NFL News & Rumors Digest

It’s time for Week 4 in the NFL. Right after a third week of replacement officials, the replacements and the NFL hit an all-time low with the horrific display of officiating in the course of the Monday night football game among the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. Since of the heavy backlash from the fans and players, the NFL and the typical referee’s finally settled their differences.

Now, onto the Week 4 matchup amongst the Buffalo Bills (2-1) and the New England Patriots (1-two). Following a porous outing in Week 1, the Bills have rebounded and won their last two games. On the flip side, the Patriots won their 1st game of the season, and have lost their previous two games. The Patriots have not lost 3 games in a row below Bill Belichek and Tom Brady since the 2002 season. Can the Bills be the very first team in almost ten years that offers the Patriots their third loss in a row? Let’s take a look and see.

The Patriots are currently ranked 9th in general offense (12th in rushing and 9th in passing), and 24th in general defense (9th in rush defense, 24th in pass defense). The Bills are at the moment ranked 11th in overall offense (3rd in rushing, 26th in passing), and 19th in all round defense (14th in rush defense, and 19th in pass defense).

In a earlier post, I discussed how the Bills greatest possibility of beating the Patriots is in the initial division game they play against them of the year. Beginning from the 2003 season, here are the scores from the first division game of the year vs the Patriots: 2003: Bills 31- Patriots , 2004: Patriots 31 – Bills 17, 2005: Patriots 21 – Bills 16, 2006: Patriots 19 – Bills 17, 2007: Patriots 38 – Bills 7, 2008: Patriots 20 – Bills 10, 2009: Patriots 25 – Bills 24, 2010: Patriots 38 – Bills 30, 2011: Bills 34 – Patriots 31. Throughout this time span, the Patriots outscored the Bills 223-186 in the 1st division games of the year. With no the two Bills victories (from 2003 and 2011), the Patriots outscored the Bills 192-121.

Now for the scary element, the second division games of the year vs the Patriots: 2003: Patriots 31 – Bills , 2004: Patriots 29 – Bills six, 2005: Patriots 35 – Bills 7, 2006: Patriots 28 – Bills six, 2007: Patriots 56 – Bills ten, 2008: Patriots 13 – Bills , 2009: Patriots 17 – Bills 10, 2010: Patriots 34 – Bills three, 2011: Patriots 49 – Bills 21. In the same time span as stated above, the Patriots outscored the Bills 292-57 in the second division game of the year. In every single game given that 2003, the Patriots have beaten and heavily outscored the Bills more in the second division game than in the initial.
http://www.realfootball365.com/articles/bills/15076

The positives/benefits for the Bills going into this game are:
The Bills offensive line has not permitted a sack in 3 games played (I am not counting the ball slipping out of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s hand as a sack).

The Bills offensive line has been very instrumental in making holes and downfield blocks to help spring their Running Backs (RBs) for big gains.

The Bills defensive front 4 has been considerably enhanced against the run so far this season.

The Bills defensive front four have been quite excellent the last two games at collapsing the pocket, making pressure and sacks. This is large taking into consideration Tom Brady is very very good at stepping up into the pocket when he feels pressure coming from the edges.

RB Fred Jackson most most likely will return to play on Sunday.

The Patriots offensive line has gone by way of some modifications in the offseason, and don’t appear to be the same dominant force that they when had been.

The negatives for the Bills are:

RB CJ Spiller is most probably out for this game due to a shoulder injury, sustained this previous Sunday against the Browns.

Even if RB Fred Jackson does play on Sunday, how productive will he be coming off a knee injury from Week 1?

Wide Receiver (WR) David Nelson is out for the season, so that takes away a massive red zone target for Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The Bills secondary is extremely young. Even though the secondary has improved more than the past two games, they are nonetheless really inexperienced and are nevertheless acquiring burned for big plays. Patriots QB Tom Brady is a single of the best in the league at playing the “dink and dunk” game.

If both Spiller and Jackson had been 100%, and the Bills didn’t manhandled by the Jets in Week 1, I would predict the Bills to win this 1. But, thinking about the injuries to the Bills, and the truth that the Patriots will be playing with a enormous chip on their shoulders following losing two games in a row, I’m going with my gut feeling and taking the Patriots on this one particular.

