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目前显示的是 九月 10, 2017的博文

Aaron Donald to start for Rams vs. Redskins on Sunday

How long does it take a star defensive player to work his way back into the starting lineup after an offseason holdout? About a week, apparently. Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters Friday that Aaron Donald would get the start on Sunday against the Redskins, six days after he reported to the club. Donald, 26, has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and attempted to force Los Angeles' hand this offseason into getting him a lucrative contract extension. The writing was on the wall this week in Los Angeles. Even defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who spent the offseason sans Donald changing the team's 4-3 defense to a 3-4, said it wasn't going to be difficult integrating arguably the best interior pass rusher in football. Getting Donald one-on-one usually seals the deal. So it goes for McVay, who had to weather a high profile holdout during his first few months as the NFL's youngest head coach in history. Now, he's decided to simply le

Kenneth Dixon suspended additional two games

Kenneth Dixon's road back to the field now includes navigating another suspension. The Baltimore Ravens running back had an additional two games tacked onto his suspension Friday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Dixon was already suspended four games in March for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs. The latest two games come as a result of violation of the league's substance abuse policy, Rapoport reported. It's been a rough six months for Dixon, beginning with the March suspension. The running back also suffered a medial meniscus injury in late July, requiring surgery that ended his 2017 season. The silver lining for Dixon in all of this is he will serve his suspension while injured, meaning he'll miss games in which he already wasn't going to participate, but he won't get paid for those games. It could cloud his treatment and rehab options, though the specifics of that are not known.

Week 2 Cheat Sheet: Cooks returns to New Orleans

Key game-time decisions All players questionable unless noted Minnesota Vikings: LB Anthony Barr (hamstring), QB Sam Bradford (knee), CB Xavier Rhodes (hip) Mike Zimmer said he expects Bradford to play. All three were limited on Friday. Jacksonville Jaguars: CB Jalen Ramsey (ankle) The cornerback missed practice all week, putting his availability in doubt. Miami Dolphins: WR Jarvis Landry (knee) Landry was downgraded to limited on Friday, but the team is optimistic he'll play. Arizona Cardinals: TE Jermaine Gresham (ribs), TE Troy Niklas (hip), DT Robert Nkemdiche (calf) Receiver John Brown was already ruled out with a quad injury. New England Patriots: T Marcus Cannon (ankle), S Nate Ebner (shoulder), S Devin McCourty (groin) The Pats already ruled WR Danny Amendola (concussion, knee) and LB Dont'a Hightower (knee) out. Chicago Bears: RB Jordan Howard (shoulder), CB Prince Amukamara (ankle), WR Josh Bellamy (ankle), S Deon Bush (hamstring), LB Leonard

Sam Bradford set to play after having MRI on knee

The health of Sam Bradford's surgically repaired knee is something the Minnesota Vikings are monitoring, but it won't keep him sidelined for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bradford, fresh off an impressive performance in the Vikings' season-opening win over the New Orleans Saints, is listed as questionable for Sunday after being limited in practice all week because of a knee injury. Despite the designation, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told reporters Friday he anticipates Bradford will start this weekend. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport provided some clarity on Bradford's situation during NFL Total Access on Friday: "It doesn't sound like they're too concerned with Sam Bradford," Rapoport reported. "He's a little banged up. Had an MRI, had some tests. It did not reveal any structural damage, but the problem is he's had a lot of structural damage on that knee, so the actually MRI and what they found may be hard to d

Five things that'll define Week 2: DeShone Kizer's edge

Last Sunday against Pittsburgh, Browns head coach Hue Jackson sent rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer back on the field for his second series with no wide receivers split out. Kizer was directly under center. Two tight ends, Seth DeValve and Randall Telfer, dotted each side of the offensive line. Running back Isaiah Crowell was 5 yards deep in the backfield directly behind Kizer. To Crowell's immediate left was second-year wide receiver Corey Coleman, and to his right, free-agent acquisition Kenny Britt. Up in the booth, the announcing duo of Greg Gumbel and Trent Green was more infatuated with a cheesy picture of Green in a suit being used for a television graphic than what was taking place on the field. At that moment, Jackson was resurrecting Walter Camp's ancient T formation from the 1800s with a modern twist. Both Britt and Coleman ran short flare routes, with Coleman succeeding in taking one Steelers defender out of the loaded box. Crowell ran ahead for a gain of 5 yar

