AFC East: Rod Woodson
Darrelle Revis in all-time cornerback talk
"He does everything you expect a corner to do," Barber said. "He hits people. He tackles. He makes plays on the ball. He locks people down in man-to-man coverage. ... But he had no interceptions this year. Largely on reputation right now, he is a great, great corner. But he doesn't make a whole bunch of game-changing plays."
Barber said his Buccaneers teammate, Aqib Talib, already is in Revis' realm.
Feely gave his perspective as someone who played with Revis for two years.
"No one can objectively say he's the greatest of all-time, but he can get there," Feely said. "I'll tell you why: because he's strong, he's physical, he can play man, he can play bump, he can be off the ball and play well.
"One of the things that makes him so great is he's diligent. He studies hard. I played with him two years and watched him and was thoroughly impressed with him. ... He practices harder than I've seen another guy practice. He gets after it in practice.
"There was a story he told me. I asked him 'Why do you go so hard against Braylon Edwards.' He said 'Because my rookie year he burned me twice, and I want to prove to him every day in practice that I'm better than him.' That said a lot to me."
Barber's all-time pick was Rod Woodson. Feely and Bayless went with Deion Sanders.
The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback, playing for the Denver Broncos a season ago, intercepted Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel.
AP Photo/David ZalubowskiCornerback Ty Law played his first game for Denver in Week 9 last season.Law was a guest at ESPN's Chalk Talk luncheon to promote Monday night's game between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins in Sun Life Stadium.
Both teams could use help at cornerback.
"If I have another opportunity to play and it's the right one? Maybe," Law told me. "If not, it's been 15 damn good years. I won three championships, made a ton of money and I can still run around with my babies.
"If I play it would be solely to win a championship and help young guys. I done milked it for all the financial things I can get out of it, and they milked me for every injury in my body."
Law will be 37 in February, but he spent the summer training hard with fellow Aliquippa, Pa., native Darrelle Revis. Law claimed he still could give a secondary 15 to 20 quality plays a game and help mentor their young defensive backs.
The Patriots and Dolphins fit that description, too. Law lives in South Florida.
"I know I could go in Week 7, 8 and still do what I do," Law said. "But that door is closing, and I'm finally at peace with football. I did everything I could possibly do in football."
He even would embrace the chance to finish his career at safety like Rod Woodson did.
Law has come out of quasi-retirement a few times. He returned to the New York Jets in Week 11 of the 2008 season and immediately was matched up against Randy Moss. Law played a strong game, but Cassel threw a rollout dart to Moss, who needed to make a phenomenal sideline catch to beat Law for a late touchdown.
That's why he considers his last play "a little getback for when he got me with Randy."
Law played his first game for the Broncos in Week 9 last year.
He admitted returning to the Patriots would be his dream situation. He spent a decade in New England and won three Super Bowls before jumping to the Jets and leading the NFL with 10 interceptions in 2005.
"That would probably have been ideal because, at the end of the day, you can't lose there," Law said. "You're going back home, a dream I've had for a long time. But that's fading. I've been gone for so long. I was 'OK, that's not going to happen.' "
Law said that when last season ended, Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels expressed a desire to have him back. Law wasn't prepared to commit. He also claimed to have turned down an offer to join an NFC team right before this season began, but the fit wasn't there.
"I'm not waiting on anything, and I'm not seeking anything out," Law said. "If something was meant to happen, then it's meant to happen."
But can Henne be a franchise quarterback?
Solomon Wilcots: "If you're going to be a franchise quarterback in the National Football League, you've got to bring your team back and win games in the fourth quarter. ... Chad Henne has shown some of the things you want to see. He's got a wonderful arm in terms of arm strength. He has great accuracy. But the ability to bring your team back and win games in the fourth quarter, the ingredients are there with time to bake the cake."
Rod Woodson: "The definition of a franchise quarterback is that he has to be able to take the team on his shoulders late in the game, a la Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees. Knowing that they have the football late in the game, the defense is in trouble. I think Peyton Manning has his Ph.D. in franchise quarterbacking. Chad Henne is in pre-K right now. He's learning how to get there, but he has all the ingredients like Solly said."
Muhsin Muhammad: "That's a prestigious honor to hold, to not be just the starter, but the franchise? You have to put in a lot of work, years after years after years to get that reputation. He's got all the tools, but can he put the team on his shoulders? It's yet to be seen."
