2008 -- NFL News

[MoTown]

And apparently Jerry Jones called out Marian Barber. Said he was a pussy for not playing.

I'm not sure that's a good tactic.

[Vinny]

Yeah, I was reading something last week that listed about ten guys who had dislocated toes (presumably the last ten) and NONE of them played the next week and most missed 2-4 weeks.

[WTFchris]

I don't get the bolded part in this. Why have people in China?

NFL laying off about 150

ESPN.com news services

Updated: December 9, 2008, 1:41 PM ET

NEW YORK -- The recession has hit the NFL.
The league said Tuesday it is cutting more than 10 percent of its headquarters staff in response to the downturn in the nation's economy. The cuts were announced in a memo to league staff by commissioner Roger Goodell. The league is eliminating about 150 of its staff of 1,100 in New York, NFL Films in New Jersey and production facilities in Los Angeles. Goodell said these were difficult and painful steps, but necessary in the current economic environment. The NFL has been symbolic of the wealth surrounding professional sports, but it now joins the NBA, Major League Baseball and NASCAR in announcing layoffs. In a related development, the NFL has indefinitely suspended plans to play a preseason game in China as the New England Patriots closed their operations there, according to Sports Business Journal. "There has been some belt-tightening given the economy, and one of the things we suspended was our operation there," Patriots spokesman Stacey James said, according to the report. The Patriots, the only NFL team with an on-site presence in China, had been slated to play a preseason game there as early as 2009. That game will not occur, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, according to the report. That decision became "increasingly apparent earlier this year once we locked into having three years of games in the [United Kingdom]," McCarthy said, according to the report.

[WTFchris]

I just noticed KC has 6 total sacks this year. 1.5 for their sack leader Derrick Johnson.

[MoTown]

LOL @ the Broncos.

At one point they were 8-5 and only needed one win or a Chargers loss to clinch the playoffs. Now they are 8-7 and are playing the pissed off Chargers in a rematch of the game they had stolen from them.

After this entire year of the Chargers blowing the season, they need to win one game to make the playoffs. Hilarious.

[WTFchris]

And it's in San Diego too. Those choking bastards are going to let them take their playoff berth too.

[Timone]

Good, fuck the Broncos.

[Tahoe]

I think I picked the Broncos, so GO BRONCOS!

[WTFchris]

ESPN fucked up this page:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3711069

How can Tampa be currently in when Dallas beat them head to head and they have the same record?

If you look at their tiebreaking scenarios Tampa needs a win AND a Dallas loss.

[Timone]

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who rejected a chance to become head coach of the Browns last weekend, is not going to interview for the head coaching position of the New York Jets, according to multiple sources.

Cowher, according to a source, has been contacted by the Jets. Although he is interested in the Jets job, he told the team he would not be a candidate because he would like to bring in his own personnel director. Jets owner Woody Johnson plans to keep Mike Tannenbaum as his general manager after firing Eric Mangini as head coach Monday.

With Tannenbaum as the general manager, Cowher is willing to pass on the Jets opportunity, stay in broadcasting for another year and wait to return to coaching in 2010.

Cowher has told friends the Jets job interested him for several reasons. First, Cowher would love to coach in the New York market. Second, two of his daughters are either going to school or working in the New York-New Jersey area.

Cowher does plan to coach in 2010. In 2009, though, he was only willing to return if every situation was right for him. He wanted to have a two-year break from coaching to be with family and recharge.

Last weekend, Cowher met with Browns owner Randy Lerner, who asked him what it would take financially for him to be the Browns head coach. Having a close relationship with the Rooney family in Pittsburgh and still wanting more time with the family, Cowher didn't give Lerner a price, and said no.

Cowher recently extended his contract with CBS for another season.

John Clayton covers the NFL for ESPN.com.