Sports New With The NFL

As we get to the part of the NFL season where playoff berths and coaching deaths are foretold, the news of the day is, well, newsy.

So here we go:

• The Cincinnati Bengals, who started hot and now definitely are not, placed quarterback Andy Dalton on injured reserve on Monday with an injury to the thumb on his throwing hand. The Bengals, 5-6, have lost three in a row. Jeff Driskel is line as the starter, with Tom Savage (sounds like a cartoon character) as the backup. It is doubtful coach Marvin Lewis will have that title at season’s end.

• The Jacksonville Jaguars benched starting Blake Bortles, whom they signed last year to a two-year contract extension worth trillions (or close to it). And they fired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. The Jags have seriously underperformed this season, though injuries are a part of it. The Jaguars are 3-8, have lost seven in a row and a number of poor offseason decisions about personnel hover over them. They were a feel-good story last year and a disaster now. They will start Cody Kessler rather than Bortles, who was a first-round pick.

• The New York Giants will be sticking with Eli Manning, but may give a couple of younger guys a look. Behind that offensive line? Somebody’s going to get hurt. At least Manning knows when to throw the ball away … or to a defender. Manning has been sacked 38 times in 10 games – which is a career high. He has 14 TD passes and 7 interceptions. And while he is part of the problem, he is not the entire problem.

• ABC will broadcast the entire three-day NFL draft next year. That eliminates Fox from this embarrassment of riches. According to the NFL’s news release: ABC will be the exclusive broadcast home of the event and will produce its own distinct telecast for the ABC audience, separate from ESPN and NFL Network, during the first two nights of coverage. For the second straight year, ABC will simulcast ESPN’s presentation on Day 3. The draft begins April 25 and will be covered by ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and ESPN Deporte. ESPN2 also gets into the act.

Overkill? Hey, no one says you have to watch.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman