By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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On the third play of the Dallas Cowboys‘ opening drive against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, Tony Romo attempted to slide, was simultaneously hit from behind and squirmed in pain.

It was all too familiar to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

“I was a little more reverent than that,” Jones said during a Friday morning appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “It’s called praying. Seriously. It was a complete replay for me from almost a year ago sitting there with those thoughts. It was just surreal. I’m sure we all had our own thoughts there. I really did pray that he was going to be OK.”

The awkward hit caused what Romo described as a “crunching” force on his spine, leaving the quarterback writhing on the turf and Jones pleading to a higher power. But as Romo said, it was encouraging, because a hit like that might not have been easy to recover from in past years. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Despite the gaping holes left open by the Dolphins‘ front seven and the Cowboys‘ ensuing offensive onslaught, there is something of which the Miami faithful can be proud after a 41-14 loss.

After spending a year wondering if he was worth the third-round pick surrendered in a trade with New Orleans, Kenny Stills gave a peek of a bright future that could be ahead.

Stills opened up Miami’s offensive evening with a 55-yard bomb on which he got behind the entire Dallas defense, and would have scored with ease, if it weren’t for the existence of the sideline. No matter, because even though Miami failed to score on the drive, Stills ended up with two touchdowns on three catches for 71 yards. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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When Ryan Fitzpatrick signed his one-year deal with the New York Jets, the quarterback position was solidified for Gang Green.

Make that starting quarterback.

Geno Smith, who reacted to Fitzpatrick’s return by stating he’d be auditioning for all 32 teams (and by tweeting Young Thug lyrics) suddenly finds himself in a bit of a competition with an unexpected foe: fellow backup quarterback Bryce Petty. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Less than a month before the start of the regular season, there’s cause for concern about Jimmy Garoppolo‘s most valuable target.

Rob Gronkowski left Monday’s joint practice with the Chicago Bears after pulling up during a 7-on-7 drill. Tom Brady threw a pass in the direction of Gronkowski, who didn’t finish his route or make the catch, instead walking over to a trainer who eventually escorted the tight end off the field. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Victor Cruz‘s attempt to reclaim what once made him among the league’s best receivers remains in a rut.

After missing the team’s first preseason contest with a groin injury and being usurped on the first depth chart by rookie Sterling Shepard, Cruz’s fight for his job continues to be an uphill battle. After the receiver returned to practice to participate in individual drills, Giants head coach Ben McAdoo told reporters Sunday that the receiver’s groin injury is still noticeably bothering him, and he’ll be re-evaluated, per Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Robert Griffin III‘s first pass as a Cleveland Brown took the top off the defense and had wide receiverTerrelle Pryor diving to make the grab. It was the highlight of his night.

The majority of Griffin’s debut occurred under duress, and as is true for any passer, it’s not going to be all that pretty when you’re frequently running for your life. But to head coach Hue Jackson, it wasn’t too bad. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Sometimes, the first one is the most difficult — and most important.

The first jumper made for a struggling shooter in basketball. The first hit for a slumping batter in baseball.

Or, in the case of Melvin Gordon, the first touchdown. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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It’s been a fairly positive week in western New York.

The Bills handed Tyrod Taylor a new contract extension. The franchise announced a new stadium naming-rights deal with New Era Cap Company.

But even with the good vibes bouncing around Orchard Park, head coach Rex Ryan wasn’t pleased with the end of Saturday night’s 19-18 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a game in which the Bills committed 11 penalties.

“The mistakes that we made, as I pointed out to our team, it’s like we’ve got to turn the page on that,” Ryan said, via The Buffalo News. “That was last year’s team, and we can’t have that.” Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Less than two years ago, Andrew Quarless was touting himself as a “top echelon” tight end.

Now, Quarless is without a job and facing a suspension. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the former Packers tight end has been suspended two games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, according to a source.

Quarless was arrested and charged with misdemeanor discharging a firearm in public in Miami Beach on July 4, 2015. He entered a plea and was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

After Quarless spent all but five games on the sideline with a sprained MCL in 2015, the Packers elected not to re-sign the veteran and instead inked free agent Jared Cook to a one-year deal. Quarless has since been without a team, and with a two-game suspension tacked on, it’ll be an uphill battle to find work during the preseason.

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Cowboys are in need of a backup quarterback. Hypothetically, you could consider almost anyone short of Brett Favre.

Except Johnny Manziel.

“There’s no chance,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Friday morning on the Tiki and Tierney Show on CBS Sports Radio Network, via The Dallas Morning News. “Obviously Johnny needs to get his hands around his life. He needs to do the things that make him a good person off the field, I think, before he can ever have any chance of being successful in our league.

“He’s a guy obviously from Texas that we’ve all followed and had an amazing career there at (Texas) A&M. Unfortunately, he has some things that are holding him back not only as a football player, but as a person in life. We certainly hope he gets his hands around that because he’s obviously a guy who has had some very unique successes in his life.” Continue reading →