53-man roster tracker

NFL teams have until 9 PM EDT on Friday, August 31 to cut their rosters from 75 players to 53 players. We’ll track all the moves that every team makes to get down to 53 players right here.

Arizona Cardinals: Waived wide receivers DeMarco Sampson and Isaiah Williams, cornerback Crezdon Butler, linebackers Antonio Coleman, Clark Haggans, Colin Parker, and Quan Sturdivant, safety Blake Gideon, guard Russ Hochstein, defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin, cornerback Larry Parker, tight end Stephen Skelton, running back Alfonso Smith, defensive end Ronald Talley, defensive end Everrette Thompson, tight end Martell Webb, center Scott Wedige, and tackle D.J. Young. The Cardinals also waived/injured linebacker Brandon Williams and wide receiver Stephen Williams, and placed running back Javarris James and quarterback Richard Bartel on injured reserve.

Atlanta Falcons: Cornerback Dominique Franks and long snapper Joe Zelenka highlighted the Falcons full list of cuts. They also released fullback Mike Cox and placed safety Shann Schillinger on injured reserve, waived-injured wide receiver Kerry Meier and reached injury settlements with tight end Lamark Brown and guard Andrew Jackson. They waived the following players: linebacker Spencer Adkins, linebacker Rico Council, wide receiver Drew Davis, cornerback Dominique Franks, tackle Bryce Harris, linebacker Jerrell Harris, center Tyler Horn, wide receiver Marcus Jackson, cornerback Marty Markett, running back Dimitri Nance, defensive tackle Conrad Obi, defensive tackle Micanor Regis, wide receiver James Rodgers, linebacker Pat Schiller, cornerback Peyton Thompson, and safety Suaesi Tuimaunei.

Baltimore Ravens: Waived running back Anthony Allen, safety Omar Brown, linebacker Josh Bynes, linebacker Nigel Carr, guard Jack Cornell, receiver Dorian Graham, guard Cord Howard, nose tackle Nicholas Jean-Baptiste, nose tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, guard Antoine McClain, defensive end Terrence Moore, quarterback Curtis Painter, receiver Logan Payne, safety Cyhl Quarles, linebacker Chavis Williams and guard Tony Wragge. Placed tight end Matt Balasavage, running back Damien Berry, guard Justin Boren, linebacker Ricky Brown, tight end Bruce Figgins and receiver Tommy Streeter on injured reserve.

Buffalo Bills: The Bills announced the following moves: Waived wide receiver Kamar Aiken, offensive lineman Mark Asper, tight end Kevin Brock, running back Zach Brown, linebacker Tank Carder, offensive lineman James Carmon, wide receiver Marcus Easley, defensive end Robert Eddins, defensive tackle Dwan Edwards, defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert, defensive back Isaiah Green, wide receiver Derek Hagan, defensive tackle Kellen Heard, wide receiver Ruvell Martin, linebacker Scott McKillop, punter Shawn Powell, wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt, defensive back Nick Saenz, offensive lineman David Snow, running back Johnny White, offensive lineman Keith Williams and placed offensive lineman Zebrie Sanders on injured reserve.

Carolina Panthers: Waived wide receivers Seyi Ajirotutu and Jared Green, running back Tauren Poole, offensive tackle Matt Reynolds, defensive tackles Ogemdi Nwagbuo and Ryan Van Bergen, along with linebackers Kion Wilson and David Nixon and cornerbacks Darius Butler and R.J. Stanford. The last of the Panthers’ cuts: Safeties Jonathan Nelson, Jordan Pugh, and Reggie Smith, tight ends Nelson Rosario and Joe Jon Finley, running back Armond Smith, guards Zackary Williams, Bryant Browning, and Justin Wells, defensive tackle Nate Chandler, and linebacker Jason Williams.

Chicago Bears: Got down to 53 by releasing quarterback Josh McCown, running back Armando Allen, linebacker Xavier Adibi, defensive end Chauncey Davis, receiver Rashied Davis and cornerback Jonathan Wilhite. Also waived receivers Joe Anderson, Terriun Crump and Brittan Golden; tackles Cory Brandon, James Brown and A.J. Greene; cornerbacks Cornelius Brown, Isaiah Frey and Greg McCoy; guard Ricky Henry; safety Mark LeGree; defensive tackle Jordan Miller; tight end Brandon Venson; defensive end Aston Whiteside; and linebacker Jabara Williams. Defensive tackle Nate Collins is on the reserve/suspended list.

