Antonio Cromartie: Odell Beckham Jr. a ‘one hit wonder’

It must be the week to call Odell Beckham Jr. names.
Earlier this week, Bills defenders referred to OBJ a “prima donna” and “golden boy” after he tossed a punch at linebacker Preston Brown last Sunday.
Perhaps Beckham’s head is beginning to swell just a tad since he does have the most receiving yards of any NFL player over the course of 16 consecutive games. And, he was voted the face of Madden 16, and he won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Honors — the list goes on and on.
Despite all of that, New York Jets quarterback Antonio Cromartie is not exactly sold on Beckham.

“Cause right now he’s a one-year wonder,” Cromartie said Friday on ESPN. “It’s just one year.”

Cromartie said he needs to see more to be really impressed.

“I need to see it on an every-game basis,” Cromartie said. “Not him getting penalties or something like that or sucker-punching somebody. I think it’s all about how you carry yourself throughout your whole entire career.”

Flailing USC needs Chip Kelly as its coach

You know it when you see it.
And what you see at Southern California nearing the halfway point of the 2015 season is the failed regime of Steve Sarkisian and a program desperately in need of Chip Kelly.
No. 17 USC lost to unranked Washington on Thursday night, 17-12. It stands as the most inexplicable loss of the Sarkisian era, though there are many to choose from in his 18 games as the Trojans’ head coach.

It’s over. At least it should be.
Picked to win the Pac-12 Conference and stocked with talent that should go 10-2 by accident, Sarkisian has proven himself to be incapable of this job, on and off the field.
Whether USC has the stomach to make a coaching change right now — in Sarkisian’s second season — is unclear. He was the choice all along of athletics director Pat Haden, and to concede defeat now would essentially equal an admission that Haden, the USC legend, has failed in his primary responsibility as steward of the Trojans’ great football tradition.
But you know it when you see it.

NFL's Aldon Smith Pleads Not Guilty In DUI Hit & Run

 

Oakland Raiders superstar Aldon Smith is fighting the charges in his DUI case -- pleading not guilty to allegations he smashed his SUV door into another car and then drunkenly drove from the scene.
Aldon was arrested on August 6th -- after cops say he tried to get out of his car in a lot about a mile from Levi's Stadium when he swung the door open into the car next to him, causing roughly $500 in damage.

UCLA's Myles Jack Drops Out of UCLA ... Declares for NFL Draft

School's out for UCLA superstar linebacker Myles Jack -- because the college football star just announced he's dropping out of college and will enter the NFL draft.
It's interesting timing for Jack -- who just suffered a season-ending knee injury last month -- since college football season is still underway.

20-year-old Jack -- a junior who was one of the most highly touted players in the country before the season began -- suffered a torn meniscus during practice on September 23.

Rams' Gurley, Foles send Cardinals to 1st loss, 24-22

Bruce Arians watched Todd Gurley's second-half NFL coming-out party and proclaimed him "a heck of a back."

And a backbreaker for Arians' Arizona Cardinals.
The St. Louis rookie rushed for all but two of his 146 yards after halftime and the Rams held on to hand the Cardinals their first loss of the season, 24-22 on Sunday.
BOX SCORE:  RAMS 24, CARDINALS 22
Gurley saw his most extensive action as a pro and his 52-yard run set up what was the winning touchdown.

"It is just football," he said, shrugging off the performance. "I have played it my whole life and you ready your keys and study the game and everything will slow down for you."
Nick Foles threw for three TDs, two after Arizona turnovers, and St. Louis' defense held the Cardinals (3-1) to field goals on four of five trips inside the red zone.
Arizona had a third-and-2 at the Rams 43 in the final minutes, but Carson Palmer overthrew receivers on consecutive plays to turn the ball over on downs.
"You're not going to win many games kicking field goals in the red zone and losing the turnover battle," Arians said, "especially in our division."
The Rams (2-2) are 2-0 against the NFC West.

Bell: Under Kelly, Eagles inept in every way

LANDOVER, Md. – They have become the Murphy’s Law of the NFL.

Whatever bad can happen for the Philadelphia Eagles, will happen.

At least that was the rule during the latest implosion by the team that Chip Kelly built, as the Eagles stumbled through a 23-20 loss to Washington that left them in last place in the NFC East.

