Month: May 2014

When Robert Griffin III was a rookie, he thrived in Kyle Shanahan's offense in Washington.

Griffin completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns, throwing just five interceptions. He also ran for 815 yards and seven touchdowns.

Shanahan sees some parallels in his new rookie quarterback, now that he's in Cleveland. Speaking to USA Today, Shanahan said there are a lot of similarities between RG3 and Browns rookie Johnny Manziel.

"They're both talented guys who can make plays with their legs," Shanahan said. "But there comes a time in the NFL when they're going to keep you in the pocket, and you're going to have to have that ability to make the throws with your arm and mind. And Johnny, just like Robert, has that arm talent and intelligence to do that."

That's some lofty praise, even though RG3 did not have the 2013 season he hoped for when he came off an ACL tear.

The Browns have often stated that Brian Hoyer is the starter, though it hasn't been a believable notion. Manziel has the tools to be a starter as a rookie and should be given that chance as a first-round selection.

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After NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith criticized the Washington Redskins' team name, a league official went on the record to state that the NFL does not believe the nickname is a slur.

Adolpho Birch, the NFL's senior vice president of labor policy and government affairs, phoned into ESPN's Outside the Lines program on Friday to talk about the issue, which has generated a lot of controversy in recent years.

Birch said the league's stance is that the Redskins' name is not meant to offend.

"The team name is the team name as it has been for 80-plus years," he said. "And what we need to do is get beyond sort of understanding this as a point-blank situation and understand it more as a variety of perspectives that all need to be addressed, that all need to be given some weight, so that at the end of it we can come to some understanding that is appropriate and reflects the opinions of all."

When pressed on it, Birch said, "the team name is not a slur."

Redskins owner Dan Snyder has previously said he'll never change the name. Smith recently stated in a separate interview with ESPN, "The name Redskins is offensive to some and is a slur, I'm not sure that this issue boils down to what any particular player has to say — what it boils down to is the united nation and others have raised a legitimate conversation to the NFL about the name of the team that is entirely within their control."

This conversation with Birch and ESPN followed the Redskins hoping to gain public support for their name by asking twitter followers what the name means to them, and to express it to U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a strong opponent to the nickname.

The public relations stunt backfired, with a large number of twitter users criticizing the organization.

One of the funnier tweets came from the handle @50_MissionCap, which responded to what the Redskins name means by writing, "Being #1 at racism in a division with Riley Cooper."

Cooper was caught on camera using the N-word at a Kenny Chesney concert almost a year ago.

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Aaron Hernandez enjoyed a nice life when he was in the NFL with the Patriots. He signed a $40 million contract, bought a big home in the suburbs and was able to spend his riches on whatever he wanted.

That life has since come to a halt now that he's being tried in two separate murder trials. On top of that, it appears just about all of his money is gone. According to a report from FOX Sports, Hernandez is beginning to have trouble paying his attorneys representing him.

First, there's the murder trial where Hernandez is accused of killing former semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd. And most recently, Hernandez was charged with the double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.

Hernandez's attorneys Charles Rankin and James Sultan filed documents stating that they may discontinue representing the former NFL tight end. The report states that Hernandez is unable to sell his home due to a restraining order and part of his $12.5 million signing bonus ($3.25 million) is in dispute as a result of his murder charges. As a result, he has no influx of money. 

But if that money comes in, then Hernandez may be able to pay for his top-notch defense team again.

If not, Hernandez may be asking for a public defender.

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It's highly unlikely the Miami Dolphins make a move out to Los Angeles, even though the organization's owner is predicing that the city of angels will once again have an NFL team.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross predicted that Los Angeles will get a team in the not-too-distant future, saying it will happen "certainly in the next five years."

That's quite a prediction considering it's been nearly two decades since football was last in Los Angeles.

With Ross predicting this, speculation will soon abound. Three top candidates would likely be San Diego, Buffalo and Jacksonville.

Of course, an owner would have to be in dire need of relocating, as well as being able to foster a working relationship with the Los Angeles government. There are a ton of factors that go into something like this happening, making it reasonably tough for a team to actually want to move to L.A. at this time.

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The Washington Redskins have promoted Alex Santos to pro personnel director.

He replaces Morocco Brown, who joined the Cleveland Browns as vice president of player personnel.

Santos has been a part of the Redskins' personnel department since 2006.

He has worked as a pro scout and advance scout for the past six seasons.

"I appreciate the opportunity this organization has given me," Santos said. "I am honored that I am able to continue to grow within the NFL ranks with the Redskins organization.

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

Detroit Lions veteran defensive tackle Nick Fairley appears to have responded favorably to the team not picking up his fifth-year option.

The Lions want to see more consistency from Fairley.

“I kind of said it’s a good thing, kind of,” Fairley told the Detroit Free-Press. “It kind of will put me into a new contract earlier than guys coming out in my draft. They’re picking up guys’ fifth-year option, that gets me into a new contract. That’s the way I look at it.”

And Fairley, who underwent sleep apnea surgery, has lost weight in his attempt to prove worthy of a new deal.

Fairley is down to 295 pounds, 27 pounds lighter than last year.

Fairley was admitted out of shape last season.

“I eat a lot of Subway and that kind of gets me down to where I want to be,” Fairley said. “When I got away from eating Subway I got to eating back fast food and I got away from it, got back to like McDonald’s and fast food and that kind of put some weight back on me.

“For this year, I’m just going to stick through it throughout the whole year. I’m trying to stay away from fast food and fried stuff and trying to cut out all my soda. I kind of got lazy with it (last) year, I would say.”

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

The Oakland Raiders signed a pair of fourth-round draft picks: defensive tackle Justin Ellis and cornerback Keith McGill.

The Raiders have signed seven of their eight draft picks.

Ellis was an All-Conference USA honorable-mention selection at Louisiana Tech. The 6-foot-2, 334-pounder recorded 102 career tackles with 2 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

McGill had 109 career tackles at Utah and Cerritos Junior College with 12 interceptions, 21 pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks.

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimor Sun

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was cited for speeding over in his Mercedes-Benz over the Memorial Day weekend.

And with Gordon already facing a potential season-long suspension for violating the NFL substance-abuse policy, his passenger was cited for possession of marijuana.

Gordon was ticketed for driving 74 mph in a 60 mph zone.

His passenger accepted responsibility for possession of marijuana under 200 grams with the marijuana discovered in a book bag that had the passenger's identification inside.

"We are gathering information regarding the situation," Browns general manager Ray Farmer said in a statement. "We will not have any further comment until the appropriate time."

Gordon's judgment continues to be questionable as he faces a potential serious NFL punishment.

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh predicts a huge season for quarterback Colin Kaepernick,

Kaepernick has already quarterbacked the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance.

Now, Harbaugh anticipates even more from Kaepernick.

"I really expect that real breakout year for Colin," Harbaugh said. "He just has the look and feel that he's going to break out, more so than he already has. I'm really excited about everything about his game right now.

Athletically, he looks bionic. We all remember the 'Six Million-Dollar Man.' That's what he looks like to me. He's very gifted and he always has been."

The 2011 second-round draft pick from Nevada, Kaepernick has ledt the 49ers to consecutive NFC championship games.

Kaepernick passes for 3,197 yards and 21 touchdowns last season, rushing for 524 yards and four touchdowns.

"I feel like we have a lot of firepower in our corner," Harbaugh said. "I feel like we have a lot of ammunition in our camp. I was just thinking about it the other day, 'It doesn't get better than this.'"

What about a new deal for Kaepernick?

"I'm letting my agents handle all of that," Kaepernick said "I'm out here trying to get better with my teammates. I'm playing football regardless."

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun