Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Suspended Indefinitely

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This week continues to get worse for the New York Giants.

After losing to the winless L.A. Chargers, going 0-5 and losing four wide receivers to injury in one day, the drama continues. The team announced Wednesday that veteran cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was suspended for “leaving the team.”

“He came in today, decided to leave. For that we will suspend him,” McAdoo said in his Wednesday press conference.

It took the organization a day to declare the length of the suspension. After DRC returned to the facility and met with both head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese, he was informed that he is suspended indefinitely.

NFL Insider Ian Rapoport tweeted out Thursday morning that the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) maximum is four weeks.

What happened?

In his weekly press conference Wednesday, McAdoo told reporters that DRC was suspended for his actions during the week. He said that he and DRC had a conversation Tuesday that was “personal” but he did not go into detail.

When reporters asked the reason for the suspension and the length of it, McAdoo responded with “That’s all I have for you.”

However, Giants’ safety Landon Collins claimed Wednesday that Rodgers-Cromartie didn’t leave but was suspended by McAdoo following an argument. Collins said that the disagreement started Sunday before halftime of the Giants and Chargers matchup.

Sure enough, reports have come out that there was a “heated argument” between DRC and McAdoo on the sidelines during Sunday’s loss. Rapoport reported that the blowup was due to DRC being pulled from the game.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported that McAdoo and DRC’s “personal” conversation on Tuesday was McAdoo telling the cornerback that he’d be inactive for Sunday night’s primetime game in Denver due to the incident on the sideline during game five.

Leonard reported that DRC was not happy with his coach’s decision and that is why he left the facility – which resulted in the suspension.

DRC tells his side

After the news broke of the suspension, ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweeted quotes from her conversation with Rodgers-Cromartie. He told Anderson that he “handled things the wrong way.”

The texts between Anderson and DRC continued with her asking if he will return to the team. He responded, “Yes I am. Tomorrow.”

He did return, however, he most likely was not expecting the indefinite suspension.

What’s next?

DRC can appeal his suspension through the player’s union if he chooses to.

In the meantime, the Giants tweeted that they signed rookie cornerback Donte Deayon from the practice squad to take over DRC’s place on the 53-man roster.

Deayon impressed in the preseason  with six tackles – four solo – and an interception returned 36 yards for a touchdown against the Jets.

Whether or not DRC appeals, McAdoo needs to gain control of his team before things get worse, both on the field and in the locker room. They have to go up against a Broncos team coming off a bye on national TV no less.

Jets to Release WR Eric Decker

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The New York Jets made headlines Tuesday as they announced the releases of two veterans.

Earlier in the day, the team let go of linebacker David Harris, who has spent his 10-year NFL career with Gang Green. A report by NFL Insider Adam Schefter was confirmed later in the day that the team will also part ways with wideout Eric Decker.

“We advised Eric that if a trade doesn’t happen, we’ll move forward without him,” Mike Maccagnan, Jets general manager, said.

In his three seasons with the Jets, Decker caught 163 passes for 2,183 yards and 19 touchdowns. However, he’s been hit with injuries over the years – being limited to three games last season due to hip and shoulder surgeries.

The moves come in the midst of a very busy offseason for New York. The team has been rebuilding their roster, saying goodbye to several veterans already – including Darrelle Revis, Nick Mangold, Brandon Marshall and Calvin Pryor.

With the cuts of Harris and Decker, who both practiced on Tuesday before being released, the Jets save a combined $13.75 million. The team now has only four players over the age of 30.

 

 

Brendan Smith Settling in as a Ranger

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Defenseman Brendan Smith had his debut as a New York Ranger on Thursday night in a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins.

Overall, Smith played well and was pleased with his first game. In his postgame conference, head coach Alain Vigneault said he was also pleased with his new blueliner’s performance.

Smith was acquired Tuesday from Detroit in exchange for two draft picks. He was at Madison Square Garden for the Rangers’ game against Washington, practiced Wednesday with the team and participated Thursday in Boston. He had two blocked shots and one hit in 20:51 of ice time.

He said that although it’s a challenge to step into a new lineup with only one practice under his belt, his defensive partner Ryan McDonagh has helped him from the start.

“It is kind of tough to learn a system in a couple days,” Smith said Thursday after the game.”I think the big reason was [McDonagh] helped out so much. He’s a fantastic player. He was talking to me the whole time.”

Smith stated that there’s a few things he needs to fix in his game, but that he’s happy overall with his first outing and will build from it.

