NFL refs approve deal, scramble for Sunday return

Fans in Baltimore for the Browns-Ravens game Thursday welcomed the return of NFL officials. (Getty Images)

IRVING, Texas -- NFL referees voted and approved a new eight-year deal with the league on Saturday. Now they all can get back to the business of calling games.

Referees approved the contract by a 112-5 vote, officially ending a lockout that led to a rising chorus of complaints from players, coaches, fans and politicians. The next stop for the refs who gathered in Irving, Texas, was the airport, where most were to hop on planes taking them straight to their Sunday game sites.

The deal came quickly after three weeks of escalating difficulties for league-hired replacement refs, culminating in a disputed touchdown call that decided Monday night's Packers-Seahawks game. With a tentative deal in place, league referees returned to cheers at Thursday night's game between Cleveland and Baltimore.

The tentative contract called for refs' salaries to increase from an average of $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019. The current defined benefit pension plan will remain in place for current officials through the 2016 season or until the official earns 20 years' service.

The defined benefit plan will then be frozen. Retirement benefits will be provided for new hires, and for all officials beginning in 2017, through a defined contribution arrangement.

Beginning with the 2013 season, the NFL will have the option to hire a number of officials to work year-round. The NFL also will be able to retain additional officials for training and development and can assign those officials to work games. The number of additional officials will be determined by the league.

Monday night's game ended in chaos after replacement refs called a touchdown catch for the Seahawks instead of a Packers interception. Many fans and commentators -- and players in the league -- thought the call was botched. Criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league kept escalating, and the labor dispute drew public comments from both President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney. By late Wednesday, both sides had a deal.

"It's all history now," head linesman Tom Stabile said Friday. "For us, it was a benefit. It may have been the straw that broke the camel's back."

Line judge Jeff Bergman said he could see Monday night's play coming as he watched at home. He noticed that players were starting to take advantage of replacement officials struggling to keep control of the game.

"The last play of the game was something that was going to happen sooner or later," Bergman said. "It gave us and the league an opportunity to get together and hammer out a deal that was going to get hammered out anyway."

Referee Ed Hochuli, who led weekly tests and conference calls for officials to stay sharp during the lockout, declined to say whether the replacements made the right call.

"You really don't want to see that," Hochuli said. "You don't want to see the controversy. You don't want to see teams lose games that they shouldn't have lost, if indeed that's what happened. We're not making a judgment on that."

Now, the refs have to get used to being fan favorites.

The officials that worked Thursday night's Ravens-Browns game were cheered from the moment they walked onto the field. The difference between the regular crew and replacements was clear. The officials kept the game in control, curtailing the chippy play and choppy pace that had marred the first three weeks of the regular season.

Officials on Friday said they were ready for applause -- and ready for when it inevitably disappears.

"After the euphoria of the moment wears off, probably sometime early in the second quarter, it'll be back to regular NFL football mode," said referee Gene Steratore, who will head to Green Bay for Sunday's game, one week after Packers players ripped the replacements over Monday's disputed touchdown. "Players will be questioning our judgment, our ancestry. Coaches will be screaming at us. And it'll be life as back to normal on Sundays."

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Fujita final player suspended for Saints' bounties to meet with Goodell

NEW YORK -- Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for about one hour Friday about his suspension in the New Orleans Saints' bounty case that was temporarily lifted earlier this month.

Fujita was suspended for three games for his role in the bounty program while he played for New Orleans. He missed a meeting last week with Goodell while recuperating from a knee injury, and was not granted a video conference meeting with the commissioner.

Previously, Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith, still with the Saints, and Anthony Hargrove, now a free agent, met with Goodell after an appeals panel ruled Goodell must redefine the parameters of the suspensions, showing they were for an intent-to-injure program.

Vilma was suspended for the entire season, Smith for four games, Hargrove for eight.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Steelers' Mundy, Ravens' Reed, Lions' Tulloch fined $21K for hits

NEW YORK -- Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Mundy each have been fined $21,000 by the NFL for flagrant hits.

Reed was fined for striking defenseless Patriots receiver Deion Branch in the head and neck area last Sunday night. Tulloch was docked for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Tennessee tight end Craig Stevens. Mundy's hit on Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey resulted in his fine.

Heyward-Bey was taken from the field on a stretcher and hospitalized with a concussion.

Four players were fined $15,750 Friday by the league: Denver LB Von Miller, Cincinnati defensive back Adam Jones, Eagles defensive end Jason Babin, and Titans DE Scott Solomon.

Miller was tagged for driving Houston quarterback Matt Schaub to the ground one play before fellow Broncos linebacker Joe Mays' hit took off a piece of Schaub's left earlobe. Mays was suspended for one game and fined $50,000 earlier this week.

Denver has been fined more than $150,000 in the first three weeks of the season, with coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio getting theirs for verbal abuse of the replacement officials.

Jones made a horse-collar tackle on Redskins running back Alfred Morris. Babin was fined for the second time in three weeks, this for a horse-collar tackle of Arizona's LaRod Stephens-Howling that was not penalized.

Solomon was fined for a low hit on Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Raiders' Heyward-Bey: No memory of hit, no hard feelings for Steelers' Mundy

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey still has no recollection of the devastating hit by Pittsburgh safety Ryan Mundy last week that left him with a concussion and neck strain.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since being carted off the field and hospitalized overnight following the play, Heyward-Bey said he's seen television replays of the hit but otherwise has no memory of it.

"I don't remember any of it," Heyward-Bey said Friday.

Heyward-Bey appeared to be knocked out immediately after getting hit on the chin by the crown of Mundy's helmet early in the fourth quarter of the Raiders' 34-31 win over the Steelers. His limp body crashed to the turf headfirst and his neck twisted awkwardly.

The game was halted for several minutes while Heyward-Bey's motionless body lay in the southern end zone at the Oakland Coliseum as team trainers and medical personnel checked him out. He was eventually strapped to a backboard and taken off the field by cart before being transported to Eden Medical Center for observation.

Since then, Heyward-Bey has been put through a battery of tests required by the NFL for players suffering from concussions.

According to Raiders coach Dennis Allen, Heyward-Bey has not passed all the tests and has yet to be cleared to participate in contact drills. He attended practice Friday as an observer but is doubtful to play in Sunday's game against AFC West rival Denver.

"He's made a lot of progress," Allen said. "Obviously, he's doubtful this week. The biggest determining factor is we want to make sure that he's fully recovered and ready to go before we put him out there on the field. That's really for the doctors to determine when he passes all the NFL protocol for concussions."

The Raiders are already without wide receiver Jacoby Ford, who was placed on injured reserve two weeks ago, and rookie Rod Streater injured his neck in practice Friday.

This is the second straight year in which Heyward-Bey has had to be carted off the field during a game. He suffered a neck injury against Minnesota in 2011 but did not miss a game.

He's not likely to return so quickly this year.

"So far I've been able to walk, talk and eat," Heyward-Bey said. "Right now I'm just trying to go through the process of trying to get everything right. I'm in tune to what's going on. I don't want to say I've been around for everything but I've been in tune with what's going on."

He also said he has no hard feelings toward Mundy. The two men exchanged text messages while Heyward-Bey was in the hospital, with Heyward-Bey telling Mundy the play was simply a part of the game.

"That's just football," Heyward-Bey said. "I signed up to put on pads and go out there. That's what happens out there. People get hit, people get hurt. It happens."

Oakland tight end Brandon Myers, who also suffered a concussion against the Steelers after getting hit by Mundy, has passed the NFL-required tests and has been cleared to play in Denver.

Notes

Allen said the team will wait until Sunday before deciding whether to play newly signed defensive end Andre Carter. Oakland safety Michael Huff will make his second consecutive start at cornerback. Right tackle Khalif Barnes (groin) and cornerback Shawntae Spencer (foot) have been ruled out. Tight end Richard Gordon (hamstring) was a late addition to the Raiders injury report. Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Officials wanted more respect; now that they have it, they deserve more scrutiny

Now that the regular NFL officials made their point, earned their money and contributed to the hysteria that engulfed the first three weeks of the season, they get what they wanted:

They get to be treated like professionals.

Careful what you ask for, Mr. Official, because you're about to get it. Want more money? You're getting it. More respect? Getting that, too.

But with all of that should come, will come, more scrutiny. NFL officials haven't exactly worked in anonymity in recent years -- their names and field assignments have been printed on the official statistics handed out to media at games -- but until now that section was an afterthought. Maybe we in the media would scan the names to see if our game was getting a star like heavily muscled Ed Hochuli ... or that clown who oversaw the 2008 disaster between San Diego and Denver, a guy whose name is, um, Ed Hochuli.

Before this labor impasse established the importance of having the best officiating available -- and clearly defined the difference between a replacement and the real thing -- we would sit in the press box before kickoff and we would look at the officials' names. But it didn't matter. You as readers didn't care, so we in the media didn't care. Not unless someone screwed up as badly as Ed Hochuli screwed up that 2008 game in Denver, when Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler fumbled deep in San Diego territory but Hochuli misread it as an incompletion. He whistled the play dead, allowing Denver to retain possession. The Broncos scored the winning points with 24 seconds left.

If something atrocious like that happened, OK, the errant official got his name in the story. Otherwise, officials floated under the radar. Maybe a blown call in the second quarter stopped a drive, or extended it. At the time it seemed like a big deal, but by the end of the game, not so much. A lot happened after that -- big plays made by actual players, and the public prefers reading about actual players. Truth be told, the media prefers writing about them, too. So that blown call in the second quarter? We sort of let it slide.

Not anymore, Mr. Official.

You wanted to be treated like big boys, and given how much the NFL suffered in your absence, apparently you deserve to be treated like big boys -- so that's the way it's going to be. You're now part of the story. To whom much is given, much is expected.

And you've been given a lot.

