FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Impossible as it may seen, Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork arrived at Gillette Stadium on Monday morning and hadn't yet seen a replay of his interception in Sunday's win over the San Diego Chargers.

Despite countless replays on SportsCenter and local news broadcasts, Wilfork had managed to avoid it until he sat down for a little film review.

"I didn't come in just to watch that play, I always look at the game before we go in as a defense, just to critique myself, and see what we we did well and what things we didn’t do well," said Wilfork. "When I got to that play, I slowed it down and looked a couple times. I won’t lie. I watched it a couple times. That was first time saw it.

"My wife [Bianca], she was all on it. She had the papers, the SportsCenter stuff -- wherever it was out there, she got it, trust me. Me, I'm kinda laid back, I try not to let it affect anything that's going on in the future, especially this week. The [worst] thing I can do is go out there Sunday [vs. Buffalo] and play the worst game of my career, then everybody will turn to me and say, 'Hey, if you weren’t thinking about that interception, you probably would have played better.' I have to turn the page."

But turning the page is easier said than done, especially when the interception (and ensuing rumble down the sideline) is the first topic of conversation with every new person he sees this week.

"When I go places, the first thing people want to talk about is that play," said Wilfork. "I had some people saying that’s the greatest play they’ve ever seen and these people are 60 years old. So they’ve been around for a long time and I'm pretty sure they’ve seen a lot of football. To rank that as one of the best they've seen, that’s an honor."

Wilfork met with the media Thursday morning to talk not only football, but also to announce a new "Tackling Diabetes" program in conjunction with the Joslin Diabetes Center. Fans of Wilfork can pledge $7.50 or $75 for each tackle No. 75 makes this season. Check out the video below to hear Wilfork talk about diabetes impact on his life, as his father, David, passed away from complications of his diabetes while Wilfork was a student at the University of Miami.

(nfl.com)

Washington Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss said this week’s game is obviously big because it is against the hated Cowboys. But most importantly it’s a chance for his team to pick up another victory in the NFC East.

“Dallas is Dallas. We see them twice a year,” Moss said. “You get up for them the first time and get up for them a little more the second time. That’s how this division is, regardless of if it’s Dallas or whoever it is, it’s a big game.”

Moss knows that fans view the Cowboys differently than the Eagles or Giants, however. And he acknowledges that the success that Dallas has achieved over the years has caused people to look at the Cowboys in a different light. But that further stokes Moss’ competitive juices.

“We know what Dallas means to everybody else in the world, because without that star, it’s almost like it ain’t football,” Moss said. “But Dallas has been one of those teams I watched as a kid. I’ve always been a fan of them, so when it’s time to play them and share that stage with them, something a little more extra comes out of you. You don’t really know what it is, but it is.”

Moss had one of the finest performances by a Redskins receiver against the Cowboys in 2005, when, with his team down 13-0 and 4-1/2 minutes left, he and then-quarterback Mark Brunell connected on two touchdowns for a stunning 14-13 victory.

The first was a 39-yard touchdown catch and the second was a 70-yard bomb with 2-1/2 minutes left on the clock.

But rather than reflect on that performance, Moss tries to focus on his upcoming matchup with the Cowboys.

“I think about it when people bring it up,” Moss said. “I like to stay ahead and leave the past in the past. It’s always brought up so you can’t totally leave it behind, but every year is a different year. The last five years, we haven’t had the best years, so we just try to have a better outing every time we play them.”

(washingtonpost.com)

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce its Class of 2012 inductees, featuring NFL stars Ed Reed and Bryant McKinnie, along with women's tennis coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews and the school's first African-American football player Ray Bellamy. Also selected were All-American pitcher Robbie Morrison, Olympic hurdler Patrina Allen, basketball star Desma Thomas Bateast and All-American lineman Rich Mercier.

This year's class will be officially inducted at the 44th Annual UM Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet to be held Thursday, March 29, 2012 at Miami's Jungle Island.  For information on tickets, go to UMSportsHallofFame.com or call 305-284-2775. 

Richard Mercier: First Team All-America selection by The Sporting News in 1999 ... Two-time All-BIG EAST First Team selection (1998-99) ... Team leader in pancake blocks in both his junior and senior seasons ... Tied Mike Sullivan for the UM record in career starts (48) ... Invited to play in the Senior Bowl, Hula Bowl, East-West Shrine Game and Florida Citrus All Star Gridiron Classic ... Fifth round NFL draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2000.

Bryant McKinnie: Outland Trophy winner as college football's outstanding interior lineman in 2001 ... Named a First Team All-American by The Football News in 2000 and a consensus first team Al-American by every national service in 2001, including the Associated Press, Football Writers Association, The Football News, The Sporting News and the Walter Camp and the National Football Foundations ... The 2001 National Player of the Year by CNNSI.com ... The 2001 College Football Offensive Player of the Year by The Football News ... Did not allow a quarterback sack during his entire UM career ... A two-time unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection at left tackle ... First round NFL pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2002.

Ed Reed: Consensus First Team All-America and All-BIG EAST selection in 2000 and 2001 ... Set UM career records for interceptions (21) and interception return yards (389) ... His nine interceptions in 2001 is the second-highest single-season total in UM history ... Recorded eight interceptions in 2000 (third-best in UM history) ... Key factor in a defense that recorded a record 45 takeaways during the 2001 National Championship campaign ... Also excelled in track & field, winning the javelin at the 1999 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships ... A first round NFL draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2002.

Click Here To Read About the Other Inductees.

Patriots DT Vince Wilfork held a press conference today to discuss his partnership with Joslin Diabetes Center and the “Tackling Diabetes” initiative. Fans can donate $7.50, $75 and $750 for Wilfork’s exploits this year to benefit the Vince Wilfork Foundation and Joslin Diabetes Center’s High Hopes Fund. The program kicked off during the Chargers game.



And yes, Wilfork is giving his own money, too.

“This is going to be one of the times that I’m going to ask for help,” Wilfork said. “I’m doing it, my wife is doing it, I have friends doing it, my brother is doing it – it’s a lot of people. We’re involved also. It’s not that I’m just asking everybody else for money; I’m actually putting money up myself. There’s where we’re at with this. Once again, like I said I want to thank EMD Millipore and Joslin for getting me on the team and hopefully we can be successful with this and hopefully I can report back to you guys how well we’re doing with it. It’s going to be something fun. It makes me more excited now to go out and make tackles for a cause. That just adds one more element to my game that makes me play even harder now. That’s where we’re at with that.”

"Some of you guys may know –- you might not know -– my relationship with diabetes comes from my household, growing up in a household with my father being ill for 13, 14, 15 years," said Wilfork. "As a kid, I’m 9- and 10-years[-old] at the time, seeing my father going through what he had to go through. I had to give him shots at times, he was so weak. I had to bathe him, had to take him to the restroom. There was a lot going on that my brother and I had to deal with. That’s why this is really close and dear to my heart. I know how it can affect a household firsthand because I was one of those people that had to deal with it.

"Luckily, God blessed me where I could be a healthy young man and blessed my family to be healthy, but not everybody is able. That’s why it’s very, very close and dear to my heart to actually come and bring more awareness to raise money to try to find and try to fight and tackle this disease, because it affects us more than we think. I know a lot of people probably have friends and family members that are cancer patients, they’re beating [it] -– I put it right up there with cancer. Every year I throw my draft day fundraiser to raise money for diabetes. There’s not one year that comes and goes that I don’t get new people either showing up to my doorstep or showing up to the fundraiser just telling me stories about how they are affected by this disease. Through the years, we’ve raised a lot of good money. Last year, I think we raised over $100,000, so it’s growing. One thing I want to do is to get my fans and my team involved with this. Everybody knows playing football is not just one individual, so I think that’s where the fans and friends can play a huge part in this."

Wilfork is pretty confident he’ll get some love for a cause so dear to his heart.

“Like I said, with the fans and the support that we have around here, I don’t think I’ll have any problem getting some support from everyone,” Wilfork said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m happy. I believe it’s going to be a fun year, it’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be cool, something new to change up and [we’ll] see how well it does.”

(bostonherald.com)

Denver Broncos, Willis McGahee, running back: McGahee took the role of the workhorse for Denver as he carried the ball 28 times for 101 yards. The Broncos, ideally would like McGahee to carry the ball 12-15 times. But with Knowshon Moreno out with a hamstring injury, McGahee had to take the lead role. He did well. Expect him to get the chance to carry the ball often at Tennessee on Sunday.

Click here to order Willis McGahee’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Devin Hester is confident that it’s only a matter of time before he breaks off a big return. But the NFL record-holder conceded Thursday after practice that he’s “very anxious” to do so.

“This has been something that I’ve been living and dying off of, the return game,” Hester said in advance of Sunday’s contest against the Packers. “We haven’t been hitting the home runs the past two games, but hopefully this week we can pick it up and start back to where we used to be.”

Hester enters Week 3 averaging just 20.0 yards on five kickoff returns and 5.0 yards on two punt returns. Last year he averaged only 2.0 yards on six punt returns in the first two games before busting loose with a 62-yard touchdown, coincidentally, in a Week 3 win over the Packers at Soldier Field.

“This is my sixth year and I know that you have to be patient," said Hester, who owns the NFL’s all-time record with 14 combined kick return TDs. “You can’t over-think or try to force something to happen. That’s when you make mistakes. You have to just be patient and when it comes, it comes.”

(chicagobears.com)

The Texans' offensive line has suffered a serious blow because veteran tackle Rashad Butler, the backup on both sides, is out for the season.

The 28-year-old,Miami-Florida product appeared in all 16 games in 2009 and 2010 with four total stars. He had also played in both games this season.

Butler was placed on injured reserve after suffering ruptured triceps in practice on Wednesday. Offensive tackle Andrew Gardner was elevated from the practice squad. Center/guard Cody Wallace was signed to the practice squad.


(chron.com)

Appearing on Rich Eisen's podcast on the NFL Network, former NBA superstar Charles Barkley challenged Warren Sapp to a foot race.

Calling Sapp, now an NFL analyst, a big fat lineman, Barkley said he would race him anytime, anywhere at any distance.

"I was highly, highly offended when Warren Sapp thought he could outrun me," said Barkley. "I'll bet anything in the world that Warren can not out run me."

