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  • Dallas Cowboys: Jerry Jones Believes in Michael Sam

    Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has faith in Michael Sam. However, he also contends that the defensive end has a long way to go to make it in the NFL.

    Sam played well for the St. Louis Rams in the pre-season, however, the organization released the seventh-round pick on Saturday when the squad pared-down their roster to the 53-man limit. For all the issues that the Rams face this season, including finding a replacement for Quarterback Sam Bradford who re-injured his surgically repaired knee in a pre-season game, the team’s defensive line is a strong point.

    On Wednesday, Jones took a chance with the NFL’s first openly gay player and signed Sam to the team’s practice squad. However, that doesn’t mean that Sam will ever play a down for the Cowboys in an actual game.

    “He’s a pass-rusher,” Jones said today in an interview with 105.3 The Fan. “He has a lot to go when he comes to working in space or a lot to go when it comes to special teams. It’s hard to be just a situational pass-rusher if you can’t be a special teams player, so he’s got a long way to go. He’s in a good place.”

    “As (coach Jason Garrett) said, the first thing for practice squad guys is by its very name it gives you practice. It allows you to practice better. That will be his primary responsibility and he’ll get to be able to work and refine his skills. But it’s no secret we need pass-rushers and we need some defensive linemen.”

    Coach Garrett likes Sam’s pedigree, “Obviously he was a very good player in college, a co-defensive player of the year in maybe the best conference in college football, so his track record speaks for itself,” Garrett said. “We did not draft him, but like with a ton of players around this league, we evaluate these guys all throughout the preseason.”

    The Cowboys could really use some help on the defensive side of the ball. The Dallas D gave up 6,645 yards last season, the most in the history of the franchise, and the third most ever in NFL history.

    Whether or not Sam makes it on the team’s active roster remains to be seen. They have several other defensive ends on their practice squad that Sam will be competing against, including Lavar Edwards who they traded for and Jack Crawford who they signed on September 2.

  • Gay Player Drafted: Michael Sam is Cut From Rams

    Gay Player Drafted: Michael Sam is Cut From Rams

    Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL, was released by the St. Louis Rams in their last round of cuts. Rams coach Jeff Fisher announced that Sam was waived during a press conference on Saturday.

    Michael Sam was a defensive end for the Missouri Tigers and was named the Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. He made history when he was taken by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft since an openly gay player has never been drafted before.

    While some people suspect that Sam’s sexual orientation had something to do with him being cut, Fisher says that it was a “football decision.” Sam was given plenty of opportunity to prove himself during the preseason, but considering that the Rams have one of the more talented defensive lines in the league, there just wasn’t a spot for him on the team’s 53-man roster.

    “Mike’s got ability. Mike played well,” Fisher said during the press conference. “He has the ability to play someplace. It’s gotta be the right place, it’s gotta be a fit. As someone told me years ago, the difference between a good player and an average player in this league is just snaps, it’s reps. He’s a much better player now than he was when he got here.”

    Check out more of the press conference below:

    The first gay player drafted tweeted about not making the Rams final roster yesterday:

    Michael Sam hasn’t signed with another team yet, nor did the Rams offer him a spot on their practice squad. While this has to be a difficult situation for Sam, especially after taking such a huge risk by coming out to the public, the young man is determined to learn from his experience and press on:

  • Howie Long Both Excited and Scared for Sunday’s Game

    Hall of Fame Football Player and Fox television analyst Howie Long will get to do something this Sunday that he never has before. Unfortunately, for the the former defensive end, it may be one of the most agonizing and amazing afternoons of his life. Both of his sons will take the field on opposing sides of the football at 1:00 pm eastern in St. Louis. Yes, we know Archie Manning has had his share of agony and pride while watching Eli and Peyton square off. But this is different. Eli never had to actually tackle Peyton.

    You see Chris Long is a defensive end for the St. Louis Rams and his younger brother Kyle is an offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears. That means that the two can actually butt heads during the game. And because of the brother’s four year age difference, outside of their backyard, they’ve never squared off against each other. Chris is currently in the middle of his sixth year as an NFL pro while Kyle is just a rookie.

    Long’s third son, Howie Jr., who is a high school quarterback describes the battle between the brother’s positions. “Offensive and defensive linemen going at each other is the most brutal one-on-one matchup throughout a game. I just hope the two of them don’t lose their cool toward each other because I know it is going to be very heated.”

    (image)

    Howie Long will join his wife Diane, who as a mother is probably feeling a whole different level of anxiety, and several family members in a suite at the Edward Jones Dome. Long spoke about what the game means to him, “I’m sure there will be some range of emotions. I’m not sure what that will be, we’ll have to see when we cross that bridge. It’s exciting. It’s scary. It’s a lot of different emotions.’’

