Archive for August 2013

Two relatively surprising cuts were announced earlier today when Jimmy Clausen and Drayton Florence were let go by the Panthers.  The final cuts were announced shortly after and one of them was not Domenik Hixon.  Below is the list of players that did not make the final 53 man roster.

Source: #Eagles OL Danny Watkins, former 1st round pick, is being released.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2013 

As I wrote about it last week, it is a tough time of year for NFL teams as they try to reduce their rosters to the required 53.  All 32 teams have until Saturday 6 p.m. to reach the magic number.  However, beginning Sunday at Noon, each team can sign players to its eight-member practice squad.  For our beloved AFC North and East divisions, read on and see if your favorite player made the cut and if your team made all the right moves. 

Former 2010 second-round draft pick Jimmy Clausen has been let go by the Carolina Panthers.  Clausen was believed to be the quarterback of the future after the Panthers drafted him 48th overall out of Notre Dame.  The writing may have been on the wall in 2011 when Cam Newton was selected with the first-overall pick.

The San Diego Chargers have cut Max Starks a day before teams have to set their 53 man roster. Starks was unable to beat out King Dunlap for the starting left tackle job this year so the Chargers had no interest in keeping him around anymore.

Brian Banks' quest for a comeback came to an end when the Atlanta Falcons released the 27 year old linebacker on Friday. For those who don't know Banks waited a long time to return to the gridiron. To think a year ago Banks couldn't do simple things like eat or even take a shower when he wanted to. The reason, he was incarcerated and had been for the last ten years after being convicted when he was 16 of rape.

The Buffalo Bills have placed veteran wide receiver Brad Smith on Injured reserve officially ending his season due to a rib injury. According to ESPN.com Smith will still receive his $1.5 million dollar salary, which would not have been paid if he was cut. In his two years with the Bills Smith has proven to be a multi talented player by playing multiple positions allowing the team to save valuable roster positions. Heading into the final roster cuts Smith looked like the odd man out in the Bills wide receiver rotation.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Seneca Wallace was said to be retired after not traveling with the team, to the preseason finale against the San Diego Chargers. Apparently it was just a case of a player not being happy with his current scenery. Don Yee Wallace's agent provided a quote to NFL.com stating that his client wants to continue to play professional football.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, the Baltimore Ravens held out hope that tight end, Dennis Pitta, could return at some point in the 2013 campaign after Pitta suffered a fractured hip during preseason.  With the regular season just a first down away; the Ravens are still leaving the locker room door open.

#Texans plan to take S Ed Reed (hip) off the PUP list & have him practice opening week. Hoping to have a decision on Week 1 early next week
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2013

The Jacksonville Jaguars are reaching out to teams around the league to see if there's any interest in trading for defensive end Andre Branch, according to Adam Stites of bigcatcountry.com.

Branch was drafted by the Jaguars at the top of the second round in the 2012 draft. Branch spent most of his rookie season playing behind Jason Babin at defensive end and only recorded one sack and nine tackles. Branch was drafted to bring a much needed pass rush boost to the Jacksonville defense, but the rookie defensive end out of Clemson disappointed in his time on the field last year.

Branch isn't off to a good start this year either. He hasn't done much in the preseason, and the team may be losing patience with the second-year defensive end.

The Baltimore Ravens have begun the agonizing process of getting their roster down to 53 birds before the Saturday 6 p.m. deadline.  Personnel from all 32 teams stress over this tough process.  However, in some cases, the game makes the decision. 

Darrelle Revis appears to be ready to make his Buccaneers debut against the Jets team that traded him this past offseason.  As mentioned earlier this week it appeared that Revis had the possibility of playing the Bucs’ final preseason game but that idea was squashed.

Josh Alper of NBCSports reports that Cincinnati Bengals linebacker, Emmanuel Lamur, will be lost for the season with a shoulder injury he suffered in the Bengals’ preseason finale.