Chargers' Ingram: Jay Cutler not 'a problem for us'

Sunday's showdown at StubHub Center already had intrigue built into it. It's the season opener for the displaced Miami Dolphins, whose Week 1 game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was pushed back thanks to the threat of Hurricane Irma. Plus, it's the Los Angeles Chargers' first game in the Los Angeles area as the Los Angeles Chargers, and the first regular-season football contest in the 27,000-seat soccer-specific stadium. But now, a one-sided war of words has broken out, and the target is former broadcaster (technically) and current Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler.  2017 SEASON: WEEK 2   ▹ Game Picks: Pats to start 0-2?   ▹ Broncos dominate top 10 CB rankings   ▹ 5 things that will define Week 2   ▹ QB Index: Who's rising, falling?   ▹ David Carr's top 15 offensive players   ▹ Power Rankings: Pats fall, Vikings surge When asked Thursday by reporters what problems the former Bears QB presents his unit, Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram responded, &quo

Why Terrell Suggs 'has that Benjamin Button disease'

Terrell Suggs began his 15th NFL season on Sunday. To see the Baltimore Ravens linebacker terrorize the Cincinnati Bengals, you wouldn't know Suggs had 14 years worth of wear, tear, wounds and scars. The 34-year-old looked fresh as he harassed Andy Dalton play after play. Suggs was all over the field, compiling six tackles, two sacks and a tipped passed that led to an interception. Watching the veteran play in the 20-0 shutout of a division rival, you would never guess he's turning 35 in a month. "He has that Benjamin Button disease," defensive tackle Brandon Williams joked of Suggs after the win, via the team's official website. (For those unaware, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was a 2008 Brad Pitt vehicle about a man who ages backward.) The Ravens defense was every bit as good as we anticipated it'd be heading into the season. Baltimore got younger and quicker at every level. The ferocity with which the unit plays is

Cardinals RB David Johnson to undergo wrist surgery

The second opinion is in, and it's bad news for the Arizona Cardinals. Running back David Johnson will undergo wrist surgery this week and is expected to be out 2-3 months, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday, according to a source informed of the decision. ESPN first reported the news. The 25-year-old got a second opinion on his wrist injury on Monday, which backed up the original diagnosis, as the team feared. The team announced on Tuesday that they placed Johnson on injured reserve. He could come off IR after missing at least eight weeks if rehab goes as planned. Johnson injured his wrist on a reception in the Cardinals' 35-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. Losing the dual-threat back is a major blow to an Arizona offense that struggled in the season opener. Johnson carried the Cards' offense last season, compiling 1,239 rushing yards on 293 carries with 16 touchdowns, to go along with 80 catches for 879 yards and four additional scores. As a mismat

Bill O'Brien declines to name starting QB for 'TNF'

Bill O'Brien refused to name his starting quarterback on Tuesday. The Houston Texans' coach told reporters he still is evaluating his quarterbacks and hasn't decided whether rookie Deshaun Watson or Tom Savage will start under center Thursday night versus the Cincinnati Bengals. O'Brien added it could even be a game-time decision. Watson replaced Savage after just one half in Sunday's opening-game blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. NFL Network's James Palmer reported Tuesday that Watson took every snap with the offensive line during the walkthrough portion of practice open to the media. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the Texans expect to name Watson the starter if he's healthy after dealing with an ankle issue stemming from Sunday's loss. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has said he's preparing his team to face Watson. After the statuesque Savage got repeatedly sacked in the first half, including two fumbles

