Week 15 of the NFL brought a sobering shock for many of the young QBs who had been flying high before landing hard – some of them face-first – on week 15. The New York Jets, The Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens all needed wins to a varying degree to take another all-important step towards the playoffs. They all missed their chance and while QB woes were not the sole factor to blame for their shortfalls, it was definitely a central factor in the equation. Mark Sanchez was quite probably the one who disappointed the most. The Jets do not have a proper run game to protect him and thus his shortcomings are more obvious than they could be under different circumstances. He makes truly abysmal decisions from time to time and he even fumbles the ball every now and then, usually in do or die situations, kind of like he did against the Eagles in the second quarter when his side was down 21-0.

TJ Yates of the Houston Texans also flashed signs of weakness in his team’s loss against the Carolina Panthers. His stat line looked positively awful after the game and if that’s all he can produce against a Panthers-caliber team, he’s unlikely to make any significant damage in the playoffs. Tim Tebow lost control of the game too against the New England Patriots, and those waiting for the last minute explosion had to settle for a disappointing fizzle. The Broncos deficits grew too big in the game and completing only about half of his passes, Tebow failed to provide the spark. With a QB like Brady staring him down on the other end, Tebow simply couldn’t afford to turn the ball over, which is exactly what he did.

Joe Flacco who usually enjoys the benefits of one of the best defenses in the league couldn’t get things going either on Sunday. Given the poker rakeback – like edge Roethlisberger and Brady possess over the above said QBs, and the fact that this edge seems to be expanding every week, chances are we will once again have to settle for some familiar faces come crunch-time.

The NFL is being sued by 25 former players who said the league is responsible for permanent and severe brain damage suffered by players who receive concussions while on the job. The latest complaints were filed in Miami and Atlanta the week before Christmas and are the latest in a string of lawsuits launched by former players against the league.

The Miami suit was filed on Dec. 22 on behalf of 21 players including Oronde Gadsden and Patrick Surtain, former teammates with the Miami Dolphins. The suit alleges that the NFL deliberately concealed or omitted evidence over the years that link concussions to long-term neurological disorders. The former NFL’ers are seeking a trial by jury along with unspecified damages. The NFL denied the latest accusations and said player safety has always been the league’s priority.

The players replied that the league didn’t let them know how serious their head injuries were and tried to get injured players back on the field as quickly as possible even though they knew there could be long-term effects. The lawsuit said the league created a committee if doctors and medical researchers to study the issue back in 1994.

The former players said instead of using an independent committee the league used medical professionals who were associated with the NFL and they didn’t consult with a neurological specialist. In 2003 the committee published the results of its research and said there wasn’t any long-term risk to players after receiving concussions. Some of the committee members were replaced in 2010 and the new members said the findings of the research lacked in science.

The suit in Atlanta, which was filed just a day before the one in Miami, was filed by Dorsey Levens, Jamal Lewis, Ryan Stewart, and Fulton Kuykendall. The players said the NFL knew that players were at risk due to head injuries, but did nothing to protect them and didn’t inform them of the risks involved. The former players also claimed the NFL put together a hand-picked health committee to study the effects of concussions and head trauma.

The players’ lawyer said the NFL has known for years that head injuries could result in brain damage, but have only acknowledged this medical evidence recently. The four ex-players who filed the Atlanta suit said they have all suffered from things such as dementia, sleeplessness, and headaches since retiring from the league. However, the lawyer also admitted most players took part in the sport during their days in high school and college so it’s hard to single out the NFL.

It’s unclear if the claims are subject to any type of statute of limitations, especially for somebody like the 53-year-old Kuykendall who played in the NFL in the 1970s. The league responded to the allegations by saying there’s no merit at all to them and the NFL has never misled its players regarding the management and proper treatment of head injuries and concussions.

All serious knee injuries can get professional athletes down psychologically, but suffering one in a meaningless game near the end of the season usually makes matters worse. That’s the case for NFL running back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings who’ll be out of action for the rest of this season and at least six more months after it concludes due to a torn MCL and ACL his left knee.