So we expect a lot. At least, we better. Or maybe we won't, not after a week or two of watching the officials closely, really closely, too closely, and then deciding that's not fun at all. They're just officials, right?

Maybe this storyline will pass like so many of them do, replaced by another flavor of the month. A couple years from now, we'll look back on that replacement official nonsense from 2012 and wonder why we cared so much. It was like the Y2K bug or something. Lots of discussion, no real impact. Right?

Wrong. I hope so, anyway. For three weeks, this was all we heard about in the NFL. Any idea who's leading the league in rushing? Three games into the season, who are the top MVP candidates? Haven't heard much about Ndamukong Suh or James Harrison. Are they playing nice?

Nobody knows, because nobody cares. For three weeks it has been all officials, all the time, and for that I blame lots of folks. The replacement refs, whose incompetence led to a series of misadventures. The media, me included but also mean-spirited TV bullies like Al Michaels, for fixating on this storyline. NFL owners and commissioner Roger Goodell for allowing the integrity of their game to be blown about by that replacement official from the Lingerie Football League.

And I blame the regular officials themselves, locked out but not innocent victims. Bargaining requires something of both sides, so deals are reached -- or not -- thanks to both parties. And once a deal wasn't made in time for the regular season, the regular refs used their influence in the college game to make sure competent replacements weren't available to the NFL.

That was their right as union members trying to strengthen their position, but you know what? I'm not a member of their union. That didn't help me, or you, at all. As far as you and I are concerned, the regular refs took a bad situation and made it worse by pushing the NFL into a corner with Lingerie League officials and the side judge whose Facebook page outed him as a Saints fan, even as he was preparing to officiate a Saints game.

This thing was a joke from Day 1, and the joke was on us, and the joke was told, in part, by the officials who are back in business. They bargained hard and they won. They made Roger Goodell blink, and most of the time I would be fine with that. Talk about a bully? Roger Goodell is the worst kind, the kind who judges, punishes and then shoots down the appeal. A loss for Goodell is a win for good, most of the time.

But not this time. This time, the only winner in the standoff between the NFL and the officials was the officials. They wanted a lot, and they got it. They earned it. Congratulations to them for determining their worth, and that's a sincere statement.

But so is this: The stakes just went up. Officials -- the right officials -- are obviously an integral part of the NFL. They will be paid as such. They will be considered as such.

They better be damn good.

And when they're not, they better be damn accountable.

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Los Angeles City Council backs proposed 72,000-seat NFL stadium

The plans for an L.A. stadium are in place, but the city needs a team. (Losangelesfootballstadium.com)  

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles took a major step Friday toward building a downtown stadium to lure an NFL team back to the nation's second most populous city, despite questions about how a 72,000-seat venue in the city's urban core would impact notorious freeway traffic, nearby housing prices and air quality.

The 12-0 vote by City Council came after starkly contrasting predictions about what the $1.5 billion project would mean for an economically troubled city that has fretted over the loss of professional football since the Raiders and Rams fled Southern California in 1994.

Supporters said the deal with developer Anschutz Entertainment Group would create thousands of jobs, a hub of civic pride and new tax dollars for cash-starved City Hall, while critics warned that affordable housing would vanish in the neighborhood while traffic would come to a virtual standstill on game days.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement after the vote that it demonstrates "what we can accomplish when the city family joins together with private partners in a transformational development."

"This is truly a game changer for Los Angeles," Villaraigosa said.

The vote was overshadowed by the recent announcement that AEG was seeking a new owner, though company officials have assured City Hall the stadium plan will remain the same, even if the company changes hands.

The biggest question about the stadium is the most obvious: There's no one to play in it. But the Democratic mayor and other supporters hope the agreement will eventually attract a team -- or two -- to one of the nation's most lucrative media markets.

AEG, also the owner of Los Angeles' Staples Center arena and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, has deep ties to City Hall. Any deal to buy the company, a subsidiary of Denver-based Anschutz Co., would mean a major shift in sports and entertainment in the region and around the world.

AEG's holdings include pro soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, part-ownership of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, and major entertainment and real estate holdings in downtown Los Angeles. Outside the city, AEG owns Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo and all or part of several arenas around the U.S. and in Sweden, China and Australia.

The project, which calls for the renovation of an adjacent convention center, is facing a lawsuit filed by anti-poverty and environmental activists that some predict could delay or derail plans for the stadium, known as Farmers Field. The activist group, Play Fair at Farmers Field Coalition, is challenging a state law intended to help swiftly resolve legal challenges to the stadium, and it also wants AEG to pay $60 million toward affordable housing in the long-struggling downtown neighborhood.

There are some risky assumptions. In a city where everyone drives, planners predict many fans will leave their vehicles at home and travel to the stadium by bus or rail.

A rival group, Majestic Realty, has proposed building a stadium in the City of Industry, outside Los Angeles.

AEG is hoping to have an NFL team on the field by the 2017 season. The company has pledged about $35 million to reduce traffic problems.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Bills backs Jackson, Spiller questionable, could both play vs. Patriots

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson has the team doctor's clearance to play this weekend.

Jackson received the OK on Friday, before taking part in his third straight practice since spraining his right knee in a season-opening loss at the New York Jets on Sept. 9.

"[The doctor] said as long as I feel like I'm capable of going, he's going to support what I do," Jackson said.

Despite feeling some soreness, Jackson believes he'll be "ready to go" Sunday, when the Bills (2-1) host AFC East rival New England (1-2).

Jackson is listed questionable on the injury report, giving him a 50 percent chance of playing. Running back C.J. Spiller (left shoulder) practiced for a second straight day, and is also listed questionable after he was hurt in a 24-14 win at Cleveland last weekend.

Coach Chan Gailey said both have a "legitimate chance" of playing, and was particularly surprised by how quickly Spiller's shoulder has improved. Spiller didn't speak to reporters except to give a thumbs-up sign when asked how he felt while making his way to the trainer's room following practice.

Gailey said Spiller's potential of playing leaves open the opportunity for the Bills to use their wildcat formations.

Jackson's recovery is ahead of schedule after he was initially expected to miss at least three weeks. Jackson, however, has kept open the possibility of playing against New England because the Patriots are a division rival. He added he's not afraid of potentially aggravating the injury.

"There's always going to be a risk, you always have to be aware of that," Jackson said. "But that's part of the game. That could happen this week, it could happen Week 13. So just go out there and play."

On a separate matter, special teams coordinator Bruce DeHaven had his first opportunity Friday to discuss the Bills' decision to cut punter Brian Moorman.

DeHaven declined to go into specifics on what led to the 12-year team veteran being released Tuesday. He instead referred to general manager Buddy Nix, who said the team saw an opportunity to improve the position by signing rookie Shawn Powell, who had been one of the Bills' final cuts before the start of the season.

"I don't want to say anything that would denigrate Brian in any way," DeHaven said. "He had a great career here. He's got a great reputation in town. The move has been made and I don't want to say anything that might be misconstrued as something negative about Brian, to be honest with you."

Moorman's agent, Ron Raccuia, questioned DeHaven's comments.

In a text sent to the Associated Press, Raccuia wrote: "Now isn't the time to discuss Bruce DeHaven, but it's nice to hear that he's done saying things to denigrate Brian."

Raccuia didn't elaborate further.

Moorman and DeHaven never developed a close relationship during their two-plus seasons together in Buffalo.

DeHaven said he wasn't aware of any rift between him and the player.

"I can't speak for Brian, but I know if there was anything there between him and I, it didn't come from me," DeHaven said.

Moorman's departure came as a surprise to his teammates and Bills fans. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Moorman was a team captain, respected leader and popular in the community because of his work with charitable organizations. Moorman has since signed with Dallas.

Moorman's numbers have slipped in part because DeHaven favors more directional punts to limit returns.

DeHaven said he was pleased with three of Moorman's six punts that sailed out of bounds against Cleveland.

Notes

DeHaven said backup QB Tyler Thigpen will take over Moorman's job as being the holder on place kicks on Sunday. CB Leodis McKelvin (groin) practiced for a second straight day and is listed as probable. Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Jets' Ryan: Revis won't go on IR just in case CB could play in Super Bowl

The Jets say they expect Darrelle Revis to have surgery on his torn ACL soon. (US Presswire)

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Rex Ryan has not dashed his Super Bowl hopes -- or the chance Darrelle Revis will be there on the field with the New York Jets this season.

Revis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at Miami last Sunday, but the Jets will wait until after the All-Pro cornerback has surgery in a few weeks to decide on his fate.

"You know what, and I've talked to Darrelle and all that, let's just have him go through surgery," Ryan said Friday. "Let's see what happens when he goes through surgery because there's that 0.0002 percent chance that he could play in the Super Bowl or something, so why would you take that option away from him?"

It wasn't a bold Super Bowl guarantee or prediction, as Ryan has been known to offer in the past. But, rather, it's the coach holding onto the hope that his best player might make an incredibly fast recovery -- as the team makes a deep playoff run.

"Let's just put it this way: My thought is, if you're fortunate enough to make it to that big game and he's fortunate enough to be healthy," Ryan said, "I know our fans will want him playing just like I would want him playing."

The 27-year-old Revis was injured in the third quarter of the Jets' 23-20 overtime victory, falling awkwardly and grabbing his knee without making any contact with another player. An MRI exam confirmed the Jets' worst fears Monday morning that the ACL was torn.

Typically, patients with similar injuries wait a few weeks before surgery but begin the rehabilitation process to strengthen the leg in hopes that that will help expedite the healing after the operation. In fact, Revis' business agent posted pictures on Twitter of the cornerback working out Friday.

While it seems highly unlikely Revis will return this season, even as late as February for the Super Bowl, what the Jets are doing is not unprecedented.

