The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Former NFL linemen Powell, Sweeney die
Former longtime New York Jets offensive linemen Marvin Powell and Jim Sweeney died recently, the team announced Sunday.
Powell, a two-time Allamerican at USC, was a three-time All-pro at right tackle and served as president of the NFL Players Association for two years during his 11-year NFL career, the first nine with the Jets. He died Friday at age 67.
Sweeney was one of the Jets’ most durable play- ers, starting 158 consecu- tive games during an 11- year stretch with the team, mostly at center. He died Saturday at age 60.
Powell, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, was drafted by the Jets as the No. 4 overall pick in 1977 out of USC. He won a starting job as a rookie and became one of the franchise’s best and most-decorated players, selected to the Pro Bowl five straight seasons from 197983. Powell was an All-pro in 1979, ’81 and ’82.
Powell played his last two seasons with Tampa Bay, finishing with 130 starts in 133 games.
Sweeney was a secondround pick out of Pittsburgh — where he was Dan Marino’s center — in 1984 and started two games as a rookie. The Pittsburgh native started every game at left guard in his second season, then moved to left tackle for two seasons before becoming the Jets’ center in 1988 — a role he held for seven years.
Sweeney started every game for Seattle in 1995 and wrapped up his 16-year career by playing four seasons with his hometown Steelers. He played in 228 games, including 176 starts. VIKINGS’ CINE FRACTURES LEG >> Minnesota Vikings rookie Lewis Cine sustained a “lower-leg fracture” against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and will remain in London to undergo surgery, coach Kevin O’connell said.
Cine was carted off the field in the first quarter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what O’connell described as a “very tough moment for our team.”
Cine, the 32nd pick overall in last spring’s NFL draft out of Georgia, was blocking on a punt return when he sustained the injury.
He clutched his left leg as he went down. Players from both teams took a knee as medical personnel stabilized Cine’s lower left leg and put him on a cart to leave the field.
“He will be having surgery to fix that here,” O’connell said. “As soon as he’s able to make the transition back to the Twin Cities we’ll do that.” PATRIOTS’ HOYER EXITS WITH HEAD INJURY >> New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer left Sunday’s game with the Green Bay Packers because of a head injury.
Bailey Zappe, a rookie fourth-round pick from Western Kentucky, took over for Hoyer and made his NFL debut.
Hoyer was making his first start since 2020 and stepping in for Mac Jones, who injured his left ankle last week against Baltimore.
Hoyer departed after getting sacked by Rashan Gary on a third-down play in the Patriots’ second series of the game.