NFL: Quick Recap for 10/2/2011 (PIC)

Here is a screenshot of todays results so far:

Vick's hand is bruised, not broken; status unclear (BLOG)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Vick's injured right hand is bruised, not broken as originally thought.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said a CT scan Monday showed the star quarterback bruised his hand in Philadelphia's 29-16 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. Reid said X-rays taken during the game showed Vick may have a fracture.

"Today, he had a scan and it showed there was no break," Reid said. "It was a blood vessel sitting above the bone. That happens at times with X-rays. The blood vessel makes it look like it was a fracture. There is still a bunch of swelling. It is sensitive to the touch. The positive is there is not a fracture there."

It's uncertain if Vick, who throws left-handed, will play when the Eagles (1-2) host the San Francisco 49ers (2-1) next Sunday.

"We will see how he does over the next couple of days," Reid said. "We have to get the swelling where it is manageable and he feels comfortable."

Vick was injured on a hit from Chris Canty after completing a 23-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin in the third quarter. He finished off the series and led the Eagles to a go-ahead field goal.

Vick left for X-rays, but returned without missing a play. He then left the game for good after another series.

The hit from Canty didn't sit well with Vick. He blasted officials for not calling a roughing-the-passer penalty, and said he wants to be treated like other quarterbacks.

"His best interest is always in my mind, when he's on the football field, in particular," Reid said. "I know he's a marked man. I think it's important that we all keep a close eye on him."

Police seize eight pounds of marijuana from home of Bengals WR (BLOG)

A 2.5-pound shipment of marijuana was seized at the home of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiverJerome Simpson(notes) on Wednesday.

Bengals tackle Anthony Collins(notes) was with Simpson at the house when police confiscated the package. A spokeswoman for the California Department of Justice said police tracked the shipment from California after a two-day investigation.

A woman, Aleen Smith, signed for the package before police swooped in. Simpson gave consent for authorities to search his home, where they found six additional pounds of marijuana and paraphernalia including "packaging materials, scales and smoking devices."

Simpson and Collins were detained but not arrested. The case will be addressed by the Kenton County (KY) Prosecutor's Office on Thursday.

The head of the National Marijuana Initiative, a government-funded organization that coordinates marijuana enforcement, told Californiawatch.org that the home was set up as a distribution network. "They had it all set up to receive supplies of high-grade marijuana from Northern California, and from there, it was being distributed from that residence," Tommy LaNier told the website.

Simpson had a career-high 146 yards receiving in Cincinnati's loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Collins, an offensive lineman, did not play in the game

NFL Power Rankings: Who's Leading? (BLOG)

The Patriots' tight ends form the game's best inside threat, but it may not be enough. FOX Sports analyst Brian Billick rates the NFL teams going into Week 3.

The champs remain unbeaten and the class of the NFL is beginning to show. Brian Billick's got a line of who's hot and who's not going into Week 3. Enjoy:

Ryan throws 4 TDs, Falcons rally past Eagles 35-31 (BLOG)

ATLANTA (AP) — Michael Vick and Matt Ryan met at the center of the field for the coin toss, the former Falcons quarterback embracing the guy who took his place.

When it was done, Ryan trotted off the field in triumph, leaving little doubt this is his city now.

Vick wasn't even there to see it. He was back in the locker room, still woozy from a big hit.

Ryan tossed a career-high four touchdown passes, shaking off all the hoopla over Vick coming back to face his old team as Philadelphia's starter, and rallied Atlanta from a 10-point deficit for a 35-31 victory over the Eagles in a Sunday night thriller.

"It was a wild one, for sure, but we hung in there," Ryan said. "I think everybody hung in there and kept making plays, kept battling. Credit to guys on both sides of the ball — we never gave up."

Two of Ryan's TD throws went to ageless tight end Tony Gonzalez, who went past Terrell Owens into the fifth spot on the NFL's career receiving list. Then, Ryan hooked up with Ovie Mughelli on a 1-yard score that brought Atlanta to 31-28 with just under 11 minutes remaining.

The Falcons (1-1) completed the comeback with Michael Turner breaking off a 61-yard run, then powering over from the 3 with 4:48 remaining. Turner finished with 114 yards on 21 carries.

Vick threw for a pair of touchdowns for the Eagles (1-1) but left with what coach Andy Reid later described as a concussion after getting spun by a Falcons rusher into Eagles lineman Todd Herremans. No. 7 staggered to the sideline and Mike Kafka came in for the first game of his two-year career.

Vince Young, normally the backup, was inactive because of a hamstring injury. Now, the Eagles have to worry about Vick's health, though he didn't have to be hospitalized and was cleared to travel with the team back to Philadelphia.

"I know Mike is upset about (not finishing)," Kafka said. "When you're hit like that, you can't do anything about it. It's out of his control."

Kafka did a good job in a tough situation, guiding the Eagles down the field on a potentially winning drive in the closing minutes. But on fourth down from Atlanta's 22, Jeremy Maclin dropped a pass over the middle that would have kept it going.

"I'm better than that," Maclin said. "It was a very catchable ball."

The Falcons ran off all but the last 5 seconds, and Kafka's desperation heave into the end zone was batted down to end the game.

The buildup for the prime-time contest was one of the biggest in years for a regular-season game in Atlanta. The Georgia Dome was packed and loud, many fans wearing Vick's old No. 7 jersey from his Falcons days but plenty more adorned in Ryan's No. 2.

In some ways, it seemed like a head-to-head matchup — even though they were never on the field at the same time. Vick was the one-of-a-kind quarterback who put the Falcons on the NFL map before he was caught running a dogfighting operation, leading to a prison sentence of nearly two years.

Banished by the Falcons, he revitalized his career in Philadelphia and earned another $100 million contract. He had returned to Atlanta once before, as a backup in 2009, but this was different. He's now THE guy for the Eagles, and he wanted to impress in front of his former city.

"I feel for him," Maclin said. "Obviously, he wanted to come home and make a statement."

Instead, he had to settle for mixed results and an early end to his night. Vick fumbled twice and threw an interception, and the Falcons turned two of those mistakes into touchdowns.

Still, he had seemingly done enough when he left the field. Kafka came on and handed off to LeSean McCoy, who scored his second touchdown on a 2-yard run with 1:59 left in the third quarter. McCoy had 95 yards on 18 carries.

But Ryan and the Falcons hung in there, even though the quarterback was sacked four more times after taking five in a 30-12 loss at Chicago to open the season.

"You just keep getting up," Ryan said. "There's a lot of tough guys on this football team and I try and stay in line with those guys and just keep bouncing up. I'm just glad we came away with the win."

There were plenty of big hits, most notably a shot by Atlanta cornerback Dunta Robinson on an Eagles receiver for the second year in a row. Last year, Robinson knocked out himself and DeSean Jackson with a brutal collision. This time, the defensive back leveled Maclin with a shot that drew a flag for slamming into a defenseless player with a helmet-first shot in the third quarter.

Falcons coach Mike Smith disputed it was illegal hit, saying "that's the way we teach it," but the NFL could dole out a suspension after it reviews the play. Maclin went to the sideline to be checked but wasn't out for long. Robinson insisted he did nothing wrong.

"I saw him catch the ball," the cornerback said. "I saw him run and take steps trying to get upfield and score."

Vick's first fumble, with the Eagles poised for a touchdown that would've given them a 17-7 lead, wasn't really his fault.

Peria Jerry burst through the line and knocked the ball away before Vick could even hand off to McCoy, the ball skidding backward to Falcons defensive end Ray Edwards. He took off the other way, rumbling 64 yards before Jackson hustled back to make the tackle.

The Falcons offense did the rest, capped by Gonzalez's first TD catch of the night — and perhaps one of the best he's ever made. In the back of the end zone, he reached up to snare the ball with his right hand and brought it down to his body just as he dragged a second foot inbounds

"I can't say nothing but 'Wow!'" Smith said. "That's one we'll be seeing for a long time on the highlight films."

On the Eagles' first possession of the second half, Vick threw a pass over the middle that was picked off by Kelvin Hayden. The Falcons turned that into seven more points, as Ryan went to Gonzalez again on a 17-yard TD that gave Atlanta a 21-10 lead.

Back came Vick and the Eagles.

McCoy broke off runs of 23 and 36 yards before Vick went to Maclin for a 36-yard touchdown pass. Then, after Ryan threw his second interception of the night, the Eagles reclaimed the lead, 24-21, with their second score in just over 2 minutes on McCoy's 8-yard run.

Philadelphia extended its lead after a shanked punt by rookie Matt Bosher turned the ball over to the Eagles at the Atlanta 20. Vick was hurt three plays later, but McCoy finished off another touchdown drive.

Vick completed 19 of 28 for 242 yards, also going to Maclin on a 5-yard touchdown. In addition, the quarterback ran six times for 25 yards.

"I thought the guys battled," Reid said. "We just had too many turnovers, too many mistakes."

Tedy Bruschi is mad at Ochocinco for appreciating Tom Brady (BLOG)

Now that Tedy Bruschi(notes) is retired from the NFL and being paid as an analyst, it seems like he's mad all the time. Tuesday, on radio station WEEI in Boston, Bruschi tore into New England Patriots wide receiverChad Ochocinco(notes). The reason? The Ocho appreciated Tom Brady's(notes) 517-yard performance on Monday night.

Chad tweeted this:

Just waking up after a late arrival,I've never seen a machine operate like that n person,to see video game numbers put up n person was WOW

And then Bruschi got all red and huffy.

"Drop the awe factor, OK, Ocho, Chad, drop the awe factor," Bruschi said. "You're not a fan, all right? You're not someone who's on another team or watching TV. You're not an analyst. You're a part of it. They want you to be a part of it.
"So get with the program because obviously you're not getting it and you're tweeting because you're saying, 'It's amazing to see'? It's amazing to see because you don't understand it! You still don't understand it and it's amazing to you because you can't get it."

