Jim Kelly ‘not happy’ with any of Buffalo’s QBs

Jim Kelly isn't impressed with the Bills quarterback situation. (USATSI)

Former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly was at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Saturday to see Buffalo play Tampa Bay and it doesn't sound like he was too impressed with what he saw. What he saw was Bills quarterback EJ Manuel go 9 of 18 for 67 yards in the first half of Buffalo's 27-14 loss.

Kelly was asked about the Bills quarterback situation during an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio on Monday and he didn't sound overly confident in Manuel -- or any other quarterback on the roster for that matter.

"To be honest, I'm not happy with any of them," Kelly said, via ESPN.com. "I would love to see EJ come on. I've heard him before talk to the press. Number one, he's a great guy. He's a great leader. I've heard him speak to the team, I've heard him speak to the receivers before they take the field. His leadership is there. Everything is there but I have not yet seen what we all want to see."

Although Kelly hasn't been impressed with Manuel, the former Hall of Famer still wants to see the second-year quarterback succeed.

"I'm pulling for him, and I'll continue to pull for him," Kelly said. "But that is a position without a doubt that is going to determine how the Buffalo Bills do this year. We have a good defense, great receivers, good running backs. It's up to EJ. He'll take us as far as he can, and I just hope he starts playing better."

It's not just Manuel who has struggled either, coach Doug Marrone hasn't been happy with the play of backup quarterbacks Jeff Tuel, Thad Lewis and Dennis Dixon. Dixon was cut on Monday and the same thing might happen to Tuel and Lewis if they keep playing the way they are.

"They either have to play better or we have to look to see if there's someone that can better that position, like we would any other position," Marrone said on Monday. "If we feel at the end of the day that it's not good enough to win with -- which we haven't seen that yet -- there's only two ways to go."

The Bills added a quarterback on Monday in Jordan Palmer, according to ESPN.com. The addition of Palmer could mean either Lewis or Tuel won't be around much longer.

As for Kelly, he thinks the Bills can win with Manuel, but the 24-year-old has to play better. "EJ has all the potential, he just needs to step up and do it," Kelly said.

Manuel's next chance to step up and do it will be on Thursday. Marrone said he plans to start Manuel in the Bills preseason finale against Detroit.

NFL Hot News

Rams QB Sam Bradford out for season with torn ACL



Rams quarterback Sam Bradford re-tore his left ACL in Saturday night's preseason game versus the Browns, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Bradford missed half of the 2013 season after tearing the same ligament. Shaun Hill is considered the team's starting QB for now.



In a preseason that's so far been blissfully devoid of major injuries, this is a bombshell. Bradford's absence will affect the value of the entire Rams offense. Hill's career stats suggest he won't be terrible, but Rams WRs Kenny Britt, Brian Quick and Chris Givens should all be downgraded substantially. It's harder to say how Bradford's injury will affect the Rams' running game. They're likely to lean on their power run scheme even more now, but defenses will also respect the pass less and may stack the box against the run. RB Zac Stacy's stock should remain relatively unchanged, while No. 2 RB Benny Cunningham's value may rise somewhat. He'll likely see more usage as this offense grinds its way through the season.

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Sterling fails to stay sale of Clippers to Ballmer

ESPN reports Wednesday that the Donald Sterling saga, at least in regards to his ownership of the Clippers, is over. An appellate court has struck down Sterling's writ of mandate to stay the sale of the team to Steve Ballmer after a court ruled against him last week and the NBA approved the sale Monday.

Now it's officially over. Court of appeals turns down Donald Sterling's writ of mandate

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) August 13, 2014

Appelate court rules: "The evidence before this court indicates the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to Steven Ballmer has closed."

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) August 13, 2014

Appelate judges said: "Petitioner [Donald Sterling] has failed to show otherwise. Thus, there is nothing for this court to stay"

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) August 13, 2014

The ruling confirms that though Sterling will likely continue to pursue suit against Ballmer, his ex-wife Shelley Sterling, and the NBA, those suits will be over damages and not sale or control of the team.

Donald Sterling's attorney's say: "We are confident Donald will be completely vindicated in his federal case against the NBA. "

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) August 14, 2014

Donald attorney's: "We believe that the “popular” ruling in the Probate matter is a serious blow to the Privacy rights for all Americans."