Peterson suffered the damage in his team’s 33-26 victory against the Washington Redskins on Dec. 24 and will have the ligaments surgically repaired early in the New Year. Vikings’ trainer Eric Sugarman said it takes most people eight or nine months to recover from similar injuries and Peterson should be ready for the start of 2012 NFL season.

Peterson signed a $100 million, seven-year contract extension prior to the season and isn’t in danger of missing any playoff games this season since the Vikings were sporting a record of 3-12 when he was injured with just one game remaining in the regular season.

Peterson said he was in a lot of pain after getting hit in the game against Washington and knew he had done some serious damage to his knee as soon as he was tackled by DeJon Gomes early in the second half. Along with tearing the anterior and medial collateral ligaments, he also suffered some other damage to his knee. However, the Vikings feel Peterson’s work ethic and history of fast recoveries will enable him to play next fall.

But regardless of when he returns, many Minnesota fans are wondering how the injuries and five seasons of wear and tear will affect his play next season. They’re worried that Peterson’s speed may be the first thing to decline, but his breakaway speed has actually decreased slightly over the past few years and he’s still proved to be a productive running back. Another concern will be his strength and the psychological issues that may be related to the injury.

A lot of pro athletes aren’t as effective when they return to action from serious knee injuries because they favour the knee and are overly cautious. Their previous injuries are often in the back of their minds and can subconsciously cause them to play in a more conservative manner. This would be a major setback for the 26-year-old since he’s just entering the prime of his career.

However on the bright side, some players come back stronger than ever after similar injuries, just look at Carson Palmer, Edgerrin James, and Wes Welker for example. The ligaments can usually be repaired, but the key is how much cartilage damage did Peterson suffer when Gomes’ helmet struck his knee and caused it to buckle. If the cartilage damage is minimal then there’s a good chance Peterson should be able to pick up his career right where he left off.

When Dan Marino set the NFL passing record back in 1984 at 5,084 yards little did he know it would last for 27 years. Quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints managed to break Marino’s mark on Dec. 26 in a 45-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons when he threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to teammate Darren Sproles.

After the game, Brees admitted that he knew he was getting close to the record, but he wasn’t consciously thinking of breaking it during the game. He said a couple of players mentioned it to him on the sidelines, but he didn’t really want to hear about it in case it jinxed him. However, when Sproles scored, Brees pumped his fist in the air to celebrate the new mark while the crowd in the Superdome went nuts and his teammates chased after and then mobbed him.

Carl Nicks reached Brees first, but his attempt to hoist Brees up onto his shoulder failed. Nicks said he wished he could have gotten Brees up there and he would have paraded him all around the stadium because that’s what he deserved. He added that everybody cares about and loves Brees and you could tell that from the reaction by the fans and players when he broke the record.

Marino was watching the game and tweeted his congratulations to Brees after the play, calling him a special football player. Brees went into the game with 4,780 passing yards and needed 305 more to break the record. He passed for 307 yards against the Falcons and now has 5,087 for the season.

Hitting the 300-yard mark seems to come naturally for him as Brees has reached that number a dozen times this season, which is also an NFL record, and still has a game left to add to it. The win over Atlanta was his sixth straight 200-yard performance, which ties a league record that’s shared by Kurt Warner, Rich Gannon, and Steve Young.

The 32-year-old Brees came close to eclipsing Marino’s record back in 2008, but he finished the season just 15 yards short of it at 5,069. He did join Marino that season though as being the only two quarterbacks to reach 5,000 passing yards in a season. Some people feel it’s easier to gain passing yards these days because the league rules favour receivers. It’s doubtful that Brees’ record will last as long as Marino’s and there’s a good chance he could even set a new mark himself next season.

However, he’s still accomplished something nobody else ever has and it’s likely that he’ll be rewarded with a healthy new contract when his current deal expires shortly. Brees has done a lot for both the city of New Orleans as well as the football franchise, but he said the ultimate goal will be to win the Super Bowl this season.

With the action in full swing, NFL teams are forced to make on the fly modifications to their rosters in order to improve or to avoid losing ground to the opposition. The Washington Redskins were forced into making a move by the suspension of Fred Davis, whose absence has significantly weakened their tight end position. Mike Sellers’ and Chris Cooley’s injuries didn’t exactly help them either. In response to the above said roster woes, they signed TE Richard Quinn. They also moved nose tackle Chris Baker to the injured reserve list. Baker was just signed to the active roster, and he went down immediately with a pulled quadriceps.

