With Supreme Court hearing this week, Ayanbadejo, Fujita continue push for gay marriage

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So much for sports figures steering clear of potentially controversial topics.

A handful of NFL players have embraced the issue of gay marriage, and as the constitutionality of California’s ban moves this week toward formal consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court, two of them have made the case on high-profile platforms.

Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo appeared Sunday on Face the Nation to explains that, in his view, gay marriage provides the next frontier in the battle for equality.

“This is something I’ve been speaking about since 2009,” Ayanbadejo said, via Politico.  “In my opinion it’s just the evolution of civil rights and equal rights.  Athletes do a lot to change society and this is something we can make a big difference.  It starts with bullying and kids in elementary school and goes all the way to the legislative, and treating everybody equally. . . .

“This is a fight that myself and a bunch of my colleagues want to take on and we feel like everybody should be treated equally.  We’re not going to stop until everyone is treated fairly.”

Free-agent linebacker Scott Fujita made the case for acceptance in a New York Times op-ed.  Fujita also addressed the question of whether athletes should be involved in controversies of this nature.

“[W]e’re people first, and football players a distant second,” Fujita wrote.  “Football is a big part of what we do, but a very small part of who we are.  And historically, sports figures like Jackie Robinson, Billie Jean King and Muhammad Ali have been powerful agents for social change.  That’s why the messages athletes send — including the way they treat others and the words they use — can influence many people, especially children.”

Of course, some people will never be influenced.  But many could be, and those are the persons to whom Ayanbadejo, Fujita, Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, and others are directing the message of equality and acceptance.

AP

Running back Stevan Ridley wasn’t one of the 10 Patriots listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report of the week, but his status for Sunday’s game has been anything but definite this week.

Ridley was inactive for last week’s victory over the Texans and was benched in the first quarter of the team’s previous game after fumbling for the fourth time this season. Coach Bill Belichick said the benching wasn’t meant to send a message about the need to hold onto the ball, saying only that Ridley was behind others on the team’s depth chart at running back by way of further explanation.

That appears to have changed. Several reporters, including Adam Schefter of ESPN and Nick Underhill of MassLive.com, bring word that Ridley is expected to be on the active roster against the Browns. There’s no word on what his role will be with Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden and LeGarrette Blount also in the mix, but there’s no reason to think the Patriots would have Ridley dress and then not use him.

Unless, of course, he puts the ball on the ground again. Should that happen, we might not see much of Ridley again this season.

AP

As the Cardinals continue an unlikely playoff push, they’ll have their franchise (sort of) quarterback.

According to pretty much everyone who covers the NFL for money, Carson Palmer will play today when the Rams arrive at the stadium named for one of the few colleges whose football team is still undefeated.

But Palmer has an elbow injury, which occurred on the hit in the photo from Eagles pass-rusher Trent Cole.  As Adam Schefter of ESPN mentioned a little while ago, Palmer didn’t throw a pass during Friday’s practice.  So the same elbow that seemed to continuously bother Palmer during the latter days of his time in Cincinnati could be bothering Palmer again on Sunday.

If Palmer struggles or gets injured again, the baton will pass to Drew Stanton.  The former Lions backup hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2010.

And many of you likely didn’t even realize he was still in the league.

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With the Texans running Gary Kubiak out of town after being something other than the broom in a two-game sweep involving the Jaguars, Houston has gotten a head start on finding a new coach.

More specifically, the Texans have gotten a head start on the looming land rush for Lovie Smith.  Per multiple reports, Smith will be the first candidate interviewed by the Texans.

Smith’s mostly successful stint in Chicago will make him attractive in the coming hiring cycle, especially since Andy Reid’s change of venue produced immediate results for a Chiefs team that was 2-14 in 2012.  Members of the Fired Football Coaches Association will be more attractive this year given Reid’s efforts in Kansas City, and Smith currently is at the top of the list.

