Texans beat Bengals, on to Baltimore

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For the first time in franchise history, the Houston Texans have won a playoff game.

But there’s no time to celebrate for the Texans: After Saturday’s 31-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Texans will now play a divisional round game in Baltimore, where they lost to the Ravens 29-14 in the regular season.

Can the Texans avenge that loss and advance to the AFC Championship? They can if they play as well next Sunday as they did today. Houston got a strong game from its defense (including a phenomenal effort by defensive lineman J.J. Watt), and the offense did what we’ve come to expect the Texans’ offense to do: Arian Foster had a big game, Andre Johnson had a big game, and T.J. Yates played well enough not to lose the game.

Playing not to lose was enough for Yates in part because the Bengals at times looked like they were playing to lose, including Marvin Lewis wasting two challenges in the first half, Andy Dalton wasting a timeout on the first drive of the second half, and, as reported by Alex Flanagan on NBC, Adam “Pacman” Jones storming away from defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer when Zimmer tried to talk to him on the sideline. The Bengals didn’t keep their heads in their biggest game of the season.

Worst of all, some of the Bengals looked like they had quit late in the fourth quarter: Cornerback Nate Clements and safety Chris Crocker, in particular, should hang their heads for a complete lack of effort on Foster’s game-sealing 42-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Clements and Crocker both were in position to tackle Foster or push him out of bounds, and they barely even tried.

The Bengals will spend the offseason wondering what might have been if they had put forth a better effort at playoff time. But the Texans put on one of their best performances of the season in the biggest game in franchise history.

Now the Texans have an even bigger game against the Ravens looming.

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As Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski prepares for a fourth surgery on his forearm and a probable back surgery, we’ve been reminded of the concerns that caused Gronkowski, a potential first-round pick in the 2010 draft, to slide to round two.

While a stellar performance in 2011 blew the red flags away, Gronkowski has had multiple injuries during his time in the NFL.  His career fairly can be characterized as being at a crossroads.

Plenty of league insiders and observers aren’t surprised.  In 2010, several teams had him off the draft board due to his health.  He had missed three games in 2008, and all of the 2009 season after injuring his back while lifting weights.  As late as February 2010, he wasn’t able to run.

Even after the 2009 surgery, Gronkowski had a significant bulging disc in two different areas of his back.  As a result, many believed he would have chronic back issues, and that his NFL career would be short.

After three seasons, it’s unclear when Gronkowski will be ready for his fourth.  And given the injuries he has sustained during those three years, it’s hard not to wonder how many more he has left.

While it makes him look even smarter for signing a long-term contract when he did, the Pats may never have to decide whether to fork over a $10 million option bonus in 2016, because he has to make it through three more seasons before that question even becomes pertinent.

AP

In the last paragraph of a very thorough look at the potential impact of the scandal involving Pilot Flying J on the ability of Jimmy Haslam to continue to own the Browns, Don Banks of SI.com writes that, according to league and team sources, “the idea of Haslam having to change his long-term status in team ownership in reaction to the fraud case seems unlikely.”

The key words in that sentence are “for now.”

Much remains unknown as it relates to the federal probe that launched months ago, with an employee secretly recording conversations at the behest of the FBI.  Last month, the investigation culminated in the issuance of a search warrant that allowed the FBI and IRS to descend on the Pilot Flying J headquarters, seizing documents and computers and all sorts of other potential evidence that possibly will prove beyond a reasonable doubt fraud against multiple customers.

For starters, no one knows the contents of the documents and computers and all sorts of other potential evidence.  There could be one or more smoking guns, for example, in emails sent or received by Haslam.

There also could be much more evidence that was harvested before the execution of the search warrant.  The 120-page affidavit that resulted in the issuance of the search warrant mentions only one conversation indicating that Haslam was aware of the alleged scheme, with words coming not from Haslam but from another employee.  There could be other, similar proof that the feds opted to withhold, for now.

Thus, the 120-page could be the tip of the iceberg.  We just don’t know — and we won’t know unless and until the feds decide to pursue indictments.

Then there’s the possibility that one or more of the employees who currently are being pitched under the bus by Haslam’s apparent I-didn’t-know-what-the-scoundrels-who-work-for-me-were-doing strategy will trade immunity for testimony that Haslam at best was aware and at worst ordered the proverbial customer code red.

So while there likely won’t be an abundance of awkward moments this week when owners gather in Boston for their first meeting since the scandal broke, it’s impossible to know how this will unfold until we know more about the evidence that the FBI and IRS were, or weren’t, able to develop.

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From the moment we commenced the process of accepting nominations for each team’s Mt. Rushmore, we’ve received scattered communications from Patriots fans lamenting the task of identifying the four greatest figures in franchise history.

