Dear proCanes.com fans.

For the next two weeks proCanes.com will be on a mini hiatus. Do not worry though, we will be back just in time for the NFL Playoffs and Pro Bowl! Please though follow our twitter feed @proCanes or at twitter.com/procanes for updates on the streak and other breaking proCane news, as that will be updated. Our site though will be back up and running on January 16!

Thank you for you support, and here is to a happy and healthy 2012 to all in the proCane family!

Frank Gore, Vince Wilfork, Ray Lewis, Jimmy Graham and Ed Reed all made the 2012 Pro Bowl, this being Graham’s first Pro Bowl selection of his career. This will be Gore’s 4th Pro Bowl (2nd consecutive), Wilfork’s 5th Pro Bowl (4th consecutive), Ray Lewis’ 14 Pro Bowl (7th consecutive) and Ed Reed’s 9th Pro Bowl (7th consecutive).

Chris Myers and Andre Johnson have been named alternates. Stay tuned for a couple of more players to be named alternates soon.

By the way: The Florida State Seminoles have ONE Pro Bowler and the Florida Gators also have only ONE Pro Bowler.

Since the 1959 Pro Bowl a proCane has been on a Pro Bowl roster 51 out of 52 seasons. Since the 1984 Pro Bowl, a proCane has been named to the Pro Bowl for 28 straight years. Check out the full history of every single proCane in a Pro Bowl below.

Arizona Cardinals DL Calais Campbell posted a team-leading eight sacks, and he was third on the team in total tackles with 72, but he was not even named as an alternate for the NFC Pro Bowl roster Tuesday, Dec. 27. Campbell also has two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a remarkable three blocked FGs this season.



(fantasysp.com)

NEW ORLEANS -- In the moments after Drew Brees broke Dan Marino’s record for passing yards in a season Monday night, a bunch of other New Orleans Saints were brought into the media room to talk about their quarterback.

Perhaps the most entertaining of the bunch was tight end Jimmy Graham. He was asked what he’d be doing if Brees wasn’t his quarterback.

“I’d be overseas playing basketball,’’ said Graham, who played basketball at the University of Miami.

Graham then had another very interesting revelation.

“I told Drew that whenever he decides to retire, I’m going to retire,’’ Graham said. “I’ll never play with another quarterback. I’m really serious about that.’’

Interesting because Graham is only in his second NFL season. Brees hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, but he’ll turn 33 in January and can’t go on forever. Graham sounded very serious when he made the statement.

So keep an eye on this as the end of Brees’ career draws closer. Graham just might be serious about walking away from the game while he’s still young.



(espn.com)

Wide receiver Andre Johnson is expected to be back in the Houston Texans' lineup Sunday when they face the Tennessee Titans, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“When they tell me he can go, he’s going,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “It’s been a process. They’ve been working with him off the field, trying to get him ready to turn him over to me and put him on the field. … If it happens, it’ll be early next week.”

Johnson has had hamstring injuries on each leg this season and has played in only six games for the Texans with 31 receptions. The Texans need to incorporate Johnson back into their offense and give rookie QB T.J. Yates another good weapon.

While Sunday's game means nothing to the Texans in terms of playoff standings (and means everything to the Titans), Houston does not want to enter its first postseason backwards on a three-game slide.



(nationalfootballpost.com)

Denver rushed 55 times in the first meeting with KC, and that was with top rusher Willis McGahee limited to four carries due to a hamstring issue. McGahee has been battling similar ailments since that Nov. 13 game. The RB admitted he had "a little hitch" last weekend, too, but is over it now. "I'm going to stay in the whole game," he vowed Tuesday.



(cbssports.com)

Amazingly, TE Jimmy Graham is the first skill position player to make the Pro Bowl for the Saints since Drew Brees and Sean Payton arrived in New Orleans in 2006. Graham, who’s only in his second season, was named the starter for the NFC on Tuesday.