Cincinnati Bengals: Waived quarterback Zac Robinson, running back Daniel Herron, fullback James Develin, fullback Jourdan Brooks, tight end Colin Cochart, wide receiver Vidal Hazelton, tackle Matt O’Donnell, guard Otis Hudson, center Reggie Stephens, defensive end Micah Johnson, defensive end DeQuin Evans, defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga, linebacker Grant Hunter, linebacker Emmanuel Lamur, cornerback T.J. Heath, cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris and linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy. Waived-injured defensive tackle Nick Hayden. Placed defensive tackle Pat Sims on PUP list and safety Tony Dye on injured reserve. Placed linebacker Dontay Moch on suspended list.

Cleveland Browns:  Released tight end Dan Gronkowski, quarterback Seneca Wallace, tight end Evan Moore, linebacker Ben Jacobs, defensive tackle Brian Schaefering, cornerback James Dockery, wide receiver Rod Windsor, defensive end William Green, guard Jarrod Shaw, defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron, wide receiver Josh Cooper, linebacker Quinton Spears, running back Adonis Thomas, defensive tackle Kiante Tripp, fullback Brad Smelley, receiver Josh Cooper, guard Stanley Daniels, center Garth Gerhart, defensive end Ernest Owusu, guard Dominic Alford, defensive tackle Brian Schaefering, guard Jarrod Shaw, tackle J.B. Shugarts. Placed linebacker Scott Fujita on reserve/suspended list.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys announced that they have waived defensive end Ben Bass, cornerback Lionel Smith, linebacker Orie Lemon, linebacker Adrian Hamilton, defensive end Clifton Geathers, safety Eddie Whitley, cornerback Teddy Williams, cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, defensive tackle Robert Calloway, wide receiver Saalim Hakim, wide receiver Danny Coale, running back Lance Dunbar, wide receiver Tim Benford, running back Jamize Olawale, quarterback Rudy Carpenter, tight end Andrew Szczerba, tackle Jeff Adams, offensive lineman Pat McQuistan and fullback Shaun Chapas. Guard Daniel Loper was waived-injured.

Denver Broncos: Got to the 53-man limit with the following moves: They placed linebacker D.J. Williams and tight end Virgil Green on the reserve/suspended list. Defensive end Jeremy Beal was placed on injured reserve. They also waived the following players: Defensive end Jamie Blatnick, safety Rafael Bush, cornerback Drayton Florence, linebacker Jerry Franklin, defensive tackle Ben Garland, guard Adam Grant, tackle Ryan Harris, wide receiver Jason Hill, guard Tony Hills, safety Duke Ihenacho, tight end Cornelius Ingram, running back Jeremiah Johnson, linebacker Mike Mohamed, wide receiver Greg Orton, wide receiver Gerell Robinson, nose tackle Sealver Siliga, cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson, guard Wayne Tribue and quarterback Adam Weber.

Detroit Lions:  Waived punter Ryan Donahue, guard Pat Boyle, defensive end Ugo Chinasa, tight end Alex Gottlieb, wide receiver Nate Hughes, defensive tackle Edmon McClam, linebacker Carmen Messina, wide receiver Wallace Miles, defensive tackle Tracy Robertson, cornerback Ross Weaver, tight end Austin Wells, cornerback Alphonso Smith, receiver Patrick Edwards, guard Dan Gerberry, guard Rodney Austin, defensive end Everette Brown, safety Reshard Langford, receiver Lance Long, receiver Maurice Stovall and cornerback Justin Miller. Running back Mikel Leshoure is on the reserve/suspended list.

Green Bay Packers: Placed tackle Derek Sherrod on reserve/PUP and linebacker Vic So’oto on injured reserve. They also released tackle Shea Allard, wide receiver Diondre Borel, tight end Brandon Bostick, quarterback B.J. Coleman, fullback Nic Cooper, tackle Andrew Datko, guard Tommie Draheim, guard Sampson Genus, wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen, wide receiver Tori Gurley, defensive end Lawrence Guy, safety Anthony Levine, cornerback Otis Merrill, wide receiver Dale Moss, defensive tackle Daniel Muir, running back Marc Tyler, guard Greg Van Roten and guard Reggie Wells.

Houston Texans: Announced the following cuts: quarterback Case Keenum, safety Troy Nolan, center Cody Wallace, fullback Moran Norris, linebacker Shawn Loiseau, tight end Logan Brock, defensive end Keith Browner, defensive end David Hunter, receiver Juaquin Iglesias, defensive end Mitch King, offensive tackle Nate Menkin, linebacker Rennie Moore, tight end Phillip Supernaw, center Cody Wallace, guard Cody White, linebacker D.J. Bryant, nose tackle Loni Fangupo, running back Jonathan Grimes, receiver Jeff Maehl, fullback Moran Norris and safety Eddie Pleasant. Wide receiver Jerrell Jackson said on Twitter that he had been cut. Offensive lineman Rashad Butler is heading for injured reserve.