In 1995, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Rod Woodson became the first player to return from reconstructive knee surgery in the same season. Woodson tore an ACL in the season opener against Detroit, but the Steelers kept his roster spot open -- and he came back to play in the Super Bowl against Dallas.

San Diego's Philip Rivers tore an ACL in the AFC Championship Game in 2008, but was back on the practice field for minicamp 100 days later. New England's Wes Welker also returned about four months after a similar knee injury in 2010.

"I just want to take him through surgery and see what the doctors say when they're in there," Ryan said, "and we'll see what happens."

By not placing Revis on IR now, the Jets essentially will be going one man short of the 53-player roster maximum until they make a final decision. New York has not ruled out putting Revis on the NFL's new injured reserve/designated for return list, which teams can use for one player per season. That player would be able to return to practice after six weeks and play in a game after eight.

But for now, it makes sense for the Jets to wait until after surgery instead of risking using that designation on a player who could end up missing several months anyway.

Ryan added that there wasn't necessarily anything the team saw in the MRI exams to give them heightened optimism, but just wants Revis to have the surgery before a decision is made.

"You don't have to make a snap decision and say, `Well, let's just place him on IR and replace him with somebody,"' Ryan said. "Like I said, if you are fortunate enough to get [to the Super Bowl], why wouldn't you at least, if he does well in the surgery and he is healthy for that and is targeted for that, why wouldn't you believe in yourself enough to give yourself that opportunity?

"And, again, I'm not guaranteeing it's going to happen by any stretch."

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Game Rankings: Week 4 isn't a real meal till we get to Eagles-Giants

Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills beat the Patriots in Buffalo last season. (US Presswire)

I must admit, I had a tough time finding a footlong this week, and if it wasn't for the fact that the Eagles and Giants play in the same division, I might not have picked one. But I'm a sucker for divisional battles and this week we've got a bunch of them -- nine of the 15 contests in all ...

Problem is they just don't look all that sexy, at least on paper. Several look like they could be lopsided and the rest feature teams still trying to figure out who they are and what they're capable of becoming. That's sort of the norm this time of year, as we try to determine who the real power brokers are and which of the generally elite teams off to a slow start will get it together soon.

It's also the start of bye season. And it starts slowly. Only the Steelers and Colts are off this week. (Have to wonder with the Steelers a little long in the tooth if that early bye ends up hurting them down the stretch).

So, yeah, basically, I'm a little underwhelmed by this slate. Of course, it takes some time for teams to separate in this league, so maybe my expectations were just too high. And heck, who am I kidding, because we're all going to watch in record numbers and be riveted by the crazy finishes and wild outcomes even if the officials are out of their depth.

It's the NFL, and I'm sure some of these games I'm dogging in the nether regions here will end up being the most entertaining of the weekend.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

Why To Watch: This could be the week Mike Vick gets the standing eight count. The Giants will be watching the film of him getting whacked around, and see those gaping holes at center and left tackle and bouncing off the walls. Eli Manning is playing as well as any quarterback on the planet in 2012, including last year's playoffs, and the Giants know dropping another divisional game after losing to Dallas at home could come back to bite them. Plus, they are rested having last played on a Thursday night, when they dismantled the Panthers, and another super-mobile quarterback.

What To Watch For: Well, besides the Vick/pinata watch, how stubborn will Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweig be in regards to the run game? LeSean McCoy needs to touch the ball upwards of 30 times and they need to stick with the run, regardless of its early effectiveness ... Jeremy Maclin's return is huge, with the Giants struggling for corners and vulnerable in the slot ... Brent Celek is in line for a lot of action as well ... Expect a heavy dose of Andre Brown ... Hakeem Nicks has been huge, and now he's actually been able to rest his nagging injuries for a sustained period of time. Look out.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Used to be a battle to see who would go to the Super Bowl, but now it's two teams with one collective victory trying to make something happen. The Packers should be extra motivated after getting jobbed on national TV in Seattle by the officials. The Saints can't do anything right, like even hold a lead at home against the slumping Chiefs. The loser of this game is officially in big trouble, and if the Saints lose, as most would expect they might, they're cooked. Getting Joe Vitt back in a few weeks won't be nearly enough to right this sinking ship.

What To Watch For: Aaron Rodgers ain't playing around after thrashing the officials on various media platforms all week, and the Saints don't have anyone who looks capable of slowing him down. Cedric Benson should be able to bully the Saints on the ground too, because it's been all the rage this season ... Could be a situation where the Saints trail quickly, which has brought out the worst in Drew Brees this season ... Saints must find a way to stick with the run and try to simplify some things and restore a somewhat physical mindset ... Any chance the Saints muster a pass rush after watching Seattle thrash Green Bay's offensive line?

Sunday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: New England is 1-2 and below .500 for the first time since losing the 2003 opener. And the Bills have been a tricky team for them. Played them close in some shootouts and outdueled Tom Brady at Ralph Wilson Stadium last season. Buffalo hopes Fred Jackson can return with C.J. Spiller expected to be out. New England's offense is not the same without Aaron Hernandez. Could you imagine if Buffalo pulled off the upset? Could the influx of calls to WEEI cause its towers to spontaneously combust and create a blackout that sweeps the city? Never underestimate the power of football and New England angst.

What To Watch For: Don't look now, but Wes Welker is back. Not that he ever went anywhere. And with Hernandez out, Welker naturally becomes a bigger focal point ... Time for Mario Williams to make something happen, and Pats offensive line has suffered lately ... For what it's worth, Pats RB Danny Woodhead averages 7 yards per carry against the Bills and was getting more work against the Ravens last week ... Can Jackson jump back into form after missing most of last season and then getting hurt again in Week 1, in his first game back? ... What kind of start do the Bills get off to? If they are in it early, and Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't trying to sling it all over the place, they could make this a game ... Bill Belichick is just a little touchy these days, and should they lose this one, you might want to keep him away from any replacement refs

Sunday, Sept. 30, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Break up the Cardinals! Will they ever lose a game? Is Kevin Kolb the real answer at quarterback, finally? Can they manage success? They have been one of the NFL's best stories in this young season, and one of its best teams. And the Dolphins have been much more competitive than I thought, adopting a physical approach in the run game that seems to have caught some opponents by surprise. I'm intrigued by this one, which is something I wouldn't have said about it when the season opened.

What To Watch For: Reggie Bush, if he plays, could be a little hobbled, and he has carried this offense thus far ... Ryan Tannehill must avoid falling into a rut with the turnovers -- his mistakes tend to be contagious for the entire offense, giving it up on successive drives. And the Cards get after the passer and have ball hawks ... Miami is mega-weak at corner and Larry Fitzgerald could prove unstoppable for them. Count how many times Kolb just flings it up there for him ... Cards could use oft-injured tight end Todd Heap back, too. Was becoming Kolb's security blanket.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: Don't look now, but the Vikings could be pulling into first place in the NFC North with a win. And the Lions should be desperate after constantly undermining themselves against the Titans a week ago, yielding return touchdowns, failing to kick a tying field goal in overtime that ruined a wild comeback attempt at the end of regulation. Matt Stafford should play but that hamstring problem will limit him somewhat. Christian Ponder, meantime, has quietly been one of the NFL's top passers the first three weeks. Can the young Vikings maintain perspective after a heady win over the 49ers?

What To Watch For: Adrian Peterson getting stronger by the game, and Percy Harvin has been giving defenses fits ... Lions secondary a disaster thus far, from a tackling and coverage standpoint ... Mikel Leshoure could be the cure to all that ails the Lions run game however ... Jared Allen has 12.5 sacks in nine games against the Lions ... The Vikings' Blair Walsh is the first rookie kicker in NFL history with a 50-plus yard field goal in each of his first three games. He feels like he can hit from close to 70 in a dome. In a close game, don't discount that.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: Call me crazy for talking about a must-win game in Week 4, but if the Panthers are going to be a playoff team then it's about time they played like it. They can't afford to fall three games behind a Falcons team that was been a three-week juggernaut. Cam Newton will be watched ever so closely after moping and pouting some a week ago in defeat, and Carolina needs to discover a balanced offensive identity, pronto. Meantime the Falcons, one of only three undefeated teams in the NFL, finally faces someone outside of the AFC West

What To Watch For: Can anyone slow down Matt Ryan, least of all these Panthers? Especially with him back in the comfy confines of the dome? He has a 108 rating all-time at home against the Panthers ... Will the real Cam Newton please stand up? I suspect we see a bit less gadgetry than we did Thursday night, and perhaps more play action and vertical threat against an Atlanta secondary that should be tested ... Carolina is still seeking consistency in the run game ... Steve Smith got in Newton's grill a week ago and I bet he sends a message with a big play early in this one.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Only a week ago the Chargers were flying high, looking like the class of the AFC West, while columnists in K.C. were writing obits on GM Scott Pioli. Then the Falcons pimp-slapped the Chargers and the Chiefs rallied for a thrilling win in New Orleans and suddenly this game looks a little more tricky for San Diego ... Jamaal Charles absolutely went off last week and should be able to open things up for Matt Cassel to make a few plays downfield ... Tamba Hali could be just the kind of edge threat to test the Chargers' dicey tackle situation and make this game interesting ... The Chargers have won eight of the last 11 meetings in the divisional match-up.

What To Watch For: Can Ryan Mathews get things going after carrying 10 times in his season-debut last week coming back from a broken clavicle? ... Ditto for Antonio Gates. He was not much of a factor a week ago, in his first game back from injury. San Diego needs a boost from them now ... Chiefs dervish Dexter McCluster is not getting much action in the backfield, and with him banged up and really a wide receiver now and Peyton Hillis dealing with injury as well, you wonder if Charles is ready for a heavy workload. The Chiefs generally keep a close eye on his touches ... Scouts are still wondering about the recovery of the Chiefs' Eric Berry and Tony Moeaki from the ACL surgeries that ended their 2011 seasons.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: It's a rivalry game, both teams are 1-2, and the Peyton Manning watch is on. Can he play half decent in all four-quarters of the same game? Will he continue to suffer from slow starts and what may be arm fatigue? If teams squat on routes inside of 40-yards, can he still outsmart them with regularity? Manning hasn't been the same since Week 1, and few subplots to this season are bigger than his comeback and what becomes of it. Also, the re-emergence of Darren McFadden and a Carson Palmer sighting in their upset of the Steelers last week has to give the Raiders confidence heading into Mike High.