The Arizona Cardinals have decided to keep five running backs on their roster heading into this weekend for final cuts for the regular season according to NFL.com. But the real question is though will they keep all the running backs for week 1?

There has been some speculation that Bruce Arians may trade Ryan Williams, a running back that just can't seem to be healthy. Asked if he is good enough to make the 53 man roster, Arians said, "I don't think there's any doubt. We're so good at running back." Although the Cardinals also have Stepfan Taylor, Andre Ellington, Alfonso Smith, and Rashard Mendenhall, there is question of whether these running backs are good enough to start. Mendenhall has a sprained left knee but he is expected to be ready for week one.

New York Giants running back Andre Brown left Thursday night's 28-20 preseason  loss the New England Patriots with a fractured left leg, NFL.com's Dan Hanzus reports.

Brown suffered the injury in the second quarter when his leg took a hit from the helmet of a Patriots defender. It was the same leg that Brown fractured in 2012, causing his season to end early, after 10 games.

Josh Alper of NBCSports reports that Miami Dolphins third overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Dion Jordan, has returned to practice and declared that he is ready and available for Week 1.

New Orleans Saints starting wide receiver Marques Colston returns for his first game action of the preseason. The saints have been slowly progressing Colston who has been dealing with a foot injury all training camp. Colston played with the second string offense and had one catch for 18 yards in two series. Sean Payton had this to say on why he played Colston in the fourth preseason game.

Buffalo Bills safety, Jairus Byrd, who just ended his lengthy holdout and unenthusiastically flew back into Orchard Park, New York, appears to have flown in with a busted talon.

Washington Redskins coaches were looking for re-assurance from starting strong safety Brandon Meriweather who is returning from an ACL injury. Meriweather was recovering from a left knee injury the entire  2012 season, until he tore the ACL in his right knee week 11 only 45 snaps into his comeback. Over the past two seasons Meriweather has missed 20 games dues to injury.The coaching staff left Tampa Bay still questioning if Meriweather is back to top form after he displayed some rust which should be expected after the lengthy layoff. Mike Jones of the Washington Post provided the following quote after the game Thursday night.

The Oakland Raiders have struggled on defense this preseason, but they received a boost last night When defensive tackle Pat Sims returned from injury.  Sims has been out most of training camp and all three preseason games with a hamstring injury.  Sims played pretty well last night, he had two quarterback hits and was getting plenty of pressure on the Seattle quarterbacks.

Sure the last game of the preseason is dull and boring with most fans generally having more interest in “Matlock” re-runs.  However, the game is vital to some players who are trying to find their way on to a final roster spot.

Earlier in the week I had wrote about Domenik Hixon making his preseason debut for the Panthers this week and him fighting for a final roster spot.  Hixon did not disappoint after hauling in three receptions for 44 yards on four targets in the Panthers 25-10 win over Pittsburgh.  Is this enough to solidify a spot for him?  Ted Ginn Jr. showed flashes of his Ohio State days with 149 yards and two-touchdowns including an 87 yard strike from Derek Anderson.

There still are no clear cut answers to the Panthers’ receiver dilemma.  Hixon was expected to be the team’s no. 3 wide receiver until his hamstring injury which gave Armanti Edwards the role.  Edwards grasped the role momentarily until he suffered a hamstring injury which gave David Gettis the shot at no. 3.  Gettis suffered a pulled hamstring during warm-ups and did not play last night but may not miss any time according to head coach Ron Rivera.

"Hopefully, it's one of those things that's (just) a couple weeks or a week or maybe not even a week," Rivera said. "We'll see."

Steve Smith and Bradon LaFell will enter Week One as the Panthers’ number one and two receivers.  After that is a mix of Edwards, Gettis, Ginn Jr and Hixon.  There is the possibility that they keep six receivers but with the amount of injuries on their offensive line one would imagine that they could use as much help as they can to protect quarterback Cam Newton.