I went 7-9 in my Week three predictions (26-22 for the season). Right here are my other Week four predictions:
Ravens over Browns
Falcons more than Panthers
Lions over Vikings
Texans more than Titans
Chargers over Chiefs
Seahawks more than Rams
Cardinals more than Dolphins
Broncos more than Raiders
Bengals more than Jaguars
Packers more than Saints
Redskins over Buccaneers
Giants more than Eagles
Bears over Cowboys

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• Bills – 49ers, Week 5 Matchup
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• Grading the Bills: Week 1
• Bills vs Jets this week is BIG
• Can the Bills start to win close games in which they lost before?

Now that week 1 in the NFL is in the books, it’s time to get ready for week two. As in most circumstances each and every year, there are some teams that start off off like a cannonball becoming shot out of a cannon, then coming crashing rapidly back down to earth. On the other hand, there are teams tripped over their shoelaces at the beginning line, then rapidly catch up to speed. Only time will inform this season who those teams are.

Last week, I went 11-five in my predictions. Since I didn’t make an official short article, I’ll recap my Week 1 predictions:
Giants more than Cowboys
Bears over Colts
Falcons more than Chiefs
Eagles over Browns
Saints more than Redskins
Lions more than Rams
Patriots over Titans
Bills over Jets
Texans more than Dolphins
Seahawks over Cardinals
49ers more than Packers
Panthers over Buccaneers
Broncos more than Steelers
Ravens more than Bengals
Chargers over Raiders

Here are my week two predictions:

Packers 31, Bears 27
In a extremely close game that could go either way, I really feel the Packers will edge out the Bears. The Bears have improved in the offseason, but we need to see them beat a serious contender initial, rather of a rebuilding Colts group.

Bills 31, Chiefs 29
One more quite close game that could go either way. Final year, the Bills demolished the Chiefs 41-7 in the season opener, but that was final year. Both the Chiefs and the Bills lost convincingly to their week 1 opponents, and appear to redeem themselves in week 2.

Saints 38, Panthers 20
Are the Saints one particular of the week 1 teams that tripped themselves up at the beginning line? That is very feasible. I see the Saints rebounding this week over the Panthers.

Bengals 30, Browns 19
Neither group looked excellent last week. The Bengals had the daunting job of taking on the defending AFC North division champs, the Ravens on the road in Baltimore, and were beaten soundly in all three phases of the game. The Browns on the other hand were in “the battle of the interceptions” as Browns rookie QB Brandon Weeden and Eagles QB Mike Vick had 4 interceptions every single. I like the Bengals at residence on this one.

Vikings 27, Colts 23
Each the Colts and Vikings are rebuilding, so this is yet another game that could go either way.

Texans 31, Jaguars 13
Texans are proving that they are a top contender in the AFC, whilst the Jaguars hired former Bills HC Mike Mularkey, who was lately fired as the Falcons Offensive Coordinator (OC). Texans will prove to be also much for the Jaguars.

Raiders 20, Dolphins 12
Each the Raiders and Dolphins continue their HC and QB carousel. The Dolphins have lost as well significantly in the offseason and look to have one of the worst records in the NFL this year. Advantage: Raiders.

Patriots 40, Cardinals 13
The Patriots have arguably one of the very best offenses in the NFL, which will prove to be also considerably for the Cardinals on Sunday.

Giants 20, Buccaneers 17
The Giants appear to rebound immediately after getting beat by division rivals, the Cowboys in the season opener. Can the Bucs take benefit of the injuries to the Giants secondary? In a game that could go either way, I’m searching for the defending Superbowl champs to rebound this week.

Ravens 41, Eagles ten
Anticipate a Baltimore beat down of epic proportions on Sunday. If Eagles fans had issues about their team going into the season, they ought to be really concerned this Sunday. In a town that booed Santa Claus, count on Eagles fans to be calling for the complete coaching staff and Mike Vick to be fired!!

Cowboys 27, Seahawks 15
Are the Cowboys legit this year? For Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ sake, they better be as Jones place a lot of resources into the team in the offseason.