The project was put together to celebrate the 75th draft, which begins April 22. NFL.com editors got us started by narrowing each team's list of candidates down to the top 10.
Fans can vote through April 18 at NFL.com. Parts of the list will be revealed on NFL.com and the NFL Network beginning April 19. The top 10 will be saved for the draft telecast.
These 20 players, listed in alphabetical order, have received the most votes so far:
- Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys (first overall, 1989)
- Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers (first, 1970)
- Tom Brady, New England Patriots (199th, 2000)
- Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns (sixth, 1957)
- Dick Butkus, Chicago Bears (third, 1965)
- Brett Favre, Atlanta Falcons (33rd, 1991)
- Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens (26th, 1996)
- Ronnie Lott, San Francisco 49ers (eighth, 1981)
- Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts (first, 1998)
- Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins (27th, 1983)
- Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers (82nd, 1979)
- Randy Moss, Minnesota Vikings (21st, 1998)
- Walter Payton, Chicago Bears (fourth, 1975)
- Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers (16th, 1985)
- Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions (third, 1989)
- Deion Sanders, Atlanta Falcons (fifth, 1989)
- Mike Singletary, Chicago Bears (38th, 1981)
- Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys (17th, 1990)
- Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants (second, 1981)
- Rod Woodson, Pittsburgh Steelers (10th, 1987)
Buffalo doesn't have secondary concerns
Ed Mulholland/US PresswireLed by rookie Jairus Byrd, the Buffalo secondary was one of the deepest in the league.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Buffalo Bills are an organization engulfed by uncertainty.
Who will be their quarterback?
What difference will new head coach Chan Gailey and rookie general manager Buddy Nix make?
Will Pro Bowl pass-rusher Aaron Schobel play or retire?
Can running back Marshawn Lynch bounce back?
How will they transition into their new 3-4 defense?
One area that cannot be questioned is the depth in Buffalo's secondary.
The Bills' defensive backfield isn't loaded with star power, but the quality of depth is remarkable.
The Bills ranked second in pass defense last year despite injuries pushing them to the limit. Ten defensive backs started for them.
Right cornerback Leodis McKelvin, the 11th overall pick from 2008, lasted only three games before getting hurt. Free safety Donte Whitner, the eighth overall pick from 2006, lost his job to rookie Jairus Byrd, who tied for the NFL interception lead and was selected for the Pro Bowl. Left cornerback Terrence McGee missed five games with a knee injury. Strong safety Bryan Scott started six games at linebacker.
Despite all that, the Bills allowed only 184.2 passing yards a game and 14 touchdowns. They snagged 28 interceptions, second in the NFL.
Now that's depth.
"I've gone to a lot of teams," Gailey said at the NFL owners meetings. "I don't know that I've ever gone to a team that the secondary -- I'm talking corner and safety position -- is as strong as we have right now overall.
"When I went to Dallas, when I went to Miami, when I went to Pittsburgh they were all good. But I'm not so sure that this isn't the strongest group."
Gailey isn't about to compare them player for player. After all, when he was head coach of the Dallas Cowboys he had cornerback Deion Sanders and safety Darren Woodson together.
"Those are two pretty good players," Gailey said. "We had a couple of other good players, but we were always trying to fill a hole."
Gailey joined the Denver Broncos as a defensive assistant the year safety Dennis Smith and cornerback Louis Wright went to the Pro Bowl. The Broncos later lined up Smith and Steve Atwater at safety while Gailey was there.
Gailey was on the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive staff when they had future Hall of Famer Rod Woodson. As offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins, Gailey practiced against three repeat Pro Bowlers: Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain and Brock Marion.
No, the Bills aren't that good yet. Gailey isn't going to make like New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and proclaim they could reach legendary status. On Tuesday, Ryan said his star cornerbacks, Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, remind him of the renowned Los Angeles Raiders tandem of Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes.
What the Bills do have is a quality starter and backup at every spot. One of only three assistants Gailey retained from Dick Jauron's staff was defensive back coach George Catavolos.
"Even the backups at Buffalo, I'm talking about eight players, your top eight players," Gailey said, "this is as strong a group as I've ever been around."
The importance of depth in the secondary can't be emphasized enough.
As Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz explained Wednesday morning, you can't have too many serviceable defensive backs.
"You're going to play more defensive backs than you are at other positions," said Schwartz, known as one of the NFL's brightest defensive minds. "You're not just going to play four. You're going to play five for half the game and you may even have a quarter of the game when you're playing six defensive backs.
"The other thing to look at is defensive backs get hurt at a higher rate than just about every other position on the field. Other positions have gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. Defensive backs have stayed the same, particularly corners. So with everybody else getting bigger and corners staying the same, it's not a matter of if somebody gets hurt and has to miss a game, it's a matter of when."
Five Buffalo defensive backs finished the season on injured reserve, including both of the opening-day starting cornerbacks, McGee and McKelvin.
Schwartz mentioned another important facet of defensive backfield depth.
"One person in the secondary that doesn't play well makes the whole secondary look bad," Schwartz said. "It's how the whole group plays, and if there's one weak link in that chain, then the whole group can look bad, and offenses are real good at finding that one guy and exploiting him."
Nobody can look at the Bills and call their secondary a weak link.
Versus Revis, all WRs in elimination game
Al Pereira/Getty ImagesDarrelle Revis led the league with 37 passes defensed and recorded six interceptions this season.The Bengals were tied with the New York Jets and driving in the second quarter of the Jan. 9 wild-card playoff game in Paul Brown Stadium. Nine plays into their series, the Bengals had advanced to the Jets' 41-yard line. It was third-and-6. Carson Palmer took the shotgun snap and got foolish.
Chad Ochocinco, split right and with the NFL's best cover cornerback playing him heads up, released to get outside and flew. Not even a single move, much less a double move.
Palmer took three steps and fired a back-shoulder throw to Ochocinco that never arrived. Revis, defending the inside, rotated his entire body counterclockwise and snatched the underthrown ball. He spun once more to gather his feet and dashed 20 yards.
Joyner: Mission Impossible
Today's NFL has its own version of the impossible goal -- create a viable pass receiving habitat on Darrelle Revis Island. Many have tried to establish a beachhead on this atoll but Revis' 3.6 yards per pass attempt allowed total this season has kept this isle uninhabited. KC Joyner 
"When you have a choice, you're going to avoid him like the plague," ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer said. "I was shocked Carson Palmer took that shot. I'm shocked they'd even go there. That's usually a route you use to take advantage of a corner that doesn't belong because you know he can't make the play."
If offenses should know anything about playing the Jets, it's that Revis almost certainly will make the play.
More dominant pass coverage is almost unfathomable. Revis has become the NFL's preeminent lockdown cornerback, drawing comparisons to Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson and propelling the Jets' defense to the top of the charts.
Revis finished the regular season with six interceptions and a league-leading 37 passes defensed. He will be a major concern for the San Diego Chargers' prolific aerial attack Sunday in Qualcomm Stadium.
"I don't like the term 'shutdown corner' because I think that's hard to find, and it gets thrown around pretty loosely," Chargers head coach Norv Turner said, "but I think I might use that term with Revis. He's awfully impressive on tape. He just goes after it, and he plays every play like this game is meant to be played, and he is very impressive."
Woodson wants Tasker considered for Canton
CANTON, Ohio -- Rod Woodson, one of the greatest return men in NFL history, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night.
The rumor that Woodson's still delivering his speech is false.
But while I had him talking at an informal media gathering Friday afternoon at the McKinley Grand Hotel, I asked if he thought Steve Tasker, perhaps the greatest anti-return man in NFL history, should be fitted for a yellow jacket.
"I think it's a great argument to put him in the Hall of Fame," Woodson said. "I think he should be looked at, but right now he's not even thought about.
"You have to think outside of the box when you think of a special-teams player."
Tasker never has been a finalist for the Hall of Fame, but Buffalo Bills teammates such as Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith lobby for his inclusion in the same breath as receiver Andre Reed, who should get in eventually.
"He gets lost somewhere among all that greatness they had on their football team," Woodson said, referring to Buffalo's stretch of four straight Super Bowls. "Steve was one of those vital parts."
Tasker was so devastating on block, return and coverage teams that the NFL created a Pro Bowl roster spot for special-teamers to honor him appropriately. Tasker was named to seven Pro Bowl squads.
"I know when we had to block him and I was a return guy, and that guy was always around the football," Woodson said. "Every time I looked up, I saw little Steve in front of me. He was a little headache.
