Football

Some leftovers from Thursday's weekly Patriots chat: Shamarko (Boston, MA): What impact can a healthy Ras I Dowling make to the Pats secondary? Could he challange for a starting position? Shamarko, there was a play in Tuesday's organized team activity where a ball was thrown to the sideline and a cornerback made a sharp break on the delivery to break it up and nearly pick it off (it would have been an easy touchdown). When it happened, because the players aren't wearing jersey numbers, my first instinct was that it was Aqib Talib because it was a taller corner flashing playmaking skills.

Matt Johnson sees training regimen as culprit for hamstring injuries - DMNJohnson thinks his recurring hamstring injuries from last year could be a result of his weight-room routine, specifically the weight he was squatting. "We’ve done more hamstring work instead of putting on 400 pounds and squatting," Johnson said Tuesday after the Cowboys’ first organized team activity practice. "When I was in college, I did that some. When you get to the pros, and playing at safety, I don’t need to squat 500 pounds. We did more position specific and more dynamic work. You don’t need to be a bodybuilder to play football. I was big enough." So how much has Miles Austin been squatting? Broaddus: Backup RBs Making Most Of Reps; Rookie DT Impressive - DC.comBryan Broaddus with another summary of OTA activities, this time focusing on tight ends, linebackers and Anthony Armstrong in addition to the RBs and the DT mentioned in the title. Cowboys' Brent accused of tampering with alcohol-monitoring device - wfaa.comThis is serious. The Dallas County district attorney's office says that Brent missed two bond-supervision appointments and may have tampered with an electronic alcohol-monitoring device. The DA is asking that Brent's bond be revoked. Hearing is set for today at 8:45 CDT. Time table for possible Anthony Spencer deal - DMNRainer Sabin explains that the Cowboys have until mid-July to work out a deal with Spencer. If they don't get a deal done by then, Spencer plays out the year under the franchise tag. In his OTA review, Mike Fisher wrote that Kyle Orton struggled a little with his accuracy in the first OTAs, and that it would be helpful if the veteran would ramp it up. It could be a lot worse: Early thought on #Jets QB comp: Ugh. Sanchez 6-for-11, 3 INTs, 1 sack. (1 INT may have been a sack.) Geno Smith 3-for-10, 1 INT, 1 sack — Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) May 22, 2013 Here's our tentative schedule for today: 9:00 AM EDT: Archie Barberio has a write-up Brian Urlacher wanting to play for the Cowboys. 11:00 AM EDT: Tom Ryle looks at how Mo, Dez and Matt all worked to change/improve themselves physically in the offseason. 1:00 PM EDT: OCC reviews the Cowboys' young guns and proposes a list of the top 10 players under the age of 25 More stuff to follow after that. So check back later, we'll have new posts up throughout the day.

Every time I've got myself convinced that the San Francisco 49ers will be fine without Michael Crabtree, I see a video of him making a great play, or a still image of him in the midst of a great catch. Crabtree hasn't yet had blow-you-away stats, but the guy made some incredibly clutch catches last year and missing that is what I'm worried about. Colin Kaepernick will have plenty of touchdowns, some receivers will step up and we'll have the yardage that Crabtree would have brought. What I'm worried about are those really clutch catches -- who will replicate that? I'm hoping that between Mario Manningham and Anquan Boldin, we get enough clutch-ness. Most of all, tight end Vernon Davis rebounding and having a great year would just be swell, wouldn't it? Anyway, some more rookies signed, OTAs are going, the 49ers are awesome and all that jazz. Onto your links for the day. At the end of the day, I do think the 49ers will be fine without Crabtree. At worst, they have a top two pairing of wide receivers who we know can put up decent production and at best, we have a trio of young, explosive pass-catchers showing each other up week-in and week-out. | Michael Crabtree injury: How 49ers will respond to loss of WR (Brady) The 49ers got to work on their second-round picks yesterday, signing both tight end Vance McDonald and defensive end Tank Carradine. I gotta say, I'm really excited for both players, though I expect McDonald to have more of an impact this season, especially following Crabtree's injury. I mean, provided these guys are all healthy, as it's getting kind of hard to remember who is and isn't hurt right now. | 49ers sign both second-round picks (Maiocco) If you're in the mood for even more stuff that has nothing to do with Crabtree or rookies signing their EXCITING CONTRACTS, why not blame some quarterbacks? We all do it for lots of things anyway, so let's start holding them accountable for some of those sacks. | When getting sacked is the quarterback's fault (BA Sports Guy) Crabtree aftermatch: Do you need great No. 1 WRs to win titles? There really is no recent correlation (Kawakami) 49ers' 90-man roster: Which receivers will step up (Maiocco) Bowman on ESPN: 'Guys are going to have to step up, and we have that type of team' (Inman) 49ers grant 'team voice' Ted Robinson five-year extension (CSN Bay Area) Manningham on his knee: 'I'm not rushing it but I am going hard on my knee' (Inman) Loss of Crabtree Will Force Kaepernick to Grow (NBC Bay Area) Crabtree's recovery route has several recent examples to follow (Inman) McDonald Enjoys Mentorship Role (49ers) Eric Reid Recaps First Week of OTAs (49ers) Kendall Hunter Works His Way Back(49ers)

