Month: November 2013

New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks' rough season in a contract year hasn't included disability insurance should he have a serious injury.

Nicks is dealing with an abdominal injury.

Nicks told NJ.com he considered an insurance policy, but ultimately didn't get one.

“It got brought my way but, honestly, I never really thought about it. I heard the good about it, I heard the bad about it,” Nicks told NJ.com.

Giants receiver Victor Cruz had the insurance last season prior to his big contract this offseason.

“I actually had one in place. In this league, you have to be cautious and aware of anything that can happen,” Cruz said. “In this league, it’s not guaranteed, God forbid, but things can happen each and every week, whether it be in practice and on the field, that you have no control over.

“You just want to make sure you’re taken care of in a contract year when you never know. You just want to make sure you’re taken care of at the back end.”

Nicks didn't want to spend the money, rolling the dice.

“The bad is you have to pay $40,000 to $50,000, and then if you don’t get hurt, you don’t get your money back,” Nicks said. “That’s not a win-win situation in my book. I’d rather keep my money and pray about it and ask the Lord to keep me healthy.”

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

Denver Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe remains in a Denver hospital and is alert after experiencing seizure-like symptoms on Friday, the team announced.

“He underwent extensive testing and is now being treated accordingly by doctors, who will continue to monitor his condition,” the team said in a statement.

Wolfe became ill on the team bus to Denver International Airport on Friday.

He was taken to the hospital for testing and observation.

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

The Kansas City Chiefs placed defensive back Sanders Commings on injured reserve and promoted linebacker Josh Martin to the active roster from the practice squad.

Martin joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in May.

Prior to joining the Chiefs, he played in 30 games for Columbia University in the Ivy League with 140 tackles, 17.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries.

Commings joined the Chiefs as a fifth-round pick this year.

He has played in two games with one solo tackle. Commings spent the first nine weeks of the season on injured reserve with the designation to return. He appeared in 54 games at Georgia, recording 154 tackles one sack, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. He added eight interceptions.

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak said he'll coach Sunday from the sidelines after working from the press box the past two games since suffering a mini-stroke against the Indianapolis Colts.

“Count on it,” Kubiak told Houston reporters.

Kubiak's Texans play the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips served as the interim coach against the Arizona Cardinals, a loss.

Kubiak, whose job could be in danger given the Texans' dreadful season, says he's ready to resume his old spot on the sideline.

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

The Pittsburgh Steelers placed center Fernando Velasco on injured reserve due to an Achilles injury suffered in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens and cut cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke.

They signed offensive tackle Rashad Butler and center Eric Olsen.

Velasco started 11 games and played well since center Maurkice Pouncey was placed on injured reserve.

Van Dyke was signed in November.

Butler has played in 50 games with four career starts. He was released by the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 5. He spent time with the Houston Texans from 2007 to 2011. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round in 2006.

Olsen has played in 17 games with four starts. He was released by the New Orleans Saints in September. Olsen originally was drafted in the sixth round in 2010.

Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

The Miami Dolphins have placed offensive tackle Jonathan Martin on the reserve-non-football illness list, officially ending his season.

He was replaced on the roster by defensive back D.J. Campbell, who was promoted from the practice squad.

Martin has accused teammate Richie Incognito of bullying him and is cooperating with an independent investigation of the Dolphins' workplace.

Martin isn't expected to resume his career with the Dolphins, given his allegations, including saying Incognito, who's suspended, of leaving a racially-charged voice mail on his phone.

The Dolphins have the option of not paying Martin while he's on the list.

He has sought counseling since leaving the team.

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay was fined $15,750 for hitting Cleveland Browns quarterback Jason Campbell in his facemask last Sunday.

Campbell suffered a concussion and won't play Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“I thought he got hit in the face mask right from the beginning and then obviously you see the replay and it's really easy to see from all the angles except the one that the referee had — he's standing behind,” Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner said.

“You'd just like someone to come in and help him make that call. The way it's being emphasized by the league, it should never be missed. And the ones that they've made mistakes on is where they've gone too far. So this one obviously they didn't go far enough.”

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy says his football team needs to win the last four games to have a shot at the playoffs.

The Packers were blown out, 40-10, by the Detroit Lions, on Thanksgiving and has gone winless in their past five games (0-4-1).

“I would think so, yes,” McCarthy said.

The Packers are now 5-6-1 with Aaron Rodgers still sidelined with a broken collarbone.

“Oh, we're in a hole,” McCarthy said. “We felt like we were in the hole going into the Detroit game. We've got two division losses and a tie. That's not where you want to be.”

Rodgers could possibly return Dec. 8 against the Atlanta Falcons.

He's resumed thrown and is cleared to practice on a limited basis.

“I just know when we came off the field Wednesday that he wasn't ready to play yet,” McCarthy said. “So, we'll see how the testing goes. But it needs to be the right thing. I know he wants to play, I know he's trying to gear up each and every week to play, but we'll see what happens next week.”

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.

Denver Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe was hospitalized with an illness while on the team bus to Denver International Airport on Friday.

He won't play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wolfe has had issues keeping his weight up, including a bout with food poisoning during the preseason.

The team released the following statement:

“Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe is currently being treated at a Denver hospital after becoming ill on the team’s bus to Denver International Airport on Friday. After the club’s medical staff examined him, he was taken to the hospital by ambulance for testing and observation. At this time, Wolfe is continuing to be evaluated by doctors to determine the cause of his symptoms.”

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.