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Lewis out for season
First Terrell Suggs. Now linebacker Ray Lewis and top cornerback Lardarius Webb. Simpson after a hotel robbery.
Lewis and Webb are gone for the year after suffering serious injuries Sunday during the Ravens' 31 29 win over the Dallas Cowboys, head coach John Harbaugh said Monday.
Lewis completely tore his right tricep. Webb tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, three years after tearing his right ACL as a rookie.
"Lardarius yesterday was distraught," Harbaugh said. "I could see it when I walked on the field, on his face. He kind of knew because he has been through it before. I just felt like he knew. He was just beside himself."
With 25 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and six passes defended, Webb had become "one of the premier corners in the league," Harbaugh said. "I'm biased. I'd say he's the best."
Lewis, in his 17th year, is the Ravens' leading tackler this year, with 57 stops. He had lost 15 pounds during the off season to make himself more effective in pass coverage.
Lewis is 37, and many already are speculating that he has reached the end of the road.
"You know I'm not going to make any comment on that," Harbaugh said.
"That's for Ray to speak on. I admire Ray Lewis. I've said that many times. I think everybody in this room does. Everybody who knows him feels that way. I look forward to seeing what he says about that."
Suggs an outside linebacker who was the league's defensive MVP a year ago tore an Achilles while working out in April, but reports said he was hoping to return by the end of this month.
The latest injuries could not come at a worse time. The Ravens visit the Texans on Sunday. The able Felix Jones would start in his place.
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Six days before his New York Jets play at New England, head coach Rex Ryan was predictably brash: "I want them to know and they know I think we're going to beat them . I recognized they're a great football team, and (Bill) Belichick's a great coach. I've never once said he wasn't, OK? But we're not going to back down or concede anything."
The AFC East rivals are both 3 3.
After consecutive losses in which last play field goals by the opposition did them in, the Philadelphia Eagles have a week off to come to grips with their disappointing 3 3 start.
"We go back and we evaluate and tear things apart during this bye week, and look at how we get ourselves better . as players and coaches," head coach Andy Reid said Monday.
"You evaluate everything, and that's what we'll do from that standpoint. With 10 games left, we know that there are a lot of games left. Anything is possible in the National Football League, and I still believe that we have a good football team. We just have to get a couple of things together here."
Reid also backed defensive co ordinator Juan Castillo, saying he'll continue to call plays on defence as of "right now."
In other words, nothing new in Philly. Move along.
The Buffalo Bills cut defensive end Shawne Merriman partway through training camp but re signed him to the active roster Monday. The Bills also re signed safety Delano Howell, and released both defensive tackle Jay Ross and centre David Snow.
The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, picked up running back Johnny White off waivers from the Bills to replace Brandon Saine. And Vilma says he is physically able to play this week.
Vilma is re appealing his suspension, and his lawyers filed a 29 page motion Monday in New Orleans to vacate the suspension.
Will the NFL let him play before Goodell rules on the appeal? Stay tuned.
Wide receiver Domenik Hixon, rapidly becoming an evermore important cog in the New York Giants offence, was asked if the team expects to continue flying under the radar. His reply: "For some reason, every time we do something, someone finds a way to say that we could have done it better." And he didn't mean just head coach Tom Coughlin.
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1. Who's the best fantasy quarterback in the Thursday night matchup between the Seahawks and 49ers? For the uninitiated, it's Seattle rookie Russell Wilson against San Francisco's 2005 first overall pick Alex Smith. Both quarterbacks have similar styles they rely on their running games and defenses to do the heavy lifting and can occasionally connect on a big play to sustain a drive or put points on the board. But neither will be confused for a franchise quarterback, although Wilson's just six games into his NFL career. With Smith, meanwhile, it's what you see is what you get. Simply put: he's a game manager (we say that in the most complimentary way possible) who struggles to lead his team from behind.
2. Can Cam Newton get back on track against the Cowboys? After Newton's jaw dropping rookie season, most folks agreed that his style of play was slump proof. Yeah, forget about that. Newton has been awful through five games and even though the Panthers are coming off a bye, the team lost the cornerstone of the offensive line, center Ryan Kalil, to injured reserve making an already bad situation worse for Newton. The Cowboys have their issues, but Newton is a victim of his own failings. The old NFL bromide that quarterbacks and cornerbacks have to have short memories appears lost on Newton, whose demeanor changes for the worst once his game heads south. It's hard to have faith in a guy who doesn't have faith in himself.
