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Josh Gordon's two-game suspension is minor when you consider the consequences of the Cleveland Browns wide receiver's next mistake.
According to The Plain Dealer, Gordon faces a one-year banishment from the NFL if he fails another drug test. This means the Browns have to re-evaluate the long-term future of Gordon, and as a result, their entire wide receiver position.
No one is suggesti...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 week ago) |
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Plenty of draft picks come into the NFL motivated by money and fame. But for Buffalo Bills rookie receiver Marquise Goodwin, every game is an opportunity to bring a smile to the face of his lifelong inspiration: his sister Deja.
Physically, Marquise and Deja Goodwin are siblings on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Marquise is an elite athlete who played football and ran track at the Univ...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 week ago) |
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ESPN.com's ranking of the top 20 NFL coaches didn't turn out to be a battle between Vince Lombardi and George Halas, after all.
The cross-platform 22-person committee placed Halas No. 4 overall, meaning it deemed Lombardi and two other yet-to-be-named coaches to be better coaches. Halas was one of the NFL's founders and is credited with numerous schematic innovations, and oh yeah, ...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 week ago) |
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ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Dennis Allen knows there is much intrigue about his quarterback situation.
Still, the Oakland Raiders’ head coach is not in a hurry to see it play out.
“We haven’t really even had a full practice,” Allen said. “We have three-plus months till the season starts. All the guys have a lot to work to do. But we have time. I don’t have to make any ...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 week ago) |
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Ravens took one of their final off-season salutes Friday night as players received their Super Bowl championship rings during an opulent private ceremony inside the Ravens' field house.
It was a time to reminisce, celebrate and pay tribute to an unforgettable championship run that featured big plays by quarterback Joe Flacco and clutch stops by the defense.
Owner St...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 week ago) |
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Quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the top pick in the 2007 draft who's been out of the league for three years, showed up at the expected weight and displayed a "big arm" and "good, positive demeanor" during a Friday workout for the Chicago Bears, sources told ESPNChicago.com, but the team is unlikely to offer him a contract.
Russell looked a bit rusty but was solid overall, t...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 week ago) |
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The Cleveland Browns' owner is under federal investigation. Their franchise running back is sidelined with another injury. And their top wide receiver just got suspended for violating the NFL substance abuse policy.
But, wait, wide receiver Josh Gordon has an explanation for why he was suspended two games and docked an additional two game checks by the NFL.
"In February, I was diagnose...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 week ago) |
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In the video above, Mike Golic and Ryan Ruocco react to Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth's statement that he would quit if he was on a franchise that moved to London.
"I would hope that I was financially able to quit," Whitworth said.
Whitworth believes he isn't the only one who would object to playing overseas.
"I don't see that a lot of guys would want t...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 week ago) |
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When he was considering how to use the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL draft, new Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey was not worried about age-old conventions.
He was looking for the best player available, NFL principles be damned. After the Chiefs took Central Michigan left tackle Eric Fisher and did not trade left tackle Branden Albert to Miami during draft week, they quickly...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 weeks ago) |
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Perhaps no one coach or front-office executive left a bigger footprint in the AFC East than Bill Parcells. The 2013 Hall of Fame entrant had high-ranking positions with three of the four franchises in the division. His success at various places earned Parcells the No. 11 spot on ESPN.com's all-time NFL coaching list.
Parcells was a rare breed in the NFL, because he was both a very good coach...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 weeks ago) |
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- For their 17 years in Baltimore, this was Ray Lewis' defense. Now, as the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens completed the second week of offseason workouts, this has become a doughnut defense. That is, one with a hole in the middle of it.
Rolando McClain retired before he even practiced for the Ravens. Second-round pick Arthur Brown is sidelined but hopes to return by...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 weeks ago) |
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- There will come a time in Nashville when, even though he is so incredibly quotable, we won’t race to post what safety Bernard Pollard has to say.
We are not yet close to that time.
Pollard is a one-dimensional player -- you like him coming forward, not moving backward. He is a starter, but probably not a three-down player.
The Titans brought him in to be part of their ...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 weeks ago) |
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In June 2012, the New England Patriots signed Rob Gronkowski to a six-year, $53 million extension. The move made sense at the time for the former AFC champs, because Gronkowski was coming off a record-setting year with 90 receptions, 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns. Therefore, the Patriots didn't hesitate to sign him to the richest contract for a tight end in NFL history.
But just one year lat...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 weeks ago) |
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We've spent a good part of this week discussing feuds of varying degrees, from the dissipating animosity between Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers to the now-healed relationship between Mike Ditka and the Chicago Bears. Those situations have me thinking: Is there any healing to do between the Bears and now-retired linebacker Brian Urlacher
Here's what we know: Urlacher was an...
ESPN NFL Nation (4 weeks ago) |
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Herm Edwards breaks down how Dwight Freeney could help the Chargers. The NFL32 crew discuss the hard hitters of the NFL past and present.
