Former linebacker DeMeco Ryans is suing the Houston Texans and the NFL over a torn Achilles tendon suffered during a game at Houston"s NRG Stadium on Nov. 2, 2014.
NBC Sports reported the lawsuit, which was filed Friday, names the Harris County Convention Sports Corp. and stadium-management company SMG, in addition to the Texans and NFL,as the defendants.
At the time, NRG Stadium used square panels of grass grown on metal trays to form its playing surface a set-up that was widely criticized. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick called the stadium"s playing surface "terrible."
The stadium ditched the tray systemafter the first home game of the 2015 system, when former No. 1 draft choice Jadeveon Clowney of the Texans suffered a knee injury on the field. NRG Stadium now features a field-turf surface.
In 2012, former Houston punter Brett Hartmann suedSMG and Harris County Convention Sports Corp. over a career-ending ACL injury suffered on the field. The Texans and the NFL were not named in Hartmann"s lawsuit.
Ryans was playing for the Philadelphia Eagles at the time of the injury and missed the remaining eight games of the 2014 season. He returned to play 14 games for the Eagles in 2015. Philadelphia released Ryanson Feb. 24. He was not picked up by another team.
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Since behind selected out of Alabamain the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft by Houston, Ryans has played 10 pro seasons. He won the 2006 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award with the Texans. He earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2007 and 2009.
In 2010, Ryans ruptured an Achilles tendon in the sixth game of the season while playing on Houston"s home field.
After the 2012 season, the Texans traded Ryans and a third-round pick to the Eagles for a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick.
The former Jess Lanier prep standout has played in 140 NFL games, with 139 starts. He intercepted seven passes, recovered 10 fumbles, recorded 13.5 sacks and made 970 tackles.
PITTSBURGH -- That Ben Roethlisberger could miss one or two games with a torn left meniscus is a manageable situation for a team equipped to handle injuries, specifically quarterback injuries.
The Big Ben-Tom Brady clash won"t happen Sunday in Heinz Field because of Roethlisberger"s surgery Monday, as confirmed by ESPN"s Adam Schefter and first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
But the big-picture goals are still mostly intact for Pittsburgh, despite an erratic defense that has allowed 64 points in its past two road games.
If the Steelers revel in chances to rally, nothing screams team-building like hosting the New England Patriots without a star quarterback. Let"s see what they can do.
The Steelers will have to rely on Le"Veon Bell in Ben Roethlisberger"s absence.Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports
A potential loss to the Patriots, followed by the bye week, sets the stage for Roethlisberger to return for Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens, depending on how the knee heals. That would make the Steelers 4-3 heading into a crucial divisional matchup, the same situation when Roethlisberger returned from a sprained medial collateral ligament last season in time for the Cincinnati Bengals game.
That didn"t stop them from making the playoffs. The Steelers are accustomed to dealing with Roethlisberger"s short absences. After Sunday, Roethlisberger will have missed at least one game in nine of his last 12 seasons. The Steelers haven"t finished worse than 8-8 in any of them.
Landry Jones doesn"t have the backup quarterback cachet of Dallas" Dak Prescott and New England"s Jimmy Garoppolo, but the Steelers feel he"s capable. In his last extended action, he was 19-of-22 for 206 yards against New Orleans in the preseason.
Last year, the Steelers went 2-2 with a clumsy backup situation while Roethlisberger was out. Michael Vick struggled mightily through two-and-a-half games before the team gave Jones the keys. In Jones" only NFL start, the Steelers battled the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in a 23-13 loss.
Le"Veon Bell got 17 carries for 121 yards that day, and he should carry the ball at least 20 times against New England. The Steelers" best chance is to pound the ball.
The Steelers can create a game plan that gives Jones quick and decisive third-down throws with an occasional deep shot to Sammie Coates or Antonio Brown.
A defense that got humbled in Miami could have linebacker Ryan Shazier and defensive end Cam Heyward back for the New England game, and if not, definitely for the Ravens.
The Steelers responded in a big way after the Week 3 blowout at the Philadelphia Eagles, holding the Chiefs and New York Jets to a combined 27 points.
After several injuries the last two years, the Steelers are accustomed to managing change.
WIKILEAKS INTERNET CONNECTION DOWN: Julian Assange"s Internet Link Severed By State Party
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had his internet access cut off by a government party, the organization said.
Screenshot by CNET
Julian Assange, social media has your back.
The top trending topics on Facebook and Twitter right now are related to a cryptic tweet from the WikiLeaks account sent at about 10:30 p.m. PT Sunday. Since then, supporters of Assange, WikiLeaks" founder, have marshaled their forces across social media.
