Brett Favre's name has frequently appeared on the NFL's weekly injury report over 20 seasons of sprains, strains and painful hits.
This might be the last time: The Minnesota Vikings declared the 41-year-old quarterback doubtful to play Sunday at Detroit because of the lingering effects of a concussion.
Full Story--NFL.com
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Charlie Weis could be in line to serve as the University of Florida's offensive coordinator, a source with knowledge of the situation said Friday.
Weis had a superb year leading the Chiefs' offense following a poor stint as Notre Dame's head coach, but he would consider a move to Florida -- and back to the college game -- according to the source.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As John Fox left the practice field Friday, he insisted he has known about his impending departure for about two years.
A few hours later, the Carolina Panthers formally announced the end of the coach's nine-year run, in which he led the franchise to its only Super Bowl, saying the contracts of Fox and the rest of his staff will not be renewed after Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"I told John today that I appreciate everything he has done for us over the last nine years, but as happens in this business, it is time for both sides to move in different directions," Panthers owner Jerry Richardson said in a statement released by the team.
By Associated Press
DENVER -- Tim Tebow won on several fronts Sunday.
By rallying the Denver Broncos past the Houston Texans 24-23, the raw rookie from Florida secured not only his first victory as a pro but he won over the fans who have suffered through the franchise's worst slump in almost 40 years and were jeering the conservative play calling as the team trudged off the field at halftime.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mike Singletary was fired by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night after two disappointing seasons, including a 5-10 showing this year for a franchise expected to win the NFC West.
The team made the announcement late Sunday upon returning to the Bay Area, several hours after San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention with a 25-17 loss at St. Louis. Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was promoted to interim coach and will run the team in next Sunday's season finale at home against Arizona. He was to be formally introduced in a news conference set for Monday at 3 p.m. ET.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It took a rare Sunday off for the Carolina Panthers to finally win something big this season -- the No. 1 overall draft pick.
The Panthers are on the clock for April's draft after wins by Cincinnati and Denver allowed Carolina to clinch the league's worst record.
The Broncos (4-11) rallied with 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Houston 24-23, while the Bengals (4-11) got four touchdown passes from Carson Palmer to beat San Diego 34-20 in the snow for their second straight win.
That meant with one week left in the season, nobody can match Carolina (2-13) for futility in the NFL this season.
The only other time the Panthers have had the No. 1 pick -- before their inaugural season in 1995 -- they traded it away for more picks.
Now the question is: Will they draft another quarterback?
The Panthers drafted Jimmy Clausen in the second round of this year's draft, but the former Notre Dame star has struggled to lead the NFL's worst offense. Clausen has a league-low 56.8 passer rating and has thrown just two touchdown passes and eight interceptions while getting little support from an inexperienced group of receivers after Steve Smith.
The Panthers managed 119 yards -- second-fewest in team history -- in a 27-3 loss at Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Sunday's results mean the Panthers' season finale next week at Atlanta won't have any draft impact as John Fox likely coaches his final game. Owner Jerry Richardson has denied Fox a contract extension.
Carolina's good draft positioning won't spill over into the second round.
New England, not Carolina, will pick 33rd overall. The Panthers traded their 2011 second-round pick to the Patriots last April for an extra third-round pick so they could take Armanti Edwards. The former Appalachian State quarterback was converted to receiver and has spent most of the season deactivated on game days.
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — So close to securing a division title, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t need any tension, drama or surprises after a short week of preparation. The Carolina Panthers certainly couldn’t provide any.
Ben Roethlisberger showed off Pittsburgh’s deep passing game and the Steelers inched closer to a division title and a first-round playoff bye, beating the Panthers 27-3 on Thursday night.
Pittsburgh (11-4), bouncing back from Sunday’s 22-17 loss to the Jets, will wrap up the AFC North and the bye if it beats Cleveland on Jan. 2. The Browns (5-9) could end the division race even earlier than that if they upset the Ravens (10-4) at home on Sunday.
