By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Summertime. August. The dog days of training camp.

As the sun shines down on sweat-drenched backs and bakes the arms and legs of players one shade darker, players trudge from group drills to full team sessions. Eleven-on-eleven. The horn sounds. It’s time to roll.

Pads and helmets clash. Grunts of various tones sound through the hot air. Coaches shout “stay up! stay up!” as whistles bring plays to an end.

Seriously, though — stay up!

That’s the point Eagles tight end Zach Ertz made after practice Friday, a session that saw Jordan Matthews leave early with a knee injury scare after a low hit by rookie corner Jalen Mills. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Tom Brady‘s decision to end his personal fight in the Deflategate saga was made simply to help everyone move forward.

That’s the point Brady stressed Friday when speaking to the media for the first time since deciding not to pursue further legal action in the appeal of his NFL-imposed four-game suspension. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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In 2011, Sebastian Janikowski became the third kicker in NFL history to convert a 63-yard field goal attempt, thus completing the kicker triumvirate. In 2012, left-footed David Akers nailed a 63-yarder and blew up the coalition. Matt Prater came along and obliterated our scope of kicking greatness a year later, drilling a 64-yarder before halftime in a 51-28 win over the Titans.

Two of those kicks — Janikowski’s boot and Prater’s bomb — came in Denver, the famed Mile High City, where the air is thinner and brewery commercials would lead you to believe the spring water is more pure. Altitude’s influence has one kicker, Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, with his head in the clouds, claiming he can make an 84 — eighty-four — yard field goal within the confines of Denver’s home stadium.

Consider his bluff called. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Swap one injured back for another. That’s how it seems things are going so far in Miami’s camp.

One day after Arian Foster “annihilated” his conditioning test, earning him freedom from the physically unable to perform list, running back Jay Ajayi is missing Dolphins practice, NFL Media’s Jeff Darlington reported.

Ajayi is on the practice field, but on the side riding a stationary bike. That should be encouraging enough to expect he and Foster to resume their time together in the backfield in the near future, though it is sobering to consider the running back vying for a starting job is dealing with a knee issue before the team has even entered full pads.

Ajayi later told reporters, per The Miami Herald, that he’s currently battling a bone bruise in his knee but doesn’t expect to be out for very long.

Here are more injuries we’ve been tracking on Monday:

1. Carolina Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy remains in concussion protocol, according to the Charlotte Observer. Ealy suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit during Saturday’s practice session. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Andre Johnson‘s AFC South odyssey now includes a third stop.

Less than 24 hours after Titans coach Mike Mularkey was quoted as saying Johnson “still looks like he can play,” Johnson is set to become a Titan.

The former University of Miami star receiver will make the jump to his third AFC South team, signing a two-year deal with Tennessee after spending 12 seasons in Houston and one in Indianapolis, the Titans announced.

After laughing off the Texans‘ expectation that he would only catch 40 passes in 2015, Johnson caught 41 balls for 503 yards and four touchdowns in his lone season in Indianapolis. Johnson showed signs of Father Time finally catching up to him, failing to separate from defensive backs and falling down the depth chart as the Colts‘ disappointing season progressed. It was a stark reminder that even the best athletes who seemingly don’t age can just as quickly get knocked down by the calendar. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Hakeem Nicks is getting another chance in the NFL.

The 28-year-old wide receiver is signing a deal with the New Orleans Saints. Nicks tweeted a photo of the Saints logo Wednesday, which his agent Peter Schaffer later confirmed meant his pairing with the Saints.

New Orleans coach Sean Payton later told reporters no deal with Nicks has been officially signed. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Jets players have reported to camp. Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t among that group. Rinse and repeat.

But wait! Could we have a sudden breakthrough on the Ryan Fitzpatrick stalemate?

NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday on NFL Network’s Inside Training Camp Live there’s a feeling that the Jets will make one last run at Fitzpatrick, trying to sign him before practice starts Thursday. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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With the opening of training camp comes the most dreaded moment on each football player’s calendar: the conditioning test.

Chalk up Mike Wallace as the latest to fall prey to the merciless beast. The Ravens wide receiver failed the test Wednesday, the team announced. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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If there’s any team in the NFL that understands natural disaster devastation, it’s the New Orleans Saints. When the Saints arrived to camp in West Virginia on Wednesday, coach Sean Payton decided to replace sprints with service. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Ken Stabler’s long-overdue induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame will come with a fellow Gold Jacket welcoming him into the special fraternity.

Hall of Fame coach John Madden will present Stabler for induction via a prerecorded video, the Hall announced Tuesday. Together in Oakland for nearly a decade, Stabler and Madden reached their respective pinnacles together in the 1976 season, when the Raiders went 13-1 and won Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings. Two seasons later, Madden had had enough, citing burnout as the reason for his sudden retirement. The two never posted a losing season in Oakland. Continue reading →