Follow @TheNFLInjuryRpt

What is the Injured Reserve designation and why do teams use it? For an NFL player to be designated on Injured Reserve they must have suffered a major injury. The NFL defines major injury as an injury that renders a player unable to practice or play football for at least six weeks, or 42 calendar days from the date of injury. Teams designate a player for injured reserve when the player has already practiced making them ineligible for the PUP list and they will be out a substantial amount of time wasting the roster spot. Until last year when a player was sent on IR their season was over with no ability to return even if healthy. That all changed prior to 2012 season when the NFL and NFLPA agreed on a new "short term IR" rule change. George Atallah, the NFLPA assistant executive director of external affairs provided an explanation of the change via Twitter.

The Bucs starting TE battle may have just been decided as Tom Crabtree goes with lower leg injury. Being carted off field now
— Roy Cummings (@RCummingsTBO) August 30, 2013

As I said on TA, Pats leaning towards moving Gronkowski to 53-man roster on Saturday. Still not likely back before at least late Septemeber.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 30, 2013

After months of anticipation, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was medically cleared to play by Dr. James Andrews after Thursday night's evaluation, NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal reports.

Despite the green light from Dr. Andrews, "Operation Patience" may not be over just yet. Head coach Mike Shanahan has not yet committed as far as to name Griffin the Week 1 starter. Shanahan announced he had some "concerns" that he would discuss with Griffin over the weekend. However, the Washington Post reports that the concerns are not significant enough to keep RGIII off of the field September 9th against the Philadelphia Eagles. Chances are, Shanahan just wants to keep some element of mystery alive for the Eagles while they prepare for their season opener.

Though it's unlikely Mark Sanchez will be ready Week 1, Jets still say it's day-to-day. Internally, though, a fear he could be out longer.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2013

Brandon Marshall was one of the best wide receivers in the league last season, prompting praise across the NFL and high selections in fantasy drafts everywhere. He enters the year with hefty expectations, but there are concerns involving his lingering hip injury. While he's currently on a four-day hiatus from the team, during which he'll have his hip re-examined, Marshall responded to one of his Twitter followers confirming that he will indeed suit up for Week 1 of the regular season.

"@landa_salomon: @BMarshall Will you play in the first game of the season?" Yes
— Machine Marshall (@BMarshall) August 28, 2013

Just a day after being placed on the physically unable to perform reserve list with hamstring and groin issues, defensive tackle Jay Ratliff made some comments that hinted the possibility that he is unhappy with the way the Dallas Cowboys strength and conditioning staff are handling his rehab process, according to ESPNDallas.

In 2012 Ratliff underwent season ending surgery to repair a sports hernia. Rather than rehabbing with the Cowboys' training staff over the offseason, Ratliff decided to rehab on his own which is alarming because the Cowboys' strength and conditioning staff is widely regarded as one of the best in the NFL.

Browns LB Barkevious Mingo unlikely to play opener vs. Miami due to bruised lung. He's probable for week 2 vs. Balt.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 29, 2013

The Chargers are going to run an offense that features quick passes and high-percentage throws that will benefit the team.  Rivers believes he doesn't need "fixed" and he hates that term.

As a lifelong New Englander, one would think that I would have a swordfish hold of things to say about Patriots cornerback, Ras-I Dowling.  Cricket sounds.  However, I will say this; one cannot make the club from the tub.

Since being taken 27th overall in 2005, Roddy White has been quite the iron man for the Atlanta Falcons.  White has played in all 128 games during his illustrious eight-year career.  That streak is in jeopardy due to an ankle sprain he suffered in the Falcons’ second preseason game on August 15th.

#Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said they are hoping Roddy White will be available for the season opener vs. Saints on 9.8.
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@AJCFalcons) August 28, 2013

The AFC West seems like it is the Broncos and everyone else.  The Broncos are obviously the favorites to win the division. They finished last year 13-3 before being upset by the Ravens in the divisional round of the playoffs.  They still have Peyton Manning at quarterback and they added the always reliable Wes Welker at WR.  The defense lost Elvis Dumervil to the Ravens and Von Miller will be out for six games due to a suspension for violating league policy, but the Broncos offense will score enough points to win them games.  The Kansas City Chiefs seem to be everyone's pick to be the surprise team in the AFC this year.  They have a new head coach in Andy Reid and a new quarterback in Alex Smith.  They also hired John Dorsey from the Green Bay Packers to be their new GM.  The Chiefs have made a lot of chances, but sometimes change is good.  Expect them to be much improved this year and fighting for a wild card spot.

