Peyton Manning will practice, but Brock Osweiler remains Broncos' starting QB

Broncos coach Gary Kubiak told reporters he wanted to meet individually with Peyton Manning on Monday and Tuesday before definitively naming a starting quarterback for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.
After Kubiak did so, the Broncos said Tuesday evening that Manning would return to practice on Wednesday, but Brock Osweiler will start against the Steelers.

NFL's Sheldon Richardson Image Makeover Continues

NY Jets player Sheldon Richardson is trying to make everyone forget his TERRIBLE summer ... by putting on a clothing drive in NYC with a former Congressional candidate.
Richardson is hooking up with Kevin Powell for his 15th Annual Holiday Party and Clothing Drive Tuesday night.
Sheldon needs some positive vibes -- this summer he was hammered with a 4 game suspension from the NFL for doping, then arrested for driving 143 MPH with a 12-year-old kid in the car ... and a gun.
Admission to the party is free as long as you donate a piece of clothing to the homeless. Good stuff.

Which teams destroyed playoff chances with Week 13 losses?

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw a red-zone interception on 4th and 2 with the Giants up 20-10 that opened the door for the New York Jets and potentially slammed the door on the Giants playoff…It’s make-or-break time for NFL teams that are jockeying for playoff spots. These five teams broke their playoff chances with Week 13 losses, and it will be awfully hard to glue the pieces back together.

Giants (5-7) (at MIA; CAR; at MIN; PHI)
No team destroyed its playoff chances in more epic fashion than the Giants. The Giants blew a lead with less than two minutes left for the fifth time this season, falling 23-20 in overtime to the Jets.
Considering the history of the NFL’s two New York franchises, there was a good chance one of them would lose in a way that would be talked about. That’s what happened to the Giants, who led 20-10 in the fourth quarter and decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 with 8:50 left in the game. Eli Manning’s pass was intercepted, and that sparked the Jets’ comeback.

USC Sark Is a Liar Never Said He Was An Alcoholic

USC is firing back at Steve Sarkisian -- claiming the ex-football coach repeatedly DENIED he was an alcoholic and resisted the school's effort to get him proper help.
USC's general counsel, Carol Mauch Amir, issued a statement in response to Sark's $30 MILLION wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuit -- calling allegations "patently untrue."
Amir says the school usually doesn't comment on pending litigation, but felt compelled to answer Sark publicly -- ripping him as a liar who has mischaracterized the facts.

Broncos beat Patriots 30-24 on Anderson's OT run

  Tom Brady lost yet another one of his trusted targets and this time he also lost a game.
C.J. Anderson scored on a 48-yard run with 12:32 left in overtime, powering the Denver Broncos past the New England Patriots 30-24 on a snowy Sunday night.

Watching from the cozy indoors at field level was Peyton Manning as Brock Osweiler and the Broncos (10-2) overcame a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit and handed the Patriots (11-1) their first loss since 2014.
"It didn't look good at times," Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said, "but we figured out a way to get it done."

Poor QB play makes star runners like Gurley, Peterson fashionable once more

 

It wasn’t long ago there was talk of running back being a devalued position in the NFL.
It is, after all, a passing-centric league. Productive runners are nice to have, the thinking in recent years has gone, but they weren’t worth big money in free agency or a high first-round draft pick.
That thinking might be due for a re-evaluation. Adrian Peterson is back in the Minnesota Vikings’ lineup and putting up numbers worthy of the most valuable player conversation. Rookie Todd Gurley is justifying the St. Louis Rams’ selection of him with the 10th-overall choice in this year’s draft.
Runners are back in style. And the trend could continue with several talented college prospects coming down the line.

Catanzaro's field goal after penalty gives Arizona wild win

 

A bizarre penalty made the ending of Arizona's wild 34-31 victory over Cincinnati even crazier.
Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 32-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining for the winner after Cincinnati tied it with two late scores Sunday night.

The winning field goal was considerably closer than it would have been because Cincinnati's Domata Peko was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for hollering out offensive signals to try to confuse the Cardinals (8-2) as they were about to spike the ball to set up the kick.
The penalty moved the ball from the 28 to the 14.
Carson Palmer overcame two early interceptions to throw four touchdown passes and, with 57 seconds left, completed three quick passes to move the team into field goal range after the Bengals rallied to tie it at 31.