Barkley is 1-0 or 0-1-0 in match races. Years ago he challenged 67-year-old NBA referee Dick Bavetta to a race. Barkley had a lead in the stretch before both the ref and Barkley tripped before the finish line.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(usatoday.com)

Houston Texans’ linebacker Darryl Sharpton recently visited Schindewolf Intermediate School’s special education teacher Heather Williams and her students.   The Texans and First Community Credit Union named Williams as a Star in the Classroom after Jonathan Charo, one of her students, and his mother nominated her for the honor.    Williams and her classroom received a visit from a Texans player as a benefit of winning the award, and the program donated $500 to the Klein ISD general fund.   Students decorated the classroom with cutouts of Texans jerseys and Sharpton spent over an hour answering questions ranging from his favorite color, to his favorite part about living in Texas, to what it is like being a professional football player.   Each student was able to ask a question, including the non-verbal students through the use of assistive technology devices. 

Click here to order Darryl Sharpton’s proCane Rookie Card.


(ultimatespringtx.com)

Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma did not practice Wednesday or Thursday with a sore knee.  Jo-Lonnn Dunbar is the primary back up on the depth chart for the Saints.  LB Jonathan Casillas also missed practice on Wednesday.  Payton downplays the injuries.  "There's a lot of tape study that's being done and walkthroughs, and yet you don't want to move too quickly and have any setbacks.  We feel like both those guys will be able to practice some." 

Click here to order Jon Vilma’s proCane Rookie Card.


(wwl.com)

Recently, Jemile Weeks' teammates were starting to get on him about his lack of home runs.
"They said, 'You've just got the bagel on the board, fill the board up,' and 'Anyone think he'll get to hit one out today? I don't,' " Weeks said with a laugh Thursday afternoon.

Weeks silenced the rest of the A's with a solo shot to right off Colby Lewis in the sixth inning Thursday, his first big-league home run. It took him 90 games to record the homer. That's the second longest homerless streak to begin a career in Oakland history after Mike Bordick's run of 132 games, which ended May 10, 1992.

"The home run put some extra pep in his step today," manager Bob Melvin said.

"It's awesome to see him get his first one," Oakland starter Trevor Cahill said. "We've been joking with him to get it, and especially here, with the big ballpark, it takes the pressure off."

Weeks went 3 for 3 and he scored the winning run in the eighth inning. He's batting a team-high .303.


(sfgate.com)

It's week three of the NFL regular season and that means the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles rivalry is about to be renewed. It also means trash talk is going to be a dominant fixture in the media over the next several days. In fact, it's already begun. Shocker, right?

The chatter began late Tuesday afternoon when Giants safety Antrel Rolle said he's covered Eagles wide receiver before and would be happy to do it again.

“You know, I’m no stranger to the cornerback position,” Rolle said. “I have handled DeSean Jackson one-on-one before, and I don’t see why I can’t handle him again.”

The comments didn't seem overly controversial, but Jackson's teammate, Jeremy Maclin, apparently took them to heart and fired back at Rolle and the New York Giants today.

"When you talk, you're either insecure or scared. And he's talking," Maclin said. "They have no business talking, because they haven’t done anything the last six times."

If we're talking about relevant history, well…the Eagles have never done anything. But that's neither here nor there.

Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka also joined the trash talking party, saying the following about Eagles quarterback Michael Vick:

"I want to be able to go there & throw the knockout punch while the ref and the other guy are looking," Kiwi said.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.


(giants101.com)

OWINGS MILLS -- Baltimore Ravens All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis tackled running back Javon Ringer after he gained one yard in the third quarter.

It was a routine tackle for the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, but it also pushed Lewis to 2,500 for his career.

Tackles are an unofficial NFL statistic, but Lewis, 36, is the league's current active leader.

"It's just a credit of going out and giving it everything you've got year in and year out," Lewis said. "Just try to stay as healthy as you can be and never stop loving the game. I never stopped loving it. If you are a true professional, you are going to prepare a certain way when you win and you are going to prepare the same way when you lose.

"That is a credit to me coming back every year in better shape than I was the year before, because I always like the journey and to see where the journey is going to end."

Click here to order Ray Lewis’ proCane Rookie Card.


(carrollcountytimes.com)

Devin Hester has heard it all before. The Chicago Bears receiver understands how criticism mounts after a bad loss and how fingers start pointing at the receiving corps when the offense sputters.

"It’s the nature of the beast," Hester said Wednesday. "Whenever the passing game is not going, people tend to look at the receivers and say, 'Well, the receivers are not doing their jobs.’ That’s just basically how it goes.’’

Hester would be the first to admit that he dropped a catchable ball on third down in the second quarter of Sunday’s 30-13 loss to the Saints. The fact that he caught just one pass but was targeted nine times was a bit deceiving, however, with only two catchable balls thrown his way.

Quarterback Jay Cutler, playing under duress the entire game, fired at least two balls over Hester’s head and threw another out of bounds in Hester’s direction. Cutler also threw a screen pass intended for Hester into the ground. Not to mention the Saints defenders got into the passing lanes or deflected balls several times.

"At the end of the day, people go off stats and they judge you,’’ Hester said.

"Watching film of the drop, I came in and it was a hot route. The guy kind of grabbed me a little bit and it threw me off balance. I slipped at the same time trying to catch it. But I still should have made that catch. Other than that, the other one that was catchable was the 17-yard route I caught."

Despite the factors that contributed to the offense’s futility – poor blocking, rushed throws, dropped passes -- Hester knows the receivers, as whole, have to step it up against the Packers. Sure, Green Bay is last in the league in pass defense while surrendering 400 yards per game and has lost safety Nick Collins, but the Packers still have Charles Woodson and could have Tramon Williams back from a shoulder injury.

The Bears receivers have struggled against the Packers' press coverage, although Johnny Knox has averaged 23.5 yards per catch against Green Bay while Hester has averaged 15.7 yards per reception.

"As receivers, we just have to create more separation,’’ Hester said. ``The type of defense Green Bay’s plays, we know they’re going to play a lot of man. We have to have separation earlier in the play.’’

Click here to order Devin Hester’s proCane Rookie Card.


(chicagotribune.com)

While Baltimore Ravens standout Ray Lewis makes his living on the defensive side of the ball, his son Ray Lewis III is making his mark on the offensive side.

The Lake Mary Prep running back had one of the top performances in the country last week as he ran 27 times for 384 yards and five touchdowns in a 60-36 win over Foundation Academy.

Click here to order Ray Lewis’ proCane Rookie Card.


(maxpreps.com)

Wednesday was a good day for the Denver Broncos, as four injured starters returned to practice.

Linebacker D.J. Williams, defensive end Elvis Dumervil, running back Knowshon Moreno and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, all four of whom missed Sunday's game against Cincinnati, were on the field for the Broncos' first practice of the week, the Denver Post reported.

Click here to order DJ Williams’ proCane Rookie Card.


(nfl.com)

Did you have any apprehension about your first regular-season start with the Ravens after spending the first nine seasons of your career with the Minnesota Vikings?
No. When Ray [Lewis] hit me up, I checked out the team to see where I would fit in. I kind of looked at it from that standpoint to see if it would be a good fit for me, and I thought it would be.

What about this offensive makeup convinced you to sign with the Ravens?
One thing was that [center] Matt Birk was already here. So there was somebody that I was already familiar with. He calls out the defense, and his communication levels are pretty good.

On your first play as a Raven, you had a key block on Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel and then inside linebacker James Farrior that sprung running back Ray Rice for a 36-yard gain. How good did that feel?
It felt pretty good because you have to set the tempo. I think a lot of that came from the anxiousness and nerves from just not playing for a while. But it felt good and it allowed us as an offense to set the tempo.

Were you nervous about your debut as a Raven?
I'm not going to lie, but just a little because there was a lot going into the game. Ever since I first got here, there was all this talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers and how it's a big rivalry and how basically you just don't like them around here. I saw that on my Twitter account when I first signed and just being out and about — like when I'm picking up my stuff from the dry cleaners or when I turn on the radio. Everywhere I turned, there was something about Pittsburgh.

What would you compare the Ravens-Steelers rivalry to?
Kind of like the Vikings-Packers. Or if you want, go back to the U [University of Miami] and Florida State. Just two teams that don't like each other. Two good teams that have to beat each other to be the best.

Who is the toughest pass rusher you've faced in your career?
I can name you three. Dwight Freeney's good, Julius Peppers is good and James Harrison is actually pretty good. Those are three pretty good pass rushers.

Are they similar in the way they play?
They are different. Dwight and James are a little more similar because they''e both shorter and they use the dip move to try to dip under taller blockers and things like that. James likes to dip in real quick and then come back outside to get the edge on you, whereas Dwight will run up to you and do the spin move inside. Julius is about strength and his arms are about as long as mine. I rarely go against somebody whose arms can touch me when I'm locking mine out. It was definitely a weird feeling.

More important to you: a Super Bowl ring or a Hall of Fame bust?
I'd rather have a ring. I got one in college, and I feel like the ring can possibly set you up to get into the Hall of Fame. But just to get a ring, I know what it felt like to be a national champion in college. So I'd like to get that feeling back.

Did you ever have a nickname? If so, what's the history behind it?
Big Mac. It's funny. [Former Miami teammate and current Washington Redskins wide receiver] Santana Moss gave me that during his junior year when I got to Miami. He said, "I'm going to call you Big Mac." And it stuck. Everybody just started calling me Big Mac, and it carried over to the league. Some people have abbreviated it and called me B-Mac, but Big Mac has stuck with me from college to here. But a lot of people probably don't realize that Santana Moss gave me that nickname.

I read somewhere that you started a music label called "Swagga Entertainment."
It's called B Major Music Group now. The old name was Swagga Entertainment, but I felt like swagga was kind of trendy, and I wanted something that was easier to brand. So I felt like B Major Music Group was better and a little more global. Swagga sounds a little more urban.

What does music mean to you?
A lot. I think music is a form of therapy. When you're going through stuff and someone has a song that you can relate to, you use that. When you're getting ready for games, you're playing music and you get yourself hyped. When you're cleaning your house, you're playing music to get yourself going. So it serves as motivation.

If you could listen to a musician live — past or present — who would you listen to?
I would say Biggie Smalls. I didn't get a chance to see him in concert, and I don't feel like he got a chance to reach his full potential as an artist.

What's your worst habit?
The worst habit I have is probably procrastination. I tend to wait until the last minute to do things, but for some reason, I feel like I perform better when I've got the pressure on me.

If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be?
It would be someone like [entrepreneur] Russell Simmons. From a business standpoint, I would just ask him about different strategies that he took in music.

Click here to order Bryant McKinnie’s proCane Rookie Card.


(baltimoresun.com)

Comrade Bach tells us from the far-flung outpost in Santa Clara that Frank Gore, the 49ers running back, endorsed the idea of faking an injury to slow down or change the pace of a game.

“Whatever it takes to win,” was the way he put it.

And there is why the sports’ various rulebooks are thicker than a whale omelet.

Every now and then someone complains that the rules are too complicated, especially in football, where 22 mesomorphs seek each other out at high speed in hopes of making new human shapes. They like the simpler game where the ground doesn’t cause a fumble, where a quarterback can be hit and not just engaged, where pass interference has the same rules in a bar fight that it does on Sunday afternoon.

And football was exactly that once. The NFL rulebook was once a hand towel. But competition attracts people who like to compete the hell out of something. And if there was only one rule in football – say, not shooting someone – there would be 31 head coaches and one general manager trying to figure how to smuggle concealed pistols on players.

Sport is about cheating, whether you like it or not, and all the things you teach your children about fair play and sportsmanship are put in abeyance (a fancy word meaning “ignored completely&rdquo when people get paid.

And every time someone figures out a way to bend an existing rule, a new one is introduced, to be circumvented and then repaired in an endless dance that leaves everyone properly cynicized about what is and what is not football any longer.

I mean, faking an injury is pretty greasy stuff in a sport whose proponents blather on endlessly about character and will and drive and an ongoing list of moral absolutes. But Gore speaks not only for himself, but for every player, coach, general manager, owner and cheerleader in the league.

“Whatever it takes to win, and if you get hit in the nethers in a pile-up, it’s your fault for not building up your nethers to withstand a human fist.”

In short, we are sending Comrade Bach out again tomorrow to see how many players believe carrying a gun into a game just in case is a good idea, and we are here to tell you that 91 percent will answer with some variation of “Lock and load.”

And the other nine percent will say, “I don’t know. What did Coach say?”

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(csnbayarea.com)

Starting middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma missed practice Wednesday along with outside linebacker Jonathan Casillas, leaving the team with only three active roster linebackers healthy to practice.

Vilma was out with a left knee injury while Casillas missed to rest his right foot, meaning Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Will Herring and Scott Shanle were the only active roster linebackers available for work.

Click here to order Jon Vilma’s proCane Rookie Card.


(wwltv.com)

Kelly Jennings to Cincinnati: The Seattle Seahawks traded Jennings to the Bengals in part because they wanted to get bigger at cornerback. They were tired of seeing Jennings struggle more than a bigger corner might against Larry Fitzgerald and other big receivers. With Jennings gone, 6-foot-4 corner Brandon Browner will get his first look at Fitzgerald in Week 3. Jennings, meanwhile, will not have to worry about facing the San Francisco 49ers' biggest receiver, Braylon Edwards, this weekend. Edwards will miss the 49ers-Bengals game and possibly others after undergoing knee surgery, coach Jim Harbaugh announced. Jennings missed the opener with a hamstring injury and did not factor statistically in Week 2.

Click here to order Kelly Jennings’ proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Virginia Destroyers DT Orien Harris fun facts from the pregame notes before the Dstroyers take on the Las Vegas Locos: Harris enjoys working in his parents' Palm Beach (Fla.) bistro when he's not playing football. He's additionally a cartoon junkie with a passion for Kung Fu movies.




(lasvegasblog)

Despite the headline, the NFL Network’s Contender/Pretender discussion on the Redskins was actually largely positive toward the club. Including Michael Irvin, who struggled with how to categorize the team. Still, in the end, three of the four panelists agreed that Washington belongs in the “Pretender” category.

Transcript:

Jim Mora Jr.: “You know what, I’m not sold on them yet but I like the direction they’re headed. They’re playing better defense.”
Warren Sapp: “They’re running the ball, play-action pass, and they’re physical inside.”

Mora: “And that’s what Mike Shanahan likes to do offensively, he likes to run the ball, play-action pass, get the edge. Jim Haslett’s got them playing good defense, and kind of believing in what they’re doing.”

Heath Evans: “There is a lot of similarities between that Chicago team that Rex led to the Super Bowl and this. There is a solid defensive core there that has struggled, but I think they struggled more because their offense couldn’t get on the field and stay on the field.”

Michael Irvin: “The one thing I will say though when I watch the Redskins, you know, I was a problem sometimes with my crazy butt in Dallas, but wow, what a difference peace will make....You can say what you want about the Redskins, all of that mess is gone, they’re on one accord, and you’re seeing the results of that.”

Then the Contender/Pretender question was raised. 

“This division?” Evans said. “Pretender.” 

“Pretender for me too, for me too,” Sapp agreed.

“No kidding,” Mora said. “Contender.”

“Philly’s going to be in there, so you can only pull two from the division,” Irvin said. “So if I put contender on Washington, I’m saying pretender on Dallas....I’m gonna put pretender on Washington. I’m gonna put pretender on Washington.”

Click here to order Michel Irvin’s or Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

CHICAGO -- The Brewers are fighting for more than the National League Central title with six games remaining.

Left fielder Ryan Braun went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs to slip back below the Mets' Jose Reyes in the race for the NL batting title. Braun's average dropped to .330, one point behind Reyes, whose club was scheduled to play in St. Louis later in the day.

While some players are reluctant to admit they're eyeing the elusive crown, Braun surely isn't one of them.

"I'm paying attention to it," Braun said. "I'm not going to pretend like I'm not. During an at-bat, throughout the course of the game, it's pretty easy to not pay attention to it, because obviously we're playing for a lot more as a team. ... But at the end of the day, I'm looking at where [Reyes] is at."
Over his next three games, Braun will face Marlins pitchers Chris Volstad, Alex Sanabia and Ricky Nolasco. Lifetime, he's .222 (2-for-9) against both Volstad and Nolasco, and he's never faced Sanabia.

Including Wednesday night, Reyes faced matchups with St. Louis' Jake Westbrook and Philadelphia's Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. As impressive as that list sounds, for his career, Reyes entered the stretch a combined .378 (28-for-74) off the quartet, which features three Cy Young Awards, a World Series MVP Award and 14 All-Star appearances.

Should Braun find himself with an edge over Reyes after the Brewers clinch, manager Ron Roenicke expressed an open mind about resting players to preserve statistical milestones.

"You always try to do things for the players," Roenicke said. "These guys bust their butts all year, and if you come down to the end and [a game] doesn't mean anything one way or the other, you take care of the players. They deserve me to stand behind whatever they want to do. Some guys, it's 'I'm playing.' Other guys say, 'I'm fine if you get me a couple of at-bats and get me out of there.'"

That decision, however, is still a few games away. Still, the title of batting champion would be an unparalleled honor for the 27-year-old in his fifth season in the Majors.

"It would be special," Braun said. "I think probably the coolest thing you can win as a hitter is the batting title. It would definitely mean a lot. I think for all of us, we strive for consistency throughout the season. I don't think it's possible to win an award like that without being pretty consistent."


(mlb.com)

The rookie punter experiment isn’t going so hot to date for the Falcons. Matt Bosher did finally boom one through the end zone on a kickoff towards the end and gave good hang time on the last punt of the game, but other than that he’s off to a really rough start. Almost every single kickoff against us by our opponents has gone through the end zone and Bosher got his first one of all preseason and first two games on Sunday night. Even worse, he had like a 20 yard punt at a terrible time in the game that gave the Eagles great field position. But at least for the moment, it appears as if the Falcons will stick with him. They invested a draft pick in Bosher, so they may be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But this team can’t afford too many more 18-yard punts like the one Bosher had Sunday night. If things don’t straighten out quickly, he could be gone.

Since the Atlanta Falcons play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday it’s time to look at the guys who handle the punting and kickoff duties for both teams.

There’s irony here because the guy who now punts and kicks off for Tampa Bay used to do it for Atlanta. That’s Michael Koenen and he’s having exactly the kind of impact the Bucs imagined when they made him their marquee free-agent signing.

Through two weeks, Koenen is averaging 49.3 yards gross on punts and 45.2 yards net. As a kickoff specialist, five of his nine kicks have gone for touchbacks and opponents are averaging 8.5 yards on returns.

Then, there is Matt Bosher, the sixth-round draft pick who replaced Koenen in Atlanta. Things haven’t started smoothly for Bosher. His gross punting average is 36.8 yards and his net is 35.1 yards. Bosher had an 18-yard punt out of the end zone in Sunday night’s victory against Philadelphia. He’s had only two of his 10 kickoffs go for touchbacks and opponents are averaging 20.8 yards per return.

But those aren’t the only numbers that matter here. There were financial decisions made on both ends about the importance of field position. The Falcons apparently are sticking with Bosher because they did extensive scouting on him and believe he still has potential.

When they drafted him, they knew Bosher might not be as good as Koenen right off the bat. But that’s a sacrifice the Falcons willingly made. They didn’t want to pay Koenen, who once carried the franchise tag, big money.

That’s why the drafted Bosher. He signed a four-year deal that averages $534,000 per season. He’s making $375,000 (the rookie minimum) this year and also received a $95,800 signing bonus.

There’s more irony here because no one ever accuses the Falcons have being cheap and that’s a frequent knock on the Bucs. But Tampa Bay was willing to pay big money for Koenen.

He signed a six-year deal that averages $3.25 million per year and is making $3.5 million in base salary this year.

So far this season, when it comes to field position, the Bucs and Falcons each are getting what they paid for.

Click here to order Matt Bosher’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Laughter may be the best medicine, the best vitamin supplement, the best energy drink. Laughter may be the reason Willis McGahee, the Broncos' soon-to-be-30 running back, believes he has plenty of carries left in the football tank.

"I was out there just laughing," McGahee said about playing against Cincinnati on Sunday. "I felt good. I felt happy. The game was still so fun to me. This is what I want to do, where I want to be. If it still feels like that, you know you should still be doing it.