If other franchises with coaches on the hot seat covet Smith and want to make a run at him before it’s too late, other owners could decide to make a move with their current coaches sooner rather than later.  Whether it’s the Buccaneers or the Vikings or the Jets, if the decision has essentially been made to move on and if the time is coming for others to speak now or forever hold their piece/peace/whatever, coaches who are expected to be dumped may be dumped a bit prematurely.

That said, Lovie Smith surely realizes that other NFL teams will be interested, making him less likely to make a quick decision until he knows the full content of his potential dance card.  But that could prompt Texans owner Bob McNair to request a quick decision from Smith, with the threat/promise/whatever that McNair will move on to someone else if Smith isn’t ready to make a commitment sooner rather than later.

While some of the discussions with other teams could happen behind the scenes pending the completion of the season, Smith possibly will refuse to engage (directly or through his agent) in any discussions with a team that currently has a non-interim head coach.  If Smith takes that position, the end result is that more guys could be getting fired before December 30, otherwise known this year as Black Monday.

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Yes, $100,000 will come out of the paycheck of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for his Thanksgiving sideline side step.  But that’s not the end of the punishment.

While Peter King of TheMMQB.com said during Friday’s edition of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN that the Steelers will lose a draft pick only if the Ravens miss the playoffs due to the failure of Jacoby Jones to score a touchdown on the play with which Tomlin interfered, King has since advised PFT that he was incorrect.

A late-round draft pick will indeed be forfeited by the Steelers, regardless of whether the Ravens miss the playoffs.  In the unlikely event that the tiebreaking process for the Ravens goes deep enough to consider net points and the Ravens miss the playoffs because the drive in question ended in a field goal and not a touchdown, the penalty will be enhanced.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports first reported that the Steelers will lose a late-round pick.  As the league has announced, the specific penalty will be determined once the full draft order is finalized, which will happen after the postseason concludes — and after all compensatory picks are distributed.

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A look at how rookie quarterbacks have faired against defenses coached by Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

Ryan Tannehill is trying to become the second Dolphins quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season.

Going one yard felt like it took an “eternity” before Patriots FB James Develin scored his first touchdown since high school.

John Idzik Sr., father of Jets General Manager John Idzik and a former NFL assistant coach, died at the age of 85.

No one predicted Ravens K Justin Tucker’s future success when he went undrafted last year.

Said Bengals QB Andy Dalton, “We’ve done some really good things this year and put ourselves in a good position. We’re in control of the division, and we kind of control our own destiny from here on out. That’s how you want it. We’ve just got to keep up what we’ve been doing, which is playing like we have been.”

The Browns will have to buck the trends to knock off the Patriots at home.

There’s still plenty for the Steelers to play for this season.

Texans DE J.J. Watt took to Twitter to say goodbye to former coach Gary Kubiak.

Protecting QB Andrew Luck will be vital if the Colts want to beat the Bengals.

Winning the turnover battle has helped the Jaguars start winning some games.

The Titans’ best defense on Sunday may be their offense.

Mike Klis of the Denver Post takes issue with the notion that Broncos QB Peyton Manning can’t play in the cold.

Said Chiefs LB Tamba Hali, “What’s important is these games are definitely setting yourself up for the road ahead. Playing three out of four away is really going to say how good of a team we are and how we can handle adversity when we get on the road.”

The Raiders running game will be compromised by injuries in Week 14.

Chargers CB Johnny Patrick is questionable after being added to the injury report on Saturday with an ankle issue.

The Cowboys secondary will have to deal with tall receivers on Monday night.

LB Jon Beason has been a major addition to the Giants defense.

Eagles LB Connor Barwin has taken to life in Philadelphia.

With the Redskins out of the playoffs, QB Kirk Cousins could travel to watch Michigan State play in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1988.

Short yardage plays have been problematic for the Bears this season.

S Louis Delmas is a player to watch for the Lions against the Eagles on Sunday.

