartans checked in at No. 11 in the latest BCS rankings, but were only 15th in the computer rankings. Like Stanford, Michigan State could win the rest of its games and wind up in the Rose Bowl — not a bad consolation prize, but not the BCS Championship, either, which this year is set for the Sugar Bowl.

The BCS counts on the regular season to winnow down the number of legitimate contenders, but in the early going, this looks like one of those seasons that won't cooperate. Of course, deserving teams have been hosed before, and every time their final poll kicks up a fuss — remember 2001, when then-Oregon coach Mike Bellotti reacted to the Ducks' exclusion by likening the BCS to "a cancer" — the suits went back and tweaked the formula. The stated rationale is usually to add more "weight" to the human polls; the real reason for the tweaks more often is so those same suits don't get caught trying to explain away the "gobbledygook math" again.

So just imagine the storm if Stanford and someone like Clemson of the Atlantic Coast Conference finish off perfect seasons and both wind up on the outside of the BCS national championship picture looking in. It happened to 13-0 Auburn in 2004 — it was nosed out of the BCS championship by Oklahoma and shuffled off to the Sugar Bowl — and its coach at the time, Tommy Tuberville, only got a small measure of satisfaction back last weekend. That's when his current team, Texas Tech, knocked those same Sooners, previously unbeaten, all the way back to No. 9 in the BCS ranking.

"Payback sometimes works in mysterious ways," he told SI.com after the win.

But if the guys in charge of the BCS wind up leaving out unbeaten teams from both the ACC and Pac-12, the payback won't be mysterious. It will be devastating.

___

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org. Follow him at http://twitter.com/jimlitke

View the original article here

Three and out: Hightower done for season

NFL.com Staff | Tags: Three and out, Arizona Cardinals, Beanie Wells, Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders, Santana Moss, Tim Hightower, Washington Redskins

nfl.use('nfl-video', function (Y) { var video = new Y.NFL.Video.Player({ srcNode: "#video-player-09000d5d823638a5", contentId: "09000d5d823638a5", related: "home", adSetting: "2", dartURL: "http://ad.doubleclick.net/pfadx/nfl.special/blog/home;s1=blog;s2=home;slot=inpage;nfl=ad;tile=3;sz=640x360;ord=?", playerName: "blog_large_embedded", render: true, size: "large", uniqid: "09000d5d823638a5"});});

Hightower has torn ACL: The Redskins got worst-case scenario news Monday when they learned RB Tim Hightower is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. That gives coach Mike Shanahan one less player for his indecipherable running back rotation and should increase touches for RBs Ryan Torain and Roy Helu. The news is slightly better for WR Santana Moss, who is out 5-7 weeks after surgery on his broken left hand. Given TE Chris Cooley’s injury, TE Fred Davis once again is a valuable commodity.

Wells likely out two weeks: The Cardinals expect RB Beanie Wells to miss the next 1-2 weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee, which moves RBs Alfonso Smith and LaRod Stephens-Howling to the front of the line for carries. With the Ravens up next, neither back is a particularly attractive fantasy option. But keep an eye on which of the two gets the most touches. The Rams and their NFL-worst rushing defense are on tap in Week 9, which would make any Redbirds running back an interesting play.

McFadden expected to be OK: Raiders RB Darren McFadden left Sunday’s game early with a sprained foot and never returned. McFadden was reportedly held out as a precaution and could be back in Week 9. The Raiders running game can’t be blamed for the loss to Kansas City, given RB Michael Bush had 99 yards on 17 carries. If McFadden isn’t ready after the bye week, Bush is a quality start against the Broncos. For now, work on the assumption that Run DMC will be able to walk (or run) this way again in a couple of weeks.

– Marcas Grant

Posted in: Fantasy  

Comments may be no longer than 2000 characters and will post to the site shortly after submitting.

View the original article here

Steelers DL Aaron Smith out for season

Steelers veteran defensive end Aaron Smith has been placed on injured reserve, the team announced on Saturday.

Smith has missed the last two weeks, and was ruled out for Sunday’s game clash the Cardinals, with a foot injury.

The 35-year-old Smith has struggled with injuries the last three seasons, with shoulder, triceps and this year’s foot injury limited him to just 15 games.

