Football – Page 16 – North Platte Post Archive

Peyton Manning to Miss Pro Bowl with Thigh Injury

Posted on January 18, 2015

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning is skipping the Pro Bowl because his right thigh injury hasn’t gotten much better in the week since the Denver Broncos were bounced from the playoffs.

Manning calls it “a great honor” to be selected to the game and he’s “always taken the obligation to play in it very seriously.”

He adds: “I’ve believed that, if healthy, it’s a player’s responsibility to play in the game because of what it means to be voted in by your peers and the fans.”

Manning was injured late in the first half of a game at San Diego on Dec. 14 and missed a handful of snaps before returning to play the entire second half. He didn’t miss any more time with the injury.

Mariota Wins Manning Award for Top Quarterback

Posted on January 16, 2015

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has added another award to his collection.

The Heisman Trophy winner was honored with the Manning Award for the nation’s top college quarterback Friday. The winner is determined by a vote from a panel of local and national media, as well as Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning.

Mariota announced Wednesday that he had decided to forgo his final season at Oregon and declare his eligibility for this year’s NFL draft.

The 6-foot-4 dual-threat quarterback led the 13-2 Ducks all the way to Monday’s national championship game, but Oregon ultimately fell 42-20 to Ohio State.

In addition to the Heisman, Mariota has also won the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards for player of the year, the Davey O’Brien award for quarterback of the year, Pac-12 offensive player of the year, and the AP Player of the Year award.

Ex-Committee Member: 4 is Right Number for College Playoff

Posted on January 16, 2015

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Former West Virginia athletic director and selection committee member Oliver Luck says the College Football Playoff should stick with the four-team model because “it should be hard to get into the playoff.”

Luck has started a new job with the NCAA. He had been AD at his alma mater for five years and served as a member of the 13-member committee that set the first College Football Playoff field.

The committee had five current athletic directors, representing each of the Big Five conferences. The Big 12 will need to replace Luck next season.

He says there were no hard feelings from his conference colleagues about TCU and Baylor being left out of the playoff in favor of Ohio State, which won the national title as the fourth and final seed.

Chiefs’ Training Camp to Missouri Western for 3 more Years

Posted on January 15, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs will continue to spend training camp on the campus of Missouri Western after the school’s board of governors approved a three-year contract extension Friday.

The decision will keep the Chiefs heading north of Kansas City through 2017. Their agreement also includes two extensions of one-year each at the option of the Chiefs and the school.

The Chiefs used to hold training camp in Wisconsin in part because of the cooler late summer weather. But they moved closer to home in 2010, striking a deal with the Division II school in St. Joseph that included help with major facility upgrades.

The location also makes it possible for more fans to attend workouts. This past season, the local visitor’s bureau estimated 40,000 fans attended the practices.

Sanders Becomes 10th Broncos Player Named to Pro Bowl

Posted on January 15, 2015

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Four days after calling his season a failure because it won’t end with a parade, Denver receiver Emmanuel Sanders was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl.

Sanders replaces injured Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones.

This gives the Broncos an NFL-best 10 Pro Bowlers, including four free agent acquisitions — safety T.J. Ward, defensive end DeMarcus Ware and cornerback Aqib Talib are the others.

That ties an NFL record set by the 1996 Panthers, who had running back Michael Bates, cornerback Eric Davis, linebacker Kevin Greene and tight end Wesley Walls make the Pro Bowl team in their first year with in Carolina.

Sanders caught 101 passes for 1,404 yards with nine touchdowns — all career bests — in his first season in Denver.

NFL to Hold Combine for Veteran Players

Posted on January 15, 2015

The NFL is adding a combine for veteran players to go with the massive event it holds for potential draftees.

The veterans’ combine will take place March 22 at the Arizona Cardinals’ training facility in Phoenix. That is about one month after the regular combine in Indianapolis for rookies.

Matt Birk, director of football development, told the 32 teams about the new combine Thursday. It will be open to veteran free agents who will participate in position-specific drills, timing and testing.

In the past, some veteran free agents have been included in the NFL’s regional combines held for draft-eligible players. But the new format will serve to isolate and consolidate veteran free agents for a more-focused evaluation.

The league expects to invite about 100 free agents to the Arizona combine.

Lawson, Faried lead Nuggets past Mavericks, 114-107

Posted on January 15, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Ty Lawson had 29 points and 12 assists and the Denver Nuggets beat the slumping Dallas Mavericks 114-107 on Wednesday night.

Kenneth Faried scored four of his 22 points down the stretch and grabbed 14 rebounds to help the Nuggets run their winning streak to five.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle gave three of his best players the night off after an overtime victory Tuesday night in Sacramento. Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo rested while Raymond Felton, Richard Jefferson and Greg Smith started. It was the first starts for Felton and Smith.

The starters struggled for much of the night, leaving the bench to keep the Mavericks in the game. The Dallas reserves scored 62 points, led by J.J. Barea with 17.

Bears Interview John Fox for Coaching Job

Posted on January 15, 2015January 15, 2015

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Former Denver Broncos coach John Fox interviewed for the Chicago Bears’ job.

Fox met with the Bears on Wednesday, two days after he and the Broncos agreed to part ways.

He is at least the sixth candidate to interview for the job. He is widely seen as a strong possibility given his record and his ties to consultant Ernie Accorsi and new general manager Ryan Pace.

Fox was the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants from 1997 to 2001 when Accorsi was the GM. Saints coach Sean Payton was the offensive coordinator for part of that time, and he is tight with Pace, who was hired out of New Orleans’ front office.

AP Source: Jack Del Rio to be New Raiders Coach

Posted on January 14, 2015

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders have hired Denver defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio as their new coach.

A person with knowledge of the deal said it was agreed to on Wednesday, not long after the team told interim coach Tony Sparano he would not get the job. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made.

ESPN first reported the hiring.

Del Rio replaces Sparano, who replaced the fired Dennis Allen and had hoped to keep the job.

Del Rio was head coach in Jacksonville for nine seasons before spending the past three as defensive coordinator in Denver.

Peyton Manning is 2015 Bart Starr Award winner

Posted on January 14, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is the winner of the 2015 Bart Starr Award, given annually to a player who exemplified leadership and character on and off the field.

Manning will receive the award at the Athletes In Action Super Bowl Breakfast in Phoenix on Jan. 30.

Manning and his wife, Ashley, have helped at-risk youth in Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana and Tennessee through the PeyBack Foundation since 1999.

Other causes Manning is involved with include St. Vincent’s Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, the American Red Cross, the Pat Summitt Foundation and the Peyton Manning Scholarship program at Tennessee.

Saints tight end Benjamin Watson and Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck also were finalists for the honor that recognizes character and community contributions.