“He played a good game.” Vigneault said. “Coming in and playing against their top line, I thought he did a good job. The more he gets used to his new teammates, I’m sure the better he’s going to be.”

One aspect of being a Ranger that Smith stated he particularly enjoys is playing in front of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. As one of the best in the game, it is understandably different to play with Lundqvist rather than against him.

Assessing his new team as a whole, one thing that stood out to Smith is how fast New York plays. “I love the speed. You’ve got guys – and we’re even missing [Michael] Grabner who’s got lots of speed.”

“We can turn it on like that and I think our start wasn’t our best but we built from it and we got better,” Smith continued. “We found a way to get two points on the road. Sometimes it’s hard. That’s a good team but we found a way.”

With under 20 games left in the regular season, it’ll be fun to watch how the rest plays out.

Rangers Acquire Defenseman Brendan Smith From Detroit

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In their only move before the trade deadline, the New York Rangers have acquired defenseman Brendan Smith from Detroit in exchange for two draft picks.

The trade includes the Rangers’ third round pick in this year’s Entry Draft and Ottawa’s second round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, which the Rangers acquired after sending Derrick Brassard to Ottawa in the offseason for Mika Zibanejad.

Yes, the Rangers have a habit of trading away important draft picks but in this case, this was a good move.

Smith has skated in 291 career NHL games over a span of six seasons, spending his career so far with Detroit after being drafted 27th overall in 2007. He signed a three-year entry level contract in May 2010 and made his NHL debut on November 17, 2011. He’s tallied 67 career points, 15 goals and 52 assists, along with 281 penalty minutes.

In the 2013-14 season, Smith notched career-highs in goals (five), assists (14) and points (19). As a member of the Red Wings, he has played in the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, tallying six points (two goals and four assists) and a plus-one rating in 27 games.

This season, he has played in 33 games, registering two goals, three assists and 34 penalty minutes. He averages 18:44 of ice time, which was a career high and gave him the fourth rank among Detroit defensemen last season.

The Rangers have had various injuries on defense all season, so adding a veteran like Smith will only benefit the team overall. He could be one of the top defensive pairings and be a mentor for the younger players.

Smith will have some familiar faces on his new team. He played three seasons for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh and center Derek Stepan.

 

 

NBA Trade Deadline Passes, Melo and Rose Remain in New York

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Like it or not Knicks fans, the team didn’t make any moves before the Feb. 23 trade deadline, which means Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose will still be wearing orange and blue.

While there were significantly more trade rumors surrounding Anthony for about six weeks, one rumor involving Rose was ignited in the final days before the deadline. Moving Rose would have been more likely considering how he’s played so far in his first season in New York.

The Minnesota Timberwolves reached out to the Knicks and expressed interest in acquiring Rose in exchange for their starting point guard Ricky Rubio.

However, the trade reportedly fell through at the last minute when the Knicks tried to gain a second piece in addition to Rubio. By the time they withdrew their request for another player, the 3pm deadline had passed.

“The sense I’ve gotten from talking to other teams who’ve talked to New York is they feel like the Knicks would almost give away [Rose] right now,” Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical said Wednesday.

Rose is averaging 17.7 points per game on 46% shooting from the field. He’s shooting 24% from deep and 4.5 assists and four rebounds. Defensively, he’s ranked fifth-worst in DRPM among 89 point guards.

On the other hand, Rubio is a playmaker that would have made a great difference in the Knicks’ lineup. Averaging eight assists and just two turnovers all season, he would have been beneficial to Kristaps Porzingis’ development.

While these players remain on their respective teams for now, we’ll just have to wait and see what the offseason brings.

 

 

 

Timberwolves Show Interest in Trading for Derrick Rose

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With the NBA trade deadline coming Feb. 23, teams are racing to make final decisions.

While I don’t think we’ll see another move as crazy as the one between the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans, interesting rumors have been circling around New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

For those who don’t know, the Kings traded Cousins, their star player, and Omri Casspi to New Orleans for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and the Pelicans’ 2017 first- and second-round picks in what people are calling one of the worst trades in NBA history.

 

Teams have their fair share of trade talks. New York Knicks fans know just how tiring it can be to hear non-stop trade rumors and scenarios.

Rumors have been swirling around Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks for weeks, but things have since calmed down and it doesn’t seem like Anthony will be leaving New York. His teammate, however, was just named in new trade rumors.

Derrick Rose, in his first season with the Knicks, is already sparking trade talks from various teams. The one that seems the most likely is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ian Begley of ESPN reported that the Timberwolves have reached out to the Knicks to discuss possible trades for Rose.

