Antonio Brown: Tom Brady was his friend because ‘he needs me to play football’Video
TAMPA, Fla. — Antonio Brown said Friday that his friendship with Tom Brady was based only on the fact that he could help the future Hall of Fame quarterback win football games. Appearing on the Full Send podcast, the former Bucs receiver called Brady the team’s “GM” and a “politician”...
Louis Riddick happy at ESPN, yet still has goal of running a team
Louis Riddick realizes he is in a favorable position. He is an analyst on the NFL’s most iconic television package — ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” — and still has hopes of running a franchise as a general manager. But with the offseason starting for many teams on Monday, will this...
Havin’ a record year: NFL marks set to fall in Week 18
When Eric Church sang about “havin’ a record year,” he wasn’t referring to the NFL. The country music star could have been. For the 2021 season that ends this weekend with the first set of 17th games in league history, a slew of marks are about to be set. Major...
BetMGM: Football Spreads — Top Three favorites that can cover the spread in NFL Week 18
By BetMGM staff writer / When looking at the NFL odds and football spreads for Week 18, several favorites stick out as likely to cover. Want to know which favorites I think are in the best position this week? Read on for my top three picks. Saints (-4.5) at Falcons...
2022 NFL mock draft: Steelers take QB in 1st round … but not Kenny Pickett
Both Jacksonville and Detroit have home games to close out the 2022 season. The Jaguars face an Indianapolis Colts squad who will clinch a playoff spot with a victory. The Lions are matched up with the Green Bay Packers, who have already locked up home-field advantage by virtue of tiebreakers...
Rams’ Cooper Kupp closing in on triple crown of receiving
LOS ANGELES — Cooper Kupp only knows he’s finishing up one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in NFL history because people won’t stop telling him about it. The Los Angeles Rams’ star wideout insists he doesn’t watch any sports television heralding his achievements, and he refuses to read...
Longtime NFL, college coach Greg Robinson dies at 70
Greg Robinson, who won two Super Bowl rings with the Denver Broncos while spending nearly four decades coaching in the NFL and college, has died. He was 70. Robinson’s wife, Laura, said he died Wednesday from a form of Alzheimer’s Disease. “A lot of special memories,” she said Thursday. “That’s...
Bucs make it official: terminate Antonio Brown’s contract
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially severed ties with Antonio Brown, terminating the contract of the mercurial receiver who claimed he was fired in the middle of a game for not playing through an ankle injury. The Bucs announced the move Thursday, one day after Brown broke...
Antonio Brown says Bruce Arians forced him to play injured
Antonio Brown says he was forced to play injured by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and that an MRI on Monday revealed damage to his ankle. While not specifying which ankle was hurt, Brown — through a statement released by his attorney Wednesday — said the MRI showed broken bone fragments,...
Browns’ No. 2 QB Keenum admires Mayfield’s ‘gutsiest’ seasonVideo
CLEVELAND — Case Keenum didn’t doubt Baker Mayfield’s toughness for a second. He might have underestimated his tenacity. “There were some weeks just to get him to the field was a small miracle,” said Keenum, Cleveland’s backup quarterback who will start for Mayfield in the Browns’ season finale Sunday. With...
Ravens veterans face uncertain futures after season finaleVideo
For Baltimore defensive back Jimmy Smith, the possibility of retirement is now more than just talk. “Anybody who knows me knows that I’ve been retiring since my rookie year. I always say it. It’s just how I talk,” he said Wednesday. “But to actually really think about it, it’s too...
Return of crowds did little to boost home advantage in NFLVideo
The cheering fans returned to NFL stadiums this season, forcing road teams into silent counts and other coping mechanisms to deal with the noise. But the home-field advantage that could be expected over road teams that have to deal with travel, time zone changes on occasion and the din from...
Micah Parsons, Joe Mixon latest stars added to covid-19 list
Dallas Cowboys star rookie linebacker Micah Parsons and Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon were the latest big-name players added to the covid-19 reserve list Wednesday. Penn State’s Parsons likely will miss the season finale for the Cowboys on Saturday against Philadelphia when Dallas has a chance to improve its...