The Tennessee Titans have made their adjustments as well: they moved Barrett Ruud onto the injured reserve list and they signed Kevin Malast to fulfill LB duties. Malast comes straight off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. Ruud has been acquired by the Titans in the preseason, but he pretty much failed to deliver thus far: of the last 5 games of the team, he missed 4, with a groin injury. Malast had spent time with the team in the preseason, but he was waived before the action kicked off. He had also taken part in a Chicago Bears training camp in 2010, and he had been on that team’s practice squad as well. Ruud has been signed to a one-year deal during the preseason.

The Buffalo Bills have extended offensive tackle Erik Pears’ contract. Pears – like an online poker prop – has been around for quite a while. This season is his first full one with the Bills though. Thus far, his services have been quite impressive for his team: he’s started 13 games as right tackle and he’s been part of a system that only allowed 17 sacks – a league best. He has signed with the Bills as a free agent and has managed to bring stability to the position which has long been an Achilles’ heel problem for the team.

The Chicago Bears have dropped 26-year-old wide receiver Sam Hurd following his arrest on federal drug charges. If he’s found guilty, Hurd faces up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine. He was arrested and charged on Dec. 14 after allegedly trying to buy cocaine and marijuana from an undercover agent. It’s believed he was looking to buy up to $700,000 worth of illegal substances each week, which is more money than he earns in a year. The Bears didn’t want to wait to find out whether or not he’s guilty and cut him on Dec. 16.

It was rumored that Hurd was supplying drugs to several NFL players, but Brett Greenfield, his defense attorney, said his client wanted to make it perfectly clear that he never sold drugs to other players. Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesman, said the league is monitoring the situation very closely and he’s unaware of a list of NFL players that were supposedly clients of Hurd.

If it turns out that NFL players were indeed buying drugs from Hurd it will be a huge blow to the league and its image. It may also have to rethink the way that it tests players for drug use. At the moment, the charges against Hurd have caused embarrassment to the NFL, but if it’s revealed there were several players involved in buying drugs from him it will be a public relations nightmare.

Magistrate Young Kim has told Hurd that he has to surrender any firearms he has as well as his passport. The criminal complaint was actually filed in Texas and it’s understood that’s where his trial will be held. Hurd waived his preliminary hearing right and the prosecutors will now take the case to a grand jury. He was then released on a $100,000 bond.

Hurd was busted outside of a steakhouse in Chicago after allegedly telling the agent that he was interested in buying between five and 10 kilograms (11 lbs. to 22 lbs.) of cocaine each week as well as 1,000 pounds of marijuana. Hurd told the agent that he would distribute the drugs throughout the greater Chicago area. He also told the agent that he had a partner who handled most of the smaller deals while Hurd looked after the big-money transactions.

The complaint that was filed said the football player was willing to pay $450 for each pound of marijuana and $25,000 for a kilo of cocaine. He was arrested after walking out of the restaurant with a package of cocaine. His Bears teammates and the club’s GM Jerry Angelo said they were stunned when they heard the news of his arrest because there was no sign of any sort of activity involving drugs.

This was Hurd’s first season with Chicago after playing his first five years in the league with Dallas. He’s from San Antonio, Texas, and played college ball at Northern Illinois. Angelo said the club did a thorough background check on the player before offering him a three-year contract. The deal is believed to be for a maximum of $5.15 million and he received a signing bonus of $1.35 million, making his basic salary this season to be $685,000.

Homeland Security investigators spoke to Hurd a day before he signed the deal with the Bears because a car that belonged to him had been seized in Dallas and it contained a canvas bag with more than $88,000 in it. After testing the bag, it was found to contain properties of cannabis in it. Hurd told investigators that the cash was his and he had lent the car to an acquaintance to get it serviced. It’s possible that another NFL team takes a chance on Hurd while he’s awaiting trial, but it’s unlikely.