Rookie defensive lineman Corbin Bryant has been signed off the practice squad to take Smith’s place on the 53-man roster.

View the original article here

Big Ten Is Bullish on Defense This Season

Three of the top six teams in the nation at preventing scoring and three of the top seven against the pass and also in total defense come out of the Big Ten.

"It is a league filled with exceptional defenses this year," Purdue coach Danny Hope said.

Clearly, the conference is good at building stone walls against the many offenses designed to create mismatches or apply leverage against a defender. Six of the top 30 teams in scoring defense come from the Big Ten.

The defenses are winning out this year because of several factors.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, whose defense is No. 1 in the nation against the pass, second in total defense, third against the run and fourth in points allowed, put the onus on familiarity.

"There's continuity for a lot of football teams in this conference," said Dantonio, whose 15th-ranked Spartans host No. 4 Wisconsin in the conference's game of the year (to date) coming up on Saturday. "One of our biggest attributes here and the reason we are being successful is that we've had the same defensive staff in place for five years now. So our players are hearing the same things and we can adjust things and critique it and make it better."

The Big Ten earned its label as a defense-first conference back in the 1960s and '70s, when Michigan's Bo Schembechler and Ohio State's Woody Hayes prowled the sidelines. A lot has changed since then — the conference is 12 teams and now plays in the Leaders and Legends divisions, just for a couple of obvious examples. But one thing that hasn't been altered is the belief that as much as talent and strategy and effort, toughness wins games.

"There's always some things that people go to with the spread and different types of offenses," said Brady Hoke of No. 18 Michigan. "But at the same time I still think it's an awfully physical football league. The way teams play in this league, that physicalness is always there."

It begins even before a player enrolls. It's an integral part of the only-the-strong-survive process known as recruiting.

"The one thing you can't overlook is toughness," said Ohio State interim coach Luke Fickell. "All the guys you're going to try and recruit you think can run well enough. But can they tackle? Are they tough enough? To me, the two things that separate people once they get to college, I don't care what the position is, is their work ethic and their toughness."

If the late Schembechler and Hayes, wherever they are, saw the stat sheet from Ohio State's 17-7 upset of No. 16 Illinois last week, they had to be smiling. The Buckeyes ran the ball 51 times but threw just four passes — completing only one. To put that into perspective, tailback Montee Ball completed one pass to quarterback Russell Wilson in No. 4 Wisconsin's 59-7 win over Indiana last week.

Wisconsin's Bret Bielema has the nation's highest-scoring offense — and also a defense which is in the top 10 in most major categories.

He's not a bit surprised that the Big Ten seems to emphasize defense over offense, since most of the coaches come from that side of the ball. Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald, Hoke, No. 13 Nebraska's Bo Pelini, Dantonio, 23rd-ranked Illinois' Ron Zook, Fickell and Bielema himself all were former defensive players and/or coaches.

They all respect the oftentimes anonymous defenders. When the mercury drops or the rain falls, as is the case every October, the coaches all recognize that the games will likely be decided by the guys in the trenches and the guys on defense.

"We do talk to our defensive players about you're going to get to play in an environment where defense is appreciated," Bielema said. "That's something that's kind of unique in the Big Ten."

There are conferences where the laser-throwing quarterbacks and fleet wide receivers rule. But not necessarily this one.

"If we're playing good defense, at least we have a chance to be competitive," Iowa's Kirk Ferentz said. "To try to outscore people all the time, that's a challenge."

It's a basic tenet of the sport, but nowhere is it embraced more than in the Big Ten: the offensive guys get the headlines, while the defensive players decide the outcome.

"There's always been great defenses in this conference. I can't say that we're one of those right now," Fitzgerald, a former All-Big Ten linebacker, said with a laugh. "At the end of the day, yeah, you win championships on defense. There's no question about that."

___

Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rustymillerap.

View the original article here

Packers 6-0, Fending Off Talk About Perfect Season

Given the way the reigning Super Bowl champions are playing, and an apparent lack of strong challengers in the NFC, it's not hard to imagine the Packers making a run at a perfect season.

It's only mid-October, but the topic already is coming up.

