Football

Tamba Hali Expects He And Justin Houston Will Pile Up Sacks This Season from KC Star "I don't want to put numbers on it but, yeah," Hali said when asked if the Chiefs would put the opposing quarterback under more pressure than they did last season. "With the type of thing coach Sutton is doing with our entire defense, yeah. From cornerbacks to safeties to linebackers, we're coming. We can get a lot of sacks. They don't have to be (generated) by Justin and I and some inside guys. Everybody's got to contribute to putting pressure on the quarterback. "These (coaches) came from systems where they attacked. Nothing against our old system but there wasn't attacking. We're looking forward to this defense because (it allows the Chiefs) to attack, shoot gaps and push guys back and make plays." Chiefs Defense Embracing The New System from The Mothership "Coach Bob Sutton has done a great job with installing the defense," Johnson admitted. "It's a whole new scheme for us, new terminology and we're picking it up well. As older guys, we're bringing the younger guys along and were leading by example and the defense may be a little ahead of the offense, but that's just how it is when you start out, because the offense has a heck of a lot more plays." DJ shared what excites him most about this year's defense. "The attack style that we're doing," Johnson said. Chiefs QB Smith Likes What He Has Seen From McCluster from KC Star "Not knowing much about Dexter McCluster ... he was the running back/receiver, and seeing how fluid he is, going in and out of those roles has been impressive for me to watch," Smith said after Wednesday's practice. "It's easy to talk about in the meeting room to say let's put (a) receiver in and have him run routes and be natural at it and then put him back in the backfield to do a multitude of things ... "It's another thing to see it live. He's a special guy, and he's really taken it on." No Place Like Home For Chiefs LB Chad Kilgore from The Mothership Chad's hometown of Orrick, MO is just over 30 miles from his new workplace, One Arrowhead Drive and Arrowhead Stadium. "It's awesome," Kilgore said. "I commute from home every day. I have friends and family here and if I had a team to pick, this would be it." Spending a short time in the league, while with the AFC West-rival Oakland Raiders in 2012, Kilgore says he's more than ready to make the most of his opportunity with the Chiefs. Chiefs Tweak Roster On Defense from The Mothership The Kansas City Chiefs signed safety Quintin Demps and free agent safety Malcolm Bronson and released safety Justin Glenn and cornerback James Rogers, the team announced on Wednesday. KCChiefs.com Video: Alex Smith Adjusting To Playbook KCChiefs.com Video: Tamba Hali Meets With Media After Wednesday's OTA Pullman Police Want Felony Charge For Vandals Receiver from The Idaho Statesman The university announced Wednesday that the field at Mackay Stadium will be named Chris Ault Field to honor the College Hall of Fame inductee... "...I am deeply touched and very humbled," said Ault, who announced his decision to step down as head coach in December. He has since been hired as a consultant for the Kansas City Chiefs. Payton Replaces Belichick As Highest-Paid U.S. Coach from Sports Xchange via The Chicago Tribune Payton, coach of the New Orleans Saints, will make approximately $8 million per year for the next five seasons as part of a new contract. He replaces New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick atop the Forbes list. Belichick is now tied for second with new Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid. Though Reid's salary figures were not officially announced, it's estimated that the former Philadelphia Eagles coach's annual compensation is in the $7.5 million-per-year range with the Chiefs. Athletes And Coaches Inducted At The Teaneck Hall OF Fame Dinner from NorthJersey.com Teaneck High School has a long history of ath