(cbssports.com)

Frank Gore says he always watches “Monday Night Football,” but tonight he’ll have a special interest. “I’m going for Atlanta right now,” Gore said of tonight’s matchup between the host New Orleans Saints and the Falcons. If the Falcons win, the 49ers (12-3) will clinch the NFC playoffs’ No. 2 seed ahead of the Saints (currently 11-3).

Gore’s playoff forecast doesn’t yet include the top-seeded Green Bay Packers (14-1). Rather than watch the Packers’ rout of the Chicago Bears on Christmas night, Gore went to the Golden State Warriors home opener and didn’t even see any of the Packers’ highlights. “We ain’t worried about no Packers right now,” said Gore, referring to the 49ers’ immediate focus rather than any disrespect toward the Packers.

Even if the Saints don’t lose tonight to Atlanta — two NFC South teams who’ve already locked up playoff berths and are jostling for the division title — the 49ers can secure the No. 2 seed and a key first-round bye with a win Sunday at St. Louis.

“If New Orleans doesn’ tlose, we’ll go to St. Louis, try to get a ‘W’, lock up the second seed and get the bye week,” Gore said. “To play on our home field in our first (playoff) game, it will be big for us and I’m excited.”

In reflecting to Saturday’s 19-17 win at Seattle, Gore said the 49ers were confident they would rally after falling behind on a blocked punt and an ensuing Seahawks touchdown. He admitted that feeling didn’t exist in previous years and those miscues would doom the 49ers.

“Back in the day, after the blocked punt, everyone would have been like, ‘Oh man,’ ” Gore said. “Now it’s, ‘Let’s go get some points on the board.’
“We just know we’re a good team. We don’t panic at all,” Gore added. “When things don’t go right, we tell ourselves we need to settle down and make plays. … I felt we were going to win the game. We wanted a touchdown, it didn’t come to that but we wanted the points.



(mercurynews.com)

John Salmons scored 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting (including three treys) with three rebounds and no other statistics in Monday's win.

This style of stat line should become a familiar sight for owners, and if that works for you then go ahead and keep trotting him out there. He should become a bit more efficient as the Kings improve as a team.



(rotoworld.com)

Antrel Rolle was already fined $5,000 once this season for wearing University of Miami eye black, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped him from wearing it again. Rolle wore “U” eyeblack again this past week versus the NY Jets. Look for another fine for Rolle again this week.

Click here to see a photo of Rolle wearing the “U” eyeblack earlier this season.

Reggie Wayne started a new streak last week by scoring 56-yard TD (his 1st TD since Week 1) finishing the game with 5 receptions for 122 yards and Jimmy Graham added 2 TDs to go along with his team leading 84 yards on 5 receptions for the New Orleans Saints in their victory over the NY Giants in Week 13 of the 2011 NFL Season.

Reggie Wayne extended the TD Streak early this week by scoring the game winning touchdown Thursday night for the Colts versus the Texans with 23 seconds left. Wayne also had 106 yards receiving. Jeremy Shockey, Frank Gore and Jimmy Graham added TDs of their own on Saturday and look for Jimmy Graham to actually score tonight!

To see the old full 149 week streak click here.

Week 16 2011:
Reggie Wayne - 1 TD - Indianapolis Colts
Jeremy Shockey - 1 TD - Carolina Panthers
Frank Gore - 1 TD - San Francisco 49ers
Jimmy Graham - 1 TDs - New Orleans Saints

Week 15 2011:
Reggie Wayne - 1 TD - Indianapolis Colts
Jimmy Graham - 1 TDs - New Orleans Saints
Jeremy Shockey - 1 TD - Carolina Panthers
Santana Moss - 1 TD - Washington Redskins
Frank Gore - 1 TD - San Francisco 49ers

Week 14 2011:
Vince Wilfork - 1 TD - New England Patriots
Jeremy Shockey - 1 TD - Carolina Panthers
Greg Olsen - 1 TD - Carolina Panthers
Santana Moss - 1 TD - Washington Redksins
Frank Gore - 1 TD - San Francisco

Week 13 2011:
Willis McGahee - 1 TD - Denver Broncos

Week 12 2011:
Reggie Wayne - 1 TD - Indianapolis Colts
Jimmy Graham - 2 TDs - New Orleans Saints

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee has become the NFL’s second player to reach 1,000 yards rushing with three teams after having a 24-yard rush on the second play from scrimmage against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

McGahee entered the game with 990 yards rushing, and broke 1,000 against his former team, Buffalo, which selected him in the first round of the 2004 draft.

