The NFL is asking home teams this weekend to have a moment of reflection to remember the victims in the school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
The silent reflection will come before the national anthem.
NFL players have been tweeting all day their thoughts on the tragedy.
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III: "I may not be a parent, but I can not begin to imagine how it feels to have my child's life taken away. And No one ever should"
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees: "My heart breaks for the families of those killed in Newtown, Conn. It is so senseless. I am angry, disgusted, but most of all extremely sad"
Former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders: "As a parent, as an American, as a human being -- its heartbreaking to hear about the tragic shooting in Connecticut. My prayers to the victims"
Ray Lewis sent this message out on Facebook:
We must wake up, the time is now evil is now attacking our kids. Lord please show us another way, why so much silence when so much pain exists everyday. We must come together, lets not let this be just another Tragedy. The only way to do it is together, if it takes a village to raise 1 child then it's gonna take everything we have to save our children. Lets start having real conversation to make our world a better place. Lord my Prayer today is please help thru this Storm. Me and my family will be Praying for the entire Sandy Hook Elementary School, you're not alone.
While there are resources are in place to help prevent the kind of tragedies that played out over a one-week period in Kansas City, Mo., and Dallas, the challenge lies in getting NFL players to use them.
"Men in general don't like talking about the things that trouble them the most," said Lamonte Winston, the Raiders' director of player engagement. "You get men in this environment of a competitive nature, and around their peers, it's a lot easier to stick your head in the sand. It's a lot easier to have secrets."
On Dec. 1, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, then drove to the team facility and committed suicide in the presence of head coach Romeo Crennel, general manager Scott Pioli and linebackers coach Gary Gibbs.
A week later, Cowboys practice squad linebacker Jerry Brown Jr. was killed when a car driven by teammate Josh Brent struck a curb and flipped. The two had been at a Dallas club, and Brent was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter.
The two events illustrated many of the issues that are addressed each year at the NFL rookie symposium -- spousal abuse, alcohol abuse, depression, possession of firearms and making responsible decisions.
Winston has spent 25 years in player development, including 17 years with the Chiefs. An annual award given by the league that recognizes the NFL's most outstanding player development program is called the Winston-Shell award because he and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Donnie Shell are considered innovators in the field.
Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie hired Winston to the newly created position of director of player engagement, with former director of squad development Willie Brown becoming a team ambassador.
Brown had many of the responsibilities Winston has with regard to player issues but also had other duties on his plate. Winston's full-time mission is to keep track of how players are faring in their lives and providing advice, counsel and resources.
Winston's last season with the Chiefs corresponded with Belcher's rookie year in 2009.
"I got a chance to know Jovan, and the men that are on that team, and the Chiefs family in general is just devastated," Winston said.
Raiders coach Dennis Allen has addressed his team in the wake of both tragedies and issued reminders about personal responsibility and making the correct decisions.
"You can't look at these guys as just football players," Allen said. "They're people, and we care about these people more than just as a football player. We want guys to know we have resources available to help them no matter what the circumstances are."
Raiders cornerback Michael Huff said, "In our profession you have young guys with a lot of money. Things happen. You don't wish for them to happen, but they do."
Winston's job includes a tricky mix of maintaining confidentiality while, in some cases, needing to report to McKenzie and Allen for others.
"The big hurdle is the trust factor," Winston said. "Can I trust this man if I tell him about my issues? Can he work with me? And if I trust him, will he run and tell the general manager and the head coach?"
Winston talks on occasion to the team as a whole but said his most important work comes in brief interactions on a daily basis with players that sometimes take no more than 30 seconds.
According to the Kansas City Star, Belcher and his girlfriend had been undergoing counseling provided by the team over relationship and financial issues.
Winston said in the case of depression, players often don't understand what they're feeling and why.
Regarding the possession of firearms, defensive end Andre Carter said players get a yearly seminar on registration, the difference in gun laws from state to state and talks about responsible ownership.
Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, a Raiders defensive end in 2003-04, described a drinking culture where many players would head for either San Francisco or Los Angeles after practice Friday for a night of partying.
"It's a staple of Friday nights in the NFL," Gbaja-Biamila wrote. "Guys are in the clubs buying top-shelf liquor in VIP booths. It's the NFL players 'weekend,' a time to have fun sipping your drink of choice."
The NFL Players Association has a confidential safe-ride program that allows players to schedule limo service in advance, as well as an emergency ride service for players who fear they have had too much to drink.
Carter acknowledged poor judgment is all too common.
"Sometimes we get so dumb within our heads thinking we're invincible, and we're not," he said.
Winston said the Chiefs and Cowboys tragedies are "a sober reminder that life doesn't discriminate because you're in the NFL ... the environment we work in is a high-pressure, high-performance business, and a lot of times we can get caught up in the game and lose perspective."
Whether players will take heed of the two tragedies is another matter.
"When something happens, it's a top priority and then it kind of dies away and it's like, 'What's next?' " Raiders linebacker Omar Gaither said. "Maybe one or two guys will change the way they operate as far as drinking and (other issues), but overall it needs to be more up front every week, and not just when something happens."
Carter, 33, said there are more resources available for help than at any time in his 12-year NFL career. But he isn't sure how many players will ask for it.
"As men, sometimes our ego gets in the way of what we actually need," he said. "It's sad. We all need some type of outlet. We all need some type of help. But sometimes we're just so focused on, 'I'm a grown man. I can figure it out for myself.' "
Safeguards can't prevent all NFL tragedies - San Jose Mercury News
The New England Patriots nearly pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history on Sunday night. Instead, they're left wondering how they couldn't finish off a San Francisco 49ers team that seemed ready to faceplant on the soggy Gillette Stadium turf.
