In this Aug. 2, 2011, file photo, Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd watches teammates practice during NFL football training camp at Olivet Nazarene...
Buffalo Bills' EJ Manuel, left, is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers' Jarvis Jones during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Don Wright) by Will GravesAP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — The ball was snapped and Jarvis Jones sprinted forward. A moment later, he was in the Buffalo Bills backfield. A split second after that, Buffalo quarterback E.J. Manuel tumbled meekly to the Heinz Field turf in apparent surrender. Jones stood up and walked back to the Pittsburgh Steelers huddle. No big celebration. No histrionics necessary.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is sacked by Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Jerry Hughes (55) and Buffalo Bills free safety Jim Leonhard (35) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) It might just be me and maybe I see the glass as half empty but after the Steelers beat the Bills 23-10 on Sunday, I wasn’t left impressed. Sure, the game really wasn’t in question after the 2nd quarter but this victory was hollow. The Steelers beat a team who was just as bad as they are. The Bills are 3-6, so are the Steelers. If anyone expected the Bills to put on a display like the Patriots did a week prior, they don’t understand football.
Former University of Pittsburgh and NFL Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett stands on the sideline before the start of an NCAA football game between Pittsburgh and Notre Dame on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) by Steve Almasy and Eliott C. McLaughlin (CNN) -- Tony Dorsett recalls a 1984 game against the Philadelphia Eagles when he was streaking up the field and an opposing player slammed into him. One helmet plowed into another. Dorsett's head snapped back, his helmet was knocked askew. "He blew me up," Dorsett told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I don't remember the second half of that game, but I do remember that hit." Dorsett compared the hit to a freight train hitting a Volkswagen.
In this Dec. 16, 2012 file photo, Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin (71) watches from the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) by Paul NewberryAP Sports Columnist To his Miami Dolphins teammates, Jonathan Martin came across as someone who needed "toughening up." But what does that mean, exactly, when you're talking about a 6-foot-4, 320-pound guy who already had proven he was tough enough to play a violent, brutal sport at the highest level?
Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson makes his way off an NFL football practice field at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minn., Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Peterson said he is certain he will play Sunday despite a serious personal matter that caused him to miss practice earlier this week. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Elizabeth Flores) by Dave CampbellAP Pro Football Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Adrian Peterson was 7, he saw his older brother die in a bike accident when he was hit by a drunken driver. For Peterson's teenage years, his father was in prison. He grew up poor in east Texas. Shortly before the Minnesota Vikings drafted him in 2007, a half-brother, was shot and killed. Long before Peterson began running through the NFL record book, he learned to turn tragedy into fuel for an exceptional career. Football has always been his escape, and now he's dealing with more off-the-field strife.
Zena "Chief Z" Williams, unofficial mascot of the Washington Redskins, signs autographs during fan appreciation day at the Redskins' NFL football training camp at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) by Jesse WashingtonAP National Writer The name of a certain pro football team in Washington, D.C., has inspired protests, hearings, editorials, lawsuits, letters from Congress, even a presidential nudge. Yet behind the headlines, it's unclear how many Native Americans think "Redskins" is a racial slur. Perhaps this uncertainty shouldn't matter - because the word has an undeniably racist history, or because the team says it uses the word with respect, or because in a truly decent society, some would argue, what hurts a few should be avoided by all.