"My body feels great, my mind is right, it was good to come through, get to work and get the job done when they needed the job done."

McGahee, 29, pounded away for 101 yards on 28 carries, helping Denver overcome a slew of injuries, including one to running back Knowshon Moreno.

It was McGahee's first 100-yard rushing game since the 2009 season finale, when he was with Baltimore, and the most carries he's had in a game since the 14th game of the 2007 season. It also was a chance for the 235-pounder to show he could run hard in the middle of the field, take care of the ball and push the pile.

All things Broncos coach John Fox wants in his running game and why McGahee was the team's chief target in free agency.

"Willis was ready to go, for sure," Moreno said. "We knew going into the game we were going to have to run the ball, and he did it."

Moreno said he's feeling "good, closer to coming back," and said he has started to run some. He said he will try to practice this week to test his injured hamstring.

"It's just getting out there and seeing how I feel," Moreno said. "And that's what this week is going to be about."

McGahee has shown what he can do. So when Moreno is ready to go, the Broncos might amend their original plan that Moreno would start and be the primary runner and McGahee would be the change-of-pace runner when the offense got inside the opponent's 20-yard line, or in short-yardage situations.

But McGahee isn't campaigning. "I'll do whatever they want me to," he said.

"We've always done it by committee — who has a hot hand," Fox said.

Lance Ball rushed six times Sunday.

"In hindsight, we probably should have given Lance more touches and maybe taken a little bit off Willis," Fox said. "But, like everything, there is a trust and experience factor that go into it."

In his nine previous seasons as a head coach — all with Carolina — Fox routinely divided the carries among his top two tailbacks. In three of those years, the Panthers' primary ballcarrier received 42.1 percent of the carries or less. In eight years, the primary runner received 54.8 percent of the carries or less.

Only once in those nine years did a runner top 60 percent of the carries. That was Stephen Davis in 2003 — a Super Bowl season for the Panthers — when Davis got just over that mark.

"Willis has been around," Fox said. "He was a very well-thought-of runner in college and has been in the National Football League with a few different teams, and he knows the NFL game. He understands the defenses. He understands what people are trying to do. He understands what we're doing."

McGahee said a committee approach is fine by him.

"When he says (by committee) he means it. This week he just told me, 'Look, you're getting it 25 times,' and I did because that's what was needed. When they hand me the ball, whether it's one, 10 or 30 times, I'll run it as hard as I can and let things happen."

Click here to order Willis McGahee’s proCane Rookie Card.


(denverpost.com)

NEW YORK (WFAN) – Bring on DeSean Jackson.

Even Michael Vick, if he’s healthy enough to go. Giants safety Antrel Rolle is ready to take care of the Eagles.

While many Giants fans are hoping the Eagles sit their banged-up quarterback in Week 3, Rolle is rooting for No. 7 to recover in time from the concussion he suffered Sunday against the Falcons.

“You’re asking me, I think you already know the answer to that. I want the best of the best. He is the best,” Rolle told WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Tuesday. “I hope Michael Vick plays, because at the end of the day I don’t want any excuses, you know, when we go down to Philly and put it to them the way we will.”

New York is 1-1 and coming off a sloppy 28-16 win at home against the St. Louis Rams. But there’s no shortage of optimism in Rolle’s game plan.

“We can beat anyone,” said Rolle. “That’s my mindset. If I didn’t think that we could play in this game, I’d put my shoulder pads on the rack and tell them, ‘You know, I don’t want to play anymore.’”

The biggest challenge for the Giants’ depleted secondary will be covering Jackson. Who could forget how he burned the Giants with a punt return to seal Philadelphia’s shocking comeback in East Rutherford last December?

Giants fans have to be wary considering the state of their cornerbacks. Terrell Thomas is done for the season. Prince Amukamara is still rehabbing. Aaron Ross was benched for a short time after he gave up a couple big plays last night.

According to Rolle, Ross will be fine. Heck, the Giants’ safety will even cover Jackson if need be.

“You know, I’m no stranger to the cornerback position,” Rolle said. “I have handled DeSean Jackson one-on-one before, and I don’t see why I can’t handle him again.”

And if something should go awry with Eli Manning and backup quarterback David Carr? Yeah, Rolle’s got that covered, too.

“I’ll go out there and make things happen,” he said. “I’d find a way to make it happen.”

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.


(newyork.cbslocal.com)

Q: Do you think tailback Willis McGahee can hold up if Knowshon Moreno misses more playing time?
A: The Broncos certainly hope so. A hamstring injury, which Moreno has, is difficult to recover from quickly.

Moreno didn't practice last week, missed the Cincinnati game and isn't expected to be full speed this week.

McGahee, now in his ninth NFL season, rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries Sunday, helping the Broncos beat the Bengals 24-22 in Denver. That was McGahee's first 100-yard game since the 2009 regular-season finale, when he was with the Ravens. It was the most carries McGahee had since Dec. 16, 2007, when he gained 104 yards on 29 carries against the Dolphins.

"I feel good. I'm taking care of myself," McGahee said after Sunday's game. "I could carry it as many times as they needed me to carry it. I'll be sore, maybe a little bit, but you're sore in this league whether you get 10 carries or 25 carries."

McGahee turns 30 on Oct. 20, and the statistics for most running backs after their 30th birthday aren't pretty. But some backs, including the Chiefs' Thomas Jones, have shown they can contribute after turning 30.

Giving 25 or more carries to McGahee week after week would be a lot to ask of him. And that would beat up the Broncos' best option in short-yardage and goal-line situations. They likely will work

Lance Ball into the mix more. Ball gained 28 yards on six carries Sunday, including a 17-yard gallop — the Broncos' longest run of the game. They also may give some carries to Jeremiah Johnson and to fullback Spencer Larsen while waiting for Moreno to return.

Click here to order Willis McGahee’s proCane Rookie Card.


(denverpost.com)

MIAMI - It turns out Andre Johnson isn't that much different than the rest of us.

When he lined up early in the fourth quarter Sunday at the Dolphins' 23, facing a 2nd-and-6 with a reserve cornerback named Nolan Carroll shading him with little help, he thought what the rest of us thought.

"The way he was playing me, I knew that it was six," Johnson said. "When I came off the line and saw the way he was playing me, I knew that it would be a touchdown."

The rest of us simply identified a mismatch - Carroll replaced Dolphins starting cornerback Vontae Davis, who suffered a hamstring injury - and with Johnson being who he is, it was a predictable outcome. For the Texans, however, it was a much-needed play, a strike that provided a cushion and the final advantage on the scoreboard - and who better than their All-Pro?

"I said, 'I'm going to be real aggressive here and we're going to throw the ball and give No. 80 a chance to make some plays and No. 80 did," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said.

Added quarterback Matt Schaub: "Andre was our No. 1 option on that play. He ran a great route, was able to get behind the corner and the safety hung on the inside so we had a good play in the back of the end zone. Dre's always going to be in the mix."

While Johnson may have received some help - "We had double coverage and we blew the coverage," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said - the play was hardly surprising. Heck, it wasn't to Bryant Johnson, the wide receiver who joined the Texans less than three weeks ago.

What he has seen in practice since then from Johnson is amazing - not only catches like the one against Carroll but also catches similar in style to the spectacular 43-yarder just before halftime.

In Arizona, Bryant Johnson played alongside one of the league's greats at the position in Larry Fitzgerald, and he admits there are a lot of similarities in how both approach the craft. But because both Johnsons came out of college in the same year (2003), Bryant Johnson has always followed his new teammate's career.

"A guy like Dre, who puts in the work, you expect him to play like he did today," Bryant Johnson said. "He makes spectacular plays in practice, so you expect him to make those plays on days like today, too."

He did, of course. It was another ho-hum afternoon, the remarkable made routine. Or so said his coach.

"Andre had his usual - seven or eight catches for 90-something yards again," Kubiak said.

And a touchdown, too.

Click here to order Andre Johnson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(chron.com)

The Buffalo Bills took a hit to their receiving corps Tuesday. Veteran receiver and return specialist Roscoe Parrish will be out for the remainder of the 2011 season with an ankle injury, a league source tells ESPN.com's AFC East blog. Parrish was hurt in the second quarter of a 38-35 win over Oakland last weekend. He stumbled awkwardly after making a 16-yard catch, and remained in the game for the next play before collapsing on the sideline. Noted for his dynamic speed, Parrish was being counted on to play in the slot, where he showed signs of flourishing last season. He had a career-best 400 yards receiving and two touchdowns in eight games before sustaining a season-ending broken wrist injury.

• This isn't a big surprise as Parrish was carted off the field Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. Things looked grim from the start. But Bills coach Chan Gailey said he was holding out hope Parrish would be able to return at some point this season.

• More than anything, this hurts the team's depth. The Bills run a lot of three- and four-receiver sets. So they need healthy players. Parrish only had one reception for 16 yards in two games. But he would have received more opportunities in the event another receiver went down. Starting receiver Steve Johnson also is dealing with a groin injury. He expects to play Sunday against New England. But Buffalo cannot afford more injuries at an important position for the Bills.

• This is the second straight year Parrish suffered a significant injury. He missed the second half of 2010 with a wrist injury. He's played 10 games the past two seasons.

• The Bills also will need to add help for punt returns. Parrish returned five punts this year for 46 yards. His longest punt return was for 28 yards.

Click here to order Roscoe Parrish’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

After winning Michael Irvin’s reality show, “4th and Long” in 2009, Jesse Holley surprised a good deal of folks when he made the practice squad on the heels of his training camp invite--the prize for his reality win. Perhaps even more surprising, Holley stuck around, eventually being promoted to the active roster.

On Sunday, with the Cowboys’ receiving corps banged up, Holley made another unlikely stride in a pretty unlikely career thus far, catching three passes for 96 yards--including a 77-yard catch-and-run that set up the Cowboys’ game-winning field goal in overtime.

"When Jesse caught this ball (77-yard reception in overtime), I said to myself, 'I'm sitting in my office at the NFL Network and I'm still winning games for the Dallas Cowboys,'" Irvin said on the NFL Network, via the Dallas Morning News.

