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Posts Tagged ‘NFL Fanhouse’

Patrick Crayton has been traded to the San Diego Chargers, Jason La Canfora of NFL Network reported Friday afternoon.

As soon as Dallas drafted Dez Bryant in the first round in April, fellow receiver Crayton figured his days with the Cowboys were numbered. Miles Austin, a revelation in 2009, wasn't going anywhere. Bryant was the shiny new toy. Roy Williams had the big name. Sam Hurd plays on kick coverage teams. And despite Crayton's career-best year returning punts in 2009, the Cowboys want Bryant and fourth-rounder Akwasi Owusu-Ansah to fill that role even though both have missed major time with injuries since being drafted.

All Crayton does is catch the ball (37 catches, 622 yards, five touchdowns while starting just four games last year compared to Williams' totals of 38, 596 and seven while starting 13 games) and return punts better than anyone other than Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson and New England's Wes Welker. Crayton's 12.1-yard average ranked third in the NFL in 2009 while his two touchdowns tied Jackson for the league lead.

After two years as the fourth receiver and one at No. 3, Crayton became a starter in 2007. He caught as many touchdowns (11) as quarterback Tony Romo's favorite target, tight end Jason Witten, but the Cowboys still traded for Williams in October 2008 and soon gave him Crayton's job.

Now, with Bryant seemingly recovered from his sprained ankle -- and Hurd having led Dallas with 12 catches for 175 yards in preseason to Crayton's lone 10-yard catch and absence from Thursday night's finale against Miami -- Crayton's "human insurance policy" self-description and spring prediction that he wouldn't be a Cowboy this fall seems to have been fulfilled.

Agent Fred Lyles wanted the Cowboys to make the move Friday to give his client an extra day to find a new team.

"It seems he doesn't figure in their plans," Lyles told The Dallas Morning News. "We don't see the use in prolonging it."

 

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Filed under: Chargers, Jets

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- He has the hands of an elite wide receiver and the feet of a basketball player.

So why is Antonio Gates, the great tight end for the San Diego Chargers, vowing to open his mouth more this year?

"I'm trying to become somewhat of a leader," Gates told FanHouse.

If words were needed in recent years, Gates left the talking to others. Teammates had only to watch him prepare and perform to see what mattered to Gates, named to six Pro Bowls in his seven NFL seasons.

"He's been one of those guys who shows people by example, which is fine by us," said outside linebacker Shawne Merriman, a teammate for the last six years.

But Gates has resolved to speak up, even if it makes him feel awkward.

"I'm getting out of my comfort zone," Gates said. "I'm helping other guys. When you want to win, sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone. That was a path I headed to this offseason."

Why is Gates more apt to speak up now?

San Diego's mistake-filled loss to the New York Jets last January is a big part of it.

"What it does is motivate you to never want to come back to that feeling," he said. "Words really can't explain how it motivates you."

 

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Filed under: Rams, NFC West

It seems a foregone conclusion that Sam Bradford will start at quarterback in the opener for the St. Louis Rams against the Arizona Cardinals a week from Sunday.

Even so, it's not official.

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo spoke with the media via conference call Friday and refused to commit to a starting quarterback.

Bradford, the No. 1 pick in the draft out of Oklahoma, is contending with A.J. Feeley for the gig. Feeley has been hurt, hasn't played in the last two games but is probably healthy enough to start Sept. 12 -- if that's Spagnuolo's desire.

Is it?

 

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Filed under: Seahawks, NFC West

Does the Seahawks' trade of Josh Wilson last week give a hint about Seattle's plans for T.J. Houshmandzadeh?

Wilson is a cornerback and Houshmandzadeh is a wide receiver, so their cases are far from identical.

But Wilson was a veteran starter who was expected to play all season with the Seahawks, and he was shipped out when Seattle decided they had enough young talent to cover the position.

The same could be true for Houshmandzadeh, who at the elevated (for the NFL) age of 33 is making $7 million after hauling in 79 passes last year.

 

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Filed under: Patriots, AFC East, NFL Training Camp

With the deadline to finalize the 53-man roster fast approaching, the New England Patriots got right down to business Friday morning by first releasing veteran defensive lineman Damione Lewis.

