NFL News & Rumors

Eagles get Harrison from Browns

Chris Kolb — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:18:28 +0000

With the trade deadline less than a week away, Philadelphia took advantage of Cleveland’s surplus at running back today, in an effort to upgrade their depth chart at the position.

According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, the Eagles have acquired Jerome Harrison from the Browns in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice. The compensation isn’t likely to be significant, give Harrison’s status in Cleveland as a backup behind current starter Peyton Hillis.

With LeSean McCoy firmly entrenched as the starter in Philadelphia, Harrison isn’t likely to see the field much more than he would have by staying in Cleveland, but his skill set is better suited to the Eagles style of play, in that he is an effective receiver out of the backfield.

Harrison showed himself to be a capable rusher in the second half of last season, running for 561 yards on 106 carries in the final three games of the year, including a team record 286 yards and three touchdowns in the Browns week 15 win in Kansas City.

Packers lose Finley for 8-10 weeks

Chris Kolb — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:22:05 +0000

Headed into this season, Green Bay tight end Jermichael Finley was looked at as one of the league’s most promising young players, and the expectations were high for his stats given the explosiveness of the Packers offense.

But after leaving the field on a cart last Sunday in Washington with a knee injury, the outlook on Finley took a turn for the worse, and the news out of Green Bay earlier this morning has added even more misery to it.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, an MRI and minor surgery performed on Finley’s injured knee have revealed significant damage to his lateral meniscus, and further surgery will be needed to repair it. The initial prognosis of three weeks for his recovery has been pushed back to eight weeks, with the possibility of Finley being out even longer than that.

For the time being, the Packers have decided to take a wait and see approach with Finley, holding off on placing him on the injured reserve list in the hopes of having him return to the team late in the season.

Power Rankings – Week Six

Chris Kolb — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 06:06:19 +0000

The start to the second quarter of the season showed pretty much the same things that we saw through the first four games, with surprising wins coming out of teams that spent the majority of last season at the bottom of the pile.

Once again, I’ve put together my power rankings for your reading pleasure, taking in everything that’s happened over the past week to determine where each team stands comparison to the other 31 in the league.

As always, feel free to leave any thoughts you have in the comment section.

Top of the Heap

1. New York Jets (4-1) – Aside from their week one loss, the Jets have lived up to their billing in every single way, and they should only get better as Mark Sanchez continues to learn how to read opposing defenses. Avoiding a letdown against the Broncos on the road this week shouldn’t be overly difficult.

2. Atlanta (4-1) – The Falcons seem to have the right mix going with a strong run game and a quarterback that’s quickly becoming one of the league’s best in Matt Ryan. Beating the Eagles next week on the road won’t be easy, but if they keep playing the way they have, they’ll definitely have a chance.

3. Baltimore (4-1) – The Ravens did exactly what they needed to do in their win over the Broncos last week, crushing Denver with a suffocating defense and wearing them down with their rushing attack. Their next opponent won’t be that easy, as the Patriots have what it takes to win every week.

4. Pittsburgh (3-1) - With Ben Roethlisberger back in the huddle this week, the Steelers should be a better team than they’ve been all year, which is a scary thought considering the fact that they’ve dominated three out of four opponents. A home game against the Browns this week shouldn’t prove to be too difficult.

5. New England (3-1) – The decision to trade away Randy Moss is a bit of a head scratcher, as it leaves the Patriots without a proven deep threat to work with in their passing game. That said, the distraction that he presented each week had to be addressed, and that’s exactly what Bill Belichick did. We’ll see if it works out for them this week against the Ravens.

6. New Orleans (3-2) – The Saints already showed their flaws earlier this season, in their loss at home to Atlanta, but they took them to whole new level last Sunday in losing to a Cardinals team that was starting an undrafted rookie at quarterback. They’ll look to rebound this week with a win against their division rivals in Tampa Bay.

7. Indianapolis (3-2) – The Colts pulled out a much needed win against the Chiefs in spite of Peyton Manning, and while that is definitely something to hang their hat on in the coming weeks, they won’t be able to do that against tougher competition. They’ll get their chance to prove they can do just that next week against the Redskins.

8. Green Bay (3-2) – The Packers beat themselves once again last week against the Redskins and if they can’t get a handle on their injury situation soon, it’s going to be tough to make a return trip back to the post-season. Winning a home game against Miami is a must this week.

