Clowney’s availability remains unknown
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Injured All-American Jadeveon Clowney is working hard so he can play against Arkansas on Saturday, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said on Tuesday.
Spurrier said he’ll know later in the week if Clowney has recovered enough from a strained muscle near his ribcage to get back on the field.
Since the 6-foot-6, 274-pound defensive end said shortly before kickoff last Saturday against Kentucky that he was in too much pain to play, there have been questions about whether the potential No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft was shutting it down for the season.
Spurrier doesn’t believe Clowney is done but didn’t rule out the possibility.
“Let me say this about Jadeveon, if he never plays another snap, we all should be thankful and appreciative that he came to South Carolina,” Spurrier said. “We’ve won 26 games, two 11-2 years, the greatest seasons we’ve had in 120 years.
“So none of us need to be upset at Jadeveon. None of us.”
Spurrier certainly sounded upset Saturday night, saying that if the defensive end didn’t want to play for the Gamecocks, he didn’t have to and the program would “move on.”
The coach said since then, he has spoken with Clowney and is confident the junior is committed to finishing the season on the field.
“I’m all for Jadeveon and his future,” Spurier said. “When he is ready to play we’re going to put him out there. He has been coming to treatment, I think, twice a day and told me he is doing everything he can to try to get ready to play.”
The eighth-year coach said he was more upset Saturday with how he learned of Clowney’s status.
Spurrier said he was more frustrated that proper protocol wasn’t followed and that word of Clowney’s absence in the 35-28 win over Kentucky didn’t come from trainers or team doctors. Instead, Spurrier learned about it when he saw Clowney without pads on prior to kickoff.
“Obviously, we all handled it poorly. All of us did,” Spurrier said.
Clowney is expected to talk with the media later Tuesday.
It has not been the season expected out of the SEC’s reigning defensive player of the year. He has just two sacks and 12 tackles. After setting a school mark of 23 1/2 tackles for loss last season, Clowney’s got just three stops behind the line of scrimmage this year.
NFL Falcons’ Jones’ season
in jeopardy FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith sounded dismayed while discussing his team’s latest major injury.
This time the bad news concerned Pro Bowl receiver Julio Jones, who could miss the rest of the season after injuring his foot in Monday’s 30-28 home loss to the New York Jets.
“He saw our doctors this morning,” Smith said Tuesday. “He is going to have a second opinion tomorrow. The first reports were not encouraging, but we will wait and see what the second opinion comes back as.”
Atlanta (1-4) heads into its bye week riding a threegame losing streak, a tough reality check for a team that’s never dropped more than two straight regular season games in six seasons under Smith.
The Falcons’ four losses have come by an average of 4.8 points, dropping the defending NFC South champions four games behind division-leading New Orleans.
Offensively, Atlanta has faltered late in potential game-winning situations at New Orleans and at home against New England. Defensively, the Falcons have given up late leads at Miami and against the Jets.
“We’re disappointed,” Smith said. “We’re discouraged. I think we’re living proof of how close games are in the NFL. It comes down to a handful of plays, and we haven’t made them. In years past, we’ve been in games like these and we’ve made the plays.”
After five relatively healthy seasons under Smith, Atlanta has been bombarded with injuries this year.
Running back Steven Jackson and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon have missed the last three games, and the team isn’t sure when they will return.
Two starters, defensive end Kroy Biermann and fullback Bradie Ewing, were lost for the season in Week 1, and right tackle Mike Johnson’s year ended in training camp.
Three other starters — Sam Baker, cornerback Asante Samuel and linebacker Akeem Dent — have missed significant time, too.
And Roddy White, a four-time Pro Bowl receiver, left Monday’s game and did not return after tweaking a hamstring. White has played since preseason with a high ankle sprain, and his 14 catches and 129 yards receiving are far below the average production of his first five games over the last six seasons.
Losing Jones only makes conditions worse.
Jones, the No. 6 overall draft pick of 2011, leads the NFL with 41 catches and ranks second with 580 yards receiving.
Smith said that Jones will see a foot specialist Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C., for a second opinion. The coach refused to say which foot Jones hurt.
Jones was X-rayed after the game, and results were negative, but a CAT-scan Tuesday showed something more serious.
“He’s going to be a hard guy to replace if we have to replace him,” Smith said. “We’ve got guys that are on our roster in Kevin Cone and Drew Davis. Harry (Douglas) will be asked to step up and if we have to make a roster move, we will look at all options that are available to us there.” Falcons, Jags, Raiders to
“host” in London WASHINGTON — The NFL will play three regularseason games at London’s Wembley Stadium next year, hosted by the Jaguars, Falcons and Raiders.
The league announced Tuesday at its fall meetings that it was expanding its international series. It will be the most games the league has played abroad in one year. This season, Minnesota beat Pittsburgh 34-27 in September, and Jacksonville will host San Francisco on Oct. 27 as part of it a four-year commitment to move a home game to Wembley.
Dates and opponents for the games will be announced when the schedule is compiled next year.