NFL, ESPN and Hall of Fame scramble after game cancellation Folks turned on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, expecting to see football for the first time since the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50. Instead, they saw Chris Berman and his pregame show gang filling time. There was no game on Sunday night, a big embarrassment to the league. The Hall of Fame game was canceled due to unsafe field … [Read more...]

NFL Power Rankings: Top of the NFC is absolutely loaded Could we see Carson Palmer and Cam Newton meet in the NFC championship game again this season? (Getty Images) One of these teams will be, at best, the fourth-best team in the NFC: Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers. In other words, the NFC playoffs are going to be a lot of fun. [Yahoo Fantasy … [Read more...]

Kevin Greene slays Hall of Fame speech with great Bo Jackson line The Pro Football Hall of Fame speeches got off to a bit of a slow start Saturday night. That is, until Kevin Greene took the stage. First off, any guy who takes the stage and strokes the bust of his leonine mane is off to a strong start. Then Greene started talking — it’s clear that this man was no one-trick pony, as he was … [Read more...]

Favre, Dungy highlight Hall of Fame induction, but others also shined Brett Favre and Tony Dungy were the clear headliners for the 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, each charming the crowd in far different ways, but there were other great highlights throughout Saturday night’s induction ceremony. Two of the funnier other speeches came from pass rushing great Kevin Greene, who played for … [Read more...]

Eddie DeBartolo embarrassed Jerry Rice with unflattering old nickname The Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony is all about the stories, and former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo spilled a few family secrets — including one that Jerry Rice likely wishes he hadn’t. DeBartolo called Rice “our hero, on and off the dance floor” and mentioned the incredible number of receiving … [Read more...]

Tough to Rank: Mike Evans vs. Keenan Allen The clock strikes 45 seconds as you start to perspire, thinking about everything you learned this offseason. Hue Jackson took over as head coach of the Browns, Lovie Smith was fired, Tom Coughlin stepped down, Ken Whisenhunt went back to the Chargers ...What does it all mean, and why do you feel more unprepared than ever? Because it’s hard to retain all … [Read more...]

2016 NFL Preview: Great season, Panthers. Now do it again Cam Newton won his first MVP award last season (AP) Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2016 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 6, the day before the Hall of Fame Game kicks off the preseason. What happens when … [Read more...]

Virginia Gov. wants the Redskins: 'I view this as a Virginia team' Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is trying to get the Redskins to move to his state (AP) The Washington Redskins are identified with the nation’s capital (hence, the name) but play in Maryland. That doesn’t matter to Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who views it as Virginia’s team and wants the Redskins to make it official … [Read more...]

Tom Brady said it was 'personal decision' to drop deflate-gate fight vs. NFL New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady spoke to the media for the first time in months, and following his decision not to further pursue his legal options related to deflate-gate Brady explained his line of thinking. “Well, it was a personal decision,” he said following Friday practice. “I try to come … [Read more...]

Ravens remember fallen teammate on what would have been 24th birthday Tray Walker, who would have been 24 years old on Friday, was remembered by many of his former Baltimore Ravens teammates less than five months after his death. Anthony Levine (left) remembered his former teammate, Tray Walker (right), who died in March (Getty Images). Walker, a fourth-round cornerback out of Texas Southern … [Read more...]