"(When Holley) earned this spot. I told Jerry [Jones] don't make it easy on him; make it hard on him. Jerry has called me numerous times talking about how hard this kid works and he was exactly the right kid. It really is a blessing from God."

Click here to order Michael Irvin’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nbcdfw.com)

Meet former Browns great, Bernie Kosar, Saturday, September 24 from Noon to 1:30 p.m at Lodi Station Outlets, Burbank, OH 4th and Goal Sports store, suite 420. Autograph pricing starts at $35.



Click here to order Bernie Kosar’s proCane Rookie Card.

2B Jemile Weeks leads American League rookies in triples with eight, and he's second in steals with 21. His 110 hits are third most, as are his 23 doubles.




(latimes.com)

CINCINNATI -- Former Miami Hurricane Yonder Alonso has captured the attention of Reds fans since the day the team made him its top draft pick and the seventh overall selection in the June 2008 draft.

A native of Havana, Cuba, he moved to the United States with his parents and sister when he was 10. After an impressive college career at the University of Miami, he hit .295 or better at all but two of the six stops he made in the Reds' farm system on his way to Cincinnati.

After hitting .207 in 22 games with the Reds last September, he spent most of this season with Triple-A Louisville and batted .296 with 12 home runs and 56 RBI in 91 games. That created a clamor for his promotion that was answered when the Reds traded Jonny Gomes to Washington on July 26.

While the Reds were trying to figure out where to play him, Alonso hit .346 with five home runs and 15 RBI in 40 games. He made himself at home with the Reds but might have felt a little uncomfortable being in Ohio State country while the Buckeyes were losing in football to the Hurricanes last Saturday. He talked about that as well as baseball with The Enquirer.

Question: Being a former Hurricane, are you inclined to gloat a little bit about the game on Saturday night?
Answer: Let's just say I was very happy, but yet, a little bit weirded out because my Twitter account went off because of people very upset about the game. At the end of the day, it's just a game, so you just have to kind of live by it and enjoy it as much as possible and just move on from it. But yeah, I was very excited about it.

Q: Florida's a big football state. Did you ever play that sport?
A: No, I never played. My dad never let me play football. He was really big on baseball. I remember I played basketball one year. That was it for me - just baseball (and) basketball. Here and there I would play flag football, and I would play with my friends in the street, but never anything organized.

Q: What was the biggest guilty pleasure you indulged in with your bonus money from your baseball contract?
A: I didn't really get myself anything, other than I got myself a car. I got a Mercedes S550. It comes a long way from having a green Explorer - not very good, not in good shape, no air conditioning. That was pretty neat.

Q: What model bat do you use?
A: I use a Louisville Slugger I-13 - 34-inch, 32-ounce maple. I've never really had a model, but ever since I got to Triple-A all the guys were using it. I remember one player was like, "Hey once you use this bat, you'll never go back to anything else." I used it one time, I went 3-for-4 with two home runs, and that was it.

Q: Have you ever been back to Cuba or do you have a desire to go?
A: I went back when I was really young, 12-13 years old - went for a couple of days. That was about it. Do I have any desire to go back? I'll tell you this - if there was ever any winter ball played there in Cuba, I would love to go. I think that would be great for the country and great for the fans and great for the people there. I would love to be a part of that - definitely.


(cincinnati.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three home runs accounted for all the Indians runs Tuesday as they beat Chicago, 4-3 [box score], Tuesday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Progressive Field.

The win went to Fausto Carmona (7-15). Chris Perez pitched the ninth for his 35th save in 38 chances. Joe Smith and Vinnie Pestano cleared the way for Perez by retiring the side in order in the seventh and eighth. Perez made it nine straight as he worked a one-two-three ninth.


(cleveland.com)

CINCINNATI -- Reds rookie left fielder Yonder Alonso wasn't in Monday's starting lineup and likely won't be the rest of the 2011 season. Alonso has been dealing with a bone bruise in his right ankle.

"We're probably going to shelve him just to pinch-hit," Reds manager Dusty Baker said.

Alonso, 24, was originally injured during a game at Wrigley Field in early August. The injury was aggravated when he fouled a ball off of his ankle on Saturday.

"I kind of kept it a secret a little bit and tried to play through it," Alonso said. "For some reason the past week, it's just been killing me. It's just a bone bruise. There is no tendon issues, no surgery. I'll deal with it and move forward. It's going to hurt. It's been hurting me for a month and a half."

Since his July 22 recall from Triple-A Louisville, Alonso has been impressive at the plate. In 40 games entering Monday, he is batting .346 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a .418 on-base percentage.

After an initially rocky first few games at his new position of left field, Alonso became more competent in recent weeks and will dedicate his entire offseason to shedding some weight and focusing on becoming a full-time left fielder.

As far as the 2011 season is concerned, there is no more time in left field planned.

"At the end of the day, I don't want to embarrass the team and I don't want to embarrass myself," Alonso said. "I don't want to hurt the team on a ball I couldn't catch. That was my concern and that's what I told Dusty."


(mlb.com)

Andre Johnson WR (Texans): 7 catches 93 yards, 1TD

Darryl Sharpton LB (Texans): 1 solo tackle

Brandon Harris* DB (Texans): INACTIVE

Vince Wilfork DT (Patriots): 1 solo tackle, .5 a sack

Brandon Meriweather S (Bears): 4 tackles, 1 solo tackle

Jeremy Shockey TE (Panthers): 3 catches 56 yards

Jonathan Vilma LB (Saints): 3 tackles, 1 solo tackle, 1 Fumble Recovery

Santana Moss WR (Redskins): 5 catches 61 yards, 1 TD

Rocky McIntosh LB (Redskins): 8 tackles, 3 solo tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass deflection. Led the Redskins in tackles.

Calais Campbell DE (Cardinals): 4 tackles, 1 solo tackle, 1 pass deflection

Antrel Rolle S (Giants): 9 tackles, 8 solo tackles, led the Giants in tackles.

Kelly Jennings DB (Bengals): Played but did not record any stats.

Colin McCarthy* LB (Titans): 2 solo tackles

Frank Gore RB (49ers): 20 carries for 47 yards, 1 TD 3 catches for 17 yards

Kellen Winslow TE (Buccanneers): 4 catches for 44 yards

Roscoe Parrish WR (Bills): 1 catch, 16 yards, 1 punt return for 11 yards before being injured and out indefinitely.

Greg Olsen TE (Panthers): 1 catch 34 yards

Devin Hester WR (Bears): 1 catch, 17 yards, 1 punt return for -4 yards, 2 kickoff returns for 47 yards

Willis McGahee RB (Broncos): 28 carries, 101 yards and 1 catch, 5 yards

Ray Lewis LB (Ravens): 8 tackles, 6 solo tackles, 1 tackles for loss, 1 pass deflection

Ed Reed S (Ravens): 8 tackles, 5 solo tackles,

Tavares Gooden LB (49ers): 1 solo tackle

DJ Williams LB (Broncos): INACTIVE Due to injury

Bruce Johnson DB (Giants): Underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, placed on IR

Kenny Phillips S (Giants): 4 solo tackles, 2 pass deflections

Reggie Wayne WR (Colts): 4 catches, 66 yards

Jon Beason LB (Panthers): PLACED ON IR DUE TO INJURY, OUR FOR SEASON

Phillip Buchanon DB (Redskins): SUSPENDED for the first 4 games of the season.

Antonio Dixon DT (Eagles): 2 tackles, 1 solo tackle

Sam Shields DB (Packers): 1 solo tackle

Jimmy Graham TE (Saints): 6 catches, 79 yards

Allen Bailey* DE (Chiefs): Played but did not record any stats.

Spencer Adkins LB (Falcons): INACTIVE

Matt Bosher* P (Falcons): 7 punts, 249 yards, 35.6 Average, 1 inside the 20, long of 49 yards

DeMarcus Van Dyke* DB (Raiders): Played but did not record any stats because was injured early in the game with a leg laceration.

Richard Gordon* (TE) (Raiders): Played but did not record any stats.

Jason Fox LT (Lions): DID NOT PLAY, INACTIVE

Eric Winston RT (Texans): Offensive Lineman, did not record any stats.

Rashad Butler RT (Texans): Offensive Lineman, did not record any stats.

Bryant McKinnie LT (Ravens): Offensive Lineman, did not record any stats.

Chris Myers C (Texans): Offensive Lineman, did not record any stats.

Vernon Carey RG (Dolphins): Offensive Lineman, did not record any stats.

Orlando Franklin* RT (Broncos): Offensive Lineman, did not record any stats.

*Denotes Rookie

The Tennessee Titans are scheduled to work out former Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis on Tuesday, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.

Portis previously worked out for the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins.

Portis, 29, rushed for 227 yards on 54 carries last year and his production has declined in recent years.

Portis, 30, has rushed for 9,923 yards and 75 touchdowns with a career 4.4 average per carry.

However, his last 1,000-yard season was in 2008 when he rushed for 1,487 yards and nine touchdowns for the Redskins.

Portis is a former University of Miami standout who has also played for the Denver Broncos.

Click here to order Clinton Portis’ proCane Rookie Card.


(scout.com)

Coach Mike Smith on Matt Bosher:

Smith: “Young players are gonna have rookie moments. Bosher had seven punts and two were tough to overcome. Those moments happen.”
Smith: “Confident Bosher can mature and get the job done.”

To be honest Bosher really needs to have a good performance this coming week. His kickoffs despite being from the 35-yard line are barely getting into the endzone and he shanked one punt on Sunday night on his own 20. The Falcons could have a very short lease on Bosher.

Click here to order Matt Bosher’s proCane Rookie Card.

ORCHARD PARK — Roscoe Parrish made his first catch of the season on a 16-yard completion midway through the second quarter. After the next play, Parrish hopped off the field in a panic, unable to bear weight on his left leg. He was later carted into the locker room.

Coach Chan Gailey said Parrish is likely going to be out “a while.”

“Guys that weren’t exactly playing a lot are going to have to come on and play,” Gailey said. “I feel like we got a system that allows a guy to be successful if he’ll be at the right place at the right time and can win some one on one’s.”

Click here to order Roscoe Parrish’s proCane Rookie Card.


(tonawanda-news.com)

Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson said Monday, Sept. 19, that CB DeMarcus Van Dyke (leg) suffered a leg laceration in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, but the injury is not considered serious.