A 28-point deficit quickly became a tie but ended as a 41-34 loss for the Patriots, who saw their seven-game winning streak come to a bitter end.
Now 10-4, New England's hopes of securing a first-round playoff bye were dealt a bitter blow. The Denver Broncos -- winners earlier Sunday in Baltimore -- leapfrogged the Patriots as the AFC's No. 2 seed. The Broncos (11-3) will earn a first-round bye if they take care of business against the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. The Houston Texans pace the conference at 12-2.
We don't envy the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have to host what we imagine will be a ticked-off Patriots team next Sunday. New England closes at home against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17, providing a clear path to 12-4.
That's a record to be proud of, but being on the wrong side of a Sunday night classic could hurt Bill Belichick's team on multiple levels.
New England Patriots' playoff-bye hopes take beating - NFL-com
The New York Jets' playoff hopes are gone, lost in a wave of turnovers by struggling Mark Sanchez.
Chris Johnson went 94 yards for the longest touchdown run in the NFL since 2006, and the Tennessee Titans beat the Jets 14-10 on Monday night to eliminate New York from postseason contention.
"Obviously, it's a devastating loss, out of the playoffs, and it hurts beyond belief," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "I think the thing that really hurts the most is we've got no one to blame but ourselves." Jake Locker's first touchdown run of the season put Tennessee ahead to stay late in the third quarter, and the Titans intercepted four passes by Sanchez to snap a three-game skid.
"The bottom line is we hung in there, something we haven't been able to do the last two, three weeks of hold onto a lead or find a way to win in the fourth quarter, and this time we did," Titans coach Mike Munchak said. "It's good to win again. It's been a while."
After bumbling around all night, the Jets somehow still had a chance to win when they took over at the Tennessee 25 with 47 seconds left following a 19-yard punt by Brett Kern. But Sanchez fumbled a low shotgun snap, running back Bilal Powell inadvertently kicked the ball away and the Titans recovered to seal it.
"I saw him bobbling the snap," Titans rookie linebacker Zach Brown said. "Then it just came out, and I just fell on it. I was thinking sack because it was play-action. I was thinking I'm going to get me a sack, but he fumbled the snap."
It was a fitting end to an ugly game that left Ryan cursing to himself as he walked off the field. Sanchez finished with five turnovers - one on each of his team's final three possessions. He has 24 this season and 50 total in the past two seasons combined.
"It doesn't feel good hurting your team like that," Sanchez said. "It's not a winning formula. It never feels good."
Ryan wasn't ready to say who his quarterback will be Sunday when the Jets host San Diego.
"I've just got to prepare as the starter and see what happens," Sanchez said.
Ryan also refused to say if he regretted not activating Greg McElroy, who came on in relief when Sanchez was benched Dec. 2 and led the Jets to a 7-6 win over Arizona. McElroy was inactive, with the Jets keeping six receivers on a banged-up unit.
"I just regret not winning this game," Ryan said. "I think that's the big thing."
The Jets (6-8) needed to win their final three games and get help elsewhere to earn a playoff spot. Instead, the Titans sacked Sanchez three times and got a fourth on Tim Tebow. Jason McCourty and Michael Griffin each had two interceptions, keeping the Jets out of the playoffs for a second straight season after reaching consecutive AFC title games.
Johnson, with the names of the victims of Friday's shootings in Connecticut written on his cleats, ran a franchise-record 94 yards for a TD in the second quarter. Johnson said he followed a block by center Kyle DeVan, the Titans' latest player at the position after replacement Kevin Matthews sprained his right ankle.
"Kind of heartbroken, so just something to try to give back and show tribute to those families knowing how much they hurt and a situation where on Monday Night Football everybody around the world is watching," Johnson said, explaining why he wrote the victims' names on his cleats.
Locker's 13-yard quarterback keeper around left end put the Titans (5-9) ahead 14-10 with 20 seconds left in the third.
The Jets had plenty of time and opportunity in the fourth to take the lead, but Sanchez kept giving the ball away.
Griffin intercepted Sanchez with 7:09 left on a pass intended for Braylon Edwards. On the next drive, the Jets got help from a personal foul when Titans linebacker Will Witherspoon hit Sanchez in the head with his helmet on third-and-4. A couple of plays later, Sanchez threw into triple coverage for Jeff Cumberland, and Griffin picked off Sanchez again with 1:51 left at the Titans 2.
Even with the ugly night, the Jets' defense gave New York one final chance after forcing Tennessee to punt.
Kern had a 19-yarder under pressure, giving New York the ball at the Tennessee 25. But Sanchez couldn't corral a low snap from center Nick Mangold, and Titans rookie linebacker Zach Brown recovered to finally clinch Tennessee's win.
Sanchez struggled all night long, and he finished with his most interceptions in a game since 2009.
The Jets even turned to Tebow for a complete series in the second quarter. They picked up two first downs and reached their own 44, but the drive stalled from there after a sack, a delay-of-game penalty and an incompletion.
Sanchez returned on the Jets' next series and promptly threw his first interception to McCourty.
The Jets kept Tennessee from scoring a single point off all the turnovers. But the damage already was done.
Sanchez put the Jets ahead 10-7 with a 17-yard TD pass to Cumberland with 3:19 left in the third quarter.
The Titans led 7-3 at halftime after Johnson's long scamper in the second quarter. His touchdown run was the longest by any NFL player since Minnesota's Chester Taylor had a 95-yard TD in a 31-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 22, 2006.
After Robert Malone's 53-yard punt backed the Titans up to their own 5-yard line, Johnson rushed for 1 yard on first down. On the next play, he found a seam up the middle and appeared untouched on his way to the end zone.
