No Ben, no problem: Steelers run over Rams

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The Pittsburgh Steelers will need Ben Roethlisberger healthy in January to make another run to the Super Bowl. But they didn’t need him today to roll over the St. Louis Rams.

With Charlie Batch starting at quarterback, the Steelers beat the Rams with a ground-based attack and a stiff defense that forced quarterback Kellen Clemens into a miserable day, as the Steelers dominated, winning 27-0.

John Clay, Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman all scored rushing touchdowns for the Steelers. Rams running back Steven Jackson ran hard all day and went over 100 yards, but it was a lost cause: The rest of the Rams’ offense was awful.

For the Rams, the loss means they remain alive for the first overall pick in the draft: If they lose next week and the Colts win, St. Louis will pick first, which opens up all kinds of fascinating possibilities regarding what they would do, just two years after drafting Sam Bradford first overall. Trading the first pick to a team that covets Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck could get the Rams a bounty of draft picks.

For the Steelers, the win means they remain alive for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, although they’re going to need to win next week and get some help. And whether they get that win and that help or not, they’re going to need Roethlisberger’s ankle to heal — in the playoffs, they’ll be playing teams a whole lot better than the Rams.

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The Cincinnati Bengals have placed tight end Jermaine Gresham on the physically unable to perform list and defensive end Christo Bilukidi on the non-football injury list ahead of the start of training camp on Thursday.

According to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, the Bengals said Gresham is dealing with a back injury and Bilukidi is suffering from a tooth problem.

Gresham missed the majority of the Bengals offseason workouts due to hernia surgery, which appears unrelated to his current issues.

Cincinnati now has 15 players listed on the physically unable to perform list or non-football injury list to begin training camp.

Joining Gresham on PUP is defensive tackle Geno Atkins (knee), guard Clint Boling (knee), linebacker Marquis Flowers, cornerback Leon Hall (Achilles), punter Kevin Huber (neck), receiver Colin Lockett (hamstring), defensive tackle Zach Minter (back), defensive tackle Devon Still (back), receiver Ryan Whalen (hamstring) and offensive lineman Mike Pollak (knee).

Joining Bilukidi on the non-football injury list is receiver Marvin Jones (ankle), quarterback A.J. McCarron (shoulder) and cornerback Onterio McCalebb (knee).

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Shoulder injuries will keep a handful of players on the physically unable to perform at the start of training camp for the Detroit Lions.

According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, receivers Golden Tate and T.J Jones, and defensive end Ziggy Ansah will open training camp on the physically unable to perform list.

Ansah had shoulder surgery in February and was expected to be ready for the start of the season. However, he apparently still isn’t quite able to get on the field for the start of camp.

Jones also had shoulder surgery in June to repair a lingering college injury. Tate missed mini-camp in June after falling on his shoulder during OTAs.

The move to place the trio on PUP for the start of training camp in likely just a procedural decision. All three players are expected to be healthy in time for the season. However, the Lions would lose the ability to place the players on PUP for the regular season if they aren’t designated before the start of camp.

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The unexpected retirement of wide receiver Sidney Rice on Wednesday leaves the Seattle Seahawks with an open roster spot ahead of the start of training camp on Friday.

According to Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times, the Seahawks are expected to fill the vacancy with receiver Morrell Presley.

Presley, an undrafted rookie from Division II California (Pa.) University, took part in the Seahawks rookie mini-camp in May as a tryout player.

Presley was a highly touted prep athlete that was initially committed to Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll at USC. Presley ultimately signed with rival UCLA before transferring down to California.

At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Presley could be an interesting player to keep an eye on as the Seahawks lack height at the receiver position. Only Presley and former Canadian Football League star Chris Matthews (6-foot-5) are taller than 6-foot-2 following Rice’s retirement.

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To whoever successfully bids on the 1964 NFL title ring awarded to Jim Brown, buyer beware.

According to the Associated Press, Brown has filed suit in a Manhattan federal court, claiming that the ring was stolen from Brown.  The complaint seeks to stop the online auction, which is scheduled to end on Friday.

Joshua Evans, the founder of Lelands Collectibles, says the lawsuit is “without merit.”  (Will someone who is sued ever declare in response, “Well, we thought we’d get away with it.”)

Brown immediately claimed via comments to the St. Paul Pioneer Press that the ring was stolen after word of the auction first emerged earlier this month.  Lelands claims that a clear and proper chain of title and authenticity exists, with Brown giving the ring to a family member who sold it to Lelands.  The company sold the ring in 1998, and it has since bought the ring back.

The current high bid on the ring is $58,948.68.

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Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was planning to hold out from training camp unless he wasn’t.  In the end, it didn’t matter; Charles signed a new contract that will pay him, per a league source, $28 million over four years.

“Jamaal is an elite player in the National Football League,” Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey said in announcing the deal. “It was important for us to keep him here in Kansas City long-term.”

Multiple reports have characterized Charles as moving to No. 2 on the running back compensation list, behind only Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.  The truth, according to one source, is that Charles has finagled the second highest new-money average, with the two extra years adding another $18.1 million to the existing two-year deal.

That’s a new-money average of $9.05 million.

That 0.05 become critical to the analysis and was hardly a coincidence, given that Eagles running back LeSean McCoy averages $9 million per year on a five-year, $45 million deal.  Likewise, Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams received $27 million over three years under a five-year, $43 million contract he signed in 2011.

Without knowing the money fully guaranteed at signing — because it hasn’t been leaked yet it’s likely not near the top of any league-wide lists — it’s impossible to know how much Charles actually will get.  His 2014 pay moves from $3.9 million to $8.3 million, a raise of $4.4 million.  Instead of making $6 million in 2015, he’ll make $6.7 million.

That’s $15 million over two.  Over three, it’s $21 million.  Play all four and he gets $28 million.

The full structure of the deal will shed more light on how much more money Charles actually is getting, beyond his $4.4 million raise for 2014.  But he’s not currently the second highest-paid running back in the NFL, not with an annual average on his full contract of $7 million.

AP

Rookie tailback Terrance West, expected to be a key part of the Browns’ backfield, was one of six Cleveland players placed on the non-football injury list on Wednesday, according to the NFL’s daily transaction report.

On his Twitter account, West said he passed the club’s conditioning test and was “healthy” and “ready to go.” However, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal and Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer both reported West was on the non-football injury list because of the conditioning test.

A third-round pick from Towson, West appears the primary contender to veteran Ben Tate for carries in Cleveland’s backfield. The Browns’ first training camp practice is Saturday, giving West time to get off the list.

Other Browns placed on the non-football injury list Wednesday were linebacker Tank Carder, offensive tackle Chris Faulk, defensive tackle Jacobbi McDaniel, offensive guard Jeremiah Warren and defensive end Billy Winn. Per the Beacon Journal, Faulk, McDaniel, Warren and Winn were put on the list because of the conditioning test.

The Browns also made several other transactions Wednesday. They added offensive tackle Abasi Salimu, an undrafted free free agent from Nicholls State, on waivers from St. Louis. Cleveland also waived three veteran players: defensive back Royce Adams, linebacker Brandon Magee and wide receiver Conner Vernon.

The Browns have 88 players on the roster.

AP

When the Cowboys released quarterback Kyle Orton in July, it was widely believed Orton was weighing stepping away from the game for good.

Well, not so fast.

On Wednesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated Orton still has designs on playing in 2014, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

However, Orton won’t be playing for Dallas, which will move on with Brandon Weeden, Caleb Hanie and Dustin Vaughan as Tony Romo’s backups.

According to the Star-Telegram, Jones said the release of Orton was financially motivated, with the club now able to use some of the savings from Orton’s departure to address other areas, including potential contract extensions for wide receiver Dez Bryant and left tackle Tyron Smith.

By releasing Orton, the Cowboys got out from under his $3.25 million salary in 2014, but he gets to keep his signing bonus from Dallas.

Weeden, one of the Browns’ first-round picks just two years ago, got something of a vote of confidence from Jones on Wednesday, with the club’s owner saying his play helped the Cowboys feel comfortable parting ways with Orton, according to Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com.