The Oakland Raiders also have a new quarterback this year.  They traded for Matt Flynn from Seattle.  Many thought 4th round pick Tyler Wilson would be competition for Flynn, but he has struggled so far this offseason and now Flynn is competing with Terrelle Pryor for the starting quarterback job.  The Raiders may struggle this year with a thin offensive line and questionable wide receivers.  The San Diego Chargers have a new coach in Mike McCoy.  He was previously the offensive coordinator for the Broncos.  The Chargers main focus should be protecting quarterback Phillip Rivers, the Chargers will go as Rivers goes.   The Chargers have been dealing with injuries to their wide receivers in the offseason.  Don't be surprised if they look for a veteran wide receiver when teams start to cut their rosters down.

Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback EJ. Manuel left little doubt throughout the first two preseason games that he is the new team leader.The Bills showed they missed his leadership in a lifeless 30-7 loss in week three to the Washington Redskins. After undergoing minor knee surgery Manuel, has been chomping at the bit to get back and start week one of the regular season against the New England Patriots. Manuel began doing foot work and cardio earlier this week and although he hasn't been cleared to throw Manuel says he feels great. First year head coach Doug Marrone is not as optimistic and implies this is EJ's competitive spirit talking.

The defending Superbowl champion Baltimore Ravens have lost Jameel McClain and Kapron Lewis-Moore to the PUP list. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun is reporting both players have been placed on the reserve PUP list making them ineligible for the fist six weeks. McClain tallied 79 tackles before suffering a season-ending spinal contusion against the Washington Redskins in Week 14 last season. Lewis-Moore is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the BCS National Title Game.

New York Jets wide receiver, Santonio Holmes, is rehabbing a Lisfranc injury he suffered in 2012.  Coach Holmes still has not decided when and if he will return.  This is what happens when you let a player as lazy as a nurse shark dictate when he can come back on the field.

Mike Florio of NBCSports reports that New York Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, remains day-to-day after injuring his throwing shoulder in the Jets’ third preseason game against the New York Football Giants.

The New Orleans Saints acquired Veteran Linebacker Parys Haralson from the San Francisco 49ers. New Orleans gave up a conditional 7th round draft pick for Haralson hinging on the fact he makes the team. I know I know why is this even a story? For no other reason than Haralson can flat out play. In six seasons Haralson amassed 145 tackles 21.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Frank Gore made these comments after news of the trade broke.

"When we play y'all, be easy on me"
                                            -49ers Running Back Frank Gore

Injuries were an issue for the Pittsburgh Steelers early in the preseason, but the team has received good news of late, specifically relating to running back Le'Veon Bell and tight end Heath Miller. Bell recently shed the walking boot that was protecting his mid-foot sprain, while Miller has been progressing well in his return from ACL surgery.

Two time Super Bowl Champion Lawrence Tynes has quite the unique injury.  Tynes is battling a staph infection that has kept him out for the majority of the preseason and could possibly end up on the injured reserve list according to FOX Sports’ Mike Garafolo.

A day after head coach Greg Schiano stated that Tynes along with guard Carl Nicks were both “responding well” to treatment for a staph infection, Tynes’ wife Amanda decided to put a halt to that rumor rather quickly.

Jacksonville Jaguars dodged a bullet when tests revealed starting left guard Will Rackley's injury is not as serious as first suspected. Ryan O'Halloran of Jacksonville.com is reporting that an MRI indicated Rackley suffered no structural damage to his knee or ankle areas. Jaguars first-year head coach Gus Bradley is keeping his hopes up that Rackley will return for Week 1.