Indianapolis Colts: Announced the following roster moves: Waived wide receiver Jeremy Ross, running back Darren Evans, tight end Andre Smith, tackle Mike Tepper, center Zane Taylor, tackle Steven Baker, defensive tackle Jason Shirley, linebacker Greg Lloyd, tight end Kyle Miller, guard Hayworth Hicks, linebacker Jerry Brown,  safety Latarrius Thomas, defensive tackle Chigbo Anunoby, wide receiver Kashif Moore and long snapper Justin Snow. They waived-injured running back Deji Karim, defensive end James Aiono, linebacker Tim Fugger, cornerback Brandon King and safety Mike Newton. Placed wide receiver Jabin Sambrano and cornerback Korey Lindsey on injured reserve and released tackle George Foster from IR.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Waived quarterback Jordan Palmer, tight end Colin Cloherty, running back Richard Murphy, cornerbacks Rod Issac and Trumaine McBride, defensive end Odrick Ray, linebacker J.K. Schaffer, offensive tackles Will Robinson and Lee Barbiasz, safety Courtney Greene, defensive lineman Corvey Irvin, cornerback Leigh Torrence, wide receiver Demetrius Williams, offensive lineman Daniel Baldridge, defensive lineman Kendrick Adams, wide receiver Mike Brown, defensive end Ryan Davis, cornerback Antonio Dennard, guard D.J. Hall, linebacker Joshua Jones, and fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs waived wide receiver Junior Hemingway, defensive lineman Jerome Long, defensive end Brandon Bair, cornerback Mikail Baker, wide receiver Josh Bellamy, center Rob Bruggeman, fullback Patrick DiMarco, cornerback Chandler Fenner, guard Darryl Harris, linebacker Gabe Miller, tackle David Mims, wide receiver Jamar Newsome, safety Terrance Parks, center Lucas Patterson, guard Rich Ranglin, cornerback Neiko Thorpe and defensive back Donald Washington. They placed safety Da’Quan Menzie and quarterback Alex Tanney on injured reserve and released defensive lineman Amon Gordon and linebacker Leon Williams.

Miami Dolphins: Terminated the contract of veteran linebacker Gary Guyton and waived the following 18 players: Cornerbacks Vincent Agnew, Quinten Lawrence and Anderson Russell, offensive tackles Will Barker, Rey Feinga, Andrew McDonald and Lydon Murtha, defensive tackles Ryan Baker and Isaako Aaitui, defensive end Jamaal Westerman, linebackers Cameron Collins and Shelly Lyons, wide receivers B.J. Cunningham, Jeff Fuller, Clyde Gates, Chris Hogan and Roberto Wallace and guard Chandler Burden. Rookie defensive end Jarrell Root was waived/injured, cornerback Kevyn Scott was waived with an injury settlement and offensive lineman Ryan Cook was traded to the Cowboys in exchange for an undisclosed 2013 draft pick.

Minnesota Vikings: Released veteran quarterback Sage Rosenfels as part of their final moves. They also terminated the contracts of veteran defensive end Jeff Charleston, cornerback Chris Carr and safety Eric Frampton. They waived wide receiver Manny Arceneaux, defensive tackle Chase Baker, guard Chris DeGeare, fullback Ryan D’Imperio, cornerback Bobby Felder, defensive tackle Trevor Guyton, running back Lex Hilliard, guard Tyler Holmes, cornerback Reggie Jones, tackle Kevin Murphy, linebacker Corey Paredes, guard Austin Pasztor, defensive end Nick Reed, center Quentin Saulsberry, tight end Mickey Shuler and running back Jordan Todman. They also placed tackle DeMarcus Love on injured reserve.

New England Patriots: Rookie running back Jeff Demps was placed on IR, and they cut 22 players to get to the limit. They released wide receiver Deion Branch, quarterback Brian Hoyer, safety Sergio Brown, defensive lineman Marcus Harrison, wide receiver Jesse Holley, safety James Ihedigbo, offensive lineman Matt Kopa, center Dan Koppen, linebacker Niko Koutouvides, safety Derrick Martin, linebacker Jeff Tarpinian and safety Malcolm Williams. They also waived fullback Eric Kettani, defensive lineman Aaron Lavarias, tight end Alex Silvestro and wide receiver Kerry Taylor, along with 2012 seventh-round wide receiver Jeremy Ebert and rookie free agent tight end Tyler Urban and offensive linemen Derek Dennis, Dustin Waldron, Jeremiah Warren and Darrion Weems.

New Orleans Saints: Released kicker John Kasay, wide receiver Greg Camarillo and tight end Derek Schouman to get to the 53-man limit, along with the following moves: They waived linebacker Kadarron Anderson, defensivse end Braylon Broughton, linebacker Ezra Butler, quarterback Sean Canfield, defensive end Alex Daniels, tight end Michael Higgins, cornerback Nick Hixson, safety Jerico Nelson, guard DeOnt’ae Pannell, tackle Aderious Simmons, wide receiver Andy Tanner, guard Matt Tennant and linebacker Lawrence Wilson. They placed running back Joe Banyard, safety Jose Gumbs, cornerback Marquis Johnson and wide receiver Nick Toon on injured reserve, and linebacker Ramon Humber and defensive end Will Smith on the reserve/suspended list.