After Sunday's 24-3 victory over the Rams, Packers players said it's far too early to even think about going undefeated — but Charles Woodson wouldn't rule it out, either. The veteran cornerback says the Packers certainly are good enough to win every time they take the field.

"Absolutely," Woodson said. "We have a very, very good team. We feel like every time we step on that field, we'll be better than our opponent. Can we? Yeah, sure. But we've got to take it one game at a time. Next week will be a tough test against a division opponent. So we have to focus on that, focus on the next game each and every week, and I think we'll be fine."

When Packers coach Mike McCarthy talks about "chasing perfection," he's referring to play-to-play fundamentals. While others might talk about a perfect season, McCarthy just wants his team to get better going into Sunday's game at Minnesota.

"This isn't 'coachspeak' — there's some things we need to improve on," McCarthy said. "We need to tackle better. We need to just do the (timing) as far as the fits with the running backs with the run blocking unit. It's not exactly the way it's supposed to look right now. There's some things we're doing extremely well, and we'll continue to build off it. That's why we're winning football games. But there's a number of fundamental things that we need to improve on."

McCarthy may have suggested a mantra for his team during his postgame news conference Sunday, perhaps intended to keep the focus on Minnesota.

"We're seven days from being 7-0, and that's our message," McCarthy said.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers predicted that McCarthy wouldn't entertain thoughts of anything beyond Sunday's game.

"Didn't Mike say, 'We have seven days to 7-0?'" Rodgers said. "Beware, that's his code, his theme for this week."

Linebacker Clay Matthews clearly picked up on the message.

"It's way too early to talk about 16-0," Matthews said. "We've got seven days to go 7-0, and that's what we're focused on. When you start getting ahead of yourself in this game is when you start fumbling and tripping up."

The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team in the modern era to go undefeated through an entire regular season and playoffs, going 14-0 in the regular season, then winning a pair of playoff games and the Super Bowl.

The 2007 New England Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season, then won two playoff games, but lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. The Indianapolis Colts made a run at perfection in 2009, winning their first 14 games.

For Green Bay, it's the seventh 6-0 start in franchise history and the first since 1965. Including the playoffs, the Packers have won 12 straight games, which matches the longest streak in team history set in 1961-62.

Still, the Packers' play has been far from perfect.

Their defense is tough in the red zone and makes big plays, but is getting sliced up between the 20s, even by the winless Rams. They're explosive on offense but have had lulls in production. There's an overall feeling that the Packers haven't yet played to their potential.

"Fortunately for us, we have a team where we can overcome those things," wide receiver Greg Jennings said. "Not a slap in the face to those guys (the Rams), but if we're playing a much higher-caliber team, you never know what that does to you as far as the outcome of the game. That's no disrespect to those guys, but they're obviously struggling. We can't do that."

At this point, some of the most challenging games left on the schedule appear to be a Nov. 6 game at San Diego, Tampa Bay at home on Nov. 20, at Detroit on Thanksgiving and at the New York Giants on Dec. 4.

As the Packers surely would point out, every week presents a challenge and nothing can be taken for granted.

"That's the mindset you have to have," cornerback Tramon Williams said. "We don't talk about it in here because we won't talk about that until the 16th game, if we're undefeated at that point. We're 6-0 now and the only thing we're going to be focused on is 7-0 this week."

___

Connect with AP Sports Writer Chris Jenkins: www.twitter.com/ByChrisJenkins

View the original article here

Iowa State Running Back Likely Done for Season

A new movie mounts a troubling campaign to debunk Shakespeare.

A long-lost father resurfaces. Or does he?

View the original article here

SC's Lattimore Out for Season With Knee Injury

"Our worst fears were realized," Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said Sunday.

Spurrier said Lattimore had a torn ligament in his left knee and also suffered some cartilage damage. Lattimore will require surgery, although doctors want to keep the knee braced and allow it stabilze for several weeks before operating. Lattimore had been the main engine for South Carolina's offense this season with 818 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing this season. He was leading the Southeastern Conference in rushing most of the season before getting overtaken by Alabama's Trent Richardson.

Lattimore gained only 39 yards, but had a 4-yard touchdown run in South Carolina's 14-12 win at Mississippi State on Saturday.