"Man, that dude, we had two guys blocking him at all times, and if somebody missed, we had somebody peeling back to get him again. And he still made the tackle."
For this weekend, Canton is South Buffalo
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| Bills legends Ralph Wilson Jr. and Bruce Smith were inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday night. |
CANTON, Ohio -- There was little doubt what anyone who stepped to the microphone needed to do to get a reaction from the crowd at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday night in Fawcett Stadium.
Roger Staubach is no dummy. When he wanted to generate more applause for Bob Hayes' family, he announced they were from Buffalo. They aren't, but Staubach knew his audience.
Carl Peterson, the former Kansas City Chiefs executive who spoke for the late Derrick Thomas, made it a point to remind everyone Marty Schottenheimer played for the Buffalo Bills back in the day. Schottenheimer, already an emotional mess from listening to the memories of the great linebacker, trembled even more when the fans cheered.
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And when Rich Eisen tried to tell some jokes about Rod Woodson and heard crickets, he should have just pumped his fist into the air and screamed "Buffalo!" Then he would have gotten a response. A big one.
Canton is the new South Buffalo this weekend.
Fans made the four-hour drive to watch two more of their Bills -- founder Ralph Wilson Jr. and defensive end Bruce Smith -- get inducted.
On Sunday night, the current Bills will play the Tennessee Titans in the annual Hall of Fame Game. It will be the Bills debut for future Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens.
Of the 12,695 fans in attendance Saturday night, a third reportedly hailed from the 716 area code.
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| Buffalo fans were in full force at Saturday's Hall of Fame inductions. |
Not even a steady afternoon rain would deter them. Diehards wearing jerseys of almost every former Bills star you could imagine streamed into town to hear Wilson and Smith deliver speeches in their yellow jackets.
"Certainly feels like a home game," Smith said with a smile after he walked to the lectern. Calls of "Bruuuuuuuuuce" cascaded from the concrete bleachers.
Wilson and Smith bookended the evening. Wilson's presenter, ESPN's Chris Berman, played to the crowd by asking them to recite their favorite catchphrase with him: "No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills."
After Randall McDaniel, Hayes, Woodson and Thomas were honored, Smith went last.
His presenter, former Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, asked all the Bills who played on those Super Bowl teams to stand. Of course, Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, James Lofton and Marv Levy were on the stage. Mixed among the crowd were Darryl Talley, Andre Reed, Steve Tasker, Kent Hull, Will Wolford and others.
Bills fans, who haven't seen their team in the playoffs since the 1999 season, wistfully cheered each name as it was announced.
Smith's speech was wonderfully paced. He paid homage to his family and his mentors. He thanked the Washington Redskins and his agent. He mentioned each of his doctors by name.
Then, about 12 minutes into his speech, when he was supposed to be wrapping it up, he really got started, heaping praise on Buffalo.
"What a ride it was," Smith said before ticking off the accomplishments: four straight AFC titles, the K-Gun offense, the Comeback Game.
"And the record-breaking attendance set by the greatest fans in the NFL," Smith said.
Fawcett Stadium erupted.
"Thurman Thomas, you're undoubtedly the most complete running back of our era," Smith said while lauding his former mates. "My life would be a little less right if I didn't have you to laugh and joke with.
"P.S. I hid your helmet."
Fawcett Stadium erupted again. Without so many Bills fans in attendance, the crickets probably would have resumed chirping.
Join me for Hall of Fame live chat at 6:30 p.m.
CANTON, Ohio -- What a night it should be at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The class of 2009 will be inducted in Fawcett Stadium, and I'll be on scene to chat with you live, beginning at 6:30 p.m. and staying on until the final tear has been shed. Perhaps by me.
I like to think of the format we're using tonight as a mosh chat.
I'll be joined by AFC West blogger Bill Williamson, AFC North blogger James Walker, NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas and ESPN.com NFL editor John Banks in what should turn into a chaterrific free-for-all that will include live Q&A, on-site reports, polls and remembrances about the greatest players football has known.
Here is the scheduled order of enshrinement (with presenter in parentheses):
- Ralph Wilson (Chris Berman)
- Randall McDaniel (O.K. Fulton)
- Bob Hayes (Roger Staubach)
- Rod Woodson (Tracy Foster)
- Derrick Thomas (Carl Peterson)
- Bruce Smith (Ted Cottrell)
The Pro Football Hall of Fame will welcome six new members Saturday when the Class of 2009 is enshrined.
