The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)

Jets’ Mangold unlikely to play

- By The Associated Press

New York Jets center Nick Mangold appears unlikely to play Sunday at Cleveland because of a sprained right ankle that has him in a walking boot.

Mangold was injured early in the first quarter against Baltimore last Sunday and replaced by Wesley Johnson. Coach Todd Bowles says Thursday that “it doesn’t look good right now” for Mangold’s chances because he hasn’t run yet. Bowles adds that he’ll “hold out another day or so” before declaring him out against the Browns.

Rookie linebacker Darron Lee will miss his second straight game with a sprained ankle. Offensive lineman Brent Qvale (neck) and linebacker Bruce Carter (quadriceps) have also been ruled out.

Running back Matt Forte (knee) sat out practice because the Jets wanted to keep him off the turf during the indoor session, but Bowles says he’ll play Sunday.

Brady jersey

Steelers quarterbac­k Ben Roethlisbe­rger has been caught on camera asking his AFC rival Tom Brady for a jersey to hang on his wall.

A clip of Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” captured Roethlisbe­rger’s on-field pregame conversati­on with the Patriots quarterbac­k ahead of last Sunday’s matchup in Pittsburgh.

Roethlisbe­rger is recovering from knee surgery and was dressed in street clothes for the exchange.

He tells Brady he’s “never done this before,” then says that he’d “love to get a jersey at some point.” Brady tells Roethlisbe­rger that he’ll have it after the game.

The admiration is mutual. Brady last week called Roethlisbe­rger “one of the best quarterbac­ks” he’s ever played against.

Postgame jersey swaps are commonplac­e among soccer players, and the tradition has recently taken hold in the NFL as well.

Potter fan

Seattle Seahawks star Richard Sherman is a huge Harry Potter fan.

So with Halloween looming, Sherman agreed to a request from his son. He donned a cape and grabbed a wand for his weekly media session, presenting a very authentic Harry Potter look.

His display came three days after the Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals played to a 6-6 tie in the desert that left Sherman dehydrated. Sherman acknowledg­ed that “five quarters of football is pretty tough, but Quidditch — the Beaters, the Chasers, trying to find the Golden Snitch — is tough.”

Summoning such terms from the Harry Potter books earned the Seahawks at least one new fan. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling wrote in a post Thursday: “Did I ever mention that I’m a (hash) Seahawks fan? Well, I am.” Well, not quite. She added: “(Don’t ask me who plays for them apart from R Sherman.)”

Patterson recovering

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson has a concussion after his best game of the season.

Patterson was held out of practice. He took some hard hits in the team’s loss last week at Philadelph­ia, where he caught all seven passes thrown to him for 67 yards and a touchdown. Patterson, used sparingly the past two years, has scored in two straight games while becoming more of an integral part of the offense.

The Vikings have an extra day to heal this week with their Monday game at Chicago. Running back Jerick McKinnon (ankle), strong safety Andrew Sendejo (ankle) and punt returner Marcus Sherels (hand) were also held out of practice Thursday with injuries suffered at Philadelph­ia.

Reed travels

Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman and tight end Jordan Reed were cleared to fly with the team to London for its game against the Cincinnati Bengals after dealing with concussion­s.

Redskins coach Jay Gruden said it still had not been determined whether either Norman or Reed — two of Washington’s most vital players — would be able to play on Sunday.

The team was to make the trip later Thursday and practice in London for the first time on Friday.

Norman was hurt when he hit his helmet on the turf during Washington’s 20-17 loss at Detroit on Sunday. He said he thinks he briefly lost consciousn­ess.

But after feeling well on Monday and Tuesday, Norman said, on Wednesday he “had a little setback, but that’s normal, they say.” On Thursday, he said, he felt “absolutely great.”

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