What To Watch For: Raiders coach Dennis Allen should have some insight into the Broncos, having been their defensive coordinator last season ... McFadden has more yards against the Broncos than any opponent … Richard Seymour and Matt Shaughnessy finally woke up for Oakland last week, giving them a front seven that looked capable of making some plays ... Denver getting beat up at running back and, sans Tebowmania, not getting it done on the ground as well as expected ... Look for Manning to end up going into the no-huddle, shotgun offense early and often. It's clearly where he's most comfortable.

Monday, Oct. 1, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Why To Watch: It's Monday night, which means nothing else is on and an officiating scandal is quite possibly afoot. Neither of these teams has shown much consistency from week to week, and both quarterbacks generate a fair amount of scorn from their fan bases despite their talent. If nothing else, there is ample potential for at least one of them totally melting down and trying to force things to happen.

What To Watch For: Brandon Marshall has yet to truly break out in this Chicago offense ... Brian Urlacher looked more spry and agile last week, having an extended break after playing on a Thursday night ... Bears will likely be without Matt Forte again, which will put even more pressure on Cutler ... DeMarcus Ware vs. J'Marcus Webb. Nuff said. Could be a recipe for pain for Cutler ... On the flip side, Julius Peppers has twice posted three-sack games against the Cowboys ... Take Tim Jennings in the Romo INT pool -- the Bears corner has five picks in his last four games ... Seems like the kind of game, in prime time, when Devin Hester makes something outrageous happen in the return game.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Texans the lone undefeated team in the AFC, and they get a chance to start steamrolling through the AFC South, as many expect. Matt Schaub bounces back after losing part of his ear in a vicious hit last week. Gary Kubiak has struggled with the Titans, just 4-8 against them. Tennessee finally won last week and Jake Locker had a strong bounce-back outing. Will be much tougher to hit the big plays to Nate Washington and Jared Cook against this defense, however, and the matchup of Wade Phillips against a novice passer is delicious (the Texans confounded rookie Andy Dalton in the playoffs last year, for instance).

What To Watch For: Arian Foster has 258 yards rushing against the Titans in the past two meetings, and Ben Tate has 201 yards in two games against them, while Chris Johnson is struggling to average 2 yards a carry for Tennessee this season ... Andre Johnson's nine TDs against the Titans are his most against any club, and that Titans secondary ain't what it used to be ... J.J. Watt still playing out of his mind and the Titans offensive line has been a work in progress, at best.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: Jim Harbaugh is angry. And you won't like Jim Harbaugh when he's angry! The 49ers fell into a trap game at Minnesota and one has the feeling they will get back to their highly-motivated, uber-physical selves this week at the Jets expense. Mark Sanchez has been borderline functional for the most part, and if you are a fan of turnovers, this might be the game for you. Alex Amith tries to embark on a new non-interception streak. Harbaugh got to rally his troops all week in Youngstown, Ohio, their East Coast home away from home, which was very, very good to them last year.

What To Watch For: Bilal Powell getting the chance to become the feature back for the Jets, though that might not be such a good thing ... Kyle Wilson now on the outside, with C Darrelle Revis out for the season, is going to be an adventure, and the 49ers will find some mismatches there ... New York's linebackers are not particularly speedy, and TE Vernon Davis could beast out ... Will the right side of New York's offensive line hold up?

Sunday, Sept. 30, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: Trap game for the Seahawks? They're coming off an emotional high from that wild and controversial Monday night win over the Packers, and have to go into a dome against a defense that has some bite of its own. Not as easy as you might think. Russell Wilson may have to open it up more, but can he against one of the best corner combos in the NFL? Steven Jackson should be healthier this week to restore power to the run game, which is essential against a brawny Seahawks' front. Seattle has already dropped one game in the suddenly-stout NFC West.

What To Watch For: Poor Sam Bradford. He got tossed around by the Bears behind his beaten and battered offensive line, and the Seahawks sacked Aaron Rodgers eight times in the first half a week ago. Chris Clemons had four sacks in a quarter, for goodness sake ... Seahawks need Sidney Rice to figure out how to be a legit deep threat again ... Braylon Edwards too ... Rams seem to have their fans back behind them, making that dome a little tougher place to play. Are they able to give Wilson a dose of what Seattle's crowd does to opposing quarterbacks?

Sunday, Sept. 30, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Blaine Gabbert doesn't always do much for the first 58 minutes of games, but if this is close he seems to have some two-minute magic. And we all love an Alcoa Fantastic Finish. Bengals need to put together a win streak after looking weak defensively thus far, and especially with the Steelers slumping and on the bye, this is game Cincinnati cannot concede if it's going back to the playoffs. Andy Dalton and A.J. Green are getting back last year's chemistry and they are a treat when rolling.

What To Watch For: Not sure the Bengals will have an answer for Maurice Jones-Drew ... Bengals need to get a corner or two back, quickly, especially Leon Hall, otherwise Gabbert's life is that much easier, particularly if Carlos Dunlap can't get the pass rush going ... Rookie Justin Blackmon, after being a superstar in the preseason, can't make a damn thing happen yet for the Jags ... Little man Andrew Hawkins is making things happen underneath for the Bengals

Sunday, Sept. 30, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: Interesting to see how teams have adjusted to Robert Griffin III each week and made him more limited. And the Redskins must find a way to protect him, because he isn't built to sustain the kind of hits he's absorbing. Of course, no one is more hard-nosed than Bucs head coach Greg Schiano, who has now made the opponent's victory formation must-see TV.

What To Watch For: If Josh Freeman can't get anything going against this secondary there might be some weeping in the owner's box. If you can't get healthy against D-Hall and the boys, you've got problems. A year ago at this time some wondered how quickly Freeman would get a big new contract extension. Not so much anymore ... Shanahanagans galore in the Redskins backfield, with Ryan Grant now joining Alfred Morris. Good luck with that fantasy football people.

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Peek at the Week: Giants-Eagles, Pats-Bills top slate of big division battles

N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 8:20 p.m. ET

The line: Eagles by 2?

The story: Someone the other day asked if Philadelphia has the Giants' number, and it's a good question. Including the playoffs, the Eagles have scored victories eight of the past nine times these two met. The only loss? Last year in Philadelphia.

So the advantage is with the Eagles, except ... except, well, you never know what's going to happen with these guys. They have a league-high 12 turnovers. Coach Andy Reid this week had to correct himself on Michael Vick's status. Initially he told reporters that Vick was his quarterback "for now," backtracking later to insist there was no qualification; that Vick is his quarterback, period.

OK, maybe, but Vick won't be if he continues to take the beating he absorbed the first three games. Vick is a dynamic playmaker, not a pinata, but he's also a guy who has nine turnovers in three games. That must stop ... otherwise we may get a look at Nick Foles sooner than anyone anticipated.

I can't imagine the Giants will go easy on Vick, not with their pass rush, not after the way they handled Cam Newton and not with Demetress Bell suiting up at left tackle again. The Eagles must ... absolutely must ... protect the ball, and here's a suggestion: Let's see more of LeSean McCoy with the ball and less of Vick. In six career games vs. the Giants, McCoy has averaged 5.7 yards per carry and has three TDs.

More important, he didn't fumble.

So turnovers are an issue. So is the home-field disadvantage. Yep, you heard me right. In their past 12 games at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles are 4-8. A quick start, then, is imperative. So is a good pass rush.

We all know what Eli Manning can do, and we all know what he did to Tampa Bay in the fourth quarter two weeks ago. The Giants expect Ahmad Bradshaw back for this one, which means they can juggle him and Andre Brown for their rushing attack. Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks will be back, too, but let's get real, people: It's Manning who's the concern for the Eagles. He beat them here last year, and he can beat them here again.

Shut down the running game, squeeze the pocket, force the mistakes, and maybe you find a way to keep Manning from another come-from-behind victory.

The back story: Under Reid, the Eagles are 42-22-1 in games following a loss.

New England at Buffalo, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The line: Patriots by 4?

The story: When Buffalo hired pass rushers Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, the Bills made it clear they were zeroing in on New England. Buffalo hasn't averaged more than two sacks a game since 2006, and if it is going to catch the Patriots it is going to have to catch Tom Brady. So the Bills invested in big-name pass rushers, and let's see what happens.

It took Williams and Anderson three games to produce a sack, but the Bills have nine in their past two starts -- and won both. That's not a coincidence. When Buffalo last had a winning season (2004) it had a pass rush, sacking opposing quarterbacks 45 times with the league's second-ranked defense.

Brady is impossible to stop if he's not hurried ... but he was hurried by Arizona and look what happened: He lost his first home opener at Gillette Stadium. New England's revamped offensive line is vulnerable to the pass rush, and it's up to Buffalo to discover how vulnerable.

Or else.

The Bills will probably be without C.J. Spiller who, until Ray Rice swung into action Thursday night, led the league in all-purpose yards. But Fred Jackson might be ready to return -- with Jackson declaring himself 70-75 percent ready to bounce back from a sprained knee. That's good because someone must take the pressure off quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. I know, he was terrific when Buffalo beat the Patriots here a year ago, but have you looked at his record against these guys? He's 1-4, with seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and that, folks, is not how you beat Tom Brady.