It was in the fourth quarter that Lattimore's stellar year came to end. He was blocking for Bruce Ellington when a Bulldogs defender rolled up on Lattimore's left leg. He was worked on for several minutes before getting help to the sidelines.

Lattimore's mother, Yolanda Smith, rushed to her son's side and several players came by the trainer's table to check on him and pray. Lattimore left Davis Wade Stadium with a large brace covering most of his left leg and walking on crutches.

"Well, we're all disappointed, but we all realize life's got to go on and somebody has to fill his shoes," Spurrier said.

That will be freshman Brandon Wilds, who considered redshirting because he was fourth tailback on the depth chart. "Now he's the top guy," Spurrier said, and will likely start at Tennessee on Oct. 29, South Carolina's next game.

Spurrier saw Lattimore in the training room on Sunday morning and said the sophomore was taking it about as well as you might expect. Spurrier counseled him to keep his head up and concentrate on getting better.

"Like I told him, time heals all a lot of wounds. Give it time and get yourself ready to come back stronger next season," Spurrier said. "You can't sit around feeling sorry for yourself. That doesn't help."

Although, it wouldn't be completely out of the question after what the Gamecocks went through this week.

South Carolina dismissed fifth-year senior quarterback Stephen Garcia for good for what his father said was a positive test for alcohol. Spurrier also drew outside criticism with his rant against a local sports columnist on the day Garcia was kicked off the team.

The Gamecocks offense continued to struggle at Mississippi State. Lattimore had just 39 yards and a 4-yard touchdown. It wasn't until Alshon Jeffery's leaping 4-yard pass from Garcia's replacement, Connor Shaw, with less than four minutes to go that South Carolina (6-1, 4-1 SEC) escaped with the victory.

Spurrier might have to call on his star wide receiver more frequently down the stretch. With Lattimore and Garcia gone, Jeffery's the last one left of South Carolina's "Big Three" on offense who had hoped to carry the Gamecocks back to the SEC title game as Eastern Division champions.

Jeffery said the game-winning play will give Shaw and the rest of the offense confidence they can accomplish big things in clutch situations, the way Lattimore and Garcia had done in years past.

"It was great to see Connor do that. It gives him a lot of confidence to come back in the fourth quarter to win the game," Jeffery said.

Maybe the best thing for South Carolina is its week off.

Spurrier said that might give more experienced runners dealing with injuries, like Kenny Miles and Eric Baker, the chance to heal and be a factor this season. Miles, the team's top rusher in 2009, has a wrist injury while Baker had a bad ankle. The Gamecocks had also lost speedy freshman runner Shon Carson to a season-ending injury last month at Georgia. Backup fullback Matt Coffee also tore a ligament and is out for the year.

Lattimore's scoring run was his 30th career TD, just three shy of South Carolina's career record.

Spurrier expects Lattimore to show the same determination in his rehabilitation as he's shown his two years with the Gamecocks.

"Marcus has always had a positive attitude. I'm sure he'll approach this as positively as he possibly can," Spurrier said.

View the original article here

Slumping Eagles Need Win at Washington to Turn Season Around

The defending NFC East champion Eagles were dubbed the "Dream Team" by backup quarterback Vince Young following key acquisitions in the offseason but have stumbled to a 1-4 start and are at risk of falling out of the playoff picture.

"Being loose is probably the best way to be right now," Eagles starting quarterback Michael Vick told reporters on Friday. "When everyone is tense and uptight, it creates more pressure and we already have enough pressure on ourselves."

To avoid losing five straight games for the first time since 1998, the Eagles will need a road win on Sunday against a division-leading Redskins team enjoying a turnaround of their own after going 6-10 last year.

Vick, who threw a career-high four interceptions during last week's loss to the Buffalo Bills, stressed a need for the Eagles to focus on playing mistake-free football.

"We're just focusing on the next best thing, and that's winning. We understand that can change everything around," said Vick. "Everybody has handled this whole situation with class and as professionals like we all are. We're waiting to pull through."

During Philadelphia's last game at Washington -- a 59-28 rout last November -- Vick became the first NFL player to register at least 300 yards passing, 50 yards rushing, four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a game.

However, this season's Eagles team is different. They have committed 15 turnovers, three more than any other team, and are sitting last in the NFC East.