The time has come, at least when it comes to coming up with the list of finalists.

Nominate your favorite Patriots below.  Eventually, we’ll come up with 10 or 12 on which you’ll all be able to vote.

And, no, Matt Walsh and Walt Coleman will not be among the finalists.  No matter how many times you try to nominate them.

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With all the criticism Mike Vick has absorbed during his NFL career, you’d think he’d be used to it by now.

He apparently isn’t.

Earlier this week, Vick got a little testy during an interview with Mike Missanelli of 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia on the topic of those who say he doesn’t read defenses quickly enough, and that he holds onto the ball for too long.

“I’m really tempted right now to just say no comment to that because like I said a second ago, you don’t last 12 years in the NFL not being able to read the defense,” Vick said, via Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com.  “Those people who are talking and saying that are just ignorant, and they know nothing about football.  Unless they turn on the film and watch my game and see what goes on, then they’ll replace those comments with the right comments.”

Missanelli pointed out that critics who know football have made those claims.  “But it’s incorrect,” Vick said.  “Without getting sensitive about it, it’s incorrect.  So I’d rather not talk about it.”

We’d hate to hear what Vick would say if he were sensitive about it.  (Actually, we’d probably love to hear it.)

Vick attributes the perception of holding the ball too long to the West Coast offense the Eagles ran under Andy Reid.  “We had a lot of deeper throws last year, which required more time,” Vick said.  “It’s just a big difference.”

New coach Chip Kelly’s system will result in quicker throws; if Vick can make them, he’ll likely be the starter.  Kelly also has taught Vick something unrelated to throwing the ball — how to run with it, without fumbling.

“The other day, I broke out in the pocket, and the first thing Chip told me was to tuck the football,” Vick said.  “So I showed him how I was running with it, and he looked at it and he knocked the ball right out of my hands.  And he was like, ‘Hold it like this.’  And what he told me felt comfortable.  I had a tighter grip on the football. That should secure that problem as long as I work on it.”

It remains to be seen whether Vick will undergo a Tiki-style transformation when it comes to ball security.  But if he can get rid of the ball when he needs to and keep possession of it when he has to, Vick could have a big year in 2013.

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The medical condition that made defensive lineman Kyle Love unfit for further employment with the Patriots has not kept him from working for the Jaguars.

According to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, Love passed a Friday physical in Jacksonville, with one caveat — the he receive treatment for Type-2 diabetes.

Clearance came after the Jaguars subjected Love to a “battery of tests” at the team’s facility.  On Thursday, the Jaguars claimed Love’s contract on waivers, following his release by the Patriots.

And so the Jags are giving Love that which the Pats weren’t willing to provide — a chance to show that he can play football with diabetes, like others have done.  While that doesn’t mean Love will win a spot on the 53-man roster in Jacksonville, the Jaguars were willing to not apply labels or presumptions to Love’s condition, and instead to give him an opportunity to contribute, regardless of a health condition with which many people lead entirely normal lives.

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Earlier this month, the Jets cut defensive end Claude Davis and cornerback Cliff Harris after they were arrested for marijuana possession.

Now, the Jets face a more delicate dilemma.

With running back Mike Goodson facing guns and weapons charges, it’s easy at first blush to assume the Jets won’t mess around.  That’s precisely what Jets offensive lineman Willie Colon believes will happen.

“It’s one of the things where it’s zero-tolerance with stuff like that,” Colon said Saturday, per Seth Walder of the New York Daily News.  “It’s sad.  Mike could have been huge for us.”

He still could be.  As Colon learned during his time with the Steelers, certain players get the benefit of the doubt, and certain others become the example.  With Goodson, who received a $1 million signing bonus as part of a three-year, $6.9 million contract in March, the Jets could be inclined to give him a second chance.

Much of that depends on Goodson’s legal situation.  Some players get to continue playing while charges are pending; others (like Mike Vick) don’t.  If the NFL doesn’t suspend Goodson pending the resolution of these charges, the Jets can either keep Goodson on the team and possibly recoup some of the signing bonus if he’s suspended/incarcerated at a later date, or they can cut him and let him walk away with a far better deal than DeAngelo Hall’s $8 million for eight games.

Goodson would get $1 million for no games.

That gives the Jets one million reasons to keep him around.

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To some, it always will be the Factory of Sadness.  To the rest of the world, it no longer will be Cleveland Browns Stadium.

According to FOX 8 in Cleveland, the signs at the stadium where the Browns play are being removed, to be replaced with the new, corporate-purchased title:  FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Browns have had the ability to sell the naming rights to the venue since it opened in 1999.  Under owner Al Lerner and then his son, Randy, the Browns had not done so.