Never mind that the Eagles (1-3) left FedExField with a chance to sit just one game out of first place, pending a Dallas Cowboys loss at New Orleans on Sunday night.

This glass is half-empty.

Do you realize how bad a team needs to be to claim last place in the NFC Least?

Look in the mirror, Eagles.

BOX SCORE: WASHINGTON 23, PHILADELPHIA 20

On Sunday, the defense gave up a game-winning, 90-yard touchdown drive that was not engineered by, say, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers.

The Eagles were struck down by Kirk Cousins, who until Sunday had never produced a fourth-quarter comeback victory in the NFL.

Irving Fryar Star NFL Teammate Concerned Over Prison Sentence

At least one of Irving Fryar's old teammates still has his back -- ex-Miami Dolphins star Keith Jackson ... who says he believes Fryar is a good person at heart and is very concerned that he'll be spending the next 5 years in prison.
Jackson tells SF Sports ... he's remained friends with Fryar ever since they played together back in the '90s -- "That's my boy. I love him like a brother."

Josh Scobee's Wife God Will Help Us Get Through This

Josh Scobee's wife tells SF Sports ... she's confident the Pittsburgh Steelers kicker will weather the storm after missing 2 key field goals Thursday night ... saying, "He has a strong faith in God."
Scobee's been catching hell from hardcore Steelers fans -- including Snoop Dogg -- who are calling for his job after missing 2 crucial kicks in the 4th quarter, opening the door for the Ravens to come back and win the game.
Melissa Scobee tells us she and her husband are still "waiting to see what the team is going to do" ... and says Thursday's game was "definitely the toughest of his career."

Ex-NFL Star Irving Fryar GETS 5 YEARS IN PRISON ... For Mortgage Fraud

Former NFL star wide receiver Irving Fryar -- who played in the league for 17 SEASONS -- was just sentenced to 5 years in prison for a mortgage fraud scheme involving his 74-year-old mom.
Earlier this year, Fryar and his mother were found guilty of conspiring to defraud banks out of more than $1.2 MILLION through a home equity loan scam.

Guregian: Patriots show they intend all-out assault on NFL

His Patriots teammates and the coaching staff are right there with him. They’re all ready to go. This is a collective assault.

They crushed the Jags, 51-17. No surprise there. That was expected. But it was more how they did it that should leave the rest of the league depressed.
While Brady once again led the charge, completing 33-of-42 passes for 358 yards and a pair of touchdowns, there was so much more to take away from the blowout.
When you see specials teams ace Matthew Slater sniff out a fake punt with the team up by 27 late in the third quarter, that should give everyone a heads up. Because right now, after Week 3, the Patriots are already making the kinds of plays that win games in January. And that’s across the board from Brady to the special teamers.

Bill Belichick had this group ready for another go-round with the Seattle Seahawks yesterday, and even though it was the Jaguars who showed up, you wouldn’t have known it given the effort and attention to detail.
Just like Malcolm Butler’s game-winning play in the Super Bowl, Slater knew what was coming because it was practiced during the week. On a fourth-and-8 from the Jacksonville 22, the Jaguars lined up in punt formation, but Slater had an inkling the ball would be snapped to blocker Corey Grant instead of the punter.

Patriots coast into off week with 51-17 win over Jaguars

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) Tom Brady threw the 400th and 401st touchdown passes of his career Sunday, and the only thing keeping him from even more was LeGarrette Blount.
The Patriots running back rushed for three 1-yard touchdowns on Sunday, but there was plenty of scoring to go around. Brady threw for two TDs - reaching the milestone and then adding one more - as New England beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 51-17.
''He's the best quarterback to ever play this game,'' Blount said. ''It's crazy to be playing (with) the best quarterback to ever play this game. And he's not done.''
Brady connected with Danny Amendola on a 1-yard pass to make it 20-3 just before the half. The defending Super Bowl MVP became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw 400 touchdowns, joining Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Dan Marino.

