March 2014 - Football Wiretap

Prosecutors Leaning Against Charges For Ray McDonald

Nov 18, 2014 8:36 PM

Santa Clara County prosecutors are leaning against charging Ray McDonald with domestic violence in connection with his widely publicized arrest on suspicion of roughing up his pregnant fiancee, sources familiar with the case said Thursday.

McDonald's supporters have long insisted that the defensive end is a gentle giant who was merely putting up mild resistance Aug. 31 to ward off a physical attack by his fiancee. In late May, the woman grabbed a gun during an argument the couple had and left the house when McDonald threatened to call police. Officers responded to the call, but no arrests were made.

Tracey Kaplan/Mercury News

Tags: San Francisco 49ers, Suspension

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Dez Bryant, Joseph Randle Have Confrontation At Practice

Nov 3, 2014 4:56 PM

Dez Bryant and Joseph Randle had a confrontation during the Friday practice for the Dallas Cowboys.

Jason Witten intervened and told Randle to "shut up."

“Dez didn’t miss no games for smacking his momma,” Randle said during his booking on the theft charges, referencing Bryant’s 2012 arrest on family violence charges following an altercation with his mother.

Darin Gantt/Pro Football Talk

Tags: Dallas Cowboys

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10 GMs, 34 Scouts In Attendance For Florida State Game

Nov 22, 2014 10:56 PM

There were 10 general managers and 34 NFL scouts in attendance for Florida State's Thursday game against Louisville.

Jameis Winston ranks slightly behind Marcus Mariota in terms of pure talent, but his off-field issues have produced a wide variance in the opinions of NFL talent evaluators.

The St. Louis Rams, Tama Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans all appear to be in the quarterback market for next year's draft and had their GM's in attendance. The Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns also sent their GMs.

Pete Thamel/Sports Illustrated

Tags: Draft, Draft Misc

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Griffin Won't Try To Be Normal QB Returning From Injury

Nov 5, 2014 12:18 PM

Robert Griffin III will start at quarterback for Washington this week against the Minnesota Vikings.

Griffin is coming back from a non-contact ankle injury.

“I’m ready to go, ready to play, get back out there with the guys and have fun. That’s what it is,” Griffin said. “God didn’t put us on this earth to be normal. So I’m not gonna go out there and try to be a normal quarterback. I’m gonna go out there and be the quarterback he’s called me to be.”

Josh Alper/Pro Football Talk

Tags: Washington Football Team

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Carroll Recruited DeMarco Murray To USC As Defensive Back

Oct 31, 2014 11:27 PM

Pete Carroll recruited DeMarco Murray to play at USC as a defensive back.

Murray was coming out of high school as a star running back and decided instead to attend Oklahoma where he followed in the footsteps of Adrian Peterson.

"Pete probably could have made him an NFL corner because DeMarco is so long and athletic," recalled his high school coach, David White. "DeMarco was curious and interested about it, but he really wanted a shot at running back, and USC had three or four guys committed already. He just wanted a real chance to see if he could make it at the next level at running back."

Sam Farmer/Los Angeles Times

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, NCAA

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DeAngelo Hall Tears Achilles Again

Nov 13, 2014 12:16 PM

DeAngelo Hall, who tore his Achilles tendon last month and underwent surgery to repair it, tore it again this week and will have to redo the surgery, according to sources.

Hall still is likely to be ready for next summer's training camp, though this second injury and surgery will make it that much more difficult.

Adam Schefter/ESPN

Tags: Washington Football Team, Injury

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Greg Hardy Will Miss Remainder Of Season As Trial Postponed

Oct 30, 2014 8:40 PM

Greg Hardy will miss the remainder of the 2014 NFL season as his trial date has been postponed. It was originally scheduled for mid-November, but it will now begin after the season is over.

Hardy is on the commissioner's exempt list.

Hardy was found guilty in a bench trial of assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder, which is now under appeal.

Mike Florio/ProFootballTalk

Tags: Carolina Panthers, Misc Rumor, Suspension

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Khalil Mack 'Almost Unblockable', 'Jumps Off The Film'

Dec 12, 2014 7:01 PM

Khalil Mack has had an excellent rookie season in what has been a disappointing 2014 for the Oakland Raiders in terms of wins and losses.

The Raiders play at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

"I think he's really good," said Pete Carroll. "He jumps off the film. Every one of our coaches, when they break up and start looking at the Raiders and taking seriously what they're doing well, everybody comes back talking about him. He's almost unblockable and he's got a great motor. He's fast, he's tough, he's instinctive. We think he's an obvious factor."

Brian Hoyer last week said Mack was "one of the best players we've gone against this year, and that's a unanimous decision in the locker room."

Levi Damien/SB Nation

Tags: Las Vegas Raiders

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Vikings Want Bridgewater To Think Faster But Not Always Throw Sooner

Nov 22, 2014 10:18 PM

The Minnesota Vikings want Teddy Bridgewater to think faster but not necessarily throw sooner.