Titans-Jaguars will be played in Jacksonville on Sunday

Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry announced Tuesday that the team's Week 2 tilt against the Tennessee Titans, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, will take place at EverBank Field after Hurricane Irma blistered the city over the weekend. The Jaguars also announced that team owner Shad Khan is donating $1 million to relief efforts in Jacksonville and 5,000 tickets to Sunday's game will be donated to first responders. Jaguars players, coaches and staff returned to Jacksonville on Tuesday after staying in Houston following their 29-7 win over the Texans on Sunday. The club spent Monday working out at a Houston-area YMCA. Hurricane Irma left Jacksonville dealing with a "record storm surge and immense flooding," CNN reported, with many parts of downtown, including streets near EverBank Field, under feet of water. The NFL rescheduled the Buccaneers-Dolphins game this past Sunday to Week 11 -- when both clubs had their bye weeks -- to avoid Irma's wrath. Both the Jagu

Brandon McManus, Broncos agree on 3-year extension

The Denver Broncos made sure Brandon McManus will be their kicker for the long haul on Monday. General manager John Elway announced the team and the kicker agreed on a contract extension. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source, it's a three-year extension worth $11.254 million with $6 million of it guaranteed. McManus is now the NFL's fourth highest paid kicker.

Ten GIFs that break down the world of Week 1

Football is back. God is good and merciful. Hopefully you woke up on Monday morning feeling like your team is an unstoppable juggernaut. Perhaps you sat up in your bed and felt exactly the opposite, in which case, I've created a handy tool to revisit throughout the fall and winter. Yes, there was good and bad in the first week of the regular season, which concludes tonight in Denver and Minneapolis. Let's look at 10 GIFs that neatly sum up the week that was. That's three straight wins for Aaron Rodgers over the Seahawks since The Blink At The Clink -- aka Green Bay's brutal NFC title game loss in 2014. This was far from Rodgers' most efficient game, but Seahawks Week isn't about style points. It's about finding a way, and Rodgers has got in the habit of doing just that. The above Tiger Woods-ian celebration came after a sequence that's become a Rodgers trademark: The Packers quarterback caught the opponent with too many players on the field and then

Packers stuff Seahawks in low-scoring affair

1. Cue those who like to refer back to deep reads on the Seattle Seahawks that hint at some unease between the team's sputtering offense and dominant defense. A game where Aaron Rodgers is sacked four times, picked once and thoroughly flustered on a few occasions in the first half should not end in a loss. We're so used to watching the magician quarterback wheel himself out of the pocket, survey the field and flick the ball on a rope to one of his receivers. That ended up happening, but not without relentless pressure from Seattle's front seven and some excellent mixed coverages. Both teams are battling some porous spots on their offensive line, which also negated some of the positives the Seahawks were generating, but the weight on Pete Carroll's defense seems to grow with each week. Russell Wilson finished with 158 passing yards and took three sacks for a loss of 23 yards. The team rushed for 90 total yards. 2. Seattle's running back usage was anything but pred

What we learned from Sunday's season openers

The first Sunday of the season is underway with eleven of the contests already over. Here are some of our big takeaways so far. 1. Behind a resurgent LeSean McCoy (156 total yards of offense, leading the Bills in both rushing and receptions), the Bills ran over the ammo-less Jets. 2. After completing 16 of 31 passes for 170 yards and four turnovers against the Ravens, did Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton open the door for AJ McCarron? 3. Carson Palmer was thoroughly outplayed by Matthew Stafford in Detroit. The Cardinals quarterback looked rusty after taking multiple rest days this camp. 4. The Packers offensive line needs some help. Aaron Rodgers was stepped on, tweaked, bumped or hit in a way that caused some minor discomfort. 5. Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell got off to a slow start. He piled up just nine yards in the first 25 minutes of play. Here's what else we learned Sunday: Raiders 26, Titans 16 1. This was an incredibly mature performance by Derek C