It marked Johnson's sixth career touchdown run of at least 80 yards, giving him twice as many as anyone else in NFL history. Barry Sanders, Ahman Green, Hugh McElhenny and O.J. Simpson each had three touchdown runs of at least 80 yards.
Johnson was otherwise held in check, finishing with 122 yards on 21 carries for his 32nd career 100-yard game.
The Jets grabbed a 3-0 lead when Nick Folk's 22-yard field goal capped their first possession of the night. New York appeared to reach the end zone when Cumberland caught a 4-yard
Because there are horrible people in the world, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez received death threats from a Twitter user following a poor performance against the Tennessee Titans on Monday night.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday the league is aware of the threats and that NFL security has followed up with Jets to assist. Aiello told NFL-com this is standard procedure in cases such as this.
Sanchez has faced a mountain of criticism as he's struggled through a difficult season. The Jets announced Tuesday that Greg McElroy would start in Sanchez's place on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.
Sanchez threw four interceptions in a 14-10 loss to the Titans that eliminated the Jets from postseason contention. He has 50 turnovers since the start of the 2011 season, more than any player in the NFL.
Of course, that doesn't mean his physical well-being should be threatened because of it. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Mark Sanchez death threats catch NFL's attention - NFL-com
NFL records are meant to be broken by John Elway. A quarter century after winning MVP as a quarterback, Elway is slower and grayer. He's also in position to be the first MVP in league history to later be named executive of the year.
Which award might look cooler in Elway's trophy case?
A grimace crossed Elway's face. Oops, I thought. Stupid question.
"You always wish you could be 25 years old and playing football. You always wish that. Nothing compares to playing quarterback," said Elway, leaning back in his chair at his Dove Valley office, where an $18 million gamble on quarterback Peyton Manning made the Broncos an unexpected contender for the Super Bowl during Elway's second season as executive vice president of football operations in Denver. "But because I can't play, this job is the next best thing."
Who is more essential to the success of the Broncos?
A) Manning, a leading MVP candidate in 2012.
😎 Elway, architect of Denver's football renaissance.
It's no contest. The answer is A.
How do we know? No less an authority than Elway told me so.
"The most important people in football are the ones who play. The players are the ones who make it happen on the field. I'm just trying to put the puzzle together outside the lines," Elway said. "Front-office people and coaches who have success in the NFL understand it's the players who make everything happen."
At age 52, Elway has mastered a lesson of ego and franchise management that many former superstars never do. I'm not sure Michael Jordan ever will understand the basketball world no longer revolves around him.
Elway is the face of sports in Colorado. But the Broncos are Manning's team.
The boss is wise enough to know the difference.
When Elway walked in on the mess left by Josh McDaniels in January 2011, conventional wisdom was the team would require three, maybe even five years to regain elite status.
We should have known better. As a quarterback, Elway never needed more a few ticks on the clock to mount a miracle comeback. And he knew the shortcut to success.
"The key thing for every NFL team, and I believe this whole-heartedly, is you need a quarterback," Elway said.
That's why Tim Tebow had to go. Tebow was an inspiration, a winner and a role model. But he was no NFL quarterback.
"A great quarterback makes up for so many other voids on your football team, because you've got that guy who touches the ball every snap. And, if you don't have that guy, those other weaknesses are more exposed," Elway said.
"When Peyton Manning decided to come to Denver, it was huge for us. It made everybody in this organization more confident. He made every other
player better. He gave every player the hope that now we could compete for a world championship. Peyton Manning came here with a chip on his shoulder. If anybody could make this deal work for us, it was Peyton Manning."
The Broncos, of course, own an 11-3 record for reasons more intricate than Manning. The defense has been reworked on every level, from rookie defensive end Derek Wolfe to veteran middle linebacker Keith Brooking to the steadying influence of free-agent safety Mike Adams. Elway does not worry new defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio might be hired away as a head coach after only a single season, because he would much rather employ a coach that everybody wants than a coach nobody wants.
But the influence of Manning on the Broncos far exceeds his sterling 103.5 quarterback rating, 4,016 passing yards and 31 touchdowns.
The arrival of Manning declared to every Denver player that it was indeed Super Bowl or bust. There was No Plan B and no reason to defer dreams.
That's why Elway deserves to be executive of the year. He gave a franchise living on a prayer a genuine reason to believe it could win it all.
"As I player, all I wanted was the hope instilled by the people at the top of the organization. I wanted the hope they were going to give me the very best chance to compete to win a world championship," Elway said.
"When you have the hope of competing for the Super Bowl, the level of everybody's play increases. It didn't guarantee we were going to win the Super Bowl. But if you have that hope, you play better, you enjoy the job more, the nicks and pains seem to heal quicker, and the hard work is not as hard."
Read more: Kiszla: John Elway deserves to be NFL executive of the year - The Denver Post Kiszla: John Elway deserves to be NFL executive of the year - The Denver Post
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The New York Jets have benched Mark Sanchez for the final two games of the regular season. But instead of replacing him with Tim Tebow, the Jets will start Greg McElroy at quarterback.
At 6-8, the Jets are officially out of the playoff contention in the AFC. And in all likelihood, Tebow will be jettisoned out of New York in the offseason.
The headline-craving Jets acquired Tebow, in part, for some positive publicity after the end to the 2011 season that was a complete train wreck.
Tebow's struggles to throw the football have been well documented; so much in fact that the Jets have only allowed him to throw eight passes 14 games into the season. The Jets haven't exactly let Tebow loose in the running game, either, as his 3.2 yards-per-carry average is two yards fewer than either of his first two NFL seasons.
The Tebow-to-New York marriage didn't work out. It was fun at the beginning—the whole introductory press conference for a backup quarterback was never-before-seen stuff. But it just didn't work out.