New York Giants: The Giants have announced the following moves: They waived/injured cornerback Bruce Johnson and cut wide receivers David Douglas, Dan DePalma and Isiah Stanback, defensive ends Craig Marshall and Matt Broha, defensive tackles Marcus Thomas and Dwayne Hendricks, linebacker Jake Muasau, tight end Larry Donnell, offensive linemen Chris White, Matt McCants, Selvish Capers and Stephen Goodin, defensive backs Laron Scott and Dante Hughes and quarterback Ryan Perrilloux. Cornerback Terrell Thomas and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers were placed on injured reserve.

New York Jets: Released the following 22 players to get to the 53-man limit: Running back Terrance Ganaway, wide receivers Royce Pollard and Jordan White, tight end Hayden Smith, offensive lineman Paul Cornick, linebacker Ricky Sapp, defensive back Donnie Fletcher, quarterback Matt Simms, wide receivers Joseph Collins and Eron Riley, offensive linemen Robert Griffin, Fred Koloto and Matt Kroul, tight end Tarren Lloyd, defensive linemen Jay Richardson and Martin Tevaseu, linebackers Marcus Dowtin and Brett Roy, defensive backs LeQuan Lewis, D’Anton Lynn and Julian Posey and punter Spencer Lanning.

Oakland Raiders: Waived LB Kaelin Burnett, K Eddy Carmona, WR Derek Carrier, WR Brandon Carswell, DE Hall Davis, TE Kyle Efaw, DL Dominique Hamilton, OL Kevin Haslam, OL Nick Howell, LB Chad Kilgore, OL Dan Knapp, WR Eddie McGee, C Colin Miller, RB Lonyae Miller, WR Roscoe Parrish, WR Travionte Session, LB Nathan Stupar and S Curtis Taylor. Placed LB Aaron Curry on PUP and TE Tory Humphrey, P Marquette King and S Brandon Underwood on IR.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Placed linebacker Sean Spence on injured reserve, and released 21 other players to get to the 53-man roster limit. They cut veteran offensive lineman Trai Essex and waived-injured punter Jeremy Kapinos. They also released the following 19 players: Defensive backs Damon Cromartie-Smith, Terrence Frederick and Josh Victorian, linebackers Brandon Hicks and Marshall McFadden, defensive linemen Corbin Bryant, Igbinosun Ikponmwosa and Jake Stoller, quarterback Jerrod Johnson, running back DuJuan Harris, wide receivers Tyler Beiler, Toney Clemons, David Gilreath, Marquis Maze and Derrick Williams, and offensive linemen Ryan Lee, John Malecki and Chris Scott.

San Diego Chargers: Terminated the contracts of veterans Jacques Cesaire, Anthony Davis, Mario Henderson, Jacob Hester and Nick Novak. Waived Edwin Baker, Colin Baxter, Bront Bird, Charlie Bryant, Ricky Elmore, Daryl Gamble, Gregory Gatson, Logan Harrell, Arthur Hobbs, Robert Malone, DeAndre Presley, Damik Scafe, Stephen Schilling, Kory Sperry and Mike Willie. Safety Sean Cattouse was placed on injured reserve.

San Francisco 49ers: Traded safety Colin Jones to the Panthers for an undisclosed draft pick, and released the following 21 players to get to the limit of 53: linebacker Ikaika Alama-Francis, linebacker Eric Bakhtiari, running back Rock Cartwright, tackle Derek Hall, linebacker Joe Holland, defensive tackle Tony Jerod-Eddie, linebacker Cam Johnson, quarterback Josh Johnson, defenfsive tackle Matthew Masifilo, cornerback Anthony Mosley, tight end Kyle Nelson, tackle Al Netter, wide receiver Chris Owusu, wide receiver Nathan Palmer, tackle Mike Person, tight end Konrad Reuland, linebacker Kenny Rowe, wide receiver Brett Swain, safety Michael Thomas, tackle Kenny Wiggins, linebacker Michael Wilhoite.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Released running back Mossis Madu, defensive tackle Frank Okam, safety Larry Asante and defensive back Keith Tandy, per Pewter Report. They’ve also released defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, who is headed back to Chicago, per the Chicago Sun-Times. The rest of the Buccaneers’ 2012 cuts: Wide receivers Tiquan Underwood, Jordan Shipley, and Landon Cox, defensive backs James Rogers and Sean Baker, linebackers Rennie Curran and Jacob Cutrera, tight ends Drake Dunsmore and Zack Pianalto, kicker Kai Forbath, offensive linemen Jermarcus Hardrick, Moe Petrus, and Desmond Wynn (injured), running back Robert Hughes, fullback Cody Johnson, defensive linemen E.J. Wilson, Teryl White, and Jordan Nix, and quarterback Brett Ratliff.

Tennessee Titans:  Released receiver James Kirkendoll, per TitansInsider.com. Cut offensive lineman Kyle DeVan, tight end Brandon Barden, offensive lineman Michael Jasper, defensive end Malcolm Sheppard, defensive tackle Lamar Divens, tight end Cameron Graham, and wide receiver D.J. Woods, per the Tennessean. The Titans also cut defensive tackle Zach Clayton, wide receivers Devin Aguilar and Michael Preston, safeties Aaron Francisco and Tracy Wilson, cornerback Chris Hawkins, fullback Collin Mooney, and center Chris Morris. They placed on injured reserve defensive end Dave Ball, cornerback Terrence Wheatley, defensive tackle Leger Douzable, guard Ryan Durand, and linebacker Kevin Malast.

Washington Redskins: Released running back Tim Hightower, cornerbacks David Jones, Brandyn Thompson, and Travon Bellamy, defensive linemen Doug Worthington, Marlon Favorite, and Delvon Johnson, linebackers Donnell Holt, Bryan Kehl, and Brian McNally, wide receiver Terrence Austin, offensive linemen Erik Cook, Willie Smith, Tom Compton, and Grant Garner, running back Tristan Davis, quarterback Jonathan Crompton, receiver Anthony Armstrong, fullback Dorson Boyce, nose tackle Delvin Johnson, tight end Richard Quinn, linebacker Markus White, defensive lineman Darrion Scott. Defensive end Kentwan Balmer was placed on reserve/left squad, and safety Tanard Jackson was placed on reserve/suspended.

AP

Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley probably had a point last week when he said he and Ndamukong Suh were the best pair at their position in the league. 

But he’s also part of a less-distinguished record for the team.

As noted by Anwar Richardson of MLive.com, Fairley’s part of a 2011 Lions draft class that has woefully underperformed and embarrassed the organization off the field.

Fairley’s play has been good, but his two arrests have him tied for second in his class. Former second-rounder Titus Young leads the way with three, and fellow second-rounder Mikel Leshoure has two also.

In fact, fifth-round linebacker Doug Hogue’s the only member of the five-man class who hasn’t been arrested since joining the league, since seventh-rounder Johnny Culbreath had one. Hogue’s with the Panthers now, and Fairley and Leshoure are the only players left on the Lions roster at this point.

That might not be Matt Millen-esque, but it is an embarrassing collection of choices by General Manager Martin Mayhew, and the fact they signed Reggie Bush this offseason further diminishes any impact Leshoure might have.

The Lions were aggressive making moves this offseason, and they probably should. Anything to keep from thinking about their recent past can’t hurt.

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New Eagles coach Chip Kelly is asking his players to do more while they’re at the team facility.

But he’s not asking them to hang around as long, which puts an extra burden on them.

With Kelly trying to streamline practices, Eagles players should have even more free time on their hands, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Under former coach Andy Reid, meetings stretched from early morning to early evening, in part to provide structure to the days of young men who can’t always be trusted to handle free time well. Of course, there were also chunks of empty space in the day that allowed players to nap in their lockers, or send out for fast food.

Now, players run at a faster pace for a shorter time, and nutritional smoothies personalized for each player are provided, among many changes.

“It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be real hard,” tight end Brent Celek said. “But I think that’s something guys appreciate. Chip is like, ‘Listen, we know that it’s hard out here, but, . . . we’re going to try and take care of you so you feel good the next day.’”

Kelly knows there’s a chance to be taken with his schedule, and that urging players to always eat well or get 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night isn’t a realistic goal.

“If I can’t trust them when they leave this building then we probably brought the wrong guys in here,” Kelly said.

What it will create is a process of weeding out the players who aren’t on board, and that could require a bit of tearing down before he can build back up.

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Safety Husain Abdullah drew a lot of attention for his decision to skip the 2012 season to join millions of other Muslims on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

It’s not every day that you hear about a NFL starter in his prime walking away from the game when he’s still healthy enough to play it and Abdullah told Bill Williamson of ESPN.com that he knew there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to land another job in the league. Abdullah said he was fine with that scenario — his brother and fellow safety Hamza hasn’t landed a job after taking the pilgrimage as well — but that he also worked hard to get back into football shape upon his return from the pilgrimage in hopes of landing a job with an NFL team before the end of the season.

“But teams figured that I missed OTAs and training camp that I might not be ready,” Abdullah said. “I understood. So I had to wait. It crossed my mind that I wouldn’t get a chance. I was at peace with that. I was so grateful do to something I waited my whole life for.”

