Marvin Lewis will miss time with Bengals due to cyst.
Cincinnati Bengalscoach Marvin Lewis missed practice Tuesday to deal with a cyst in his knee, a team source told NFL Network's Stacey Dales. The team released a statement noting the issue is "minor" and that Lewis' absence is expected to be brief. The Bengals did not state the specific nature of Lewis' injury in the statement.
Lewis is taking medicine to break up what has been diagnosed as a Baker's Cyst. He was taken to the hospital Tuesday by team medical staff after his ankle swelled to twice its normal size due to blood thinners he was taking, Dales reported.
"Coach Marvin Lewis will be taking time away from the team to focus on a minor health issue," the statement read. "He will be back as soon as possible, which could be today or later this week. Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons will lead the team during Coach Lewis' absence."
A Baker's Cyst is a fluid-filled cyst in the knee that can cause joint swelling, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Lewis, 58, enters his 15th season as head coach of the Bengals, compiling a 118-103-3 record with seven playoff appearances.
Simmons has been with the Bengals for 15 years.
We expect Lewis' absence to have little effect on a Bengals team that relies heavily on their coordinators during camp practices. Cincinnati kicks off the preseason at home Friday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cincinnati Bengalscoach Marvin Lewis missed practice Tuesday to deal with a cyst in his knee, a team source told NFL Network's Stacey Dales. The team released a statement noting the issue is "minor" and that Lewis' absence is expected to be brief. The Bengals did not state the specific nature of Lewis' injury in the statement.
Lewis is taking medicine to break up what has been diagnosed as a Baker's Cyst. He was taken to the hospital Tuesday by team medical staff after his ankle swelled to twice its normal size due to blood thinners he was taking, Dales reported.
"Coach Marvin Lewis will be taking time away from the team to focus on a minor health issue," the statement read. "He will be back as soon as possible, which could be today or later this week. Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons will lead the team during Coach Lewis' absence."
A Baker's Cyst is a fluid-filled cyst in the knee that can cause joint swelling, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Lewis, 58, enters his 15th season as head coach of the Bengals, compiling a 118-103-3 record with seven playoff appearances.
Simmons has been with the Bengals for 15 years.
We expect Lewis' absence to have little effect on a Bengals team that relies heavily on their coordinators during camp practices. Cincinnati kicks off the preseason at home Friday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
[h=1]Veteran CB Brandon Flowers retires from NFL.[/h]
Brandon Flowers is calling it a career. The former Chargers and Chiefs cornerback announced his NFL retirement on Instagram on Tuesday after nine seasons in the league. NFL Network's Steve Wyche first reported the development.
The Chargers parted ways with Flowers, along with guard D.J. Fluker and wide receiver Stevie Johnson last March.
Flowers spent the past three years in San Diego after signing as a big-ticket free agent in 2014. Injuries wiped out much of last season for the 31-year-old defender, who was limited to just six games in 2016 after re-upping with the team the prior offseason.
Brandon Flowers is calling it a career. The former Chargers and Chiefs cornerback announced his NFL retirement on Instagram on Tuesday after nine seasons in the league. NFL Network's Steve Wyche first reported the development.
The Chargers parted ways with Flowers, along with guard D.J. Fluker and wide receiver Stevie Johnson last March.
Flowers spent the past three years in San Diego after signing as a big-ticket free agent in 2014. Injuries wiped out much of last season for the 31-year-old defender, who was limited to just six games in 2016 after re-upping with the team the prior offseason.
Triplets rankings: Steelers, Cowboys rule; Jets tumble.
Back in October 2014, realizing we were looking at the best offensive triplets since Aikman, Emmitt & the Playmaker, we set out to determine which current team had the best set. Four updates and countless tepid imitators later, it's high time for the OG to re-evaluate where all 32 teams' triplets stand for 2017. As usual, I've ranked the players in each position group from No. 1 to 32, then inverted those rankings (e.g., Le'Veon Bell is my No. 1 RB, so he gets 32 points). I also multiplied the QB's score by 1.5, to reflect the position's importance. The totals determined each trio's ranking. Previous rankings are from August 2016.
Back in October 2014, realizing we were looking at the best offensive triplets since Aikman, Emmitt & the Playmaker, we set out to determine which current team had the best set. Four updates and countless tepid imitators later, it's high time for the OG to re-evaluate where all 32 teams' triplets stand for 2017. As usual, I've ranked the players in each position group from No. 1 to 32, then inverted those rankings (e.g., Le'Veon Bell is my No. 1 RB, so he gets 32 points). I also multiplied the QB's score by 1.5, to reflect the position's importance. The totals determined each trio's ranking. Previous rankings are from August 2016.
1) Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger (No. 3 QB), Le'Veon Bell (1) & Antonio Brown (1)
Previous rank: No. 3
Over the last four years, Brown has operated at a peerless level, and not just compared with his contemporaries. No one -- not Jerry Rice, not Megatron -- has ever put together a period of statistical success like the Steelers star has: 481 catches, 6,315 yards and 43 touchdowns since 2013. Bell, at a minimum, is in the conversation about the NFL's best RB, and probably worthy of the contract he wants, despite the fact he's made 16 starts just once -- especially with the looming threat of the future Hall of Fame QB's retirement, potentially as soon as after this season. If 2017 is the last campaign for Roethlisberger, at least he'll go out with the most talented offensive unit of his career.
2) Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott (No. 11 QB), Ezekiel Elliott (3) & Dez Bryant (7)
Previous rank: No. 1
Have you heard the Cowboys have a good O-line? Well, they do ... but don't allow that fact to marginalize the talent of Big D's skill-position triplets. Zeke and Dez would be stars anywhere -- dynamic as they are, it's their brute physicality that wears down foes week after week. Curmudgeons focused on whether Prescott benefitted from being in a favorable situation (spoiler alert: he did), but that shouldn't diminish how efficient and crafty the rookie was, right up to Packers kicker Mason Crosby slicing that field-goal try through the posts last January and ending the Cowboys' season.
3) Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan (No. 8 QB), Devonta Freeman (14) & Julio Jones (2)
Previous rank: No. 14
Forget about Kyle Shanahan's play-calling in the second half of Super Bowl LI and instead focus on what's ahead: Will the reigning MVP continue to thrive without Shanahan as his offensive coordinator? The answer is very likely yes, thanks to Freeman (and his partner, Tevin Coleman) and the historically transcendent talent of Jones.
4) Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton (No. 4 QB), Christian McCaffrey (12) & Greg Olsen (11)
Previous rank: No. 6
MVP, ROY, a 15-1 Super Bowl run, multiple national commercials ... and yet, Cam somehow feels under-appreciated as one of the most distinct, dominant talents the NFL's ever seen. McCaffrey's around to help lighten the load on Superman, and the buzz is already hyperbolic. But this isn't hyperbole: Olsen is headed to the Hall of Fame.
5) Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr (No. 5 QB), Marshawn Lynch (16) & Amari Cooper (8)
Previous rank: No. 17
Yes, Carr's broken fibula basically ended Oakland's Super Bowl hopes in December, but the Raiders had a magical 2016 otherwise, thanks to a borderline MVP season from the QB. A tepid bit of concern for this year: Can Carr and Co. continue to be on the right side of so many nailbiters? The answer is likely yes, with so much talent on both sides of the ball, specifically Cooper, who's put up great numbers, even though he has yet to reach his perceived ceiling. Lynch is on the other side of things, hoping to provide at least some of the bone- and soul-crushing style that was essential to both of the Seahawks' Super Bowl runs.
6) Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers (No. 1 QB), Ty Montgomery (21) & Jordy Nelson (12)
Previous rank: No. 2
Brady is the G.O.A.T., Rodgers is the best. What's the distinction? I have absolutely no idea ... but I can say with certainty that the King in the North is the best I've ever seen play quarterback. Then again, as the seasons go by, I wonder if Packers fans are bothered by the fact that they've had a top-three QB for the last quarter-century but have only two Lombardis in that time (the same total delivered to Baltimore by Joe Flacco and Trent Dilfer). Nelson is the best WR Rodgers has had, but is that damning with faint praise? I anticipate Montgomery showing the world last year was just the start of a successful career change, but wherever you come down on him, you have to agree he's the best RB to wear No. 88 ever. EVER.
7) New England Patriots: Tom Brady (No. 2 QB), James White (29) & Rob Gronkowski (6)
Previous rank: No. 19
Brady still reigns as the G.O.A.T. (even removing the 2016 postseason, his 28:2 TD-to-INT ratio in the regular season was plum remarkable), but a couple people who know what they're talking about have already told me Brady v. Garoppolo will be 2018's biggest offseason soap opera. Meantime, let's see if the five-time champ can buck history and take this loaded roster to a Super Bowl as a 40-year-old. White probably should've been the Super Bowl LI MVP, but who knows if he'll even see the field week to week? Gronk certainly will, so long as the Best Tight End of All Time is in good health.
8) New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees (No. 7 QB), Adrian Peterson (17) & Mike Thomas (15)
Previous rank: No. 15
He's one of the 10 best QBs of the Super Bowl era, but Brees' home-road splits over the last several seasons (10,945 yards, 86 TDs, 24 INTs and a 109.7 passer rating at home vs. 9,247 yards, 55 TDs, 31 INTs and a 92.2 rating on the road since 2013) are an abomination. Peterson may or may not resemble the player he was in his prime, but New Orleans has depth at running back, either way. Thomas is the clear-cut No. 1 option for a QB who spreads the ball around as well as anyone in the league.
9) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston (No. 12 QB), Doug Martin (22) & Mike Evans (5)
Previous rank: No. 7
Ask any Bucs teammate about Winston, and they'll gush about leadership, focus on football and a desire to win. More tangibly, his numbers all went up from Year 1 to Year 2 -- including his interception total. Reducing those picks is obviously essential, but the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner is tracking in the right direction, thanks largely to superstar receiver Evans (no stranger to making Heisman winners look good). Which Martin shows up this season is tough to determine, but the head coach questioning how long he'll have his starting job isn't exactly a good sign.
10) Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill (No. 18 QB), Jay Ajayi (5) & Jarvis Landry (13)
Previous rank: No. 25
It's no coincidence Tannehill turned the corner in Adam Gase's first season as head coach. Behind an O-line that could be among the league's best, watch out for the QB and 2016 breakout star Ajayi to prove last season was no mirage. Steady standout Landry could only be helped by more consistent contributions from other pass catchers. By the way, did you know Tannehill played WR in college?
11) Los Angeles Chargers: Philip Rivers (No. 9 QB), Melvin Gordon (10) & Keenan Allen (23)
Previous rank: No. 12
Rivers' already-strong HOF resume would be significantly upgraded by a Super Bowl appearance, which isn't unrealistic, provided the O-line keeps him clean and Allen stays healthy. Gordon's a high-end talent who likes punishing guys for trying to tackle him.
12) Arizona Cardinals: Carson Palmer (No. 17 QB), David Johnson (2) & Larry Fitzgerald (19)
Previous rank: No. 4
Johnson is a phenom who, by any measure, is a top-three running back in the league. Fitzgerald is one of the five best wide receivers of the Super Bowl era. And then there's Palmer, who had a near-MVP season in 2015 ... capped by an atrocious NFC title game that seemed to leave him (and the team) with a year-long hangover. Time to get over it, Carson -- or it'll be time for Arians to move on.