WR James Jones, LB Clay Matthews and CB Jarrett Bush will be the Packers’ captains this week.

Said Vikings FB Jerome Felton of RB Adrian Peterson, “I’m like his Secret Service. He’s the president, and I’m Secret Service.”

The Falcons have offseason decisions to make about several defensive players.

The father of 49ers S Eric Reid was touched by the compassion that Panthers RB Mike Tolbert showed his son after a concussion.

Aggressive coaching isn’t a problem for Saints coach Sean Payton.

A lacking pass rush off the edge has hampered the Buccaneers defense.

The Cardinals will try for their first division win in more than a year on Sunday.

Big plays have eluded Rams WR Chris Givens this season.

The 49ers believe “chunk plays” on offense are essential to beating the Seahawks.

The Seahawks have a statistical edge over the 49ers in several areas.

AP

In the same week that Auburn pulled off a major upset in the Iron Bowl, we’ve learned that a former Alabama coach relied on some Auburn game tape to get the most out of his current quarterback.

In a Friday appearance on PFT Live, Panthers coach Ron Rivera explained how Nick Saban’s Tuscaloosa predecessor, Mike Shula, has gotten the most out of quarterback Cam Newton.

“We had a little bit of a slow start and during that slow start,” Rivera said of his first-year offensive coordinator.  “One of the things that Mike and the offensive staff did was they went back and looked at — we have a library of all of Cam’s plays from college — they looked at what Cam did extremely well and said, ‘You know what, let’s adapt a couple of these ideas and incorporate them into what we do.’  [Shula] took three or four things that [Newton] did really well and we’ve incorporated that and put that into what we do as an offense.  Mike has made it work and that has really helped us.”

Rivera explained that the study of Newton’s Auburn performances happened in September, after the Panthers fell to 0-2 with a loss at Buffalo.

“We went up to Buffalo, we were doing some things, took a step back and said, ‘What can we do to help the quarterback?’” Rivera said.  “Mike and his guys said they were going to go back and take a look at it and Mike told me they really wanted to do it so we did it.  He came to me and said, ‘Look, Coach, this is what I want to incorporate and this is why.’  Mike’s reasoning and his thought process is right on and I was really excited to hear, ‘Let’s take a look at some of these other concepts, somebody else’s ideas.  It’s going to help the team, let’s do it.’  I was really excited to hear that.”

Other owners who are or may be looking for a new head coach could be excited to hear that, too.  The flexibility and creativity hatched by Shula and nurtured by Rivera is the kind of thing that turns a 1-3 start into a 9-3 stretch run.  And it’s the kind of thing that could get Shula onto the interview list for the multiple openings that inevitably will arise in less than a month.

AP

The Raiders ruled out seven members of their team on Friday, leaving them without much in the way of healthy depth heading into Sunday’s game with the Jets. 

Oakland remedied that on Saturday by placing a couple of players on injured reserve and adding three new players to the roster. The Raiders shut safety Usama Young and linebacker Kaluka Maiava down for the season and released defensive lineman Brian Stanford for the additions from the practice squad. 

Young has a neck injury, ending a season that saw him pick up 2.5 sacks and an interception in 12 games out of the Raiders secondary. Maiava played in nine games and had 25 tackles before a rib injury brought a year to an end. 

The Raiders signed cornerback Chance Casey, safety Shelton Johnson and linebacker Marshall McFadden from their practice squad. 

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Philly’s defense has held its opponents to 21 points or less in eight straight games.  The Lions would be very happy to do that on Sunday to the Eagles’ offense.

In an effort to slow down Chip Kelly’s attack, the Lions will unfurl a “no-huddle defense.”

“We tried to tempo that this week, and I think we got a good look at it,” linebacker Ashlee Palmer said Friday, via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.  “On defense this week, we had like a no-huddle.

