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TO could have small turnout for Tuesday workout
Terrell Owens is fully recovered from ACL surgery and he's ready to resume his NFL career. But at this stage of the proceedings, the 37-year-old wide receiver may not generate much interest. This is what happens when mercurial playmakers get old. Either way, Owens will hold a workout for interested teams this Tuesday.
The NFL Network's Jason La Canfora spoke Sunday morning about where TO winds up.
"Well I certainly don't see a reunion with Robin in New England, that's for sure," La Canfora told Rich Eisen on NFL GameDay Morning. "I've reached out to about a quarter of the GMs around the league just to say, 'Hey, gimme an over-under on how many teams will be [at the workout] Tuesday.' The over-under may be 2, perhaps 3. It's not going to be a big contingent.
"One team in particular that does have some interest: the Titans. We saw them reach and go for Randy Moss a season ago, they lose Kenny Britt for the season, they know they have a quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck who can handle TO. That may be his best bet. There's probably going to be way more media than teams at this thing Tuesday.
He's in great shape … and I'm also hearing he may be humbled by this experience -- halfway through the season, not much interest in him. … Maybe some of the sideshow that comes with him has died down a bit."
cbssports.com Antonio Gates is ACTIVE for Sunday's game against the Jets. Your fantasy team, which likely used an early-round pick on the Chargers tight end, probably appreciates this.
So too does Philip Rivers who will reportedly target Gates heavily when it comes to the red zone Sunday. San Diego's struggled mightily in the red zone this year, and Gates' injury/absence is a pretty obvious reason why.
Other notable inactives: Andre Johnson won't play for the Texans (as expected) and Julio Jones is out for the Falcons.
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Keyshawn say Gruden messed with his psyche
In case it wasn't obvious when the two tried to co-exist in Tampa Bay earlier this century, Keyshawn Johnson wasn't a huge fan of then-head coach Jon Gruden (transcription via PFT):
“When your psyche is messed with, and you don’t want to be around the organization or team, you just want to do whatever you can to get out of there,” Johnson said Sunday morning on NFL Countdown. “And that was the situation when I was under coach Gruden in Tampa.”
“I didn’t want to be there,” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to be in the environment. No matter we had just won a championship, and I was playing fine the year that I got deactivated, I was doing great. In fact, we had a chance to go to the playoffs. But it was just something about the way I was being coached, talked to, dealt with. Just didn’t want to be there. So for me, I was happy when I got the phone call that said, ‘Hey, we’re going to deactivate you for the rest of the year.’ I was excited. I was like, ‘Oh, cool, no problem. I don’t have to be around this because my health is more important.’ Going into a building and not wanting to be there, it was just a blessing to me to be able to go to Dallas. Heck, even before I went to Dallas I was talking to the Arizona Cardinals. Now think about that. I just wanted to get out of Tampa.”
For what it's worth, Gruden mentioned during the last Monday Night Football telecast that Keyshawn "still won't talk to be" based on their time together with the Bucs.
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NFL memo says coaches will be fined in the future
Jims Harbaugh and Schwartz weren't fined by the league for their post-game handshake antics following last Sunday's 49ers-Lions game. Some players wondered why the head coaches avoided punishment when it's almost certain the NFL would've sanctioned the players for similar actions (and, often, much less). CBS' Charley Casserly explained Sunday on The NFL Today:
"Ray Anderson, (NFL) executive VP of football operations, sent a memo this week to all chief executives, general managers and head coaches. The key line in the memo to me was this: 'Everyone should be mindful of his responsibility to act in a way that brings credit to himself, his club, and the NFL.'
"I spoke to the NFL to interpret this and here's what they said: 'If this incident happened today, after this memo, both sides would be fined. If this memo had existed before last week, both coaches woulda been fined then.'"
Tebow Honored to be Named Starting QB
This week, Broncos Quarterback Tim Tebow will be making his first start of the season against winless Miami. Tebow spoke about his hard work and determination leading up to his first start of the season. The NFL Today's James Brown reports. More at the Eye on Football blog
Casserly On League HGH Testing
CBS Sports' Charlie Casserly discusses the NFL's new approach to handling HGH testing with its players as he sits down with James Brown.
www.cbssports.com
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Bucs RB Earnest Graham injured, out of game
The Bucs headed to England with depth concerns at running back. LeGarrette Blount isn't playing against the Bears Sunday because of a knee injury. And in the first quarter, Earnest Graham headed to the locker room unable to put weight on his left leg. He was untouched during the injury.