"That's what we're hearing, that he has a good chance {to play against the Chiefs},'' Bradley said after Monday's practice. "The one good thing for the offensive lineman, you see them play with that type of injury. First {we thought} it was a knee, then it was a high ankle sprain, and they ruled both of those out.
"Now I think he's heading in the right direction and I feel he has a chance to be back."

The Washington Redskins have placed defensive end Adam Carriker on the physically unable to perform reserve list, meaning he will be out for at least the first six weeks of the regular season, according to Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk.

Carriker tore his quadriceps tendon in Week 2 of the 2012 season and was placed on injured reserve. He underwent his third surgery in his right leg in late July. With Carriker still on the long road to recovery, and the 53 man roster deadline approaching, it was nearly inevitable that Carriker would start the 2013 regular season on the PUP.

Carriker's absence will hurt the depth of the Redskins defensive line. When healthy, Carriker is a productive defensive end. He recorded 5.5 sacks in 2011. Considering Carriker has underwent three surgeries for the same injury that he suffered nearly a year ago, it is fair to question how much he will be able to contribute, if and when he does return to the field. With Carriker's absence, Jarvis Jenkins will likely take over the role of starting defensive end.





Follow @TheNFLInjuryRpt

Earlier this morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III will play Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. That may ultimately prove to be the case, but as of yet Griffin hasn't received medical clearance, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Throughout the offseason, and basically since he suffered his grisly knee injury, Griffin has said that he will return in time to start the Redskins' regular season opener. He appears to still be on track to do so, but before he can get on the field he'll have to be cleared medically. This will come from Dr. James Andrews, the renowned surgeon that performed the operation on Griffin's knee.

It has been a tough preseason for the Cleveland Browns and players like linebacker Barkevious Mingo and running back Montario Hardesty.  There must be something in the water in the new training facility because the NFL injury bug refuses to leave Berea, Ohio.  My momma always said, “Scott, tell the good news first, so people are happy when you tell them the stuff that makes their smiles cry.”  So for my mother (miss you mom, no tears in heaven) and for the residents of Browns Territory (I feel sorry for you) the good news first.

Denver Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe has been out the last two weeks after suffering a neck injury in a preseason game.  Wolfe was expected to be out longer, but it appears he will be ready to go by week one as long as there is no set backs.

“Absolutely, there is no question that I’ll [play], as long as nothing happens in practice, knock on wood, Don’t want to get hurt in practice but as long as I don’t re-injure it I should be fine.”

Denver Broncos running backs Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman have been battling it out all offseason for the starting running back job.  It appears as if neither one of them got the leg up on the other running back. According to offensive coordinator Adam Gase the Broncos will use a running back by committee.

"This is going to be a by-committee backfield. We've never shied away from that." 

The Miami Dolphins biggest catch in this year’s NFL draft, No. 3overall pick, outside linebacker, Dion Jordon, returned to practice this week and is hopeful he can play in the season opener, reports Darin Gantt of NBCSports.

As mentioned yesterday, the New Orleans Saints are struggling to find answers on defense.  In the past week the Saints have acquired Parys Haralson from San Francisco and claimed defensive back Jumal Rolle off waivers from the Bills just to fill the holes left from injury. 

The American Football Conference Eastern Division is one of the oldest.  Created in 1960 as the AFL East Division as a counterpart to the AFL Western Division, its modern day residents include four teams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.

The AFC East will be the most fascinating division to watch this year in the NFL.  Due to their tumultuous offseason of multiple players signing elsewhere and one player indicted for murder, every remote control couch coach in their cup-holding recliners and upper echelon T.V. pigskin pundits West of the Berkshires and South of Providence believe the Patriots have lost their mojo.  The Jets, Bills and Dolphins think they smell blood in the water and are ready to unseat the Pats atop of the AFC East. 