“The coaches, they didn’t give us the defensive play until the offense was on the line getting ready to snap the ball.  It makes you communicate and talk to everybody around.”

The obvious goal?  Get the defense ready to deal with the fast-paced Philly attack.

“The way we’ve done things I think is the right approach,” defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. “We tried to really pressure the defense with different calls, different formations.”

Preparing for the different calls and different formations against the Detroit scout team is one thing.  Facing it in the December elements is another.

So while the Lions can nail down their first division title in 20 years with three wins down the stretch, the first of the last four games could be the hardest.

AP

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck isn’t accustomed to playing in the cold. But he says he’s ready for it.

The Colts play today in Cincinnati, one of several frigid cities hosting NFL games, where the forecast calls for a high of 32 and a mix of wintry precipitation this afternoon. Luck says he’s eager for that.

“I probably haven’t played in snow since I was throwing a football around as a kid, so I’m very excited about it,” Luck said, via the Associated Press. “I love playing outside. I think there’s something about it that’s fun, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Luck said he thinks he can handle the weather by ignoring it.

“I don’t think you want to think about it too much, in a sense,” he said. “I think when you start thinking about that, you’re thinking about the wrong things.”

Luck just wants to think about battling Cincinnati’s defense, and not battling the weather.

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As the Seahawks face the 49ers at Candlestick Park for the final time, police will be there.  Again.

According to KTVU-TV, officers will be wearing both Seahawks jerseys and 49ers jerseys.

“Energized fans going at each other — totally in bounds, no problem,” San Francisco Chief of Police Greg Suhr said, via KTVU.  “If somebody handles somebody, it could well be a San Francisco police officer.  You don’t wanna spend the game that you spent a lot of money on a ticket in one of our padded wagons or substation or jail.”

Police started wearing the colors of the visiting team during the 2011 playoffs.  Last year, 355 fans were ejected from Candlestick Park.  There were 53 alcohol-related incidents and 14 felony arrests.We’ve got a feeling there could be more than 14 felony arrests on Sunday alone.

AP

As the calendar creeps deeper into December, the weather becomes more and more of a factor in several cities.

Which is fitting because, in eight weeks, Super Bowl XLVIII will be played outdoors in New York (OK, New Jersey).

For Week 14, weather could be a factor in Baltimore,  Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Green Bay, Washington, and Denver.  (All forecast info comes from the hour-by-hour forecasts for each city at Weather.com.)

In Baltimore, where the Ravens host the Vikings, the forecast calls for temperatures in the low 30s and snow.  The wind is projected to be under 10 miles per hour.

In Philadelphia, snow could arrive for the second half of the Lions-Eagles game.  Temperatures will be in the low 30s, with light winds.

On the other side of the Commonwealth, light snow and temperatures in the high 20s will be present throughout the game between the Dolphins and Steelers.  The wind is predicted to be in the range of 11 miles per hour.  (While hardly South Florida conditions, it’s a major improvement over the 2007 non-bouncing-punt game between the same two teams.)

In Cincinnati, light snow will turn to freezing drizzle during the game between the Colts and the Bengals, with temperatures hovering near freezing.  The wind will be in the range of 10 miles per hour.

In Green Bay, the Falcons (unlike last Sunday) won’t get to swap a road game in the elements for a dome game.  When Atlanta faces the Packers snow will be falling at Lambeau Field and the tundra will be, well, tundra, with temperatures in the teens.

In Washington (OK, Landover), snow will give way to a wintry mix, with the temperature holding steady at 32 and the winds under 10 miles per hour.

Finally, the Titans won’t get their wish for snow in Denver.  While it’ll be sunny, it also will be cold for the game against the Broncos, with a temperature in the teens and light winds.

For Browns-Patriots in Foxboro and Raiders-Jets in New York (OK, New Jersey), the temperature will be in the low 30s but no precipitation or significant wind is in the forecast.

To any of the men attending any of these games, it’s once again three-sock time. For everyone enjoying the games at home, the third sock is optional.