It's not friendly advice taken out of context, either. Bruschi's angry. You can listen to it here (the Ocho talk starts at about the 5:42 mark). You can almost hear Bruschi's blood pressure rising through your computer speakers. He may also be foaming at the mouth.

Tom Brady, who was unaware Bruschi made those remarks, defended Ochocinco's work ethic

But the most bothersome part of Bruschi's response is his veiled jab against Chad Ochocinco's work ethic on his own WEEI-AM radio spot Wednesday.

"Chad, for the day that he go here, he's worked really hard to be a part of this offense and be involved," Brady said.

Now, don't get me wrong, expecting Chad Ochocinco to be more productive at this point is perfectly reasonable. He had one catch for 14 yards on Monday night, accounting for about 2.7 percent of Tom Brady's passing yards. The Patriots probably expect him to account for more than 2.7 percent of their passing offense.

But it's some kind of crime for Ocho to be impressed with Tom Brady? He's not allowed to marvel at a 517-yard passing performance? The man was a Cincinnati Bengal for 10 years. It's like someone gets released from a Malaysian prison after 10 years, then moves into Oprah's house, and you expect him not to notice that the flooring is a little bit nicer.

A couple of weeks ago, crotchety old Bruschi turned his attention toward Arian Foster(notes), using the words "incredibly dumb" and "incredibly stupid" to describe Foster posting his hamstring MRI on Twitter.

Watch this at WEEI

Bruschi was a very good player, and his opinions and analysis are to be respected. And I do respect it, and Chad's not above a little criticism right now. But there's a difference between that and turning into a self-important hate machine, walking around all day being angry and thinking, "Things were so much better in my day!" Lighten up a little bit, Tedy. It's OK for a brand new Patriot to admire Tom Brady a little bit.

Urlacher leaves Bears to be with family after mother’s passing (BLOG)

Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher(notes) has left the Chicago Bears for an open-ended period of time to be with his family following the unexpected passing of his mother, 51-year-old Lavoyda Lenard, who died Monday, according to a statement released by the team.

No other information has been given as to the reason for her death, and Lt. Brent Smith of the Titus County (Texas) Sheriff's Office told reporters that there was no evidence of foul play.

In a 2002 piece for ESPN Magazine, Urlacher called his mother "my heart."

"My mother, Lavoyda, unexpectedly passed away Monday at her home in Texas," Urlacher said in a statement. "My first priority right now is to be with my family as we mourn her loss and make the arrangements to lay her to rest. This is a very difficult and emotional time for us and I sincerely ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you."

The Bears are obviously prepared to be understanding if Urlacher can't play, but they also know his value on the field. The team travels to New Orleans to play the Saints on Sunday.

"That's going to be tough for our football team [if Urlacher doesn't play Sunday]," Bears receiver Roy Williams told ESPN Chicago. "Whoever takes his spot [if necessary] will play well. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. He is the emotional leader of the football team, so we have his back."

Defensive end Israel Idonije(notes) agreed. "Our hearts are with him," Idonije said. "It's one of those times that you can't imagine, and 100 percent of our support is with him. At the end of the day, family and life comes first."

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler(notes) talked about what Urlacher meant to a team that is 21-13 with Urlacher in the lineup, and 7-8 without him since 2008. "You can't replace a guy like him," Cutler said. "He's the heart and soul of this team."

Police Chief suspended for Fantasy Football (BLOG, VIDEO)

Using your work computer for non-office related things is never a good idea and an Ohio police chief is learning that lesson the hard way!

Police Chief Robert Williams admits using his department computer for personal use against city policy. In a complaint turned over to the city, Captain Rick Ullum accuses the chief of managing a fantasy football league and even of opening lewd e-mails.

Sounds like a real rat…Either you get fantasy football or you don’t:

yardbarker

Newton throws for 422 yards but Arizona wins 28-21 (BLOG)

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Cam Newton began his NFL career on the same field where he ended his collegiate one and was spectacular. His 422 yards passing are a record for any rookie in his NFL opener. Yet he didn't leave a winner.

A rookie on the other team made the game-winning play.

Cam You Dig It?

Cam Newton's debut may have been a team loss, but individually the Heisman Trophy winner put on a record-breaking display. Newton became the first player in NFL history to throw for 400 yards in his debut in NFL history.

Patrick Peterson brushed off a long afternoon at cornerback with an 89-yard punt return for the go-ahead touchdown and the Arizona Cardinals escaped with a 28-21 victory over Newton's Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

The No. 1 pick in the draft who had struggled at times in the preseason, Newton completed 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

"He was everything everybody didn't expect him to be," saidSteve Smith, who caught eight of those passes for 178 yards and both scores. "He was on point, he made some great runs, he made some great reads, made some fantastic throws. He made some throws out there that honestly as a receiver it made it easy to catch them."