The Eagles enter their bye week after the Redskins game and then return for another key divisional game against the Dallas Cowboys (2-2) before matchups against the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals, who both have losing records.

Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, who is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards with 443, said his team mates' attitude has been positive all week and acknowledged the matchup against Washington is the biggest game yet this season.

"Out of all the games we've had so far, I think this is the biggest game that we'll play," said McCoy.

"Especially now, since we're 1-4 and going against the division. This is one of the biggest games we'll play."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)

View the original article here

Haley Already on the Hot Seat Two Weeks Into the 2011 Season

Todd Haley is finding success to be just as fleeting as all the goodwill that comes with it.

The Chiefs coach was on the short list of just about every award after taking a 4-12 team his first year to a 10-6 finish last season. With emerging stars such as Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry, Kansas City won the AFC West and was thought of as a team on the rise.

Well, Charles and Berry are out with torn ACLs, along with tight end Tony Moeaki. The Chiefs are off to one of the worst starts through two games in NFL history, getting blitzed 89-10 by a pair of teams that won just 10 games last season. And all the positive vibes that come with success are but a distant memory for an angry fan base calling for Haley’s job.

“I’ve said this to a few people; that’s not something I generally have worried about or thought about at whatever level or whatever I’ve been doing,” Haley said. “Kind of been raised that way and believe that way — that you focus on the task at hand and focus on the things that you can make improvements and do your job to the best of your ability. The NFL is a team results business.”

Therein lays the problem.

The results have been terrible.

Going back to the end of last season, the Chiefs were trounced by the Oakland Raiders in their regular-season finale and the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs.

The preseason schedule wasn’t much better — a shutout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, lopsided defeats to the St. Louis Rams and Ravens, and a narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers when Kansas City played its starters nearly the entire way against the Super Bowl champions’ backups.

Haley vowed the Chiefs would be ready for the regular season, and they wound up losing 41-7 to the Buffalo Bills. Then came last Sunday’s disaster in Detroit, where the Chiefs lost Charles for the season and what was viewed as a must-win game by the unsightly score of 48-3.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier.

Haley said his approach has always been to go “full-steam ahead, trying to be the best I can be, and that solves a lot of problems.” But that might not be enough to solve all the problems surrounding a floundering franchise with a fan base pining for a contender.

“Teams will never be judged on individual results, and that goes for coaches and players alike,” Haley said in a rare moment of candor. “When you lose, it’s tough. When you win, it’s a lot better.”

But the losses are mounting and statistics are sobering — or, perhaps more accurately, enough to make Chiefs fans of legal age pour a stiff drink at their next tailgate.

They’re on pace for 72 turnovers after committing six more against the Lions, three of them on interceptions by Matt Cassel. The lone turnover that the Chiefs forced in that game, an interception by safety Jon McGraw, was given right back to Detroit seconds later when he fumbled it on the return.

Kansas City has been outscored 150-27 during its four-game skid. The offense ranks among the worst in the NFL, and the defense is just as bad. Even normally reliable punter Dustin Colquitt has been battling the shanks, and kicker Ryan Succop is 1 for 3 on field-goal attempts.

“We don’t feel sorry for ourselves at all. You can’t,” linebacker Derrick Johnson said. “When you start feeling sorry for yourself it’s going to be a long year, and the outcome of the games are not going to change, and we definitely don’t want that to happen.”

But the fact remains that only a handful of teams ever have been outscored by more points through two games. The 1961 Raiders lost by a combined 99-0, the ’73 Saints were outscored by 92, the ’89 Steelers dropped their first two games 92-10, and the ’78 Colts by a combined 80 points.

Even the odds-makers in Las Vegas are having a hard time putting the Chiefs’ miserable start in perspective. They installed the San Diego Chargers as 13-point favorites for Sunday, and people immediately poured money on them to cover. Hours later, the line was more than two touchdowns.

The outlook is so bleak that many fans in Kansas City have begun a “Suck for Luck” movement in which they plan to openly cheer for the opposing team so that the Chiefs finish with the worst record in the NFL, land the No. 1 choice in the NFL draft and select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, whom most scouts consider the closest thing to a sure-fire franchise quarterback.

