http://www.mail.com/subjects/3720-professional-football.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.20/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/3720-professional-football.html http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1764586-redskins-qb-griffin-better-practice.html ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Robert Griffin III moved better on his sprained right knee at practice Thursday, apparently improving his chances of playing in the Washington Redskins' game Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. "You could see he was more comfortable," coach Mike Shanahan said. "He was improved over yesterday." As expected, Shanahan reiterated that he ... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:02:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1764586-redskins-qb-griffin-better-practice.html 2012-12-13T20:02:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1763482-browns-expecting-to-rg3-sunday.html BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden returned from practice to find a green XXXL Baylor University golf shirt hanging in his locker. Another sign of Robert Griffin III's impending visit. RG3 and America's most-watched knee were the main topics of conservation as the Browns (5-8) began getting ready for Sunday's game against the Redskins (7... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:18:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1763482-browns-expecting-to-rg3-sunday.html 2012-12-13T09:18:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1763416-cowboys-to-practice-memorial-service.html IRVING, Texas (AP) — The corner locker assigned to Jerry Brown at the Dallas Cowboys facility remained untouched Wednesday. A day after a private memorial service for Brown, the practice squad member killed in a car accident involving a teammate, his Cowboys helmet hung on a hook below a shelf with several pairs of cleats. Towels marked with his No. 53 we... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:33:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1763416-cowboys-to-practice-memorial-service.html 2012-12-13T08:33:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1763384-pick-6-football-flippin-floppin-flyin.html There's been a whole lot of flipping, flopping and flying in football recently, from the Carolinas to the frozen tundra and, appropriately, just off Broadway. Receivers, runners, quarterbacks and big ol' linemen have been pulling off some dazzling feats — a few without a hitch, others with funny flaws, and one almost too astonishing to believe. So let's r... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:17:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1763384-pick-6-football-flippin-floppin-flyin.html 2012-12-13T08:17:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/music/1761310-music-comedy-strike-defiant-tone-sandy-concert.html NEW YORK (AP) — Musicians were so intent upon helping victims of Superstorm Sandy that they didn't seem to want their benefit concert in New York to end. The final notes of Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" closed the star-studded show at 1:19 a.m. Thursday, nearly six hours after Bruce Springsteen set a roaring tone with "Land of Hope and Dreams." In b... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 07:07:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/music/1761310-music-comedy-strike-defiant-tone-sandy-concert.html 2012-12-13T07:07:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762844-vilma-advances-defamation-case-brees-blasts-nfl.html NEW ORLEANS (AP) — One day after his suspension in the NFL's bounty probe was overturned, Jonathan Vilma moved forward with his defamation claims against Commissioner Roger Goodell, while Drew Brees and other teammates went on the offensive against Goodell and the league office. "What I would like to see is a level of accountability on the part of the NFL... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:04:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762844-vilma-advances-defamation-case-brees-blasts-nfl.html 2012-12-13T04:04:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762688-texas-tech-hires-33-year-old-kingsbury-coach.html LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — New Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury has wanted to be back in Lubbock since he left a decade ago. Late last week the former Red Raiders quarterback was watching film to prepare for Texas A&M's game against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl and getting ready to accompany Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel to New York, where he became the fir... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 02:37:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762688-texas-tech-hires-33-year-old-kingsbury-coach.html 2012-12-13T02:37:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762690-goodell-bounty-players-punished.html IRVING, Texas (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he "fundamentally disagrees" with former league boss Paul Tagliabue's decision not to discipline players in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal. Speaking Wednesday after an owners meeting in the Dallas area, Goodell said he respected his predecessor's decision, and believed it backed up the commi... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:27:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762690-goodell-bounty-players-punished.html 2012-12-13T01:27:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762020-mourners-gather-funeral-chiefs-belcher.html DIX HILLS, N.Y. (AP) — Jovan Belcher was remembered Wednesday for the accomplishments of a life that ended so suddenly and violently. Several hundred mourners gathered for the Kansas City Chiefs linebacker's funeral near his hometown on Long Island. The 25-year-old Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend on Dec. 1, then drove to the Chiefs' practice facili... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:21:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762020-mourners-gather-funeral-chiefs-belcher.html 2012-12-13T01:21:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1762674-fatal-shooting-texas-wreck-mystery.html ALVIN, Texas (AP) — Mourners packed a memorial service Wednesday for two young brothers who were killed by a suspected drunk driver while helping their father push the family's broken-down pickup truck down a dark, narrow road just 50 yards from their rural Houston-area home last week. Meanwhile, Brazoria County sheriff's investigator Dominick Sanders sai... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:17:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1762674-fatal-shooting-texas-wreck-mystery.html 2012-12-13T00:17:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762484-charles-starring-chiefs-tragedy.html KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jamaal Charles took the handoff on the first play of the game, skipped to his right and found a crease. He slipped through the hole, made a subtle cutback and then raced to the end zone. On that 80-yard touchdown run against Cleveland, Charles looked as good as ever. What he's gone through made it even more impressive. This is a ru... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:17:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762484-charles-starring-chiefs-tragedy.html 2012-12-12T23:17:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762592-indianapolis-ready-to-face-texans-big-test.html INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Things are getting pretty simple in Indianapolis. Win one more game and the Colts are in the playoffs. Win the next two and Bruce Arians sets the NFL record for wins by an interim head coach. Win all three and they're AFC South champs with a home playoff game. The first hurdle is a big one: Sunday's game is at Houst... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762592-indianapolis-ready-to-face-texans-big-test.html 2012-12-12T21:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762506-williams-testified-wanted-to-bounties.html Former New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams testified that he tried to shut down the team's bounty system when the NFL began investigating but was overruled by interim Saints head coach Joe Vitt, according to transcripts from appeals hearings obtained by The Associated Press. According to the transcripts, Williams said that then-assistant Vitt... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:46:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762506-williams-testified-wanted-to-bounties.html 2012-12-12T21:46:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1760442-lawmaker-nfl-players-trying-to-out-hgh.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Accusing the NFL players' union of "trying to back out" of an August 2011 agreement to start checking for human growth hormone, a congressman worried aloud Wednesday that the league will head into next season without a test for the banned drug. "Hopefully as we move down the line, players will see how incredibly ridiculous it looks for t... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:11:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1760442-lawmaker-nfl-players-trying-to-out-hgh.html 2012-12-12T21:11:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1761914-bengals-recognize-eagles-quit.html The Philadelphia Eagles haven't completely given up on the season. They damaged Tampa Bay's playoff chances last weekend and get an opportunity Thursday night to do the same to the Cincinnati Bengals. It's a critical game for the Bengals (No. 16 in the AP Pro32). At 7-6, they are in the midst of the AFC wild-card race, tied with the Steelers and a game in... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:03:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1761914-bengals-recognize-eagles-quit.html 2012-12-12T20:03:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1762138-cavallari-shares-style-with-2-accessory-lines.html NEW YORK (AP) — Kristin Cavallari may be a new mom, but she still aims to be as put together and stylish as she did pre-baby. It's part of her job these days. The 25-year-old former reality TV star, who welcomed with fiance, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, son Camden in August, partnered with celeb-shopping website OpenSky.com with Cavallari acting ... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:23:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1762138-cavallari-shares-style-with-2-accessory-lines.html 2012-12-12T19:23:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1761904-nflpa-files-grievance-toradol-waivers.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The NFL Players Association has filed a grievance against the league's clubs and its management council asking that team doctors no longer try to make players to sign waivers before being prescribed the painkiller Toradol. The NFLPA said Wednesday that if a doctor believes a player would "be placed at an unacceptable medical risk by usin... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:09:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1761904-nflpa-files-grievance-toradol-waivers.html 2012-12-12T18:09:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1760474-column-tagliabue-goodell-its.html "Round up the usual suspects." Funny how that line near the end of "Casablanca" provides a fitting epitaph for Bountygate, too. Like Capt. Renault in the film classic, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was presented with a crime and empowered as both judge and jury. He considered the evidence, weighed the injury to the parties involved, then conclude... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 07:52:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1760474-column-tagliabue-goodell-its.html 2012-12-12T07:52:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759914-congress-science-hgh-test-nfl.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly two full seasons since signing a labor deal that paved the way for HGH testing in the NFL, the league and the players' union still haven't agreed to implement anything. The NFL Players Association won't concede the validity of a test that's used by Olympic sports and Major League Baseball, and the sides haven't been able to jointl... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759914-congress-science-hgh-test-nfl.html 2012-12-12T00:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1759658-americans-finding-dozens-ways-to-mark-12-12-12.html A Michigan sixth-grader will put aside her nerves and get her ears pierced on her 12th birthday. Two law-enforcement officials will exchange wedding vows at 12:12 p.m. in Pittsburgh's federal courthouse. And gamblers can take advantage of promotions some casinos are using to lure in patrons who want to test their luck. With a once-a-century date arriving ... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:46:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1759658-americans-finding-dozens-ways-to-mark-12-12-12.html 2012-12-12T00:46:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759816-steelers-suspend-rb-rashard-mendenhall.html PITTSBURGH (AP) — When Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin demoted running back Rashard Mendenhall to third-string following a fumble in a loss to Cleveland last month, Tomlin stressed Mendenhall would have a chance to redeem himself. Not this week. The Steelers suspended the mercurial Mendenhall for their game Sunday at Dallas for conduct detrimental t... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759816-steelers-suspend-rb-rashard-mendenhall.html 2012-12-12T00:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759222-cowboys-brent-attends-memorial-with-team-support.html DALLAS (AP) — Jason Garrett gave the Dallas Cowboys a day off after his players somehow pulled off a win in Cincinnati while reeling from a one-car accident that killed one teammate and landed another in jail. Many players showed up at team headquarters anyway and there was Josh Brent, the hulking defensive tackle who missed the trip after police say he w... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759222-cowboys-brent-attends-memorial-with-team-support.html 2012-12-11T22:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759806-texans-win-colts-to-clinch-afc-south.html HOUSTON (AP) — Houston's blowout loss at New England exposed a variety of flaws, leaving the Texans with plenty to work on before they host Indianapolis on Sunday in a suddenly critical AFC South game. With a win, the Texans (11-2) can clinch their second straight division title. "We've got issues," coach Gary Kubiak said Tuesday, a day after the 42-14 dr... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759806-texans-win-colts-to-clinch-afc-south.html 2012-12-11T22:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759560-patriots-top-ap-pro32-power-rankings.html NEW YORK (AP) — See ya, Houston. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have taken over the top spot in the AP Pro32 NFL power rankings. Hours after routing the previous No. 1 Texans 42-14, the Patriots were back on top of the rankings for the first time since Week 2. Houston held the No. 1 spot for a month before tumbling to fourth following its second l... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:20:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1759560-patriots-top-ap-pro32-power-rankings.html 2012-12-11T22:20:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1757608-tagliabue-overturns-goodell-saints-suspensions.html NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In a sharp rebuke to his successor's handling of the NFL's bounty investigation, former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned the suspensions of four current and former New Orleans Saints players in a case that has preoccupied the league for almost a year. Tagliabue, who was appointed by Commissioner Roger Goodell to handle the appeals... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1757608-tagliabue-overturns-goodell-saints-suspensions.html 2012-12-11T20:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1758596-packers-fans-ready-to-celebrate-aaron-rodgers-day.html GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — To most people, Wednesday will just be a quirky date: Dec. 12, 2012, or 12-12-12. But to Packers fans, the number 12 carries special meaning. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers wears No. 12. So earlier this year the state Legislature designated the day Aaron Rodgers Day in honor of the Super Bowl winner and last year's MVP. Some public and p... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:12:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1758596-packers-fans-ready-to-celebrate-aaron-rodgers-day.html 2012-12-11T16:12:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1757636-winning-save-coaches-hot-seat.html Andy Reid got such a hearty hug on the sideline from Howard Mudd that the 70-year-old assistant with the artificial hip actually lifted the burly head coach off his feet. Norv Turner received a game ball from the team president. Reid and Turner were just two of four coaches on the hot seat who celebrated wins on Sunday, joining Ron Rivera and Pat Shurmur.... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 07:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1757636-winning-save-coaches-hot-seat.html 2012-12-11T07:56:00Z