But the next time New England got to the 1-yard line, Blount ran it in. After Brady hit Keshawn Martin for a 13-yard TD in the third quarter, Blount ran it in twice more from the Jaguars' 1.
''I've always said I don't care whether we run it in or we throw it in,'' Brady said. ''As long as we score points and we're winning, it makes it fun for me.''
Here are some other things to take away from Sunday's game.
MILESTONE, PART I
On Brady's milestone touchdown, Amendola faked a spike and then ran over to hand the ball to a fan in the front row. A ballboy quickly retrieved it.
Asked after the game if he was upset that Amendola didn't save the ball for him, the quarterback laughed dismissively.
''I don't care. It's just a ball,'' said Brady, who has three Super Bowl MVP trophies and four NFL championship rings in his memorabilia collection. ''Danny can do whatever he wants. He made a great catch.''

MILESTONE, PART II
As dominant as Brady has been - winning four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVP awards - no one has outpaced the competition like Stephen Gostkowski.
With 15 points on Sunday, Gostkowski moved into the NFL lead with 35 on the season. He has led the league in scoring in each of the past three seasons.
The Patriots kicker was a perfect 6 for 6 on extra points on Sunday, running his streak to an NFL record 425 in a row. Matt Stover made 422 in a row from 1996-2009.
Gostkowski hasn't missed an extra point since his rookie season, 2006, when he had one blocked by the Tennessee Titans. He also made all three of his field goal attempts on Sunday and is perfect in seven tries this season.

''That takes a lot of games, a lot of snaps to do that,'' Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. ''They had a good day, as they've had in many, many days throughout their career.''
DEPLETED SECONDARY
The Jaguars started the game without injured safety Johnathan Cyprien and backup cornerback Dwayne Gratz. Safeties Sergio Brown (calf) and Josh Evans (knee) left with injuries in the first half.
By the end, cornerback Peyton Thompson - who wasn't drafted out of college and has been cut six times in two seasons - was playing safety. Nick Marshall, an undrafted rookie who played quarterback at Auburn, was at cornerback.
''It's the hardest thing to do. We only had three safeties that were active and two of them got hurt. That means a corner is going to play safety,'' cornerback Davon House said. ''You are going to play safety and you ain't never even practiced that position? That's tough man.''

BYE BYE
The Patriots head into their off week with a perfect record.
When they return, they will play at Dallas and at Indianapolis before returning home to play division games against the Jets and Dolphins. Dallas will be without quarterback Tony Romo, and Indianapolis has struggled to a 1-2 record after reaching the AFC championship game last season.
''After this week, we have a long stretch ahead,'' Brady said. ''So we just try to take advantage of it and use the time to ... try to get ready for a team like Dallas that we haven't played in a long time.''
KEY DRIVE
Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said the turning point in the game was when Blake Bortles threw an interception late in the first half, with the Patriots leading 13-3.
''We knew we were getting the ball starting the second half,'' he said. ''We knew we were going back-to-back possessions, so we wanted to get some points out of it.''
Instead, the Patriots drove down the field and scored a touchdown with 18 seconds left before intermission.

Rob Gronkowski already on cusp of 60 TDs, highlighting his dominance

Quick-hit thoughts/notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. What a difference a week makes when it comes to pregame hype surrounding a Patriots contest. Last week's buildup versus the Bills was off the charts, while today's game against the Jaguars lacks the same buzz. The excitement, in some ways, comes in the form of four players approaching significant milestones:

• Rob Gronkowski needs one touchdown to hit 60 for his career, and will become just the fifth tight end to record at least 60 career touchdowns. He's on course to easily become the fastest tight end to hit 60, as today marks his 68th career game. For a comparison, it took Tony Gonzalez 154 games to hit the 60 mark, and Antonio Gates 110 games.
• Tom Brady is one touchdown pass away from becoming just the fourth player to throw for 400 in his career (Peyton Manning-533; Brett Favre-508; Dan Marino-420);
• Receiver Julian Edelman can become the first player to have 10-plus receptions in the first three games of a season. No player in the NFL has been targeted more than Edelman this season (31);
• Kicker Stephen Gostkowski has made 419 consecutive extra points and could break Matt Stover's NFL record of 422 straight.
  

Broncos Finding New Identity in Stifling, Opportunistic Defense

When the Denver Broncos signed future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning three years ago, there was no doubt they figured Manning could be the key piece to a Super Bowl puzzle. And Manning was indeed a major difference-maker for an offense that ranked 25th in scoring in 2011 but scored more points than anyone else in football during his first three seasons. 