McGahee now has four 1,000-yard seasons, and it’s his first since he had 1,207 yards in 2007 with Baltimore. He twice rushed for 1,000 yards in four seasons with the Bills.

He joins Ricky Watters, who rushed for 1,000 yards with San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle.


(ap.com)

With eight receptions against Houston on Thursday, WR Reggie Wayne has now totaled 117 catches against the Texans. The total is the most by a Colts receiver against one team in franchise history. Wayne passed Rod Smith (849) for 18th-place and Irving Fryar (851) for 17th-place on the NFL’s all-time receptions list.


(cbssports.com)

Ever wonder what an NFL player wants for Christmas? How about what some of the Redskins receiving corps wanted when they were kids?
“I used to get Micro Machines all the time, so those were always good,” Anthony Armstrong. “And there was one time where I got my brother’s gift. I asked for the other gift, but he got it.”

Santana Moss didn’t get the gift he really wanted to give himself.

“I remember one gift that I wanted that I couldn’t get,” he said. “I wanted some gold teeth one time. I saved my money up to get ‘em, I’m about to go get ‘em, and I didn‘t tell my parents, and just something told me just let ‘em know I’m fittin’ to get some golds, and Mom was like, ‘Go ahead, because when you come your stuff will be outside.’ … So I spent the money on something else.”

Instead, he told News4, he used tinfoil to pretend he had gold teeth for a while.


(nbcwashington.com)

Trailing 17-0 at halftime, Vince Wilfork and his Patriots teammates talked at halftime about needed just one play to grab the momentum and turn around the game.

Turns out he was the one that made it, with an assist from Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore.

When Moore bobbled the snap on third and 8 at the Miami 40 at the 10:48 mark of the third quarter with the Dolphins leading 17-3, Wilfork pounced on the mistake, recovering the fumble at the Miami 38.

Seven plays later, Tom Brady found Deion Branch for a 1-yard touchdown, and the Patriots suddenly trailed by only seven points.

"We said we need only one play to get it started as a team," Wilfork said after the Patriots' 27-24 victory that secured a first-round bye in the postseason. "All the while, we never gave up on one another and never said anything negative to one another.

"Going down 17-0 is a pretty big deficit, but once again, this team showed it's character. We believed in each other and stepped up and once we got going, all we needed was that one big play. Once we got it, it opened everything on offense, special teams, and defense."

Wilfork said that locking up the first-round bye was not something that the Patriots were about to celebrate.

"A bye is a bye," he said, "We still have another game to play."


(boston.com)

Robert Mathis and Reggie Wayne. The two stars are headed toward free agency and who knows whether the front office of a reworked roster will choose to spend the money necessary for the two veterans.

The two sent a hint a year ago that they sought reworked contracts. Neither got one and neither has publicly complained since. Mathis’ motor has not slowed even though other issues have limited the number of times the defense has played with a lead.

Wayne doesn’t have the receptions or yardage he usually compiles because of a lack of Manning. But he’s been a quiet leader through tough times and has shown he still has the same flair for making great catches.

Even with some nice individual performances, bidding farewell to this season can’t come soon enough.


(courier-journal.com)

Clinton Portis’s many media appearances this week didn’t lead to any definitive statement on his football future. He sure seems done, but you kind of expect that he’ll come out and say it at some point.

The closest he came, that I saw, came in his Web chat for ESPN.com, and it went like this:

Dave (NJ)
Would you like to get back on a team so you can get those last 77 yards to get to 10,000 for your career?