If the Chiefs do indeed play poorly enough to land the top overall pick, it likely means that Haley is out of a job, even though it’s something that he insists does not enter his mind.

“My focus is, and will continue to be, and has been on, ‘What can we do to be better?’ It was the same the first year, last year and this year, and right now, we’ve done some things that have caused us to lose a couple games,” he said. “Right now we’re 0-2 in the first quarter of the season, and the head coach — and I know the players and the staff — will be doing everything in our power to change the results.”

View the original article here

Neck injury ends season for Packers’ Collins

Published: September 19th, 2011 | Tags: Nick Collins, Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy

nfl.use('nfl-video', function (Y) { var video = new Y.NFL.Video.Player({ srcNode: "#video-player-09000d5d82263f7b", contentId: "09000d5d82263f7b", related: "home", dartURL: "http://ad.doubleclick.net/pfadx/nfl.special/blog/home;s1=blog;s2=home;slot=inpage;nfl=ad;tile=3;sz=640x360;ord=?", playerName: "blog_large_embedded", render: true, size: "large", uniqid: "09000d5d82263f7b"});});

The neck injury that Packers safety Nick Collins suffered Sunday against the Panthers will end his 2011 season.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy confirmed the news during his Monday news conference. Collins is still being evaluated, but the decision was made to shut down the All-Pro.

McCarthy said Collins returned from Charlotte on Monday after an overnight stay at a local hospital. He was wearing a neck brace and attended a team meeting.

“He arrived back in Green Bay at about one o’clock (on Monday),” McCarthy said. “Nick told the team about it.”

Collins was injured while trying to make a tackle during the fourth quarter. As Collins dove toward Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart’s legs, his helmet hit Stewart’s hip area and his neck bent awkwardly. He landed face-down on the turf. Collins was taken off the field on a stretcher but gave a slight wave to the crowd with his right hand as he was being carried off.

– Dan Hanzus

Posted in: Around The Web   comments    

Comments may be no longer than 2000 characters and will post to the site shortly after submitting.

View the original article here

Chargers kicker Kaeding likely out for season

Published: September 11th, 2011 | Tags: Nate Kaeding, San Diego Chargers

nfl.use('nfl-video', function (Y) { var video = new Y.NFL.Video.Player({ srcNode: "#video-player-09000d5d82222797", contentId: "09000d5d82222797", related: "home", adSetting: "1", dartURL: "http://ad.doubleclick.net/pfadx/nfl.special/blog/home;s1=blog;s2=home;slot=inpage;nfl=ad;tile=3;sz=640x360;ord=?", playerName: "blog_large_embedded", render: true, size: "large", uniqid: "09000d5d82222797"});});

The initial tests on injured Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding reveal he’s likely out for the season with a left anterior cruciate ligament tear, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Kaeding was injured on the opening kickoff Sunday against the Vikings, which Percy Harvin returned 103 yards for a touchdown.

Kaeding will have an MRI exam in the morning to confirm the condition, but the Chargers aren’t hopeful of positive results.

Posted in: Jason La Canfora   comments    

Comments may be no longer than 2000 characters and will post to the site shortly after submitting.

View the original article here

3-point stance: Bowl game defines a season

1. Regardless of your opinion on whether 6-6 records are bowl-worthy, no teams’ seasons are defined by their bowl results quite like these. Louisville beats Southern Mississippi to go 7-6? Charlie Strong has a successful rookie season. Air Force takes advantage of a slew of Georgia Tech mistakes to win, 14-7 in the Independence Bowl on Monday night? The Yellow Jackets (6-7) lose five of their past six games and face a very long offseason.

2. Leave it to Sue Paterno to crush the rumors of her husband’s ill health. Joe Paterno is fine, Sue said Monday during Outback Bowl week, and the two of them have not discussed the possibility that he will not coach in 2011. Paterno, who turned 84 last week, has been quoted as saying he plans to coach five more years. That’s been his stock line for 25 years, which is also about how long he has had to deal with rumors of his impending retirement.

3. Most coaches schedule a walk-through at the stadium on Friday. By Monday afternoon, both Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema and TCU coach Gary Paterson already had taken their teams to the Rose Bowl. They did it to take pictures and, of course, to minimize the jitters that will overtake the players when they come out of the end zone tunnels on Saturday. And they did it because who wouldn’t visit the Rose Bowl as soon as you could?

Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

View the original article here

49ers Fire Coach Mike Singletary with One Game Left in Season

As expected after a 25-17 loss to the Rams which officially kicks them out of a chance at making the playoffs, the 49ers have canned head coach Mike Singletary.

The team fell to 5-10 Sunday, and the loss to the Rams knocks them from playoff contention in a wide-open NFC West.
A preseason favorite to win the division, San Francisco underachieved all the way, never living up to its expectations.

Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula will replace Singletary for the final game against Arizona.

Singletary went 18-22 in two-plus seasons as 49ers head coach, including a surprising 8-8 mark last year. But this season has been an almost wire-to-wire disaster.

Flip-flopping between starting quarterbacks, Singletary had a confrontation with his last choice during Sunday’s loss in St. Louis, jawing with Troy Smith on the sideline after he threw an interception.

Singletary is known, of course, as a Hall-of-Fame linebacker with the Chicago Bears. But he called coaching the 49ers one of the greatest experiences of his life.

“What made it so special were the players,” Singletary said in a release issued by the team. “They were some of the most outstanding men I have ever been around in my life.”

Singletary called the coaches “professionals” and said he wished the team “nothing but the best.” He thanked the owners for giving him an opportunity to coach in the NFL.

“I am indebted to them for that,” Singletary said. “I am also thankful for the faithful fans, I am just sorry I couldn’t give them more.”

Tomsula was in his fourth season as the 49ers defensive line coach after a nine-year career in NFL Europa.

A full-time head coach isn’t the only position the team will have to fill in the offseason. The 49ers have been working without a general manager since firing Scot McCloughan back in March.

View the original article here

Season over? Not if you are in a keeper league

Think that your season is over just because you have been eliminated from the playoffs? That is absolutely not the case if you are still involved in a keeper league.

Our producer for NFL.com Fantasy LIVE, Dylan Milner, came to me recently and asked, “Is it unethical that I picked up TE Dallas Clark on waivers in my keeper league?”

Not only is that move ethical, this is the time of year you should be looking to make an acquisition like this. Players in keeper leagues should be looking over the free-agent list to see what gems can be unearthed at this time of year. Take advantage of short-sighted owners who were forced to cut Clark, TE Jermichael Finley or RB DeAngelo Williams.

And now Milner has one of the top tight ends on his roster for next season. And even if you don’t want to keep the player long-term, you still block another owner from making a claim on the player. Seriously, this is one of the joys of playing in keeper leagues — it keeps your head involved the whole year.

For example, one fantasy enthusiast dropped QB Tom Brady in our Orange County Register league back in 2008, and I scooped him up in Week 15 to save him from the keeper list. I already had a nice stable of our then-maximum three keepers that included RBs Adrian Peterson, Matt Forte (at least then) and Michael Turner, so I cut Brady loose, but it kept that owner from reacquiring him in Week 16 and keeping him the following year. And, trust me, this guy was not happy about it.

Nor was he happy when I drafted Brady in the first round the following year. And now, Brady has become a permanent part of that team. (We have increased our keepers to five, and I own AD, Turner, Brady, Ray Rice and Brandon Marshall – the latter will be cut this year so I can keep Finley.)

So do not consider it unethical to pick up those players. You are encouraged to do so. In fact, stop reading this and go scour the free-agent list right now. That is an order.

Tweet your fantasy questions to @nflfantasy. Your Tweet might end up on the air on NFL.com Fantasy LIVE.

Posted in: Fantasy  

View the original article here

Season Done for Cowboys WR Kevin Ogletree

If you are like me you were really excited for the opportunity to see, second year wideout, Kevin Ogletree get more playing time.  Overshadowed by the arrival of first round pick Dez Bryant, hopes were high for the receiver out of Virgina as he entered his second season with the Cowboys.

Ogletree provided many sparks last year, and, although he wasn’t a stand out many people saw the speed he had and the potential he displayed.  Ogletree only brought in 7 receptions for 96 yards last year, but everyone could see he had good hands and great speed.