9. New York Giants (3-2) – After two straight wins in which they dominated their opponents, the Giants have seemingly found their stride and a large part of it has come courtesy of their defense and a fearsome pass rush. That should continue next week against the Lions.

10. Kansas City (3-1) – The Chiefs fell back to earth a bit last Sunday in losing to the Colts, but there aren’t too many teams in the league right now that can say they kept Peyton Manning off the scoreboard, so they should still be proud of what they accomplished in that game. Another tough road test awaits though in Houston next week.

Middle of the pack

11. Washington (3-2)

12. Chicago (4-1)

13. Houston (3-2)

14. Tennessee (3-2)

15. Philadelphia (3-2)

16. San Diego (2-3)

17. Miami (2-2)

18. Minnesota (1-3)

19. Dallas (1-3)

20. Tampa Bay (3-2)

21. Arizona (3-2)

22. Jacksonville (3-2)

23. Denver (2-3)

24. Seattle (2-2)

Bottom of the Barrel

25. Cincinnati (2-3)

26. St. Louis (2-3)

27. Oakland (2-3)

28. Detroit (1-4)

29. Cleveland (1-4)

30. San Francisco (0-5)

31. Carolina (0-5)

32. Buffalo (0-5)

Rams not looking to Jackson for upgrade

Chris Kolb — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:11:58 +0000

When trade discussions first broke out concerning Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, one of the teams that showed the most interest was St. Louis, as their receiving corps had been mediocre at best for the past two seasons.

But after several weeks of being stonewalled by San Diego’s front office, the Rams pulled out of the running for Jackson’s services and haven’t looked back, even as injuries continued to decimate the few playmakers they have at the position.

According to NFL.com’s Steve Wyche, that stance isn’t likely to change anytime soon, and St. Louis is expected to look elsewhere for players capable of providing quality plays for their offense.

The Rams lost Mark Clayton to a season ending injury last Sunday and for the time being, they’ve promoted undrafted rookie Denario Alexander to their gameday roster, but his ability to play a full contest is still in question, given the repeated injuries he’s suffered in recent years.

The Chargers have refused thus far to consider offers for Jackson that do not meet their desired level of compensation, which is thought to be a second and third round draft pick for teams in the NFC. Any deal to an AFC team would require a first and second round draft pick.

If that asking price came down, it’s likely that the Rams and other teams might reconsider their decision to stay out of discussions for Jackson, but as of yet, there have been no indications that San Diego is willing to do that.

Season over for Griffin with torn ACL

Chris Kolb — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:53:16 +0000

If you ask anyone that spends a fair amount of time around the Vikings, they’ll tell you that cornerback Cedric Griffin is easily one of the most valuable players they have on defense, and losing him late last year to a knee injury was tough to overcome.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, that scenario is playing out once again today, as Griffin has reportedly torn his ACL, and will miss the remainder of the season as a result. The injury was to the opposite knee from the one he damaged last year, so it’s likely that he’ll be able to rehab and return next season.

Griffin had returned to the field just two weeks prior to last night’s game against the Jets and was showing signs of returning to the form he’s displayed previously, defending New York’s receivers well until he suffered the injury.

Revis unsure of availability against Broncos

Chris Kolb — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:36:39 +0000

After spending much of the night struggling to contain his assignments, there is a significant level of concern on the part of the Jets for cornerback Darrelle Revis and his continued ability to physically dominate opposing receivers the way he has in the past.

Speaking to reporters after New York’s 29-20 victory over the Vikings, Revis indicated that his hamstring was extremely sore following the game and wasn’t at the level he thought it would be. Revis also opened the door to the possibility that he won’t be able to play next week in Denver.

“I felt soreness during the game,” Revis. “I could tell my hamstring was hurting…. Some plays it would hurt and some plays it wouldn’t. It started in the first quarter. For me, it was just fighting through it. If I knew I was going to be a hindrance to the team, then I would have called it quits and went in.”

“This process is kind of frustrating, because I’ve never been hurt during the season,” Revis added. “I want to be out there so bad with my teammates and win games. I need to learn patience right now and get back to 100 percent.”

From www.nydailynews.com (share this quote)

Revis was beat on multiple occasions by Minnesota wide receiver Percy Harvin, including a 34 yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, and looked slow coming out his breaks throughout the majority of the game.

If Revis is unable to play next week, expect last night’s hero, Dwight Lowery, who picked off an errant Brett Favre pass for a touchdown, to step into the fold and receive extensive playing time against a Broncos offense that has put up outstanding passing numbers thus far. Another option for the Jets is Drew Coleman, who played well early on with Revis off the field.