Then again, I'm not sure anyone beats Tom Brady now. It's rare for New England to drop consecutive games. But look at the last time it lost three straight. You have to go back to 2002, the only season when Brady started more than one game and New England failed to reach the playoffs.

The back story: Buffalo has scored touchdowns in seven of its 10 series inside the 20, second-best in the NFL.

Minnesota at Detroit, 1 p.m. ET

The line: Lions by 4?

The story: It figures that we would have a first-place team involved here. What doesn't figure is that it's Minnesota. OK, so we haven't even hit the one-quarter post, and it's way too soon to read anything into anything. I get it. Still, the Vikings look vastly improved over last year's doormat.

The defense is better. The quarterback is better. The kicker is better. And they're 2-1, tied with Chicago for first in the NFC North. That's supposed to change here, with Detroit flexing its muscle at home -- but that happens only if Matthew Stafford plays, and he not only returned to practice Thursday but appears set to start. If he doesn't, however, this game's a tossup.

Look, Minnesota is hot. Detroit barely won its opener. The Vikings have a quarterback who doesn't throw interceptions and is good at last-minute comebacks. Detroit might not have Stafford. The Vikings get Jerome Simpson back from a three-game suspension. The Lions have the league's ninth-ranked pass defense.

I think you get the idea. Detroit is the favorite if Stafford plays, and, yeah, I know what Shaun Hill did against Tennessee. But Minnesota isn't the 30th-ranked pass defense. Tennessee is. Plus, the Vikes are a last-second field goal from being 3-0, while Detroit is 10 seconds from 0-3.

Trust me, this will be closer than you think.

The back story: Minnesota's Blair Walsh is the first rookie kicker to nail field goals of 50 or more yards in his first three games.

San Francisco at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. ET

The line: 49ers by 4?

The story: No, I don't read much into San Francisco's loss last weekend. It happens. Now the club tries to do what it did the last time it spent the week working out in Youngstown, Ohio -- win a game on the East Coast. It happened last year in Philadelphia, and it should happen again at MetLife Stadium.

Normally, traveling cross-country is a big deal for West Coast teams, but not this one. Under Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers last year were 4-1 in the Eastern time zone, with their lone loss on Thanksgiving night in Baltimore -- after the 49ers had to fly cross-country to play their second game in five days.

That was tough. This is not: They meet a Jets team that just moved from Revis Island to Paradise Lost. Without their best defensive player, the Jets are in trouble ... so much trouble, in fact, that they turned running back Joe McKnight into a cornerback this week with Darrelle Revis out for the season.

Sure, that should solve things.

But defense isn't the problem here. Offense is, and the Jets just lost rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill for this game with a sore hamstring. They want to run the ball but good luck against San Francisco. Not only are the 49ers the league's eighth-ranked run defense; they are allowing opponents an average of 3.4 yards per carry.

So that means it's up to Mark Sanchez again, and good luck. He's short of playmakers, with Santonio Holmes ... and ... and ... and ... OK, so at 2-1, the Jets are on top of the AFC East with Buffalo. That's great. But let's see how long that lasts -- maybe for both. The Jets were stymied by Pittsburgh, and a Steelers defense without Troy Polamalu and James Harrison isn't close to what San Francisco offers.

Unless the Jets can do what Minnesota did -- force turnovers -- they're in deep kimchi.

The back story: Since 2009, the Jets have held opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 69.3. Nobody is better. Furthermore, since Rex Ryan took over as head coach opposing quarterbacks have completed an NFL-low 52.6 percent of their passes vs. New York. Of course, that's when Revis was playing.

Chicago at Dallas, 8:20 p.m. ET

The line: Cowboys by 2?

The story: Both offenses struggle. Both offensive lines have holes. Both defenses are superb. Both quarterbacks will be under fire, but only one will survive ... and take your pick. Tony Romo has been more effective than Jay Cutler, but the Cowboys have two touchdowns in their past two starts.

Of course, the Bears have three, one by defense.

DeMarco Murray's solid start hasn't helped boost the Cowboys' running game as a whole. (US Presswire) Look for this one to be close, and maybe the difference isn't the QBs. Maybe it's the running backs. DeMarco Murray has been effective, but the Cowboys' run game hasn't -- ranking 29th. Chicago checks in at 13th, but Matt Forte, who missed last week's game with an ankle injury, said he's good to go.

We'll see. If so, give the advantage to Chicago there.

Now let's turn to the pass defense, where Dallas ranks second and Chicago sixth. I expect both units to frazzle these quarterbacks, with the inside of the Cowboys' line having to deal with Julius Peppers on obvious passing downs and the outside of the Bears' front wall trying to hold off DeMarcus Ware.

Romo has been more effective than Cutler making plays outside the pocket because ... well, because that's what he does. But at some point Jason Witten must become the security blanket he's supposed to be for his quarterback. The seven-time Pro Bowl tight end has dropped six passes the past two weeks, and, sorry, that's not Jason Witten. Something has to give.

The back story: In his only start at Dallas, Cutler had three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 136.7. He also has won four of his past five starts on Monday night. Of course, in his past four Monday night games where he threw 10 or more times, Romo is 4-0.

Washington at Tampa Bay, 4:25 p.m. ET

The line: Buccaneers by 2?

The story: It's RG3 vs. the kneel-down defense. Robert Griffin III is a sensational quarterback with a sensational arm and a rotten pass defense. So the question is: Does he have enough arm to outscore Josh Freeman? You would like to hope so. And in this case, I hope so ... because I want to see that Kneel-down Defense again and see how Mike Shanahan handles it.

Dallas coach Jason Garrett had his players prepared, but someone please clue in Greg Schiano. When an opposing team goes to the kneel-down, the outcome is resolved and THE GAME IS OVER. This isn't Joe Pisarcik all over again, for crying out loud. Those days are gone. The kneel-down is a quarterback's way of saying we quit ... as in, we quit kicking your defense's keister.

Just a hunch, but I would bet a week's salary that Schiano has a different opinion of that play if Freeman were hurt by some yahoo bursting through the line.

Anyway, Tampa Bay is better than its record but is still a club looking for an identity. Washington is intriguing because of RG3 but destined for another last-place finish in the NFC East. Someone has to win this game. Please make it the kneel-down.

The back story: The Redskins' 99 points this season represent their best three-game output since the final three starts of 2005, when they scored 101.

St. Louis over Seattle, 1 p.m. ET

The line: Seahawks by 2?

The story: I'll tell you why this call makes me nervous: Because Steven Jackson didn't practice again Thursday, and without Jackson the Rams lose their best playmaker. But let's be honest, people: Both teams here will be handicapped on offense. There won't be many points, and there will be a lot of defense.

I know Seattle is coming off an emotional lift, but I also know the Seahawks are coming off a short week. St. Louis has the better quarterback, and it is at home where it held off Washington two weeks ago. That was RG3. This is Russell Wilson, and let's just say it's more difficult to defend Griffin.

If there's a concern, it's this: The St. Louis run defense. It's not Wilson the Rams must stop; it's Marshawn Lynch. But the Rams rank 22nd vs. the run, with opponents averaging 4.5 yards a pop. One reason: The Redskins ran up 176 yards against them, and that can happen when you play Griffin. But the Rams' other two opponents? They averaged 3.6 yards per rush.

The back story: Sam Bradford's 73.9 percent completion rate on third downs is second only to Ben Roethlisberger.

1. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan: He's 4-0 at home vs. Carolina, with a 107.7 passer rating.

2. Philadelphia RB LeSean McCoy: He aims for his ninth straight game at home with at least one TD. Good, huh? Try this: McCoy has 11 scores in his past eight home starts.

3. New England QB Tom Brady: So what is better in Buffalo than the wings down at Duff's? You're looking at him. Brady is 18-2 vs. the Bills, with 46 TD passes, 17 interceptions and a passer rating of 102.4.

4. Minnesota DE Jared Allen: Someone better watch this guy. He's aiming for his third straight game vs. Detroit with three or more sacks.

5. Green Bay WR Greg Jennings: He has scored the past three times he played New Orleans.

1. Oakland coach Dennis Allen vs. Denver coach John Fox: It was Fox who last year made Allen his defensive coordinator in Denver. And it was Fox who this week was talking up his former pupil. "He's a guy with what I call the 'it' factor," said Fox. For Allen, it will be his first return to Denver since taking the head-coaching job in Oakland, and he has spent much of the week trying to downplay the significance. "It will be a different feel," he said, "but that's another one of those distractions you can't let take over." So he won't.

2. Philadelphia RB McCoy vs. N.Y. Giants DE Osi Umenyiora: In an ESPN interview that aired this week, McCoy called Umenyiora "a ballerina in a Giants uniform," saying that Osi was no better than the Giants' fourth-best defensive lineman. "Well," Umenyiora told ESPN, "he's probably right. I might be a ballerina in a Giants uniform. I'm lucky I've got the contract. I'm lucky to be playing 10 years in the league, to have won two Super Bowls." These two teams don't like each other, and McCoy said he doesn't much care for Umenyiora. You want proof? Tune in Sunday.

3. The Dallas offensive line vs. the flag: Maybe having regular refs back makes a difference, I don't know. What I do know is that it can't hurt. The Cowboys have 12 false-start penalties through the first three games. They didn't hit 12 last year until Game 11. "We're not going to sugarcoat anything," said offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who blamed the penalties on cadence issues. "We're not pleased where we're at."

4. Chicago LT J'Marcus Webb vs. Dallas LB DeMarcus Ware: We all remember how Ware and the Bears' offensive line did against Green Bay, and it wasn't good. Quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked seven times, with three coming over and through Webb and Cutler berating his left tackle on the sidelines. Question: If Webb couldn't control Clay Matthews, how is he going to slow Ware? "It's a different challenge," he told reporters this week, "because of the size difference [with Matthews] and the talent level. [Ware's] a little better, definitely. I have to bring my A-game." A week ago, the Bears gave Webb help, sometimes having running back Kalil Bell assist in protecting against Rams defensive end Robert Quinn. Look for something similar.

