The Tiger Report: 10/22/11

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Sam Bradford will not play this weekend

Posted by Michael David Smith on October 22, 2011, 1:04 PM EDT

Sam Bradford will miss a game for the first time in his NFL career on Sunday.

Bradford, the Rams quarterback who started all 16 games as a rookie and had started all five games so far this year, has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Cowboys, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. A.J. Feeley will start in Bradford’s place.

Bradford suffered a high ankle sprain last week against the Packers, but he was able to tough it out and finish the game, and early this week the Rams were optimistic that he could go. But as the week went on, Bradford continued to miss practice, and now he’s been ruled out.

In a year when virtually nothing has gone right for the Rams, we can now add Bradford’s injury to the list. This season has been a mess in St. Louis.

Asante Samuel: Eagles don't want me

Posted by Mike Florio on October 22, 2011, 12:53 PM EDT

Eagles' Samuel knocks the ball away from Redskins' Moss in the end zone during their NFL football game in Landover

Reuters

The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles seem to make news every week, so why not make some news on their bye week, too?

Cornerback Asante Samuel joined Tim McManus and Pat Callahan of 97.5 The Fanatic in Philly earlier today. And Samuel made it clear that he’s not happy with the team’s reported willingness to trade him.

“Definitely, it doesn’t sit well with me,” Samuel said. “Definitely, I’ve been nothing but what they expected me to be when they brought me there. . . . Definitely, it doesn’t sit well with me. And obviously they don’t want me there, so life goes on. So we’ll see where I’ll be at.”

Samuel says that knowing the team doesn’t want him won’t affect his play.

“Well, as long as I’m getting paid I’m gonna do my job,” Samuel said. “So whoever [is] cutting the check, I do my job. . . . So I’m not worried about that. I just know in the back of my head they don’t want me there. So, you know, that’s not gonna leave. They put it out there so everybody could know that, so I know that and everybody knows that. So it’s in the back of my head. And Asante Samuel is a business entity first, so I’m going to make sure I handle my business accordingly.”

Samuel was the subject of trade rumors after the Eagles acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnadmi Asomugha in the days after the lockout ended. Last week, those rumors resurfaced before the annual trading deadline.

Samuel joined the Eagles on the first day of free agency in 2008, only weeks after dropping what would have been a perfect-season-clinching interception for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Signed through 2013, Samuel’s salary spikes from $5.9 million this year to $8.4 million next season. He’s due to earn $10.4 million in base salary in the final year of the deal.

Lee Evans and Ben Grubbs ruled out

Posted by Michael David Smith on October 22, 2011, 3:20 PM EDT

Getty Images

The Baltimore Ravens are still waiting on a couple of offensive starters to get healthy.

Wide receiver Lee Evans, who has been sidelined since Week Two, and guard Ben Grubbs, who hasn’t played since Week One, have both been ruled out for Monday night against the Jaguars.

Evans’ ankle injury has hampered him longer than the team expected. He was out of practice all week. Grubbs has a toe injury that has likewise taken longer than expected to heal.

“It’s just probably slower than any of us imagined those guys would be,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Grubbs and Evans. “We just have to keep fighting and trying to get them back. I think there’s going to be one day when we walk out here and they’re going to go through a full practice and they’re going to feel good and they’ll be ready to go. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”

But not for at least another week.

19 Things to know about the Week 7 injury report

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on October 21, 2011, 7:05 PM EDT

We handle the big injury news in the rumor mill.

The rest of the news you need to know is compiled right here in America’s third most popular injury report segment written by an undersized jew.

1. Rookie right tackle Gabe Carimi (knee) will be out again for the Bears. Slot receiverEarl Bennett (chest, probable) will be back in the mix for Chicago.

2. Bucs running back LeGarrette Blount (ankle) will not play in London. He’s doubtful. Center Jeff Faine (biceps) is out. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy(ankle) is a game-time decision after some limited practices this week.

