Morris on the hot seat in Tampa

Posted by Mike Florio on November 15, 2011, 7:06 PM EST

Getty Images

With the inconsistent Bucs recently becoming consistently bad, a question has surfaced regarding whether the team can sever ties with coach Raheem Morris after the season, with no buyout or other financial penalty.

The folks at JoeBucsFan.com suggested last week that the Glazer family can opt out of the deal after 2011, notwithstanding widespread reports that the Glazers exercised a two-year option on Morris after the 2010 season.  The subject came up during my weekly Tuesday visit with Steve Duemig of WDAE in Tampa, and Duemig seemed to suggest that he’s also heard talk of a post-2011 opt out.

A source with knowledge of the situation has since advised PFT that Morris is under contract through 2012.  (Duemig has since been told the same thing, possibly by the same source.)

John Fox: If Tebow is our guy, we can't do that other crap

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 15, 2011, 5:14 PM EST

AP

Sometime after Denver’s blowout loss to the Lions, Broncos coach John Fox had an epiphany.

“We decided if Tim [Tebow] is going to be our guy, we can’t do that other crap,” told Jeff Darlington of NFL.com. “We had to tweak it.”

And by that other crap, he means run anything approaching a conventional NFL offense. You know, one that includes completing a few passes.

“Do whatever the hell it takes,” Fox said. “I mean, what the hell? You don’t get points for style in this league. Let me tell you something: My man is really good in this offense. You know what I mean?

“If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.”

Jerry Jones says Felix and Murray will share the load

Brad Biggs - National Football Post

Felix Jones is expected to play this week against the Washington Redskins, but it sounds like after missing four games with a high ankle sprain, the Dallas Cowboys running back could have lost his grip on the starting job.

Rookie DeMarco Murray has been terrific in Jones’ absence, rushing for 601 yards in the four games, and the Cowboys realize they need to go with the hot hand.

But owner Jerry Jones announced on his weekly radio show on 105.3 FM in Dallas that Felix Jones will finally be back in action.

“That's our plan," Jerry Jones said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "It looks like he can. I don't know just exactly how on top of his game he'll be, but man am I anxious to have both of those options out there and Murray, that will be exciting.”

Then, Jerry Jones admitted he sees Murray getting the bulk of the work.

“One thing that comes to my mind that Murray looks like the more he carries the more effective he gets. If you think of that theoretically about a workhorse running back that they get better as the game goes along," Jerry Jones said. "Felix, and this is not negative in any way, Felix has always been a guy that he looks like the best way for him to be his best is to inject him in spots and so we may have a guy here in Murray who can carry a lot of carries and we may have a guy in Felix that can step in there and carry it 13 times a ballgame and really have a chance to break it."

Let's be honest Jerry, Felix is not taking 13 touches away from the hottest back in the game right now.  Not going to happen.  

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Antoine Winfield won't return this year

Posted by Mike Florio on November 15, 2011, 8:01 AM EST

Getty Images

Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield returned to action Monday night, after missing four games with a neck injury. And now he reportedly won’t be back this year.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Winfield is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken clavicle.

Winfield, 34, is earning a base salary of $6.75 million in 2011. Signed through 2013, he’s due to make $7 million and $7.25 million, respectively, in each of the next two seasons.

The 2-7 Vikings lost at Lambeau Field 45-7.  At 38 points, it was the biggest deficit for the Vikings in 102 games against the Packers,according to the 2011 NFL Record & Fact Book.

It also matched the most points allowed by the Vikings to Green Bay.  During the lost Les Steckel season of 1984, the Packers beat the Vikings 45-17 in Minnesota.

It remains to be seen whether 2011 will be remembered as the lost Les Frazier season for the Vikings.

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Green Bay currently head and shoulders above the rest

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 14, 2011, 11:36 PM EST

AP

Reasonable people can disagree about the identity of the second-best team in the NFL. Maybe it’s the 49ers or the Patriots or the Steelers or the Texans or the Saints or the Giants, or maybe any one of half a dozen other teams that look great one week and bad the next in the topsy-turvy NFL.

But no one can dispute that the Packers stand far above the rest of the league.

The defending Super Bowl champions did it again on Monday night, pummeling the Minnesota Vikings 45-7 to improve to 9-0. The Packers, who squeaked into the playoffs in 2010 before going on a run in the postseason and winning the title, are a better team this year than they were last year, and right now they look like overwhelming favorites to repeat as champions.

Texans will have to survive with Matt Leinart

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 14, 2011, 6:42 PM EST

AP

It’s been hard for people to accept the fact that the Texans are a very good, balanced football team.

That’s because they are the Houston Texans. They’ve never been good before.

It’s also because of their schedule. Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Oakland, and New Orleans have been the toughest four teams on Houston’s schedule thus far. The Texans went 1-3 against those teams, but 6-0 against shakier opposition.

Despite that, Houston has an intriguing balance that made them real AFC Super Bowl contenders.  They were good enough to survive losing Mario Williams. They have been good enough to survive losing Andre Johnson for a while.

They are good enough to survive losing quarterback Matt Schaub for the season. For now.