Either Texans quarterback Matt Schaub is healthy and able. Or, he has torn ankle ligaments that will limit him from now until who knows when.
Coach Gary Kubiak announced a clean bill of health for Schaub, while sources told NFL.com that Schaub ankle might not be “right” all season.
In any case, Kubiak is benching a healthy or hampered Schaub in place of Case Keenum in Week 9 against Indianapolis.
Keenum showed great promise in his first-career start, a Week 7, 17-16, loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He completed 60 percent of his throws, passed for 271 yards and a touchdown and had a passer rating of 110.6.
“Matt’s health is fine,” Kubiak said Monday. “It’s a decision based on what I saw take place this week with Case.”
Sounds like those torn ankle ligaments will get some time to rest, if nothing else.
BRYANT'S RANT 'PASSION'
Someday, Dez Bryant is going to get into the face of the wrong guy at the wrong time and who knows what will happen.
He calls it passion. Every other reasonable person sees a guy who has no problem snapping on his teammates, berating his coaches and making an absolute fool of himself in front of a national television audience.
No matter how the Cowboys’ receiver couches his sideline meltdowns on Sunday night against the Lions—for which he is unapologetic—it’s nothing short of a childish temper tantrum.
“My passion is always positive,” Bryant told ESPN.com. “It’s always positive. It’s going to remain the same way. I’m not saying anything wrong. I’m not saying anything bad. It’s all positive.”
Yeah, whatever.
“I’m the nicest person off the field,” Bryant went on to say. “When I’m on the field, even when I look angry, it’s still all good passion. It’s all good passion. I feel like that’s what we need. I’m going to remain the same way. I feel like I love this game. I love it.”
MERIWEATHER LAUNCHES ATTACKS
Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather is back from a one-game suspension served for initiating illegal hits. He’s back, but he’s not happy.
Quite the opposite. One of the targets of his above the shoulder hits was Bears’ receiver Brandon Marshall. Marshall suggested that Meriweather should be thrown out of the game of football.
Meriweather had a response for that, one that was directly related to Marshall’s history of domestic violence.
“He feel like I need to be kicked out of the league? I feel like people who beat their girlfriends should be kicked out, too,” Meriweather said Monday, according to The Washington Times. “You tell me who you’d rather have: Somebody who play aggressive on the field, or somebody who beat up their girlfriend?”
Meriweather went on to defend his tackling technique, one that has resulted in numerous fines. His two-game suspension was reduced to one game.
“To be honest, man, you’ve just got to go low now, man. You’ve got to end people’s careers, you know?”
Um, no we don’t. But continue…
“You’ve got to tear people’s ACLs and mess up people’s knees now. You can’t hit them high no more. You’ve just got to go low.”
You have to believe Meriweather was using odd sarcasm to make his point. But, it didn’t go over well, to say the least.
GRIFFIN’S LEFT KNEE IS SORE
Robert Griffin III’s left knee is “a little bit sore,” but will be OK, coach Mike Shanahan confirmed Monday.
Griffin is expected to practice this week in preparation for hosting the San Diego Chargers.
Griffin was hammered by Broncos’ defensive lineman Terrance Knighton. As he fell backward, Griffin’s left foot planted awkwardly, injuring his knee.
It was a brief scare as Griffin stayed on the ground for several minutes and was attended to by the Redskins’ medical staff. Fortunately for him, it wasn’t the knee he had surgically repaired just 10 months ago.
Griffin tore ligaments in his right knee last season. He also had knee surgery while he was a player at Baylor University.
Griffin was struggling even before the injury in the fourth quarter. He’d completed only 50 percent of his passes and that one hit led to his second interception of the day. The Redskins are 2-5, and Griffin’s passer rating for the season is 79.2.
Shanahan said Griffin could have returned to the game, but with the outcome well out of hand at that point, they opted instead to insert Kirk Cousins.
BROWNS LOSE BENJAMIN
Browns speedy return specialist Travis Benjamin tore a knee ligament Sunday and will miss the remainder of the season.
Benjamin sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the 23-17 loss to unbeaten Kansas City. Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said Benjamin, one of the league's top punt returners, twisted his knee while planting on a return in the third quarter and will need surgery.
"It's a tough loss for us," Chudzinski said, "but we'll have some guys step up."
The second-year wide receiver has been a major playmaker for the Browns. Benjamin returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown on Oct. 3, and his 86-yard kickoff return set up a TD for the Browns on Oct. 20 against Green Bay.
Benjamin set a team record with 179 yards in returns against the Bills.
MITCHELL IN EYE OF STORM
Panthers free safety Mike Mitchell says he's being "targeted" by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after receiving his fifth fine of the season from the league office.
Mitchell was fined $7,875 last week for taunting after he shoved Rams quarterback Sam Bradford out of bounds during a game on Oct. 20. Bradford suffered a season-ending knee injury on the play.
Mitchell wasn't penalized on the play for the hit or for taunting. He says he only got fined because a big-name quarterback was involved.
Mitchell says, "I'm being targeted because I play football physical, but I'm not out here cheap-shoting guys and doing dirty plays like I've seen people from Detroit do."
Mitchell says he's been fined more than 10 times by Goodell since coming into the league in 2009.
VOLLMER HAVING SURGERY
Patriots right tackle Sebastian Vollmer will undergo surgery on his right leg, the Boston Herald reports.
It wasn’t clear whether Vollmer would miss the remainder of the season, but he is certainly going to miss several upcoming weeks. According to Pro Football Talk, Vollmer is slated to make $750,000 if he plays 90 percent of the team’s snaps—a number that is unlikely now.
RIVERS HAS SEVENTH CHILD
If eight is enough, Philip Rivers still has a little more work to do.
The San Diego Chargers’ quarterback and his wife Tiffany welcomed their seventh child, a baby girl, on Monday morning.
The youngest of the bunch, whose name hasn’t yet been made public, joins a brood that includes Peter, Halle, Sarah Catherine, Caroline, Gunner and Grace.
Contributors: Rana L. Cash, Vinnie Iyer, The Associated Press