This year was supposed to be a break out season for Ogletree, but he found himself inactive for 8 of the first 13 games.  Bryant had taken the attention away from him and Ogletree struggled in training camp and the preseason.  He found himself at the bottom of the depth chart when the season started.  He managed to grab his first reception last week against the Eagles and went 3 receptions for 34 yards and a key first down in the game.

Late in the third quarter Ogletree was returning a kickoff and was tackled out of bounds.  He got up slowly and limped to the Cowboys bench and never returned to the game.  Ogletree had hurt his toe and after x-rays revealed no break, Ogletree is still scheduled to go in for surgery this week effectively ending his season.  The Cowboys will place him on injured reserve to free up a roster spot.

The injury to Ogletree opens the door for the man he beat out of a roster spot the last two season.  Manny Johnson, a second year man out of Oklahoma that the Cowboys drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft, will get a chance to prove himself on the big stage.  He will take Ogletree’s receiver spot, likely fourth behind Sam Hurd, and may even get a chance to return some kickoffs.

As for Ogletree, he will have to wait until next year to show us his “potential”.

View the original article here

Cassel may return, but his fantasy season done

Published: December 15th, 2010 | Tags: Matt Cassel, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Brodie Croyle, David Garrard, Dwayne Bowe, Josh Freeman, Keanu Reeves, Matt Cassel, Tyler Palko

The Chiefs apparently are eager to rush QB Matt Cassel back into the lineup after an appendectomy. If you saw QBs Brodie Croyle and Tyler Palko play against the Chargers, you can certainly understand why.

But you, fantasy enthusiasts, are not obligated to rush Cassel back into your lineup this week against St. Louis. Mainly because you don’t have a pair of backup quarterbacks who are best known for marrying up or having a name similar to Keanu Reeves‘ character in “The Replacements.”

So let’s cut to the chase here. If you have Cassel, don’t start him even if he plays. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger missed Week 1 of the 2006 NFL season because of an appendectomy. He would not throw his first touchdown pass until Week 6. Cassel — if he plays — will be handing the ball off plenty. This also means that you will have to sit WR Dwayne Bowe. Though, many of you — whom the receiver hasn’t already ruined — were likely already planning to bench him regardless of Cassel’s status.

So start your backup, Cassel owners. And if Cassel was your backup to a No. 1 like Aaron Rodgers — who could miss this week — grab another quarterback off the wire such as Jaguars QB David Garrard or Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman.

In fact, you could probably cut Cassel at this point if you have quarterback depth. It’s hard to imagine him making any sort of impact in the next couple of weeks. And really, you would not want to put your fantasy hopes on him right now.

Tweet your fantasy questions to @nflfantasy. Your Tweet might end up on the air on NFL.com Fantasy LIVE.

Posted in: Fantasy  

View the original article here

Spagnuolo: Rams learned from 1-15 season

Published: December 6th, 2010 | Tags: Steve Spagnuolo, Brian Billick, Jim Mora, St. Louis Rams, The Coaches Show

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo joined Brian Billick and Jim Mora to discuss the team’s improved defense, QB Sam Bradford and leading the NFC West.

Posted in: NFL Network  

View the original article here

Owens wants another season with Palmer

You can’t blame Terrell Owens for wanting to return next season to the place where he’s had so much success.

It’s just that none of us guessed that place would have been Cincinnati, or that it would have happened at this point in the career of Owens, who turns 37 next week and was considered by many to  have very little left in his tank. 

Owens is having his best statistical season since 2007 and it’s paid off, earning him $1 million in bonuses. He’s on pace for 95 receptions, 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns, which also puts him at or very close to a second tier of bonuses that kick in at 100 receptions, 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns, potentially earning $333,333 for each category.

Owens, who didn’t sign with the Bengals until right before training camp, said he can be even better if he gets another run with QB Carson Palmer.

“If you factor in what I’ve done this year, and obviously with more time and us getting to know each other, you can only imagine what would happen with this year under our belt,” Owens said.

Owens has been a model citizen this season, and it will be interesting to see what market bears for him during the offseason. Of course, if he does return to Cincinnati, there’s no guarantee Palmer will be there. As Jason La Canfora has noted, there are rumblings indicating Palmer and head coach Marvin Lewis are among the Bengals who might not be back next season.

Posted in: Around The Web  

View the original article here