One school of thought is that New England might bring Lewis back after the season opener against Cincinnati because then they don't have to guarantee his contract, and Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com breaks that down here. The Patriots are thin along the defensive line right now and could use Lewis' experience and veteran leadership.

Reiss also reported within the last hour that tight ends' Rob Myers and Carson Butler have been told they were waived. This comes as no surprise with four-time Pro Bowler Alge Crumpler and celebrated rookies Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez already entrenched on the depth chart. Gronkowski scored his fourth touchdown in the last three preseason games in last night's 20-17 loss to the Giants.

 

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Filed under: 49ers, NFC West

San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree got into an extended verbal dust-up at practice Wednesday, the day before the 49ers played and won their final preseason game of the season 17-14 over San Diego.

Talking after the win over the Chargers, Davis told the media covering the 49ers he was talking to Crabtree in Davis' role as team captain.

He wasn't willing to go into specifics, but he did talk about his motivation.

"I hope he got the message; I think he did,'' Davis said. "I strongly believe that ... if anything that I see that I feel is wrong and needs to be addressed, I'm going to say something.''

 

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Filed under: NFL Video, NFL Analysis

The NFL is in serious discussions to expand its regular season to 18 games, and the debate on the topic has been hot. While the fans are certain to love more regular season action, the players may feel otherwise. Our former Pro Bowl player LeCharles Bentley hates the idea, and wasn't holding back with Pat McManamon on this edition of "NFL Two-A-Days" on FanHouse TV.

 

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Filed under: Dolphins, AFC East, NFL Training Camp

ARLINGTON, Texas -- When David Buehler's 31-yard field goal sailed through the uprights as time expired to give the Dallas Cowboys a 27-25 preseason victory over the Miami Dolphins at Cowboys Stadium, it started the official clock counting down to the regular season. And there were plenty of intriguing developments from Miami's end to follow as the team boarded the plane bound for Fort Lauderdale, chronicled here by me on MiamiDolphins.com before we took off.

Normally, the attention is centered around those position battles that will help determine the last few spots on the final 53-man roster, and there were some good ones in the game. But it was something that happened early in the second quarter that had Dolphins beat reporters scrambling with deadline fast approaching. On the same play that starting quarterback Chad Henne was sandwiched by Cowboys' linebackers Victor Butler and Brandon Williams, turning the ball over on a fumble, Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long was shaken-up.

The 6-foot-7, 310-pound pillar of the Dolphins offensive line was holding his left knee and first had it examined on the sideline before heading inside to the locker room for a closer examination. Dolphins' Head Coach Tony Sparano and the rest of the team and their fans held their collective breath, but when Long came back out for the second half still in uniform and with no visible protection on the knee, those fears were put to rest.

After the game Long deflected all questions about the knee to Sparano and did say he'll be all right. Sparano said he did not know what Long's status is, but being as he was able to leave the stadium under his own power and was not wearing any protective brace, it appears that whatever the injury was it is minor and he should be ready for the opener at Buffalo a week from Sunday.

 

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Filed under: Chargers, AFC West

With many San Diego starters sitting out Thursday night's preseason finale at San Francisco, wide receiver Jeremy Williams was among the young Chargers' players trying to take advantage of the extended playing time to win a roster spot.

All NFL teams must reduce their rosters to the season-opening limit of 53 by Saturday.

Williams, an undrafted free agent, returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown and caught four passes in San Diego's 17-14 loss to the 49ers.

One of the receptions by Williams, a 29-yarder, set up the Chargers' only other touchdown, on a 2-yard run by Curtis Brinkley. However, Williams also fumbled at the end of another catch.

Still, Williams feels like he left it all out on the field in his bid to earn a roster spot.

"I felt like I needed to have a good game today to show that I can come back and that I am progressing gradually," Williams told Chargers.com. "After I came off the field, I looked up and I was like, 'You know, I put everything I could into it. Whatever happens, happens.' As of right now, it's out of my control.'"

Coach Norv Turner said he and his staff have some tough decisions ahead of them as they shape the final roster.

"It was good for our young players to play as much as they did," Turner said. "The biggest thing for us is we have some decisions to make at the bottom of our roster. We got a good look at a lot of our young players."

 

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Filed under: Texans, AFC South

The Houston Texans did more than cut ties with a veteran kicker Friday morning.

They cut ties with their roots, too.

Kicker Kris Brown, the last remaining player on the roster from the Texans' 2002 inaugural season, was released Friday morning, a day after the team's preseason finale. The team opted instead to keep free agent kicker Neil Rackers, brought in this past offseason to compete with Brown.

Brown told John McClain of the Houston Chronicle he was disappointed but not surprised.

"I did everything that I could do, and they had a difficult decision to make," Brown said Friday morning after being informed of the decision. "I'm disappointed, but I can't say it caught me off guard. I've said from Day 1 that I would focus on what I could control - competing and kicking."

 

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Filed under: Redskins, NFC East

Dallas raised eyebrows during the 2009 draft by selecting USC kicker David Buehler in the fifth round. After all, Nick Folk had enjoyed a fine 2008 season kicking for the Cowboys and was just 24. And after not winning a playoff game since 1996, Dallas wasn't so powerful that it could afford to waste a draft pick on a player who wouldn't contribute for years, maybe ever. Why keep two young kickers?

Buehler made the team as a kickoff specialist and the Cowboys looked prescient when Folk struggled and was cut in December. Shaun Suisham took over and when he faltered, too, Dallas was so bold as to promote Buehler during the offseason and not even bring a competitor to training camp to challenge him.

Thursday night, Buehler rewarded the Cowboys' faith by booting field goals of 40, 45 and 51 yards before hitting a 31-yarder as time expired that beat visiting Miami 27-25 to complete a 3-2 preseason for Dallas.

"I really would have played this game, would have staged it, put the air conditioning on, opened the door to create those circumstances for Buehler to get that opportunity," crowed Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones. "That was worth the ballgame for us to see him step up here and make those kicks. We've got us a kicker."

 

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Filed under: Eagles, NFC East

Michael Vick started an NFL game last night for the first time since New Year's Eve 2006. That was Vick's final game before he became embroiled in a dogfighting scandal that landed him a 23-month prison sentence and a two-year NFL suspension. Ironically, that game, which Vick, then Atlanta's star quarterback, departed after spraining his right ankle on the opening play of the second half, took place in the same stadium as last night's, Lincoln Financial Field.

Only this time, Vick was starting because Philadelphia coach Andy Reid rested his regulars, including young quarterback Kevin Kolb. Vick, who signed with the Eagles when his suspension ended last year, played just two drives behind the second-string line before yielding early to rookie Mike Kafka.

"The guy's 30 years old," Reid said of Vick, who was 3-of-5 for 56 yards and ran twice for 11 yards. "He's been in this league a long time. I think he's ready to go."

 

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Filed under: Giants, NFC East

Last year, the Giants closed a 1-3 preseason with a 38-27 loss to the Patriots and proceeded to win their first five games by an average of 16 points. The point being that there's probably no point in trying to read too much into New York's 20-17 victory against New England that closed a 2-2 preseason last night. Except that it was a good night for Eli Manning, the only NFC East starting quarterback to play in his team's preseason finale.

Manning incurred a three-inch forehead gash in New York's preseason opener. He missed the next week and didn't look sharp when he returned against Baltimore on Aug. 28. But Thursday night against their Super Bowl XLII opponents, Manning led a nine-play, 86-yard opening drive that he finished with a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss.

"It puts a team together when you can go down the field and be able to put the ball in (the end zone)," said Ahmad Bradshaw, who seemingly has supplanted Brandon Jacobs as the Giant's No. 1 back. "It gives us a lot of confidence and it helps us go further along the road."

Before donning a baseball cap, Manning was 7-for-9 for 91 yards and the touchdown.

 

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Filed under: Atlanta Falcons, NFC South

The NFL.com experts have weighed in with their predictions for the 2010 season and four of the seven pick the Falcons to win the NFC South.

Not me.

I am one of those guys who want to see the money first. I didn't see the money. Cornerback Dunta Robinson, the big free agent signee, was injured this preseason.

Can he play? Not sure. Is he the guy that this squad desperately needs to fix its secondary? Not sure.

I'm also looking at the early schedule. The Falcons can win at Pittsburgh in the opener, but then they play Arizona, New Orleans, and the 49ers.

 

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Filed under: Saints, NFC South

You know that spot on the Saints depth chart where it lists the third-string running back?

New Orleans needs to leave that blank. It's bad news, kiss of death, playing with fire, just ugly. Skip over it. Make believe the fourth-string guy is really the third-string guy.