Bridgewater averages 2.56 seconds before throwing, just below the average of 2.52.

"There are times where you can just see, 'Hey, they gave us this look -- get to your next progression,'" Norv Turner said. "For a rookie, it pops up, because things are new. ... Sometimes, if he gets off something too quick, he's too early to another route, and then, it's covered, but it was going to be open if he worked there in the correct timing." 

Ben Goessling/ESPN

Tags: Minnesota Vikings

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Mark Ingram Likely To Test Free Agency In 2015

Oct 31, 2014 12:45 AM

In his Week 8 performance against the Green Bay Packers, Mark Ingram finally looked like the player the New Orleans Saints were expecting when they made him a first round pick out of Alabama.

The Saints declined their fifth-year option on Ingram last offseason.

Ingram is expected to become a free agent in 2015 and is still realtively young and without a ton of miles, which could make him an attractive option for teams looking for a running back.

One scout said Ingram is finally realizing his substantial talent due to increased confidence and the late 2013 shift to an inside/outside blocking scheme that emphasizes his strengths.

Chris Wesseling/NFL.com

Tags: New Orleans Saints, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Robert Griffin III To Start In Week 9 Against Vikings
Robert Griffin III hasn't played since dislocating his left ankle in Week 2.

ESPN

Griffin Practices Fully For First Time, Splits Reps With McCoy
Robert Griffin III practiced in full on Wednesday for the first time since he dislocated his ankle in Week 2.

Larry Hartstein/CBS Sports

DeMarco Murray's Extra Effort Puts Him At Risk For Fumbles
DeMarco Murray is fumbling once every 46.4 touches this season as he leads the NFL in the category.

Jean-Jacques Taylor/ESPN

Calvin Johnson 'Definitely Expects To Play' Week 10
Calvin Johnson hasn't played since Week 5 while recovering from an ankle injury that limited his performance in previous games.

R.J. White/CBS sports

Kelvin Benjamin Ran Slower 40 To Be Drafted By Panthers
Kelvin Benjamin was drafted with the 28th overall pick.

David Newton/ESPN

Justin Durant Out For Season With Torn Biceps
Justin Durant leads the Cowboys with 49 tackles.

Calvin Watkins/ESPN

Tony Romo Available To Play In Week 9 If He Can Tolerate Pain
Tony Romo needed surgery last December to repair a herniated disk.

Todd Archer/ESPN

Rams Acquire Mark Barron From Buccaneers
Jeff Fisher and the Rams have acquired Mark Barron.

Adam Schefter/ESPN

Champ Bailey Retires From NFL
Champ Bailey was a 12-time Pro Bowler and was released in the offseason by the Broncos to create cap space.

Adam Schefter/ESPN

Nick Fairley's Injury Makes Contract Situation Even More Difficult
Nick Fairley has injuries to his MCL and PCL and could miss 4-5 weeks.

Michael Rothstein/ESPN

NaVorro Bowman Getting Closer To Return, Running Faster Than Ever
NaVorro Bowman is getting closer to returning to the 49ers' lineup and has somehow gotten faster as he recovers from his ACL injury.

Darin Gantt/Pro Football Talk

Carroll Denies Reports Of Seahawks' Issues With Marshawn Lynch
Marshawn Lynch missed the first eight days of training camp over a contract dispute.

Terry Blount/ESPN

Zach Mettenberger Encouraged By Titans To Cut Hair, Trim Mustache
Fans and media had fun with Zach Mettenberger's wild hair and mustache when he was named the starter last week.

Kevin Patra/NFL.com

Gronkowski: I Like Scoring Touchdowns For Sure
Rob Gronkowski has already scored 49 in his career.

Lee Schechter/ESPN

Jets To Start Michael Vick In Week 9
Rex Ryan will start Michael Vick this coming week instead of Geno Smith.

Rich Cimini/ESPN

Mike Smith Not Concerned Over Job Security
The Falcons are on a five-game losing streak.

Vaughn McClure/ESPN

Lamarr Houston Ruptures ACL Celebrating Sack
Lamarr Houston faces a six to eight-month rehabilitation.

Jeff Dickerson/ESPN

Sherman: Nobody Said Wilson Isn't 'Black Enough'
Richard Sherman believes a report about turmoil in the Seahawks' locker room involving Russell Wilson is 'made up.'

Will Brinson/CBS Sports

Jon Gruden Most Interested In NFL Return With Raiders
According to three sources, Jon Gruden spent round one of the draft imploring the Raiders to select Johnny Manziel.

Ian Rapoport/NFL.com (via Shutdown Corner)

NFL To Play Five Games In London In 2015
There were three games this season with all of them selling out Wembley Stadium.

Daily Mail