Month: December 2016

Michael Bennett was set to become a free agent in 2018, but has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks that should keep him with Pete Carroll and Co. for a while longer.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the extension will be signed by Bennett soon, who has voiced his thoughts on his contract in the past. In July, Bennett complained about the four-year, $32 million deal he signed in 2014 and blasted Sam Bradford for a brief holdout in the offseason.

“I just almost threw up,” Bennett told ESPN. “I can’t believe Sam Bradford is complaining about making $40 million in the next two years, and because he actually has to compete for a position.”

While Bennett said he considered holding out for a better contract in 2015, he never did and showed up for training camp in 2016 as well.

The Steelers locked up the AFC North and the No. 3 seed with a victory over the Ravens in Week 16. Houston clinched the AFC South and the No. 4 with a win over the Bengals.

The Dolphins are guaranteed a wild card spot, but could still go from the sixth seed to the fifth seed if they beat the Patriots and the Chiefs lose to the Chargers.

A win for the Raiders or a loss by the Chiefs will guarantee Oakland a first-round bye, and the Raiders could even grab the No. 1 seed if the Dolphins beat the Patriots in the early group of games Sunday.

The Chiefs can win the AFC West, and secure a first-round bye, if they beat the Chargers and the Raiders fall to the Broncos.

What we know right now is that the Patriots will get a week off, and the Steelers and Texans will each host a game on Wild Card Weekend.

Monday Night Football has yet another subpar matchup on its hands with the New Orleans Saints (5-8) hosting the Detroit (4-9). Neither team has much to play for at this point, with draft position being the only real thing at stake.

Jenkins is one of the most consistent players on an Eagles defense that doesn’t seem to show up every week. His biggest highlight play was the 99-yard pick-six of Tom Brady in Week 13, sparking the Eagles to an upset win at Gillette Stadium. With so many high-priced free agents flopping in the Chip Kelly era, Jenkins has been a downright bargain at two years, $15 million.

In a year, where almost nothing went right for the Dolphins, Jones has been one of their biggest bright spots. His 124 tackles are fifth in the league, while he’s tied for sixth with five interceptions. He arguably has a better case than Kam Chancellor, with the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom secondary having a down year overall.

Limited Mens Filip Forsberg Jersey Daniels has emerged as one of the top 3-4 defensive ends in the league, and he’s enjoying another quality season in Green Bay. Yet, he’s lost in the shuffle in another crowded field at defensive end. The Pro Bowl could stand to differentiate between 3-4 and 4-3 linemen, so you don’t end up with guys like J.J. Watt and Fletcher Cox lumped in with guys like Michael Bennett and Geno Atkins. Until then, guys like Daniels will be left in the cold.

A victory wouldn’t just guarantee the Jets would be playing for a playoff berth on the final week of the season; it would change the entire perception of Fitzpatrick’s career.
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Pittsburgh showed a lot of guts in coming back from down 17 points and proved that it’s still a threat in the AFC playoffs.

Lamarcus Joyner Mens Jersey The New Orleans Saints have allowed 29.5 points per game in their six victories this season, by far the highest figure in the NFL. They didn’t claim those long-shot victories by accident. They won them largely because their quarterback, Drew Brees, has produced about as well as he ever has through 14 games in a season.

Brees’ league-leading totals for passing yards and passing touchdowns were not enough for him to earn Pro Bowl honors Tuesday, making the veteran QB one of the more obvious snubs.

With input from NFL personnel evaluators, we take a look at 10 notable players who should’ve made the Pro Bowl team, starting with Brees and another NFC quarterback.
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(Zeke needs 258 yards over his final two games to break the mark.) The Dallas offense now dictates game tempo, chews up the clock and helps keep the suspect Dallas D off the field. Says Witten: “It’s like a science. It’s something special to watch the way they communicate, coordinate and work together.”

With the game, and its winning streak, on the line in Minnesota, Dallas turns to what has become its signature play: the wide zone counter.