“There’s some hardware out there for us, the AFC North title, and that more than anything is what we’re focused on,” coach Mike Tomlin said.
Roethlisberger found Mike Wallace on a 43-yard scoring play and Emmanuel Sanders on a 35-yard completion to set up Rashard Mendenhall’s 1-yard touchdown run as the Steelers opened a 20-0 halftime lead. Roethlisberger ended 22 of 32 for 320 yards and no interceptions.
It didn’t seem that close and it wasn’t, not with the Steelers outgaining the Panthers (2-13) by a more than 3-to-1 margin while controlling the line of scrimmage, the clock and a Jimmy Clausen-led Carolina offense.
The Panthers couldn’t throw and, for a change, couldn’t run while being outgained 408-119.
“It’s good to be in the clubhouse before everyone else this weekend with a necessary win,” Tomlin said.
Not much of a season for the Panthers, who have lost eight of nine, and not much of a game. Jonathan Stewart, who had averaged 115 yards in his previous four games, was held to 71 yards by a defense that has allowed one 100-yard rusher in 49 games.
Carolina, the NFL’s only winless team on the road, took the opening kickoff, drove to the Steelers 32 and chose to punt on fourth-and-6, as a disappointed Clausen (10 of 23, 72 yards) threw his hands up in disgust. That was about it for the Panthers, who had zero net yards and no first downs from the end of the first quarter until the final 90 seconds in the third.
Mendenhall ran for 35 yards on Pittsburgh’s first play from scrimmage. Roethlisberger then hit Wallace for 15 yards and tight end Heath Miller for 20, leading to Shaun Suisham’s 26-yard field goal.
Carolina successfully challenged an apparent Roethlisberger to Sanders 8-yard scoring pass play, with replays showing Sanders didn’t maintain control as he struck the ground.
That kept the Steelers out of the end zone, but it didn’t take them long to get there.
Bryant McFadden, who left later with a hip injury, intercepted a Clausen pass to set up Roethlisberger’s scoring pass to Wallace that made it 10-0 early in the second quarter.
Wallace caught the ball in stride at the 33 and easily outraced two defenders to the end zone. He ended with four catches for 104 yards in his sixth 100-yard receiving game, one off John Stallworth’s team record.
Roethlisberger’s 35-yard completion to Sanders on second-and-18 led to Mendenhall’s 1-yard TD run with 1:54 left before halftime.
About then, the fans were shifting their attention to the more competitive Penguins-Capitals game in Washington. Pascal Dupuis’ decisive goal in Pittsburgh’s 3-2 shootout win set off a definite buzz in Heinz Field, which NHL ice specialist Dan Craig was waiting to convert into an outdoor rink for the Jan. 1 Winter Classic.
The conversion was to begin even before the Panthers left town following their seventh consecutive road loss this season.
Roethlisberger, whose previously broken nose was bloodied on a hit in the first half, also scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter as the Steelers spent much of the second half running the ball before a fast-emptying stadium.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Rex Ryan said it's a "personal matter" and declined to talk about a "foot-fetish" report, posted by the sports website Deadspin, that show four videos of a woman who bears a close resemblance to the New York Jets coach's wife, Michelle.
The videos show a woman displaying her toes to an off-screen cameraman who, in one video, sounds a lot like the coach. The two are having an intimate chat about her feet.
During his news conference Wednesday, Ryan declined several times to discuss the situation.
"I understand I'm going to get asked this question frontways, sideways, backways, and all this, but it is a personal matter," he said.
When asked if the NFL might look into the situation, spokesman Greg Aiello said the league considers it "a personal matter."
Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said in a brief statement that he and owner Woody Johnson have met with Ryan. They also are calling it a personal matter, adding that the coach has their "full support."
This isn't the first time the Jets have turned up on Deadspin this season.
In October, the site reported that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre sent racy text messages and photos to a former game hostess while he was the Jets' quarterback in 2008.
The NFL is still investigating those allegations.
According to Deadspin, the woman in the video goes by the handle "ihaveprettyfeet."
