Ben Roethlisberger on knee from Vontaze Burfict: I don’t think it was dirty

Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with torn ligaments in his throwing shoulder as a result of a hard hit from Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict last weekend, but Big Ben does not think there was anything dirty about the play.

On Tuesday, Roethlisberger told “The Cook and Poni Show” on 93.7 The Fan that he had no problem with Burfict’s hit or the perceived extra shot the defender threw at him.

“I do not think it was a dirty hit,” Roethlisberger said, as transcribed to CBS Pittsburgh. “I think he was playing the game. I know that there is some video of him supposedly kneeing me, or kicking me, or whatever, but I don’t think there was anything intentional.”

If you haven’t seen the video that Roethlisberger was referring to, you can watch it here. Some feel that Burfict intentionally kneed Big Ben in the shoulder after bringing him down. Burfict was suspended three games for his high hit on Antonio Brown, but the NFL did not cite the Roethlisberger play in its ruling.

During the regular season, Burfict appeared to go low on Roethlisberger (video here) and Ben said he thought that was a dirty play. That makes it a little more surprising that Roethlisberger would defend a notoriously classless player, but he obviously felt there was no intent.

Ben Roethlisberger has torn ligaments in throwing shoulder

Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with a shoulder injury that could be very painful heading into Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

During an interview with “The Cook and Poni Show” on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday, Roethlisberger revealed that he sprained the AC joint and tore some ligaments in his right shoulder during his team’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He said the injury caused him to shorten up his throwing motion.

“It’s definitely sore,” Roethlisberger said, according to CBS Pittsburgh. “I think it’s a little bit better than it was, but we’re still going to just take it day-by-day.”

Roethlisberger, who intends to play Sunday, added that he has not thrown since the game against the Bengals.

“I haven’t tried to throw a football since the game, and maybe that’s not even the right thing to do right away,” he explained. “I’ll see the doctors and trainers tomorrow, we’ll evaluate kind of how I feel. If anything, maybe I can practice and hand off and still get some mental reps that way. So we’ll really just kind of see how it goes tomorrow.”

You can see a video of the play where Big Ben was injured here.

Pittsburgh’s injury situation heading into their showdown with the Broncos is not ideal, to say the least. DeAngelo Williams is expected to miss the game, and it is not looking good for Antonio Brown after he took this brutal hit from Vontaze Burfict.

Roehtlisberger is one of the toughest players in the NFL, so it’s no surprise he is planning to play. The issue, of course, will be his effectiveness. If he is unable to throw the ball downfield, the Steelers will have to rely on short passes and their running game. Should both Williams and Brown miss the game, that will seem like an impossible task.

Bill Belichick black eye: Even the coach is battling an injury

The New England Patriots have dealt with their fair share of significant injuries throughout the season, and it appears the injury bug has now spread to the man in charge.

On Tuesday, Bill Belichick was sporting a black eye when he met with the media. Naturally, he didn’t want to discuss whatever it is that left him with quite the shiner.

Photo: Bill Belichick, with a swollen left eye, meets with reporters this morning. "I think I'll live," he says. pic.twitter.com/g5xIVxoHCe

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 12, 2016

The Patriots have had an injury or injury scare with almost every one of their key players this season, and now the coach? Don’t worry, Belichick is a warrior. He’s not going to let a measly swollen eye keep him out of his hoodie. And with one of his best offensive players set to return this weekend, Belichick probably isn’t even feeling pain at the moment.

Report: ‘Not looking good’ for Antonio Brown to play

The Pittsburgh Steelers could be without two of their top playmakers against the Denver Broncos this weekend, as Antonio Brown seemingly has some hurdles to clear throughout the week if he is going to be able to suit up.

With DeAngelo Williams already expected to miss his second consecutive game with an ankle injury, ESPN’s Bob Holtzman reports that it is “not looking good” for Brown to play Sunday.

Brown took a vicious hit around the head area (video here) from Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict last weekend, and he remained in the NFL’s concussion protocol as of Monday. Even if he wants to play, Brown will need to get clearance from doctors.

Bengals cornerback Pacman Jones has been very vocal in accusing Brown of faking an injury to get a crucial 15-yard penalty that essentially set the Steelers up for a game-winning field goal. If the video of the hit wasn’t evidence enough that Brown was actually hurt, the fact that he is doubtful for Sunday’s game says it all.

Ben Roethlisberger, who briefly left the game against Cincy after suffering a shoulder injury on another potential cheap shot from Burfict, is expected to play.

The NFL has dropped the hammer on Burfict with a three-game suspension that he will serve at the start of next season.

Pete Carroll on Marshawn Lynch: We don’t know yet

Marshawn Lynch was a surprise inactive for the Seattle Seahawks against the Minnesota Vikings last weekend after practicing throughout the week. As a result, Pete Carroll is not willing to commit to Lynch playing in the second round of the playoffs.

