Football – Page 15 – North Platte Post Archive

First 26 Players Chosen for Pro Bowl Teams by Irvin, Carter

Posted on January 20, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — The first 26 players have been drafted by the two Pro Bowl teams, with the remainder from more glamorous positions to be chosen in a televised event Wednesday night.

The players were picked Tuesday after Dallas running back DeMarco Murray and Cleveland cornerback Joe Haden were selected co-captains for Michael Irvin’s team. Houston defensive end J.J. Watt and Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown were chosen by Chris Carter as co-captains of his team.

After Tuesday’s introductory news conference, Irvin and Carter drafted players from lower-profile positions — guards, centers, fullbacks, interior defensive linemen, placekickers, punters, special teams players, and return specialists. The rest will be drafted in an event to be televised by the NFL Network on Wednesday night.

Chiefs QB Bray Tears ACL; Team Signs 19 to Futures Contracts

Posted on January 20, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs announced Tuesday that Tyler Bray has torn the ACL in his left knee, putting his future with the franchise in doubt and creating space for Terrelle Pryor at backup quarterback.

Bray spent last season on injured reserve after spraining an ankle in preseason. The move allowed the Chiefs to keep him along with Alex Smith, Chase Daniel and Aaron Murray. Pryor, a former Raiders quarterback, recently agreed to a deal with the Chiefs.

Among the players that Kansas City signed to futures deals was wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers. The former star began his career at Tennessee but transferred to Tennessee Tech after admitting to failing several drug tests.

He played for Buffalo and Indianapolis. In five games with the Colts, he had 14 catches for 192 yards.

Kubiak Returns to Denver to again help Elway and the Broncos

Posted on January 20, 2015

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Gary Kubiak was all set to stay in Baltimore, where he’d had a terrific comeback as the Ravens offensive coordinator after getting fired from his head coaching job in Houston the year before.

He turned down opportunities to interview for the head coaching vacancies with the Bears and Jets, and planned a vacation with his wife, Rhonda.

Then, his cellphone buzzed.

It was John Elway.

Cancel the sand and the surf.

Pack the skis instead.

“It was just a game-changer,” Kubiak said Tuesday after being introduced as the 15th head coach of the Denver Broncos, where he spent 13 seasons either backing up Elway at quarterback or drawing up blueprints as his offensive coordinator.

“This place is special for me” Kubiak said.

Pro Bowl to have Narrower Goal Posts, Longer Kicks on PATs

Posted on January 20, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — The NFL will have narrower uprights and longer kicks for extra-point tries at the Pro Bowl.

The NFL has discussed changes in extra points to make the kicks more difficult and experimented with longer tries during the preseason.

For Sunday’s Pro Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium, the uprights will be narrowed from 18.6 to 14 feet on extra-point tries. The kick also will be moved back from the 2 to the 15, making it essentially a 33 1/2-yard field goal.

NFL kickers made 99.6 percent of their PAT tries in 2013 and 99.3 this season.

NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent made the announcement during a Pro Bowl news conference on Tuesday.

Detroit Lions, C Dominic Raiola Parting Ways after 14 Years

Posted on January 20, 2015

DETROIT (AP) — Dominic Raiola’s agent says the Detroit Lions have told the veteran center he is not part of their plans next season.

Raiola has played all 14 of his NFL seasons with Detroit, starting 203 games. Agent Kenny Zuckerman says Raiola would like to keep playing, but he’ll have to do so elsewhere. He signed a one-year deal last offseason that kept him with the Lions for 2014.

Detroit made the playoffs this season for only the second time in Raiola’s tenure, qualifying as a wild card. But quarterback Matthew Stafford was sacked 45 times, and the offensive line will now have a different look next season. The Lions picked center Travis Swanson in the third round of last year’s draft.

Number of Underclassmen in 2015 NFL Draft drops to 74

Posted on January 19, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — The number of college players granted special eligibility for the NFL draft has dropped from a record 98 last season to 74 this year.

An additional 10 players, including Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota of Oregon, became eligible for the draft after notifying the league that they have graduated.

The record number of underclassmen who declared early for last year’s draft also led to a record 36 early-entry players going undrafted.

Among the early entries this year are Florida State quarterback and 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, Alabama receiver Amari Cooper and Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson.

The NFL Draft is April 30 through May 2 in Chicago.

Gary Kubiak Signs 4-Year Contract as Broncos’ Coach

Posted on January 19, 2015

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Gary Kubiak has signed a four-year contract to coach the Denver Broncos.

He replaces John Fox, who was ousted a week ago following Denver’s 24-13 playoff loss to Indianapolis.

Kubiak’s relationship with general manager John Elway goes back 32 years, when they entered the NFL together in 1983. Kubiak spent nine seasons as Elway’s backup quarterback and 11 more as Denver’s offensive coordinator, including the final four years of Elway’s Hall of Fame career.

Elway said in a statement: “Having coached on three Super Bowl teams and 11 playoff teams, Gary knows what it will take to deliver another world championship” to Denver.

Kubiak went 63-66 as coach of the Texans from 2006-13.

Super Matchup: Seahawks face Patriots for NFL Championship

Posted on January 18, 2015

For Russell Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks to become the first team in a decade to win consecutive Super Bowls, they’ll have to beat the most recent group to do it, Tom Brady’s New England Patriots.

In an enticing matchup pitting the defending champions against the dominant NFL franchise of the 2000s, the NFC’s Seahawks (14-4) will face the AFC’s Patriots (14-4) in the title game at Glendale, Arizona, in two weeks.

New England reached its eighth Super Bowl, equaling Dallas and Pittsburgh for most in league history. It’s the sixth time Brady and coach Bill Belichick made it in the past 14 years; they won trophies after the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Some Las Vegas sports books had the Seahawks as 1-point favorites; others made the game a pick ’em.

AP Source: Broncos Finalizing 4-Year Deal with Gary Kubiak

Posted on January 18, 2015

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Denver Broncos GM John Elway is hashing out a four-year contract with Gary Kubiak to become the team’s head coach.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement isn’t expected to be announced until Monday.

Kubiak replaces John Fox, who was ousted last Monday following Denver’s loss to Indianapolis in the playoffs.

Elway and team president Joe Ellis met with Kubiak in Houston for several hours Sunday.

Kubiak was Elway’s backup QB from 1983-91 and Denver’s offensive coordinator from 1995-2005 under Mike Shanahan.

Kubiak, who was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator last season, went 63-66, counting the playoffs, as head coach of the Texans from 2006-13.

NFL, CBS Extend Thursday Night Football

Posted on January 18, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL and CBS have extended their Thursday night football package for the 2015 season.

The agreement carries an additional year at the NFL’s option. It was announced Sunday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell; Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS; and Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports.

CBS will broadcast the first eight Thursday night games, which also will be simulcast on NFL Network. NFL Network also will exclusively show the final eight games. The games will include 14 on Thursday nights and two late-season games on Saturdays.

Goodell says the games in last season’s package “made Thursday night a night for NFL football.” Moonves lauds the benefits of the Thursday night package, saying the NFL “continues to be the best premium content in the business.”