A still photograph from one of the video clips was splashed across the front of the New York Daily News and showed a woman with her feet hanging out of an SUV. She is approached by someone who isn't on camera, and he tells her that she has "really beautiful feet."
The other videos show the woman sitting on a couch, having a drink, reading a book and sitting on a porch and rubbing her feet.
"My wife's beautiful," Ryan said Wednesday when asked about his wife. "We've been married for 23 years. She's awesome."
A few weeks ago, before the Jets played New England, Ryan compared his wife to Giselle Bundchen, who is married to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Ryan said he's "also married to a supermodel."
"I don't want to say that I probably shouldn't have done that," Ryan said.
While the Jets have a big game coming up against the Chicago Bears in which they can clinch a postseason berth if they win, the focus again is on the team's off-the-field issues.
"I'm going to be ready to play Chicago," Ryan said. "We're going to be ready to play Chicago. I am ready. This is my job, and I'm focused on the job at hand."
Most players also declined comment on the issue, but All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis supported his coach.
"You hear stuff around the building and whatever it was, I haven't even seen the video, you hear stuff," Revis said. "Foot fetish? Whatever. I mean, that's his wife. At the end of the day, that's his wife, and he can do whatever he wants with his wife. It's not like he's out committing adultery or anything negative."
Last week, the Jets suspended an assistant coach indefinitely for tripping a Miami Dolphins player and ordering inactive players to form a sideline wall.
Sal Alosi, the Jets' strength and conditioning coach, was suspended without pay for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, and fined an additional $25,000.
The Jets were investigated by the league in September after a female reporter, Ines Sainz of TV Azteca, said she felt uncomfortable in the team's locker room. The Jets developed a workplace-conduct program, underwritten by owner Woody Johnson.
In January, Ryan was fined $50,000 by the team after he was caught on a cell-phone camera flipping his middle finger at a fan during a mixed martial arts competition in Sunrise, Fla. The image of Ryan quickly spread across the Internet and made its way onto the back pages of New York tabloids. He apologized the next day in a statement, calling his actions "stupid and inappropriate."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Veteran safety Sheldon Brown was upset after a 24-23 victory over the Panthers that the Browns almost let get away. If not for John Kasay's missed 42-yarder, the Browns would've blown it for the third straight week. The Browns gave up pass plays of 32 and 28 yards on the final drive to set up the field goal attempt with four seconds remaining.
"The thing is, we shouldn't even have been in that situation," said Brown. "We had the game in our hands earlier, then we come out at halftime and we don't finish. It's been things like that all year and we've got to continue to work on playing 60 minutes. We'll play 30 one week, 45 one week. We just need to figure out a way to play 60.
"The sign of a championship team is when you have a killer mentality, you attack and don't let it become like the situation we had. This is something that we need to address and it starts from top to bottom."
Brown said perhaps the victory is a turning of the tide.
"But it's still so frustrating because it shouldn't even have come to that," he said. "That's why I'm upset ... It's just another situation where we don't play 60 minutes and you have a heartbreaker at the end. We've got to stop making excuses for that and just realize it's not acceptable."
He said the team still hasn't recovered from the loss of linebacker Scott Fujita to a knee injury.
"When Scott went down, it kinda hurt us a little bit," said Brown. "He's a really a vocal leader on this football team. We've just got to continue to grow as a team and communicate." David Bowens agreed the defense has to stop making mistakes.
"We can't get down when things aren't going well," the linebacker said. "At times we get bummed out because of the turnovers. We practice these situations everyday. The focus has to be there. It's a lack of communication and tackling.
"Our tackling definitely has to be a lot better. Guys want to go strip the ball and that's fine, but secure the tackle first. That's going to be a point of emphasis, especially going down to Miami with those two good running backs."
Joe Haden heads upfield after intercepting a pass from Jimmy Clausen intended for the Panthers' Dante Rosario late in the fourth quarter. Haden eventually fell down, thinking that the game was in hand. "If I didn't (think the game was over), I would've tried to score," he said afterward
.