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Honorees Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson, Derrick Thomas, Ralph Wilson Jr., Randall McDaniel and Bob Hayes will be hailed for their accomplishments during the ceremonies in Canton, Ohio.
Defensive standouts Smith -- who starred primarily with the Buffalo Bills -- and Woodson -- who excelled with the Pittsburgh Steelers among other teams -- are first-ballot inductees.
At 90, Buffalo Bills owner and American Football League pioneer Wilson is the oldest person ever inducted; former Minnesota Vikings star guard McDaniel is the only offensive lineman in this class; former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Thomas and former Dallas Cowboys receiver Hayes are receiving posthumous honors.
Wilson chose ESPN anchor Chris Berman, a longtime friend, to present him. Former Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell will present Smith. Woodson has chosen Tracy Foster, a business partner, as his presenter.
McDaniel picked high school athletic director O.K. Fulton as his presenter.
Former Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach will honor Hayes, and former Chiefs president Carl Peterson will salute Thomas.
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Position: Wide receiver
Position: Guard
Position: Defensive end
Position: Linebacker
Position: Founder/Owner
Position: Cornerback/SafetyHis father's son, Rex Ryan does it on his own
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| After success in Baltimore, Rex Ryan takes over the reins in New York. |
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
INDIANAPOLIS -- Rex Ryan doesn't hear much about nepotism these days. His work has spoken for itself too long and too loudly for such mockery.
He's head coach of the New York Jets, thank you, after establishing the Baltimore Ravens as an elite defense and then maintaining it for nearly a decade.
"By me circling back here, busted down to college football and all that kind of stuff, I think I made my mark," Ryan reflected last week at his first NFL scouting combine as a head coach. "I know I earned it."
A dozen years ago, however, his coaching career was being defined by repeated accusations he and his twin brother, Rob, didn't belong in the NFL and wouldn't have been there if not for their father.
Buddy Ryan gave Rex and Rob their first NFL coaching jobs, hiring them as defensive assistants with the Arizona Cardinals. Neither of the twins had been a full-time coach at the Division I-A level, let alone in the pros.
What happened in Arizona wasn't pretty.
"That was brutal," Rex Ryan said last week with a weary smile. "We couldn't stop a nosebleed."
Arizona quickly grew tired of Buddy's act. He was brash before he arrived. Punching fellow coaches, public insults, bounties ... that behavior can be tolerated if you win.
But the Cardinals were losers. The Ryan boys came under fire. They were portrayed as symbols of their father's failure.
As for Ryan, his blatant nepotism is finally catching up to him, and those close to the situation now realize it. -- Atlanta Journal Constitution, Nov. 26, 1995
Buddy Ryan lasted two seasons as Arizona's head coach and general manager. He was fired, and the fact his sons were on the staff played a significant role. He also was criticized for signing tackle Larry Tharpe, whose agent was Ryan's oldest son, Jim.
"It was a nasty time because one bullet got all three of you," Rex Ryan said. "We're all gone. I think dad knew that was a possibility when he hired us.
"The first year, when we had the best defense in the National Football League, he really never heard a whole lot about nepotism, but the next year you did."
[Ryan] hired two clueless assistants who didn't have any pro coaching experience -- sons Rex and Rob. Players fought each other in locker rooms before games. Buddy's defense was 26th in the 30-team league, his offense was 27th in scoring. The only thing he led the league in was arrogance. -- Washington Post, Dec. 28, 1995
When Rex Ryan joined the Baltimore Ravens in 1999, he was trying to prove he belonged in the NFL.
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Rex Ryan drifted to the University of Cincinnati and then to Oklahoma University before he obtained his next NFL opportunity, this time on his own.
He made it count -- and then some. Ryan will be introduced Wednesday as the next New York Jets head coach.
What the Ravens accomplished during Ryan's tenure was nothing short of sensational.
He began as the defensive line coach under coordinator Marvin Lewis and also worked three years under coordinator Mike Nolan -- both future head coaches -- before the Ravens promoted him in 2005.
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Of course, having such players as Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, Rod Woodson and Peter Boulware helps.