December 9, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Isaac Redman (33) rushes against the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports The Steelers have long been known for their dominant running game, or at least die-hard Steeler fans as well as Steeler haters, remember those years.  However, as Ben Roethlisberger became the face of the franchise that slowly changed and the running game seemed put to the side.  If #7 couldn’t make it happen with his arm, then it wasn’t happening. The Steelers built their offense around their star QB, as many NFL teams have, and have been sorely pressed to find a way to win when Roethlisberger is not behind center.  The Rooney family, particularly Art Rooney II, seemed displeased at the lack of ability to adjust for injury.  Bruce Arians was “retired” and the search was on for a new offensive coordinator who would re-energize the running game and reduce the injury potential to Roethlisberger because he would be getting rid of the ball quicker. However, the fans who expected a return to the glory days of the “ground and pound” in 2012 were sorely disappointed.  In 2012, the Steelers had 1537 rushing yards with nearly double the passing yards at 3787.  So much for the running game.  There were 412 rushing plays that averaged 4.7 yards per play.  Well.  Not dominant at all.  The gnashing of teeth over the 8-8 season could be heard across the country and the disappointment in the offense, particularly the lack of running game, was palpable for months after the season ended. In my opinion, there were too many changes to the offense.  After about 4 games into the season, the sports pundits where over the moon about Roethlisberger’s efficiency rating thanks to the emphasis on short passes.  Most defenses came prepared for Roethlisberger to hang onto the ball, waiting for a receiver to open up for the long bomb.  The Steelers managed to take advantage of the confusion for a while, but the opponents started to catch on.  The short-pass strategy became less effective and the running game was still ineffective.  Frankly, you can’t ask someone who has been quarterbacking one way to suddenly turn on a dime and do something that is foreign to him.   It takes time to make those changes and it was too much to expect so many changes to be successful. Haley, as was his right as the offensive coordinator, wanted his terminology and he changed many of the plays.  Naturally it caused confusion.  I’m a fan of the 1/3 rule – change out 1/3 to 1/2 at a time, particularly if you have a lot of players who played under the old system.  However, there is something to be said for just ripping off the band-aid and getting the pain over with.  However, this pain lasted through the whole 2012 season.  Hindsight is a great thing.  I have been “victim” of both approaches.  I’ve had new bosses who came in with a scorched earth policy which left a lot of disgruntled employees with abysmal productivity at first.  I’ve also worked for new bosses who came in and gradually changed things, sometimes keeping old procedures that weren’t broken.  You can probably see both sides.  But where does the Steelers running game go from here? Based on the draft and off-season signings, the Steelers clearly want to continue to redevelop the running game.  Rashad Mendenhall departed, but it seems very few are sorry to see him go.  Who have the Steelers gained?  Surprisingly, the Steelers signed LaRod Stephens-Howling, who has been in the NFL for 5 years, playing for Arizona with 651 career rushing yards.  I didn’t see his signing coming, but the Steelers have a history of being unconventional.  With LaRod’s pre-draft signing, it seemed possible that the Steelers wouldn’t draft a running back, but they took Le’Veon Bell in the second round.  The running backs who remained on the St

Even after being voted as the 63rd-best player in NFL Network's Top 100 players of 2013, and being honored as the Lions' unsung hero in the annual Gridiron Greats of Michigan Hall of Fame dinner, he hasn't forgotten the way his career began

Inside The Bills | Pettine: Versatility will keep ‘D’ in disguise Mike Pettine: "A big part of the NFL is identifying guys pre-snap. We want to limit the amount of pre snap information we put out to an offense. That’s why we look for guys that have that type of versatility. And then at the same time, you’re cross training guys to play other positions." Nathaniel Hackett: E.J. Manuel has to work on everything | ProFootballTalk "Everything," Hackett said. "He’s a young man that’s got to work on a lot of things from footwork to progressions to plays to formations, everything. Defenses in the NFL are obviously a little different. He’s got to work on that too. He’s got to work on everything." More clicks Inside The Bills | Safety update: A. Williams adapting"He’s doing a nice job, and that’s a difficult thing," said defensive coordinator Mike Pettine of Williams. "You could make the argument, he’s a DB and he’s staying at DB. But the safety world is very different from the corner world. He’s very intelligent. He’s soaking it all in. Every day is a challenge for him as far as new concepts in the play book. I think he’s done a real nice job buying in and really getting quickly to the graduate level details of it." Bills buying into Pettine’s philosophy on defense - Sports - The Buffalo NewsPettine: "I wasn’t here, I don’t want to get too much into last year, I just know the system that we’re installing takes advantage of what our guys do well, and like I said, they’ve been very accepting of it. Now, again, I think they’re all feeling pretty good about it. We haven’t given up a first down, a yard or a point." Can Mike Pettine save the Bills' defense? - Buffalo WinsWhy did Mike Pettine come to Buffalo and what can he do for the putrid Bills defense? Joe takes a swing. Inside The Bills | Stevie encouraged by play of young WRs"I like what I’ve seen out there. They say it’s kind of fast right now, but as far as terminology, which is pretty much the hardest part, they say they’ve got it down," said Johnson. "So now it’s just about going out there and playing and they’ve made plays and there are some that have been left out there, but overall I like what I’ve seen." WGR 550 SportsRadio - Bills Rogers Anxious For His Final Chance"I’m very confident (the issues are behind me). Everything in the past, I’m not here to defend those things at all. Those are things that are real, they happened and I’m maturing. I’ve done the right things since then talking to the right people, getting the right advice, not being afraid to ask for help, so I’m a growing person." Rogers added, "I cherish this, I cherish it like gold. This is it, it’s my last opportunity." Show and prove: Bills QB Kevin Kolb - AFC East Blog - ESPN"The job will eventually go to Manuel whenever he’s ready. That could happen in Week 1, Week 10 or the following season. The best Buffalo can hope for is for Kolb to play decent football long enough this season for Manuel to develop." Should Bills Part Ways With Fred Jackson? - BuffalowdownFumbles and C.J. Spiller's ability means the Bills should move on from Fred Jackson according to John Starba The obscurity of the Juice | Buffalo Wins"His influence on our culture is 1,000 times more prevalent than any Bills or Sabres team in history. However, it is an influence we'd soon like to forget..in which I think we already have."