One down, one to go? Bolts ink McNeill to new deal

Chris Kolb — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 03:01:04 +0000

One day into his return as the starting left tackle in San Diego, Marcus McNeill finally got the payday he desired from the team he was close to walking away from.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chargers have signed McNeill to a brand new five year contract extension, ensuring quarterback Philip Rivers’ blindside will be protected through the 2015 season at the very least.

McNeill sat out all of training camp and the club’s first two games before rejoining his teammates at practice prior to their disappointing loss to Seattle in week three. He’s missed the past three games as well, after being placed on the roster exempt list by San Diego just before the start of the year, and will be eligible to play when the Chargers take on St. Louis next Sunday.

As for San Diego’s other key holdout, wide receiver Vincent Jackson, no progress has been made with regards to convincing him to return anytime soon, and it’s likely at this point that a trade sending him elsewhere is dead in the water. Jackson is expected to sign his tender and come back to the club by week 10 at the latest, as he’d run the risk of losing a year of service time and be ineligible for free agency next spring if he stays at home.

Patriots bring Branch back from Seattle

Chris Kolb — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:32:24 +0000

A short while ago, I posted a piece outlining the possibility of a deal between New England and Seattle involving wide receiver Deion Branch, with the thought that a trade could potentially take place at some point tomorrow at the earliest.

That time line has gone right out the window, as the Patriots have reportedly acquired Branch from the Seahawks for a fourth round pick in next year’s draft, reuniting him with his former quarterback Tom Brady in the process.

Branch hasn’t done much on the stat sheet this season, hauling in just 13 receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown, but he should prove to be a more dangerous option in the pass heavy attack that New England employs.

His deep threat ability alone was seemingly enough to warrant a trade to bring him back, especially after the Patriots jettisoned their top playmaker at the position in Randy Moss last week.

Brady had lobbied the team fairly hard over the weekend to make a move for Branch, and it seems that his pleas did not fall on deaf ears. We’ll see if he was warranted in his desire to get back together with Branch as the season progresses, but for the price they paid, any production they get will be a positive.

Bunkley tears elbow ligament, out for the year?

Chris Kolb — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:49:04 +0000

The Eagles continued their parade of wounded players into the medical facility earlier today and the outlook on at least one of their starters doesn’t look promising.

According to G eoff Mosher of DelawareOnline.com, Philadelphia defensive tackle Broderick Bunkley tore a ligament in his elbow during the Eagles victory against the 49ers last night, and is expected to have surgery to repair the damage in the near future.

Bunkley is the most effective run stopper Philadelphia has up front as of right now, and any extended absence by him will undoubtedly leave the Eagles linebackers exposed to being blocked out of plays by opposing interior linemen.

The possibility that he’ll be lost for the remainder of the season is most definitely still in play, and while Bunkley doesn’t do much to wow people on the stat sheet, his contributions to the Eagles defense are such that he’ll be sorely missed.

That said, no decision has yet been made as to the exact timeline for his recovery, and while the team is still hopeful of a better prognosis, there’s little doubt that Bunkley will be out for a few weeks at the very least, depending on the severity of the tear.

As always, we’ll keep you posted.

Branch to Patriots discussion heating up?

Chris Kolb — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:30:38 +0000

It’s been a few days since rumors of a possible deal between New England and Seattle for wide receiver Deion Branch first surfaced, and while the connection is certainly there in Branch’s friendship with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, there’s been little from either side to indicate a deal was in the making up to this point.

But despite the lack of smoke, a fire could still potentially be brewing, as Branch was reportedly held out of practice today in Seattle for personal reasons. Obviously, that excuse could be cover for almost anything, but it’s interesting to say the least, as it’s unlikely that the Seahawks would let Branch practice if they were close to completing a deal that would move him elsewhere.

Brady refrained from getting into specifics, but he had some difficulty in hiding his desire to reunite with Branch, after the Patriots sent Randy Moss back to Minnesota late last week.

Since departing New England several seasons ago, Branch has done next to nothing in Seattle, but playing alongside a healthy Wes Welker and having Brady toss him the ball certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Although it’s not enough to go on just yet, we’ll keep an eye on this situation for the time being, as it’s beginning to look more and more like the Patriots will be on the hunt this week for a receiver capable of stretching the field vertically.