Earlier this year, new owner Jimmy Haslam sold the naming rights to FirstEnergy.

Hopefully no discounts or rebates were involved in the transaction.

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Giants receiver Victor Cruz continues to look for a load of chips to go with his salsa.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that the Giants and Cruz continue to talk, but that the process is “moving slowly.”  Talks are expected to resume this week.

Cruz, who has not yet signed a one-year, $2.879 million restricted free agency tender, has been staying away from the team’s offseason workouts as he pursues a long-term deal.  He reportedly wants more than $10 million per year; the Giants at last word were in the $7 million annual range.

The next pressure point comes on June 17, when the Giants can rescind his tender offer and replace it with a 10-percent raise over his 2012 salary of $540,000, which equates to $594,000.  Doing so would likely inflame the situation, causing Cruz possibly to hold out through Week 10 of the regular season, sign the tender, finish the year, and become an unrestricted free agent in 2014.

While the Giants could then keep him in place with the franchise tag, the franchise tag would pay Cruz $10 million or more for one year.  And it could force the Giants to choose between Cruz and receiver Hakeem Nicks, whose rookie contract expires after the coming season.

The Cruz-Nicks conundrum surely has cast a shadow over the ongoing talks.  Nicks, who plays the more valuable position of outside receiver, will want to get significantly more than Cruz, a slot receiver.  Thus, paying Cruz a lot now could mean paying Nicks a lot more later.

At some point, the Giants may decide to keep only one of them, and to trust that they can develop another player who’ll catch passes from Eli Manning into a significant performer.

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Dwight Freeney will be reuniting with Peyton Manning in a different way this season.

With the Broncos ultimately dismissing Manning’s effort to get his former Colts teammate to Denver, Freeney will now spend one-eighth of the 2013 season chasing Peyton around.

Freeney officially is a Charger, where he’ll remain a 3-4 linebacker for the second straight year.

“It’s great to add a solid veteran who brings valuable experience to our defense,” said coach Mike McCoy said in a team-issued release.  “His proven pass-rush ability is a perfect fit for our defense.”

The term “perfect fit” seems a bit strong, given that Freeney has 10 years in the 4-3 and told PFT Live in February that he wants to return to that alignment.  “I’m not sure [Freeney] is well-suited for a 3-4 team,” former Colts coach Tony Dungy told Chris Mortensen of ESPN.  “I think Dwight needs play at right end and as a third-down pass rusher.”

Chances are Freeney will essentially do just that, putting his hand in the dirt and taking on the left tackle in passing situations.

He’ll get to do it twice against Ryan Clady, the unsigned lineman who protects Peyton Manning’s blind side.  And Freeney will do it against his former team in Indy, along with the other teams he faced every year in the AFC South, starting with the opening Monday night of the season, against the Texans.

He’ll also chase around the quarterbacks of the NFC East (including Peyton’s brother Eli, Tony Romo, Robert Griffin III, and presumably Mike Vick).

In other words, a relatively mundane offseason for the Chargers suddenly has become far more interesting.

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Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden recently said he wants to be the guy.  And then the Browns went out and signed another guy.

Weeden admits that the move to add Brian Hoyer, cut last week by the Cardinals, was unexpected.

“I was surprised, but that’s the nature of the beast,” Weeden said Friday, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  “It’s part of this business and if you start worrying about it, that’s too much to worry about.  That’s my mentality going forward.”

Weeden said he hasn’t been told what the Browns plan for Hoyer.  “I have no idea,” Weeden said.  “I’m worried about me.”

Per Cabot, Hoyer arrives as No. 3 on the depth chart, behind Weeden and Jason Campbell.  Hoyer then will have the opportunity to climb the ladder.

Weeden thinks he’ll hold off all comers.  “You can’t play this position timid or [not] confident,” Weeden said.  “You’ve got to be confident all the time.  Once I got my head in this playbook and realized how good this system is and how good it fits the guys we have in place, it kind of made me excited and lit a fire under everybody to really want to take that next step including myself.”

Campbell, the first quarterback acquired by the new regime in Cleveland, wasn’t surprised by the new arrival.  “You usually go into training camp with four quarterbacks,” Campbell said. “You knew somewhere along that it would probably happen.”

The fact that it happened with Hoyer should give both Weeden and Campbell concern.  During his tenure with NFL Network, Browns G.M. Mike Lombardi heaped praise on Hoyer.  “I’ve said this many times: If I would have taken the GM job of the 49ers, I would have gone after Brian Hoyer, because I think he has all the traits and characteristics,” Lombardi said in December 2011, via Cabot.  “If I were the Cleveland Browns, I’d rather have Brian Hoyer behind center than Colt McCoy.”