I woke up this morning in Australia to some of the worst news we could have received. Michael Crabtree has torn his achilles tendon and is out around 6 months. Doing the math shows that he could come back late in the year. Terrell Suggs suffered a similar injury and came back in time to be a non-factor in Baltimore's run to the title. It's going to take a minor miracle for him to produce anything of value this year. Talking value to the team, and there are few players whose absence would have a bigger impact. Colin Kaepernick, of course, sits atop the pack, even more so with the trade of Alex Smith. Aldon Smith and Justin Smith could be argued to have more value to the team. But even the likes of Patrick Willis and Frank Gore, if they missed time, can be replaced due to depth at their position and other capable fill-ins. That's just not the case at wide receiver. I've seen a fair bit of optimism on Twitter and around the web. Examining the position group leaves us with a lot of question marks and an instant and absolute need for growth and production from some younger players who have yet to do much. Anquan Boldin is a solid No. 2 receiver who will now be the No. 1. The only guy on the roster who qualifies as a No. 3 receiver is Mario Manningham but he's slow to recover from his own leg injury suffered late last year. Kyle Williams was an average No. 4 receiver who is also recovering from injury. A.J. Jenkins had no success last year as a No. 5 receiver in his rookie campaign. And Quinton Patton is a rookie. Each of the last two will need to step up more than previously anticipated. Another option for step-up-ness in the passing game is Vernon Davis. A return to being the number one option in the passing game from VD seems like the easiest route to passing success. We have a lot of weapons in our offensive arsenal so it's not the end of the world, but we've lost the biggest threat we've had in the passing game in the last decade right after his arrival on the big stage. To the links... And...sorry they're late and a bit unsorted. I was running late from work, but with the quantity of links and the magnitude of the days news, I felt it was important to get them all up, even if late....OK...now to the links. Michael Crabtree's Injury Crabtree to have possible season-ending achilles surgery (Branch) Harbaugh says Crabtree's torn achilles is not season ending (Gin) Kaepernick, players react to Crabtree's injury (Inman) Crabtree's season doomed (PFT) Harbaugh transcript: "We do not anticipate that it will be season ending" (Inman) How it Affects 49ers 49ers can't rest hopes on potential late-season return by Crabtree (BASG) 49ers options as Michael Crabtree has surgery (Sando) What do the 49ers do without Michael Crabtree? (Mercury News) With Crabtree injury, who steps in for 49ers? (Kawakami) Michael Crabtree's injury has 49ers' passing attack reeling (NFL.com) Crabtree injury leaves Harbaugh with three options (Ratto) 49ers all in on 'next man man up' philosophy (CSN) Replacing Crabtree is not a one man job (Maiocco) Moving on from Michael Crabtree (49erswebzone) Six ramifications from Crabtree's injury (SF Gate) Ramifications of Crab's Injury Michael Crabtree's injury and the NFC West race (Sando) Go-to guy: Michael Crabtree by the numbers (Sando) Crabtree's injury could loom large in competitive NFC West (SI.com) Speculation About Replacements Crabtree injury could open door for Randy Moss, others (PFT) Randy Moss not an option, Jim Harbaugh says (NFL.com) Niners mum on plans to replace Crabtree (PFT) Other News 49ers sign LS Kyle Nelson; cut P Anthony Santella (Branch) 49ers OTA notes: Day 2 (Gin) 49ers stadium under construction (NBC) Colin Kaepernick's play hard to predict, Jed York says (NFL.com) Niners keep finding gold nuggets (NBC) WR Quinton Patton becomes 6th of 11 draft picks to sign (Inman) LaMichael James looks to spark 49ers in 2013 (49ers.com) Matt

A couple of weeks ago, amid the feel-good reflections of the offseason, guard Richie Incognito said the Dolphins had no questions. No, he wasn't suggesting the team is winning a championship in 2013. He was making the point he sees...