3. How many yards will Arian Foster gained on the suddenly awful (and injured) Ravens defense? We've conservatively set the over under at 400 yards. We're only half kidding. Consider these numbers: in the last two games, the Ravens' "defense" gave up 227 yards to the Cowboys and 214 yards to the Chiefs. Dallas has the league's 19th ranked running game and Kansas City is 22nd. Houston, meanwhile, with Arian Foster and Ben Tate, is ranked seventh. So you do the math. Baltimore will also be without linebacker Ray Lewis and cornerback Lardarius Webb, who were lost for the season to injuries. And defensive lineman Haloti Ngata has been slowed by an MCL injury. All this points to a HUGE day for the Texans Sunday.
4. Is the Packers' offense officially back? If nothing else we've learned this much: don't make Aaron Rodgers angry. The man lost his mind Sunday night against the Texans' defense, throwing six touchdowns in just over three quarters of work against what was supposed to be one of the NFL's top units. The Packers face a much improved Rams team in St. Louis Monday, but there's no reason to think that Rodgers hasn't regained his otherworldly form. Look at it this way: If the Packers can march up and down the field against an undefeated Texans team in Houston, there's no telling what they'll do in St. Louis where there are sure to be plenty of Green Bay fans in attendance.
5. The Jets are tied for first in the AFC East. Will this last? Until Sunday morning, yes. After that, it's back to reality for Gang Green. Coach Rex Ryan, quiet for the first six games of the season because the Jets have been awful, was suddenly back to his gum flapping ways days ahead of the matchup with the Patriots. We're guessing this has to do with a) the Jets' convincing win over the Colts, b) New England's loss in Seattle, and c) the division rivalry that had taken a back seat until now. New York may be 3 3 but they still have huge issues at wide receiver and quarterback, and the defense is without cornerback Darrelle Revis. If you're looking for fantasy value, look elsewhere.
Geno Smith remaining NY Jets starting quarterback is right call
Despite an incredible flop against the Bills Sunday, Geno Smith will remain the Jets starter.
Related Stories Doctors tell NY Jets QB Mark Sanchez not to have surgery at this time It's time for the Geno Smith era as Rex Ryan and key NY Jets brass agree it's time to move on from Mark Sanchez Rex Ryan will make final call on NY Jets' starting quarterback Geno Smith throws three INTs, gives up safety, and Mark Sanchez leaves with possible shoulder injury but NY Jets beat NY Giants
Eight words were missing from Rex Ryan's support of Geno Smith one day after the rookie quarterback's latest implosion, the same eight words that served as the soundtrack for the Mark Sanchez era: He gives us the best chance to win.
Ryan maintained that Smith, fresh off his second four turnover implosion of the season, would "without question" be the starting quarterback for a pivotal ramsauthenticofficial.com/Aaron_Donald_Jersey_Rams road game against the Ravens on Sunday despite his penchant for turnovers (20 in 10 games, if you're counting).
"We have to protect the football better, first and foremost," Ryan said as if he were reading from one of his press conference transcripts defending Sanchez last season.
Smith's mistakes have opened the door for critics to peek in and call for Matt Simms or David Garrard to replace him, but Ryan is making the wise choice to stick with the second rounder as his 5 5 team clings to the final wild card spot with six weeks left in the season.
Smith's statistical regression since peaking in a Week 5 upset against the Falcons on the national stage was underscored by a 10.1 quarterback rating in a 37 14 loss to the Bills, the lowest under Ryan since Sanchez's five interception meltdown against Buffalo in 2009. Ryan admitted that Smith didn't have the "pocket presence and pocket awareness" that he typically possesses.
"Whether it was (because) he was taking the hits or whatever," Ryan said, "I feel that he never had the feel that he normally has. . I thought there were times that he could have run with it, but he didn't do it."
Ryan has been smart enough to this point not to make any rash decisions with Smith, who has seemingly taken a step back in the past month, at a time when impulse could force a bad call.
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Ryan's future beyond this season isn't guaranteed yet (even though he's proven to me that he deserves at least a one year contract extension through 2015), so there may be temptation to replace his struggling rookie quarterback.
It doesn't make sense for this team at this time. Perhaps Ryan's belief is fueled by a lack of viable alternatives.
The Jets don't have time to live through the same growing pains with Simms, whose NFL resume includes a grand total of two quarters in garbage time, with the postseason within reach. The narrative, of course, would be much different if Smith's struggles had coincided with a team out of the playoff hunt.
Garrard, who hasn't played in a regular season game in two years and was brought back solely to facilitate Smith's development, isn't an option, either. (How intriguing would it have been if Sanchez were healthy and available?)
So, Ryan has treated the Simms chatter as nothing but white noise.
"Everyone's a fan of the backup quarterback when something goes wrong," Simms said. "I'm very well aware of that."Critics pining for Matt Simms (r.), who fills in for Smith as he is benched, have come to the forefront after Sunday's clunker from the second round pick.