Social Cues is a daily feature on what"s trending among your friends and followers. Here"s what people are talking about Monday morning on Facebook and Twitter:
Julian Assange: According to a WikiLeaks tweet, Assange"s "internet link has been intentionally severed by a state party." Assange"s name was the top trending topic on Facebook, with more than 1 million people talking about him and the incident. On Twitter, #FreeJulian was a top trend, with accusations that the US government is responsible for his lost internet access.
Trump TV: If Election Day doesn"t go Donald Trump"s way, you still might be seeing plenty of the Republican candidate. The topic was trending on Twitter after a Financial Times report that Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner has been in talks for a post-election TV startup. Twitter users chipped in their reactions on what a 24/7 Trump channel would look like.
Orange County, North Carolina: A firebombing severely damaged a Republican campaign headquarters in North Carolina over the weekend, with many calling it an attack on democracy. "n**i Republicans get out of town or else" was spray-painted nearby. Both Democrats and Republicans expressed outrage on Facebook about the bombing.
Colin Kaepernick: On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback started his first game of the season, squaring off against the Buffalo Bills. Kaepernick had been making headlines in recent weeks for his protest against police brutality, choosing to kneel during the national anthem at the beginning of games. Bills fans protested Kaepernick playing, while cheering on their own team. Facebook users said a T-shirt with a rifle sight pointed on the quarterback was taking it too far.
Treehouse of Horror: "The Simpsons" hit its 600th episode on Sunday, 27 years after Matt Groening"s animated series debuted. The landmark episode was also the series" annual "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween special. The topic was trending on Facebook with users congratulating the series for reaching the milestone, while others argued that the show has lost its touch.
Be sure to check out Social Cues" weekly roundup called T.GIF. It will pop up every Friday on CNET"s Snapchat and Instagram accounts. Add us on Instagram at @CNET or on Snapchat at @CNETsnaps. Our social accounts also feature CNET Update daily and Mailbox Mondays. Join us!
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Bruno Mars - 24K Magic [Official Video] Justice, Randy Justice - "Randy" Video by Justice
Justice, the French electronic duo, have always had a flair for iconography, and not just in their stage show. So the video for Randy a new single from their third album, Woman, due on Nov. 18 is true to form. Directed and designed by Thomas Jumin, it features a choreographed flow of graphics and footage on 25 vintage televisions, stacked in a wall-like installation. Its an effective tactic for a disco-esque song whose lyrics reek of motivational camp: Dont stop/Try to make your mark/And make your mind up. (The vocals, by Morgan Phalen, are in a thin falsetto.) The most transfixing moments in the video, which was filmed in real time, involve simple shifts in perspective: a slow zoom-in on a single screen, or the pulsating light show set to an industrial breakdown that kicks in just after the three-minute mark. NATE CHINEN
Alicia Keys feat. ASAP Rocky, Blended Family (What You Do for Love) Alicia Keys - "Blended Family (What You Do For Love)" ft. A$AP Rocky Video by aliciakeysVEVO
Laying it bare, paring it back, opening up: these are now the core principles for Alicia Keys, if they werent already. HERE, the title of her forthcoming sixth album, carries an implicit pledge: I am fully present in this moment, for you. And thats precisely the message conveyed in her soothing new single, Blended Family (What You Do for Love). Produced by Ms. Keys and Mark Batson, its a stepmothers note of reassurance: Hey, I might not really be your mother, she begins, over an acoustic guitar loop. But that dont mean that I dont really love ya. A sparse hip-hop beat kicks in, and Ms. Keyss encouraging tone is eventually co-signed by ASAP Rocky, who raps his verse from the other side of the parent-child arrangement: I remember having four stepmoms at 9/Love Christmastime and birthday was fly. N.C.
Ricardo Grilli, Arcturus
Ricardo Grilli is a postbop guitarist with a sideline interest in the cosmos. He crowded his new album, 1954, with tracks bearing titles like Cosmonauts and Radiance. Rather than a gimmick, the concept feels like a natural fit for Mr. Grilli, who was born in So Paulo but now lives in Brooklyn, and has a taste for the ultramodern. Theres an attractively questing quality in the albums opener, Arcturus, named after the brightest star in the Northern sky. Featuring an A-list rhythm team the pianist Aaron Parks, the bassist Joe Martin, the drummer Eric Harland it has a driving rock groove over which Mr. Grilli unfurls a coolly billowing solo. N.C.