Not so fast my little referee.  No other team in the NFL deals with negativity and adversity like the Patriots and no other team in the NFL will use that negativity and adversity to their advantage.  Brady’s bunch will once again have the rest of the division in the Patriots’ rearview mirror as they make their drive to the Super Bowl.  Here is my 2013 AFC East season preview.   

Fantasy football owners have always have always had a tough time deciding which running back to draft out of the Carolina backfield.  Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams have made up the Panthers’ 1A/1B backfield combination for the past five seasons.  Unfortunately for Stewart that picture will clear up a little more.  

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Stewart will begin the 2013 season on the PUP list which will force him to miss at least the first six weeks of the season.

“It’s one of those things where I’m just trying to get healthy for Week 1,” he said Tuesday after practice at Halas Hall. “So you’ve got to have a game plan coming off surgery, a third hip surgery. So yeah, I’m not where I want to be right now. It’s a little frustrating. But we’ll see.”

San Diego Chargers rookie linebacker Mati Te'o has begun the process of getting back on the football field. The first step to the ultimate goal was completed yesterday when Te'o removed the walking boot he has been using since injuring his foot during the first week of the pre-season. Mike Florio of NBC Sports has reported Chargers head coach Mike McCoy isn't ruling Te'o out for the team's regular season opener.

“I’m not ruling anything out,” McCoy said.  ”It’s going to be up to how his body recovers before the game on Monday night.  We’ll take it one day at a time.  When he is out there we’ll see how he is feeling.  He knows his body better than anyone so we will just take it one day at a time.”

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones normally doesn’t shy away from media attention. One topic that the longtime owner didn't want to rush and answer was whether Jay Ratliff will begin the 2013 season on the PUP list. Mike Florio of NBC Sports has reported Ratliff will in fact miss the first six games of the season. Ratliff who missed ten games last season due to a sports hernia and ankle injury suffered a groin and hamstring injury during his conditioning test this pre-season. A quote from Jones earlier in the  day led us to believe this was likely.

"We’re getting close to cut down day, though, and Ratliff still hasn’t been able to shake the groin and hamstring injuries that have kept him on the sideline."

By now, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has made it known that he plans on playing Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. But for the first time this summer Griffin was confident enough to go as far as to say that his surgically repaired knee was at 100 percent, in an interview with ESPN980 in Washington.

PPR	Player	POS
1	Adrian Peterson	RB
2	Doug Martin	RB
3	C.J. Spiller	RB
4	Arian Foster	RB
5	Jamaal Charles	RB

Domenik Hixon signed with the Carolina Panthers this offseason with the intent of being Cam Newton’s number three receiver; instead Hixon may find himself cut before the Panthers open the season due to a nagging hamstring injury.

Hixon will finally find the field this Thursday against the Steelers in the final preseason game for the Cats according to Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer.  Unfortunately he was unable to play in the third preseason game or the “dress rehearsal," a game generally reserved for players to shine and win roster spots.  Armanti Edwards and David Gettis have all been competing for the no. 3 spot on the depth chart so nothing is guaranteed for Hixon.

The New Orleans Saints have generally been known more for their offense rather than their defense.  With that said; Will Smith has been one of the staples of the Saints D since being taken 18th overall in the 2004 NFL Entry Draft.

After suffering a season ending ACL tear, New Orleans and first-year defensive coordinator Rob Ryan are looking for answers to their new 3-4 look.  The Saints will also be missing defensive end Kenyon Coleman for the season and have question marks around Jonathan Vilma who’s knee injury has kept him out of action for the past month.

Like ever team this time of year, the Cincinnati Bengals are trying to get healthy for their season opener.  There are some encouraging signs that the players on the mend are losing the band-aids and donning the cleats.  Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle, Andre Smith, is one player circling September 8 on his calendar.

Cleveland Browns running back, Dion Lewis, was looking for a fresh start.  Coming from the Eagles, Lewis knew he could make an impact and help the Browns’ running attack.  Sadly for Lewis and sadly for the residents of Browns Territory, this will not be the case.