Between the Broncos' reluctance to give him control of the offense and the Jets' unwillingness to put him on the field, it's clear that NFL teams don't view Tebow as a starting-caliber quarterback at this time. So if Tebow wants to be an every-down player in today's league, he needs to go somewhere where he can learn the position.
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan has been vocal about his desire to acquire Tebow. And while the move would make sense as far as ticket sales, head coach Mike Mularkey isn't among the league's top coaches for developing quarterbacks and Blaine Gabbert isn't exactly the best person to learn the position from.
Tebow needs three things.
First, he needs to play behind a clear, top-tier quarterback. If he's playing behind Aaron Rodgers, fans won't be banging their fists on the table for Tebow to be on the field. He's not the reigning MVP. Rodgers is.
Second, he needs to be developed in a system which has been proven to be quarterback-friendly. When Tom Brady went down, the Patriots made Matt Cassel look like a starter. The Chiefs have not.
Third, he must go to a franchise which will provide limited distractions in the locker room and in the media. This year in New York was not a good fit. Tebow was the backup quarterback on a team with a poor starting quarterback. Tebow-Mania has, again, become a distraction for the second straight season.
So, with that being said, which NFL teams would be the best fit for Tebow?
Tim Tebow: Which NFL Teams Would Be Best for Him in 2013? | Bleacher Report
The best-kept secret in San Diego began unfolding in October.
Chargers coach Norv Turner was told after an afternoon practice.
“Is that right?” he asked.
Philip Rivers was told inside the locker room.
“Really?” the quarterback said.
He promptly walked to the room’s alley of offensive linemen and confirmed it for himself.
The hush-hush of it all was nearly lost with wide receiver Malcom Floyd’s wide-eyed reaction.
“Are you serious?” he said, his raised volume lowering as he began to piece it together. “Ohh, they’re from the same place: Pensacola, Fla. Ah, gee, that’s cool; that’s crazy. They’ve got a good gene in the family — the NFL gene.”
It has been nearly eight months since the draft, and only two games remain this season. Still, it will be news to many Chargers players that two family members are in their company.
Left guard Tyronne Green and rookie tight end Ladarius Green are first cousins.
Their mothers are sisters.
When it comes to their family ties, the cousins might as well be twins.
Ladarius, less than an hour after being selected in the fourth round, was asked in an April media conference call what his early reaction was to be headed to San Diego. He discussed the opportunity to learn behind Antonio Gates.
No mention of Tyronne.
And Tyronne has been especially coy, raising his arms and motioning his hands downward this week, saying they’re keeping it “low key.”
But the quiet bond between the two is indisputably there.
Tyronne has helped usher Ladarius along, offering him the advice of staying out of trouble, managing his money and to keep plugging away for his number to be called. They’ve been spotted walking off the practice field together, laughing it up with the bulk of their teammates none the wiser to the background.
Dante Rosario, a fellow tight end of Ladarius, was asked Thursday if he knew the teammates were cousins.
“No idea,” he said.
Leading up to the draft, the Green family entertained this scenario.
It was a “wouldn’t it be something?” thought that Ladarius might enter the NFL and join someone whom he’d lived about 20 minutes apart from, someone he shared a childhood of holidays with, someone about the same age of his older brother, Walter, and someone who attended rival Woodham High while they rose through the levels of Booker T. Washington High.
Then, it happened.
“She was really excited,” Walter said of their mother, “one that he made it to the draft and went as high as he did and then, on top of that, that he was with family. You can’t beat family.”
The cousins are in different stages of their Chargers career.
This is a developmental year for Ladarius. This is a contract year for Tyronne, which naturally clouds his future in San Diego.
But Ladarius isn’t the only one going through transition.
The Chargers, at 5-9, are finishing out their first losing season since 2003.
“Shoot, I’m trying to get through it myself, too,” Tyronne said. “It’s not like we’ve been losing since I’ve been here. It’s different. It’s been tough. We’re going through it together.”
Life in NFL is a family affair for Chargers' Greens | UTSanDiego-com
Calvin Johnson continued his tear through NFL secondaries in historic fashion.
The Detroit Lions wide receiver entered Saturday night's game against the Atlanta Falcons needing 182 yards to break Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's single-season receiving yards record. Was there ever a doubt?
With a 26-yard reception from quarterback Matthew Stafford in the fourth quarter, Johnson made history by surpassing Rice's mark of 1,848 yards set in 1995.
Johnson, who finished the night with 11 catches for 225 yards, now has 1,892 on the year.
"It's a huge accomplishment to take one of those records from the great Jerry," Johnson told ESPN's Lisa Salters after the game. "All the work that we put in this year, I guess you can say it's well deserved."
Right after the record-breaking catch, Johnson went straight to the sideline to hand the ball to his father, Calvin Johnson Sr., who couldn't put into words his son's achievement.
"You imagine great things, but how can you imagine this?" Johnson Sr. said. Breaking the single-season yardage mark was preceded by another as Johnson's 117 first-half receiving yards ensured him of the record for consecutive 100-yard receiving games with eight, eclipsing the mark shared by Charley Hennigan (1961) and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin (1995). For the season, Johnson now has 11 100-yard games, which is incredible.
With this out of the way, Johnson can focus on trying to become the first receiver in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards in next week's season finale at home against the Chicago Bears.
"After a game like this, it becomes very realistic," said Johnson, who's 108 yards from the barrier. "We've got a tough opponent next week, so we've got to do our homework."
San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh won't take away fond memories from his 49th birthday. The 49ers were crushed in prime time by the Seattle Seahawks. The cake won't go down easy. Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman -- who played for Harbaugh at Stanford -- had a special message for his old coach.