The statistics seemed to mean little to the big, young quarterback, who was unbeaten in his BCS championship season at Auburn.

"The last time I lost a game was Navarro Junior College," Newton said. "What do you want me to say, it feels great? It is not a comfortable feeling for me."

The Panthers had a first down at the Arizona 11 late in the game, and even got an extra down on an offside call, but failed to score.

Kevin Kolb was 18 of 27 for 309 yards, including touchdown passes of 48 and 70 yards, in his first game for Arizona.

Peterson, the fifth overall pick in the draft out of LSU, was not surprised by Newton's debut.

"I can't wait to see what he's going to do throughout the season because there were so many critics coming into the draft," Peterson said. "I thought he had a pretty good night tonight, so we'll definitely see what the season brings for Mr. Cam."

The same could be said for Mr. Peterson.

He hauled in the punt and broke a tackle and darted downfield on the long run, but almost paid dearly for a showboat move at the finish.

Peterson began to strut, not realizing Carolina's Mike Goodson was gaining on him. Peterson glanced around, realized the error of his ways, and sprinted away, diving over the goal line to put Arizona ahead 28-21 with 7:15 to play. It was the second-longest punt return in franchise history.

"Yeah, he was pretty close," Peterson said.

Kolb said "anybody else fair catches that thing."

"That just shows you the confidence that he has in himself and how tough of a kid he is," Kolb said. "He's going to be a major weapon for us."

Peterson acknowledges he has a lot to learn about the intricacies of playing cornerback in the NFL. As a punt returner, though, he's a natural.

"With me being a defensive back, I barely have a chance to get my hands on the ball," Peterson said. "That's why I love punt returns to much."

With the help of a roughing-the-passer penalty against Clark Haggans, the Panthers drove downfield late and had first down at the 11.

Four consecutive passes were incomplete, but an offside penalty on fourth down moved the ball to the Arizona 5 and gave Carolina one more chance. Newton threw over the middle to Goodson to the 2, but he was a yard shy of the first down and the Cardinals ran out the clock.

Both of Newton's TD passes came in the first half as Carolina took a 14-7 lead at the break.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, drove inside the Carolina 6 twice in the second quarter and came away with nothing.

On second-and-goal from the 4, Beanie Wells, who rushed for 90 yards on 18 carries including a 7-yard touchdown run, muffed a pitch from Kolb and Carolina's Thomas Davis recovered.

"It was a bad pitch," Kolb said. "I think he would probably say he took his eyes off it, I'd tell you it was a bad pitch. That's the way a team works. We were lucky to overcome it."

After forcing a punt, Arizona drove to the Panthers 5, but a crackback block penalty against Andre Roberts drove the team back, and Jay Feely's 36-yard field goal try was wide left. Feely was 14-for-14 from inside the 40 a year ago.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt said the team needs to clean up those mistakes, and he said that the defense "was close but didn't make enough plays."

The Panthers took over at their 36 with 1:03 to play in the half. Daryl Washington intercepted Newton's pass over the middle, but the play was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty against Peterson.

Moments later, Smith beat Peterson in the corner of the end zone and Newton lofted the ball perfectly in place to give Carolina the lead in front of the stunned crowd.

Arizona went 54 yards in six plays on its first possession, with Wells scoring on the 7-yard run.

After the subsequent kickoff, the Panthers had a third-and-7 from their 23 when new defensive coordinator Ray Horton called a blitz.

In a mix up in the secondary, Smith was at least 20 yards behind the nearest defender, safety Kerry Rhodes. The Panthers' star receiver ran untouched to the end zone to tie it at 7-7 with 7:11 left in the opening quarter.

Kolb's pass under duress to wide-open tight end Jeff King for 48 yards and a touchdown against his former team to tie it at 14-14, but Carolina took the kickoff and went 80 yards in eight plays to take a 21-14 lead, Newton leaping over the line for the score. His air-guitar strum of the football in celebration drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Kolb found Early Doucet over the middle and the receiver broke a tackle then dashed 70 yards for the tying score with 10:48 to play.

New Carolina coach Ron Rivera called it "a tough one to lose."

"We are too young a football team to survive self-inflicted wounds," he said.

Game notes
Panthers middle linebacker Jon Beason was taken to the locker room on a cart in the second half after reinjuring his left ankle. Rivera said he was unsure of the severity of the injury. ... Doucet had three catches for 105 yards, his first career 100-yard receiving game. ... King's TD pass was his career long. ... Arizona's LaRod Stephens-Howling left the game in the second half with a bruised right hand. ... Larry Fitzgerald, double-covered all day, caught three passes for 62 yards.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

NFL lets players wear Sept. 11 cleats, gloves (BLOG)

The NFL relaxed its normally rigid uniform policy on Friday so players can commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

League spokesman Michael Signora tweeted that the league told its 32 clubs that players may wear special shoes and gloves from official NFL equipment licensees for Week 1 games.

