LDN - Sports

National Football League roundup

[September 07, 2017] (The Sports Xchange) - Citing player and fan safety concerns, the NFL moved the Miami Dolphins-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game scheduled for Sunday to Nov. 19.

Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., sits in the projected path of Hurricane Irma, the Category 5 storm expected to make landfall in the early morning hours on Sunday.

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Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott "seems very focused" a day after getting the news he is eligible to play in Sunday night's season opener against the New York Giants even though an arbitrator upheld his six-game suspension handed down by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Elliott was on the practice field Wednesday for the only padded practice of the week, but his eligibility to play beyond week one remained in question.

"He seems very focused, locked in on meetings, the walk-through," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told reporters. "We'll have a good practice today. He's done an excellent job in his preparation."

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A joint review by the NFL and NFL Players Association determined New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did not suffer a concussion in 2016.

The league and players' union reviewed Brady's medical records with his permission as well as the records of the Patriots' medical staff and independent concussion spotters. The review announced Wednesday also confirmed Brady did not report any signs or symptoms related to a concussion last season.

Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, said in May that her husband suffered a concussion last season and in other years.

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Six practices, no limits: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco claims he's ready for the Cincinnati Bengals after idling for more than a month to calm a balky back.

"It's not ideal," Flacco said Wednesday. "I feel good now and I'm ready to go."

General manager Ozzie Newsome and head coach John Harbaugh followed medical instruction to give Flacco ample rest to avoid dealing with his back injury into the regular season.

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Quarterback Tyrod Taylor cleared concussion protocol and will start in the regular-season opener for the Buffalo Bills against the New York Jets on Sunday.

Taylor was sidelined Aug. 26, when he sustained a concussion against the Baltimore Ravens.

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An impressive preseason from number two overall draft pick Mitchell Trubisky has led the Chicago Bears to promote him from third on the depth chart.

"He's one play away," offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said Wednesday in confirming Trubisky had become Mike Glennon's top backup at the position.

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Former All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis claims the Baltimore Ravens were close to signing Colin Kaepernick before the free agent quarterback's girlfriend posted a "racist" tweet featuring Lewis and team owner Steve Bisciotti.

"We were going to close the deal to sign him," Lewis said of his former team. "Steve Bisciotti said, 'I want to hear Colin Kaepernick speak to let me know that he wants to play football.' And it never happens because that picture comes up the next day."

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J.J. Watt's online fundraiser to aid flood victims of Hurricane Harvey is now over $27 million and the Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end says Sunday's season opener is "going to be special."

A $5 million donation from the Texas-based H-E-B grocery chain on Wednesday is the largest to the online campaign started by Watt, continuing to surpass his target goals from more than 189,000 donors at YouCaring.com.

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Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett said Las Vegas police threatened to "blow his head off" for "doing nothing more than simply being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time."

In a social media post, Bennett said the incident occurred after the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight in Las Vegas on Aug. 26, when police detained him after what sounded like gunshots in a crowded area.

Upon confirming his identify, Bennett said he was released from a police car with no explanation and "without any legitimate justification for the Officers' abusive conduct."

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Rookie defensive end Myles Garrett was unable to finish Wednesday's practice with the Cleveland Browns due to an ankle injury and his status for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers is uncertain.

The number one overall pick in the 2017 draft dealt with lower leg and foot issues at Texas A&M and tweaked his left foot this summer.

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New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. did not practice Wednesday because of his lingering ankle injury, but he still hopes to play in Sunday night's regular-season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

(Editing by Gene Cherry)

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