Cleveland Browns: "Secret Superstar: John Greco" (Pro Football Focus) - "With our Secret Superstar series reaching its second week, we’ve already highlighted players from seven teams, giving you some potential breakout stars for the 2013 season and even giving one player an awesome new nickname." "A look inside Browns’ QB battle" (SI.com) - "A strong offseason has the Cleveland Browns feeling like they’re on the verge of contention in the AFC North. Before that dream becomes a reality, though, the franchise needs to decide on a quarterback. The Browns’ competition there could be one of the most entertaining during the NFL preseason, with at least three QBs in the mix for the No. 1 gig." "Schwartz gets on-the-job training" (ClevelandBrowns.com) - "Cleveland Browns right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is a student of the game of football. When it comes to learning how to be an offensive lineman at the professional level, Schwartz has focused on improving his “foundation of technical skills” by studying his film and that of six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas." "Former Boise State linebacker Tommy Smith does not sign with Browns despite agency's announcement" (Beacon Journal) - "Former Boise State linebacker Tommy Smith has not signed with the Browns after all, but a deal could still be reached in the future, his agents said. KLASS Sports, the agency that represents Smith, said Tuesday that its client traveled to Cleveland Monday night and signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent the following day." NFL: "Michael Crabtree tears Achilles" (ESPN) - "San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree has had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon. Crabtree was operated on Wednesday, one day after suffering the injury during an organized team activity." "Giants kick off OTA without WRs Cruz and Nicks" (AP) - "Coach Tom Coughlin and the New York Giants knew Victor Cruz wouldn't show up for the organized team activity without a contract, so his absence was expected." "Rokevious Watkins suspended for St. Louis Rams opener" (AP) - "St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins has been suspended without pay for the season opener for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy." "Peyton Manning Q&A: Broncos QB details long road back, ambitions" (CBS Sports) - "The different jersey isn't a big deal anymore. The health questions, for the most part, are subsiding. Peyton Manning is back being an elite quarterback again. Last summer when I came here to talk with Manning, it was a much different time."

Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is different than most NFL players. Apparently, he's not worried about a contract while playing on a one-year deal. Speaking on 93-7 The Fan Wednesday, Sanders admitted ...At the end of the day, I'm telling you that I'm honest when I say I'm not worried about a contract. The contracts will come." Rookie Hawthorne on crutches at OTAs Steelers fifth round rookie Terry Hawthorne was on crutches Wednesday with a knee injury He also said the discussion of those contracts is underway. To what extent, he didn't mention, but it's not rare the team would discuss and negotiate extensions through training camp. The team has inked inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley and safety Troy Polamalu to extensions during training camp in the past - Polamalu signed his most recent extension the day before the 2011 season began. It's possible the Steelers could ink Sanders to a cap-friendly multi-year extension before the season starts. He really doesn't have much leverage due to a lack of production in comparison with the larger contracts signed recently at his position. He can't hold a candle to the production of Antonio Brown, the leading Steelers receiver over the last two years, for example. Sanders' profile certainly got a boost this offseason when the Patriots offered him a one-year deal in restricted free agency worth $2.5 million. The Steelers matched that deal, essentially giving Sanders a raise on his $1.3 million one-year RFA tender. How much value he has long-term is a different story, though. It seems more likely he'll be asked to perform for 16 games before a significant contract will be negotiated. Sanders will be a free agent in 2014, if no long-term deal with the Steelers is made. Follow @NealCoolong

Ravens' Arthur Jones has surgery Baltimore's second round pick, linebacker Arthur Jones, will be out 4-6 weeks in recovery from a sports hernia surgery. It will keep him out of the remainder of Baltimore's offseason program. It could put the defending champs in a precarious spot in terms of preparation and depth heading into training camp. The other linebacker they brought in this year, Rolando McClain, retired abruptly earlier in May. Rookie Hawthorne on crutches at OTAs Steelers fifth round rookie Terry Hawthorne was on crutches Wednesday with a knee injury Browns cut QB Thaddeus Lewis The Steelers allowed one quarterback in the division to compile a passer rating over 80 against them in 2012. His name is Thaddeus Lewis, an undrafted free agent in his second year out of Duke, and it happened in the last game of the season. Lewis's reward? He was released by the Browns recently, as Cleveland apparently has scores of other quarterback options available. Bengals looking to upgrade back-up QB Cincy Jungle writer Anthony Cosenza isn't too worried about Cincinnati losing back-up QB Bruce Gradkowski to Pittsburgh this offseason. They brought in big-arm-low-accuracy passer John Skelton to back up Andy Dalton, while Josh Johnson was brought in to compete with Skelton and Zac Robinson for the No. 2 job. There's certainly enough experience there, almost enough to wonder whether Dalton, a second round pick in 2011, is full secure in the long run. Follow @NealCoolong

Quarterback Matthew Stafford and linebacker Stephen Tulloch are eager to shoulder more responsibility, while veteran newcomers Reggie Bush and Jason Jones expect to provide leadership to the young players in their position groups.