"Oh yeah, happy birthday Coach Harbaugh," Sherman told NFL Network's Michelle Beisner on Sunday night, moments after Seattle's 42-13 win. "Hope you enjoyed it."
Harbaugh didn't give the media much in his postgame availability, maintaining a low-key demeanor in describing his team's poor effort in a game that could've clinched the NFC West for San Francisco. He did confirm Colin Kaepernick will remain the starting quarterback next Sunday, when the 49ers try to clinch the division title against the Arizona Cardinals.
On Sunday, Kaepernick completed 19 of 36 passes for 244 yards and one touchdown with an interception as he led an offense that looked nothing like the unit that poured it on against the New England Patriots last week.
Kaepernick's huge game in Foxborough had the effect of pushing backup Alex Smith into the deep background. That's likely where he'll stay for the balance of the season.
Authorities said former Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter was released from a California jail after paying $70,000 owed to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
A spokeswoman with the Kern County jail in Bakersfield said Porter was released Monday.
Prosecutor Sam Bateman in Las Vegas said Porter was arrested during the weekend on a theft and bad check complaint filed earlier this year.
Bateman said the 35-year-old Porter paid the amount and was released pending dismissal of the charge. A court date was not immediately set.
Porter, a four-time Pro Bowl player, received several IOU markers from the Hard Rock in June, Bateman said.
Porter, who was born in Bakersfield, played 13 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals before retiring in July.
Read more here: Former NFL star pays casino debt - Sports - The Sacramento Bee
From Peyton Manning overcoming four neck surgeries to Adrian Peterson's rebound from a shredded knee to Chuck Pagano's fight with leukemia, this has been the Year of the Comeback in the NFL.
A season besmirched by tragedies, replacement officials and a bounty scandal also will go down as one in which some of the game's greats not only regained their old form but somehow surpassed it.
There are always feel-good stories about those who overcome long odds and broken bodies to regain at least a sliver of their past glory. This season provided an abundance of them.
When the season started, who could have expected Manning to recapture his MVP play so quickly with a new team? Or for Peterson to come back less than nine months after shredding his left knee? Or for Jamaal Charles to return better than ever after a similar injury?
Then there's Pagano beating the biggest opponent of his life.
A year ago, Manning was in the midst of four neck operations to fix a nerve injury that had caused his right arm to atrophy and had sidelined him for an entire season. Soon, he would say a tearful farewell to Indianapolis, a city he'd put back on the NFL map, and connect with John Elway in Denver.
Peterson's left knee was still swollen after he'd shredded it on Christmas Eve, an injury similar to the one Charles endured earlier last season. Yet both would defy medicine and conventional wisdom alike to rebound as better runners than they were before getting hurt.
Pagano's fight started three months ago when it was disclosed he had cancer, forcing the first-year Indianapolis head coach to take time off for chemotherapy treatments. He returned to work this week, taking the reins from assistant Bruce Arians, who guided the team to a surprising playoff berth in his absence.
"When I asked for Bruce to take over, I asked for him to kick some you-know-what and to do great. Damn Bruce, you had to go and win nine games?" Pagano said. "Tough act to follow."
If all goes well at practice this week, Pagano will be on the sideline for the regular-season finale against Houston. That's a final tuneup for the AFC wild-card playoffs that nobody saw coming for the Colts so soon after cutting ties with Manning, who switched teams, coaches, cities and colors and didn't miss a beat in 2012.
Despite a new supporting cast and a 36-year-old body he insists continues to confound him, the quintessential quarterback has had one of the best seasons in his storied career. Manning set franchise or NFL records just about every week while completing 68 percent of his passes for 4,355 yards with 34 TDs and 11 interceptions.
And yet, he insists he's not anything close to what he used to be.
"I know you don't believe me when I say this; I'm still learning about myself physically and what I can do, it's still the truth," Manning said after guiding Denver to its 10th straight win.
Peterson is unabashedly clear in his desire for some recognition after overcoming torn anterior-cruciate and medial-collateral ligaments in his left knee, requiring the type of reconstructive surgery that usually turns dominant players into ordinary ones.
Peterson returned to the Vikings' lineup less than nine months after his operation, and with a league-high 1,898 yards, he's 207 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's single-season record. He can topple it with another big game Sunday when Minnesota faces Green Bay with a playoff berth on the line for the Vikings.
Bengals' moves: Cincinnati acquired wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher on waivers from the Chicago Bears and placed first-round draft pick Dre Kirkpatrick on injured reserve. Sanzenbacher played in five games with one catch for 7 yards this season.
Read more: 2012: NFL's year of the comeback - SFGate
Nine months ago, the NFL stripped the Cowboys and Washington Redskins a combined $46 million of salary cap space for front-loading contracts during the uncapped 2010 season.
Now, the rivals will play each other in the last game of the regular season to decide the NFC East champion.
In the spirit of college football this time of year, dub Sunday’s finale as the Salary Cap Bowl.
“It’s nice both of us are playing for that spot,” Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Wednesday. “Not too happy about what happened, but we’ll talk about that at a later time.”
The Cowboys were docked $10 million in salary cap space for the way they structured receiver Miles Austin’s contract (giving him a $17 million base salary that year) and the Redskins were docked $36 million. Both teams are taking half the hit this season and half next year.
It wasn’t long ago that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Washington owner Daniel Snyder were working in concert to battle the league on the salary cap sanctions that were levied. At the time, even Jones admitted joining forces with Snyder was odd.
“First of all, there is no joy in Mudville, having to team up with the Redskins on a point with the league,” Jones said then. “We’re competitors, not cohorts. Sometimes you can have strange bedfellows and this is one of them.”