The Cowboys used it against Cincinnati in Week 5 to spring Elliott untouched on a 60-yard TD run through the kind of hole that, before this game, cornerback Adam Jones said his daughter could have run through. “It’s become our signature and the heart of what we do,” Witten says. “We get you moving one way, then hit you hard in the other direction.”

Now the guys up front need to do their job so that Elliott can do his.

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The Steelers found a way to run the ball 16 times in the second half with Bell despite playing from behind for most of it.

“We understood we couldn’t blink,” said Bell, who finished with 131 total yards. “Stay with our gameplan. They were up 20-6, they didn’t score the rest of the game.”

The Steelers’ attitude toward Cincinnati borders on arrogant. They are the storied franchise that piles up wins in Paul Brown Stadium and considers the Ravens a more worthy rival.

Over the past two games, Prescott has experienced some of the same bumps Winston experienced as a rookie. Prescott had his first multiple-interception game of his career last week in a loss to the New York Giants. The Cowboys have scored just 24 points in the past two games combined after scoring at least 24 in 10 straight.

“That’s football,” Winston said. “Keep on going back out there. He’s had more success than speed bumps.”

If there is a similarity between Winston and Prescott, it’s that they’re both leaders — even if they go about it differently. Winston is vocal. Prescott is more reserved but won over the locker room with how he worked and improved.
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Even though the Cowboys had no chance of selecting Winston in the 2015 draft, they met with him privately at the scouting combine.

He’s emotional. He’s a fiery guy, and the guys around him respond really well to him.”

While the head coach at Southern Miss, Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken coached against Prescott.

“One thing that is apparent on film, watching some crossover games, because obviously I haven’t had a chance to watch this week, but just his poise,” Monken said.

Sunday will be the first meeting between Prescott and Winston. This could be the start of something if they develop into the new generation of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.

Mark Ingram, Saints: Due to Ingram’s inconsistent usage (just 12 touches or fewer in three of the past four games and trending in the wrong direction after last week’s eight-touch game), I am having a hard time imaging a ton of success against a Cardinals team that is second in fewest fantasy points allowed, allows the second-fewest yards per carry since their Week 9 bye and has given up just one RB rushing touchdown at home all season long (Week 1 versus New England).

The Dawg Pound and Joe Thomas are represented on the walls of the Serranos’ home.

He also recalls the crushing losses to the Denver Broncos in the 1980s (“The Drive” spearheaded by John Elway) and (“The Fumble” by Byner) AFC Championship Games.

Since the Cleveland franchise was reborn in 1999 after Modell took his team to Baltimore to become the Ravens in 1996, the Browns have had fewer of those heart-crushing losses, simply because they’ve been consistently bad, making the playoffs just once.

Authentic Womens Matt Garza Jersey Serrano said he gave up on the NFL in the years Cleveland was without a team, and he was joyful when the Browns returned.

It had always been a long-distance romance until eight years ago, when Serrano finally flew to Cleveland for his first game, against the Steelers.
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“I was in tears that day,” he said.

“A guy at work who has no idea about her condition will ask, ‘So, is she running around, keeping you busy, ha ha?’ And I’m thinking like, ‘Well, no, she can’t walk.'” In order to keep his life private, Brian says, he has to figure out standard development for a child, so he knows what she’s supposed to be doing in what time frame, so when asked innocent questions like that, he doesn’t have to get into it.

I can’t imagine what life is like for Brian and Ashley and what it must be like to go through their everyday existence. Which makes sense why fantasy football has become such an important escape to them.

Kansas City boasts one of the league’s fiercest defenses and will be getting Justin Houston back this week. The Texans also have a strong defense, anchored by the pass-rushing combo of J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. Points could Julian Edelman Kids Jersey be at a premium in this game, which all of our human experts predict Kansas City to win. The OddsShark computer is the only one picking the Texans.