Redskins 34, Rams 27
Redskins QB Robert Griffin III (RGIII) showed in week 1 that he was worth the extremely heavy investment the group put into him in this year’s draft. Are Rams fans going to be second guessing the trade with Redskins for RGIII? If Rams QB Sam Bradford doesn’t turn out to be a probowl player that leads the team to numerous playoff wins, then Rams fans will commence their grumbling.

Jets 27, Steelers 23
The essential to this game will come down to whoever can get the most pressure on the opposing QB. I like the Jets in a close 1.

Chargers 20, Titans 18
In a game that could go either way, I see the Chargers squeaking by on this one particular.

49ers 31, Lions 20
49ers appear to be one particular of the far more dominating teams in the NFC this year. The 49ers already beat the Lions division rivals the Packers in week 1, and appear to do the same against them. I like the 49ers at property.

Falcons 31, Broncos 27
Both the Falcons and Broncos have created considerable upgrades in the offseason. The Falcons hired Dirk Koetter as their OC, and Mike Nolan as their Defensive Coordinator. The Broncos acquired arguably a single of the ideal QB’s in the game this offseason, Peyton Manning. In a game that could go either way, I give the edge to the Falcons, only due to the fact of the limited quantity of time Manning has had so far with the Broncos. If this game took place towards the finish of the season, I would lean more towards the Broncos.

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NEW ORLEANS (NFL/Wyche) — As lawyers for the four suspended New Orleans Saints players await evidence from the NFL on Friday that will — at the least — outline the league’s position heading into Monday’s appeals hearings, the NFL Players Association sent a letter to the league Thursday claiming current, former or suspended Saints staff worry “retribution” from the NFL if they supply truthful testimony into the “bounty” scandal.

These witnesses’ fears could be alleviated really should the NFL compel them to attend the appeal hearings and testify, according to a letter sent from the NFLPA’s legal counsel to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who will hear the player appeals.

On Friday, the NFL declined to comment on the NFLPA’s requests and its claim witnesses feared retribution.

In a June 11 letter to Goodell, the NFLPA requested that Saints coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis, assistant head coach Joe Vitt, former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (all have been suspended for numerous roles in the “bounty” system) appear and testify at the appeals hearing. 4 others, including two members of NFL security, Joe Hummel and Jeff Miller, had been also requested to attend and testify.

Most, if not all, of those requested by the NFLPA have currently spoken with Goodell in the course of the investigation that charges the Saints with running a “bounty” system from 2009 to 2011 in which players pledged money to other people to injure opponents. League security tried to arrange interviews with players ahead of discipline was handed down, but all refused.

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (2012 season), defensive end Will Smith (four games), and former Saints linebacker Scott Fujita (3 games) and defensive end Anthony Hargrove (eight games) have all been suspended. They will appeal their situations to Goodell. They have lost two grievance hearings challenging Goodell’s jurisdiction to rule on the bounty system. A single of those rulings has been appealed.

A source involved with the players side mentioned that even following Monday’s appeal, the legal maneuvering possibly isn’t over, meaning more suits could be filed in courts.

It’s not but clear if the NFL can compel or will even attempt to have these requested witnesses at Monday’s appeal. The NFL is bound to give players Friday with the program it intends to employ at the appeals hearing.

It is not essential to turn more than all of its evidence, which the NFLPA asked for in its letter to the NFL on Thursday. Part of that evidence the NFLPA requested was a written declaration from Duke Naiphon, who the NFLPA mentioned spoke to the NFL during the investigation and offered evidence from numerous team and defensive meetings during the 2010 season. Numerous league sources have acknowledged the existence of monetary documentation of pledges into a “bounty” plan.

Players have denied becoming involved in a “bounty” program and have argued that the league has provided no evidence linking them to a pay-for-performance program in which they intentionally tried to injure opposing players. The NFL mentioned it has important evidence linking the players to the system and initially said 22 to 27 players had been involved but narrowed these being punished to Vilma, Smith, Hargrove and Fujita simply because of their supposed leadership roles in the plan.

(About:) This report was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For more NFL news see: NFLPA: Saints personnel fear retribution for ‘bounty’ testimony.