5. Minnesota vs. an NFC North skid: At some point, the Vikings will win a division game, but the odds aren't with them this weekend. Maybe it's because it's Detroit, or maybe it's because they can't beat anyone in the NFC North. The Vikings have lost their past 11 games vs. division opponents, with their past win against ... you guessed it ... these Detroit Lions in 2010.

1. Don't tell me defense doesn't matter. The league's only undefeated teams -- Arizona, Atlanta and Houston -- rank in the top five in fewest points allowed. Arizona is second (40), Houston third (42) and Atlanta fourth (48). Seattle leads everyone with 39, and its only loss was to the Cardinals.

2. Nobody is better in the fourth quarter than Denver, which has a point differential of plus-39. The Broncos have outscored opponents 45-6 in the fourth period. That's the good news. The bad? Opponents have outscored them 71-32 in the first three quarters.

3. Tennessee played back-to-back games without allowing a sack for the first time since November 2009. The last time they went three straight games without allowing a sack was 2008.

4. If it seems there are more close games this year than normal, go to the head of the class. There have been 28 decided by eight or fewer points, the most through the first three weeks since 1988. If there are 10 more this weekend, we will have a record for the most through the first month of any NFL season.

5. You already know that Kansas City's Jamaal Charles last weekend became the second back in league history to rush for 230 yards twice (Jim Brown did it three times). What you may not know is that he played San Diego following his first effort, rushing for 92 yards and scoring a touchdown in a season-opening victory. Now he plays the Bolts again, and he has a difficult act to follow to make history. O.J. Simpson has the most yards rushing (203) following a 230-yard effort.

0: Second-half touchdowns allowed by Philadelphia
1: Sacks allowed by Buffalo
1: More game with a touchdown pass for Drew Brees to tie Johnny Unitas' NFL record of 47 straight with at least one scoring pass
4: Consecutive games with at least 150 yards rushing for Washington
11: Michael Turner touchdowns in his past seven games vs. Carolina
24: Throws of 20 or more yards by Baltimore's Joe Flacco, which leads the league
23: Reggie Wayne catches, the most through his first three games of any season
2003: The last time New England was under .500, a streak that spanned 145 games

• Atlanta: Dome
• Buffalo: Showers, high of 59
• Detroit: Dome
• Houston: Scattered thunderstorms, high of 83 (retractable roof)
• Kansas City, Mo.: Mostly sunny, high of 83
• East Rutherford, N.J.: Partly cloudy, high of 70
• St. Louis: Dome
• Glendale, Ariz.: Sunny, high of 103 (retractable roof)
• Jacksonville, Fla.: Cloudy, high of 84
• Denver: Partly cloudy, high of 73
• Green Bay, Wis.: Sunny, high of 63
• Tampa, Fla.: Partly cloudy, high of 85
• Philadelphia: Partly cloudy, high of 70

• I'll be in Dallas to keep Jerry Jones awake for the second half of Monday Night Football.
• Pete Prisco will be in Philadelphia to solicit an invitation from Tom Coughlin to his next golf tournament.
• Mike Freeman will be in New York to spend time on Grievous Island.

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After Further Review: 49ers' passing game just doesn't scare, despite efforts to improve

The New York Jets will play the San Francisco 49ers this week without star corner Darrelle Revis, who will miss his first game after tearing an ACL last week.

If there is any opponent in the league where not having Revis can be handled best, it might be the 49ers.

They just don't scare down the field.

What's worse, they rarely try to do so.

After studying their tape from their loss to the Minnesota Vikings last week, it was obvious that all the talk about improving the passing game, getting deep balls down the field, challenging vertically, from this offseason was just a bunch of talk.

49ers quarterback Alex Smith threw 34 passes against the Vikings and his longest completion was 22 yards -- and that came on the final drive when the Niners were scrambling to get back into the game.

Starting receivers Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss combined to catch nine passes for 67 yards, which is 7.4 per catch. That won't challenge any team down the field.

The 49ers offense is designed with a lot of action off the running game. At times, it can be so creative, getting receivers running across the formation to free Smith up for easy throws -- even short ones.

But against Minnesota, there seemed to be little imagination, and little action in terms of trying to make the Vikings respect any sort of deep ball.

There were three pass plays all day where I could count a deep receiver being able to challenge the Minnesota secondary.

Too often, the 49ers ran short routes that seemed to play right into the coverage for the Vikings. Minnesota used a lot of man-under, two-deep concepts, although at times the Vikings showed that and rotated to a three-deep look.

It's not like the Vikings have this top-level secondary or anything. It's just that the 49ers made it so easy to defend.

Here's a look at one of the 49ers pass plays. As you can see, the Vikings are playing two-deep and there is no real challenge down the field. All the receivers are covered and tight end Vernon Davis, who is in the red circle, becomes the target. Too often, that seems to be the case with Smith. But in fairness to him, his receivers don't win or get deep.

Here's another example of the 49ers not challenging down the field. Yes, the Vikings are in two-deep coverage. But at some point, you have to run deeper routes. As you can see in this picture, the four yellow-circled 49ers are not getting depth on their routes, making for an easy cover.

For the season, Smith is averaging 6.97 yards per attempt. That is the lowest of any of the top 11 rated passers -- he is seventh. The top player in that category from the top 20 passes is Cincinnati's Andy Dalton at 9.13. Some other top ones are Eli Manning at 8.57 and Joe Flacco at 8.30.

Crabtree is tied for ninth in the league in receptions with 19, but he's the only player in the top-10 under 10 yards per catch at 9.6. Manningham is at 9.7 and Moss is at 11, but he has just eight catches. Those three combined have three catches of 20 yards or more -- and Manningham's came on that last drive against the Vikings.

At some point, the 49ers have to challenge down the field. If not, there is no way they can win a Super Bowl.

1. Sometimes, it's great players making plays. But sometimes it's scheme that makes the plays, and an inability to adjust to it. Take the big play at the end of the half in the Eagles-Cardinals game. That wasn't a great play. It was a scheme getting the best of Michael Vick. The result was a sack and a fumble return for a touchdown that made it 24-0, Arizona. Rather than at least three points to make it 17-3, the Cardinals walked off the field feeling good about themselves when James Sanders returned the fumble 93 yards for a touchdown. It's clear from the screen shots below that the Eagles were in a wrong play for the defense the Cardinals played.

Take a look at the first screen shot here. What you will see is the Eagles with two receivers to the left and one to the right, with tight end Brent Celek lined up in-line on the right side. The Cardinals are showing a blitz from both sides with Kerry Rhodes highlighted in the blue circle and Sanders on the other side. The Eagles have running back LeSean McCoy go to the right side to block Sanders, but he isn't coming. Rhodes is, and he is unblocked. As you can see the Eagles receivers are covered. But the middle of the field is wide open.

In the second screen shot below, you can see that McCoy realizes what is going on, but it's too late. Vick has nowhere to go with the football since his receivers to his right, which is where he is looking, are covered as you can see by the yellow circle. That's happening as Rhodes crashes into him to cause the fumble, which Sanders scooped up to score. Look at the blue area in the middle of the field. If Vick recognized the blitz, he could have called for a slant from his slot receiver on the left, which was Jason Avant, and it would have been an easy score.

2. There may not be a more improved position in the league than the Atlanta Falcons safeties. In William Moore and Thomas DeCoud, the Falcons have two safeties who can run and cover. In Mike Nolan's aggressive defense, Moore and DeCoud sometimes line up near the line of scrimmage and bail before the snap, confusing quarterbacks. They did it to Peyton Manning and they were a big reason why the Falcons shut down San Diego's offense last week. There was a play early in the game where the Chargers faced a third-and-3. San Diego ran Eddie Royal across the formation in man coverage with the corner. It appeared to be an easy throw for a first down, with the corner trailing. But DeCoud read it perfectly, broke on the play, and tackled Royal short of the first down. Little plays like that impact games. DeCoud later forced a Ryan Mathews fumble inside the 5 with a hard hit. Atlanta recovered. Moore and DeCoud are keys to the new-look defense. Both seem to be gaining confidence as the season moves along.

3. There are certain times during a game when it appears a corner is beat bad for a touchdown. But the All-22 tape shows a different story. Such was the case with Andre Johnson's 60-yard touchdown catch last week against the Broncos. It appeared that Tracy Porter, the corner on that side, was beaten badly by Johnson. But the reality is the safety should have been over to help. You can clearly see that as Porter (yellow circle) trails Johnson (red circle) in the screen shot below. Mike Adams (blue circle) takes a false step to the side and Johnson runs right by him to gather in the score. Adams took a peek inside at tight end Owen Daniels as Johnson ran by for the touchdown. It appears that Porter was expecting Moore to give him help and he clearly looks back at him after the play in frustration.

4. I've been saying for a while that the best way to attack the 49ers defense is in the short zones to the left or the right. The Vikings did a great job with that last week, using Percy Harvin as the main guy. The 49ers are vulnerable there with their style of defense, and the Vikings used that against them with both Harvin and Adrian Peterson and tight end Kyle Rudolph. On one play early, the Vikings lined up Harvin wide right, but he went in motion to the left at the snap. Christian Ponder faked inside to Adrian Peterson and Harvin circled out of the backfield to the left. By then, receiver Michael Jenkins had cleared out the zone and 49ers were rushing outside linebacker Aldon Smith. The area was wide open and Harvin turned it into a 12-yard gain. If teams want to beat the 49ers defense, they have to be patient and take those short passes to help open up things down the field.