The next game on Saturday is an AFC North showdown, with the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers meeting for the third time this season. The teams split their regular season series, but under vastly different circumstances.

Oftentimes, head coaches deserve longer than three years with a team Jerick McKinnon Kids Jersey before their performance is evaluated. But the exception should be made for Mike McCoy, who’s presided over the Chargers’ fall into the abyss.

After making the playoffs in 2013 and losing in the Divisional round, San Diego has missed out on the postseason in each of the last two seasons. The Chargers finished 4-12 in 2015, their worst record since 2003.

Team president and CEO Dean Spanos recognizes the need for change, given the dismissal of six assistant coaches. On the heels of the club’s rumored move to Los Angeles, Spanos would’ve been wise to completely clean house and start anew.

It’s hard to get excited about Mike Mularkey, who now owns an 18-39 record in nearly four full seasons as an NFL head coach. The Titans need to bring on a head coach who can mentor No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota, and Mularkey isn’t that guy.

Given Mariota’s promise, several intriguing candidates may be interested in pursuing the job. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is reportedly interested in interviewing and Kelly, who was Mariota’s college coach, could be a candidate as well.

The one major negative is the Titans’ murky ownership situation, as the league is reportedly working with the team to resolve an undisclosed issue. That kind of uncertainty isn’t a good look.

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¡°I¡¯d at least explore it,¡± says one National League executive. ¡°They¡¯d get a pretty nice return. Probably in [Andrew Miller¡¯s] range of value.¡±

To recap, when the Yankees dealt Miller in July, they received four prospects from the Indians, two of whom were among the top 100 prospects in baseball (OF Clint Frazier and P Justus Sheffield). According to ESPN front office Insider Jim Bowden, Britton would bring back even more value: ¡°Huge return. The Miller and Chapman returns, plus one.¡±

“At the GM meetings,” another exec said, “they were openly saying that this was what they were going to do. They were ready to rebuild and change the mix. And that told me that even Jerry was on board. I’d never heard them say it before. This was the first time. They never said once, ‘We’re not trading Chris Sale.’ So this time, you had to believe they meant it.”

Yessir. They meant it, all right. And now they’ve pulled it off. But it feels so strange, after all those years of going in the other direction, that even Hahn has to admit he’s having a hard time handling all the praise he’s getting — for breaking up a team he built.

“The weird part for me,” he said Wednesday, after announcing the Sale deal, “is that we walk around here [and] you have a lot of people congratulating you. … It’s a little awkward — because we traded Chris Sale. That’s not something you feel great about.”

Yes, but if you’re going to sell, you might as well nail it. And two days into Sale-A-Thon 2016, Hahn and his front office have already proved they’ve got the hang of this. Fortunately, this time, there isn’t a white flag in sight.

Adam Henrique Jersey The funny thing is, though, that to pull this off, they had to do more than simply talk about rebuilding. They had to convince the teams they were talking with that this time, they meant it — that this time, they were on the same page, all of them: Hahn and Williams and Reinsdorf. No kidding.

The Ravens are close to full strength. The only starter who is expected to miss Monday night’s game in New England is backup TE Crockett Gillmore (hamstring). Cornerbacks Jimmy Smith (back) and Tavon Young (shoulder) got banged up last Sunday, but both were on the field for Wednesday’s walkthrough.

WR A.J. Green was working on the rehab field to begin Wednesday’s practice. He has missed almost three full games with a hamstring tear and is considered week-to-week.

Kids Joe Thornton Jersey The Baltimore Ravens (at New England), Titans (versus Denver) and Pittsburgh Steelers (at Buffalo) also have huge swing games, but none of those teams have better than a 53 percent chance to win this weekend, per FPI.

Are there any franchise-changing QBs in 2017 NFL draft?

Plenty of NFL teams will need quarterbacks when the draft rolls around in April, but does this QB class have anyone to be excited about?