However, the Broncos won just two playoff games in that three-year span and have yet to capture that elusive third Lombardi Trophy in franchise history, and now the 39-year-old quarterback—he's the oldest starting position player in football—has clearly lost some zip on his passes.
As a result, the Denver offense is no longer what it was in 2012, 2013 and 2014. 

TGFWPD, or Thank God For Wade Phillips' Defense. 
Denver is off to a 3-0 start this season not because of Manning, stud receiver Demaryius Thomas or new head coach Gary Kubiak's system. No, the Broncos are 3-0 in spite of that. 
They're 3-0 because that Phillips-led D has been built to make plays, and it's come up huge three consecutive times to open the season for a team that could just as easily be 0-3.

No. 3 TCU avoids upset with tipped TD in wild win

 Aaron Green made it sound so simple. He was just following the ball as he had been told.
He ended up in perfect position, too, catching a tipped pass in the back of the end zone with 23 seconds left to give the No. 3 Horned Frogs a 55-52 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday.
"You never know with the ball, somebody might fumble, or anything like that," the senior running back said. "So I knew there was a chance. Josh Doctson catches almost everything, but there's a chance. I knew he might not have caught it because it was a little high and the guy was behind him. So I just did what I was told and I followed the ball. I saw it the whole way and I caught it."

"He made the play," the senior receiver said. "He saved us, so we're 4-0."
On fourth-and-goal from the 4 in the Big 12 opener for both teams, Trevone Boykin's pass was high to Doctson, but he got a hand on it and Green grabbed the ball as he fell out of the end zone. A video review confirmed Green had control of the ball and got a foot in bounds.
Boykin threw four touchdown passes and finished with a career-high 509 yards for TCU (4-0, 1-0). He completed 34 of 54 passes and ran for 42 yards on 14 carries.

Free coffee eases sting from Bills' meltdown against Pats

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) Still smarting from the Buffalo Bills' meltdown against New England, coach Rex Ryan had at least had one thing go right for him Monday.
The person in line ahead of him at the drive-thru window bought Ryan a coffee.
''I was like, `Wow, I feel good,''' said Ryan, who is hard to miss behind the wheel of his tricked-out, Bills-color pickup trick. ''But that's kind of the way the town is.''

The honeymoon period isn't over yet for Ryan, two games into his first season in Buffalo. And yet he fully understands it won't last much longer if the Bills (1-1) fail to regroup after unraveling during a 40-32 dud against the Patriots on Sunday.
''It's a horrendous loss, there's no question about it,'' Ryan said. ''So obviously, there's a million of negative things we've got to get corrected.''
The question is where to begin as the Bills hit the road for the first time, at AFC East rival, Miami (1-1).

Pagano on Luck's turnovers: 'It's not that hard, it's not trigonometry'

The Indianapolis Colts are unraveling. And I'm not even talking about on the field. Because even at 0-2, the Colts should probably still be seen as the favorites in the AFC South.
But after the Colts fell to the New York Jets at home, after Andrew Luck committed four turnovers in the loss, Colts' head coach Chuck Pagano didn't hold back his emotions in his press conference. Instead, Pagano went all in on his team.
And that includes his star quarterback, who was picked off three times and lost a fumble.
"It's not that hard," Pagano said when asked about Luck's turnovers, according to The Indianapolis Star. "It's not trigonometry."

Pagano also added that the Colts "can't turn the damn ball over." Against the Jets, the Colts turned the ball over five times.
Obviously, it's not all Luck's fault. One of those five turnovers came when running back Frank Gore simply dropped the ball just shy of the goal line. That fumble came at the end of an 18-play drive that ate up roughly 10 minutes of the third quarter.
"You're not going to beat Zionsville doing that," Pagano said, referring to a high school football team.
Though he wasn't sacked, Luck was hit 11 times by a Jets' pass rush that simply overwhelmed the Colts' front five.

Week 2 overreactions: Redskins a contender?

AdChoices

DALLAS IS IN TROUBLE IN THE NFC EAST
The Dallas Cowboys are the most talented team in the division.
But those injuries ... ouch.
If it is true that one of the other teams will rise up, you should consider the, uh, Washingon Redskins.
Say what?