The move came one day after Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs tweeted that he had expected to be fined for wearing red, white and blue cleats and gloves designed by Reebok. Briggs said it would be "by far the best fine he will ever have to pay."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league does not "anticipate any issues."

"We have extensive plans for Sunday to respectfully recognize the significance of the day," Aiello said in an email. "Lance Briggs and all players will participate."

Briggs declined to comment when he left the practice field Friday. He instead put the shoes on display in the locker room, the back of the left shoe bearing the word "Never," while the right had "Forget."

Coach Lovie Smith said he has no problem with Briggs defying the NFL dress code in this instance.

"I mean, we're going to do an awful lot before the game as an organization — the NFL as a league — to honor the victims," Smith said. "But you know, if they (the NFL) say it's OK and the guys are good with it, of course we're all for it, too."

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles also said on Twitter that he plans to wear Reebok-issued gloves and cleats to honor the day.

Like Briggs, Charles posted a picture online. It showed an all-red bottom surface around the cleats beneath a white shoe with large blue stripes wrapped around it and white stars along the heel. The back of the glove is all red, with the words, "Never forget," circled around the date, Sept. 11, 2001. The palm of the glove is blue, with white stars.

"I never forget," Charles tweeted.

Charles and Briggs will have some company Sunday.

Colts receiver Reggie Wayne, a five-time Pro Bowler, showed up at Friday's practice with a stars-and-stripes design on his gloves and shoes. He plans to wear the same accessories Sunday at Houston. Wayne's teammate and friend, Pro Bowl safety Antoine Bethea, is expected to don the same attire.

Shortly before the league announced its policy change, Wayne told reporters it would be the "best fine" he ever paid and that he expected the league to alter the policy within 24 hours.

He was right.

Wayne went on to explain why he felt so strongly about wearing the stars-and-stripes during Sunday's game.

"Think about it man. That's an important time in our life. A lot of people lost plenty of loved ones," he said. "It's in history. Your grandchildren and children after that, they will be hearing about that. It's definitely a time where it needs to be recognized, and that's a way for guys to put their two cents in.

"I'm going to wear it, and wear it proudly.

Green Bay Wins Over Saints, 42-34 (BLOG)

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — As far as Aaron Rodgers is concerned, that should just about silence any further questions about why the Green Bay Packers didn't work out as a team during the lockout.

If Thursday's season opener at Lambeau Field could be considered a referendum on the importance of those player-led team workouts, the results are in after the Packers' wild 42-34 victory over the New Orleans Saints: The sessions Drew Brees led over the summer weren't enough to help the Saints take down the reigning champions, and the Packers' decision not to get together as a team certainly didn't seem to hurt them.

"That was a good start for us," Rodgers joked afterward. "But I've just got to ask myself, 'What would have happened if we had had offseason workouts?' Could we have started any faster and scored more points tonight?"

Rodgers came out on top in a memorable opening-night duel with Brees. And after allowing 477 total net yards to the Saints, the Packers defense made a goal-line stand on the final play of the game.

"We had some problems defensively, but that's a very good offense and he's a great quarterback," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of Brees. "Sean (Payton) does a great job on offense. This will be a great experience we can learn from."

With the Saints on the 1-yard line for one last play, Clay Matthews and safety Morgan Burnett led a swarm of Packers defenders who stopped Saints rookie running back Mark Ingram short of the goal line.

"You've got to get a yard," Ingram said. "It's goal line to win the game, got to get a yard."

Matthews was hoping for a more dominant performance, but he'll take the win.

"Obviously, you'd love to have a blowout, but I think it represents everything that we preach, which is finishing games," Matthews said. "And it comes down to the very last play — we win, or they have an opportunity to tie it up. I think it's fantastic to overcome that adversity."

Brees threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns, including a late score to Jimmy Graham that cut the lead to 8 with 2:15 left.

"I was proud of the way we hung in there and fought back," Payton said. "There will be a lot of things on tape that we've got to clean up with this first game. Credit Green Bay. They did a very good job and did all the things they needed to do to win a home game like that."

For all their yards, Brees said the Saints weren't good enough in the red zone.

"We were one of five, so we scored touchdowns just one out of five times in the red zone," Brees said. "That's not going to win you a lot of games, especially on the road in this type of environment against this kind of team."

Rodgers and Brees had big games, but Packers rookie Randall Cobb stole the show.

Cobb, a second-round draft pick out of Kentucky, caught a touchdown from Rodgers and ran a kickoff back 108 yards for a score in the third quarter — tying an NFL record for the longest kickoff return in history, set by New England's Ellis Hobbs in September 2007. It also was the Packers' first kickoff return for a touchdown since Allen Rossum in 2000.

"It was amazing," Cobb said. "The feeling of being in Lambeau Field and just having all of the guys around me coming off of the Super Bowl and just trying to do anything I can to contribute, and I certainly tried to make the most of my opportunities."