NFL looks at contingency sites for Super Bowl amid covid-19
NEW YORK — The NFL, not surprisingly in the midst of a rise in covid-19 cases, has looked into other potential sites for next month’s Super Bowl. That’s not unusual because the league does so every year. But with Los Angeles the site for this year’s title game, and restrictions...
AFC North champ Bengals will rest Burrow in season finale
CINCINNATI — The AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals won’t play quarterback Joe Burrow in the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday to make sure he is healthy for the first round of the playoffs. Burrow is nursing aches and pains, including his right knee and pinky finger on...
Titans star running back Derrick Henry cleared to practice
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have moved a step closer to having the 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year back, opening the 21-day window Wednesday for Derrick Henry to start practicing. Coach Mike Vrabel said Monday a decision was expected by mid-week on Henry’s status, and the...
Former Bengals defensive lineman Ross Browner, father of Max Starks, dies at 67
Ross Browner, a two-time All-American at Notre Dame and one of four brothers who played in the NFL, has died. He was 67. Browner’s son, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Max Starks, posted on Twitter early Wednesday morning that his father had died. “The world has lost a Titan,” Starks...
First Call: Betting on Ben Roethlisberger’s post-NFL job; legal issue for Bud Dupree; debating records for T.J. Watt, Cooper Kupp
Tuesday’s “First Call” looks at Ben Roethlisberger’s life after the NFL. We get some bad news on Bud Dupree, an interesting opinion on NFL records in a 17-game season and a look at what may go down as the goal of the year in the NHL. Guess who was in...
NFL’s 2nd season of covid just as trying as 1st, maybe moreVideo
The NFL worked around covid-19 with pauses and postponements during a 2020 season that figured to be the worst in dealing with the virus. Now the league — and its teams, coaches and players — are just working through coronavirus concerns in 2021, even with positive tests skyrocketing compared to...
Titans linebacker Bud Dupree cited for misdemeanor assaultVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee outside linebacker Bud Dupree was charged with misdemeanor assault in connection with a physical altercation at a Walgreen’s hours after the Titans clinched their second straight AFC South title. Metro Nashville police detectives cited Dupree on Tuesday morning after consulting with the district attorney’s office. Dupree...
Browns’ Baker Mayfield will have shoulder surgery, miss season finaleVideo
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield’s broken fourth season with the Browns has mercifully ended with one game left. His time in Cleveland could be running short as well. Mayfield is sitting out the season finale against Cincinnati so he can undergo surgery on his left shoulder, an injury that affected his...
Washington to reveal new name Feb. 2; won’t be RedWolves
Washington’s NFL team announced Tuesday it will unveil its new name on Feb. 2 and that it will not be called the Wolves or RedWolves. Commanders, Defenders, Red Hogs, Armada, Presidents, Brigade and the status quo “Washington Football Team” were the other finalists. Team president Jason Wright said the decision...
Raiders rookie Nate Hobbs arrested on misdemeanor DUI charge
Las Vegas Raiders rookie cornerback Nate Hobbs was arrested on a misdemeanor DUI charge shortly after the team returned from a road game in Indianapolis. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement Monday that dispatch received a call at about 4 a.m. about a driver asleep inside...
Eagles put 12 on covid-19 list with playoff spot in handVideo
The Philadelphia Eagles placed defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and tight end Dallas Goedert along with 10 others on the reserve/covid-19 list Monday ahead of Saturday’s regular-season finale against Dallas. The Eagles (9-7) already have a playoff berth clinched with only the seeding still to be decided Saturday night when they...
Back at .500, Ravens have little chance of playoffs
The Baltimore Ravens are a few plays from being 13-3 and a few plays from being 3-13. So 8-8 feels reasonable — and unless a lot of things break their way next weekend, they won’t be heading to the playoffs. After rising to the top of the AFC on the...
