Salon.com > Joe Kay

Bengals beat Jets 17-6 in Tebow’s NY debut

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 02:41:59 +0000

CINCINNATI (AP) — Tim Tebow picked up some yards by running around a few times. Other than that, there wasn't much in his Jets debut.

Certainly nothing to spark any mania back in New York.

Tebow had his best moments while scrambling behind reserves on the Jets' line Friday night. He completed only four passes and threw an interception during the Cincinnati Bengals' 17-6 preseason victory.

The Jets (No. 17 in the AP Pro32) let their celebrated newcomer play the second quarter and most of the third. He led the Jets to a field goal and completed 4 of 8 passes for 27 yards with one interception, which translated to a passer rating of 18.2.

He also scrambled three times for 34 yards, avoiding sacks each time.

"I liked the poise he showed," coach Rex Ryan said. "Obviously, (he) made some big runs and that's what we say he can do. If you want to come after him, you better get to him. In time, he'll kill you running and that's what he did."

The Bengals (No. 14 in the AP Pro32) got a pair of touchdowns from reserve running back Cedric Peerman, who recovered a blocked punt in the end zone and scored on a 1-yard run.

Brees sharp, Saints beat Cardinals 17-10

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 03:28:06 +0000

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Drew Brees didn't need much time to finish off a good weekend for the New Orleans Saints.

Brees smoothly led a touchdown drive on his only series Sunday night, and the Saints beat the Arizona Cardinals 17-10 in the Hall of Fame game, officiated by a crew with college experience.

The game was canceled last year for the first time in 45 years, a casualty of the NFL's lockout of players. Labor issues also came into play in Sunday night's game — the seven officials were replacements.

The referee announced the result of the coin flip incorrectly — Craig Ochoa said the Saints won the toss and deferred, then caught his mistake and said the Cardinals had won the toss. There were some other communication problems as well on the first-time crew.

The win completed a good visit for the Saints (No. 9 in the AP Pro32), who needed a few smiles after their rough offseason.

Suspended coach Sean Payton got the league's permission to attend a dinner for former Saints tackle Willie Roaf and the other five Hall of Fame inductees on Friday night. Payton isn't allowed to have any contact with the team this season as punishment for the team's bounty program.

Linemen lead charge into Hall of Fame

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 00:58:53 +0000

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Willie Roaf was in an unfamiliar role — the center of attention in front of a large crowd, being singled out for something good.

No, make that: Something great.

With current Saints players standing and cheering, the former New Orleans offensive tackle led a group of linemen into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night, a six-man induction that honored those who relish the less-than-glorious role.

Four linemen were inducted — Roaf, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy and Dermontti Dawson, along with running back Curtis Martin and 1950s cornerback Jack Butler.

The lineman's speech was short and humble, befitting those who played their stellar careers in the scrums rather than the spotlight.

"You know, it's an offensive lineman," said Roaf, who was very hard to get around on the field. "I didn't get singled out in front of a large audience very often, and when I did, it was usually by a referee who was singling me out by saying, 'Holding No. 77.'

"That's not going to happen today. And it wasn't too often when I played."

Roaf was one of the greatest players in Saints history, so good that he regularly made the Pro Bowl even though New Orleans had only one winning season in his nine years there. His induction gave the franchise something to celebrate after an offseason clouded by its bounty scandal.

Goodell tells kids: Play the game right

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 17:12:00 +0000

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — More than 100 youth football players knelt in the grass in front of the white goal post, waiting to strap up their new helmets. First, they got a warning from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

"You've still got to play the game by the rules," Goodell said. "You don't use your head as a weapon. You don't use your helmets as a weapon. They're there to protect you."

Goodell took his message about player safety to the youngest level of the game on Saturday, attending a football clinic where players received new helmets through a partnership started by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In a session with reporters afterward, Goodell said he expects the sale of the Cleveland Browns to be completed in October; the league is preparing to play the season with replacement officials; and there is no place in the game for bounties like the one that got the New Orleans Saints in trouble.

"Anything that would target or reward players for injuring other players, that's not part of football," Goodell said. "That's not what we're teaching these kids, and it's not what we're going to do in the NFL."