Haden's interception: Rookie Joe Haden, starting in place of the injured Eric Wright, picked off a Jimmy Clausen pass with 1:28 remaining.
"Oh yeah, I thought the game was over, that's why I went down to the ground," said Haden, who was stripped after his pick in Jacksonville last week. "If I didn't, I would've tried to score."
Haden has a team-high four interceptions, with one in each of the last three games. He's the first Brown to have three picks in three games since Bernie Parrish in 1959.
"It was like a Cover 5 trap," said Haden. "If my receiver No. 1 goes outside, I look inside to No. 2 and if he runs an out route, then I trap the ball and try to go in there and make a play. He ran a curl instead of an out and Jimmy had to throw it outside because Mike Adams was there, so I just turned into it and caught it."
Haden acknowledged the defense has to do better. "But it feels good to finally win one of these close ones," he said. Those aching toes: Josh Cribbs gutted it out on his injured right foot, but was limited to returning kicks and punts. Twice, he deferred to Clifton Smith on kickoff returns when the pain got too bad.
"He was pretty limited," said Eric Mangini. "I give Josh a lot of credit for working all week to get in the game. It just got to the point where he felt he was completely ineffective doing anything and we didn't want to put him at risk."
Said Cribbs, who had four toes dislocated two weeks ago against the Jets: "When I felt like there were plays to be made, I told them to put Clifton in. I didn't want to hurt the team. I didn't aggravate it, but I don't know how I'll be for next week."
Cribbs averaged 8.3 yards on punt returns and 22.3 yards on four kickoffs. A costly mistake: Evan Moore lamented being stripped at the Panthers' 2 in the second quarter after a six-yard catch. Earlier, he was hit helmet-to-helmet in the end zone and came up a bit wobbly, but didn't mention whether it had a lingering effect.
"I've got to do a better job of putting that ball away," he said. "[Panthers linebacker Jason Williams] did a good of stripping it. I was trying to fight for yards. He just pulled it away as I was going down. I can't let that happen. It's a big mistake, especially with the ball on the 3-yard-line or wherever it was. ... I couldn't let it affect my play the rest of the game." It's a Buckeye sighting: Receiver Brian Robiskie, who hasn't gotten many chances this season, caught all seven passes thrown his way to lead the team. He had 50 yards, including a long of 15.
"It's nice for this type of performance to happen," said Mangini. "I'm hoping it's a springboard. What the difference was, I couldn't tell you right now."
Robiskie had only nine catches heading in.
"It goes back to executing when a play is called," he said. "Jake [Delhomme] is a guy who knows the offense and he is really going to work to find the open guy. I was fortunate to get open and he found me a couple of times." Saved by the holder: Long snapper Ryan Pontbriand didn't have one of his best efforts on Phil Dawson's game-winning 41-yard field goal.
"It was just one of those things," he said. "It just came out high and fast so it just kept rising. I told [holder Reggie Hodges] 'thanks for saving my behind.' He did an amazing job. I'm going to beat myself up over it. Fortunately, it didn't affect the outcome of the game."
Dawson also complimented Hodges for the hold, as well as for punting the ball out of bounds at the 5 prior to the Panthers' final drive.
"Reggie deserves a lot of credit," said Dawson. "Both he and I talked this week about rebounding and having strong games. Neither one of us were pleased with how we did last week. To come up in the fourth quarter the way he did, he deserves a lot of credit and I'm really happy for him." Special visitor: The Browns gave the game ball to 9-year-old Ryan Trewin of Canal Fulton, who is ill. He was a special guest of the Browns on the field and in the locker room.
"We were happy to be able to win the game for him," said Peyton Hillis.
The Cleveland Browns squeaked out a win over the lowly Carolina Panthers by riding another monster day by running back Peyton Hillis.
While Hillis will get the much-deserved bulk of the attention for this hard-fought win, another aspect of the offense cannot go unnoticed.
The Cleveland Browns do have wide receivers, and, contrary to popular belief, they can play some football.
