16 things to know about the Week 16 injury report

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on December 23, 2011, 5:31 PM EST

AP

As always, the biggest injury stories get handled during the day in the Rumor Mill.

The rest goes right here, in a post that you can enjoy over the holidays, no matter what you eat for dinner.

1. Players already written about Friday: Greg Jennings,Bryan Bulaga, Vincent Jackson, Felix Jones, Osi Umenyiora, Mario Manningham, Asante Samuel, andMarion Barber.

2. The Vikings will be without guard Steve Hutchinsonand cornerback Asher Allen. Both are out because of concussions. Adrian Peterson is no longer on the injury report.

Seahawks executive says they will beat the hell out of the Niners

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on December 23, 2011, 2:38 PM EST

AP

Seahawks personnel executive Scot McCloughan knows the 49ers roster well. After all, he drafted many of the players when he was 49ers general manager.

He’s confident that his new team is better.

“They come to our place Christmas Eve, and we’re going to beat the hell out of ‘em,” McCloughan said of the 49ers to Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports.

We haven’t heard a lot from McCloughan since 2010, when he and the 49ers abruptly “parted ways.” McCloughan said he realized football “consumed him” too much while he was San Francisco’s president of football operations from 2005-08 before becoming the G.M. for two years.

Another endorsement for Crennel, and indictment of Haley

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 23, 2011, 12:25 PM EST

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Another day, another person inside the Chiefs organization endorsing interim head coach Romeo Crennel — and doing so in a manner that suggests everyone is glad Todd Haley was fired.

This time it’s Chiefs offensive coordinator Bill Muir, who, according to the Kansas City Star,took a swipe at Haley without mentioning him by name in saying that reporters were right to observe that the coaching staff was getting the offensive plays called more quickly now that Haley was no longer part of that process.

Is it time to panic yet in Houston?

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on December 23, 2011, 10:29 AM EST

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The jubilation following Houston’s first playoff appearance in franchise history has quickly turned to panic.

A sampling from the coverage from the Houston Chronicleon Friday:

“In what might have been the worst performance by the Texans in Gary Kubiak’s six seasons as coach, they somehow found a way to lose a second consecutive game to team with a losing record,” John McClain wrote.

It gets worse.

12/23 Friday morning one-liners

Posted by Josh Alper on December 23, 2011, 9:29 AM EST

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Willis McGahee has played well when facing the Bills over his history.

What’s the impact of USC QB Matt Barkley’sdecision to stay in school on the Dolphins?

Getting S Patrick Chung back would be a big lift for the Patriots defense.

The Jets are using a photo of LB Calvin Pacehitting Giants QB Eli Manning as the cover to this week’s playbook.

Jim Irsay: Manning will be a Colt if healthy

Terry McCormick - National Football Post

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said on NFL Network prior to the Colts' 19-16 victory over the Houston Texans that Peyton Manning will be in Indy next season if he health allows him to play.

"I think the situation is if he's back and he's healthy, I see him coming back and playing here," Irsay said just before the start of Thursday night's game. "I think the hope is that his health is in the position where he could return again. That remains uncertain and that's something that's first and foremost on my mind."

John Skelton will get the nod over Kolb

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on December 22, 2011, 9:44 PM EST

AP

Skeltonmania lives on.

Even Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt can no longer deny something strange is happening this season in Arizona, and it’s happening when John Skelton is at quarterback.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Skelton isexpected to start over Kevin Kolb on Saturday in Cincinnati.

USC's Matt Barkley will return for senior season

Mike Florio at PFT wrote about USC's quarterback Matt Barkley's announcement of his decision to return to school for his final year.  Florio and I both disagree with his choice because of the risk.  However, his decision has been made.  

Now as we look toward the NFL Draft, the draft class has been altered.  With the widely regarded #3 quarterback in the nation now not entering the Draft, OU's Landry Jones will now move up the list, based on what we know right now.  This leaves a pretty large gap between the top two signal callers, and the rest of the pack.  This could lead to a shakeup in the draft, if teams outside the top 3 feel the need to secure an elite quarterback prospect, because Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III will not last longer than that.

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Colts' win streak endangers their shot at Andrew Luck

Posted by Mike Florio on December 22, 2011, 11:59 PM EST

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Though it would be fitting for a kid named “Luck” to play for a team with a horseshoe on its helmet, the Colts are experiencing an unlikely late-season surge that could cost the team that had presumably locked up the first overall pick a clear shot at their franchise quarterback of the future.

Thanks to an unlikely come-from-behind win over the Texans, the Colts have moved to 2-13 on the season.  If the Vikings lose to the Redskins and/or the Rams lose to the Steelers on Saturday, Week 17 would feature not only the resolution of multiple playoff spots and positioning, but also the final resolution of the “Suck for Luck” sweepstakes.