6. How does a quarterback who has done nothing for nearly the entire game throw an 80-yard touchdown pass to win it? He makes a dart of a throw to a streaking receiver who runs through the defense. Of course, he needs some help from a mistake by the defense. When Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert hit Cecil Shorts for an 80-yard score to beat the Colts last week, he got big help from a bad play by safety Sergio Brown. The Colts were in a zone underneath with two deep safeties. Brown was lined up inside on the right slot receiver (Mike Thomas), with corner Vontae Davis lined up wide on Shorts. At the snap, the slot receiver ran an out and Shorts ran a skinny post. Brown released Thomas to the corner and turned to cover Shorts. But he didn't get enough depth, as he turned to run. That allowed Shorts a small window of separation and Gabbert fired a rifle shot over Brown's earhole. Shorts caught it and ran through the split safeties for the score. With one pass play, Gabbert more than doubled his passing total for the day, but also helped get his team a victory. During the play, you can see Brown banging his helmet in frustration as he chased after Shorts.

7. What has happened to Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga? He played well in 2011, but so far this season he has really struggled. Bruce Irvin abused him Monday night several different ways. He went over him, around him, and under him. Bulaga just didn't seem as if he was getting good sets in pass protection. He's a better player than that. He has to start showing it this week.

8. What's wrong with the Cowboys' offense? The inside of the line isn't very good. The Bucs abused the three inside players last week. Gerald McCoy dominated the game for Tampa Bay. The Cowboys spent on Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings as their guards in free agency. That caused some personnel people around the league to snicker. Now we know why. They are really struggling. If the Cowboys are to get that offense cranked up, they'll need to get better play inside.

9. When the Houston Texans didn't sign Nnamdi Asomugha in free agency, and supposedly settled for Johnathan Joseph last year, some speculated they overpaid for Joseph. Not anymore. Joseph has been the better corner. Last week against the Broncos, he spent most of the day on Demaryius Thomas and essentially took him out of the game. He went to both sides to face Thomas and did a good job on both sides. Thomas is a physical receiver, but Joseph showed he is more than willing to accept that kind of challenge. Watching him on tape showed a confident corner who seemed to frustrate Thomas at times.

10. The Bears have to love what they are getting from corner Tim Jennings. He is playing some outstanding football so far in the first three games. He was impressive last week against the Rams. Jennings, who was let go by the Colts two years ago, has quietly become a nice corner opposite Charles Tillman. He did get beat inside on a 15-yard catch to Steve Smith last week, but he really seems like a good fit for the Bears Cover-2 scheme. He had a big pass breakup on Brandon Gibson on a fourth-and-10 play in the third quarter with blanket coverage in man. Then later, he blanketed Danny Amendola in man, tipping the ball into the air, and Major Wright picked it up and returned it for the game-clinching touchdown. It helps that the Bears have a fierce pass rush, but Jennings has made big improvements.

1. Texans DE J.J. Watt: I might just keep him here every week. He's such a force.

2. Chiefs OLB Justin Houston: He was all over the field against the Saints.

3. Giants WR Ramses Barden: He is big and faster than most think. Was that the start of something special last week in Carolina?

4. Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan: With Brian Orakpo gone for the year, he is stepping up in a big way.

5. Cowboys corner Brandon Carr: Was he worth the money or what?

1. The Redskins tackles: Tyler Polumbus and Jordan Black, subbing for the injured Trent Williams, were horrible last week against the Bengals.

2. 49ers tackle Joe Staley: He had a rough go of it last week against Jared Allen.

3. Broncos RG Manny Ramirez: Denver can't wait to get Chris Kuper back. This kid is struggling.

4. Ravens CB Cary Williams: He was picked on a bunch by the Patriots last Sunday night.

5. Saints T Zach Streif: He has had a rough go of it early in the season, which is why Drew Brees is getting hit a lot.

Three things I will miss about replacement officials:

1. The constant digging into their backgrounds as if they were criminals.

2. Media members who forgot games were being played to focus on non-stop bashing of these men.

3. Protect the shield. Is that cool lingo or what from ex-players?

Things to remember when regular refs return:

1. You still will complain.

2. You still will think games will be decided on their calls.

3. Some will be.

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Titans place DE Dawson (hamstring) on IR, sign DE Egboh

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans have placed defensive end Keyunta Dawson on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and signed defensive end Pannel Egboh (PUH-nell EGG-bow) to fill the roster spot.

The Titans announced the move Wednesday.

Dawson was hurt early in last week's 44-41 overtime win over Detroit. The 6-foot-6, 287-pound Egboh had been on the Titans' opening day roster, but he was inactive for the opener against New England. The Titans released him two days later. Egboh spent last season on the practice squad.

A native of Mesquite, Texas, Egboh went to Stanford and has been with San Francisco, Houston and Philadelphia.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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End of referee lockout is cause for celebration, but nobody won this ugly battle

One NFL owner said the league was becoming a national laughingstock. (Getty Images)

The real officials are back. The fake officials will now return to their Facebook pages and lingerie leagues.

The deal was officially finalized around 11:30 p.m. ET with one source saying that much of the framework had been agreed upon earlier in the day.

One owner gave CBSSports.com a window into the final 24-48 hours of the negotiations. Contrary to what league officials have said publicly and privately, the owner said the debacle in Seattle figured greatly in the final hours of the negotiations.

"That game reshaped everything," said the owner, who asked not to be identified. "I can't remember the last time our league was a laughingstock nationally. It shook me. I think it shook a lot of people."

"We were prepared to go longer," the owner said. "We couldn't after that."

The owner said one of the main concerns became the replacement officials inability to control the game. There were fears that there would be an all-out brawl between teams. The owner said the NFL didn't want a fight similar to what happened between the Pacers and Pistons in Michigan in 2004. That's the example the owner gave.

The owner remarked that friends who normally aren't hardcore football fans were asking him about the replacement officials. The owner also became concerned how the NFL was becoming a national punch line. He's right. They were.

Before Seattle-Green Bay, the NFL was far more hardened. The league denies this but it's true. The NFL began to bend on the pension issue post Fail Mary. Because after that game, the real officials had all of the power, and the NFL could no longer wait out the real refs. The league denies this, but it's true.

The owner was asked who won this fight. His response: "The fan. The referees are back."

The complete answer? There is no winner. This will go down as one of the ugliest periods in recent NFL history. It damaged the NFL brand and embarrassed a highly proud league. It caused the Green Bay Packers to lose a game they should have won. Winners? No winners. Just survivors.

This was a process that didn't need to be done. NFL owners attempted to break the referee union for a few extra bucks and came close to wrecking a season.

You will hear about heroes and saviors who swooped in last minute to save the day. You will hear about caped crusaders with fountain pens. You will hear various people try to take credit, but no one deserves credit except the fans who didn't swear off football for the monstrous product that was put on the field.

Now the NFL must work to reestablish its credibility with both the general public and the dedicated footballer. As the lingerie refs depart, the real ones step in, and they will make mistakes. But there will no longer be questions about player safety or the league's integrity. Those issues are dead.

Now it's about earning that trust with the fan again -- a trust that has rarely been tested like this. Oh, there have been issues and lockouts and strikes and ugliness, but this was different. Professional football has survived the Depression, World Wars, and terrorist attacks, but fake officials who had Facebook fan pages and other questionable backgrounds were arguably one of the greater threats to the sport.

So the officials are back. They will be met with almost a hero's welcome because they are the pros. We know what they're about. We know that while mistakes will happen with these refs, the real ones are the best at what they do.

No, there were no winners. Not a single one. If someone says there were, give them a slap upside the head.

Now, back to real football.

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A Look Back Into The History of Authentic NFL Jerseys

Jets to look at RB McKnight at cornerback with Revis out for season

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Joe McKnight walked into the Jets' offensive meeting room and Rex Ryan broke the news to the backup running back.

"He said I've been traded," McKnight recalled Wednesday. "I was traded to the defense."

McKnight will start working "a ton" at cornerback to help offset the loss of All-Pro Darrelle Revis, who's likely out for the season with a knee injury. McKnight, whose role on offense has been limited this season, played the position in high school and practiced at cornerback in Week 2 when Revis was sidelined by a concussion.

Still, finding out about his new role on Monday wasn't exactly an exciting moment for McKnight.

"I mean, I was drafted as a running back," the former Southern California star said. "The way I took it as was I wasn't good enough to play running back. I don't know if that's the case or not, but that's the way I'm looking at it right now."

McKnight didn't ask Ryan if that was the situation, and insisted he's not disappointed. After all, it could mean getting on the field a lot more after carrying the ball just three times for 14 yards in three games.

"I kind of get tired of just standing on the sideline watching," McKnight said. "I'm just happy to play right now."

McKnight practiced on defense Wednesday, wearing a green No. 25 jersey instead of the offense's usual white, and intercepted Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow and Greg McElroy once each.

"He'll have a role on offense, but we're also teaching him to play corner in almost, not quite a full-time capacity, but he's going to be over there a ton - in the meetings and everything else," Ryan said.

Ryan first mentioned the idea of using McKnight in the secondary in the running back's rookie season in 2010. McKnight, who's also the team's primary kickoff returner, even got into New York's game at Baltimore last season on defense as a blitzing defensive back who forced Joe Flacco into throwing an interception.

"He's a guy we saw on scout team as a rookie that he has the necessary skills to be able to play corner," Ryan said. "He's got the speed, the size, the athleticism, the ball skills - everything you look for in a corner. ... I definitely would not bet against Joe McKnight becoming a good corner."

Revis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at Miami on Sunday, and will be replaced by Kyle Wilson as a starter. While the Jets also have Ellis Lankster and Isaiah Trufant as backups, the athletic McKnight gives Ryan another option in the secondary.

McKnight was actually an outstanding cornerback in high school in Louisiana, returning three picks for touchdowns in his junior season.

"It's been a while since I've played cornerback," he said. "Maybe if I would've played it four years in college, that would've helped. But me playing cornerback in high school doesn't help me right now. I've got to work on some things."

He was even better as a running back back then, with his speed and shiftiness making him a top recruit after his senior year. After an up-and-down career at USC, the Jets drafted him in the fourth round in 2010 - but he hasn't yet made the impact on offense that was expected. Instead, New York is hoping McKnight can help make up for the loss of arguably the league's top defensive player.

And that might start Sunday, when the Jets take on the San Francisco 49ers.

"Hey, they can go ahead and do it," McKnight said. "I'm ready for it. If they want to come throw to my side, I can easily show them I can play."

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Ex-Bears QB McMahon says if he could do it over, he'd play baseball

CHICAGO -- Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, who is suffering from early-stage dementia, has told a Chicago television station that while he appreciates what football has done for him, if he could do it over, he would play baseball.

In an interview with Fox affiliate WFLD-TV, aired Wednesday, the 53-year-old McMahon says he knows where he's going when in an airport. But when he meets people, "I'm asking two minutes later, 'Who was that?'

''When my friends call and leave me a message ... I'll read it and delete it before I respond and then I forget who called and left me a message," he added.

McMahon says he is not currently worried about his mind withering away. He says he still reads a lot and is doing other things to keep his mind active. However, he said he doesn't know whether he is getting worse.

"Other than just sitting in the house, I'm on the road doing these different events and charities, helping my buddies out," McMahon said. "When I'm home, I'm usually sitting in the back of my room just watching TV in the dark and when I come out it's to the kitchen to get something to eat."

Knowing what he now does about the effects of the punishment he received in his 14-year NFL career, McMahon said, he would have chosen a different career.

"That was my first love, was baseball, and had I had a scholarship to play baseball. I probably would have played just baseball," he said. "But football paid for everything, it still does. That Super Bowl XX team is still as popular as it ever was. Until they win again, we're gonna still make money."

McMahon led the Bears to the 1986 Super Bowl victory over New England. He is now among the retired players suing the NFL for concussion-related dementia and brain trauma.

More than 2,400 retired players are plaintiffs, looking for the kind of success smokers had against the tobacco companies. The result then was a landmark, $206 billion settlement shared among 46 states. The ex-players are taking on a multibillion-dollar industry that is the most popular sport in the United States.

McMahon said he suffered four concussions while playing. He said after being slammed by the defense, team doctors generally would ask him how hef felt and whether he could follow a finger with his eyes.

"They'd ask you questions, basic questions. Where are you, what day is it? Stuff like that. And if you were able to answer that and seem like you were OK, they would let you back in."

McMahon said he realizes fans believe the lawsuit is motivated by greed, but he said many players didn't make a lot of money in the 1980s. He noted that his contract was mostly incentives, and if he didn't play he wasn't going to get paid.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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NFL Football Party Buffet With Some Quick Pick Up Menu Ideas

Lions' Fairley seeks to avoid trial in Alabama for alcohol-related charges

Fairley's May 27 arrest led to charges for DUI and attempting to elude police. (Getty Images)

MOBILE, Ala. -- A lawyer for Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley requested on Wednesday that the player be allowed to go through a pre-trial diversion program instead of facing a trial in Alabama.

Fairley was charged with driving under the influence and attempting to elude police following a May 27 arrest. His Baldwin County District Court trial was set to start Wednesday morning, but attorney Sid Harrell instead filed paperwork requesting Fairley attend an anti-DUI course after stipulating to a first-time DUI.

"He will have to live up to that agreement and attend the program," Harrell said. He said a judge will have to review the request and hold a hearing.

Fairley was not in court. He participated in practice with the Lions in Allen Park, Mich., on Wednesday morning.

The Lions are preparing for a game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Harrell said he expected a hearing on the request for the pre-trial diversion program to be scheduled sometime in the next two months. Harrell said he expected the hearing to be arranged to accommodate his client's NFL schedule.

Fairley was arrested after a state trooper said he was traveling at 100 mph in his Cadillac Escalade and initially didn't pull over. He also faces a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge Nov. 27 in his hometown of Mobile.

Harrell said expected the misdemeanor charge to be dropped once Fairley completes the diversion program.

"He is already drug tested every week by the NFL," Harrell said

Fairley was a 2011 first-round pick after helping lead Auburn to a national title.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Seahawks win controversial game over Packers on final play of game

CBSSports.com wire reports
Sep. 25, 2012

SEATTLE -- Golden Tate shoved a Green Bay defender out of the way, wrestled another for the ball and was awarded a disputed touchdown on the final play. But it was another 10 minutes before the game actually ended, when the Seattle Seahawks and the stunned Packers were called back on the field for the extra point.

Replacement ref rage may have peaked Monday night.

Just when it seemed that NFL coaches, players and fans couldn't get any angrier, along came a fiasco that trumped any of the complaints from the weekend. The Seahawks' 14-12 victory featured one of the most bizarre finishes in recent memory, and was certain to reignite frustrations over the locked-out officials.

"Don't ask me a question about the officials," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "I've never seen anything like that in all my years in football."

"I know it's been a wild weekend in the NFL and I guess we're part of it now," he said.

Russell Wilson threw the 24-yard touchdown pass to Tate. The crew of replacement officials agreed that Tate caught the pass.

"We both had possession of it. I don't even know the rule but I guess the tie goes to the receiver," Tate said.

Asked later if he got his hands on Wilson's pass first, Tate wasn't so sure.

"I think so. ... Oh, well maybe he did. But I took it from him," Tate said.

Wilson scrambled from the pocket and threw to the corner of the end zone as the clock expired. Tate shoved Green Bay's Sam Shields out of the way, then wrestled with M.D. Jennings for possession. It was ruled on the field as a touchdown and after a lengthy review, referee Wayne Elliott came out from under the hood and announced "the ruling on the field stands" and CenturyLink Field erupted in celebration.

Seattle (2-1) won its second straight, while Green Bay (1-2) and saw its streak of wins in six straight road openers snapped.

Wilson's heave came at the end of a final frantic drive after Seattle had previously missed on a fourth-down attempt from the Green Bay 7 with two minutes left. The turnover on downs appeared to end Seattle's hopes and cap an impressive second-half comeback by the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, who was sacked eight times - all in the first half.

"I was just trying to keep possession of the ball. The guy who was fighting me for it, he's strong. I was just trying to hold onto it until our guys pulled them off of me," Tate said. "I didn't know if they called touchdown, interception, incompletion. I didn't know what was going on. Couldn't hear anything and I just tried to keep fighting for the ball."

Elliott told a pool reporter after the game that the play was ruled as simultaneous possession that was confirmed by the replay official.

"They both possessed it," Elliott said.

The Packers were far from convinced that Tate had possession. Jennings said he had the ball pinned to his chest the entire time. A handful of Packers players began venting on their Twitter accounts right after the game, posting protest messages to their followers - many of them too profane to print. Offensive lineman T.J. Lang even challenged the NFL to "fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs."

"Just watching in the back room, I think if you asked Golden Tate to take a lie detector test and ask him did he catch that ball or did M.D. catch that ball, M.D. caught that," Packers' wide receiver Greg Jennings said. "It was clear as day ... at least that is what my eyes saw."

Seattle instantly celebrated while the Packers argued with anyone in a striped shirt. Both teams were eventually shoved to the sidelines as Tate stomped through the end zone in celebration. Following the review, Elliott's announcement sent the stadium into delirium and even more confusion ensued until the teams finally returned to the field for the extra point.

"From what I understood from the officials it was a simultaneous catch. Tie goes to the runner. Good call," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

Rodgers had quite a different opinion.

"It was awful. Just look at the replay. And then the fact that it was reviewed, it was awful," he said. "That's all I'm going to say about it.

"We shouldn't have been in that position."

It was Tate's second touchdown of the game after catching a 41-yard TD in the second quarter to give Seattle a 7-0 lead. He finished with three catches for 68 yards, while Wilson was 10 of 21 for 130 yards.

Green Bay averted disaster when John Kuhn fumbled on the Packers first play after Seattle missed on fourth down from the Packers 7, but center Jeff Saturday recovered. The Seahawks held and forced Green Bay to punt from the 4 with 57 seconds left. The 41-yard punt set Seattle up at the Green Bay 46 with 46 seconds remaining.

Wilson hit Sidney Rice for 22 yards on a slant then went for Tate in the end zone but the ball was batted away with 18 seconds left. He threw over the head of Evan Moore on second down leaving 12 seconds remaining and missed Tate again at the 5.

Wilson took the final snap with 8 seconds remaining. He appeared to be looking for Rice on the right side of the end zone, but rolled left and threw for Tate, who was in a crowd of three Packers defenders. His shove of Sam Shields was obvious and it was never clear who had possession between Tate and Jennings.

"I just ran my route on the backside. Wilson came back and wanted to give me one more chance, especially after I dropped the first one and I just competed," Tate said. "I make sure I practice on high balls and catching balls at the highest point. Thankfully I came down with it."

Others spoke their mind by tweeting.

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman tweeted "These games are a joke," while NBA MVP LeBron James tweeted "I simply just LOVE the NFL to much to see these mistakes. I'm sick like I just played for the Packers"

Wisconsin State Senator Jon Erpenbach tweeted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's office phone number, saying in a separate tweet that if the ending Monday did not spark an end to the lockout "this season will be a joke."

Notes

The eight sacks of Rodgers in the first half matches the most in his career for any game. He was sacked eight times by Minnesota in 2009. Seattle DE Chris Clemons tied an NFL record with four sacks in the first half. Derrick Thomas had four sacks in the first half against San Diego in 1992. Green Bay WR Greg Jennings finished with six catches after being a question mark coming into the game with a groin injury.

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