Chris Ivory, the undrafted free agent, who was making room for himself in the Saints' backfield, suffered a knee injury Thursday night in the Saints' final preseason game.

He follows Lynell Hamilton and P.J. Hill to the sidelines. Hill is gone for good with a triceps injury. Hamilton hurt a knee.

Ivory slid into the spot behind Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush and now he is hurt.

Next?

 

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Filed under: Broncos, AFC West, NFL Training Camp

Here are some impressions from the Denver Broncos' 31-24 loss at Minnesota on Thursday night in a preseason finale:

Rookie quarterback Tim Tebow recovered nicely from a rough start against the Vikings and appears to have the edge over Brady Quinn for the No. 2 job behind starter Kyle Orton.

Tebow's fumbled snap on his first play was returned for a touchdown and he threw an interception that led to a Vikings field goal during his next series. But he pulled himself together and then went on a tear. He completed 12 of 13 passes at one point, including a 39-yard touchdown pass to Matt Willis and converted a third down with a 14-yard scramble.

Overall, Tebow was 12 of 16 for 167 yards for a 75 percent completion rate, a 10.4-yard average per completion and a passer rating of 102.9.

Quinn had his strongest outing of the preseason after struggling previously but Tebow may have too much momentum for him to win the backup job.

Almost lost in all the hype over "Tebowmania" has been the exceptional preseason play of Orton, the only one among the three with the benefit of a year in coach Josh McDaniels' complicated offensive system. Orton has turned that experience into a preseason that saw him go 38 of 57 for 397 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions and a 95.4 passer rating.

He led the Broncos to a touchdown on their opening series with LenDale White finishing the drive with a 2-yard run. In all, Orton led the Broncos to 52 points in his six quarters of preseason play.

"Hopefully, we can do that in the regular season," Orton told the Denver Post. "I think we got some confidence from the preseason. I think more than anything, we're excited."

 

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Filed under: Steelers, AFC North, NFL Quarterbacks

The Pittsburgh Steelers have known for some time that they would not have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the first part of the regular season.

What they haven't known is how many games Roethlisberger would have to sit out.

Now, they know.

Roethlisberger met Friday morning with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and his suspension has been reduced to four games. The reduction was originally reported by Jason LaCanfora of NFL Network on his Twitter page.

Roethlisberger was originally suspended six games, a move announced April 21. Goodell cited violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy in announcing the ban. At the time, the league said Roethlisberger's ban could be reduced to four games if he met certain conditions.

Goodell issued a statement in which he quotes a letter he sent to Roethlisberger.

 

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Filed under: Rams, Steelers, NFL Video

In this edition of NFL Two-A- Days, Pat McManamon and LeCharles Bentley discuss the fates of two quarterbacks: Sam Bradford and Ben Roethlisberger. Are the Rams willing to be patient with the rookie Bradford? And can the Steelers tread water until Roethlisberger returns from suspension? FanHouse TV has the answers.

Click to watch.

 

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Filed under: Atlanta Falcons, NFC South

The Falcons have no idea what they are going to see from the Steelers offense in the season opener on Sept. 12: the old guy Charlie Batch or a bunch of special run packages for Dennis Dixon?

The knee injury to the Pittsburgh quarterback Byron Leftwich in the preseason finale Thursday night against Carolina means the Steelers will probably use two quarterbacks.

Leftwich, a tough-as-nails runner, had the long windup to his throwing motion. You could see it coming. Dixon is the artful dodger, a sprint out guy. Batch is a thrower, but he would take off with the Lions, too.

How do the Falcons prepare? Will it be the pocket passer, or the guy that moves the pocket.

 

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Filed under: Texans, AFC North, NFL Training Camp

Brian Cushing watched the Houston Texans' preseason finale from the sidelines. Cushing, the Texans' linebacker and the 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, won't be on the Texans' sidelines the next four games and he may not be watching, either. Cushing will serve a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy. The suspension begins Saturday.

Cushing may not participate in team functions or be at the training facility.

"You know, you can't even explain how tough it is," Cushing told Jeffrey Martin of the Houston Chronicle. "I mean, I'm not even sure I'm going to be able to watch it. You realize how much you love something when it's taken away from you ."

 

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