If Orton indeed wants to play this season, he would rank as one of the top unsigned reserve quarterbacks on the market. A injury to a club’s starter could be a catalyst for interest in the 31-year-old Orton, who’s appeared in 75 regular season games.

AP

The Giants’ decision to hire former receiver David Tyree as their new director of player development raised some eyebrows because Tyree has a history of anti-gay comments.

Tyree, best remembered for his “helmet catch” that helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLII, has said that he would give up that catch and that Giants Super Bowl title in exchange for banning gays and lesbians from getting married. Tyree views allowing gays and lesbians to marry as akin to “anarchy” and has also claimed that homosexuality is a choice, even though experts in the study of human sexuality say that’s not the case.

Now strong opposition to Tyree has come from the Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest LGBT civil rights advocacy group. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin blasted the Giants for hiring Tyree.

“The idea that someone can change their sexual orientation or gender identity is ludicrous, and the New York Giants are risking their credibility by hiring someone who publicly advocates this junk science,” Griffin said. “His opposition to basic legal equality aside, David Tyree’s proselytizing of such dangerous practices goes against the positive work the Giants organization has done in recent years.”

The Giants, however, are standing by Tyree. Giants General Manager Jerry Reese confirmed that the Giants knew about Tyree’s anti-gay comments but still believe he’s the right man for the job.

“We do our due diligence on everyone we try and hire around here,” Reese said, via the Star-Ledger. “David was, No. 1 he was qualified, and we think he’s a terrific fit for us. We’re happy to have him on board.”

Tyree has committed to speak with Wade Davis, an openly gay former NFL player who has spoken publicly about the importance of the sports world being welcoming to gay athletes. To satisfy those who are criticizing the Giants, Tyree may also have to disavow some of his previous comments. So far, Tyree has not done that.

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The Chargers have let go of a former second-round pick whose career has been marked by injuries.

The club waived linebacker Jonas Mouton with a failed physical designation on Wednesday, the team announced. In all, Mouton – the No. 61 pick in 2011 — played just three games for San Diego, recording one tackle. The 26-year-old Michigan product missed the 2013 season with a torn right ACL and most of the 2011 campaign with a shoulder ailment.

In another transaction Wednesday, the Chargers placed right guard Jeromey Clary (hip) on the active/PUP list, the club said.

The Chargers have 89 players on their roster, one short of the limit. This includes ex-Ravens linebacker Adrian Hamilton, whose signing the team announced Tuesday. The 26-year-old Hamilton (6-3, 255) played in two games for Baltimore in 2012.

AP

Yes, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has the hardware and the cold-hard-straight-cash-homey.  But is he ready to become a true franchise quarterback?  The kind of guy who acts like an unofficial member of the coaching staff, getting in guys’ faces when they screw up and/or periodically firing off a primal scream, Tom Brady-style, in order to keep his head from exploding, Scanners-style.

Linebacker Terrell Suggs wants to see Flacco act more like Brady and Peyton Manning, pissing and moaning and generally having tantrums when guys don’t show the same abilities and smarts as their on-field leaders do.

“Joe is just ‘Cool Joe,’” Suggs said upon arrival at training camp, via the team’s official website.  “Most of the time he’s not the most vocal.  But sometimes we may need that.   He may have to cuss somebody out.  He may have to cuss me out.  It’s good to hear your quarterback get after somebody sometimes.  I think it will be a good thing.”

Suggs suggested that Flacco has in the past been more passive-aggressive when it comes to making his points.  Suggs wants Flacco to be aggressive-aggressive.

“He has cussed me out before, but Joe knows how to do his little subliminal slick shots,” Suggs said.  “We’re looking for a little bit more direct. . . .  I’ve said it from the jump: We have a lot of leaders on this team.  I’m really looking forward to seeing Joe Flacco come into his own.  Be one of those premier, elite quarterbacks and talk to his team.  We’re definitely going to stand behind Joe, stand behind Haloti [Ngata] and hopefully they all stand behind me.”

The knock from some on Flacco is that he doesn’t seem to care enough.  Basically, Suggs is trying to get Flacco to care more.  Or to at least act like he does.

AP

Jets running back Chris Johnson didn’t do much during the spring while making his way back from knee surgery, but he said Wednesday that he’s ready to work.