3. The Falcons will be without Julio Jones (doubtful, hamstring) once again. Pass rusher John Abraham (groin) is questionable, but was able to practice in a limited fashion.

4. Lions running back Jahvid Best (concussion) is officially out. The question is whether he will be back anytime soon.

5. The Broncos are healthy after the bye. Tight end Julius Thomas (ankle) is questionable, and the rest of the team including wideout Demaryius Thomas is ready to roll.

6. Reggie Bush (groin) and Brandon Marshall (quad) are probable despite missing practice early in the week for the Dolphins.

7. The usual Packers are on the injury report. The team could also be without cornerback Sam Shields and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett because of concussions. Pickett is questionable; Shields is doubtful.

8. The Vikings will likely be without their top cornerback Antoine Winfield(neck, doubtful) once again. Their center John Sullivan (concussion) is doubtful.

9. We already told you the Texans are without Andre Johnson. Fullback James Casey (pectoral), a key cog of the offense, is doubtful.

10. The Chiefs are fully healthy coming out the bye. Jackie Battle figures to be the lead running back.

11. The Raiders are very banged up. Cornerback Chris Johnson (groin) is out. A number of questionable Raiders missed practice Friday:

RB Rock Cartwright (calf), K Sebastian Janikowski (left hamstring), LBRolando McClain (ankle), RB Marcel Reece (ankle), and DT Richard Seymour (knee) all did not practice.

12. Steelers C Maurkice Pouncey (knee) is probable after returning to practice. The Steelers are short a number of starters: DT Casey Hampton (shoulder), LBJames Harrison (eye), G Doug Legursky (toe), and DE Aaron Smith (foot) are all out. Linebacker Jason Worilds (quadricep) is questionable.

13. The Cardinals are without safety Kerry Rhodes (foot) once again. Tight endTodd Heap (hamstring) is questionable, but didn’t practice all week.

14. Key Jets defensive lineman Mike Devito hurt his knee in practice this week. He’ll be a gametime decision.

15. The Seahawks list Tarvaris Jackson (pectoral) as doubtful. Tight end Zach Miller (neck) is out. Charlie Whitehurst is the man for this week.

16. Browns linebacker Scott Fujita (head) is out. Their top cornerback Joe Haden (knee) is a gametime decision after returning to practice Friday. Running back Peyton Hillis (hamstring) is listed as questionable, but looks unlikely to play.

17. Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (ankle) is officially questionable after not practicing all week. He’ll try to test the injury before the game.

18. The Redskins secondary could get some folks back. Safety O.J. Atogwe (knee) and CB Phillip Buchanon (neck, knee) are both questionable. Buchanon practiced this week, and Atogwe did not. Tight end Chris Cooley (finger) and tackle Trent Williams (ankle) will sit out.

19. Joseph Addai (hamstring) returned to practice Friday for the Colts. He’s questionable, and will be a gametime decision.

No mending fences with Finnegan and the Texans

Posted by Michael David Smith on October 21, 2011, 6:17 PM EDT

Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan wants to be the dirtiest player in the NFL, and when he played the Texans last year he took a step toward accomplishing that goal by fighting Andre Johnson. But as he prepares to play the Texans again on Sunday, he’s taking a kinder, gentler approach.

Finnegan was labeled “a prick” by one of the receivers he’s going to be covering on Sunday, Houston’s Kevin Walter. But when Finnegan was asked about Walter, he decided to take the high road.

“I just know he is a really good receiver,” Finnegan said of Walter. “I take offense to nothing anyone says. People can say what they want to. I just keep it moving.”

Finnegan apparently doesn’t want another fight against another Texans receiver, but Walter sounds like he’s itching for a brawl, saying the Texans need to “go hit them in the mouth.”

Whether things get physical between Finnegan and Walter or not, we’re going to see a big game in Tennessee on Sunday. The Titans and the Texans are playing with first place in the AFC South on the line.

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