ESPN NFL Nation (1 month ago) |
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If there was any doubt about the immediate future of quarterback Mark Sanchez with the New York Jets, all questions should've been answered on Wednesday.
Sanchez and his $8.25 million guaranteed salary will remain in New York through the entire 2013 season. Veteran quarterback David Garrard’s decision to walk away from the Jets due to a balky knee sealed any possibility of New York rel...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 month ago) |
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The Tennessee Titans could still add John Abraham or Israel Idonije to their group of defensive ends.
The issue is the same as it is for most free agents -- how much opportunity will one of them find in Tennessee, and for how much money
Currently the Titans' top three pass-rushers are starting ends Derrick Morgan and Kamerion Wimbley and outside linebacker Akeem Ayers. Ayers began to blitz ...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 month ago) |
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Miami Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace said this week that his new quarterback -- Ryan Tannehill -- can be just as good as his old quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger.
That is a lofty comparison of a second-year player to a two-time Super Bowl champion. But if anyone would know, it’s Wallace. He spent four years with Roethlisberger and worked out with Tannehill extensively this offseason.
...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 month ago) |
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When inside linebacker Rolando McClain was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest 10 days after signing with the Baltimore Ravens, this told me that he wasn't committed to playing in the NFL. A month later, it looks like this was the case.
McClain abruptly announced his retirement at the age of 23, ending a bizarre 33-day career with the Ravens. Getting arrested th...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 month ago) |
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Steelers safety Ryan Clark breaks down Pittsburgh's offseason moves. The NFL32 crew discuss whether the Cowboys can compete in the NFC East.
ESPN NFL Nation (1 month ago) |
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NFL draft picks get all sorts of advice entering the big night. Some of it is smart. Some of it is crushingly bad. And then there is the suggestion Detroit Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah received.
Friends who had seen Ansah wear 3D glasses around the BYU campus dared him to take his style game to another level. Wear them on national television as you walk across the stage at Radio City Music Hal...
ESPN NFL Nation (1 month ago) |
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It was quite apparent that every team in the AFC North had a specific plan in this year's draft, and each one differed greatly.
The defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens wanted to rebuild the defense, using their first four picks for that side of the ball. It started with Florida safety Matt Elam at the bottom of the first round.
The Cincinnati Bengals believed the key to taking th...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 months ago) |
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How top-heavy was the 2013 draft in the NFC North We welcomed more players in the first round (six) than in the second and third rounds combined (four), the result of two big trades.
With the 2013 affair basically in the books, let's take a closer look at its highs and lows. So much happened that we might not get to the relatively rare occurrence of two punters being drafted.
Onward:
BEST ...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 months ago) |
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Leave it to Manti Te'o to overshadow the No. 1 pick in the draft.
The 2013 NFL draft began when the Kansas City Chiefs took athletic Central Michigan tackle Eric Fisher with the No. 1 pick. It was a great pick, and Fisher has a chance to be a stalwart for years to come.
However, the selection of Fisher was not the story of the draft weekend in the AFC West. The headline-stealing pick came a...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 months ago) |
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The draft started off heavy in the NFC East, as the three teams with first-round picks this year used them on offensive linemen. And while there were a few little surprises and treats along the way, it never really got hot. All four of the division's teams had workmanlike drafts that balanced need and value and didn't stray into any of the juicy storylines. No Manti Te'o, Geno Smith...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 months ago) |
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Jason Taylor breaks down the game to watch in Week 1 of the 2013 season, and the NFL32 crew discusses the Cincinnati Bengals' draft needs.
ESPN NFL Nation (2 months ago) |
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James Harrison won't bring double-digit sacks to the Cincinnati Bengals. He won't bring a familiarity with a 4-3 defense like Karlos Dansby would.
So what can Who Dey Nation expect from the ex-Steelers outside linebacker A whole lot of attitude.
It's easy to pick apart this addition and why the Bengals should have chosen Dansby as their strong-side linebacker, from Harrison's...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 months ago) |
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This week's discussion about the NFL gameday experience, specifically the impact of drunk andor aggressive behavior, opened the proverbial floodgate. Many of you sent detailed descriptions of encounters that ranged from uncomfortable to dangerous in NFL stadiums, and I thought it was worth passing some of them along to help flesh out an an important -- but not easily fixable -- problem.
To b...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 months ago) |
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Earlier this week, I posed a number of NFC North-centric draft scenarios to Scouts Inc.'s Steve Muench. Friday, I got the chance to do the same with ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay.
I'm going to spread McShay's answers over a few posts, but we'll start with his take on the middle linebacker situation after Georgia's Alec Ogletree. If Ogletree is drafted before the Chicago ...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 months ago) |
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The Buffalo Bills visited with three additional NFL draft prospects on Friday. According to the team website, Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones and Connecticut tight end Ryan Griffin at the team headquarters.
Jarvis Jones is the only first-round prospect of the group. Buffalo will use a lot more 3-4 looks under new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. The o...
ESPN NFL Nation (2 months ago) |