Football – Page 26 – North Platte Post Archive

Manning, Gronkowski on All-Fundamentals Team

Posted on December 10, 2014

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Peyton Manning, Rob Gronkowski and Earl Thomas are among the 26 players chosen by USA Football for its All-Fundamental team.

Players from 22 NFL teams have been selected with guidance from a five-man committee of Bill Polian, Herm Edwards, Merril Hoge, Charles Davis and Carl Peterson.

USA Football, the governing body for the sport in the United States, recognizes NFL players who employ proper technique, particularly when blocking and tackling, which fosters safety benefits and better on-field performances.

Among the other players chosen for the squad are Reggie Wayne, Golden Tate, Matt Forte, Joe Thomas, Luke Kuechly, Cameron Wake, Gerald McCoy and three rookies: place kicker Chandler Catanzaro, linebacker Khalil Mack, and guard Zack Martin.

“These 26 men serve as examples to the millions of youth football players across the nation that fundamentals are vital to success at every level,” said Peterson, USA Football’s chairman and a longtime NFL executive. “According to medical experts, players who master the fundamentals and learn them at younger ages are safer as they progress within the sport.”

The team:

Quarterback: Peyton Manning, Denver

Running Back: Matt Forte, Chicago

Fullback: John Kuhn, Green Bay

Wide Receivers: Golden Tate, Detroit; Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis

Tight End: Rob Gronkowski, New England

Center: Ryan Kalil, Carolina

Guard: Zach Martin, Dallas; Marshal Yanda, Baltimore

Tackle: Jason Peters, Philadelphia; Joe Thomas, Cleveland

Defensive End: Cameron Wake, Miami; Sheldon Richardson, New York Jets

Defensive Tackle: Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay; Kyle Williams, Buffalo

Linebacker: Khalil Mack, Oakland; Luke Kuechly, Carolina; Tamba Hali, Kansas City

Cornerback: Vontae Davis, Indianapolis; Terence Newman, Dallas

Safety: Ryan Clark, Washington; Earl Thomas, Seattle

Placekicker: Chandler Catanzaro, Arizona

Punter: Jon Ryan, Seattle

Return Specialist: Jacoby Jones, Baltimore

Long Snapper: Cullen Loeffler, Minnesota

Conlan, Thomas Inducted into College Hall of Fame

Posted on December 9, 2014

Derrick Thomas playing for the Kansas City Chiefs

NEW YORK (AP) — Shane Conlan and Derrick Thomas, two of the most dominant college linebackers of the 1980s, are part of a class of 14 former players and two coaches being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in New York.

Thomas had 27 sacks and won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 1988 before going on to a successful NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was paralyzed in an automobile wreck in 2000 and died from complications about a month later. He was 33.

Conlan was a two-time All-American. He had two interceptions in his final college game as Penn State upset Miami 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl to win the national title.

The rest of the class is highlighted by TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson, South Carolina receiver Sterling Sharpe and Southern California tackle Tony Boselli.

3 AFC Teams can Clinch Divisions this Week

Posted on December 9, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The Patriots, Broncos and Colts can clinch their division titles this week.

New England (10-3) hosts Miami (7-6) and will own the NFC East with a victory. The Patriots can earn an AFC first-round playoff bye if they win while Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati lose, or win and the Colts, Steelers and Broncos lose.

Denver gets the AFC West crown by beating San Diego. Indy owns the AFC South by beating Houston this Sunday.

The Broncos get a first-round playoff bye with a win and losses by the Colts and Steelers, or by the Colts and Bengals — provided Denver has a strength-of-schedule tiebreaker over Pittsburgh.

Denver also can get at least a wild card with a loss and defeats by Miami, Houston, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, or Miami, Houston, Baltimore and Cleveland, or Miami, Houston and Baltimore, plus a Pittsburgh win.

NFL to Recognize Sportsmanship

Posted on December 9, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has created a sportsmanship award to be voted on by league players.

Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the award Tuesday, with each team nominating one of its players during the season. A panel of former players will select eight finalists from the 32 nominees.

Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin will be on the panel, along with Warrick Dunn, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler.

The eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award when the players vote on Dec. 19. From the eight finalists, each team’s players will submit a consensus vote of its choice for the winner. As in Pro Bowl voting, a team cannot vote for its own player.