What’s wrong with Aaron Rodgers?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) reacts after a fumble during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. The highest-rated passer in NFL history is mired in a small mid-prime slump, and it’s hard to determine what exactly is holding Aaron Rodgers back.
All we know is the Packers are stuck in a three-game losing streak — the first such streak Rodgers has experienced since 2008, his first season as the team’s starter. And they’re actually underdogs this week for a crucial game in Minnesota. That can be at least partially explained by the fact Rodgers just hasn’t been himself.

Dalton 'disappointed' with Watt's 'Red Ryder BB gun' comment

Landers Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) sacks Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) in the second half of an NFL football game in Cincinnati, Monday, Nov. 16, 2015. The Texans won 10-6. Andy Dalton did not appreciate a comment made by JJ Watt after the Houston Texans upset the Cincinnati Bengals 10-6 on Monday night.

After the game, Watt, who had a sack of Dalton, was interviewed by ESPN’s Lisa Salters. He made a comment in jest about how the team’s mission was to stop Dalton and how they successfully executed that plan.
“Our goal was to come out here and make the Red Rifle look like a Red Rider BB gun, and I think we did that tonight,” Watt said of Dalton, referencing the quarterback’s nickname. “He’s a great player and they’re a great team, but tonight our coaches put together a great gameplan.”
At his news conference after the game, the Bengals quarterback was told about Watt’s remark and expressed his disappointment.

Palmer throws 3 TD passes, Cardinals beat Seahawks 39-32

The NFC West goes through Arizona after the Cardinals shoved aside the Seattle Seahawks.Carson Palmer threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns, Andre Ellington had a 48-yard touchdown run with 1:58 remaining and the Cardinals moved three games ahead in the NFC West with a wild 39-32 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday night.

Palmer helped the Cardinals (7-2) build leads of 19-0 and 22-7 at halftime, only to watch Seattle (4-5) rally and take a 29-25 lead early in the fourth quarter on Bobby Wagner's 22-yard fumble return that left CenturyLink Field shaking.
Undaunted by losing the lead, Palmer led the Cardinals on an 83-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 14-yard strike to Jermaine Gresham with 8:41 remaining. The Cardinals held Seattle on its next possession and Ellington added the punctuation, sprinting down the sideline on a third-down run to cap Arizona's big night.

Miller's 1-handed TD grab lifts Bears over Chargers, 22-19

Zach Miller made a one-handed grab of a 25-yard touchdown pass from Jay Cutler with 3:19 to go, and the Chicago Bears beat the San Diego Chargers 22-19 on Monday night.

Cutler, who overcame an interception return for a touchdown and a fumble to throw for 345 yards, calmly led the Bears on the winning 10-play, 80-yard drive after the Chargers opened a 19-14 lead on rookie Josh Lambo's 22-yard field goal.

University of Missouri PRESIDENT RESIGNS ... After Football Protest

The President of the University of Missouri has resigned ... after several players on the school's football team threatened to boycott unless Tim Wolfe stepped down immediately.
The football players were protesting the way Wolfe handled issues of alleged racial harassment on campus over the past year ... including an incident where scumbags used human feces to draw a swastika on a dorm wall. Black leaders also claimed students had been openly using racial slurs.
The news comes after several faculty members had threatened a mass walkout TODAY unless action was taken.

Byron Scott is running out of patience with the Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott reacts during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 108-105…Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott is running out of patience with his team, and is threatening to make changes to the rotation.
“I’m going to put guys out there that will bust their butts," Scott told the Los Angeles Daily News. "All the things we’ve been doing the last six weeks, we need to get that and it can’t just be in practice. I told them pretty much a challenge to them that if it’s not being done, I’ll start playing other guys.”

Huge games, a record-breaking quarterback and some tricky road games for Big Ten powers highlight Week 10 of the college football season

 


November started with the first College Football Playoff rankings being released, and before we even got to this weekend, an undefeated team went down. No. 20 Toledo lost at home to Northern Illinois on Tuesday night. #MACtion, indeed.
Here's what else watch for as college football's eventful final month cranks up.