Cobb admitted he made mistakes on both touchdowns; he shouldn't have brought the kickoff out of the end zone, and he ran the wrong route on the touchdown catch.

Rodgers said he was able to adjust to Cobb's mistake on the route, again bringing up the offseason workouts — a line of questioning Rodgers clearly grew tired of during training camp.

"Surprisingly, we didn't have offseason workouts," Rodgers said. "Surprisingly, I was able to read his body language there and he made a nice catch and run for a touchdown."

Rodgers threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns.

It was a big night for Donald Driver, who tied James Lofton's Packers franchise mark for career yards receiving with 9,656. Rodgers wanted to get him the record at home.

"We tried to get him the ball again, we just didn't have an opportunity," Rodgers said.

NOTES: Packers DB Charles Woodson earned a 15-yard penalty in the third quarter, and admitted he threw a punch at a Saints player. Woodson wasn't ejected. "Yeah, I threw a punch," Woodson said. "Just got frustrated, the guy was holding me a little longer than I wanted. Nothing was said about it, referee-wise, quick enough, and I reacted. It is what it is, I guess." ... Packers S Nick Collins appeared to hurt his left arm but stayed in the game. ... Packers CB Tramon Williams went down after taking a hard hit on the right shoulder in the fourth quarter. ... Saints WR Lance Moore sat out because of a groin injury.

Colts QB Manning has 2nd surgery on injured neck (BLOG)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Peyton Manning has undergone a second surgery on his injured neck and there is no timetable for his return to the Colts. The Colts said the procedure was done Thursday and that Manning is expected to recover. They're just not sure when.

Manning had a single level anterior fusion in his neck after undergoing tests and consulting with doctors earlier this week.

The Colts will keep the four-time league MVP on the active roster for now.

For Manning, it is the third surgery in 19 months. He had not fully recovered from a May 23 procedure to fix a damaged nerve in his neck.

Manning had already been ruled out of Sunday's season opener at Houston, ending a streak of 227 consecutive starts including playoffs -- the league's second-longest for a quarterback behind Brett Favre.

Opinion: NFL doing NCAA's dirty work (BLOG)

NFL says it won't enforce NCAA bans, but actions say otherwise

Jim Tressel’s reign at Ohio State will be remembered not for championships but for a peculiar combination (peculiar to big-time college football coaches, that is) of sanctimony, subterfuge and willful ignorance. Tressel was fond of asking, “What Would Jesus Do?” Looking back, however, it seems Tressel would have been better served asking what Jesus wouldn’t do.

Tressel didn’t know about the boosters. He didn’t know about the cars. He didn’t know about the memorabilia and autograph sales. And what he did come to know — the tattoo scandal — he chose to cover up.

It should surprise no one, then, that Tressel’s tenure as an NFL flunky — a game-day replay consultant for the Indianapolis Colts — has already enveloped the NFL in his personal cloud. Just two weeks after Roger Goodell suspended a 22-year-old former star quarterback, the Indianapolis Colts hired the 58-year-old who ignored Terrelle Pryor’s transgressions (both real and alleged), an ostensibly religious man with more than a quarter-century of experience as a college head coach.

Also worth noting is the sneakiness with which Indianapolis made the hire. Colts coach Jim Caldwell mentioned Tressel’s new job on a Friday conference call heading into Labor Day, right before the inaugural weekend of the college football season, when the news cycle would be dominated with actual games.

Actually, I’m sure the timing was a complete coincidence. Just like it was a complete coincidence when the NFL cut Pryor’s rookie season by five games — which just happened to be the same number of games he’d been suspended by the NCAA. I know this was mere happenstance because the NFL said so.

On Aug. 18, with Goodell fending off an avalanche of criticism, spokesman Greg Aiello sought to clarify matters with FOXSports.com Senior NFL Writer Alex Marvez. Contrary to popular perception, Aiello argued, the league was not acting as the enforcement arm of its cost-free farm system, the NCAA. Rather, he wrote via email, “we are enforcing our own rules."

"Pryor made decisions that undermined the integrity of our draft eligibility rules,” Aiello said. “He skipped the regular draft. He then made himself ineligible for college football.

“Our rules have never been based on the notion a college player could choose to violate NCAA rules, obtain a declaration that he is ineligible to play and then be rewarded by entering the NFL draft. (Pryor) is not getting a free pass into the NFL.”

Hold up. I didn’t exactly follow that. I mean, what’s the purpose of the supplemental draft, anyway? How is it OK for an ineligible “student-athlete” to be rewarded for not going to class, or flunking out, or getting kicked off the team, or testing positive for a banned substance, while the kid who gets free tattoos warrants a de facto suspension from the NFL?

I didn’t think this was possible. But Roger Goodell’s NFL has now achieved NCAA-like levels of hypocrisy. Is the league really going to new professionals for their college transgressions? And what of coaches like Pete Carroll, another “hear no evil, see no evil” kind of guy? Carroll abandoned a program he ran into the ground and was rewarded with a $7 million salary from the Seahawks.