Related Posts:

• Fujita, Hargrove and Smith File ‘Reservation of Rights’ With League
• Roman Harper, Will Smith Could Be Punished in ‘bounty’ Case
• Drew Brees, Scott Fujita, DeMaurice Smith Meeting NFL Officials
• Saints ‘bounty’ Discipline Won’t Change, Commissioner Says
• Appeals in Saints ‘bounty’ Case to Be Heard Thursday by Goodell

Jacksonville, Fla. (NFL/Newsfeed) – A 45-minute video chronicling the aftermath of Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Justin Blackmon’s June 3 aggravated DUI arrest now is available for viewing.

1st Coast News in Jacksonville obtained the video from the Stillwater Police Department in Oklahoma by means of a public-records request.

Blackmon, selected fifth general in this year’s draft by the Jaguars, dons a Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey as he attempts to answer concerns from authorities inside a jailhouse booking room.

“I’m literally not a drinker,” Blackmon says at 1 stage.

“When’s the final time you drank heavily?” the jailer asks.

“Well, I mean, I drank tonight,” Blackmon says, “but this is the initial time I’ve been right here in Stillwater.”

The former Oklahoma State star wideout, who pleaded not guilty to the aggravated DUI charge, fumbles via a series of basic concerns on the tape. He eventually registered .24 and .26 blood-alcohol levels — 3 occasions the legal limit for driving in Oklahoma.

When the jailer asks if he’s married, single or divorced, Blackmon responds: “Um, neither. I mean I’m single.”

“Are you employed?” the jailor asks.

“No,” Blackmon responds.

In theory, Blackmon was very considerably aware of his new upcoming job with the Jaguars, a function attached to a promising paycheck. The team has remained behind its very first-round pick, but his eventual contract could be an interesting a single, and he nonetheless could face suspension or other punishment from the NFL.

(About:) This report was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For much more NFL news see: Justin Blackmon DUI arrest video hits the net.

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San Francisco (NFL/Newsfeed) – Two generations of star NFL quarterbacks combined in San Francisco on Friday night as Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady joined Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jim Plunkett at a charity event hosted by NBC’s Bob Costas.

That’s eight Super Bowl MVP awards among the 5 of them, if you’re keeping score.

Brady and Rodgers, who grew up in the Bay location, each talked of childhoods spent idolizing Montana and Young.

“We had been fairly high from the leading of the stadium,” Brady stated, according to CSNBayArea.com. “We necessary binoculars to see what was going on, but there was nothing far more thrilling than being at the games and watching Joe and Steve. Any young kid growing up at that time wanted to be like these two guys. It’s quite an honor be to sitting right here with these two.”

It was also a rare double sighting of Montana and Young, who engaged in possibly the greatest quarterback controversy of all. The two were seated subsequent to every single other on stage.

The event was held at UC San Francisco and organized by former 49ers offensive lineman Harris Barton. It was expected to raise up to $ 750,000 for tumor research at UCSF, 1st Tee of San Francisco, Monterey County and Silicon Valley, and Champion Charities.

(About:) This post was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For far more NFL news see: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers honor Joe Montana, Steve Young.

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CHICAGO (NFL/Newsfeed) – Matt Forte would like you to know his knee is feeling just fine, thank you very much.

Right after we reported earlier Saturday the Chicago Bears are concerned about the extended-term well being of the operating back’s knees, Forte took to Twitter to show there was no result in for concern on his end.

Certain adequate, the video shows Forte sprinting up a hill with a rope and weight attached to his waist. He moves rapidly up the grassy incline as miniature dogs bark just off-screen. All in all, it appears like a pretty decent place to invest a Memorial Day weekend.

The report, which originated in the Chicago Tribune, stated that the Bears are privately concerned arthritis could set in, leading to a chronic dilemma for the 26-year-old back.

Forte’s residence conditioning methods surely don’t make it seem like he’s treating his knees like pieces of fine china. Forte’s agent, Adisa Bakari, felt compelled to speak out on the concern.

“Matt Forte is amongst the most, if not the most, durable, all-purpose running back in the NFL,” Bakari told the Chicago Sun-Occasions. “The 2011 season was the initial season of his profession that he missed any games. Had the Bears been playoff contenders, he could have returned for the balance of the season. To question his durability at this stage in his profession is absurd.”

