Two teams — the Bears (NFC North) and Chargers (playoff berth) — clinched a berth in the 2018 NFL postseason last week. The Bears, who finished in fourth place in the NFC North last season, completed a “worst-to-first” turnaround in 2018. In 15 of the past 16 seasons, at least one team has finished in first place in its division the season after finishing in last or tied for last place....
Maybe it is because it is the first game that actually counts. Maybe it is the weather, which is typically pretty good in early September around the country. Maybe it is the fact that every team is undefeated and has a chance to do something special. Or maybe it is just because the players know they will finally be getting their real paychecks that week since NFL players are paid 1/17th of their salary each week during the regular season....
After fining Marshawn Lynch $20K for grabbing his crotch during a game, the NFL has decided to commemorate that moment. People can now buy a plaque that features the Seahawks running back making that exact gesture. The league is basically saying, “Don’t do that anymore, but since you did we’re going to make money off of it.” The fine must not have been enough. Lynch has been warned ahead of time that performing the obscene gesture in the Super Bowl will quickly get the Seahawks a 15-yard penalty, but until then the NFL will be happy to see the profits from this....
He was booked into the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle at 6:08 a.m. and denied bail, according to court records. ESPN reported that a spokesman for the Redmond Police Department in Washington—the department leading the investigation—said it is standard procedure for suspects of domestic violence to be denied bail until they can appear before a judge. The King County Correctional Facility records showed the incident is being investigated as a felony....
“At this time we’re going to make no statements, except he didn’t harm anybody,” Ashley Sherman said to the newspaper. “My kids were not harmed in the incident. He’s a good person and this is not his character. We’re doing all right, just trying to get him out. I want people to know no one was injured.” Ashley Sherman married Richard Sherman in 2018, and they have two children together....
Fan Expo LLC, which partnered with the Cowboys quarterback to stage the event, is accusing the league of illegally interfering with its National Fantasy Football Convention that was scheduled for July 10-12 at the Venetian. The NFL shut down the event in June because of the league’s stance against events at casinos. MORE: Romo lands in Top 5 of SN’s QB rankings for 2015 “Players and NFL personnel may not participate in promotional activities or other appearances at or in connection with events that are held at or sponsored by casinos,” an NFL spokesman said last month....
The league announced the punishment Monday. Goldson was penalized for unnecessary roughness for his hit on a defenseless receiver, Roddy White, against Atlanta on Sunday. It was Goldson's third such violation this season. He was fined $30,000 for hitting a defenseless player in the head and neck area in Week 1, then was initially suspended for a game for a helmet-to-helmet hit in Week 2. That ban was changed to a $100,000 fine on appeal....
Jerome Boger will lead the seven-man crew when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football in a matchup that could reshape the race to the playoffs in the NFC. A former quarterback at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, Boger is one of the most respected match officials in the league. He was promoted to referee in 2006 and was part of the officiating team for Super Bowl XLVII, becoming only the second African-American to be included in a Super Bowl officiating crew after Mike Carey in Super Bowl XLII....
According to ESPN, the Broncos are no longer actively pursuing a trade for Romo, though they haven’t closed the door completely. The report also said Romo expects to retire if he is not signed by the Texans. MORE: Romo saga approaching potentially pivotal period An early March report suggested the Cowboys were interested in trading Romo to either the Broncos or Texans, though reports now suggest the Cowboys will release him barring a “major upset....
The veteran receiver was traded from the Patriots to the Jets in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick, ESPN reported. The move is correlated with New England signing Antonio Brown, according to the report. Thomas, 31, was signed to a one-year deal by the Patriots during the offseason after suffering a torn Achilles last year. He sat out of the Patriots’ Week 1 game against the Steelers. Thomas already has experience with coach Adam Gase — his most productive years were with the Broncos from 2010-14, when Gase was part of Denver’s staff....
Teams are competing against one another for hundreds of prospects in a matter of minutes. It’s a complete free-for-all. Just because these players weren’t taken in the seven-round draft doesn’t mean they won’t contribute in the NFL. Some wind up becoming legit stars — Priest Holmes, Wes Welker and Antonio Gates are among the standouts once overlooked by scouts. MORE 2020 NFL DRAFT:Full results | Team-by-team grades | Winners & losers...
Let’s isolate those contests and grab the cash this weekend. New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins Sunday, Sept. 15, 1 p.m. ET After a quick check of the NFL odds, it appears the New England Patriots will be lining up against the Miami Mannequins this coming Sunday. Many of the best online sportsbooks are dealing the Pats as 19-point road favorites, and despite the lofty line, there will be plenty of squares lining up to bet them hand over fist....
Before we get into the Week 4 forecasts, here’s a reminder that if you have any questions about sports weather or how weather could impact play (and, potentially, your fantasy, DFS, and gambling decisions), don’t hesitate to reach out to RotoGrinders’ meteorologist Kevin Roth on Twitter (@KevinRothWx) or check out the hourly NFL weather forecasts on RotoGrinders. To take your game to the next level, subscribe to RotoGrinders’ exclusive WeatherEdge tool and see how different weather conditions have impacted historical scoring....
Bad weather isn’t necessarily a death knell for fantasy production, and by no means should you sit someone like Julio Jones just because of some gusty, wet conditions, but kickers and borderline starters in a team’s passing game suddenly become much less attractive. NFL Week 8 weather updates Winds up to 17 mph and consistent rain are expected for the Cowboys-Redskins, which doesn’t figure to help any of Washington’s inconsistent wide receivers....
With Tom Brady fighting his four-game suspension in New York this week, the Patriots have reportedly been hit with an NFLPA complaint for their recent offseason discipline of cornerback Malcolm Butler, according to ESPN. MORE: Brady decision not expected for at least a month | Super Bowl rings through the years Butler was not allowed to participate in on-field activities with the team from May 28 through June 5 after he missed a voluntary session on May 26....
The Mexico City policy, which was first implemented in 1984 by the Reagan administration, bars U.S. federal funding to organizations that offer abortion counseling or referrals, or that advocate for the decriminalization or expansion of the procedure. The policy has been in force on-and-off in the U.S., with past Democratic presidents having rescinded it, while Republican leaders have seen the rule reinstated. Following the Trump administration’s decision to reinstate the policy in January 2017 after it was rescinded under former President Barack Obama, the GAO’s report, which was released on Wednesday, reveals the financial toll the rule took on non-governmental organizations in the months after it was implemented....
A day after a scary scene in Montreal -- Canadiens puncher George Parros tumbled over Colton Orr after a fight and smacked his face off the ice -- a few general managers and one hockey legend spoke out. They played the game. They are the game. And they're not media grinds or stats nerds. Personally, I'm in both of these last two camps. I also love hockey, in part because it's fast and tough and physical, and believe that fights, if not purely necessary, are not the end of the world....
So it can become a fool’s errand to try and guess how the NHL’s second season will break down. MORE: Odds to win the 2018 Stanley Cup The Western Conference is a bit more top heavy than its East counterparts. The Predators captured the Presidents’ Trophy, the conference’s No. 1 seed and a division title — all franchise firsts — in one fell swoop. If not for them, those honors would have gone to the Jets, who check in as the NHL’s second-best team....
There are a great many variables that go into determining a Stanley Cup champion. Many of them are uncontrollable. Yes, talent reigns supreme, but more than any sport fortune good or bad — pure, unadulterated luck — can swing a road trip in December or a series in June, almost all of which is unpredictable. So it can become a fool’s errand to try and predict in October which team will hoist the Cup in June....