Then there’s this: Flash back to the first game of the season, when the Cowboys played at the defending Super Bowl champion Giants on a Wednesday night. The NFL Management Committee determined in the off-season that the Cowboys and Redskins should have their salary caps reduced. Giants co-owner John Mara is the chairman of that committee. Mara was outspoken in the penalties handed down to his two NFC East foes.
“Quite frankly,” Mara said at the time, “they’re lucky they didn’t lose draft picks.”
But now, Mara’s Giants are on the outside looking in — needing a lot of help on the final weekend to squeeze into the postseason as a wild-card team.
“There is a lot of stuff that happens off the field that’s just part of this business,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said when asked if he could see the irony in the last playoff spot coming down to his team and the Redskins. “Different teams interpreted those lack of rules [in 2010] differently. That’s something that we all had to work through.”
In the end, the salary cap penalties haven’t been major blows for the Cowboys and Washington.
The Cowboys accomplished what they wanted in the off-season by adding seven free agents, highlighted by the signing of cornerback Brandon Carr to a five-year, $50.1 million contract.
And Washington drafted Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, who on Wednesday joined Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan as the quarterbacks selected to represent the NFC in the Pro Bowl.
“At the end of the day,” Redskins veteran linebacker London Fletcher said, “we both had good teams that could adapt.”
George: Nine months after NFL sanctions, Cowboys and Redskins to meet in Salary Cap Bowl | Dallas Cowboys News - Sports News for Dallas, Texas - SportsDayDFW
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson missed out on breaking one of the NFL's most durable records but helped his side into the play offs.
Peterson, 27, fell eight short of Eric Dickerson's NFL record for most rushing yards in a season (2,105 for the then Los Angeles Rams in 1984).
"It's a bittersweet feeling inside," said Peterson, who finished with 2,097.
"Ultimately we accomplished the ultimate goal of getting a win and taking our team into the play offs."
Peterson suffered a potentially career-ending knee injury a year ago but has returned to the type of form that led to him being voted to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons.
"The first thing that came to my mind when I heard that I was nine yards short was 'It is what it is. It wasn't meant to happen'," he said,
"Not to say it doesn't hurt, because it does."
Peterson became only the seventh player in league history to surpass the 2,000-yard mark in a season.
His final contribution on Sunday was a 26-yard burst to the Green Bay 11-yard line with three seconds remaining.
From there, Blair Walsh kicked a 29-yard field goal to break a 34-34 tie and seal the victory over the Packers.
The Vikings claimed the sixth play off seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) and they will meet the Packers again next week in Green Bay in the first round.
Full list of NFL play off qualifiers: Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings.
BBC Sport - Adrian Peterson of Minnesota Vikings misses out on NFL record
The speculation about if University of Alabama coach Nick Saban will venture back into the NFL coaching ranks won't go away.
Saban, however, has made it clear he will not make the leap, according to Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com. Freeman, citing several unnamed team and league sources, reports that "most, if not all" of the teams with coaching vacancies have inquired about Saban's interest in some unofficial capacity, but have been unequivocally rebuffed.
Saban, who previously had never stayed in one place longer than five years, is in his sixth season with the Crimson Tide.
His stint as head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2005 to '06 was a major disappointment. He finished with a 15-17 record and the team seemed to regress more than improve.
He ended his tenure in Miami with the now-infamous "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach" line weeks before accepting the job in Tuscaloosa. And while perhaps the itch to move on and prove he can coach at the highest level might fester, this time when he says he isn't going to change jobs, we actually believe him.
The Cleveland Browns just might have their man. NFL-com's Ian Rapoport reported Friday that University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly is close to a deal to become the Browns' next head coach, according to a source informed of his situation.
Kelly met with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner on Friday, the most recent of several interviews the team conducted this week in Arizona. Kelly has been at the top of the Browns' wish list as a replacement for fired coach Pat Shurmur, and the team has been expected to make a full-court press to land the hottest name on the coaching market.
Kelly also was supposed to meet with the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, but a person familiar with the interviews told The Associated Press that team is "heading in another direction" because Kelly is close to landing with the Browns. However, the Buffalo Bills announced via Twitter that Kelly also had interviewed for their head-coaching vacancy Friday night. Known for his innovative offensive approach, Kelly has gone 46-7 as Oregon's coach and is coming off a Thursday win over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl. He said after the victory that he'd like to have the process of determining his future "wrapped up quickly."
Landing Kelly would be a seismic development for a Browns franchise that has been largely rudderless since re-entering the NFL in 1999. If Cleveland closes the deal, it will stand as a big statement in an AFC North overdue for a shift in power.
Chip Kelly, Cleveland Browns very close to deal - NFL-com
Deep on offense and scary-good on defense, the Green Bay Packers were way too much for the Minnesota Vikings .
Maybe everyone else in the NFC, too.
Aaron Rodgers , Charles Woodson and the Packers reminded everyone of how dangerous they can be when they're at full strength Saturday night, overwhelming the Vikings 24-10 in an NFC wild-card game that was never really close.
"Our defense played great," Rodgers said. "Our defense tonight played at a championship level and that's what you need in the playoffs."
John Kuhn scored two touchdowns, DuJuan Harris added another and Rodgers connected with an NFL playoff-record 10 receivers as he threw for 274 yards in his first playoff victory at home. Defensively, the Packers (12-5) finally managed to contain Adrian Peterson and were all over Vikings backup Joe Webb , pressed into service because of Christian Ponder 's triceps injury.
Peterson was held to 99 yards - an improvement after gaining 199 and 210 in the first two games against Green Bay. It was only the second time in the last 11 games that he was held below 100 yards. Webb, who hadn't thrown a pass all season, was sacked three times and off target all night. His only highlight was a 50-yard scoring pass to Michael Jenkins late in the fourth quarter, but it was far too late for the Vikings (10-7).