Forte almost certainly believed his consistent production on the field had lengthy considering that answered any questions about his durability. It has to be frustrating to be concerned that might not be enough.

(About:) This article was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For much more NFL news see: Matt Forte responds to report about knee issues.

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New Orleans (NFL/Newsfeed) — The 2012 season shapes up as a crucible for the New Orleans Saints defense. Between the stigma of the league’s “bounty” findings and the loss of linebacker Jonathan Vilma (suspened for the entire season) and defensive finish Will Smith (suspended for the very first 4 ganes), possibly no NFL defense has ever gone into a season with a lot more of a chip on its collective shoulder.

The man charged with rallying the troops is Steve Spagnuolo, the former St. Louis Rams coach and New York Giants coordinator who led Large Blue’s defense to a Super Bowl victory in 2007.

That resume, and Spagnuolo’s air of confidence, seem to be winning over the Saints’ veteran players, according to The Instances-Picayune.

“He speaks with so a lot confidence, you have absolutely nothing to do but believe in this guy and know he’s going to be wonderful for us,” safety Roman Harper stated. “He’s been a head coach in this league, had a lot of success as a defensive coordinator, and you’ve got to respect this guy. I’m seeking forward to working with him a lot more and far more.”

The man the players call “Spags” has a tough act to adhere to: His predecessor in the job, Gregg Williams, may have suffered incalculable harm to his reputation — along with an indefinite suspension from the league — for his role in the “bounty” saga, but Williams nevertheless enjoys the fierce loyalty of his former players.

“You know, Gregg lit a fire that a lot of us aren’t going to let burn out. A sense of intensity,” Harper stated. “And now we comprehend what it takes to win. Prior to I don’t consider we understood it, and we didn’t have that complete feeling. But now we’ve been to the top rated of the mountain. We know what it takes to get there. And that’s what we’re trying to do now.

“It’s either Super Bowl or bust. And we won’t take anything less this year, no matter what our circumstances are.”

Spagnuolo has a various tactical method than Williams, who was popular for his indulgence in blitzes. And he brings a diverse leadership style as properly.

“It’s a lot quieter,” safety Malcolm Jenkins mentioned. “And there’s a lot a lot more teaching and other stuff going on. But Spags still has a way … there’s not a lot of cursing or something like that, but he has a way of letting you know when he’s serious and when he’s disappointed. It gets across.”

(About:) This report was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For a lot more NFL news see: Harper wants Saints, Spagnuolo to preserve Williams’ intensity.

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DETROIT (NFL/Newsfeed) — Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley was arrested by Alabama State Troopers on Sunday morning for driving under the influence and attempting to elude police, according to the Mobile County Sheriff’s office.

WALA-Television in Mobile, Ala. reported Fairley was taken into custody shortly right after 1 a.m. and was released on $ 1,750 bond shortly right after 9 a.m. Troopers also told the tv station that Fairley was ticketed for reckless driving, no proof of insurance coverage and getting an open container.

The Lions released a statement addressing the arrest, saying, “We are aware of the reports and are in the approach of gathering much more details.”

For Fairley, this is his second arrest in his native Alabama in the last two months. On April 3, Fairley was arrested by Mobile police for possession of marijuana.

A Mobile native who played his college ball at Auburn University, the 6-foot-three, 291-pound Fairley was selected with the 13th general choose in the 2011 NFL Draft and signed a four-year contract worth $ 9.889 million, completely guaranteed. A foot injury limited Fairley to just ten games and 21 percent of the team’s defensive snaps final season, with Fairley contributing 15 tackles and a quarterback sack.

Fairley is 1 of three members of the Lions’ 2011 draft class to be arrested given that the conclusion of the last season. Former seventh-round offensive lineman Johnny Culbreath was arrested in South Carolina in January and second-round operating back Mikel Leshoure was arrested twice for possession of marijuana (February 18, March 12) in a span of a month. Wide receiver Titus Young was not arrested, but was absent from the begin of final week’s OTAs right after sucker-punching teammate Louis Delmas throughout offseason workouts.

(About:) This post was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For far more NFL news see: Fairley arrested for DUI, attempting to elude police.

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