Abdullah wound up signing with the Chiefs in February, which looks like a pretty good spot for him to resume his career. Eric Berry is set at one safety spot, but Kendrick Lewis struggled with injuries in 2012 and could be vulnerable to a challenge from Abdullah this summer.

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With only two cities vying for Super Bowl L and then only two cities squaring off for Super Bowl LI on Tuesday, the voting process becomes much more simple than if three or more cities were being considered for one game.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tells PFT via email that the procedure initially will consist of San Francisco and South Florida squaring off, with owners voting via secret ballot for one or the other.  If either gets 24 of 32 votes, that bid wins the game.

If neither gets the 75-percent supermajority, the voting immediately transforms in round two to a simple majority, with 17 votes winning.

If the owners deadlock at 16, the voting continues.  Indefinitely.

After the host for Super Bowl L is named, the loser then takes on Houston for Super Bowl LI, with the same rules applying.

The two-tiered approach gives Texans owner Bob McNair a clear strategy when voting for the Super Bowl L host.  He needs to vote for the city he thinks Houston is less likely to beat for Super Bowl LI.

AP

The Buccaneers might not have viewed drafting quarterback Mike Glennon as a message to incumbent quarterback Josh Freeman.

But the more they talk about it, the more clear it becomes that they don’t mind it being perceived that way.

Via Dan Pompei of the National Football Post, Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano compared his third-round pick to Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, and said he thought Glennon “can play quickly,” if they need him to.

But our situation will be only if he’s needed,” Schiano said. “Or if he wins the job. Look, I’m not against that. We have a starting quarterback. It’s not like we’re looking to find a starter. But competition is competition. Mike Glennon is a fierce competitor. I knew that when he was coming out of high school. Now being able to work with him a little, you can see it on the practice field.”

It’s reasonable to think the Bucs want to have Glennon ready in a hurry, with Freeman in the final year of his rookie contract.

But with every passing report, it’s harder and harder to sell the motion that they have nothing but trust in the former first-rounder, or that they want to hitch themselves to Freeman for the long-term future.

AP

Statistics don’t always tell the entire story, but they do a pretty good job of providing everything you need to know about how 2012 went for Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

His 71 catches were his least for a season since 2006 and he never had a lower average than the 11.2 yards per catch he picked up last year. The Cardinals finished 5-11 after winning their first four games and Fitzgerald is quite sure that he doesn’t want to go through another year like that in 2013.

“It was the most frustrating season, time, I’ve ever had professionally or even amateur. I’ve never had a year like that,” Fitzgerald said, via Bruce Cooper of the Arizona Republic. “It was tough mentally. Physically, it was tough. It builds resolve. I know I never want to go through a season like that personally or as a team and I’m going to do everything in my power not to ever repeat that. It left a real bad taste in my mouth.”

There’s reason to believe Fitzgerald will be able to avoid a similar taste this year. Whatever Carson Palmer’s flaws are as a quarterback, he’s well ahead of John Skelton and Ryan Lindley and the same is likely true of backup Drew Stanton should Palmer go down with an injury. The addition of Jonathan Cooper should bolster a leaky offensive line and Bruce Arians showed last season with Reggie Wayne that he knows how to find new ways to maximize the production of veteran receivers.

There still may be frustration ahead in what looks like a very tough NFC West, but Fitzgerald should find 2013 a little more to his liking all the same.

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The process for nominating players, coaches, etc. to each team’s Mt. Rushmore has made its way back to Broadway, with the Jets officially on the clock.

For Fireman Ed and company, the challenge is to show us your nominees for the four greatest contributors in franchise history.

The problem is that there likely won’t be many players or others from recent years.  Those back-to-back AFC title game appearances are looking more and more like aberrations, and the best player from those teams (Darrelle Revis) only played five years and a slice of a sixth.

But nominate whoever/whomever/whatever you want.  From Joe Namath to Tim Tebow, everyone is eligible at this stage of the process.  Eventually, we’ll trim the field to a dozen or so finalists for official voting.

At least, as official as online poll voting ever gets.

Reuters

The Jets lost a quarterback this week when David Garrard said “no mas” because of a knee injury and a report from Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com indicates they were interested in replacing him.

Grossi reports that the Jets “really wanted” to sign Brian Hoyer after Hoyer was released by the Cardinals. They weren’t able to close a deal, though, and Hoyer agreed to terms with the Browns on a two-year deal.

It probably comes as no surprise that the Jets were interested in the quarterback since they’ve shown some level of interest in just about every quarterback with recent NFL experience. It would also come as no surprise to see the team look elsewhere for another body to add to their current four-man mix at the position since it is clear that no one from that group has a stranglehold on the starting job.