DOLPHINS QUARTERBACKS: Miami Dolphins: Time to raise the bar for Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.comThe Miami Dolphins have only produced one losing record in 12 seasons the team had a starting quarterback produce an 85-plus passer rating the past three decades Top 10 QBs 25 or under: Ryan Tannehill - NFL.comRyan Tannehill was overshadowed by Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson during his rookie season. But Gregg Rosenthal says Tannehill has the potential to be as good as any of them. Miami Dolphins passer ratings from 1982-2012 - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.comWhy is an 85-passer rating the magic number for the Miami Dolphins franchise? DOLPHINS TIGHT ENDS: The Dolphins have five TEs, now they have to see if they can play. - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.comThe Dolphins have five TEs on their roster and they're hoping they can end their years-long search at the position. Keller: I Want To Show I Am The Right Guy For The JobFormer first-round pick is looking to re-establish himself as one of the NFL’s top tight ends. DOLPHINS LINEBACKERS: Dolphins' Ellerbe can build own legacy - AFC East Blog - ESPNDannell Ellerbe had to travel more than 1,100 miles south to escape Ray Lewis' large and overwhelming shadow. Vernon: Dolphins Youth Camper To Dolphins Draft PickDolphins defensive end was MVP at Dolphins Academy football camps. Here's your chance to have your child follow in Vernon's footsteps. DOLPHINS OFFSEASON: Team with no questions? I have some | Miami Dolphins In DepthA 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. PHINSIDER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED: Miami Dolphins News You May Have Missed - 5/23/13 - The PhinsiderA collection of Miami Dolphins stories from around the internet over the past 24 hours.Today's articles include Ryan Tannehill feels comfortable entering his 2nd year, the four receiver set, and Brent Grimes could become a cornerstone. What one player could the Dolphins not afford to lose? - The Phinsider Yesterday, the San Francisco 49ers lost a key piece of their team when wide receiver Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles tendon. It made me think, who would be the one player the Dolphins could not afford to lose this year? Marlins Park could host NCAA Bowl Game - The Phinsider The biggest obstacle in the Miami Dolphins' efforts to get public funding for stadium renovations, Miami's Marlins Park, may now be getting into the football act. According to a report, Marlins Park is in consideration to host an NCAA bowl game. NFL blasts AP writer for inaccuracies in Dolphins stadium renovation plan - The Phinsider Earlier this week, the Associated Press published an article attacking the NFL on several topics, including the Dolphins' public funding request for Sun Life Stadium renovations. Yesterday, the league fired back. A Look at Ryan Tannehill and the Read Option - The Phinsider The Miami Dolphins dabbled in the read option late in 2012. A look at how well they ran it, and it's prospects in 2013. -------------------------------------- We invite you to follow The Phinsider on Twitter, like The Phinsider on Facebook, add The Phinsider to your Google+ Circles, and follow our podcast on BlogTalkRadio.

The Dolphins couldn't have expected the rip job that NFL Network analyst and former Miami fullback Heath Evans recently unleashed against general manager Jeff Ireland on WINZ-940's Dolphins-owned radio show.

CHICAGO - There seems to be a budding debate about whether the Bears can build a bridge to repair relations and retire the jersey number of a certain disgruntled former employee.

To one generation, he is a salesman of opinions and pork chops.

Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers offense played fairly well in the passing game. In fact, Ben Roethlisberger was having one of the best season of his NFL career prior to injuring his shoulder against the Kansas City Chiefs. After the injury the Steelers struggled on offense and when Roethlisberger returned the results were not the same. Roethlis... Source: Yardbarker: Pittsburgh Steelers The post Ben Roethlisberger is Excited About the Pittsburgh Steelers “New” Offense appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

I've just been some articles about the Panthers day 3 of OTA's, and thought I'd pass the news along. DE Greg Hardy has lost around 15 pounds, trying to get faster this season. He's dropped from 297 pounds last season (that's more than I remembered), to 283 pounds, and that still sounds big enough to me. I had forgotten that Hardy had broken his thumb in the 3rd week last season, and had to wear a "big black cast" much of the season. Hardy's 2013 salary is $1.35 million, but says he's unconcerned about the money, and that his agent has approached the Panthers about a contract extension. www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/23/2913300/panthers-greg-hardy-leaner-just.html The CO's Jonathan Jones - Nate "Chandler was actually the team's emergency offensive lineman last season ... Stewart worked out on the bike along side WR Lamont Bryant and CB Captain Munnerlyn,...". www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/23/4060350/analysis-five-impressions-from.html Beason - "...took part in individual workouts and ran 20 50 yard wind after practice." Gross & Kalil - "... worked in the conditioning and installation periods, but sat out offense vs defense drills." Jonathan Stewart - "very limited" www.sports.yahoo.com/news/panthers-perfect-otas-attendance-232033653--nfl.html I've just been some articles about the Panthers day 3 of OTA's, and thought I'd pass the news along. DE Greg Hardy has lost around 15 pounds, trying to get faster this season. He's dropped from 297 pounds last season (that's more than I remembered), to 283 pounds, and that still sounds big enough to me. I had forgotten that Hardy had broken his thumb in the 3rd week last season, and had to wear a "big black cast" much of the season. Hardy's 2013 salary is $1.35 million, but says he's unconcerned about the money, and that his agent has approached the Panthers about a contract extension. www.newsobserver.com/2013/05/23/2913300/panthers-greg-hardy-leaner-just.html The CO's Jonathan Jones - Nate "Chandler was actually the team's emergency offensive lineman last season ... Stewart worked out on the bike along side WR Lamont Bryant and CB Captain Munnerlyn,...". www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/23/4060350/analysis-five-impressions-from.html Beason - "...took part in individual workouts and ran 20 50 yard wind after practice." Gross & Kalil - "... worked in the conditioning and installation periods, but sat out offense vs defense drills." Jonathan Stewart - "very limited" www.sports.yahoo.com/news/panthers-perfect-otas-attendance-232033653--nfl.html

The Arizona Cardinals and safety Tyrann Mathieu reached a four-year, $3.052 million contract Thursday. Mathieu won't earn his entire $662,500 bonus if he's dismissed from the team for drug use. More...