Look, I don’t doubt Goodell was actually trying to do the right thing. But the fact is, he made an even bigger mess. And it only became more confused and cynical — which is to say, more NCAA-like — on Monday morning when the Colts released an unwittingly extraordinary statement.

It began by citing the “questions raised with respect to the equity of (Tressel’s) appointment as opposed to suspensions being served this season by present and former Ohio State players” (read: Pryor). As a result, Tressel and his new bosses have agreed to begin his employment after six regular games (one presumes he’ll keep his bowl eligibility). It’s not being called a “suspension” — just as Goodell’s punishment of Pryor avoided the term. Of course, it is nothing if not a suspension.

Noting that Colts ownership and high command had conversations with league officials over the weekend, the statement continues: “We have informed the league office of our decision and expect that they will be supportive of it.”

Now the NFL has a real problem. They’ve already punished Pryor, and now they’re going to sign off on a six-game non-suspension-suspension of Tressel?

For what, though?

The NFL says it doesn’t enforce NCAA rules. Only now the Colts have basically confirmed that it does. By signing off on the six games — call it what you want, but it’s a punishment — the league is now squarely in the business of sanctioning players and coaches for transgressions committed in college. Now, I’m all for it, provided these sanctions actually prevent the next generation of Pete Carrolls from profiteering on their lapses and wrongdoings as college coaches. Unfortunately, realistically, I don’t see how it will.

And, right about now, Goodell has to be wondering why he didn’t do what Tressel would do. Nothing.






foxsports

Man found dead in pool of Texans player (BLOG)

RICHMOND, Texas (AP)—A man who apparently drowned in the swimming pool behind the home of Houston Texans defensive end Antonio Smith wasn’t affiliated with the team, authorities said.

Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Capt. James Burger said the body of Engram Lamar Crenshaw, 37, of Katy, was discovered on Sunday morning, following a party at Smith’s ranch-style home in a suburb about 30 miles southwest of the city.


Burger said Crenshaw was a personal friend of Smith.

Police and paramedics were called to Smith’s home about 9:30 a.m. and found a fully clothed man at the bottom of the pool. Burger said a preliminary examination of the body showed no signs of foul play, but he also said authorities were still piecing together the specific details of his death.

“He was not dressed to be swimming in the pool, I can say that,” Burger said.

An autopsy will be performed on Monday in Galveston County. Burger expects results from toxicology tests to come back in about three weeks.

Burger said about 100 people, including “4 or 5” other Texans players, attended Smith’s party on Saturday night. Burger said no Houston coaches or other staff members were there.

Witnesses told police that Crenshaw was last seen by party guests near the pool about 2 a.m.

“Apparently, he stayed out there by himself,” Burger said. “In the morning, when people woke up and went outside, they discovered him in the pool.”

The Texans open the regular season against Indianapolis on Sunday.

“We are aware of the situation,” general manager Rick Smith said in a statement Sunday. “We are gathering facts and have no further comment at this time.”

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound Smith is about to start his eighth season, and third with the Texans. He’s started 31 of 32 games for Houston since signing with the team as a free agent before the 2009 season. Smith was originally a fifth-round pick by Arizona in the 2004 draft out of Oklahoma State.

Burger said no charges have been filed in Crenshaw’s death.

“It doesn’t appear that there’s been any crime here,” Burger said.

Biggest threat to your Fantasy draft (BLOG)

It's often said that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but of course that's not true. People return with all sorts of unintended things: spouses, neck tattoos, Manilow collectibles, hepatitis ... lots of regrettable things. I recently flew to Vegas for the weekend and returned with four St. Louis Rams, which was definitely not a planned outcome.

To be clear, it's not like I had Henry Ellard, Jim Youngblood, Fred Dryer and Cullen Bryant stuffed in a duffel bag. I traveled to Vegas for a fantasy draft and returned with four different Rams on my 16-man roster. Not the ideal ratio. The players in question are all respectable assets – S-Jax, Bradford, Sims-Walker, Kendricks – so at least that helps the cause.

But this is not supposed to be a cautionary tale about the importance of portfolio diversity in fantasy. If you want that sort of advice, you know where to find me. The purpose here is to give you a little metaphor about one of the big keys to fantasy football drafts: impulse control.

See, Vegas is a little bit like draft day -- all kinds of temptation and very little discipline. Those who escape Sin City with profits are like those who "win" their drafts: strong enough to resist the urge to go for broke.

So although we drafted in Vegas, the lesson plays in Peoria: If you find yourself thinking "I feel lucky," step away from the table for a bit.Now at some point in your life as a fantasy owner, one of your league-mates is going to suggest a draft day road-trip. The 16-teamer in which I'm serving as a Rams repository assembles in a different location each year. Wish I could report that North American cities actually placed bids for our event, Super Bowl-style, but that's not yet the case. The 2011 draft was the third in league history held in Las Vegas, so the group has clearly had a few positive (if not perfectly memorable) experiences.