The wide receiving corps of the Browns has long been absent in 2010. Entering Sunday's game, Browns starting receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie had combined for a mere 28 receptions and 313 yards.
There could be several reasons that the receivers in Cleveland have struggled so much this season, instability at the quarterback position being the most probable.
However, on Sunday, Massaquoi and Robiskie did everything they could to prove that, with a little bit of rhythm and a little bit of trust from their quarterback, they can indeed be big contributors to the offense.
Quarterback Jake Delhomme started his first game for the Browns since Week 1, when he went down with a high ankle sprain. Delhomme seemed to have maintained the timing he found with Massaquoi and Robiskie during his stellar preseason, hooking up with the duo 11 times for 102 yards.
Which Browns Receiver, Not Named Joshua Cribbs, Most Deserves To Return In 2011
Mohamed Massaquoi
63.2%
Brian Robiskie
15.8%
Chansi Stuckey
18.4%
Umm, Carlton Mitchell, he's still on the roster, right?
0.0%
Demetrius Williams, er, wait, who?
0.0%
Can we please give Johnathan Haggerty another chance...
2.6%
Scrap 'em all! These guys don't belong in the NFL!
0.0%
Most surprising was the play of Robiskie, who has been a disappointment so far in his young NFL career. Robiskie had only 16 career receptions before entering Sunday's game, but managed to catch an impressive seven passes against Carolina.
In a sense, Sunday's game seemed to be a "Welcome to the Cleveland Browns" moment for Robiskie, who finally looked like the sure-handed possession receiver that the Browns thought they were getting with a high second-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
Of course, let's not forget that do-it-all back Peyton Hillis once again led the Browns with 63 receiving yards to go with 131 yards rushing and three touchdowns. However, if the wide receivers can continue to grow and be a factor, it only allows Hillis to be more productive as defenses will not be able to focus their undivided attention on him.
The receiving group has a long way to go before they will be considered a real threat, and the Browns will likely look to add a true play-maker to the wideout position during the off-season.
However, the Browns have a pair of solid pass-catching tight ends in Ben Watson and Evan Moore, and the current group of receivers has five games left this season to prove that they can indeed be productive given a little bit of chemistry with their quarterback. Colt McCoy has stated his case to be the Browns' starter in 2011 and beyond. Hopefully that means stability at the quarterback position and more of that much-needed chemistry for Cleveland's wide receivers.
By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP)—Jake Delhomme(notes) couldn’t bear to watch, so he listened.
As John Kasay(notes), his former clutch Carolina teammate, sent a field goal sailing toward the uprights and another last-second win, Delhomme sat and waited for the crowd to tell him the outcome.
The roar signaled victory.
And relief.
Carolina Panthers place kicker… AP - Nov 28, 4:53 pm EST
Cleveland Browns quarterback J… AP - Nov 28, 4:45 pm EST
Carolina Panthers placekicker … AP - Nov 28, 4:39 pm EST
Cleveland Browns running back … AP - Nov 28, 2:58 pm EST
Cleveland Browns running back … AP - Nov 28, 2:39 pm EST
Cleveland Browns running back … AP - Nov 28, 1:54 pm EST
Cleveland Browns quarterback J… AP - Nov 28, 1:52 pm EST
Carolina Panthers quarterback … AP - Nov 28, 1:48 pm EST
Cleveland Browns quarterback J… AP - Nov 28, 1:26 pm EST
Carolina Panthers head coach J… AP - Nov 28, 1:24 pm EST
Kasay’s 42-yard field goal attempt grazed the left upright as time expired Sunday, allowing the Cleveland Browns to escape with a 24-23 win over Carolina and giving Delhomme a little satisfaction against the team that cut him.
“There are two emotions in this league,” Delhomme said. “Pure joy from winning and the misery of losing. It’s good to be on this side.”
Kasay, one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, got the chance at his 14th career game-winner after rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen(notes) drove the Panthers (1-9) to Cleveland’s 25, completing a sideline pass to Brandon LaFell(notes) with five seconds left.
