Chicago Sun-Times

BYU end Ansah should go in top 15-20

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 02:10:02 -0500

Ezekiel ‘‘Ziggy’’ Ansah might be the biggest hit-or-miss prospect in the draft. He could be the next Jason Pierre-Paul . . . or the latest athletic but raw prospect who fooled the experts because he looked like the next Jason Pierre-Paul. A 6-5, 271-pound defensive end from Brigham Young, Ansah is the ultimate late bloomer. A soccer player in his native Ghana, he came to the United States in 2008 and had never seen a football game, let alone played in one, when he stepped foot on the BYU campus. He went to BYU for college because he’s Mormon. Ansah tried to …

Tim Tebow offered contract by Omaha Beef

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:28:11 -0500

The Omaha Beef have a job waiting for Tim Tebow if he wants it — and the Nebraska indoor football team will even pay him $75 a game.

MORRISSEY: Tim Tebow was everything to everybody — except an NFL quarterback

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:43:33 -0500

RICK MORRISSEY: I feel bad for Tim Tebow. I mean that. By virtue of his strong religious beliefs, his squeaky clean lifestyle and his good looks, he found himself held up as something more than he was.

Tim Tebow era over in New York after Jets waive quarterback

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:19:54 -0500

NEW YORK — Tebow Time is over in New York — before it ever got started. Tim Tebow was waived by the Jets on Monday, the end of an unsuccessful one-season experiment in New York. Coach Rex Ryan said in a statement by the team in announcing the move that had been expected for months: “Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we all had hoped.” The Heisman Trophy winner attempted just eight passes after his ballyhooed arrival in a surprising trade from the Denver Broncos in March 2012. He threw for 39 yards and rushed 32 times for …

Ex-Bear Brendon Ayanbadejo speaks for gay marriage

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:04:18 -0500

Former Baltimore Ravens reserve linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo called on professional athletes Tuesday to stand up for marriage equality because he said it is “the right thing to do.”

Security beefed up for NFL draft

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:26:00 -0500

The NFL is increasing security for this week’s draft at Radio City Music Hall, with everyone subject to screenings, including use of metal detectors and pat-downs, and searches of personal property.

Ravens’ Rolando McClain arrested in Alabama

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:54:00 -0500

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Rolando McClain is facing new charges in his north Alabama hometown.

Missouri DT Richardson coming off huge season

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 01:14:01 -0500

While Missouri struggled in the SEC, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson thrived last season, which is why he’s considered a top-20 pick. If he had stayed at Missouri, Richardson could have been drafted much higher in the 2014 NFL draft, but the decision to turn pro wasn’t his alone. “Leaving my guys was the hardest thing I had to do,” Richardson said at the NFL combine. “It was a family decision. Me and my father and my mother sat down, and it was something that we all came together, and it was time for us to leave.” Not that any NFL …

Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert has coveted skills

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:14:30 -0500

Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert, who got his first big chance when Kyle Rudolph suffered a season-ending injury in 2011, always seems to be at the right place at the right time. ‘‘I’m lucky to be coming in at a time when the type of tight end that I am is being used quite a bit,’’ said the 6-5, 250-pound Eifert, who won the Mackey Award as the best tight end in the country last season. ‘‘Create mismatch problems in the passing game but also can stay in the game on every down and can also block.’’ With his …

Marcus Vick misses hearing, judge orders arrest

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:10:00 -0500

A judge in Virginia has ordered the arrest of Marcus Vick after he missed a court hearing in a civil case.

Former NFL players call brain-injury panel a ‘sham’

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:58:00 -0500

PHILADELPHIA — Former NFL players trying to sue the league over concussion-linked injuries argued in court Tuesday that the NFL “glorified” violence and profited from damaging hits to the head. Players’ lawyer David Frederick also accused the league of concealing the emerging science about concussions over several decades, even after creating a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee in 1994. “It set up a sham committee designed to get information about neurological risks, but in fact spread misinformation,” Frederick argued at a pivotal federal hearing to determine if the complaints will remain in court or be sent to arbitration. U.S. District …

Matt Hasselbeck will back up Andrew Luck with Colts

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:24:00 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts jumped at the chance to get a veteran backup for Andrew Luck. On Tuesday, this year’s busiest team in free agency signed former Tennessee quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a contract. Terms were not immediately released. Indy needed a veteran backup after Drew Stanton left for Arizona, where he was reunited with Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Hasselbeck is a three-time Pro Bowl selection who led Seattle to the Super Bowl in 2005. He was released by Tennessee and didn’t stay on the street long after Tennessee released him Monday. Team owner Jim Irsay used Twitter …

NFL kicks off with Cowboys vs. Dolphins on Aug. 4

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:14:00 -0500

CANTON, Ohio — The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins will meet in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 4 to open the NFL’s preseason. The night game at Fawcett Stadium will follow the induction ceremonies the previous day. Entering the Hall of Fame will be former Cowboys offensive lineman Larry Allen, former Dolphins wide receiver Cris Carter, and Bill Parcells, who coached in Dallas and later was Miami’s vice president of football operations. Also being inducted are tackle Jonathan Ogden, defensive tackles Warren Sapp and Curley Culp, and linebacker Dave Robinson. The Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th …

Quarterback Kevin Kolb released by Cardinals

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:16:00 -0500

The Arizona Cardinals have released Kevin Kolb, ending the quarterback’s two injury-filled seasons with the team.

Packers’ Greg Jennings to visit Vikings

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:34:01 -0500

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings are interested in wide receiver Greg Jennings, the latest Green Bay Packers free agent pursued by their NFC North rival. The agent for Jennings, Eugene Parker, told The Associated Press his client was visiting the Vikings on Thursday. ESPN first reported the trip. The 29-year-old Jennings played in only eight games for the Packers in 2012, plus two in the playoffs, because of a torn lower abdominal muscle and finished with a career-low 366 yards receiving with an average of 10.2 yards per catch, also his worst NFL total. In 2011, he missed three games …

NFL urged to investigate sexual orientation questions at combine

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:18:00 -0500

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman urged the NFL on Tuesday to investigate whether possible draft picks were improperly asked about their sexual orientation during the league’s combine, which he said would be illegal in New York.