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Eric Karabell’s latest end-of-season rankings reflect the latest injuries, future matchups and other factors for the fantasy playoffs.
But what, exactly, constitutes a favorable or unfavorable matchup?

Cairo Santos Elite Jersey That’s where this column comes in. The “Matchups Map” provides a schedule-independent method to determine strength of positional matchups using the most recent, relevant data. Check back for updated numbers each week, including matchup highlights at each position — both favorable and unfavorable — based on those statistics.

I will repeat my prediction that pressure forces Hoyer into throwing a pick to the Chiefs’ fantastic rookie corner, Marcus Peters, before the game is over. My key to victory for the Chiefs is to sack Hoyer at least four times. If they do, I believe they will win this game and it won’t be very close at all.

Spoiler, I’m pretty sure they will.
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How they got here: 1) By riding the right arm of Andy Dalton, which had never been so effective and accurate until his thumb. 2) By force-feeding the ball to A.J. Green. 3) By building one of the league’s best offensive lines. 4) By putting together a defense that finished the season No. 2 in points allowed.

Ike Davis Mens Jersey Why they’ll make the Super Bowl: They went 10-3 this season with Dalton under center and after getting his cast off this week, there’s a chance he makes it back to the lineup soon. Even with Dalton missing three games, the Bengals still managed to finish with the No. 1 offense in the league, according to Football Outsiders. Combine that attack with a stout and opportunistic defense and you have a well-rounded team without many holes.

Prediction: Same old story for the Bengals. With AJ McCarron under center, they get blown out by an explosive Steelers team in the first round.

Washington still finished 17th in the league in total offense and 28th in the league in total defense. But Cousins has thrown three or more touchdowns on five occasions this season, and he’s a wild card in the playoffs. The biggest argument against Washington, of course, is the fact that they were soundly beaten by the two playoff teams they played this year in the New England Patriots and Panthers.

Jones went on an expletive-laced rant against the referees on Instagram after the game.

Teams tend to take on the personality of their head coach. For the Arizona Cardinals, Bruce Arians’ “no risk it, no biscuit” motto has taken on a life of its own. On defense, they’re multiple and aggressive in their blitz schemes and coverages. On offense, they’re not afraid to push the ball downfield. Not even a little. For Arizona, the belief that fortune favors the bold shows up week in and week out, and against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, I expect much of the same, particularly when it comes to Carson Palmer and that high-octane offense.

The numbers on that side of the ball match up with Arians’ one-line philosophy. The Cardinals finished first in the NFL in deep passes to the middle of the field (43), Eighth in passes down the deep right sideline (51), and 15th down the deep left (44).

Asked if he believed it was the food that made him ill, Miller said: “Yeah, just the fried cheese and the ICEE at the movies. I was contemplating — it did me bad. I learned my lesson.”
Jamal Crawford Mens Jersey Yikes. Indigestion is especially troubling for Miller because the Broncos have a fart tax and he’s a frequent offender.
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So what movie was Miller seeing, anyway? You might be able to guess.

“I tried to go see ‘Star Wars,’ tried to sneak in there and go see it and it snuck up on me ¡­ yeah, it struck back. The Force struck back.”
“The Force struck back.” OK, now THAT is cheesy.

Unfortunately, the mismatch becomes clear when you compare offenses. New England is high in all categories, while the Chiefs rank 27th in the league in yardage. Alex Smith doesn’t throw for a lot of yards and Jamaal Charles is out for the season with an injury. Still, the Chiefs don’t commit many mistakes on offense and somehow, Smith has led the Chiefs to the No. 9 scoring offense in the league, surprisingly.

Smith has thrown just seven interceptions against 20 touchdowns the season, and averages just 203.2 passing yards per game. Prior to the final two weeks of the season, Smith had thrown just four interceptions but he struggles against the Raiders and Browns. Earlier in the season, he went nine consecutive games without throwing an interception. Obviously, he will need to play clean football so as not to give Brady and the Patriots more chances than they will already have.