Hoyer’s probably about as good as it is going to get on the free agent market until team start making cuts during camp this summer, however, and adding a player who can learn the offense quickly enough to win the job at that point is, to put it mildly, a long shot. It’s probably going to be Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith at quarterback come the start of the season for the Jets.

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NFL owners will be gathering in Boston this week for a meeting that has one primary item on the agenda:  Awarding two Super Bowls.

First, it’s Miami versus San Francisco for Super Bowl L.  Then, the loser takes on Houston for Super Bowl LI.  The votes will happen on Tuesday.

Via Mike Rosenberg of the San Jose Mercury News, supporters of the South Florida Super Bowl raised $36.5 million to support their bid, which is more than twice the amount previously believed and $6.5 million more than Bay Area supporters raised.

For the powers-that-be in San Francisco (yes, we know the stadium is in Santa Clara), the broader goal has becomes cracking the Super Bowl rotation, which would put games periodically in the new venue instead of making a title game a one-shot, quid pro quo for building it.

“Owners remember successful Super Bowls,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Rosenberg.

The bar will be higher for Super Bowl L.  “It’s a bigger deal,” NFL senior V.P. for events Frank Supovitz told Rosenberg.  “Super Bowl L has to be above and beyond even that curve of improvement.”

That could make it even harder for Miami to win Super Bowl L, given the failure of an effort to secure public funds to upgrade Sun Life Stadium.  After hinging future Super Bowls to renovations at the place where the game is played, the not-so-subtle threat will come off as hollow, especially if Miami gets the 50th edition of America’s premier sporting event.

Miami could still finagle Super Bowl LI.  At times, the game is as much about the events preceding it as the game itself, and South Florida remains an ideal location for the seven days of events that come before kickoff.

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Linebacker Rolando McClain’s decision to retire from the NFL in an attempt to get his personal life in order seems like a wise thing for a player who has not been able to stay out of trouble since entering the professional ranks.

According to McClain’s college coach, it’s also a decision that’s fair to a Ravens team that signed McClain to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal after he was released by the Ravens. Alabama coach Nick Saban said he thinks McClain needs to get himself into a place where he can concentrate on football and that it was the right move to announce his retirement rather than go forward at less than full speed.

“For the Ravens, Ro’s being fair to them,” Saban said, via Don Kausler Jr. of the Birmingham News. “What he’s saying is that he’s not ready to play rather than them having to release him, where someone else can claim him. They can retain his rights. I think he likes the Ravens organization. I think he likes John [Harbaugh]. I think he likes Ozzie [Newsome]. He appreciates the fact that they gave him an opportunity, so I think he’s doing the right thing.”

In a statement, McClain said that “God willing” he’ll play for the Ravens one day and the Ravens will hold onto his rights as long as McClain remains on the Reserve/Retired list. It’s not the great favor that Saban makes it out to be, but Baltimore would certainly stand to benefit down the road if the former eighth overall pick is able to get back to a place where he’s focused on the football field instead of the courtroom.

AP

New Jets General Manager John Idzik hasn’t even gotten his team to training camp yet, but folks around the league are already poking at his 0-for-2 start to free agency.

Idzik’s first two moves were to sign veteran quarterback David Garrard and running back Mike Goodson.

Garrard’s retiring because of a bad knee which the world knew about, and Goodson was arrested on gun and drug charges, pointing to his reputation for poor decision-making and immaturity.

“Do these guys do background checks?” an opposing scout said of the Jets’ acquisition of Goodson specifically, via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.

Signing Garrard was great in theory, but few thought he’d hold up physically for long enough to win the starting job (since the same thing happened in Miami last year).

And while Goodson hasn’t pocketed all of the $1 million bonus which was part of his three-year, $6.9 million deal, that’s looking more like a sunk cost as well.

It’s not quite the start the Jets were looking out of their new G.M., who better hope some of his other decisions (namely the future of quarterback Geno Smith and how he handles Mark Sanchez) work out better.

AP

After two women sued Browns running back Trent Richardson for allegations that he instigated their assault outside his home in December 2012, some pointed to the absence of criminal charges as proof that Richardson is blameless.

At the time, a representative of the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office explained that the alleged victims had not cooperated with the investigation.  (Their lawyer disagreed.)  Now, a prosecutor has confirmed that there will be no charges, absent additional information.

According to the Morning Journal, Elyria City Prosecutor Matt Mishak said that, due to conflicting statements, there was no probable cause to arrest Richardson.  Mishak added that, absent new evidence, charges are unlikely.

Meanwhile, the lawsuit against Richardson was transferred from Cuyahoga County to Lorain County, a move that presumably occurred at the request of Richardson’s lawyers.  It’s part of the games lawyers play as they try to position cases so they’ll be heard by judges and/or juries deemed to be more favorable.