    The Bears are currently 6 – 4 in the NFC North and battling for a Wild Card berth. While, the Rams are in last place in the NFC West. However, the Rams play tough at home and are actually a 1.5 point Vegas favorite to beat the Bears. Both teams are playing without their starting quarterbacks who are currently out with injury.

    Images Via Youtube, Twitter

  • Tim Tebow: Bringing Tebowmania to St. Louis?

    Tim Tebow: Bringing Tebowmania to St. Louis?

    Raise the roof and get your hands up in the air. It’s time for Tebowmania Speculation to begin once again. It seems like every time a starting QB goes down in the NFL, word spreads like wildfire that Tim Tebow could once again make a bid to start throwing passes in a professional uniform. On Sunday, St. Louis Rams Quarterback Sam Bradford suffered a torn ACL in a loss to the Carolina Panthers. Bradford will be out of commission for the rest of reason. Could Tim Tebow be in line for the job?

    Maybe. Michael Silver of NFL.com is reporting that at the very least, the Rams are considering Tebow as an option. At this point, it does seem unlikely that the team will sign Tebow. It would mean having to deal with the ensuing Tebowmania, and the plain fact that Tebow failed in his second QB gig with the New York Jets last season and was cut by the New England Patriots at the beginning of this season.

    The Rams have had a decent run thus far, their record currently stands at 3-4, and prior to yesterday’s loss they had won two games in a row. So there was room for hope, at the very least, an outside shot to make the postseason. But with their QB #1 out for the season, their hopes may be all but gone. The Rams are probably not comfortable with starting backup Quarterback Kellen Clemens, the only current option on the team, because he has thrown seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his brief NFL career.

    Ian Rapoport, NFL Media Insider, is reporting that the Rams will workout some Plan B options at practice on Monday. The Rams have expressed interest in Tebow in the past, when the former Heisman winner was with the Denver Broncos. However, Tebow’s recent lack of success, outside of his playoff run with the Broncos, makes him an unlikely replacement candidate for Bradford. On the flip side, Tebow can run the ball, and he has a history of finding ways to win. So, despite his lack of arm strength, he will always be a possibility for a desperate team looking to be on the right side of Tebowmania.

    Twitter fan reaction so far has not been in favor of Tebow:


    Image via Bing

  • Deacon Jones Dies; NFL Star Was 74

    NFL great David “Deacon” Jones has died at the age of 74. According to a statement from the Washington Redskins, Jones died from natural causes at his home in Southern California.

    “Deacon Jones was one of the greatest players in NFL history,” said Bruce Allen, general manager of the Redskins. “Off the field, he was a true giant. His passion and spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him. He was cherished member of the Allen family and I will always consider him my big brother.”

    Jones was 186th pick in the 1961 NFL Draft, joining the Los Angeles Rams that same year. He played with the team for just over a decade before being traded to the San Diego Chargers. He played his final season with the Redskins in 1974.

    On the field, Jones earned his nickname, the “Secretary of Defense,” for his high quarterback sack totals. He totaled a combined 50 sacks during the 1967 and 1968 seasons, the same years he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Jones also earned 8 Pro Bowl selections, seven of those coming during his 11 seasons with the Rams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

    (Image courtesy the St. Louis Rams)

  • Tebow Trade Hits A Snag: Jets May Not Be Able To Afford Him

    The much-talked about and highly volatile subject of Tim Tebow being traded to the New York Jets gets yet another wrinkle today, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter has just reported that they agreed to the deal before realizing they would have to pay back $5 million of Tebow’s contract to Denver, and they may not be willing to lay out that kind of cash.

    Sources say that the Jets agreed to the deal without reading the contract language fully, which led to them having a muddy understanding of what they were getting themselves into.

    (image)@AdamSchefter
    Adam Schefter    Jets-Broncos agreed to Tim Tebow trade before Denver asked NY to pay back portion of bonuses and salary already paid to Tebow. No deal yet.(image) 58 minutes ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Tebow’s contract with Denver was for a $6.2 million salary advance, and they have already paid $1.2 million of that. The remaining balance will be owed by the Jets if they continue with the trade deal. The Jets reportedly say they think the Broncos should pay up, not them.

    This is similar to what happened with the Jacksonville Jaguars when they tried to acquire Tebow, according to Schefter, but he says that they are now back in the running for the young QB:

    (image)@AdamSchefter
    Adam Schefter    More craziness filed to ESPN: Jaguars are back in the mix, seeing if they now can pull off a trade with Denver for Tim Tebow.(image) 2 minutes ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    If this deal falls through, the next team to step up in pursuit of Tebow could be the St. Louis Rams.

    (image)@AdamSchefter
    Adam Schefter    The same money issues in Tim Tebow’s contract caused complications for Jacksonville trying to complete trade. Now Jets facing them.(image) 1 hour ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto