Top prospect Dre Kirkpatrick arrested for possession of marijuana

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 17, 2012, 3:40 PM EST

Former Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who is widely viewed as a first-round prospect in this year’s NFL draft, has been arrested for possession of marijuana.

The web site for the Sheriff’s Office in Manatee County, Florida, lists Kirkpatrick as having been arrested at 12:48 a.m. today for possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis. He was released after posting $120 bond.

Kirkpatrick, who announced last week that he is leaving Alabama for the NFL, is considered one of the top defensive players in the class of 2012. The eight mock drafts posted at NFL.com all have Kirkpatrick going in the Top 10.

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Draft trade speculation begins with Browns trade for RG3

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 17, 2012, 1:20 PM EST

AP

The Browns need a quarterback badly. They own the No. 4 overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Browns coach Pat Shurmur already made some positive comments about Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, so it was only a matter of time before a report emerged connecting the Browns to Griffin with something more tangible than speculation.

Colts housecleaning continues with Caldwell firing

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 17, 2012, 2:44 PM EST

AP

The Colts are making a clean break with the men that directed their 2-14 season.

The team announced Tuesday that Jim Caldwell has been “released” as head coach. New G.M. Ryan Grigson ultimately chose a fresh start over continuity with the old Colts approach.

It was believed that Caldwell’s relationship with Peyton Manning could have saved him. The thinking went that you wouldn’t want to entirely scrap the Colts offense if Manning was going to return.

Andrew Luck selects his agent

Posted by Mike Florio on January 17, 2012, 9:38 AM EST

Getty Images

After weeks of rumors and rumblings regarding Andrew Luck’s choice of representation at the NFL level, the player who likely will be the first overall pick in the 2012 draft has made a decision.

According to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal, Luck will be represented by Wasserman Media Group, both in on-field and off-field matters.

49ers offense gets a boost this weekend

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 17, 2012, 11:15 AM EST

Getty Images

Tight end Delanie Walker was San Francisco’s leading receiver the first time the team faced the Giants.  Out since Week 16 with a broken jaw, it sounds like Walker may return for the NFC championship game.

Walker said on Twitter that he will return to the lineup. Coach Jim Harbaugh says the doctors haven’t determined Walker’s status quite yet.

While he’s not a household name, he’s a huge part of the 49ers offense. Walker is a physical marvel and lines up anywhere on the field. He’s a great blocker and his versatility makes their tight end offense tough to defend.

Dez Bryant detained by police

Brad Biggs - National Football Post

Rumors have circulated throughout the day that Dez Bryant was potentially in the middle of some trouble Sunday night at a club in Miami.

Now, WFAA-TV in Dallas is reporting that the Cowboys wide receiver was detained by police following an incident at a nightclub in Miami. It’s not known if Bryant was cited by police or if he was arrested.

Last offseason was nothing short of a PR disaster for Bryant as he was pursued by bill collectors and temporarily banned from a shopping mall. Even recently lawsuits against Bryant have been the subject of headlines.

But Bryant’s legal issues are usually a result of civil issues. We’ll see if anything comes of this.

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Rams to interview Hue Jackson for OC job

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 17, 2012, 6:53 AM EST

AP

Hue Jackson may not be unemployed for long.

Jackson, who was fired a week ago as coach of the Raiders, is now a candidate to become the next offensive coordinator of the Rams. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that new Rams head coach Jeff Fisher will interview Jackson on on Wednesday.

The 46-year-old Jackson has a wealth of experience as an offensive coordinator: He held the position in Oakland in 2010 before becoming head coach in 2011, and he coordinated the offenses under Bobby Petrino with the 2007 Falcons and under Steve Spurrier with the 2003 Redskins. In college Jackson was offensive coordinator at USC from 1997 to 2000 and at Cal in 1996.

Fisher has already hired a former NFL head coach to be his defensive coordinator, with Gregg Williams taking the St. Louis job yesterday.

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Serious allegations surround the Chiefs ogranization

Posted by Mike Florio on January 16, 2012, 10:28 PM EST

Getty Images

On one weekend every year, four highly-significant football games land on the NFL’s center stage.  This year, as we were still digesting the epic Saints-49ers finish and a Broncos-Patriots game that never really got started, and while we were anticipating Texans-Ravens and Giants-Packers, the Kansas City Star nearly slipped a potential four-alarm story through the national five hole.

According to Kent Babb of the Star, former Chiefs coach Todd Haley believes that the team bugged rooms at the facility and “tampered with” Haley’s phone.  (The team denies the accusation.)