One of the many things we seem to forget -- because we're talking about a place that specializes in erasing memory -- is that Nevada in August is mercilessly, murderously hot. It's cartoon-hot, like with eggs frying on sidewalks and people dissolving into puddles. My flight landed just after 8:00 pm and the local temperature was 106. The cab drivers say, "It's a dry heat," as if you can be conned into comfort. Fission reactions probably produce a dry heat, too.

Vegas is much cooler indoors, yet no less disorienting. When you're drafting, it's critical to situate your group in the most non-Vegas environment possible. Our league's commissioner selected a hotel conference room way off the strip. That was a pro move. It was so non-Vegas that you might have thought we were in Ames.

The reason you need to dial down the Vegas-ness of your draft room is, again, impulse control. The city itself makes you find ways to deny reason, to act irrationally, irresponsibly, to lunge after the most remote possibilities. And that's all fine until you hit the draft table. I don't give a hoot if you travel to Vegas and put your marriage at risk, or your employment, or your kid's college fund. But when you implode at your draft, then it reflects poorly on your fantasy guru ... and then we have a problem. This holds true outside Vegas as well, so keep this in mind when someone suggests a favorite bar. Make sure to confine the reach-picks to the mid and late rounds and limit the number of insane injury risks you're willing to take. You'll also want to cut off the beverage consumption before reaching the point where you intend to say "Julio Jones" but it comes out "Julius Jones" or even "Jerry Jones."

Wherever you are, create the least Vegas-y atmosphere you can during your draft. That's your key to assembling a respectable fantasy roster while on the road in a hostile environment. For a few hours, make it feel safe and sober. Stay within yourself, as the athlete cliche goes. And if you do go to Vegas, and your biggest regret when you return is that you've drafted too many Rams, then you've probably done fine.

yahoo

Chris Johnson reaches deal with Titans (BLOG)

The Titans will have Chris Johnson in uniform for the start of the season, after all.

Johnson, who had been locked in an ugly standoff with Tennessee over his contract, ended his holdout Thursday by agreeing to a reported four-year, $53.5 million contract extension with $30 million guaranteed. The deal will keep him in Tennessee through the 2016 season.

Johnson previously signed a five-year, $12 million contract after being drafted in 2008. Since then, he’s accumulated more than 4,500 yards rushing, 1,000 yards receiving and 38 total touchdowns.

He sat out the first three weeks of the preseason and all of training camp while waiting for Tennessee to offer him a raise. He also threatened a holdout before last year, but ultimately agreed to a revised deal that gave him a slight pay raise. Johnson sought big dollars then, too, but the Titans were hamstrung by rules for the last year of the collective bargaining agreement.

Johnson will not play in Tennessee’s preseason finale Thursday, but should be on the field for its Week 1 game at Jacksonville.



The 25-year-old Johnson topped the rare 2,000-yard mark in the 2009 season, then followed it up with a 1,300-yard effort last year. No running back in the NFL has rushed for more yards since 2008 than the 4,598 Johnson has piled up.

Johnson’s closest contender has been Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, with 4,441 yards in that time frame and nearly 7,000 total yards in his four years with Minnesota. The fallout from Johnson’s massive new deal, which averages out to $13.375 million per year starting in 2013, figures to have lasting implications for Peterson and the Vikings.

Peterson’s current contract expires after this season. He will earn $10.72 million in 2011 but back in March referred to the NFL as “modern-day slavery” during an interview touching on the labor situation.

The $30 million in guarantees that Johnson received is a massive number, especially for a running back — the position has the shortest shelf life of any in the NFL and Johnson has already carried the ball more than 900 times in his career. Peterson already has 1,198 career rushes to his credit and has suffered more than his share of bumps and bruises along the way.

Despite that, Peterson figures to open negotiations with the Vikings asking for more in guaranteed money than Johnson will make. Peterson has made the Pro Bowl and been voted an All-Pro in each of his four seasons in the NFL — he can at least make an argument that he’s worth more than Johnson.

But those negotiations likely won’t begin for some time, so there is no telling what might occur between now and then.

This summer has already been a big one for running back negotiations. DeAngelo Williams re-signed with Carolina in July for five years and $43 million with $21 million guaranteed, then Frank Gorereceived a three-year, $21-million extension from San Francisco with $13 million guaranteed. And while Peterson’s situation may not resolve soon, the Bears are trying to lock up Matt Forte, who also could hit the free-agent market next offseason.

For the time being, though, Johnson has set the bar for NFL running backs and, in the process, ended a nervous few weeks for the Titans.

The deal comes just one day after Johnson took to Twitter to chastise “fake Titans fans” for criticizing him during his holdout. Any ill will stemming from that incident will likely be water under the bridge now with Johnson back in the fold.