Click here to order DeMarcus Van Dyke’s proCane Rookie Card.


(kffl.com)

(09-19) 20:45 PDT -- Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett sought out 49ers running back Frank Gore after Sunday's game.

Garrett told Gore that he must have mentioned his name 80 times during the week of preparation for the game. He also told Gore that he admired how he ran against his team.

Yes, Gore gained only 47 yards on 20 carries in Sunday's 27-24 overtime loss, but the low yardage total is understandable considering Dallas used eight-man fronts and made a fundamental change in its approach: Instead of playing a standard 3-4 defense, the Cowboys stationed their rush linebackers right on the line of scrimmage on either side, essentially giving them five men on the defensive line.

The 49ers came out throwing, hoping to get Dallas to de-emphasize its run defense. The Cowboys did not, and their focus was all the sharper after wide receiver Braylon Edwards left with a knee injury.

"I've been in this predicament," Gore said Monday. "They know who I am out there. I know they are going to game-plan me. I know it's going to be tough."

Gore admits to being frustrated. He wants to live up to his recent three-year contract extension, which guaranteed him $13.5 million. He wants to improve his other numbers, such as his yards per carry, which stand at 2.5 for the season. Thirty-two of his 42 carries have resulted in 3 yards or less.

As Garrett noted, Gore ran with determination against Dallas. He finished most of his runs falling forward, and he flattened two linebackers, planting Keith Brooking and Bradie James on their backs.

But neither Gore nor the 49ers benefited from his efforts, and the offense often went in reverse.

"We have negative plays," 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Those plays - be it a tackle for a loss, or 1- or 2-yard gains, or sacks - those things we have to get better at and eliminate."

The offensive line is allowing too much penetration and the linemen are often failing to punch through the defensive line to block the linebackers. Against Dallas, the linebackers ran nearly free and were focused on Gore.

Center Jonathan Goodwin might have a partial solution: get 4 yards.

"Just because you've got eight guys in the box doesn't mean you can't find a way to get 4 yards," he said.

Gore and tackle Alex Boone believe that if they keep hammering away, the dam will break.

"You've got to pound, pound, pound, and then they start to give up a little bit, and then you take off with it," Boone said.

Whether it's limiting negative plays, setting the small goal of getting a consistent 4 yards or staying with the ground game until it produces, Harbaugh wants the running game to a be major piece of his team's offensive identity.

"We want to be a running team; we want to be a throwing team," Harbaugh said. "We want to be darn near 50/50, and equally good in both."

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

FOXBORO — A perspiring Vince Wilfork ate up the limelight much like he attacks his dinner. He didn't want it to end.

Tom Brady, in his matching gray slacks and sweater with his carefully combed hair, watched from one wing of the podium. Deion Branch, casual in an untucked shirt and long hair, laughed on the other side.

Sunday was a good time to be a New England Patriot.

Drew Bledsoe was a very humble and classy figure at the halftime ceremony Sunday celebrating his induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

What an afternoon to be any kind of Patriot at Gillette Stadium — current, former or even just a fan.

It is only week two of the 2011 season, as Brady and coach Bill Belichick and all the Patriots remind us, but the numbers for Brady and this ridiculous Patriot offense are piling up. Unless the NFL's high injury attrition rate attacks Foxboro, there is no reason to think this is going to change.

You thought Brady was good while torching Miami for 517 yards last Monday night?

How about this? He had 240 yards by halftime Sunday while hitting on 20 of his first 23 throws. Two of those went for touchdowns.

He finished with 423 yards against the highly-regarded Chargers, completing 31 of 40 throws, three for touchdowns. It seems everywhere he looks these days, a New England receiver is running free.

There is an embarrassment of riches in Foxboro, tailor made for the passing world the NFL has become.

With the spotlight on this record-setting offense, it's easy to overlook the defense. Well, most of the time.

You can't really overlook Mr. Wilfork. When he wants to speak, there's no stopping the 6-2, 300-and-whatever pounder (he's listed at 325). When he grabbed the podium Sunday night, he didn't want to let go.

Wilfork couldn't contain himself after getting his first career interception, a play on which he read his keys correctly on a screen, stepped in Philip Rivers' passing lane, reached up and deflected the ball, caught it and took off.

Thirty-five yards later, San Diego running back Mike Tolbert ran Wilfork down. It was one of the game's pivotal plays, with just nine seconds left in the half, and set up a 47-yard field goal and a 20-7 halftime lead.

What a sight. What a play.

The best description, short and succinct, came from Patriot defensive end Andre Carter. "The run was ugly, the pick great."

For one day we shall put aside Brady's numbers, and with them Deion Branch's eight catches for 129 yards, and the two touchdowns from Rob Gronkowski and the others from Aaron Hernandez and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Allow Wilfork the stage.

It's not often a defensive lineman steps up there, and Sunday Wilfork used it for all he could.

"Anytime you get your hands on the ball you always think about scoring, as a defensive player," he started.

Did you need oxygen, he was asked. "No. I am a well conditioned athlete," he joked.

He was asked why he didn't line up sometimes at tight end, as rookie tackle Nate Solder did.

"You talk to Bill about that. Like I said, we always talk smack about who is the better athlete, defense, offense, you name it. I think I put the defense ahead of the offense right now. I think the offense was ahead because of Troy Brown playing some defense, and actually coming out with some picks. But I think I pushed us back ahead."

Belichick used part of his interview to extol the virtues of his large defensive lineman on this most unlikely story.

"Vince is a tremendous athlete," Belichick said. "People don't realize how good his hands are, but he can throw it, catch it, catch punts. He wanted to return punts after we put him back there when he was a rookie in training camp."

Rivers was still shaking his head, giving Wilfork all the credit for his football brains and his athleticism.

"There was no way I could ever see him coming," he said. "I'd throw that one again every time. He made a great play — I don't know if that was something they looked at."

Aside from Wilfork's clutch play and post-game standup routine, the defense did do the job. Yes, it allowed San Diego 470 yards, and 10-of-12 third-down conversions. But it also came up with a second-quarter goal-line stand, two picks and two fumble recoveries. It was the definition of the bend-but-don't-break philosophy.

Whether that works in the long term is to be determined. Sunday, it worked.

Next Sunday, it's on to Buffalo and the rampaging Bills. Wilfork's got the taste now, though, and that's a danger to anyone or anything in front of him. Especially a bison.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(southcoasttoday.com)

Back in August, before he was averaging 2.5 yards on 42 carries, 49ers running back Frank Gore spoke with great anticipation about playing in a creative West Coast offense that would better utilize the Niners’ talent.

In doing so, he looked back on previous San Francisco attacks that were so predictable (here’s comes Gore up the middle!) opposing defenses called out the 49ers’ plays at the line of scrimmage.

“That was tough,” Gore said, recalling the disastrous one-year reign of offensive coordinator Jim Hostler in 2007.

I recalled those words last week because, well, Gore basically repeated them.

Asked about running against a Seahawks defense that routinely threw eight defenders in the box to stop him, Gore said, “It was tough, man.”

Yes, the new offense is producing eerily similar quotes from Gore – and the opposition – two games into the season.

Said Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware after Dallas stuffed Gore (20 carries, 47 yards) on Sunday: “Frank Gore is their guy. That’s the guy. They have that ground-and-pound offense, really physical. We had to be able to make them one dimensional and stop Frank Gore.”

Sound vaguely familiar?

The results, so far, have actually been worse.

Consider that Gore has gained three yards or fewer on 32 of his 42 carries (76 percent) this season. In addition, he’s averaged less than three yards a carry in consecutive games for just the third time in his career (Nov. 23-30, 2008 and Nov. 29-Dec. 6, 2009).

What’s going on?

The run blocking — and Gore not being what he was circa 2006 — are certainly contributing factors. But the Niners’ inability to de-clog opposing defenses with a stretch-the-field passing game likely tops the list: Alex Smith ranks 30th in the NFL in yards per completion (9.8).

* As noted, 32 of Gore’s 42 carries have gained three yards or less.

Here’s a look at the breakdown:

Negative yardage: 7

No gain: 4
1 yard: 8 (one was a one-yard TD run)
2 yards: 6
3 yards: 7
4 yards: 1
5 yards: 2
6 yards: 1
7 yards: 3
8 yards: 0
9 yards: 1
10 or more: 2

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sfgate.com)

Danny Valencia returned to action on Sunday as a pinch-hitter, drawing a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning of a 6-5 loss.

It was the third baseman's first appearance since Wednesday, as the flu has been keeping him out of action. Valencia now has an impressive 70 RBI to go with a .250 batting average.


(rotoworld.com)

Yonder Alonso will likely be limited to pinch-hitting duties for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury.
Alonso originally suffered the injury on the inside-the-park homer by Cubs' outfielder Tony Campana on August 5. The 24-year-old is batting .346/.418/.580 with five homers, 15 RBI and a .998 OPS over 91 plate appearances with the Reds this season.


(rotoworld.com)

In a season in which there are several players in the NL worthy of MVP consideration, the Brewers' Ryan Braun is starting to separate himself from the pack.

Entering play Monday, Braun leads the NL with a .336 batting average, .597 slugging percentage, .997 OPS, 318 total bases and 103 runs scored.

Beyond that, Braun is tied for seventh with 31 homers, is fifth with 103 RBI, tied for fourth with 179 hits, tied for fifth with 36 doubles, fourth with .400 OBP, second with 72 extra-base hits, fifth with a .338 average with runners in scoring position and tied for seventh with 31 stolen bases.
That's quite an argument for MVP, wouldn't you say?

The other top candidates seem to be Braun's teammate Prince Fielder, Arizona's Justin Upton and Los Angeles' Matt Kemp, who is among the top three in nearly every category but won't be helped by the fact that the Dodgers haven't been in the pennant race.

Fielder is first in the majors with 153 games played and has these NL rankings: third with 112 RBI, tied for second with 34 homers, second with a .410 OBP, third with a .550 slugging percentage, fourth with a .960 OPS, fifth with 297 total bases, tied for third with 68 extra-base hits and second with 99 walks.

MVP voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America takes place before the post-season but the results are not announced until after the World Series.