What makes Minnesota stand out from the other teams is that Rose played for Timberwolves president/coach Tom Thibodeau during his time with the Chicago Bulls.

While this is all just trade talks, it’ll be interesting to see what comes about.

 

Charles Oakley Banned From MSG

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The craziness surrounding the Knicks organization continues following Charles Oakley’s outburst at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

It was reported Friday that the Knicks legend was banned from MSG after being ejected during Wednesday’s game and then arrested soon after.

Team owner James Dolan called for Oakley’s ban. During an interview on the Michael Kay Show on Friday, Dolan was quick to make accusations and showed no support for the former player.

“He has a problem with anger,” Dolan said. “He’s both physically and verbally abusive. He may have a problem with alcohol. We don’t know. But those behaviors of being physically and verbally abusive, those are personality problems.”

The team had released two statements following the incident but they were just to throw Oakley under the bus. The organization seemed to jump to conclusions without getting the former player’s point of view.

Oakley said afterward that he had “a couple drinks” but before entering the Garden.

When asked if the Knicks should be embarrassed for what has happened in the last 48 hours, Dolan responded: “I would say that Charles should be embarrassed.”

For the sake of the team and its reputation, let’s hope that this all gets resolved soon.

 

 

Colts Star WR Misses Practice With Knee Injury

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The Colts were without one key player in practice on Wednesday.

Coming off a huge performance in Week 3, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton missed practice due to a knee injury.

Hilton’s performance in the final minutes of Sunday’s game against the Chargers resulted in the Colts’ victory. He earned the top spot on the NFL’s clutch performers for Week 3.

He converted a fourth-and-7 pass from Andrew Luck and broke multiple ankles on his way to 63-yard game-winning touchdown. The Colts won 26-22 and Hilton finished with eight catches for 174 yards and the TD.

Don’t worry too much fantasy owners, Wednesday was most likely just a maintenance day for Hilton to get some rest before the team’s trip to London.

Last week, he missed Friday’s practice and was listed as questionable for Sunday, but then had his best performance of the season.

Let’s hope it is just a rest day. Colts fans and fantasy owners would love to see him on the field against the Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey this Sunday.

http://www.12up.com/posts/3862311-colts-star-wr-misses-practice-with-knee-injury

Bears Star WR Misses Practice With Knee Injury

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The Chicago Bears’ injury list continues to grow.

Several players are sidelined, including Jay Cutler with a thumb sprain and Lamarr Houston with a torn ACL.

Now the Bears are down a star wide receiver as well, at least for practice.

Alshon Jeffery was limited in practice on Wednesday due to the knee injury and then missed Thursday’s practice completely. He was not available to the media after Wednesday’s practice.

“It’s just something that we will monitor,” coach John Fox said to ESPN.

Jeffery totaled 96 yards on five catches in Monday night’s loss. He leads the Bears in receptions with nine and receiving yards (201) through the first two weeks.

He is a player the Bears don’t want to be without. He’s ninth in the league in receiving yards since 2013 with 3,562 and is seventh all-time in receiving yards in Bears history.

It’s Jeffery’s first time on the injury list this season after missing all four preseason games and seven regular-season starts last year with a various injuries.

There is no word on the extent of Jeffery’s injury, which hopefully means he will be okay to play in Sunday’s matchup against the Cowboys.

http://www.12up.com/posts/3828938-breaking-bears-star-receiver-misses-practice-with-knee-injury

Giants Need a Backup Plan at Right Tackle

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With the uncertainty of Marshall Newhouse’s availability, the Giants need to look at potential alternatives.

Newhouse left Sunday’s game with a right calf sprain and was seen after the game wearing a walking boot.

Head coach Ben McAdoo said that the team does not know the extent of the right tackle’s injury yet, or how long he will be out.

If Newhouse is not available for next week’s game, the Giants need to have a backup plan.

They will decide between Bobby Hart and Will Beatty to fill Newhouse’s role. Hart replaced Newhouse in Sunday’s game. Beatty hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2014 after he suffered a season-ending injury and was then released by the Giants.

Beatty was reportedly still getting into game shape before Week 2, but McAdoo said he will be in the mix to play.

“He’ll compete to be up this week,” McAdoo said. “I’ve seen a guy who’s getting his football legs underneath him, he’s working well with his pads.”

It would be great to see either Beatty or Hart get the starting spot if Newhouse cannot, but whoever gets the final call will have a tough matchup against the Redskins’ Ryan Kerrigan.

http://www.12up.com/posts/3817204-giants-need-a-backup-plan-at-right-tackle