Zeds Dead feat. Rivers Cuomo and Pusha T, Too Young Zeds Dead - "Too Young" (ft. Rivers Cuomo & Pusha T) Video by Zeds Dead
The post-Avicii kitchen-sink approach to big-tent dance music is one of that worlds most perverse strengths so long as the beats-per-minute are appropriate, almost anyone can be co-opted into the style, regardless of how apt they sound. Too Young, the new single by Canadian production duo Zeds Dead, appears to exist largely for the novelty of getting Rivers Cuomo and Pusha T on the same song, the sort of overlap that last had frisson around the Judgment Night soundtrack era, and which the mash-up craze of the early 2000s should have killed for good. Instead, on this harmlessly dopey track, Mr. Cuomos vocals are light and tart, and Pusha T delivers his snarling rhymes clearly enough for Sesame Street. J.C.
Mary J. Blige, Thick of It
Theres almost no limit to the Mary J. Blige-ness of the new Mary J. Blige single, Thick of It. An affronted list of grievances delivered as if from the foot of the bed, it has a measured pace, a soulful arrangement and an air of embattled dignity. Ms. Blige, who wrote the song with Jazmine Sullivan, isnt issuing a snapshot of reconciliation here, as anyone could tell by scanning the end rhymes in the chorus:
lovetrustmuchenough
Theres a verse rapped in sure-footed triplet cadence, but all of the songs tension comes from the pained rhetorical in the introduction: Should I stick it out? Ms. Blige sings in her confiding lower register, before springboarding up an octave. Are you worth this fight? Are we worth this fight? N.C.
Orrin Evans, Half the Battle
Mr. Evans is a pugnacious, intuitive jazz pianist who has long divided his time between New York and his native Philadelphia. Hes also an avid pop-culture consumer now in his 40s, which explains the throwback allusion in the title of his new album, #knowingishalfthebattle. (If that doesnt ring a bell, you obviously didnt watch G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a Reagan-era staple of the after-school cartoon block.) The album puts Mr. Evans in dialogue with two different guitar heroes from his hometown, Kevin Eubanks and Kurt Rosenwinkel. He hasnt often worked with guitarists, but the evidence suggests that he should keep exploring in this vein. Half the Battle, featuring Mr. Rosenwinkel, is a shadow-realm prowl suspenseful in its harmonic irresolution, an excellent disquisition on the dark grandeur of the unknown. N.C.
Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker, Something Familiar Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker - "Something Familiar" Video by Rough Trade Records
The British folk duo Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker have often seemed to pine for pastoral bygones, working mainly with her sweet, somber voice and his fingerpicked acoustic guitar. Their elegant new album, Overnight, due Oct. 14, indulges this fantasy with a hushed but cleareyed purpose. It includes a version of the traditional English ballad Weep You No More, Sad Fountains, but theres also a bone-dry cover of Dark Turn of Mind, by the American singer-songwriter Gillian Welch. Most of the originals feel just as lean, with a few sweeter outliers like The Waning Crescent, which inches toward 60s mod. One of the loveliest offerings is Something Familiar, a swaying waltz about the bittersweet transience of a choice moment and, just maybe, the mirage-like beauty of a mythic past. N.C.
Every Brock Osweiler Throw from Week 1 | Bears vs. Texans | NFL
The very first series of Sunday night"s Colts-Texans game served as a harbinger of the first three quarters, and a microcosm of Houston"s season to date. Lamar Miller ripped off a 12-yard run and then Brock Osweiler was asked to attempt a forward pass on three straight dropbacks. The results? The first should have been intercepted, the second was overthrown in DeAndre Hopkins " general direction, and the third resulted in a strip-sack courtesy of Robert Mathis . Miraculously, Houston recovered the fumble.
That proved to be the highlight of the first 45 minutes because Osweiler, who signed a four-year, $72 million contract in March to be the Houston Texans " franchise quarterback, continues to play like one of the league"s worst passers. And it"s not like he was asked to succeed, say, Peyton Manning . He"s following in the illustrious footsteps of Ryan Mallett , Brandon Weeden and Brian Hoyer , who combined for some pretty dreadful football a season ago.
But through six games, Osweiler looks a lot like his predecessors. In fact, according to Football Outsiders, Osweiler ranks 28th among all passers, ahead of only Joe Flacco , Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ryan Tannehill .
Fun fact: Hoyer, who is now the starter in Chicago with Jay Cutler sidelined with a thumb injury, ranks fourth. Fourth!
But -- and this is important, even if it doesn"t mean much beyond this game -- Osweiler pulled it together late in the fourth quarter, throwing a game-tying laser to C.J. Fiedorowicz , and dropping a dime to Jaelen Strong on the Texans" first drive in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal.
