Wednesday NFL Buzz: Bills RB McCoy leaves practice with 'tight hamstring'
Check back throughout Wednesday for all the latest quick-hit news:
McCoy leaves Bills practice
ORCHARD PARK – If there’s one guy the Buffalo Bills can ill afford to lose based on the way he has played this season, it’s running back LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately for the Bills, this may be their dilemma Sunday afternoon when they take on the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.
McCoy may not be available to play after leaving practice Wednesday with what coach Rex Ryan called a “tight hamstring.”
“We’ll see what happens with our medical evaluation,” said Ryan. “I’m not going to look into it, but we’ll see how he comes back. We feel good about the guys we do have, but that’s assuming he won’t play, so we’ll see how it goes.”
- Sal Maiorana, Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y.
No violations in Cam concussion case
The NFL and NFL Players Association issued a joint statement Wednesday saying that they had found no violation of the concussion protocol in the evaluation of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in the season opener.
Newton remained in the game against the Denver Broncos after a helmet-to-helmet hit in the fourth quarter.
"The Panthers medical staff and the Unaffiliated Neuro-trauma Consultant (UNC) were positioned together on the sidelines monitoring the game and were unable to see the point of contact and decided to review the play via the sideline video replay system," the statement read. "In order to facilitate the video review, the team physician and UNC initiated radio contact with the Booth ATC and asked to view the video. Under the current application of the Protocol, once contact between the Booth ATC and the club’s medical team occurs, the Booth ATC’s responsibilities end (including the ability to call a medical time out). The time it took to actually receive the video following this request was prolonged due to a technology glitch."
"After reviewing the replay and observing Mr. Newton from the sideline, the Panthers’ medical staff and the UNC agreed that no further evaluation of Mr. Newton was necessary as they did not observe signs or symptoms of concussion."
Dolphins S Jones out for year
DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones will miss the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury suffered in Sunday's win over thePittsburgh Steelers.
Jones, who was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2015, was ruled out for the year Wednesday after receiving a second opinion on the injury. It's a big blow for a defense ranked 26th in the league.
"Nobody can replace the talent," teammate Michael Thomas said.
Thomas will likely move into Jones' spot in the starting lineup, with Walt Aikens also assuming a more prominent role.
"We'll go through this week of practice and kind of figure out what our best personnel package will be back there," coach Adam Gase said. "We have a lot of moving pieces as far as what we like do with defensive packages."
- Associated Press
Lacy could miss substantial time
GREEN BAY – It will be a few weeks – and perhaps longer – until Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy returns from his ankle injury, a league source told Paste BN NETWORK-Wisconsin and PackersNews.
Lacy left Sunday’s 30-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys early in the fourth quarter after aggravating a left ankle injury. He was listed as questionable entering the game after initially injuring his ankle against the New York Giants last week.
If Lacy’s injury is expected to last longer than a few weeks, he could be placed on injured reserve. Lacy would be able to return after eight weeks. His move to IR would open a roster spot for running back Don Jackson to be promoted from the practice squad, though it’s uncertain when a determination will be made.
Perhaps the most difficult factor in weighing whether to place Lacy on injured reserve would be the fate of cornerback Sam Shields. After missing four games with the fifth documented concussion of his career, Shields was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. If Lacy and Shields both were on IR, only one could return this season.
The extent of Lacy’s injury was first reported Tuesday night by NFL Network, which stated Lacy will miss “several” weeks. Lacy will seek a second opinion from Dr. Bob Anderson in North Carolina, according to an ESPN report.
After a lost third season, Lacy had returned to form in the final year of his rookie contract. Though he hasn’t scored a touchdown, Lacy rushed for 360 yards on 71 carries and a career-best 5.1 yards per rush through the first five games. Extended over a 16-game season, Lacy’s numbers put him on a pace for 1,152 yards, mirroring the production from his first two seasons.
It’s the type of season Lacy wanted before becoming a free agent next spring. Now, injury could put a dent into it.
- Ryan Wood, USA Sports Network-Wisconsin
Edelman has fine reduced
New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman had his fine for a hit on Arizona Cardinals linebacker Deone Bucannon in the season opener nearly halved on appeal.
Edelman had $9,000 taken off his original $23,409 fine, ESPN reported on Wednesday. The network also reported that Edelman was fined $9,115 for a facemask in Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Edelman leapt toward Bucannon on a block in the first quarter of the Pats’ 23-21 victory in Week 1. Edelman wasn’t flagged on the blindside hit.
- A.J. Perez