Johnson said, via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com, that Dr. James Andrews cleared him to make a full return to practice when the Jets hold their first session of training camp on Thursday. Johnson isn’t sure if the Jets will give him the green light to do everything right away, but it doesn’t look like the knee will hold him back from earning reps ahead of Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell.

Coach Rex Ryan said that Johnson was “flying” during the team’s conditioning run and that speed is the reason why the Jets signed him to join an offense that was devoid of playmakers last season.

Johnson wasn’t the only player to do well during the conditioning test as Ryan revealed that everyone on the team passed the test for the first time in his six years as the team’s head coach. That left him with an “incredible” feeling about this year’s team, something that probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise to those who have been listening to Ryan for the last week.

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With plenty of camps still not open, there’s still some time for slow-news-days stories.  Especially when they involved former first-round busts.

Actor Dean Cain, talking to TMZ while loading groceries into his Ford F-150, cautioned Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel against living a Hollywood lifestyle.

“I do remember another quarterback, back in the day, coming out and being a high draft choice, and hanging out with the Hollywood starlets and stars, and never really doing that well,” Cain said.  “I didn’t say any names coming out of USC wearing No. 11 named Matt Leinart. . . .  I’m not saying Matt Leinart can’t get ladies, but he can’t get a contract in the NFL now.”

Said Leinart on Twitter, presumably in response:  “Put 7 years in, pretty sure that’s 7 more than 99% of the world.  Some people should stick to their day job because they couldn’t cut it!”

He’s right, but drawing an NFL paycheck for seven years and fulfilling the potential that made him a top-10 pick are two different things.  Leinart undoubtedly was a bust of near-historic proportions.”Stick to being D list!” Leinart added in a shot at Cain that pretty much ignores the current status of the guy who just played the D-list card.  The biggest question over the next few years is whether Manziel will eventually join them as guys who used to be not far less than they were expected to be.

AP

Broncos General Manager John Elway worked for Pat Bowlen for his entire playing career and he returned to the Broncos fold as an executive several years ago, which made Bowlen’s decision to step down as owner on Wednesday because he has Alzheimer’s Disease an emotional one for the team’s General Manager.

Elway shed a few tears at a Wednesday press conference about the change at the top of the team’s hierarchy, calling it a “sad, sad day” for the organization and saying that he hopes his bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day resides next to one honoring the team’s longtime owner.

“From the inside out, it will never be the same here,” Elway said, via the Denver Post. “He has given me so much. It’s going to be hard to walk through those doors and not see him.”

Team president Joe Ellis, who has taken over much of the day-to-day responsibility for running the team, also spoke at the press conference and promised to keep running the team the way that Bowlen did over the last three decades.

“We are going to do right by his family, the team and the community,” Ellis said. “This is really hard. It doesn’t change what we do. He loved running this team and was really good at it. … We all wish Pat would walk through that door and do what he did so well. But he left us a blueprint that’s easy to follow.”

The Broncos have had just five losing seasons since Bowlen bought the team and have won two Super Bowls while advancing to four others during his time as owner.

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The Vikings have parted ways with suspended defensive end Spencer Nealy, waiving him on Wednesday, the club said.

The 24-year-old Nealy was banned four games earlier this month for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Should Nealy sign elsewhere, he could take part in training camp and the preseason before serving his suspension, which can end no earlier than September 29.

According to a statement released through the NFLPA, Nealy’s suspension stemmed from a banned stimulant in a supplement.

To fill Nealy’s roster spot, the Vikings signed tight end Michael Higgins, a Nebraska-Omaha product who was on the Saints’ practice squad a season ago and played four regular season games for New Orleans from 2011 through 2012.

AP

The Panthers have huge questions at offensive tackle entering training camp, but they added a little depth in the middle of the line Wednesday.

Via Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review, the Panthers have signed center Fernando Velasco. Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson sent out a photo of his former Georgia teammate at the stadium today.

Velasco played well for the Steelers last year subbing for the injured Maurkice Pouncey, before tearing his Achilles in Week 13.

If he’s well, he gives the Panthers a solid backup option behind Ryan Kalil, as they didn’t have much experience in the middle.