Maybe this is what Osweiler needs -- a few confidence-building throws to turn his season around. Or maybe he"s exactly who he"s been for the first five weeks. Whatever, a bad Texans team outlasted an even worse Indianapolis Colts outfit to somehow move to 4-2 and remain in first place in the AFC South. Indy falls to 2-4, good for last place in the worst division in football.
Here are eight takeaways in the Texans" improbable 26-23 win.
1. The Colts aren"t exactly setting the world on fire...
... unless we"re talking dumpster fire or self-immolation. FO ranks them 27th in the league, though Andrew Luck might think that"s too high for an offensive line that couldn"t block anybody for much of the evening. As has happened often this season, Luck was running for his life, and by overtime, he looked like he was seeing ghosts.
And while the defense was bend-but-don"t-break for 50 minutes or so, they ultimately played a non-trivial role in the outcome, blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead. But don"t worry, general manager Ryan Grigson has a perfectly good explanation.
This is the same Ryan Grigson who was given a contract extension in January. This seems like a good time to resurface those comments from Reggie Wayne about why the Colts are struggling.
"A lot of people are wanting to criticize Andrew Luck instead of really in my opinion going after what the big problem is," Wayne said during an October 5 appearance on NFL Network. "I think that big problem is a lot of the front office decisions."
2. So what are the Texans going to do about Osweiler?
There are no style points for winning, but there"s plenty to be concerned about if you"re coach Bill O"Brien. The options behind Osweiler include Tom Savage and Weeden, but that"s not really the point. The Texans identified Osweiler as the future, and in the first month and a half, he"s been mostly a disappointment. His struggles can be traced to inaccuracy, which manifests itself in incompletions and interceptions. And the interceptions usually come when he tries to force the ball to Hopkins.
Here"s one of the worst throws Osweiler made on Sunday night, and it came deep in Texans" territory:
A few plays later, the Colts scored a touchdown, seemingly putting the game out of reach. It was Osweiler"s eighth pick in six games. A season ago, he had six picks in seven starts.
Here are comments Osweiler made earlier this month, but they hold now, weeks later.
"I wouldn"t call it trying to force the ball to [Hopkins]," he explained at the time. "I would call it I need to make a more accurate throw. There is a fine line of do you try to force your No. 1 wide receiver the football? But in those cases I don"t think we were forcing anything, I just think I need to make better decisions and throw more accurate footballs."
Words to live by. And those better decisions came moments later.
3. This is a big-boy throw
Here"s the Osweiler touchdown that cut the Colts" lead to one point with seconds left in regulation:
4. So was John Elway was onto something?
Look, Elway wanted to re-sign Osweiler, and no amount of revisionist history can change that. But he also wasn"t going to overpay for a young quarterback who was replacement level a year ago. So when he says things like, "A lot of times those deals you don"t make are the best ones," there"s some truth to it, even if he was smirking when he said it.
Wherever the truth lies, would you argue that Osweiler is better than bargain-basement Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian ?
Osweiler started 1 of 4, then 2 of 8, and he was 7 of 17 for 64 yards at halftime. He finished 25 of 39 for 269 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. But his backfield mate was even more impressive. Which brings us to this ...
5. Lamar Miller is legit
After three quarters, Osweiler had 89 passing yards, and Miller 112 rushing yards. Put differently: Miller was the Texans" most dangerous offensive weapon, even if coach Bill O"Brien was hesitant to use him early. Yes, Hopkins should hold that distinction, but he"s reliant on his quarterback consistently being able to complete a pass five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Of course, the great irony is that once Osweiler stopped forcing the ball to Hopkins, he found it easier to throw completions.
Miller finished with 149 rushing yards on 24 carries, and he added another 29 receiving yards, including this, which cut the Colts" lead to seven points:
To recap: Once the Texans starting leaning on Miller, the offense started moving the ball. Funny how that works.
6. Frank Gore rushed for 100 yards ... twice
This sounds about right: Gore eclipsed the century mark!
And then he was tackled for a loss ...
And then Gore surpassed the century mark again!
7. A child actor led the Colts in receiving
We"re not even kidding. Chester Rogers four catches for 63 yards.
In a recent interview with the Indianapolis Star, Rogers talked about his acting career: "I was actually in four movies. I was in "Madea"s Family Reunion", "Constellation" with Billy Dee Williams and Gabrielle Union, "Re-Animated" on Cartoon Network and I was in "Dirty" with Cuba Gooding, Jr. ...
"It was cool, but a lot of people don"t realize that for every "yes" you get, you get a whole lot of "nos." Like I got cast to play Chris Rock on "Everybody Hates Chris." But then they recast the family on the show and it fell through. Then I was supposed to have a role in "House of Pain." I got the role, signed a contract, got ready to move to Atlanta, and I got recast on that, too. Two big TV shows. That"s that business."