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) August 14, 2014

Where Sterling turns to next is any guess, beyond the federal suit against the league, but as far as the Clippers are concerned, Steve Ballmer is their owner, and Donald Sterling is a thing of their past.

Topics: Donald Sterling, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA

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Browns’ Pettine says Manziel improving quickly

Mike Pettine says the Browns are 'very pleased' with where Johnny Manziel is.(USATSI)

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Saturday night featured the highest-rated NFL preseason game of all time, a mildly fierce battle between the Browns and the Lions. It was all about Johnny Manziel who, despite denials from Browns coach Mike Pettine, clearly closed the gap on incumbent starter Brian Hoyer.

Pettine, speaking on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike Wednesday, acknowledged Manziel has "been impressive" and said he's "slightly ahead" of where the Browns expected him to be.

"He's been impressive. He's probably slightly ahead of the learning curve where we figured he would've been," Pettine said. "I think a big part of it for him is it's essentially him getting the playbook and it has been for a while. And I think he's finally starting to settle down with it."

Pettine praised the increase in Manziel's vocabulary and his ability to process more and more information, adding he has to know what other guys on the offense are doing as well.

"It's just a lot of information to process. And he's done a good job of it," Pettine said. "We're very pleased with where he is."

Manziel obviously hasn't progressed far enough for Pettine to do anything crazy like name him the starter. Pettine said all along the plan was for Cleveland to name a starter before Week 3 of the preseason, which means Manziel and Brian Hoyer are in a dead sprint to win the starting job for Week 1.

The process for picking that starter will involve four people in the organization and, potentially, some fierce debate. But no "external pressure," Pettine claims.

"I have two guys that know quarterback play really well in Kyle Shanahan and Dowell Loggains. And we'll sit down, the three of us, probably include Ray Farmer as well so he can hear us debate it back and forth," Pettine said. "It's all going to come down to who can give us the best chance to win a football game. And we're not going to feel pressure -- I know there's the external pressure of a lot of people want to see the rookie out there. We understand that. But we're in the football business here and we have to make the decision we feel is best for the Cleveland Browns.

"I think it's a good problem -- I know it's a good problem to have because we have two quarterbacks we feel are capable enough to make plays to win football games," Pettine said.

Pettine may have put himself in a wee bit of a corner while trying to give himself a little freedom; he used the phrase "week-to-week" when discussing his starting quarterback situation (as well as all his position players).

"When you declare a starter -- this for all positions, not just quarterback -- it's a week-to-week basis," Pettine said. "Our guys have to feel there's competition there. Once they earn a job Week 1, that's not guaranteed through Week 16 or Week 17, let alone Week 2. It's a fine line. You don't want guys thinking 'Hey, if I make one mistake I'm out,' and you might have a little bit more leeway with the quarterback position.

"You name a starter, and I think you have to be very shortsighted with your view that this is for the first game and we'll always be in evaluation mode."

NFL Hot News

Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin is the 'star' of training camp



ESPN's David Newton says that WR Kelvin Benjamin is the "star of Panthers camp." The rookie receiver will be the Panthers' WR1 this year, after impressing coaches and fans in the teams first preseason game. In that game, versus the Bills, Benjamin's highlights included a 29-yard touchdown catch. The 6-foot-5 rookie will line up alongside veteran WR Jerricho Cotchery and TE Greg Olsen as the team's primary receiving threats.



Benjamin is being drafted 42nd among wide receivers, and could end up being one of the best the sleeper picks of the year. He's flown below the radar so far, as owners opt for other rookie receivers like Bills WR Sammy Watkins and Buccaneers WR Mike Evans ahead of Benjamin. But with the playing time he'll be seeing, as the top option in QB Cam Newton's offense, he holds tremendous value. Strongly consider taking the rookie ahead of his current 11th -round ADP.

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Lions DT Fairley demoted to the second team?

Has Nick Fairley been relegated to the second team defense? (USATSI)

More NFL: Photos | Videos & GIFs | Training Camp updates | Manziel

When Detroit declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Nick Fairley's rookie contract this offseason, the team hoped he could use that slight as motivation to have a better 2014 season.

So far, it doesn't seem to be working.

As noted by the Detroit News, it appeared that Fairley, who started all 15 games he played last season, was practicing with the Lions second-team defense on Monday.

Fairley's reaction to questions afterward about the move to the second team as C.J. Mosley and Jason Jones took over his place among the starters?