Hoyer now has a dramatically better chance of being under center for the Browns than McCoy.  Whether Hoyer gets there ahead of Weeden and Campbell is to be determined.

If it happens, it would be an amazing development, given that Hoyer was out of the league for most of the 2012 season.

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It’s been a while since the Dolphins have had many dominant players.  But they had more than their fair share in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.

So many that it won’t be easy to trim the list of all-time great Dolphins to four.

You get your chance below to help us identify the 12 or so that will eventually be trimmed to four.

Good luck now.  Better luck later.

If you want to chime in on any of the other teams whose nomination process has begun, the full list of links is right here.

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It’s one thing to be versatile.

But when a new coaching staff which hasn’t worked with you walks in the door and asks you to change positions, it’s probably not a good sign for your future.

We mentioned earlier this week the report that Eagles tight end Clay Harbor was getting some work at linebacker, but coach Chip Kelly apparently isn’t finished tinkering.

According to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, wide receiver Jason Avant got some work in the secondary as well.

The 30-year-old Avant has caught 259 passes in seven seasons, more than 50 in each of the last three seasons. So it’s not as if he lacks the ability to play the position at the NFL level.

“It’s one of those things that I work hard, I’m going to continue to work hard and whatever that may be, whatever the team wants to do with me, I’m going to do it as best as I can for the team, whatever that may be,” Avant said. “I don’t necessarily think it’ll cloud my future. I really think it’s an honor anyway for a coach to think you can do other things.”

Likewise, Harbor downplayed the notion he’s not a tight end any longer, or that he’s in jeopardy.

“I’m a tight end, and for emergency situations and versatility purposes, for me, I’m learning something new,” Harbor said. “If something happens in a game, you have 52 guys on the roster, 45 guys that can dress. If something happens where you do need an outside linebacker, it’s good to know something. I’m still a tight end. I’m not switching positions.”

Still, Harbor and Avant should also consider the possibility that their new boss thinks they’re topped out at their current positions or surplus to requirements, and that they might be plying their trade elsewhere.

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In the wake of the news that linebacker Moise Fokou was charged with DUI in January, the question becomes whether the Titans knew about the situation when signing him to a contract in March.

If they did (or if they didn’t), the Titans aren’t saying.

In response to that question, a team spokesman deferred to the statement issued on Friday, after news of the incident broke.  “We are aware of the report and we will let the legal process conclude before commenting further,” the Titans said at the time.

Though he became a free agent in March, Fokou was property of the Colts at the time of the incident.  NFL rules require players to promptly notify their teams and/or the league office after such incidents.

It’s possible that the league office knew about the situation, but that the Titans didn’t.  Often, information regarding off-field incidents or pending suspensions is available only on request, which means that every team should before signing any free agent call the league office and ask whether the player is currently in any form or degree of hot water.

Unless Fokou didn’t alert the Colts or the league to the situation, the possible answers to the current question can create potential P.R. issues for the Titans.  Thus, not answering the question could be the only way to avoid having the topic become an even bigger problem.

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Recent reports indicated that Dwight Freeney was willing to take the same base deal signed by Osi Umenyiora in Atlanta:  Two years, $8.5 million.

Freeney ended up doing a little better.  If $250,000 counts as “a little.”

Per a source with knowledge of the deal, Freeney’s two-year contract with the Chargers carries a base value of $8.75 million.

The deal pays $5.25 million in 2013, via a $3.25 million signing bonus, $1.5 million in guaranteed base salary, and a $500,000 roster bonus tied to Freeney’s presence on the weekly 46-man roster.  (It works out to $31,250 per game.)

Freeney is due to earn $3.5 million in 2014, $500,000 of which is linked to weekly roster bonuses.

The contract carries a maximum value of $13.35 million, with $4.6 million tied exclusively to sacks.  Though the targets aren’t currently known, we’re told that the numbers are realistic, based on his past production.

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Well, that was fast.

An agreement is in place between veteran defensive end/linebacker Dwight Freeney and the San Diego Chargers.

Freeney, who spent 11 seasons with the Colts after arriving from Syracuse as a first-round pick in 2002, presumably steps into the starting lineup in San Diego, due to the recent knee injury suffered by 2012 first-rounder Melvin Ingram.

While Freeney had said that he preferred returning to a 4-3 defense, which he thrived in for 10 years before the Colts switched to a 3-4.  But rushing the passer is rushing the passer regardless of the scheme.

As we understand it, Freeney was attracted to the possibility of playing with a quarterback who can give the team a lead — and in turn allow Freeney to chase down the other team’s quarterback.

Interest in Freeney spiked in recent days, after the Ingram injury gave the Chargers a clear incentive to pursue him.  The Patriots, Broncos, and other teams had shown interest during Freeney’s first career foray into free agency.