NFL’S TEXANS KNEEL, DEFY OWNER:
Most players kneel to protest owner’s asinine remarks
IN A SHOW of unity against the insensitive comments made by Texans owner Bob McNair, nearly every member of the team kneeled and linked arms during the national anthem prior to Sunday’s 41-38 loss to the Seahawks.
Only 10 players stood, according to multiple reports.
McNair ignited a firestorm of controversy when comments he made referring to NFL players as “inmates” at a recent owners meeting surfaced in an ESPN story Friday. “We can’t have inmates running the prison,” McNair said, according to ESPN.
McNair issued an apology Friday before clarifying his comments in a statement Saturday, explaining his remarks were misinterpreted.
“I was not referring to our players when I made a very regretful comment during the owners meetings last week,” McNair said in a statement.
“I was referring to the relationship between the league office and team owners and how they have been making significant strategic decisions affecting our league without adequate input from ownership over the past few years.”
Texans players met Saturday night to discuss how to respond to McNair’s comments and reportedly contemplated removing the team logo off of their helmets for Sunday’s game, according to ESPN.
Both DeAndre Hopkins and D’Onta Foreman missed Friday’s practice after McNair’s comments went public.
Texans offensive lineman Duane Brown called McNair’s comments “disrespectful,” according to ESPN. Brown returned to the team this week after his threemonth long holdout.
“I think it was ignorant,” Brown said, per ESPN. “I think it was embarrassing. I think it angered a lot of players, including myself. We put our bodies and minds on the line every time we step on that field, and to use an analogy of inmates in prison, that’s disrespectful. That’s how I feel about it.”
Several Seahawks players once again sat on the team’s bench during the national anthem, including Michael Bennett, ex-Jet Sheldon Richardson and Cliff Avril, among others.
—Ari Gilberg
EAGLES’ HOME RUN
The Eagles stand alone atop the NFC East, and they’re having a blast doing it.
After scoring during Philadelphia’s 33-10 beatdown of the 49ers, Zach Ertz flipped the ball to two-time American League MVP Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Trout, who grew up in nearby Millville, N.J., is a die-hard Eagles fan who sat in the first row on the field behind an end zone. Wentz gave him a football after a TD pass during a game last season, too.
Following Alshon Jeffery’s TD, Ertz pretended to start a brawl by hitting Jeffery with a pitch (football) as the players continued to celebrate certain TDs by playing baseball. Ertz was the pitcher, Jeffery was the batter and Wentz was the catcher.
“It’s a blast right now,” Ertz said. “We’re having a lot of fun, we’re playing extremely loose and we have a lot of confidence. We have a lot of unselfish guys.”
BILLS ROLLIN’
The Bills improved to 5-2 to match their best start during a 17-year postseason drought — the longest active streak in North America’s four major professional sports leagues.
And Kyle Williams is getting tired of hearing about the skeptics counting them out.
Perhaps, a 34-14 win over the Oakland Raiders might get the doubters to start believing.
“I don’t know how many times we have to answer the question, but I don’t care what anybody thinks,” the 12-year veteran defensive tackle said.
“We bring guys in and they go out there and they play for the team and they give it all that they’ve got. There’s a lot to love about that.”
ZEKE RAINS SUPREME
Ezekiel Elliott ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns and the Dallas Cowboys took advantage of a blocked field goal return and three turnovers to beat Washington 33-19 and move into sole possession of second place in the NFC East.
Playing in a driving rainstorm that made it difficult to hold onto the ball, let alone throw it, Dak Prescott completed 14 of his 22 passes for 143 yards as Dallas (43) heeded the message on Elliott’s cleats to “Feed Zeke.” With another hearing on his NFL suspension coming Monday, Elliott carried the ball 33 times, scored twice for the second consecutive game and surpassed 100 yards for the third time in a row.
BENGALS GET A HAND
Carlos Dunlap knew he couldn’t get to the quarterback, so he threw up his hands.
Moments later, the ball settled into them, and the defensive lineman was off for the end zone.
A freaky play? Absolutely. It was exactly what the Cincinnati Bengals needed to carry hope forward for another week.
Dunlap’s 16-yard interception return in the fourth quarter sent Cincinnati to a 24-23 victory over Indianapolis that gave the Bengals (3-4) a temporary reprieve and left the Colts (2-6) wondering what’s next in a season that’s run aground at the halfway point.
THROWIN’ IN THE WIND
Jameis Winston insists his injured throwing shoulder isn’t the problem — that he simply has to play better. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost for the fourth straight time Sunday, failing to score a touchdown in a game for the first time since their young quarterback entered the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Coach Dirk Koetter thought tricky winds might have affected Winston’s accuracy during a 17-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers; however the 23-year-old refused to use that as an alibi. “We are NFL quarterbacks,” Winston said. “We’ve got to be able to throw in the wind.”
BAD NEWS FOR BEARS
Rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky thought he had floated a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Miller and taken a sizeable chunk out of a New Orleans’ lead.
Instead, the Bears were hit with a double-whammy they could not overcome in an eventual 20-12 loss — a serious knee injury to a team leader and a replay reversal with which they disagreed.
Miller dislocated his knee when he landed in the end zone. The gruesome injury, which was replayed several times on the scoreboard, forced the 33-year-old tight end to be carted off and taken to a local hospital.
After a replay review, officials ruled the ball hit the ground when Miller bobbled it on his way down.
“He made a heck of a catch. It was a great effort on his part,” said Trubisky, whose team then settled for a field goal. “The call was what it was, but it was an awesome play on his part.”
CRY ME A RIVERS
With his final attempt to bring his team back failed, Philip Rivers pulled off his helmet and flung it toward the Gillette Stadium turf. It bounced back perfectly and into his waiting hands.
It was one of the few things that a Los Angeles Chargers player executed well in their 21-13 loss to the New England Patriots Sunday.
Tom Brady passed for 333 yards and a touchdown and Stephen Gostkowski added four field goals to help the Patriots (6-2) hold on for the victory, their fourth straight. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Chargers.