Maple Leafs great Bower dies at 93
TORONTO — Johnny Bower, a beloved former Maple Leaf goalie who helped Toronto win its last Stanley Cup in 1967, has died. He was 93.
Bower’s family said in a statement Tuesday the Hall of Famer died following a short battle with pneumonia.
Bower was a twotime Vezina Trophy winner who became known as the China Wall. His career took off after the Leafs claimed him in a 1958 intra-league draft. Bower played 475 regular-season games and won four Stanley Cups for the Leafs before playing his final game as a 45-year-old in 1969.
Bower won the Vezina Trophy in 1961 and shared it with teammate Terry Sawchuk in 1965. The Leafs hoisted the Cup in 1962, ‘63, ‘64 and ‘67.
PITTSBURGH — Mike Tomlin isn't sure how long of a break he wants to give his star players before the postseason begins.
The Pittsburgh Steelers coach will wait to determine how much quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le'Veon Bell and company play during Sunday's regular-season finale against the winless Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers (12-3) wrapped up their third AFC North title in four years earlier this month and secured a first-round bye by dominating the Houston Texans on Christmas night.
A shot at the top seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs remains a possibility, a scenario the relies almost exclusively on the New York Jets beating the New England Patriots on the road, something the Jets have done only once in the past decade — and that came in 2008 when quarterback Tom Brady was out with a knee injury.
"We will play to win that football game," Tomlin said on Tuesday. "Who we choose to employ or utilize or activate, we are in the process of discussing. Make no mistake about it. The expectation will be what it is. The people we put on the field will be expected to play and play winning football."
The Steelers held out Roethlisberger, Bell and receiver Antonio Brown in their meaningless 2016 finale against the Browns, and backup quarterback Landry Jones guided Pittsburgh to a comeback 27-24 victory.
Jones again could get the call or at least play extensively, though Tomlin insisted he would not make personnel decisions based on what the scoreboard is telling him about the game in Foxborough.
One decision already is made for Tomlin: Brown will miss a second straight week while recovering from a strained left calf suffered in a loss to the Patriots on Dec. 17.
Ex-Steelers Harrison lands with Patriots
Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison signed a one-year deal with the Patriots, three days after he was released by Pittsburgh.
The 39-year-old linebacker posted a photo on Instagram showing himself with Brady, the 40-year-old QB, in New England's locker room, writing that he finally has "a teammate that's older than me!"
Collins: Ex-Buckeye Apple ‘a cancer’
New York Giants safety Landon Collins, who is on injured reserve after suffering a broken right forearm on Christmas Eve, labeled teammate Eli Apple a “cancer” during a radio interview in New York.
Collins called out Apple, a rookie cornerback out of Ohio State, when asked what scouting report Collins would provide to a new general manager or coach in the offseason.
"There is one corner who has to establish (himself) and needs to grow, and we all know who that is," Collins said. "That would be the only person I would change out of our secondary group. … But that first pick, he's a cancer."
Apple, 22, was a first-round pick (10th overall) in 2016 by former general manager Jerry Reese. Apple has battled injuries and struggled this season. A NJ.com report on Saturday said that Apple had a falling out with his stepfather, Tim Apple, a major part of his support structure, over the summer. It is considered to be a big reason for his erratic performances.
Coaching front
• Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that coach Jason Garrett will return for an eighth full season after Dallas missed the playoffs in a year marred by the six-game suspension of star running back Ezekiel Elliott. Jones said on his radio show Tuesday that Garrett's job "is not an issue here at all" while suggesting that there could be other changes to the coaching staff.
• Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said a report that he and the franchise have agreed to part ways after this season is untrue, labeling it "fake news." An article in Pro Football Weekly cited "multiple sources" as saying the split would come next week at the end of Arians' fifth season. But the 65-yearold coach said nothing has been decided.
• With a 14-33 record in three years, John Fox might be coaching his final game for the Chicago Bears when they finish the season at the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. "I don't worry about it," Fox said when asked about the speculation. "I've never had trouble getting employment in this league and I'm not going to start worrying about it now."
Quarterback news
• Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden said that quarterback Kirk Cousins would start Sunday's season finale at the New York Giants despite the potential of injury and no postseason ramifications involved.
• The Denver Broncos will start Paxton Lynch at quarterback in their season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs, providing he can play on his sprained left ankle that has sidelined him for more than a month.
• Jimmy Garoppolo already has helped the San Francisco 49ers make a bit of history for the NFL's best in-season turnaround. The 49ers (5-10) already have the best record of any team that started a 16-game season with a 0-9 record, and they can double the previous best win total held by many teams by winning the season finale on Sunday at the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams. Garoppolo has led the team to four straight victories.