The team's "competition" mantra in training camp was rightfully selective. Although Ryan admitted there's a chance that Simms could get more first team reps at practice this week, that's window dressing. Smith will handle the bulk of the practice work with the starters in preparation for the Ravens.
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This season was supposed to a 17 week job interview for Smith. He remains an enigma 10 games into his career, but it wouldn't make sense to pull the plug right now.
"I haven't seen a timer on that," Smith said of his job security, "So no, I don't have any concerns."
Like his predecessor, Smith has maintained that his good and bad experiences have made him better. He continues to work.
"I know how this affects him," Ryan said. "I know the competitiveness in him. We got to get him dialed in better."
Smith has tested Ryan's patience, but there's no turning back now.
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black fantasy life unravels
He sold custom cars to rich celebrities. His clients included people like the football player Ray Lewis and the rap star Ludacris.
He sold cocaine embossed with a prominent symbol of hip hop culture: Hummer.
Tremayne Graham was a player. Then his partner in the drug business says he introduced Graham to his future wife in an Atlanta strip club. If anything, Graham life became even more infused with money and status.
The couple bought a mini mansion in the suburbs.
She amassed $120,000 of jewelry.
And when her mother became Atlanta first female mayor, they celebrated at the side of Shirley Franklin.
But Graham and Kai Franklin opulent lifestyle detailed in interviews and court testimony, as well as in other public records came to an emphatic end in 2004. A federal grand jury indicted Graham for his role in a drug ring that smuggled at least 2,200 pounds of cocaine from Los Angeles to Atlanta and South Carolina. Based on figures routinely used by various government agencies, the drugs had a street value between $15 million and $35 million.
Graham, 33, pleaded guilty in 2006. Last month, after prosecutors alleged he ordered the killing of a co defendant and his girlfriend, a judge sentenced Graham to life in prison.
Now, federal agents say they are investigating whether Franklin, 34, who divorced Graham in 2005, helped her former husband launder tens of thousands of dollars of drug money.
Neither Franklin, the oldest of the mayor three children, nor her lawyer will comment on the investigation. Graham lawyers have not responded to requests for an interview.
In court, Graham lawyers contended Franklin did not know he was a drug dealer because he never told her. The lawyers said he explained away his wads of cash as much as $60,000 or $70,000 at a time as gambling winnings.
Prosecutors responded with a question: How, they asked, could she not know?
Graham started dealing drugs early. District Court in Greenville. After college, Graham moved to Atlanta. When he met Kai Franklin a few years later, he had become an established cocaine dealer and had moved into a leadership role in a drug ring called the Sin City Mafia, according to the recent testimony.
His car dealership, 404 Motorsports on Cheshire Bridge Road, was a money losing front intended to give an appearance of legitimate prosperity, said Scott King, Graham partner in selling both cars and drugs.
the first couple of months, we done great business at the store, and everything was going good, said King, who received a 24 year prison sentence in the drug case. then things started taking a turn for the worse. But we wanted to keep the business afloat because of the nature of everybody in the Atlanta area thinking that we were great businessmen. Web site for 404 Motorsports showed an array of heavily accessorized luxury cars: Hummers, BMWs, Mercedes Benzes, Bentleys, Ferraris. One page featured nothing but the massive stereo speakers the company offered for installation. Another page showed celebrity clients: rappers such as Ludacris and P. Diddy, sports stars such as Hines Ward and Jamal Anderson, even Bishop Eddie Long, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in south DeKalb County.
In a 2003 article, the weekly newspaper Creative Loafing called 404 Motorsports a car mecca. The article described the showroom interior, decorated with black leather furniture and autographed jerseys from professional athletes such as the Braves Andruw Jones.
The auto store, King said, made him and Graham look like something other than drug dealers.
In his testimony last month, King said he dated Kali Franklin, Kai younger sister, and on for two years.
One evening, King said, he, Graham and the Franklin sisters all were at the same strip club. That when King introduced Graham to his future wife.
Kai Franklin, who had graduated from the University of Virginia in 1999, worked for her father company, Franklin and Wilson Airport Concessions Inc., which operates three retail outlets at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. Testimony indicated she quit around the time she and Graham were married in December 2001.
The ceremony took place between Shirley Franklin election and inauguration. King was the best man. The rhythm and blues performer Peabo Bryson whose personal manager is David Franklin, Kai father sang at the wedding.
Days later, Graham escorted his Greg Robinson Authentic Jersey new wife to her mother inauguration events. Graham also brought King, his fellow drug dealer, to the event (and, King said, to Christmas dinner at the mayor house).