After the play was reviewed by officials, Kasay’s kick went left, ending another tight game for coach Eric Mangini and the Browns (4-7), who led 21-7 at the half.
“I was the one who failed,” Kasay said, accepting blame for Carolina’s fourth straight loss. “This is one of those days where they did everything they needed to do to win. I was the one who let them down. There’s no other way to cut it.”
Cleveland workhorse Peyton Hillis(notes) rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns, and Delhomme passed for 245 yards in his first start at home for the Browns, who signed him in March after he was released by Carolina.
Before Kasay missed, the Browns were in danger of adding an embarrassing loss to a string of tough setbacks. Last week, they went down in Jacksonville despite forcing six turnovers and losing rookie quarterback Colt McCoy(notes) with an ankle injury.
This time, the Browns got lucky and improved to 2-5 in games decided by seven points or less.
“It was an incredible range of emotions,” Browns tackle Joe Thomas(notes) said. “The craziest game I have ever been involved in.”
The win also got a rusty Delhomme, who had missed eight games with an ankle injury, off the hook after he threw a costly interception in the second half that Carolina’s Captain Munnerlyn(notes) returned 37 yards for a TD to pull the Panthers within 21-20.
Kasay’s 43-yarder put Carolina ahead with 7:01 left.
Delhomme bounced back from two interceptions—on his first two passes—in the second half by going 5-for-5 on Cleveland’s drive in the fourth that set up Phil Dawson’s(notes) 41-yard field goal. Holder Reggie Hodges(notes) did a nice job controlling a high snap before Dawson’s kick made it 24-23 with 2:42 left.
Clausen tried to respond, but threw an interception directly to rookie cornerback Joe Haden(notes) with under two minutes left.
The Panthers appeared to be done, but used their timeouts wisely and got the ball back at their 5 with 59 seconds left.
On third-and-10, Clausen completed a pass to running back Mike Goodson(notes), who broke several shoddy tackles for 32 yards. After spiking the ball, Clausen, who sat out last week with a concussion, found LaFell near the Panthers’ sideline.
LaFell alertly rolled out of bounds to stop the clock, but the Panthers had to sweat out a review in case the officials determined time should have expired. Kasay trotted out for the game-winner, and as he did, Dawson believed the Browns were doomed.
“I didn’t have a good feeling,” Dawson said. “My only hope was good old Cleveland Browns Stadium. There are no gimmes here. I expected it to go through. I was hoping for a block, because I figured if the ball clears the line of scrimmage, it’s going through.”
It didn’t.
Carolina has 10 losses for the first time in Fox’s nine seasons, and the latest put his job in further peril.
Hillis had TD runs of 9, 5 and 6 yards in the first half. He has 11 rushing TDs, joining Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly as the only Cleveland backs to have that many in one season. Hillis scoffed at any suggestion he’s in their company.
“That’s absurd,” he said. “Those guys are legends and I’m a nobody.”
Browns fans strongly disagree. The down-home, Arkansas country boy has become a cult figure in Cleveland, which wasn’t sure what it was getting when the Browns traded quarterback Brady Quinn(notes) for Hillis, who loves to hunt wild boars when he isn’t destroying would-be tacklers.
Hillis’ third TD made it 21-7 in the second. Rampaging right, he flattened safety Charles Goodson at the 2 before cruising into the end zone. He dropped to a knee, flexed his biceps and pointed to the sky just a few feet from where a “Peyton’s Place” banner hung.
Delhomme wasn’t seeking revenge against the Panthers, who waived him in March, but got some anyway. He finished 24 of 35, did some good things, and some bad.
“The bottom line is we got a win,” he said.
Notes: Hillis has six games left to break Brown’s team record of 17 rushing TDs in a season, set in 1958 and 1965. … Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart(notes) finished with 98 rushing yards. … Kasay is eighth on the career points list (1,796) and seventh in field goals (426). … Carolina was the only team Cleveland had never beaten. The Browns are now 1-3 vs. the Panthers.