Carroll told reporters on Monday that Lynch can be considered day-to-day for Sunday’s meeting with the Carolina Panthers.

“We’re just going to go one day at a time, see what happens, see how it goes,” head coach Pete Carroll said, per Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk. “Get him out there practicing and see what that means. We don’t know yet.”

The Seahawks seemed very optimistic that Lynch would play last Sunday, but the veteran back decided at the last second that he would be unable to go. He has been recovering from a late-November abdominal surgery to treat a hernia.

Carroll said Lynch did not suffer any setbacks in practice last week.

“He just didn’t feel like he could go. He really didn’t have the confidence that he would be able to go,” the coach said. “He needs to feel that he can do (all the special) things and even though he can run fast and look like he’s moving, he didn’t have the confidence that he could go out there, react to guys and do all that yet. There’s nothing we can do about that.”

This must be a frustrating situation for Seattle, which has also lost backup running back Thomas Rawls to an injury. It’s possible that Lynch missed last week in hopes that he will return to 100 percent health for the remainder of the playoffs, but the information we got from one former Seahawk last week makes that seem like far from a guarantee.

Report: Nike considering dropping Johnny Manziel

The Cleveland Browns are not the only organization that is thinking about cutting ties with Johnny Manziel.

TMZ reports that Nike is “on the fence” about Manziel and is considering dropping the quarterback from its client roster.

“We are worried about him and hope things will turn around in the right direction … but we are on the fence if [our relationship] will continue,” a highly-placed Nike source told TMZ.

Manziel has continuously made himself look bad by putting himself in compromising situations and allowing his party-boy antics to be shared all over social media. His behavior recently resulted in LeBron James’ marketing agency distancing itself from Johnny Football, and Nike could be next.

As many of you know, Manziel is rumored to have gone to Las Vegas the night before the Browns played their final game of the season. One report claims he went to a nightclub wearing a disguise in hopes of remaining anonymous. That led to some of the best photoshops and memes we have ever seen.

With Manziel having gone to alcohol rehab over the summer and now drinking again (the Christmas Eve video proved that), we are left to conclude that he has a drinking problem. He may also be trying to force the Browns to cut him. If that’s the case, getting dropped by Nike could be an unintended consequence of the 23-year-old’s actions.

Lane Kiffin got left behind by Alabama buses

Apparently helping to coach Alabama to a national championship doesn’t even ensure you a spot on the team bus. Lane Kiffin learned that the hard way.

Kiffin, the Alabama offensive coordinator, got left behind by the team’s buses after the national championship game in Arizona on Monday night.

Lane Kiffin helped #Alabama win the national title tonite yet just got left behind by the team buses.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 12, 2016

TV cameras even captured Kiffin yelling out, “can you stop that last bus?” as the buses were driving away.

The Alabama team buses aren't here anymore. Lane Kiffin is. pic.twitter.com/CoerIM49VA

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 12, 2016

Kiffin helped coordinate an offense that generated 473 yards in Bama’s 45-40 win. He earned $150,000 in bonuses this season. He helped the Crimson Tide win a national championship. But he can’t get a ride home from the team bus.

At least we know Nick Saban has his back.

Nick Saban smiling after onside kick yields meme

It’s not often that Nick Saban is satisfied during one of his team’s games, but during the championship game on Monday night, he slipped. And, yes, it was recovering the onside kick that did it.

Saban gave one of the world’s greatest smiles after Alabama recovered an onside kick to change the game with Clemson in the fourth quarter.

First there were tweets about how big Saban’s balls were for attempting the onside kick in that situation.

nick saban pic.twitter.com/hh6oZZ9VjP

— Meninist (@MeninistTweet) January 12, 2016

Saban’s Halloween costume pic.twitter.com/QVA5AxEBs1

— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) January 12, 2016

Then there were all the tweets about his devilish grin:

(more…)

Jake Coker, girlfriend share hug and kiss after win (Video)

Jake Coker was finally free to enjoy Alabama’s national championship after they squeaked out a win over Clemson on Monday night, and he did so by celebrating with his family and girlfriend.

After Alabama won the game, Coker went over and shared hugs with his family. He also got a nice hug and kiss from his girlfriend.

Jacob Coker shares nice hug and kiss with his girlfriend pic.twitter.com/j7YmSkv4xI

— Larry Brown (@LBSports) January 12, 2016

Coker gave his girlfriend the game ball, which is a pretty awesome gift to deliver.

Not a bad night for Coker — 16/25 for 335 yards and two touchdowns — and he gets a national championship.

Kenyan Drake touchdown turns tide for Alabama (Video)

Kenyan Drake broke the game open on Monday night with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give Alabama a 38-27 lead over Clemson.

Drake didn’t look like he had much room to run, but he used incredible speed to hit the sideline and somehow turned the corner:

95 yard touchdown kickoff return by Kenyan Drake!! pic.twitter.com/1qIUSMXaQG

— MarcusD (@_MarcusD_) January 12, 2016