What had once appeared to be a fairly routine buildup to this week’s Thursday night game has suddenly become a battleground. Just as San Francisco wide receiver Anquan Boldin and Arizona head coach Bruce Arians expressed their displeasure with playing Thursday games, a report surfaced that the NFL is considering playing a second game on that night.
League executives have discussed adding another game and airing doubleheaders on some Thursdays and have broached the idea with other media outlets, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The league is not happy with the ratings for games on its in-house NFL Network, the report said. Thursday is also one of the most competitive nights on television and is a magnet for major advertisers, and the NFL is considering ways to tap more into that.
The Journal described talks as being in the “preliminary phase,” and reported that no specific package is being shopped, nor have formal offers been made to networks. It did say, however, that if it were to go to an extra Thursday game, it would consider using a nontraditional media outlet like Netflix or Google.
Two spokespeople for the NFL denied the report on Twitter Wednesday morning. Brian McCarthy tweeted that league officials “have not considered this,’’ and Greg Aiello added that they “haven’t even discussed it.”That likely would come as welcome news to Boldin and Arians.
"If you're so concerned about player safety then why do you have every team in the league playing on Thursday night when they just competed on a Sunday, knowing how difficult it is for guys to get back to being healthy after playing on Sunday?" Boldin said in an online chat with the Bay Area Newspaper Group, which includes the San Jose Mercury News.
Boldin was answering a question about the PBS documentary “League of Denial.” "The league can say they're doing things to protect guys, but I'm not one of the guys buying it," he said.
On Tuesday, Arians told SiriusXM Sports radio Tuesday, “I’m not a fan of Thursday night football.’’ His Cardinals play at home against Seattle Thursday, four days after losing in San Francisco.
“When I saw the schedule, I said, wow,’’ Arians said.
His concern, like Boldin’s, was for the health of the players: “Veteran players, their bodies—this is really, really hard on them. So many times, over the course of the last 10 years of this, I’ve seen guys that could not play on Thursdays nights that could play on Sunday, and that’s really hard on a football team.’’
SUH FINED AGAIN
A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press the NFL has fined Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh $31,500 for a hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden.
The person spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the fine had not been announced.
Earlier in the day, Ndamukong Suh insisted he was unaware the NFL was reviewing his hit on Weeden on Sunday. Suh wasn't penalized for the play, but it was shown on a video posted on NFL.com as vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said he wanted to look at it more for "potential helmet to the body."
Suh was fined $100,000 for an illegal block on Minnesota center John Sullivan in Week 1. He has been fined by the NFL a total of seven times for $209,000.Suh led with his helmet when he hit Weeden after he threw a pass in Sunday's game. The hit that wasn't penalized was shown on a video posted on NFL.com on Tuesday as vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said, "Why don't we look at it some more?" in the league's officiating command center.
Suh was fined $100,000 for an illegal block on Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan during an interception return in Week 1. He lost an appeal last week, upholding the largest fine in NFL history for on-field conduct, not including money lost by players due to suspension.
GIANTS SIGN PEYTON HILLIS
The New York Giants haven't won a game with Eli Manning this season, so they're bringing in Peyton. That's journeyman running back Peyton Hillis, whom according to multiple reports, the team signed on Wednesday.
Hillis will be needed to backup Brandon Jacobs right away in the 0-6 Giants' Week 7 Monday night home game against Minnesota. That's because both David Wilson (neck) and Andre Brown (leg) remain on the shelf, and Da'Rel Scott (hamstrung) is no longer a reserve option. Hillis, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs last season, was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in September after being active for just one game this season.
Like Jacobs, Hillis has had past success with 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns. That happeneed when Hillis rumbled for 1,177 yards and 11 TDs for Cleveland in 2010. He became popular enough as a Brown to grace the cover of EA Sports' Madden NFL 12 video game.
Injuries have taken a toll on Hilis of late, to the point the 27-year-old back is just a backup who at 6-1, 240 pounds, provides some pop in short-yardage and red zone situations. Expect Jacobs to still carry the load.
The Giants are still hopeful they will have their projected combination of Wilson and Brown back healthy in three weeks. But for now, with Jacobs and rookie seven-trounder Michael Cox, Hillis was needed. He got the nod over former Giant D.J. Ware, who also tried out for the team this week.
MAYO PLACED ON IR
The New England Patriots are now officially down two defensive cornerstones, after putting linebacker Jerod Mayo on injured reserve Wednesday morning. Mayo, who reportedly underwent surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle the day before, and nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who tore his Achilles’ tendon three weeks ago in Atlanta, are both out for the season.
Mayo, a two-time Pro Bowler, the Patriots’ leading tackler this season and a defensive captain, was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 30-27 win over New Orleans. Yahoo.com reported the Tuesday surgery; the Patriots had not confirmed the operation even as they put him on IR.
The team already has running back Shane Vereen, recovering from wrist surgery after the season opener, on the injured reserve-designated to return list; if Mayo had any chance of recovering in time for the playoffs, the only other option the team had would have been to keep him on the active roster.
Defensive tackle Andre Neblett, who had been released by the Patriots a week ago, was re-signed, and rookie cornerback Travis Howard was signed from the practice squad.
FREEMAN VIKES' STARTER
The Vikings need all the help they can get this season, and newly acquired QB Josh Freeman will get his chance to turn 1-4 Minnesota's season around sooner than expected.
The Vikings will start Freeman on Monday night against the New York Giants, the team announced Wednesday.
