"96 Carolina/Clemson game-Duce Staley highlights
Here are the top stories from Saturday:
Running backs coach Duce Staley interviews for Eagles" vacant coaching position
From Mike Triplett"s fantasy football mailbag, on whether Cam Newton or Carson Palmer should be started in Week 17: "You can"t possibly bail on Cam Newton or Carson Palmer now that they"ve brought you this far, right? Actually, I do see the dilemma here -- mostly because I think Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan should have big games themselves. Roethlisberger"s playoff life is on the line, and he"s facing a vulnerable Cleveland Browns defense. Meanwhile, Ryan is facing a New Orleans Saints defense that has already set the NFL record for touchdown passes allowed in a season (43). So I wouldn"t blame anyone for "playing it safe" and going with those guys in these scenarios."
Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson says he has no regrets as he approaches his final NFL game.
From James Walker"s story on the chances that Olivier Vernon is playing his final game with the Dolphins on Sunday: "Miami has a lot of issues facing the team this offseason, including a tight salary cap and major changes looming on the coaching staff. Vernon, who is 25 and entering the prime of his career, certainly won"t come cheap. He is tied for the team lead with seven sacks and has 28.5 sacks in four seasons. There should be plenty of teams interested in that kind of production on the open market."
Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg to enter NFL draft (by Jared Shanker)
From Rich Cimini"s mailbag, on possible salary-cap casualties for the Jets: "The biggest name, of course, is Antonio Cromartie. Why him? He"ll be 32 and he"s an easy cut because of the way his contract is structured. He has three years left on his deal, but none of it is guaranteed. His cap charge for 2016 is $8 million, and they can wipe the entire amount from the cap by releasing him -- and I believe they will. Cromartie has played better in recent weeks, but I wonder how much of that is due to the competition. "
Why the Bengals don"t plan on resting starters vs. the Ravens (by Coley Harvey)
From ESPN Stats & Information research: Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry"s 188 receptions are the most in NFL history through a player"s first two seasons.
Source: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/whatstrending160102/trending-nfl-philadelphia-eagles-interview-duce-staley-replace-chip-kelly-head-coach