The New York Jets will be lighter today as they trim their passenger list to the required 75 cutting wide receiver Braylon Edwards and running back Joe McKnight.  In addition, WR Santonio Holmes was removed from the physically unable to perform list and returned to practice.

The New York Giants have been without Victor Cruz for the past two weeks since the wide receiver suffered his heel injury during the Indianapolis Colts. While he's been ruled out for the remainder of the preseason, Cruz is hopeful that he'll be able to rejoin the Giants' starting lineup in time for their Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, according to Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger.

Cruz took another step toward his return yesterday as he was able to shed the crutches and walking boot he had been sporting since suffering the injury.

The one-phrase players do not want to hear this time of year is “coach wants to see you and bring your playbook.”  That is NFL mumbo jumbo for its time for you to “hit the pavement.”  Each NFL team has to cut its roster down to 75 would be players by Tuesday August 27 by 4 p.m.  After the cut down to 75, there will be a final set of snipping to get each team down to their 53-man rosters by August 31 by 6 p.m.  This is a tough stretch for players as they are lost between tomorrow and yesterday and between now and then.

The Buccaneers’ shiny new toy may be on display this Saturday, but is it worth it?  The Bucs made headlines this off season by acquiring all-pro cornerback Darrelle Revis from the New York Jets for a first and third-round picks.  Many have questioned the Bucs trading for damaged goods and many are wondering why Tampa Bay would risk putting Revis out on his island in the final meaningless game of the summer.

Last season the AFC South was split between the "haves" and the "have nots" as the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts battled it out for the top spot in the division, and the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars lingered toward the bottom. Will 2013 be any different?

One common denominator between success and failure in this polarizing division is the play at the quarterback position. It's not just coincidence that the top two teams have quarterbacks with bright futures--Matt Schaub and first-overall pick Andrew Luck. The QB play in Jacksonville and Tennessee has been anything but dependable as Jake Locker struggled in his second season and Blaine Gabbert has left a lot to be desired in his two years as the starter for the Jaguars. However, both the Titans and Jaguars got a little smart this offseason and brought in some veteran QBs to push the young gun slingers for playing time. We'll see if this makes the difference.

After an offseason of roster turnover, free agency, and the NFL draft, let's take a look at how each team from the AFC South may do in the 2013 season. (Mind you, season predictions are complete speculation at this point based on personnel moves and player development thus far in camp.)

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't waste any time getting their roster down to the mandatory 75 players by Tuesday afternoon. On Sunday, the Jaguars released thirteen players, according to Alfie Crow of bigcatcountry.com. There weren't any major surprises in the team's first wave of cuts, but it looks like special teams took the brunt of the roster cuts this time around.

San Diego Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram tore his ACL on May 14, the second day of offseason practice.  He had surgery May 22, Ingram and the team are hoping it will be a six month recovery time.  If Ingram was able to come back to play within six months that would leave a late November or early December return.

“The six-month mark is where we’ve been really pushing to get to,”  said Dr. Neal ElAttrache.  “There are a bunch of examples now of that. … You’re going to be seeing more and more guys coming back sooner to their peak performance ability.”

Each NFL team needs to get down to 75 players on their roster by Tuesday afternoon, and the Titans did just that by releasing thirteen players on Monday and placing veteran wide receiver Kevin Walter on the team's regulars season PUP (physically unable to perform) list, according to Terry McCormick of the Titans Insider.

Walter was signed in the offseason from the Houston Texans to add depth to the Titans' receiving corps, but the 11th-year receiver underwent disc surgery on his back in July. Walter has not participated in training camp, and will begin the season on the team's PUP list. This means after six weeks into the season there will be a three week window where the team can decide to either activate Walter or place him on injured reserve. By placing Walter on the regular season PUP list, the Titans will not currently use up a roster spot with the veteran receiver.

According to a team's press release, the Indianapolis Colts have released eleven players on Sunday and placed outside linebacker Lawrence Sidbury on injured reserve. The NFL requires all teams to be down to 75 players on their roster, and with the roster moves over the weekend, the Colts are now down to 78 players on their roster. This means they will need to release three more players by Tuesday afternoon.