"No disrespect to Ponder, but ... it's about one guy and that's Adrian Peterson ," said Woodson, who played his first game since breaking his right collarbone Oct. 21. "Our main focus, whether it was Ponder or Webb, was to keep 28 (Peterson) from getting off. And if we were going to keep him from getting off, put the ball in the quarterback's hands, whatever quarterback it was, we felt good about what was going to happen."
With a little over a minute left, Packers fans began taunting the Vikings (10-7) with chants of "Nah-nah-nah-nah ... goodbye." The win snapped a two-game losing streak at Lambeau Field in the playoffs, and sent the Packers to San Francisco next Saturday for an NFC divisional game with the 49ers. The teams met in the season opener, with San Francisco winning 30-22.
"A lot has happened since we played San Francisco," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We're a different team."
This was the third game in six weeks between Green Bay and the Vikings, and second in six days. The Packers' loss in Minnesota last weekend cost them the No. 2 seed in the NFC, along with a bye this weekend, and left them looking - dare we say it? - vulnerable going into the playoffs. But with Woodson back and Rodgers having all four of his top receivers for, essentially, the first time since Sept. 30, Green Bay looked like a team that could make the kind of deep run it did two years ago when it won the Super Bowl.
Rodgers used so many different options other NFL quarterbacks must have been drooling. He went with Harris on Green Bay's first scoring drive, mixed it up between James Jones , Tom Crabtree and Greg Jennings on the second, and had 22- and 23-yard completions to Jordy Nelson before Kuhn scored on a 3-yard run that put the Packers up 17-3 just before the half.
And pretty much everyone got in on the fun on the last score, a 12-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up more than 5 1/2 minutes. Rodgers connected with Jones on a 19-yard completion to put the Packers in Packers territory, then connected with Harris for 14 yards two plays later to reach the red zone. Rodgers threw incompletes on second and third downs, but just when the Packers thought they'd have to settle for a field goal, the Vikings were whistled for 12 men on the field, giving Rodgers another crack at the end zone.
He found Kuhn for the 9-yard score, and the game was all but over.
"That was tough. We were down seven and they went and scored and they were coming out of the half, too, getting the ball, too, and they got it and scored again," Antoine Winfield said. "Can't do that against the Green Bay Packers ."
Harris, who didn't play in the first game against Minnesota this season because he'd only been elevated from the practice squad a day earlier, led the team in receiving (five catches for 61 yards) and rushing (47 yards on 17 carries). Jennings and Jones had four catches each and Nelson had three before hobbling off late in the fourth quarter.
"We have some stuff to work on," Rodgers said. "We've got to help our defense out more, close a team out like that. Tough test next week back in San Francisco."
Hey, at least the Packers are still playing. That's more than the Vikings can say.
Ponder was hurt last weekend when Morgan Burnett slammed into him on a blitz. Though initially thought to be an elbow injury, Ponder said it was actually a deep bruise in his right triceps. It limited his flexibility along with his power and, though it is better, there simply wasn't enough time to recover with the short, six-day turnaround.
After testing the arm before the game, the Vikings decided to go with Webb, whose only playing time this year was a couple of handoffs at the end of a blowout of Tennessee in early October.
"I can play with pain. The biggest thing is the loss of flexibility," Ponder said. "I couldn't get the ball in the position to where I could throw it normally and lost a lot of power and everything. It wouldn't have been wise to play."
It was the first time Buffalo's Frank Reich in 1993 a quarterback had started a playoff game after not starting during the regular season, according to STATS Inc. And, in the first series at least, he seemed to have caught the Packers off guard. That or they were too busy trying to bottle up Peterson, who bulldozed them for 409 yards in their first two games, to pay attention.
With what seemed like every Packers defender focused on Peterson, Webb converted a third-and-3 with a 17-yard pickup. His 5-yard run four plays later put the Vikings at the Green Bay 13. But Webb's first pass of the night went into the ground, and the Vikings were forced
Each of the four teams that emerged victorious from wild-card weekend — Houston, Green Bay, Baltimore and Seattle — ranked among the top 10 in scoring during the regular season.
But in their first tests of the postseason, it was their defense that pulled them through.
The point totals of the four losing teams were 14 by Washington, 13 by Cincinnati, 10 by Minnesota, and nine by Indianapolis. The Redskins had the last game Sunday, and rang up touchdowns on Seattle on their first two possessions. Then the Seahawks clamped down, however, and the Redskins couldn't get traction for the rest of the game.
Washington had nine first downs in the opening period, and only six more in the three quarters that followed.
"They had a good scheme; they knew how to attack," Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said. "Once we figured out how they attacked us, we just manned up and everyone stood up."
The challenge now will be for those four winners, three of whom won at home, to take their act on the road in the divisional round against some of the league's most potent offensive threats.
Houston plays at New England, where Tom Brady directs the NFL's highest-scoring team, one that averages 34.8 points per game.
Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos, who play host to Baltimore, are second in scoring at 30.1.
Seattle heads to Atlanta to face Matt Ryan and the Falcons, ranked seventh at 26.2.
And Green Bay plays at San Francisco. Although the 49ers finished 11th in scoring at 24.8, they scored at least 30 points six times.
Three of those divisional games are rematches, with Seahawks-Falcons being the only matchup that didn't happen during the regular season.
The 49ers beat the host Packers, 30-22, in their season opener.
Houston was clobbered by New England, 42-14, in a Week 14 game in Foxborough, Mass.
Denver doubled the Ravens' score, 34-17, in a Week 15 game in Baltimore.