Clinton Portis
I would love it, but in trying to get those 77 yards, you’re risking a lot. You’re risking the injury, the setback. If I could just go back on the field for 1-2 weeks, I promise you I could get them. But having to go into a whole offseason is hard to do when I know I could get the 77 yards in a week or two.
That sounds like a man whose football career has ended.

And indeed, before he went to Bristol, Portis posted this on his new Twitter account:

Check me out this AM espn “first take” “mike and mike” maybe this tv transition is waiting

The other interesting thing on his chat came when he was asked about the coaches he’s played for.

Dan (Washington, DC) (Not Me):
You played for Gibbs and Shanahan -- who did you enjoy playing for more?

Clinton Portis:
Coach Gibbs got the best out of everybody. He made you come out and you just felt like you were going to accomplish the unaccomplishable. He was always giving the extra mile, the extra fight. You just knew it was going to come down to toughness. We knew we would be tougher than every team. There were probably three blowouts in the time he was there. We knew we were going to be in every game. Other than that, every game was basically the last posession.

As for the Twitter account, which Portis promoted at the end of his ESPN.com chat, well, it has some potential.

“Why do white girls have 2 first names?” he asked recently. “I would be hot w my mom... Clinton earl ain’t no better.. But it beats Mary jo, John earl, and this other craziness lmao.”


(washingtonpost.com)

With only seconds left in the game Thursday night, soon-to-be free-agent wide receiver Reggie Wayne pulled in a 1-yard pass to finish off the Houston Texans 19-16 and led the Indianapolis Colts to their second win of the season. After 11 seasons in Indy, it could be Wayne's last home touchdown with the Colts.

"Deep down inside, I hope not," Wayne said when asked if his career with the Colts will be over at season's end, according to NFL.com. "I've been here 11 years. I don't see myself nowhere else, but I do understand the business of it. ... I'm going to treat it like a business, and after the season is over, we'll see what happens. I'm aware that I'm 33 years old, but I feel 23."

Wayne, who has been to the Pro Bowl five times, has 887 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season. Over his 11 seasons, he's gained 11,634 yards receiving for the Colts and scored 73 touchdowns.


(sports.yahoo.com)

Broncos running back Willis McGahee will have some explaining to do to his pals in his native Miami when they see his quote about what he misses about Buffalo.

McGahee was drafted by the Bills in 2003 and played the first four of his nine seasons in Buffalo.

“I’m looking forward to playing in the snow,” McGahee said of Saturday’s matchup in Buffalo. “I haven’t played in the snow in a long time. It’ll be nice to have a snowy game.”


(denverpost.com)

When free agency begins in early March, one of the biggest names on the market will be Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell.

If he gets there.

A fourth-year veteran who has flourished in defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s Pittsburgh-style defense, Campbell is on the Cardinals’ retention radar.  Per a league source, the two sides have passed the casual level in their talks and moved to intermediate.

The Cardinals like Campbell a lot, but the Cardinals historically haven’t devoted a bunch of money to home-grown products not named “Larry Fitzgerald.”

Campbell had a sack and a critical forced fumble on Saturday, knocking the ball loose from Bengals running back Cedric Benson during a close-but-no-cigar attempt to dig out of a 23-point hole.

If the Cardinals can’t sign Campbell to a long-term deal, don’t be surprised if they use the franchise tag.  They used the device to hold Karlos Dansby in place for two seasons, before letting him leave for Miami.


(profootballtalk.com)

Texans coach Gary Kubiak said that Andre Johnson (hamstring) has a chance to play in Week 17 against the Titans.

"I’m hoping (Johnson) is back out there this week," said Kubiak. ''It’s my understanding that we’re real, real close. We’ll see what happens, but he’d be a nice addition to get back." Johnson has missed the last three games with a left hamstring injury and is expected to return for a ''tune-up'' in the season finale. In six starts this season, he's averaging five catches and 78.5 receiving yards per game.


(rotoworld.com)