8. Next up
The first-place Texans travel to Denver to face the Broncos (4-2) on "Monday Night Football." Yep, that"s right, Brock returns to where it all started. The Colts meanwhile face the Tennessee Titans (3-3) in Tennessee in a game that no one would be surprised if they lost.
Status Quo-Quid Pro Quo 2011 (full CD) Photo Restaurant tables in a narrow street of Heraklion in Crete. Credit Eirini Vourloumis for The New York Times
SATURDAY PUZZLE What is more disarming than facing off against a Saturday crossword, the hardest puzzle of the week, and having it open with a clue about cuddling? Nothing, I say, and I especially loved its entry, BIG SPOON, which makes its debut today.
Its almost impossible to feel threatened by a puzzle that starts off like that. Even if the clues are ramped up and the entries are more complex, a puzzle like this with its cuddling and its crunchy, lively entries and the wordplay in its clues makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
In all seriousness, its a really nice puzzle. David Woolf introduces 10 new entries to the New York Times crossword, including BIG SPOON and, beside that one, I especially liked LOG ROLLS, GAG REEL and STRESS EATS. Lively entries that have appeared before include HA HA HA, ORATORIO, BATTER UP, BAR CAR, IN GAME, FIRE SALE, RATS NEST, BOLO TIE, HOT DOGGER, GOOD REASON, TEAR GAS and GESTATE, which is a word that never fails to crack me up for some reason. I also liked HA HA HA in proximity to DA DA DA.
Still, getting to those entries takes some work on a Saturday. Lets take a look at a selection of some of the harder clues in Mr. Woolfs puzzle.
Tricky Clues
1A: Dont get it? Heres a standards-friendly explanation of spooning, including graphics on BIG SPOON and Little Spoon. Honestly, read it for the diagrams, but stay for the explanation on how to be a Spork (No. 6). I almost had to leave the office because I found it so amusing.
15A: Get it? Handel bars? Thats a really good pun. You might have misread it as handle bars, but today were supposed to be thinking about the composer George Frideric Handel and bars of music. The answer is ORATORIO.
18A: My mother read Edward Goreys The Gashlycrumb TINIES to me when I was a child, which probably explains a lot about me. I still love his artwork.
24A: No, youre not supposed to know that TIN is About 92% of britannium off the top of your head, unless you happen to be in the pewter business. I had to look it up, too.
27A: Tar liquid is GROG, a sailors drink, because tar is a nickname for a sailor. Its thought to come from either a shortened version of tarpaulin or from Jack Tar, an archaic British term that referred to people in the merchant seamen or Royal British Navy.
47A: I took an educated guess that Iraklion was a variant spelling of Heraklion, the capital of CRETE, and it turns out I was right. It is also the accepted spelling in the New York Times stylebook.
51A: A play on Just one of those things?, the clue Just those of Juans things? is misdirection that also requires an answer in Spanish. Were looking for the Spanish word for those, so the answer is ESOS.
5D and 6D: I knew that 5D was going to be p**p deck, but Id never heard of the ORLOP deck. #NowIKnow
49D: Hi, kids! Believe it or not, tobacco companies used to advertise the benefits of cigarette smoking, in newspapers, magazines and even on television (that box that your parents stare at). Thats why the Brand once advertised with the line They never get on your nerves is CAMEL cigarettes. I know this is hard to digest, but tobacco companies even advertised their products to children by showing cartoon characters smoking (this was originally a Winston commercial):
Flintstones Cigarette Commercial Video by Psychotronic42Constructors Notes
This was really just an excuse to get BIG SPOON in a puzzle. With that in at 1A, I decided to shoot for big, open northwest and southeast corners while keeping the number of 3 and 4 word answers to a minimum. So heres a short list of the things I liked about the puzzle while I was constructing it.
1) The presence of HA HA HA and DA DA DA in the same corner, the latter of which was made pseudo-famous in the late nineties by a Volkswagen ad.
2) The Gashlycrumb TINIES are a delightfully morbid piece by the always great Edward Gorey.
3) Coming up with STRESS EATS saved me from having to completely tear up the northwest after I was most of the way through constructing it.
4) CELIAC Disease sufferers represent! We should form a club where we lament the lack of good gluten free pizza.
5) The non-forced dupe clue at 5D and 6D.
I was happy to see many of my favorite clues survive the cut, and particularly enjoyed some of Wills additions in the southwest. Also, the timing of this puzzles publication couldnt have been better, as my wife just 41Ded a baby while her family was on 47A for a wedding, so theyre surrounded by 16A while were surrounded by, well, 5D. I hope you enjoyed the puzzle!