In anticipation for the Tuesday 3 pm deadline, where all NFL teams must get their rosters down to 75 players, the Houston Texans cut eleven players on Monday and are now down to 78 players on their roster. They will need to waive three more players by Tuesday afternoon. Here is a list of the players Houston has waived so far.

The New York Giants announced Monday via the team's official website that defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been activated from the physically unable to perform list, and has been cleared to practice.

Pierre-Paul underwent back surgery in June and missed all of training camp. He worked on individual drills in Monday's practice,  and said that the individual drills he was going through during his rehab were more difficult than the drills in practice.

Somewhere at One Patriot Place, Foxborough, Massachusetts, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady just smiled again.  Buffalo Bills second-year cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured wrist, reports Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.

If the road to the Super Bowl was not hard enough, the Buffalo Bills announce that rookie quarterback, Jeff Tuel, will start Week 1 against the New England Patriots and somewhere, in the hallways underneath Gillette Stadium, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick look at each other and just smile.

The Josh Cribbs era in Oakland didn't last long.  According to @Rotoworld_FB the Oakland Raiders have cut the former return specialist.  Cribbs has still been dealing with knee problems and has lost his explosiveness.

Raiders quarterback Matt Flynn will not play in their final preseason game.  Flynn has been dealing with elbow tendonitis.  Flynn struggled in the Raiders third preseason game, he threw three interceptions against the Bears.

The American Football Conference North Division has technically only been around since 2002 when the NFL realigned into eight divisions of four teams.  However, its teams, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers have a deep-rooted history in the NFL.

The AFC North contains the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens and a “below the radar” Bengals team that has made it into the playoffs the past two seasons.  The other half of the division includes a Steelers team that has the most post NFL merger wins than any other franchise playing with a nasty chip on its shoulder pads and a Browns squad with a revamped front office and coaching staff aggressively looking to make changes and improve.  Geographically, the most tightly packed division in the NFL; the AFC North will also be one of the most competitive.  Here is my 2013 AFC North season preview.

The Cardinals are shopping RB Ryan Williams ahead of the roster cutdown deadlines.
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 26, 2013

“Yeah, got the MRI and it, like we talked last night, pretty much came back as a mild MCL sprain,” Coach Chuck Pagano said, in comments distributed by the team. “The MRI was pretty much negative. It wasn’t as bad as anybody anticipated, so he’s going to be day-to-day. He won’t play, obviously, in this next contest but hopefully be ready for the opener.”

Source tells me Bills concerned Kevin Kolb's concussion may be career-ending and they're proceeding with that in mind.
— Tim Graham (@ByTimGraham) August 25, 2013

An MRI confirmed that New York Giants safety Stevie Brown has a torn ACL and will miss the 2013 season, the team announced Sunday. The injury was originally diagnosed as a sprained knee.

Why would New York Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, be put into a meaningless game halfway through the 4^th quarter behind a third-string offensive line?  Because head coach, Rex Ryan, runs the show.

Pittsburg Steelers rookie linebacker, Jarvis Jones, suffered an apparent chest injury Saturday night in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, reports Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com

In advance of the Tuesday deadline for teams to cut down their rosters to 75 players, the Baltimore Ravens cleaned out the cage parting ways with a flock of players, including tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.

There seems to be a reoccurring theme for the New York Giants this preseason. When a player comes back from an injury, another player sustains one. The trend continued in Saturday night's 24-21 overtime loss to the New York Jets.

Cornerback Terrell Thomas took the field for the first time in two years Saturday night. Thomas missed the last two seasons with two ACL tears. Thomas said he was "blessed to be in this situation". Not many players are fortunate enough to be able to play again after tearing an ACL twice.

#Titans coach Mike Munchak said the injuries to Nate Washington and Shonn Greene are "minor"
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 25, 2013