THREE SHOWDOWNS
The Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 and Southeastern Conference all have huge games matching playoff contenders.
In the ACC, No. 3 Clemson hosts No. 17 Florida State. Clemson would clinch the Atlantic Division with a victory. Florida State would take control of the division with a win and work itself back into the College Football Playoff race.

Leonard Fournette DON'T SIT OUT NEXT SEASON ... Says Maurice Clarett

LSU superstar running back Leonard Fournette should NOT even think about sitting out next season and waiting for the NFL -- he should play and try to get even better -- so says Maurice Clarett.
Clarett knows exactly what Fournette must be feeling -- since he was also too young to declare for the NFL draft after dominating at Ohio State as a freshman in 2002. He tried to fight the NFL, but it didn't work out.

Wilson, Seahawks back to .500 after 13-12 win over Cowboys

 

Russell Wilson sprinted toward the sideline in search a first down that could set up the winning points at Dallas.
The star quarterback made the corner, and the defending NFC champion Seahawks found their way back to .500.

Wilson had a scoring pass for the game's only touchdown, and his key run came on a drive to Steven Hauschka's go-ahead 24-yard field goal with 1:06 remaining, leading the Seahawks over the Dallas Cowboys 13-12 Sunday.
Seattle (4-4) improved to an NFL-best 21-6 in games heading into the bye in its second straight win. The Seahawks will see NFC West-leading Arizona in two weeks.
The Cowboys (2-5) lost their fifth straight without Tony Romo in Dez Bryant's return from a five-game absence with a broken right foot.

Manning, Broncos throttle Rodgers, Packers 29-10

The Denver Broncos found some offense to go with all that defense, powering their way past the Green Bay Packers.
In only the fourth meeting of teams 6-0 or better, Peyton Manning tied Brett Favre's NFL record with his 186th regular-season win and Denver's defense rattled Aaron Rodgers into one of the worst games of his career in the Broncos' 29-10 victory Sunday night.
Wearing the blue jerseys they did in beating the Packers for their first Super Bowl win in 1997, the Broncos piled it on in the fourth quarter, when DeMarcus Ware sacked Rodgers and the ball ended up in the end zone for a safety.\

The Broncos improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1998, when they won the Super Bowl after finishing 14-2.
The Packers (6-1) fell from the unbeaten ranks, throttled not only by the league's stingiest defense but by a quarterback who finally looked like a five-time MVP and not a creaky 39-year-old learning a new system.
Although neither quarterback threw for a touchdown, Manning threw for 340 yards on 21-of-29 passing and the bootlegs worked nicely.

Cincinnati Bengals Star Ball Z New Cleats

Cincinnati Bengals stud WR Mohamed Sanu is putting his power level over 9000 ... with custom Dragon Ball Z cleats ...SF has learned.
We're told Sanu hit up Dez Customz and requested a bad ass new pair with "the two main guys from Dragon Ball Z."
Dez delivered with a super saiyan portrait of Goku and Gohan gracing the front of each cleat.
Unclear if Sanu plans to rock the cleats on Sunday -- but he's worn some pretty funky custom cleats in the past ... including kicks that featured "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk." 

Most disappointing college football teams in 2015

 

Ranked sixth in the AP Poll during the preseason, Auburn has had a terribly disappointing season due in part to their issues at quarterback. Gus Malzahn's team nearly lost in Week 2 to Jacksonville State, and started the SEC season just 1-3.

Jets deny they asked NFL to check for listening devices

New York Daily News You can never be too careful around the Patriots.
The Jets were wary enough of their friends in Foxborough to request that the NFL search their locker room for listening devices before the team’s game against the Patriots, former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason claimed on his WFAN show Friday morning. Esiason said he first broadcasted the news Thursday night on the radio while he called the Patriots-Dolphins game in Foxborough.
While it doesn’t sound that crazy given the Patriots’ reputation from controversies over the years, a league source shot down Esiason’s claim as being untrue.

An NFL spokesman said the league received no such request from the Jets. Asked whether the league carried out a sweep of the locker room, the spokesman said, “We have conducted for years routine and random checks around the league. We do not get into details of specific games.”
ProFootballTalk reported that the league did in fact sweep the locker room, but not at the Jets’ request. The NFL’s search was “part of a broader check of electronic systems and devices,” the report said.