The hallmark of Ryan's defense was its ability to shut down opposing runners. Since he became D-line coach they've allowed a 100-yard rusher only 18 times.
The Ravens hold the longest active streak of games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. They have done so 35 straight times, the last being Larry Johnson in December of 2006.
Over Baltimore's past 52 games, only two running backs have hit triple digits.
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NFL Network analyst Rod Woodson disagrees with his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate about what the Buffalo Bills should do about quarterback Trent Edwards.
Kordell Stewart on Thursday told me Buffalo must stick with Edwards, who has been struggling mightily for four games.
But on "NFL Total Access," Woodson said the Bills should make a switch for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs because the playoffs are on the line.
"You treat a quarterback just like a DB, a tackle, a tight end, a receiver," Woodson said. "If they're not playing well, you've got to give your team the best opportunity to win.
"I understand you don't want to play head games with a young guy like this, but you still owe it to your team to give your team the best chance to win and put those guys on the field."
While chatting with ESPN analyst and former Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese on Friday, I asked what he thought about Edwards' amazing drop off.
Over the past four games, Edwards has thrown three touchdowns and eight interceptions.
"People want to talk a lot about the concussion" Edwards suffered in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, Reese said. "I don't see that in the same vein. The concussion probably has come and gone.
"As it is with a lot of young quarterbacks, he's a reflection of what the team is doing well. They're turning the ball over. There's an inappropriate number of fumbles. They're not running the ball well. They're not getting the big plays out of the receivers like they did the first seven games of the season.
"A young quarterback can't carry a team in the NFL yet. He's so young. He's just a reflection of what's going on with everything else. If they could run the ball, then he could play-action pass, cut down on his interceptions the times he's getting hit, get the ball to Lee Evans more."
Reese said he thought Edwards was playing scared by the end of the first quarter of Monday night's loss to the Cleveland Browns.
As for Bills coach Dick Jauron's decision to run three straight times before unsuccessfully trying a game-winning field goal, Reese said, "Heck, he was probably scared to death to throw the ball, too."
Around the AFC East: Porter for defensive POY?
Buffalo Bills
- Jim Corbett of USA Today thinks it's time to count Bills wide receiver Lee Evans as one of the league's best.
- Amy Moritz of the Buffalo News says the Bills need to move on and forget about the loss to Miami.
- Coach Dick Jauron defended his decision to start injured cornerback Terrence McGee last week, but BuffaloBills.com's Chris Brown says all the injury juggling "appeared to compromise the secondary's continuity and effectiveness."
- Former Bills defensive end Bruce Smith is a first-year candidate for the Hall of Fame.
Miami Dolphins
- Talkative linebacker Joey Porter's play on defense this season is making him the talk of the NFL when it comes to a possible defensive player of the year honor, writes David J. Neal of the Miami Herald.
- The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has a Q&A with Dolphins wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.
- The Sun-Sentinel also has the full transcript of Tony Sparano's Tuesday news conference.
- Splitting time over his whole career between cornerback and safety, the Dolphins' Jason Allen has been succeeding at cornerback over the last three weeks, writes the Palm Beach Post's Brian Biggane.
New England Patriots
- Nose tackle Vince Wilfork was summoned to commissioner Roger Goodell's office to speak about a possible suspension for a hit two weeks ago on the Broncos' Jay Cutler, reports the Boston Globe's Mike Reiss.
- Also from Reiss: The injury to Sammy Morris is not season-ending, the running back says.
- The Globe's Christopher L. Gasper says the Patriots' secondary is ready (or not) for the Colts.
- Not incurring a single penalty clearly played an important role in the Patriots' win over the Rams, writes the Providence Journal's Shalise Manza Young.
New York Jets
- The New York Daily News' Rich Cimini says the Jets need a 'quality win' over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
- The personal seat license auction for the Jets' Coaches Club ended after eight days, selling 620 of the 2,028 seats and grossing $16 million, reports the New York Times' Richard Sandomir.
- The Jets placed RB Jesse Chatman and QB Erik Ainge on injured reserve, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger's M.A. Mehta.
- There is a murmuring of frustration in the Jets' locker room over the offensive play calling of coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, says New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
James Walker
Walker joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the NFL and NBA for the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. He's a Temple graduate and Hyattsville, Md. native who lives in Miami.