Already, court records show, Graham drug ring had accumulated about $10 million in profits. This money, prosecutors say, fueled a streak of acquisitions for the newlyweds: a $650,000 house in Cobb County, jewelry, Range Rover and Lincoln sport utility vehicles.
Graham traveled regularly to California to oversee drug shipments to Atlanta, according to court testimony, and even considered moving there. He was in Los Angeles in April 2004 when his wife called him with bad news, King testified: Federal agents with a search warrant were searching their home.
A federal grand jury in South Carolina had indicted Graham in a case that ultimately would net a dozen guilty pleas. Graham returned to Atlanta and turned himself in. A judge released him on a $400,000 bond, secured by an Atlanta bail bond company, Free At Last.
While he waited to go on trial, Graham remained under house arrest in the 5,000 square foot home he shared with his wife in an east Cobb subdivision called Woodruff Plantation. An electronic device attached to his ankle tracked his movements.
The neighbors knew nothing about Graham drug business or much else about the couple, said Katherine Todd, an officer in the subdivision homeowners association.
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As a generalization, pop stars write generic songs about love, make absurd amounts of money, and then throw a miniscule portion of that money at issues they care about. (Or, possibly, that their PR handlers deem appropriate to care about.) For example, back in 2010, Lady Gaga partnered with Virgin Mobile for her Monster Ball tour and raised $80,000 for homeless youth. Of course, the tour itself grossed a whopping $200 million, so she's not exactly Mother Teresa. Or Neil Young, for that matter. Farm Aid? Bridge School? Those are just regular happenings for a musician who seems to get press as much for his philanthropic work as for his music.Independent artists, since their earnings are miniscule to begin with, can't afford to throw money at their own problems, let alone the causes of global strife. Instead, they have to use the only means at their disposal, their music, to make an impact. Using music as a medium for social or political change can risk turning people off. However, on occasion, a band figures out a way to charm its listeners into taking note of the issues the members care about. Lass Out Loud is a new column exploring their lives and work.Julie Ann Baenziger, aka Sea of Bees, has one of the most compelling and unique voices I've heard in years. Her indie folk pop evokes a response from more than just one of the five senses. It's warm, it's soft, it's palpable. It's music that not only touches you, but music you can touch. Sea of Bees opens for Wye Oak this Friday at the Independent as part of Noise Pop.Jules played most of the instruments on Sea of Bees' debut Songs for the Ravens, which was named in NPR's All Songs Considered Top Ten Albums of 2010 list. and Europe, a far cry from where she started just a few years ago. Brought up in a strict religious household, Baenziger was herself only recently out of the closet when her album came out. Pegged early on by LGBTQ publications as a "queer" musician, Baenziger isn't as quick to label herself."We're all a bit queer, aren't we? It's just a matter of admitting it to ourselves," she laughs. "I identify as a person who falls in love. Like a little boy falls in love with a girl, or a little girl falls in love with a boy, or a little girl who falls in love with a little girl, or a little boy who falls in love with a little boy, I just fall in love. And it is what it is. I'm not so bright when it comes to knowing all these names. Lass Out Loud is a new column exploring their lives and work.For an artist who often seems like she's taken one too many valiums, Internet sensation Lana Del Rey elicits a weird range of emotions. First came the embrace by Pitchfork. Then cheap jerseys came the backlash. Then came the backlash to the backlash. At this point the Lana Del Rey sensation just feels like whiplash. Thursday, Feb. 9. For the second installment of Lass Out Loud, with Del Rey's visit to San Francisco looming large, we asked some local music minded women to weigh in on the main arguments about Lana Del Rey.1. Lana Del Rey got plastic surgery, feigned an indie aesthetic when Interscope had her back all along, and she's using a fake nameOnly You, with Rachel Fannan in the red striped shirt. Photo by Simon Weller. The women of the Bay Area music scene are breaking rules and defying expectations. Lass Out Loud is a new column exploring their lives and work.Former Sleepy Sun singer Rachel Fannan's new all girl group, Only You, takes a break from the sunnier shores of Southern California to perform at Brick and Mortar Music Hall this Thursday, Jan. 26. Presented by local tastemaker (((folkYEAH))), the lineup also features the great San Luis Obispo rock outfit Sparrows Gate and San Francisco's own Light Fantastic.After her public and somewhat dramatic break from San Francisco psych rock outfit Sleepy Sun, Fannan struck out on her own. A little over a year later, she's fronting "three vixen warlords" in Only You, a musical amalgam of surf rock and dream pop love songs. Their throwback sound with a modern feminine twist is currently being recorded for an upcoming EP, so keep your eyes peeled. Fannan's also got a handful of side projects brewing, recently lending vocals to a Bonnie Prince Billy song and to Mars Volta frontman Cedric Bixler Zavala's new project, Anywhere.
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