NFL News & Rumors Digest

Minnesota Vikings operating back Adrian Peterson has been downgraded to out for Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced Saturday.

The Vikings stated Peterson wouldn’t travel with the team as he misses just the fourth game of his five-year NFL career.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier stated Peterson was out of his walking boot on Thursday and produced progress by operating on the side at practice Friday but still wasn’t in a position to plant his foot or make a cut nicely adequate to play. Peterson had been listed as doubtful because of ligament damage in his left ankle.

Peterson is sixth in the NFL in rushing with 872 yards. He’s tied with Philadelphia’s LeSean McCoy with a league-leading 12 touchdowns.

Toby Gerhart, the 2009 Heisman Trophy runner-up in his senior season at Stanford, will commence in Peterson’s absence. Frazier stated Lorenzo Booker could also see some time at operating back, and receiver Percy Harvin will continue to obtain limited carries.

Safety Husain Abdullah (concussion) and proper guard Anthony Herrera (left knee) were also declared out for Sunday’s game.

Tight end Kyle Rudolph missed practice all week with a quadriceps contusion and is listed as doubtful. Harvin (ribs) and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe (hamstring) are listed as questionable soon after practicing on a restricted basis Friday. With their best two tight ends hobbled, the Vikings signed tight finish Allen Reisner from the practice squad Saturday and waived wide receiver Stephen Burton.

(About:) This post was distributed by Syndicated Sports news wire and aggregation service, For much more NFL news see: Vikings rule out RB Peterson because of high ankle sprain.

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Any very good news must be savored by the Eagles these days, and Philadelphia got a a lot required increase right after an MRI exam Monday revealed that defensive end Trent Cole’s calf injury is not as severe as originally feared, NFL Network’s Albert Breer reported.

Citing a league source, Breer reported Cole suffered a Grade two calf strain throughout the Eagles’ Sunday 24-23 loss to the San Francisco㺱ers, an injury that really should sideline him for a few weeks.

Breer originally reported, citing a league source, that the injury to Cole “definitely could be serious.”

Cole, in his seventh season, had 1 sack in every of the Eagles’ very first 3 games this season. In the previous 4 years, Cole had a total of 44 sacks, and he’s got 60 career sacks.

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Injured Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey said he won’t practice on Thursday, keeping the rookie’s status in doubt as Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl showdown with the Green Bay Packers nears, NFL Network reporter Albert Breer reported.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t have rookie center Maurkice Pouncey in Super Bowl XLV next weekend because of a broken bone and a high sprain in his left ankle, ESPN reported Sunday, citing a league source.

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A bunch of New Orleans Saints already had or will have surgery to clean up injured body parts. Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston and Chris Ivory are a part of that crowd.
According to a report on WWL.com, Thomas underwent a three-step procedure to clean up his injured left ankle, which caused him to miss 10 games this season. Colston had his knee and wrist cleaned up and both players are expected to miss most or maybe all offseason workouts if there are any. Ivory had lisfranc foot surgery. The length of his rehab is unknown. FANTASY ANALYSIS: The article also included Heath Evans’ admission that Drew Brees played through most of 2010 with a low-degree MCL sprain. That’s drawn a lot of Jay Cutler comparisons, but who cares at this point?
Thomas is scheduled to become a free agent but with no new collective bargaining agreement in place, it’s not known if he’ll be restricted or unrestricted. If he does return to the Saints, expect him to continue splitting backfield snaps with Ivory and Reggie Bush.
Surgeries are a standard task in Colston’s life. This knee operation will be the fifth of his career and he has now had six total surgeries — that we know of — since March 2008. He had 14 more catches this season than in 2009, but 51 fewer yards and two fewer touchdowns. He’s still a great PPR option, but I think we’ve seen his most productive days. All of these scopes and procedures have to take a toll. He’s a clear WR2 in standard leagues.

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Turns out Jay Cutler wasn’t the only quarterback who faced with an MCL injury during the NFL postseason. The Times-Picayune reported on Monday that Saints quarterback Drew Brees played with an MCL sprain the Saints’ upset loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round.

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Jay Cutler’s desire to play football in pain has been the first word on everyone’s tongue for the past day. On Monday, we heard what kept Cutler out for the majority of the second half of Sunday’s NFC Championship loss to the Green Bay Packers. Cutler suffered a Grade II MCL sprain in his left knee sometime during the first half. He went to the locker room shortly before halftime and played just one series in the third quarter. That’s when, according to head coach Lovie Smith, the decision was made to go with Todd Collins at quarterback. From then on, Cutler was seen walking around, riding a stationary bike, sitting on the bench, but not on the field, drawing the ire of current players, former players, former coaches, Bears fans and about two-thirds of the world’s population.
Cutler is expected to be healthy in four weeks and will probably be able to avoid surgery. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Since finding out the exact nature of Cutler’s injury, a lot of players have taken back their initial criticisms of him. Why?
Yes, Cutler’s MCL injury is not so minor and the ligament is torn to some degree. But many players have played with ailments just as severe — if not more so — on many occasions. And most of them weren’t competing for a trip to the Super Bowl. Every season, after a few weeks of playing in the NFL, a good number of employees work with some kind of injury. It comes with the job. Injuries happen. It’s a supremely physical game. If players want to tell one of their own that he should have shown more guts and played on a wobbly knee in a game with great consequence, they should stick to their guns.
I think Bears fans and many other people would have been at least OK with Cutler’s situation if he simply looked like he gave a damn about what was going on. While he was sitting, standing or riding a stationary bike on the sidelines, never did you see him distraught or visibly depressed that he could no longer continue in the most important Bears game in four years. Tears would have been acceptable. There was never a shot of him with his head in his hands. He just looked bored. He didn’t show an interest in helping out Todd Collins or Caleb Hanie. He didn’t wear headphones to listen to what plays were being called. He just stood there — without a knee wrap or ice pack in sight — and seemed to take his exit with an “oh well” attitude. I don’t know what was going on inside of him, but the exterior was less than satisfying to those who wanted a Bears victory so badly. With so much on the line, people needed to see more passion, more caring; Cutler didn’t give it to them.
And so, Bears fans started burning No. 6 jerseys as soon as the Packers started celebrating.
It’s going to be a long spring and summer in Chicago. For the sake of Bears fans, I hope there is no lockout and the 2011 season starts on time. By September, they’ll desperately need something to help them erase the memory of how their 2010 season ended.

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Houston Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson, who didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday due to a high right ankle sprain, is unlikely to start against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, according to the Houston Chronicle on Thursday night.
NFL.com

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