Since taking over for Christian Ponder (broken rib) in Week 5, Matt Cassel is completing nearly 70 percent of his pass attempts, but two interceptions in Sunday's blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers apparently have the Vikings looking to the future with Freeman.
Freeman, 25, signed a one-year contract with the Vikings last week. He was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he was benched, lost his title as captain and was banned from the sideline and team meetings. Freeman completed just 45.7 percent of his passes (43-for-94) and threw three interceptions before losing the starting job.
Cassel led the Vikings to their lone win of the season thus far, over the Pittsburgh Steelers in London on Sept. 29.
VICK: IT HURTS
Michael Vick didn’t just tweak his hamstring. If he had, he’d be back on the field this week. He did more damage than that and now he’s come to terms with that.
“It’s worse than what I thought it was going to be,” Vick told CSNPhilly.com. “It’s just slow. It’s taking longer than I thought it would.”
Nick Foles will start again on Sunday against the Cowboys. Vick says he has a “long road” back before he’s at full-strength.
“I want to get back out there, but I can’t,” he said on Wednesday. “I try to burst and run, I can’t do it. Just hoping it’s not a long time.”
MANUEL OUT 4 TO 6 WEEKS
Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback EJ Manuel is expected to miss another four to six weeks now that he's begun rehabbing his sprained right knee.
Coach Doug Marrone was able to provide a more definitive timetable on Manuel's recovery Wednesday after consulting with team doctors. Manuel began working out on his own Tuesday for the first time since being hurt in a loss to Cleveland on Oct. 3.
Manuel has an opportunity to return before the Bills have their bye week off on Nov. 24.
Thad Lewis, who was promoted off the practice squad last week, is set to make his second consecutive start Sunday, when Buffalo (2-4) plays at Miami (3-2). Lewis practiced fully on Wednesday after hurting his right foot in a 27-24 overtime loss to Cincinnati last weekend.
COWBOYS CUT RATLIFF
The once-happy and later-contentious marriage of Jay Ratliff and the Dallas Cowboys ended Wednesday, when the team released the former Pro Bowl defensive end from the physically-unable-to-perform list. Ratliff, a Cowboy for nine years, failed his physical upon becoming eligible to be activated from the list, the team said.
Ratliff played only six games last season with numerous injuries, including surgery for a sports hernia that ended his season in November. He had fought with the team constantly since then over his rehab — including a ferocious argument with owner Jerry Jones in the locker room after a December game
This season, Ratliff has been out since the start of training camp with groin and hamstring injuries, which reportedly never improved as the date approached on which players on the PUP list could return.
On Tuesday, Jones has told a Dallas radio station that “there’s no question that’s a possibility” that the Cowboys could put Ratliff on injured reserve — but denied that any move this season would signal the end of Ratliff’s Cowboys career.
Ratliff, 32, made four straight Pro Bowls from 2008-11, never missing a game and playing nose tackle. He was first-team All-Pro in 2009 in Wade Phillips’ last full season as head coach, also the last time the Cowboys had a winning season or made the playoffs.
New defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin had hoped to move him back to his original position of defensive end in the 4-3 scheme he instituted this season.
NICKS HAS SURGERY
Buccaneers guard Carl Nicks is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on his toe Tuesday—the same toe that was infected with MRSA and has kept him out of all but two games this season.
The team announced the news of Nicks’ operation Wednesday afternoon.
“He’s doing well. I don’t have a timetable for you,’’ head coach Greg Schiano told reporters.
The MRSA (a resistant form of staph infection), which has also infected kicker Lawrence Tynes and cornerback Johnthan Banks this season, reoccurred in Nicks last week, and he did not play in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He had played the two games before the Buccaneers’ bye week after missing most of training camp and the first two regular-season games.
The surgery was performed by foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C., the Tampa Bay Times reported. Schiano said that Nicks had gone there for a second opinion.
Of the other two Bucs to contract MRSA, Banks was cleared to play last week and is expected to play again Sunday against Atlanta. Tynes has not played all season and is still using a PICC line to combat the infection, according to SportsTalkFlorida.com.
FITZGERALD UPGRADED
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is battling a bad hamstring, but has practiced all week and is expected to play in Thursday night's Week 7 home game against Seattle.
Although it has limited Fitzgerald for a few games, he still managed to produce a 75-yard touchdown catch and run in the Week 6 loss at San Francisco. Fitzgerald steps into a difficult matchup with physical Seahawks shutdown cornerback Richard Sherman.
That matchup is the concern much bigger than Fitzgerald's health regarding his potential production.
FRYAR INDICTED IN N.J.
New Jersey authorities say former NFL player Irving Fryar has been indicted on theft charges.
Acting Attorney General John Hoffman announced Wednesday that Fryar and his mother, Allene McGhee, are charged with conspiring to steal more than $690,000. Prosecutors say the pair engaged in a "sophisticated mortgage fraud scam" by allegedly having McGhee obtain five loans on her home within a six-day period.
The 51-year-old Fryar lives in Springfield, N.J., and is the pastor of a church he founded. He's also the head coach of the Robbinsville High School football team. His 72-year-old mother lives in Willingboro.
It's not clear whether the pair have attorneys. The Associated Press left messages for Fryar at the church and school.
The former wide receiver played for four NFL teams between 1984 and 2000, including the Patriots and Eagles.
Contributors: Rana L. Cash, Vinnie Iyer, David Steele, The Associated Press