The winner will be announced during the nationally televised “NFL Honors” show on Jan. 31, the night before the Super Bowl. The Associated Press NFL individual awards are announced during that show.

Heisman Finalists: Mariota, Cooper and Gordon

Posted on December 8, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Alabama receiver Amari Cooper and record-breaking Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon are the finalists for the Heisman Trophy.

Mariota is considered the clear the front-runner to win the 80th Heisman on Saturday night in New York. He would become the first Oregon player to earn college football’s most famous player of the year trophy.

Mariota and the second-seeded Ducks will face Florida State and last year’s Heisman winner Jameis Winston at the Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Jan. 1.

Cooper helped Alabama earn the top seed in the playoff. The Crimson Tide plays Ohio State in New Orleans.

The deadline for voting was Monday afternoon. Finalists are determined by percentage of votes received from 929 media members and former winners.

Chiefs’ Eric Berry Diagnosed with Cancer

Posted on December 8, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs safety Eric Berry has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease and will begin chemotherapy for what doctors called a “very treatable and potentially curable” form of cancer.

Hodgkin’s disease is a form of lymphoma originating in white blood cells.

Berry had been undergoing tests at Emory University in Atlanta since an MRI exam nearly two weeks ago showed a mass on the right side of his chest that was suspected to be lymphoma.

Berry said in a statement that he will “embrace this process and attack it the same way I do everything else in life. God has more than prepared me for it.”

The former All-Pro safety has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Holmgren, Martz to Coach All-Stars

Posted on December 8, 2014

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Mike Holmgren and Mike Martz will serve as head coaches for the fourth annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

The game, sponsored by the NFL Players Association, will be played Jan. 17 at the StubHub Center.

Holmgren, one of the masters of the West Coast offense who led Green Bay to the 1996 NFL championship, will coach the American team. Martz, the offensive coordinator of the Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf in the late 1990s and early 2000s, will coach the National team.

For one week preceding the bowl, players will receive an in-depth introduction to the union.

Only draft-eligible players will be invited to the all-star game.

Osborne Wishes Riley ‘The Very Best’ with Huskers

Posted on December 8, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Tom Osborne echoed much of the Nebraska fan base with his reaction to the hiring of Mike Riley as the Cornhuskers’ new football coach.

In an email to The Associated Press on Monday, the coach who led Nebraska to three national titles wrote, “I don’t know Mike Riley. I wish him the very best.”

Riley, who comes from Oregon State, will be the fourth Huskers coach since Osborne ended his coaching career in 1997. Osborne, as athletic director, hired Riley’s predecessor, Bo Pelini.

Riley said at his introductory news conference Friday that he keeps one of Osborne’s books on his shelf. He said when he was coaching in the Canadian Football League, Osborne called him to recommend a player. Riley said that’s the only time he talked to Osborne.

NFL Says Refs’ Fist Bump OK After Broncos TD

Posted on December 7, 2014

DENVER (AP) — After C.J. Anderson bulled in for his second touchdown of the day, the Broncos celebrated. So did the refs.

Moments after Anderson’s 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter of Denver’s 24-17 win over Buffalo on Sunday, line judge John Hussey and umpire Carl Paganelli fist bumped after making what turned out to be the correct call.

Bills safety Aaron Williams wasn’t amused. After the game, he linked the video of the officials’ reaction to a tweet that said he can’t win when the referees are against his team.

The NFL had no problem with the gesture.

League spokesman Michael Signora says the two officials were acknowledging good mechanics.

It was a tough call because Anderson bulled through the center of the line. Paganelli helped Hussey determine whether the ball had crossed the goal line.

Williams, Stanton lead Cardinals by Chiefs 17-14

Posted on December 7, 2014

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kerwynn Williams rushed for 100 yards two days after being elevated from the Arizona practice squad and the Cardinals rallied to beat Kansas City 17-14 on Sunday in a matchup of teams that had lost two in a row.

The NFC West-leading Cardinals (10-3) took the lead when Drew Stanton threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jaron Brown in the third quarter.

Jamaal Charles scored two first-half touchdowns on a 63-yard run and 18-yard pass from Alex Smith, but the Chiefs (7-6) were shut out in the second half.

Arizona won a crucial call reversal when it challenged that tight end Travis Kelci fumbled deep in Cardinals territory late in the fourth quarter.