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As the 7-5 Eagles prepare to host the 7-5 Lions, the home team boasts an impressive stretch of defensive performances over the last eight games.

Since giving up 52 points to the Broncos in Week Four, the Eagles haven’t surrendered more than 21 points in eight straight games.

It’s the longest such streak in the NFL.  For any team.

And still the bulk of the attention and discussion in Philly focuses on the team’s offense and, specifically, it’s quarterback.  For that reason, we devoted a chunk of Friday’s PFT Live to the man who has emerged as the quarterback of the Philly defense:  Linebacker DeMeco Ryans.

AP

Numerous Nevada sports books have made the 49ers 2.5-point favorites over the visiting Seahawks on Sunday in San Francisco, according to multiple line-monitoring websites.

If you did a double-take seeing 11-1 Seattle as an underdog, you couldn’t be blamed.

According to “The Linemakers” of Sporting News, only the Seahawks and Broncos had been favored in each of their first 12 games.

The Broncos are currently big favorites against the Titans on Sunday, so their favoritism streak looks safe.

The Seahawks were last underdogs in the 2012 divisional round at Atlanta. They fell 30-28 to the Falcons, who were three-point favorites.

AP

The last time the 49ers played the Seahawks, they didn’t have receiver Michael Crabtree.  And the Niners lost, 29-3.

This time, Crabtree is back.  And he thinks it will lead to an improved outcome for San Francisco.

“Now it’s different.  New day, new game,” Crabtree said Friday, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.

Tight end Vernon Davis agrees.

“They’re definitely going to have to make changes,” Davis said.  “We’ve got Crabtree back and have pretty much all our weapons.  It’s going to be exciting and interesting to see the changes they make to stop us.  They can’t leave us one-on-one the whole time.”

Of course, the 49ers had Crabtree when the two teams played last December.  And they still lost big, 42-13.  Crabtree had four catches for 65 yards.

Earlier in the season, Crabtree had four catches for 31 yards in a 13-6 win.

“I can’t wait to go out there and do what I can do,” Crabtree said. “This week is a big week for us. With that [11-1] record, you’re supposed to be the top team in the NFL.  We’ll see on Sunday.”

Yes we will.  But the outcome may not be what Crabtree assumes it will be.

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Several former Cowboys who currently work for the Bears recently took a shot at America’s Team regarding the perception that the franchise is about more than football.

“It’s a little bit more like Hollywood,” former Cowboys and current Bears special-teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said recently, via Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.  “[H]ere it’s a little bit more, probably a little tamer.  But they’re both great organizations, and both have had a lot of storied tradition and championships.  That’s the main thing.”

Former Cowboys defensive lineman Jay (now Jeremiah) Ratliff agreed.

“Here, it is all about football,” Ratliff said of the Bears.  “You can really just focus on your craft.  Focus on what it is you do.  And no matter what’s going on, you never forget what you’re here for.  That’s a good thing.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones isn’t bothered by the comments.

“I don’t know how I would take exception with their perception,” Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan Dallas/Fort Worth.  “They get those checks to play football. . . . I understand. I have heard that since I bought the franchise that the Cowboys were about glitz and glitter. . . . The glitz and glitter though have got to be able to kick their you-know-what on the football field or it doesn’t make it fun anymore.”

As the quotes go, we saved the best for last.  Enter former Cowboys and current Bears tight end Martellus Bennett.

“I mean, I’m a Hollywood person,” Bennett said, via Wright.  “I would agree with [DeCamillis and Ratliff].  Since I’ve been born, I’ve been meant to be on Disney.  But they don’t really like to take too many kids from the ‘hood and put them on Disney nowadays.”

Monday night, Bennett will be on Disney.  Specifically, on a network owned by Disney, on a program known as Monday Night Football.

And when it comes to TV ratings, the NFL currently does better than anything Hollywood has to offer.