The absence of criminal charges has no impact on a civil lawsuit, which is subject to a far lower standard of proof and can be filed without meeting any initial burdens like probable cause.

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The Dolphins are getting closer to signing all of their draft picks.

Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that running back Mike Gillislee, a fifth-round pick in April, has signed his contract with the team. According to the report, Gillislee’s four-year deal is worth $2.322 million and he received a signing bonus of $162,800.

Gillislee will fight Daniel Thomas for snaps behind projected starter Lamar Miller in 2013. After the draft, Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland said (via the Miami Herald) that he thought Gillislee could handle himself in pass protection. If that proves to be true, that skill could help push him into a third-down role on the offense this season. He ran for 1,152 yards and 10 touchdowns at Florida in 2012.

With Gillislee in the fold, the Dolphins have now signed five of their nine draft picks from last month.

AP

As we learned last week, some teams are more willing than others to work with players with certain medical conditions.

But the Giants had no such qualms about drafting safety Cooper Taylor in the fifth round, even though he had a lengthy medical report including a heart condition which was diagnosed in 2009.

During a game his sophomore season at Georgia Tech, his heart began racing, he felt dizzy and blacked out. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a rare issue with the electrical pathways in the heart. He had a procedure the next day, and was assured it wouldn’t prevent him from playing again.

“When it comes to heart conditions,” he told Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, “it’s a good one to have because they can fix it 100 percent.”

Of course, he had plenty of other health issues as well, during a college caerer that included a transfer to Richmond. He had the usual assortment of knee sprains and broken bones, and also missed most of 2010 with a “heat-related illness,” which he said was unrelated to the WPW.

But the heart problem was the one teams were careful to check out, causing him to travel with a full file of documents.

“A lot of teams wanted to make sure that I had all the doctors’ records,” Taylor said. “So I was travelling with a stack of notes and papers that I had from the best doctors in Atlanta and whoever I was seeing up in Richmond when I transferred that said the heart pathways have been fixed and there should be no other problems. So any team that needed it, I had that information right there for them.”

The Giants said they didn’t consider him a medical risk after checking his file, giving Taylor a chance to fulfill a dream he thought was taken away from him years ago.

AP

Bills DE Mario Williams graduated from the Lone Star College Law Enforcement Academy on Friday, which makes him a licensed peace officer in the state of Texas.

The Dolphins went fishing for charity this weekend.

Members of the Patriots recently played in a charity basketball game with the Tewksbury Police Association.

Jets RB Mike Goodson’s recent arrest could land him in prison, which is where his father is currently serving a 20-year sentence.

Ravens CB Marc Anthony gets asked about Jennifer Lopez and Cleopatra more than he’d like.

Former Steeler Greg Lloyd paid a visit to Bengals coach Marvin Lewis’ charity golf outing.

Is CB Leon McFadden destined for a starting role with the Browns?

Former Steelers QB Charlie Batch gave the commencement address at Washington & Jefferson College, alma mater of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Five things to watch when the Texans gather for OTAs.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano caught a ride around the Indianapolis 500 track with Mario Andretti.

Playing time at receiver is there for the taking with the Jaguars.

Playing for former offensive linemen Mike Munchak and Bruce Matthews helped convince Robert Turner to sign with the Titans.

There will be a lot of competition at wide receiver and linebacker for the Broncos.

Members of the Chiefs staff spent Friday touring the site of this year’s training camp.

Eight members of the Raiders visited Facebook headquarters to learn about the company.

LB Larry English could be in line for an expanded role with the Chargers.

Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News thinks rookie CB B.W. Webb and rookie WR Terrance Williams could have an impact for the Cowboys this year.

Giants S Cooper Taylor has long looked up to former Giants CB Jason Sehorn.

The Eagles are planning shorter, more efficient practices this season.

A look at who’s in the mix for the right tackle job with the Redskins.

Mike Ditka shares some thoughts on QB Jay Cutler and other Bears.

Lions QB Shaun Hill had a walking boot on his foot after what he called a “very minor” procedure.

Versatility is one of the things Packers DL Datone Jones brings to the table.

It’s going to be a big season for Vikings QB Christian Ponder.

The Falcons are set to have their largest offensive line in years.

LB Jon Beason hasn’t joined his teammates in restructuring his contract with the Panthers.

Said Saints T Charles Brown of his bid for a starting job, “I feel like my time has come, and I’m trying to get ready for it.”

Buccaneers G Davin Joseph’s charitable foundation is helping schools in Tampa.

Cardinals tight ends coach Rich Christophel hasn’t found it too difficult making the jump from college to the pros.

The Rams will host a 5K run the day before the start of the regular season.

49ers WR Ricardo Lockette is getting help with the playbook from QB Colin Kaepernick.

A call for Seahawks coach Pete Carroll to address the team’s performance-enhancing drug suspensions.