Wrote the newspaper: "Nick Fairley silently and perplexedly raised his hands when asked why he was playing with the second-team defense ..."

Coach Jim Caldwell didn't have much to say about it either.

“Who said he was playing on the twos?” Caldwell said. “Was there a depth chart that said anything about it? ... What you see more so than anything else is we decide how we rep guys. It doesn't necessarily mean they're one, they're two, they're three, whatever it might be. It just depends on the situation. Don't read a whole lot into it.”

Fair enough, but it's still enough to make you wonder, particularly since Fairley didn't have a great performance in the team's first preseason game. You also have to wonder if the team is unhappy with Fairley's perpetual weight problem.

“One of the things about him, he's a big man,” Caldwell said. “He's got some strength and ability. He can probably carry more weight than most people at his size because of his strength, and he's working to get to a comfortable weight, I think, and I think he's on his way.”

NFL Hot News

Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley quick to change tune on WR Marqise Lee



On Saturday, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley was critical of rookie WR Marqise Lee's effort on plays saying "Run your routes every time [as if it is] coming to you. You can't change speeds. You can't choose when and when not to." After sitting down with Lee to get an explanation of the lackluster performance, Bradley was quick to recant his previous statement on Monday, "A couple of things that came up where he was unsure of positioning of the defense and the route in terms of how he should attack it. So, there was confusion on his part that we got cleared up. He is extremely focused, really competitive, really driven." Lee was taken No. 39 overall in the 2014 draft and is expected to start opposite WR Cecil Shorts.



It was a bad attempt to get his rookie WR motivated and Bradley is simply backtracking on his comments. Lee has been noted for his work ethic and has had a decent training camp so far. Lee might be the best talent in the wide receiving corps with the exception of Justin Blackmon, who might never play another game in the NFL. He is a WR4 with upside, and a nice dynasty stash.

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Patriots acquire Worthy from Packers in trade

Jerel Worthy was traded from the Packers to the Patriots. (USATSI)

More NFL: Photos | Videos & GIFs | Stories | Training Camps | Manziel watch

The Packers traded defensive lineman Jerel Worthy to the Patriots on Tuesday afternoon, according to Worthy's agent.

Pending physical @packers DT @I_AM_Worthy99 traded to @Patriots! Will help Pats D-line right away.

— Chafie Fields (@ChafieFields) August 12, 2014

Worthy was a second-round pick by the Packers in 2012 out of Michigan State, with Green Bay moving up eight spots to nab the defensive lineman.

He clearly hasn't met expectations, compiling just 2.5 sacks in 16 career games over the past two years.

For the Packers, it's another disappointment from a rough draft class featuring only Nick Perry, Casey Hayward and Mike Daniels on the roster. (Hayward, for what it's worth, was a steal and saves this thing from being a total disaster.)

According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers will receive a "future pick" from the Pats, but only if Worthy ends up making the roster.

The Pats already have Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly starting on the interior, along with rookie Dominique Easley. But Worthy can battle for a backup spot there depending on whether or not he stays healthy. At the price it cost the Patriots, there's certainly nothing wrong with taking a flier on him.

NFL Hot News

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski takes part in 7-on-7 drills



Rob Gronkowski participated in 7-on-7 drills today, according to CSN's Tom Curran via Twitter. This is the first time Gronkowski has participated in group drills during training camp. Previously he'd been working on the sidlelines individually or with Darrelle Revis. Gronkowski is recovering from a combination ACL/MCL tear. He's unlikely to play this preseason, but hopes to be back for Week 1 of the regular season.



This is good progress for Gronkowski, but also a reminder of how far he still needs to progress to be ready for the season. He's being taken as the second TE overall right now, ahead of Broncos TE Julius Thomas. So owners are not factoring in the risk that Gronkowski misses time at the beginning of the season. Whenever he does return, he'll have gone about nine months without playing live football, so there may be some rust at first. When he's on the field, Gronkowski is a must-start. But if you plan on taking him, make sure to monitor his progress closely.

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Celts’ Olynyk downplays severity of wrist injury

Kelly Olynyk isn't too worried after tweaking his wrist. (USATSI)

Offseason: Free Agency | Latest from Ken Berger | Rumors

Boston Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk left the Canadian national team in the middle of a series of exhibition games because of a wrist injury, but he downplayed the severity of it to ESPN's Chris Forsberg:

Olynyk was coy on the injury, but downplayed concerns. He wasn't wearing a brace and didn't seem cautious while distributing high-5s to the kids as they bounded off a bus in front of Canobie (one of them attaching themselves to Olynyk's leg and seemingly unwilling to let go).