Next up: Kregg Lumpkin, the third-year back out of Georgia who has six career carries.
cbssports.com Ryan Mathews, the Chargers starting running back, is questionable to return after leaving with a thumb injury, per my colleagues Jim Nantz and Phil Simms.<br /><br />Mathews, who seems to leave with an injury EVERY week, was expected to get some red-zone action early, but the Chargers utilized Antonio Gates to take a 14-3 lead instead.
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Foster, Texans dominate Titans early
Earlier in the week, Texans wideout Kevin Walter spoke frankly about Sunday's matchup with division rival Tennessee. "We have to approach this game like a playoff game," he said during a radio appearance. "This is, you know, a big-time game and we all realize it. In the past, we've had games like this and hadn't won them but this is different. This is a different year. … We can still do a lot of good things and it's going to start this week."
Well, with just over three minutes to go in the first half, Houston is having their way with the Titans. Running back Arian Foster, last season's rushing champ, caught a 78-yard touchdown pass, to give the Texans a 17-0 lead. Foster has 110 receiving yards on the day and another 68 yards on the ground.
Never thought I'd say it, but Foster is clearly better than Chris Johnson. It's not even close.
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Gonzalez now 2nd all-time in receptions
Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez had four receptions for 52 yards in the first half of Sunday's matchup with the Lions. Just another day at the office for the future Hall of Famer … except that he's now moved into second place on the all-time receptions list with 1,103, behind G.O.A.T Jerry Rice (1,549). He started the day fourth behind Cris Carter (1,101), Marvin Harrison (1,102) and Rice.
The Falcons lead the Lions 17-6 at the break.
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Titans getting crushed, Locker comes in for Hasselbeck
To quote former NFL coach-turned-NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci, the Texans have hung a 40-burger on the Titans and lead 41-7 midway through the fourth quarter.
Tennessee QB Matt Hasselbeck's last series ended in a pick-6 to give Houston the 34-point lead, and in the process Hasselbeck appeared to injure his right thumb. So the next time the Titans' offense took the field, it was with rookie first-rounder Jake Locker under center.
On his first play from scrimmage, Locker was … sacked (of course he was). Two handoffs later, Tennessee punted.
There's been no official word, but this isn't a McNabb-Ponder situation; the Titans are getting whupped, Hasselbeck's nicked up, and it's a chance to get Locker some snaps. Pretty sure that if Hasselbeck can go next week, he'll be the starter.
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Friendly reminder: Mike Wallace is fast
In case you weren't 100-percent certain, there ain't a defensive back on the planet who can keep up with Mike Wallace. He just hauled in a 95-yard bomb from Ben Roethlisberger while the Cardinals' dbacks got a front-row seat for the old adage: Speed kills. It's almost as if Arizona didn't game plan for Wallace, which is ironic since most of their roster and coaching staff is made up of former Steelers.
Pittsburgh leads 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
Broncos vs. Dolphins Recap
Tim Tebow rallied the Broncos for two touchdowns in the final 2:44 of the fourth quarter to force overtime, and help lead to an 18-15 victory Sunday over the stunned Miami Dolphins. CBS Sports' Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots have the recap. www.cbssports.com
Chargers vs. Jets Recap
Plaxico Burress caught three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score that was set up by an interception by Darrelle Revis, and the Jets stormed back to defeat the Chargers 27-21 on Sunday. Jim Nantz and Phil Simms recap the game. www.cbssports.com
Arian Foster's 78-Yard TD Grab
Houston Texans' QB, Matt Schaub, connects with Arian Foster on a 78-yard touchdown reception that gave the Texans a 17-0 lead in the first half. Houston would go on to defeat Tennessee 41-7. www.cbssports.com
Tebow Sends The Game To Overtime
Denver Quarterback Tim Tebow capped off a miraculous 4th quarter comeback by sending the game to overtime, with this 2 point conversion in the final seconds of regulation against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. www.cbssports.com
The NFL Today: Week 7 Postgame Show
James Brown, Dan Marino, Bill Cowher, Shannon Sharpe and Boomer Esiason recap the week 7 games including the Jets win over the Chargers as well as the Texans dominant victory over the Titans.
Cowher on Rams Going To World Series
CBS Sports' Bill Cowher has some interesting views on St Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo taking his winless team to see Game three of the World Series in Texas.
Ryan On Win Over Detroit
Matt Ryan ran and threw for touchdowns to give Atlanta a double-digit lead in the first half, and the Falcons held on to beat Detroit 23-16 on Sunday. www.cbssports.com
Cutler On Win At Wembley
Jay Cutler threw for 226 yards and a touchdown as the Chicago Bears defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-18 at Wembley Stadium in London England. www.cbssports.com