— Unlike the Giants and Eagles, the Redskins have a victory.
— Washington suddenly owns a two-headed tailback tandem with Alfred Morris and new fantasy darling Matt Jones, who headline the league’s top-ranked rushing attack (171.5 yards per game). That alleviates pressure on new starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and the defense (how jealous is Chip Kelly?).

— Throw out the punt return TD surrendered in Week 1, and the Redskins defense is only allowing 10 points per game.
— They’re missing speed receiver DeSean Jackson, but Washington’s injury issues pale in comparison to what the Cowboys (Tony Romo, Dez Bryant) and New York Giants (Jason Pierre-Paul, Will Beatty, Victor Cruz) are coping with.
— Even with Robert Griffin III lurking in the background, the ‘Skins (currently) have less adversity than each of their division rivals.
— Oh, and for what it’s worth, the Redskins have a last-place schedule.

Packers beat Seahawks for first time in four tries: 10 things to know

 
There were no replacement officials to blow a last-second touchdown call. There was also no conscious decision by Aaron Rodgers to stay away from Richard Sherman. And there was no confluence of unlikely events -- from botched onside-kick coverage to coach Mike McCarthy's inexplicably conservative play-calling -- that spelled playoff defeat.

Instead, the Packers beat the Seahawks for the first time in four tries and it was a group effort. Aaron Rodgers' performance only solidified his place as the game's best quarterback, but Green Bay's defense stiffened late and an interception midway through the fourth quarter all but sealed the win. Rodgers marched the offense 34 yards down the field, bleeding five minutes off the clock in the process, and Mason Crosby kicked a field goal to make it 27-17 with two minutes remaining. Five plays later, Fred Jackson fumbled and that, as they say, was that.

1. The Seahawks are 0-2! Seattle might be the best 0-2 team in NFL history. Unlike, say, the Texans or Giants -- two truly awful outfits -- the Seahawks should be fine for two simple reasons. One, Russell Wilson is legit. Yeah, the nanobubbles nonsense was weird but he's one of the best young players in the game. He proved that again on Sunday night -- even with the untimely interception.
And two, Seattle's defense also remains legit. Safety Kam Chancellor continues to hold out for a new deal, and he's a critically important cog in that secondary. But DeShawn Shead, who replaced Chancellor in the lineup Sunday, held his own. And, unlike a week ago, Chancellor's absence had nothing to do with the outcome.

Two UM safeties ejected for targeting

The Miami Hurricanes managed to survive Saturday’s game against Nebraska despite losing safeties Deon Bush and Jamal Carter in the fourth quarter to targeting penalties and automatic ejections.
Bush and Carter, however, aren’t done serving their penalties. Per NCAA rules, they will each be required to sit out the first half of UM’s next game at Cincinnati on Oct. 1.
Bush was ejected four plays before Nebraska scored its first touchdown of the fourth quarter, when he hit tight end Sam Cotton on an incomplete pass near the UM sideline. Carter was ejected when he hit Cornhuskers receiver Brandon Reilly after he made a catch along the Canes sideline, four plays before Nebraska scored with 33 seconds left to tie the score and send the game into overtime.

“I didn’t see the replay on either one of them, but they really take their time on those upstairs,” UM coach Al Golden said. “They usually get those right. … I’m disappointed for those two kids, because I’ve never seen either one of those guys get called for targeting. Uncharacteristic on their part, but I know we don’t teach it, and I haven’t seen those guys do it, so I’m disappointed that it happened.”
Linebacker Raphael Kirby said he was surprised both of his teammates were ejected.

Texas quotable: Strong says Longhorns 'grew up' in 45-44 loss to Golden Bears

 

Texas rallied with 20 points in the fourth quarter to get within one against California when senior kicker Nick Rose missed an extra-point. The Longhorns comeback fell short, 45-44.

Despite the gut-wrenching loss, head coach Charlie Strong said his team grew up during the loss.
"I'm just so proud of how our team fought back from being 21-down, and they grew up tonight," Strong said. "I can say that about them. When you, watch them, they came together and no one had a selfish attitude. They just continued to scratch and get back in the game."

Strong on the offense
"Just watching Jerrod (Heard) and the offense and how they just kept answering and answering and answering. I'm just so happy, and we can learn a lot from this. A lot of growing up tonight, but there was a lot of mistakes out there. We've just got to get those corrected."