Football – Page 79 – North Platte Post Archive

Chiefs Sign Love, Cudjo in Series of Moves

Posted on May 20, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs signed defensive tackles Kyle Love and Jermelle Cudjo and placed defensive tackle Cory Grissom and linebacker Ridge Wilson on waivers in a series of roster moves Tuesday.

The Chiefs also signed defensive lineman Kona Schwenke, a rookie free agent.

The 6-foot-1, 315-pound Love spent some time with the Chiefs last season, and has also played for New England and Jackson. The 6-2, 304-pound Cudjo spent his first four seasons with the Rams, starting four of the 38 games that he played.

Schwenke played collegiately at Notre Dame.

The Chiefs begin a three-day rookie minicamp this weekend. They begin full-squad organized team activities next week.

$60M Texas High School Stadium Closed by Cracks

Posted on May 20, 2014

ALLEN, Texas (AP) — A $60 million high school football stadium that opened to massive fanfare in 2012 will be shut down for the upcoming season after cracks were found in the concrete concourse.

Allen Independent School District administrators say the structural problems at Eagle Stadium need significant repairs that will be paid for by the architectural firm and construction company.

The district said Tuesday that both companies have offered $1 million each to begin the repairs, but that their insurance companies refused to make the payments.

Allen taxpayers approved a $119 million bond issue that included funding for the 18,000-seat stadium. The district closed the stadium in February after extensive cracks were discovered. Consultants hired by the district found further code violations.

Allen won the Class 5A Division I state championship last season.

No Vote on Expanded Playoffs till Fall at Earliest

Posted on May 20, 2014

ATLANTA (AP) — NFL owners will not vote on expanding the playoffs to 14 teams until fall at the earliest.

The addition of two teams in the playoffs was discussed Tuesday at the league’s spring meetings, but several owners and team executives said no vote would occur. There is strong sentiment among the owners to add a wild-card team in each conference to the postseason, most likely beginning in 2015.

Such a setup would eliminate one of the first-round byes, with only the team with the best record in each conference getting a week off at the beginning of the playoffs.

Later Tuesday, the owners will vote on the site of the 2018 Super Bowl, with New Orleans, Indianapolis and Minneapolis bidding.

APNewsBreak: Ex-Players: NFL Illegally Used Drugs

Posted on May 20, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of retired NFL players says in a lawsuit that the league illegally supplied them with risky painkillers that numbed their injuries and led to medical complications.

Attorney Steven Silverman says his firm filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in San Francisco.

The lawsuit takes aim at what it calls the league’s culture of drug misuse. It says drugs were used to speed players’ return to the field and maximize profits.

The eight named plaintiffs include Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent and quarterback Jim McMahon of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.

Players say they weren’t told about broken bones and instead were fed pills and injections to mask pain.

Lawyers are seeking class-action status and say more than 400 plaintiffs have signed on.

Theft Charge against Nebraska’s Banderas Dismissed

Posted on May 19, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A felony theft charge against Nebraska linebacker Josh Banderas has been dismissed.

Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly said Monday night that Banderas will enter a pre-trial diversion program rather than face charges in the theft of seven bicycles last week. Banderas is eligible for diversion because he has no prior felony convictions.

Lincoln police on May 12 arrested Banderas and Nebraska track athlete Lucas Keifer in a pickup loaded with mountain bikes. A witness spotted them using bolt cutters to remove bikes from racks near university housing.

Banderas told police he and Keifer planned to sell the bikes. Each was charged with felony theft. The charge against Banderas can be re-instated if he fails to complete his diversion program. Keifer’s case remains open.

Football coach Bo Pelini has not commented.

Broncos’ Franklin Adjusting to Life at Left Guard

Posted on May 19, 2014

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Orlando Franklin is still smarting over his poor performance in the Super Bowl. Not so his switch from right tackle to left guard.

All 57 of Franklin’s starts for the Broncos, including five in the playoffs, have been at right tackle, where the 6-foot-7, 320-pound Jamaican made quite the name for himself.

He became the first rookie right tackle in team history to start every game in 2011, when he helped the Broncos lead the league in rushing. He led all NFL players at his position by allowing just 3½ sacks in 2012 and was part of a line that gave up just 20 sacks last season.

That group then kept Peyton Manning’s jersey clean in the playoffs until the night the Seattle Seahawks’ front four manhandled Denver’s O-line in the Super Bowl.

Owners to Decide on 2018 Super Bowl Site

Posted on May 19, 2014

ATLANTA (AP) — NFL owners will vote Tuesday on the site of the next Super Bowl, choosing between New Orleans, Indianapolis and Minneapolis.

Next year’s game is in Arizona, followed by the San Francisco Bay Area for the 50th Super Bowl in 2016. The 2017 game will be in Houston.

Owners also will discuss potentially expanding the playoffs by two teams, one in each conference. Commissioner Roger Goodell has said it’s still possible such a change to 14 playoff teams could happen this year if it is voted on and passed in Atlanta. It would require 24 yes votes out of 32.

More likely, 2015 would be the target date for expanded playoffs.

The workplace environment also will be a topic of conversation for the owners.

Caldwell Says He Anticipates Suh Will be at OTAs

Posted on May 18, 2014

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell says he anticipates that star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will be at organized team activities, which start this coming week.

Suh skipped the team’s voluntary minicamp last month. He has stayed away from voluntary workouts before during his career, and the two-time All-Pro has always gotten himself physically ready to play.

When asked Sunday if Suh would be with the team at OTAs, Caldwell replied: “Do I know that he’ll be here? I would anticipate that he would be here.”

Caldwell says Suh has great leadership ability, and to have him back with the group will be helpful.

Suh is entering the last year of his contract.

Saints Sign 2nd-Round Pick Jean-Baptiste

Posted on May 18, 2014

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints signed second-round draft pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste to a four-year contract Saturday.

The 6-foot-3, 218-pound former Nebraska cornerback was selected 58th overall last week.

Jean-Baptiste was a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior last season, when he tied for a team-high four interceptions, one of which he returned 43 yards for a touchdown. He also was credited with 12 pass breakups and 41 total tackles, including four tackles for losses.

The 24-year-old Jean-Baptiste spent five years in college, starting at junior college in 2009 for academic reasons. However, he took a redshirt in his only year at Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College, where he was discovered by a Nebraska coach who had visited the school to see someone else. He transferred to Nebraska in 2010, where he was a receiver until a few games into the 2011 season, when he switched to defensive back.

Jean-Baptiste was among top performers in both the vertical jump and broad jump at the NFL scouting combine. His vertical jump of 41½ inches ranked first among cornerbacks, while his broad jump of 10-8 tied for third.

Broncos Cautious with Second-Round Pick

Posted on May 17, 2014

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — With NFL teams poring over his college film, Cody Latimer went out for a run one cold day in January and felt a pop in his left foot.

An X-ray revealed a broken fifth metatarsal, which required surgery.

That meant he couldn’t do anything but the bench press at the NFL scouting combine in February.

But it didn’t keep him from running a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at Indiana’s pro day in March. Nor did it prevent the Denver Broncos from selecting him in the second round of the NFL draft earlier this month.

It is, however, keeping the Broncos from turning the wide receiver loose on the football field at their rookie minicamp this weekend.