“It'll be alright,” Olynyk said of his wrist. Told how even minor injuries tend to become big stories in these parts, he playfully added, “It's not career-ending.”



Olynyk said he was previously scheduled to return to the area this week (Canada played its 11th and final exhibition in Spain today) and returning early after the wrist injury was merely precautionary. He talked of being ready to go when Celtics players start filing back to Boston in early September in advance of training camp.

Before Team Canada's trip to Europe, Olynyk averaged 17.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for Boston's summer league team in Orlando, though he shot just 40 percent from the field. The 7-footer had a decent rookie year for the Celtics, but he didn't dispel doubts about his ability to protect the rim and battle stronger players for rebounds. While it was worth spending time with the national team in advance of his second season, it wasn't worth aggravating a minor injury.

(HT: PBT)

Topics: Kelly Olynyk, Boston Celtics, NBA

Basketball Hot News

Report: New Clipper owner Ballmer to talk contract extension with Doc Rivers

Doc Rivers already is just one of a handful of coaches with the power position to have say over players and personnel too. Gregg Popovich has it (although that’s a unique relationship with R.C. Buford). Stan Van Gundy has it. But the list is short.

Often when a new owner comes in the coach and team president should feel nervous about their job security — owners want the people they trust in the positions of power.

It’s going to be the opposite for Rivers with new Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

In the wake of owner Steve Ballmer gaining governorship control of the Los Angeles Clippers, discussions on a contract extension for Doc Rivers are expected to commence soon, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Ballmer and Rivers had been eager to forge a long-term partnership, and a California court confirming the authority of Shelly Sterling to sell the franchise on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust has cleared the way to work toward a new deal.

Rivers already was making $7 million a year, making him one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA. He’d be happy to extend that, I imagine.

When the Donald Sterling situation, um, hit the fan last playoffs, Rivers did his best to stand in front of the team and deflect as much of the storm as he could off the players. He shouldered as much as could be asked, and it wore on him and the team.

This sale is a parting of the clouds. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are happy. Rivers has a real contender on his hands and a team with a very underrated offseason pickup in Spencer Hawes (remember in the playoffs last year Glen Davis was the first big off the bench, Hawes is lightyears ahead of him).

For a few years now the Clippers have been doing things right off the court in spite of their owner (because he stepped back and let others make the decisions on the basketball side). Ballmer is smart not to fix what isn’t broken. Keep Rivers in the big chair.

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Dolphins reportedly sign QB Quinn as backup

Brady Quinn has a new team with the Dolphins. (USATSI)

More NFL: Photos | Videos & GIFs | Training Camp updates | Manziel

It was less than two weeks ago when Brady Quinn was supposed to be done as an NFL quarterback and was set to help cover college football and the NFL for Fox Sports.

Looks like Quinn isn't done after all, as he reportedly signed with the Dolphins, according to NFL.com's Jeff Darlington.

That means he'll likely compete with Matt Moore and Pat Devlin for the right to back up starter Ryan Tannehill, though both of those backup quarterbacks are currently dealing with injuries. Quinn also simply could be a camp arm that won't have a job after Moore and Devlin return.

Miami also reportedly worked out Rex Grossman and John Skelton before ultimately selecting Quinn, who also tried out for the Patriots earlier this month.

While Quinn was on the rosters of the Jets and Rams last year, he hasn't thrown an NFL pass since he started eight games for the Chiefs in 2012, going 1-7 in the process.

NFL Hot News

Redskins WR DeSean Jackson nearing return after injury



The Washington Post is reporting Redskins WR DeSean Jackson is healed up after suffering a mild ankle injury in an August 6th practice. The newly acquired Washington deep-threat hasn't practiced since that day, but ran full speed on Monday, catching several TD passes from quarterback Robert Griffin. Jackson is ready to go for the second preseason game versus the Cleveland Browns next week, saying "Yeah. I'm going to be out there, flying around with my teammates."



It seemed to more of a precaution holdout of Jackson by the coaches. There was no need to rush him back for the first preseason game where he might only play a few snaps anyway. Jackson can be considered a low-end WR2/high end WR3 this year, and has an ADP in the early 5th round.

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