(jsonline.com)

Did you know that a former Miami Hurricane/current proCane has scored at least one touchdown in 141 consecutive regular season NFL weeks? Dating back to Week 15 of the 2002 season where Clinton Portis scored 4 TDs, at least one proCane has scored a TD in each regular season week since then. We have chronicled every touchdown since 2002. See below:

Week 2 2011:
Santana Moss - 1 TD - Washington Redskins
Willis McGahee - 1 TD - Denver Broncos
Andre Johnson - 1 TD - Houston Texans
Frank Gore - 1 TD - San Francisco 49ers

Week 1 2011:
Jimmy Graham - 1 TD - New Orleans Saints
Andre Johnson - 1 TD - Houston Texans
Reggie Wayne - 1 TD - Indianapolis Colts

Click below to see the rest of the list:



Read More...

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Maybe it was because Vince Wilfork was lumbering for his life. Or maybe it was because the Gillette Stadium crowd was ecstatic to see the big defensive lineman intercept his first career pass and head for the sideline.

Either way, the building was vibrating during the second quarter of the Patriots' 35-21 victory against the Chargers on Sunday.

Wilfork thought the Chargers were trying to free up running back Mike Tolbert in the right flat, so Wilfork stayed back, jumped on Philip Rivers' pass, corralled it and returned it 36 yards. It set up Stephen Gostkowski's 47-yard field goal before the buzzer that gave New England a 20-7 halftime lead.

In the present, Wilfork was thrilled to make a play that helped the team win, but in the long term, he was just relieved that he doesn't have to hear his teammates make fun of him for dropping an interception.

"I am just happy I caught it because if I didn't catch it, I am pretty sure my teammates would have let me have it," Wilfork said.
Wilfork was hoping to take it to the house.

"Anytime you get your hands on the ball, you always think about scoring as a defensive player," Wilfork said. "Because a lot of the times, you don't get a chance to touch the ball."

Wilfork's last interception came in high school, but his teammates weren't overly surprised that he made the play. Wilfork has shown some athleticism in practice, working as a quarterback when the offense and defense switch sides and once catching a punt to give the team the night off during training camp.

"I am a well-conditioned athlete," Wilfork said with a laugh.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nesn.com)

Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson (80) makes a University of Miami sign after scoring a touch down in the fourth quarter of a NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011, in Sun Life Stadium in Miami. The Texans won 23-13. Photo: Houston Chronicle, Nick De La Torre / © 2011 Houston Chronicle



This photo was courtesy of proCanes twitter follower @tp8888.

Click here to order Andre Johnson’s proCane Rookie Card.

Willis McGahee rushed 28 times for 101 yards with a touchdown in Sunday's win over the Bengals.
With Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) inactive, McGahee was a workhorse. He received seven carries on the opening drive of the game and was only spelled briefly by Lance Ball (six carries, 28 yards). McGahee is the goal-line back even when Moreno is healthy.

Click here to order Willis McGahee’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

Bears return man Devin Hester thinks it was stupid of the NFL to move kickoffs up five yards, and he’s not afraid to say so.

After a Week One that saw more touchbacks than usual but also more touchdown returns than usual, Hester said nothing really changed, and that the NFL passed a rule that was ostensibly about player safety but didn’t really have an impact.

“It’s just showing the NFL that moving the line up five yards didn’t budge things a bit,” Hester told the Chicago Tribune. “They got a couple touchbacks but you’ve still got guys bringing it out and at the end of the day that rule is pointless. It’s not going to prevent concussions because guys are bringing it out five to eight yards deep in the end zone. We’re still coming out with it. And that’s taking away from some of the fun in the NFL because guys are going to bring it out regardless.”

Hester is far from alone. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell thinks more touchbacks will mean fewer injuries, but most of the players who are putting their bodies on the line seem to want to keep the game the way it is.

Click here to order Devin Hester’s proCane Rookie Card.


(profootballtalk.com)

Running back Frank Gore rued how the 49ers couldn't close out the Dallas Cowboys and suffered a 27-24 overtime loss Sunday.

"Coaches, players, we've just got to finish it," Gore said. "When it comes to getting first downs, we have to get it."

And it was there for the taking, according to Gore: "I give credit to us. We whupped their (butt) up and down the field all game. Key plays, man. And we didn't finish."

Gore managed just 47 yards on 20 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the 49ers a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. Gore also struggled to gain yards in the 49ers' season-opening win at Seattle, totaling 22 carries for 59 yards.

Asked if he's concerned the 49ers couldn't run out the final minutes with a 24-21 lead, coach Jim Harbaugh said: "We didn't run the ball down anybody's throat, to use your question, but yeah, we need to get better."

Now in his seventh season, Gore insisted the 49ers deserve a better ending than Sunday's: "We aren't the old 49ers hoping to win. We're going out knowing that we can win. We can't let any more get away like this.”

Click here to order Frank Gore’s proCane Rookie Card.


(contracostatimes.com)

Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson is wearing a clear visor on his facemask thisyear. "The helmet I wear, my facemask is more open," Johnson said. "Sometimes, guys' hands get in your face and stuff like that, so that's why I've been wearing it." He tried out the visor in training camp and is trying it during games.

Click here to order Andre Johnson’s proCane Rookie Card.


(kffl.com)

It’s not every day that one of the best safeties in NFL history offers you an apology. But that’s just what Ravens safety Ed Reed did to Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt late in the first quarter on Sunday.

Just after Britt hauled in two consecutive passes for a total of 53 yards, Reed made things worse for the Ravens when he yanked Britt down by the facemask.

Reed appeared to get in Britt’s face, but not for the reason you might think.

“He actually apologized,” Britt said. “I knew he wasn’t going for the facemask. Once he popped up, he apologized. I didn’t think that was going to happen. I thought we were going to get in each other’s face. But he’s a nice guy, actually.”

Click here to order Ed Reed’s proCane Rookie Card.


(tennessean.com)

Patriots DT Vince Wilfork doesn’t get many chances to touch the football. It’s not like old times, when Wilfork returned punts in high school.

Or, at least, it’s not usually. It was today, as Wilfork’s key interception — captured here — keyed the Patriots 35-21 win over the Chargers.

Want to hear him talk about it? Check out some highlights from Wilfork’s interview…

On if Wilfork thought he had a chance to score: “Yes I did. Anytime you get your hands on the ball, you always think about scoring as a defensive player because a lot of the times you don’t get a chance to touch the ball. That’s the first interception of my career. I was joking about it with (Pepper Johnson) and I said, ‘I might end my career without an interception. I forgot who I was talking to when I asked another teammate of mine if they had one. They said they hadn’t, so you never know.”

On situation football and what worked: “We play a lot of situational football around here and in that situation with two minutes left, we kind of know what they were trying to do. I wasn’t saying I was right, but I saw the running back take out, so I was thinking screen and from the look I got from my guard, I anticipated it could be a screen. I actually got in his throwing range, so I made a play and Bill always says if you take a chance, you better make it. I guess I made it tonight.”

On if he needed oxygen: “No, I am a well-conditioned athlete (laughing), I didn’t need any oxygen. I was good to go.”

On if he’s ever had a interception before: “In high school, I had one. I actually intercepted a screen play in high school. I jumped up and the ball was getting lobbed on my head, and I actually picked it, didn’t score, but the quarterback caught me. He was already in front of me. No one caught me from behind.“

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(bostonherald.com)

Devin Hester was limited to 17 yards on one catch in the Bears' Week 2 loss to the Saints.

Hester netted 47 yards on two kick returns, but he was held mostly in check on offense because of the Saints' ability to keep constant pressure on Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. Hester's deep routes simply didn't have time to develop.

Click here to order Devin Hester’s proCane Rookie Card.


(rotoworld.com)

(Boston, Massachusetts) September 16, 2011 -  Bianca & Vince Wilfork and Joslin Diabetes Center will be “Tackling Diabetes” with the support of EMD Millipore during this year’s Patriots season, raising money for the Vince Wilfork Foundation and Joslin Diabetes Center’s High Hopes Fund. The program will kick off this Sunday, September 18, with the Patriots’ first home game at Gillette Stadium and continue though the final regular season home game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, January 1, 2012.   

Fans of Vince and the important work of the Joslin Diabetes Center will pledge $7.50 or $75.00, in honor of our beloved #75, for each tackle Vince makes during the regular season.  One-time individual or corporate donations are also encouraged ranging from $75 to $7500.  WEEI will be promoting the program on its sports radio show weekly.  Fans who participate have the opportunity to meet Vince at a VIP reception and to win amazing prizes throughout the season!

“Tackling Diabetes” is a very personal effort for the Patriots defensive tackle and his wife Bianca. Vince’s Dad, his most devoted fan, passed away from complications of his diabetes while Vince was a student at University of Miami. His Dad never had the chance to see him play with the Patriots, or become a loving husband and father based on the example his parents had shown him.

“Bianca and I realize how precious life is and we are dedicated to doing all we can to prevent others from having to suffer the loss we did because of diabetes. We created the Vince Wilfork Foundation to support care givers and researchers, like those at Joslin Diabetes Center,” according to Vince Wilfork. “The folks at the Joslin work to educate about prevention, offer healthier, longer lives to children and adults living with diabetes and their researchers are racing towards a cure; we know our challenge to “Tackle Diabetes” will bring in support from the best fans in the NFL.”

“The Joslin Diabetes Center is grateful to Bianca and Vince Wilfork for their efforts on behalf of Joslin’s High Hopes Fund,” said Joslin President and CEO John L. Brooks, III. “The High Hopes Fund supports the Center’s greatest needs in research, education and clinical care, making it possible for us to look forward to a future without diabetes.”

“Tackling Diabetes” is a positive way to take part in the game. It asks fans to participate withVince Wilfork in meeting or beating his 57 tackles during the 2010 regular season, knowing the funds raised by the Vince Wilfork Foundation and Joslin Diabetes Center’s High Hopes Fund will help provide life-changing and life-saving research for one of America’s fastest-growing diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 25.8 million Americans suffer from diabetes, with some 2 million new cases each year.  The CDC estimates that by 2050, one-third of Americans could develop diabetes.  The current annual economic cost of diabetes in the U.S. is estimated to be more than $218 billion.

To get involvedMake a $7.50 donation for every tackle that number 75 makes to the Vince Wilfork Foundation and the Joslin Diabetes Center High Hopes Fund! Visit http://events.joslin.org/wilfork  to register.  Or for more information, Erik Ryan at erik.ryan@joslin.harvard.edu or 617.264.2531

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(wickedlocal.com)

Greg Olsen caught one pass for 34 yards in Week 2 against Green Bay. The Panthers started in a two-tight end set and used them throughout, but the coaching staff appears to envision Olsen and Jeremy Shockey as interchangeable -- both blocking and receiving wise.

Click here to order Greg Olsen’s proCane Rookie Card.


(fantasysp.com)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish is out indefinitely after hurting his left ankle in a 38-35 win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

The Bills also lost starting right guard Kraig Urbik, who will miss a few weeks with a left knee injury, coach Chan Gailey said after the game.
Gailey wouldn't provide any further details, except to say Parrish's injury was still being evaluated and that he would be out for "a while."

Parrish was carted off from the sideline after getting hurt in the second quarter while blocking on teammate Stevie Johnson's 19-yard catch. He lay on the Bills sideline for several minutes, where he was treated by team trainers, before being carted to the locker room.

It's the latest setback for the seven-year veteran, who missed the second half of last season with a broken wrist.

Urbik did not return after he was hurt later in the same series.

Raiders cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke limped off the field after hurting his left knee later on that drive. After being examined on the sideline, he was escorted by a trainer to the locker room for tests.

Coach Hue Jackson provided no injury updates after the game.

Click here to order Roscoe Parrish’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nationalpost.com)

Indianapolis Colts WR Reggie Wayne needs two more receptions to reach 800 for his NFL career.




Click here to order Reggie Wayne’s proCane Rookie Card.


(kffl.com)

10 questions about life away from football:

Q. You're a guy who loves to travel. Any idea how many countries you've visited?
I've been to a lot of continents. Not every continent. I'm not married or have any kids so those responsibilities are cut to none. I love to deep-sea fish so I always go to Central or South America, Venezuela, Colombia. ... 20, 30 (countries). I don't know.

Q. Always had wanderlust?
I like to get out, just take a backpack and travel around and see how many times I can get my passport stamped in different places around the world.

Q. How much planning goes into your trips?
I usually plan two legs of the trip pretty vigorously. I go somewhere and do a couple of weeks of fishing, if it's the Pacific or in the Carribbean. I may go to Panama and stay there for a couple of weeks then find myself backpacking or hiking in Central or South America.

Q. Ever found yourself in a scary situation?
I've had a couple of close calls. You find yourself up in no man's land in Colombia or something. ... I speak very little Spanish and they know I'm a gringo. I wouldn't say it was dangerous but it's been interesting a couple of times.

Q. Have a favorite place to visit?
Cohiba in Panama is a good place for fishing. It's a place that's pretty hard to get to. You fly to Panama City then you take an eight-hour boat ride or you take a little jet then take a couple hour dinghy ride to the place. That's a place that's untouched so the diving is really good and the fishing is excellent. You see people living there that look like indiginous tribal people. That's very interesting.

Q. What kind of fish do you catch there?
Black marlin. Tuna. Sailfish.
I caught a couple of big black marlins, 700, 800 pounds - monster, Hemingway kind of fight.

Q. What's it like to fight a fish like that?
It's definitely man versus the wild in that area. They're fish you really don't eat. They'll fight you as long as you'll fight them and die. I'm always cautious about that. I'll fight them as much as I can then let them go because I don't want to kill a fish like that.

Q. Have you had some unusual meals in your travels?
To say the least. I've eaten the craziest things you've ever seen. It's like roadkill. Very interesting. You acquire a taste or you'll go very hungry. They had like a big rat up in the jungle in Peru. It had teeth like a beaver.

Q. Do you ever get recognized?
You meet a lot of different people around the world and the No. 1 question is you look like Jeremy Shockey, what are you doing here? There are people that watch football all around the world.

Q. Didn't you have an adventure at Loch Ness in Scotland this summer?
I did a hundred mile race (biking, kayaking and jogging) and flipped a kayak in freezing water in Scotland.
I didn't see old Nessie.

Click here to order Jeremy Shockey’s proCane Rookie Card.


(charlotteobserver.com)

MIAMI — Russell Maryland remembers being an overweight kid in Chicago, wondering if some college team was going to take a chance and give him a scholarship.

To this day, he remains thankful Miami saw something in him.

Maryland, one of two Hurricanes to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, was honored by Miami on Saturday night for his looming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. At Miami, he was an All-American, Outland Trophy winner and a two-time national champion who finished with 279 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 20½ sacks.

“It means everything to me,” said Maryland, the No. 1 pick in 1991, four years after Vinny Testaverde was Miami’s first to receive that honor. “I put in a lot of hard work here at The U and anytime anybody remembers you for anything, it’s pretty special. So to come back and be recognized in this fashion in front of the whole stadium and in essence in front of the whole country as a guy who comes back home and is honored for what he did in the past, that’s an awesome thing to me, very special.”

Maryland brought his wife and three children to the game, where he was being recognized in an on-field ceremony and some other events. Many of his friends, family and some former teammates were in the stadium as well, part of the crowd watching the Hurricanes take on No. 17 Ohio State.

Like most former Hurricanes, he says the current scandal hanging over the program has been “depressing.”

Miami’s athletic department, including its compliance office, is being investigated and sanctions are expected in large part because former booster and convicted Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro claims he gave extra benefits to 72 Hurricanes players and recruits over an eight-year span. Maryland told a story Saturday of how vigilant Miami’s compliance office has been with him in the past, saying he could not hand players water and towels when he was a guest on the sideline for games.

Shapiro is serving a 20-year prison sentence for masterminding the Ponzi scheme, in which federal prosecutors said he bilked investors out of $930 million.

“I know these kids are good,” Maryland said. “They’re good kids. I know the program is a program of integrity overall. You may have had some kids that made mistakes, but who of us hasn’t made mistakes? Who of us hasn’t been influence by dubious people at times? That’s really the frustrating part about it for me. I just look at it as a situation where a person, one person, came in and can really tear down all the good things that we have within this university. An infection, so to speak. It really hurts my heart.”

Saturday’s game was Miami’s first home contest since the scandal broke. All boosters, and in most cases even former players, are no longer allowed on the Miami sideline, a new policy created as part of the university’s response to the investigation.

“I’ll be there in spirit,” Maryland said. “Maybe not next to them, but I’m still there.”

Maryland said he believes the university will be able to handle whatever fallout comes from the investigation, and added he has confidence in new coach Al Golden and his plan to bring the Hurricanes back to a championship-contending level.

“From all accounts, from what I’ve been hearing from afar (and) from being down here the last couple days, I really feel very strongly that it’s going to be a positive future for the guys,” Maryland said.

Maryland has been retired from the NFL for about a decade. He lives in the Dallas area, mainly doing charitable work and motivational speaking.

Click here to order Russell Maryland’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

Negative headlines have hovered over the University of Miami football program lately but more former Hurricanes are currently on NFL rosters than any other school. The pipeline continues, Buffalo Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish said, because of the players' loyalty to the program.

"We show our face, we talk to the young guys, teach them the ropes and let them know what to do," said Parrish, one of 42 former 'Canes playing in the league.

Nine Miami players were selected in the 2011 NFL draft including tackle Orlando Franklin (Denver), cornerbacks Brandon Harris (Houston) and DeMarcus Van Dyke (Oakland), receiver Leonard Hankerson (Washington) and defensive end Allen Bailey (Kansas City), all of whom went in the first three rounds.

"When we go back, they come up to us and ask questions, or we'll see them around," Parrish said. "We tell them, 'Good game,' if we see them on TV or go to the practices. If we see them doing wrong we try and correct them. By seeing us work out, seeing our dedication and commitment and just going in there during the offseason every day motivates them. They see that we're in the NFL and they say, 'Wow, those guys work and they don't really have to be here.' That's a good look for them to see that."

Parrish said the former 'Canes return to work out with Andreu Swasey, the program's strength and conditioning coach for the last 11 years.

"We know what he's capable of doing because of the success we had with his strength and conditioning program we just continue to go back," Parrish said.

When Parrish played at Miami from 2001-04, guys like Clinton Portis and Reggie Wayne returned often to help mold the next crop.

"When you see those guys come back it made you say, 'I want to be there,'" Parrish said. "It gave you motivation. They'd come back and pull up in their cars. The stories they would tell us about the league you would hear about it all the time. It was a good thing. When you come back and show the younger guys they realize everything else will take care of itself."


(buffalonews.com)

The New York Giants’ starting safeties have been fined a total of $30,000 for a pair of hits in Sunday’s 28-14 loss to the Washington Redskins.
Antrel Rolle was fined $20,000 for spearing, while Kenny Phillips was fined $10,000 for striking an opponent in the head and neck area.

Rolle was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a hit on Redskins tight end Fred Davis, and spearing is one of the infractions the NFL takes very seriously: $20,000 is the minimum fine. Rolle’s penalty was even costlier for the Giants than it was for him personally, as it gave the Redskins an automatic first down just as the Giants’ defense had stopped them on third down. The Redskins led 21-14 at the time, but instead of punting to the Giants and giving them a chance to tie the score, the Redskins scored a touchdown after Rolle’s penalty to seal the victory.

Phillips was not flagged at any point in the game, and the NFL hasn’t said exactly what he did to earn a fine, but it was reportedly also a hit on Davis. Phillips said today that he plans to appeal.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nbcsports.com)

Ryan Braun put another feather in his cap in his NL MVP bid by launching a pair of solo homers in Friday's win over the Reds.

That gives him 30 on the year to go along with his 31 stolen bases, joining Matt Kemp as members of the 30/30 club. Braun also boasts a .330/.396/.590 batting line and is just one RBI away from 100.


(rotoworld.com)

The Reds have told Yonder Alonso to work on playing left field in preparation for 2012, MLB.com reports.




(fantasysp.com)

Chris Perez nailed down his 34th save Sunday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in a one-run win over the Twins.

Perez allowed a hit and struck out a batter to help Cleveland complete a sweep of Minnesota. It was a nice bounce-back performance from the closer, who had allowed six earned runs over his previous two appearances. Prior to those implosions, Perez hadn't surrendered an earned run in his last 14 outings.


(rotoworld.com)