National Football League roundup

[December 29, 2014]  Dec 28 (The Sports Xchange) - After four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Jim Harbaugh is expected to accept a six-year, $48 million offer to become the next head coach at the University of Michigan, sources close to the negotiations with the university confirmed to The Sports Xchange.

The source expects a press conference to announce Harbaugh's hiring early next week, likely on Tuesday.

"That's what everybody on staff believes is going to happen this week," a source told the Bleacher Report's Jason Cole. "Jim has figured out that his style is best-suited for the college game. His shtick works better with young guys who are gone after three or four years."

While Harbaugh might listen to pitches from the Oakland Raiders or other NFL teams, a contingent from the university reportedly is in the Bay Area this weekend to talk to Harbaugh, whose tenure in San Francisco is expected to end with a year left on his contract.

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The off-field drama continued for the Cleveland Browns.
 

Rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel threw a party Friday night that was attended by multiple members of the Browns, leading to several players being punished by the team, according to reports.

Wide receiver Josh Gordon, who was suspended Saturday for a violation of team rules, was one of the players in attendance, according to cleveland.com.

Manziel and Gordon were absent from the Browns' walk-through Saturday morning, and the team had trouble locating them, a source told ESPN. The Browns did not mention Manziel. Players on injured reserve are not required to attend walk-throughs.

The Browns fined Manziel on Saturday for being late for treatment on his injured hamstring, according to reports.

Less than 24 hours later, rookie cornerback Justin Gilbert was inactive for Sunday's game against the Ravens for reportedly being late for a team meeting.

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By losing to the New Orleans Saints 23-20 on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get the number one overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

The Tennessee Titans were still in contention for the top pick before the Buccaneers' loss, but the Titans now have the number two pick.

Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, a quarterback at Oregon, is considered the top draft prospect by a number of draft experts.

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Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who left the game in the second quarter with a calf injury, was back under center on Green Bay's second possession of the third quarter against Detroit Lions.

A sullen Rodgers left the field in the passenger seat of a motorized cart before returning.

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Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri missed his first field-goal attempt of the season, pulling a 46-yard try with the Colts holding a 17-7 lead over the Tennessee Titans.

Vinatieri, who connected on a 23-yard attempt in the first half, made all 28 of his field-goal attempts in the first 15 regular-season games.

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Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill broke Dan Marino's franchise record for completions in a single season with an 11-yard completion to Jarvis Landry in the third quarter against the New York Jets.

Tannehill passed for 259 yards and one touchdown. The third-year veteran from Texas A&M also joined Marino as the only passer in Dolphins history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season.

Marino set the Dolphins franchise record in 1994 when he completed 385 of 615 attempts for 4,453 yards. (Editing by Gene Cherry)

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