There were no awkward moments or uncomfortable conversations. Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens had already prepared for this situation. When Jets coach Eric Mangini announced Monday that he was turning to Clemens as his starting quarterback, Pennington recalled the discussions he and the 2006 second-round draft pick had recently.
Graybeard Brett Favre certainly isn’t running low on arm strength or signature moments. On the first play following the kickoff in overtime, Favre connected on an 82-yard touchdown pass with Greg Jennings and the Green Bay Packers defeated the Denver Broncos 19-13 on Monday night. “I feel like I’ve been on some better teams, but it’s hard to doubt this team,” Favre said.
Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino met Monday with cornerback DeAngelo Hall, trying to sort out their differences over the release of defensive tackle Grady Jackson. Both said they were ready to move on after getting together privately before practice. “Obviously, you don’t like to see some of those comments made,” Petrino said.
Tony Dungy welcomed the three-ring circus back to Indianapolis on Monday. With more reporters, more hype and more debate than a regular-season game typically merits, Dungy instructed his Colts to have fun as they prepare for another high-wire act: Playing the dreaded Patriots. “I really think that’s why you’re in the league, for games like this,” the Indy coach said Monday.
Washington Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers is out of the year with torn ligaments in his right knee. Rogers was hurt in the first quarter of Sunday’s 52-7 loss to the New England Patriots. An MRI on Monday revealed tears in the ACL and MCL. He will have surgery in about two weeks and begin rehabilitation with the possible goal of returning for next year’s training camp.
J.P. Losman lost his job as the Bills’ starting quarterback due to injury this season. Now, Trent Edwards can wonder if it’s his turn. Coach Dick Jauron gave the quarterback revolving door another spin Monday, a day after Edwards sprained his right wrist and watched from the sideline while Losman stepped in to lead the Bills to a 13-3 win over the New York Jets.
The preliminaries are over. Eight blowout wins in eight games. Now the New England Patriots are preparing for their main event. Their weekly chatter about how good the upcoming opponent is finally makes sense when they talk about the Indianapolis Colts. “They’ve won however many straight, won a championship last year,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday.
While the Giants and Dolphins were sliding around the turf at Wembley Stadium, the NFL had a cadre of about 40 volunteers working the stands doing other important work. They were asking questions of the fans who attended the NFL’s first regular-season game outside of North America what they liked and didn’t like and, maybe most importantly, if they were aware of the meaning of the game they were…
Timberwolves point guard Randy Foye will be out several weeks because of a lingering knee injury. Tests revealed a stress reaction in his left kneecap, and the team said the second-year player will be out indefinitely. Foye, an NBA all-rookie team selection last season, is an important part of this revamped, inexperienced squad that has only five returning players on the 15-man roster.
Tim Duncan has agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs, an official familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday. The agreement will add to Duncan’s existing three-year deal and keep him in San Antonio at least through the 2011-12 season, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to discuss…