Those games weren't close — the eight-point win by San Francisco was more lopsided than the score suggests — but every team has changed and matured.
The Patriots certainly know they can't coast. Two years ago, they blew out the New York Jets in a December game, 45-3, then suffered a 28-21 loss to Rex Ryan's team in the divisional round.
Often, the playoffs are a markedly different story.
Likewise, the Texans aren't likely to fixate on their most recent loss at New England, even though it happened only a month ago.
"I don't know how much I'm going to look at that, man, honestly," Houston running back Arian Foster said, when asked how much he plans to study the video from that four-touchdown loss. "[The Patriots] are a good team. We're a good team. I'll glance at it. But I'm not going to sit there and burn a candle and watch it."
Devoting too much time to that particular game probably wouldn't be too productive for the Patriots, either. Surely, the Texans will tweak their approach. But, just as they did in preparations for that game, New England defenders plan to use tennis rackets during some drills to simulate the astounding reach and pass-swatting ability of Texans tackle J.J. Watt.
As for Baltimore, the Ravens are facing a familiar foe. Manning was 2-0 against them in the postseason when he was the Indianapolis quarterback.
But the defense-minded Ravens are riding on emotions too. Their heartbeat on that side of the ball, middle linebacker Ray Lewis, is retiring after 17 stellar seasons. Sunday, he played his last game in Baltimore, torn right triceps and all, performing his trademark dance at midfield after ceremoniously lining up at fullback for a final kneeldown.
"I knew how it started, but I never knew how it would end here in Baltimore," he said. "To go the way it did today, I wouldn't change nothing."
Defensively speaking, the Packers wouldn't change much about their Saturday night performance against Minnesota, when they "limited" Adrian Peterson to 99 yards rushing. He had run for 210 and 199 yards against them during the regular season.
Next, they will see a changed San Francisco team, one quarterbacked by Colin Kaepernick instead of Alex Smith (who had a lofty 125.6 passer rating against them in the opener).
"We're going to stay in tune to who we are as a team, and the first game is definitely something we'll use as far as our game-planning and go back to the matchups and so forth," Packers Coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Sunday. "But they're a different team too. I mean everybody is."
Four NFL wild-card winners to face tough tests on the road - latimes-com
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III will travel to Florida on Tuesday to see renowned orthopedist James Andrews for more examinations on his right knee.
"There is a concern," coach Mike Shanahan said Monday. "That's why he's going to see him."
Griffin tore his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for Baylor in 2009, and Shanahan said that injury caused Griffin's latest MRI exam to prove inconclusive and produce "differences of opinion" in those who have looked at it.
"They want to take another look and have a physical exam with him," Shanahan said, "to make sure they're not looking at old injuries."
A torn ACL typically requires a rehabilitation period of nine to 12 months, although some players don't return to full health until their second season after the injury.
Shanahan was grilled about his handling of Griffin's injury. Already playing with a heavy black brace in his third game since spraining a lateral collateral ligament, Griffin hurt the knee again when he fell awkwardly while throwing a pass in the first quarter of Sunday's 24-14 playoff loss to the Seahawks.
Griffin stayed in the game, but he was far from his usual self, clearly favoring the knee and unable to run with his world-class speed.
Shanahan said he thought he made the "right decisions" to keep Griffin in the game and that it would be "crazy" to think he would purposely sacrifice Griffin's career to win a game. He said he did not talk to team doctors initially after Griffin was hurt in the first quarter, instead relying on Griffin's word.
"I went up to Robert. I said, 'You OK?' " Shanahan said. "And he said, 'I'm fine.' "
Seahawks: Pass-rushing defensive end Chris Clemons has been knocked out of the postseason because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Clemons was hurt Sunday when it appeared his cleats got stuck in the messy, dirty turf at the Redskins' FedEx Field early in the third quarter of Seattle's victory.
"It's a big loss for us in a lot of ways," said coach Pete Carroll, whose Seahawks travel to Atlanta on Sunday. "Chris has been a great football player and just a symbol of consistency in the years that we've had him, but he's been a great leader for us, too."
Clemons has been the most consistent pass rusher for the Seahawks since arriving in a trade from Philadelphia before the 2010 season. He had 111/2 sacks this season.
Bruce Irvin, who set a franchise rookie record with eight sacks, will start against the Falcons.
Bills: Buffalo filled its head-coaching vacancy, hiring Doug Marrone, who spent the past three seasons at Syracuse.
Jets: Matt Cavanaugh will not return as quarterbacks coach after four seasons with the team. Cavanaugh was responsible for the development of Mark Sanchez, who took a step back in his fourth season and was benched late in the year.
NFL: Washington Redskins concerned about Robert Griffin III's injury - San Jose Mercury News
The silent reflection will come before the national anthem.
NFL players have been tweeting all day their thoughts on the tragedy.
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III: "I may not be a parent, but I can not begin to imagine how it feels to have my child's life taken away. And No one ever should"
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees: "My heart breaks for the families of those killed in Newtown, Conn. It is so senseless. I am angry, disgusted, but most of all extremely sad"
Former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders: "As a parent, as an American, as a human being -- its heartbreaking to hear about the tragic shooting in Connecticut. My prayers to the victims"
Ray Lewis sent this message out on Facebook:
We must wake up, the time is now evil is now attacking our kids. Lord please show us another way, why so much silence when so much pain exists everyday. We must come together, lets not let this be just another Tragedy. The only way to do it is together, if it takes a village to raise 1 child then it's gonna take everything we have to save our children. Lets start having real conversation to make our world a better place. Lord my Prayer today is please help thru this Storm. Me and my family will be Praying for the entire Sandy Hook Elementary School, you're not alone.
NFL home teams to hold moment of reflection