Todd Haley joined former Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano on the unemployment line on Dec. 12 when the Kansas City Chiefs dismissed him the same day the Dolphins let Sparano go. The move came less than a year after Haley led the Chiefs to the AFC West championship. The club then announced that Romeo Crennel, its defensive coordinator, will be in charge of the team until the end of the current NFL season. The Chiefs record was 5-8 at the time of the move.

Clark Hunt, CEO and chairman of the Chiefs, said it was a tough decision to make, but felt it needed to be done for the sake of the team and its future. He said the team hasn’t progresses like he had hoped they would this season even though there have definitely been some bright spots along the way. He added that the club appreciates everything Haley did for it and wished him well for the future.

The 44-year-old Haley was quite successful last season as he led Kansas to the division title with a 10-6 record. The Chiefs suffered numerous injuries this season and didn’t have the depth to overcome them. Tight end Tony Moeaki, running back Jamaal Charles, and safety Eric Berry, all starters, were lost to the team in September due to serious knee injuries. In addition, quarterback Matt Cassel suffered a broken right hand on Nov. 13.

It’s believed that Jason La Canfora, who works for the NFL Network, might be a possible replacement for Haley, along with Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and former Denver Broncos coach. Haley’s job was in jeopardy at the beginning of the season after the Chiefs lost their first three games. However, things started to look up when they managed to win the next four games and climbed up the standings.

Things started to go south again though when Miami won their first game of the season at the Chiefs’ expense. That home loss was followed up by three more defeats and they ended up losing five of their last six contests. It was reported that Haley wasn’t getting along with Scott Pioli, the team’s general manager, at this time either.

After Haley was fired Pioli said he helped the club in many ways during the last three years and thanked him for his valuable contributions and his 19-27 record. He added that the team isn’t as consistent as it needs to be though and it was important that a change be made to help the club improve and build a solid future foundation. He added that he and Haley had a fine working relationship.

The Kansas City Star reported that Haley was seriously thinking about resigning from his job a week before he was fired. He said it’s been a challenging season, but he felt the team was still competitive even though it lost several players to free agency and injuries. He wished the players and coaches good luck for the remainder of the season and thanked everybody who had supported him in Kansas.

After leading his squad to a less than stellar 4-9 record, Tony Sparano was released from his coaching duties by the NFL’s Miami Dolphins on Dec. 12. The move wasn’t a complete surprise to most fans as rumors about his job being on the line had been circulating for several weeks. The club also announced that its assistant head coach and secondary coach Todd Bowles has temporarily been named the interim coach.

Stephen Ross, the Dolphins’ owner, called a news conference to break the news to the press and thanked his ex-coach on several occasions for all of the work he did for the team and for helping build a great foundation for the next head coach to build upon. He said he’s looking to hire a coach who will be able to convert the team into a contender each season.

He added that it was the right time to make a coaching change as the team seemed to be stuck in neutral under Sparano. He added that the club will have a lot of time to interview candidates and hire a new coach that can lead the team to the glory that it enjoyed in the past. He said he’s in no hurry to hire somebody and will keep looking for as long as it takes to find the perfect match. He said he’d like to find a young Don Shula-type coach and it’s important the new man will be able to work well with Ireland.

Ross said he felt that all of the speculation and rumors about Sparano’s job with the team was becoming an unnecessary distraction. The writing seemed to be on the wall for Sparano after the Dolphins stumbled out of the gate and were 0-7 before they knew what hit them. However, things improved dramatically after that with Miami winning four out of their next five contests.

But it seemed that Ross had made up his mind to replace the coach and the turnaround in fortunes couldn’t save him. Sparano found out that he had lost his job shortly after GM Jeff Ireland and Ross made their final decision and after he held is regular Monday press conference.

Ross said Sparano wasn’t too happy with the move and that was understandable since he gave everything he had to the Dolphins since being hired. He added that the coach put his heart and soul into his job, but understood why the move was made and may have even been relieved by it because of the pressure he’s been under lately.

Sparano leaves the Dolphins with a 29-32 record. He led the team to an 11-5 record in his first year as a head coach as well as the AFC East title in 2008. It was also the franchise’s only postseason appearance since 2001.

The NFL’s power rankings have changed little at the very top. The Green Bay Packers won’t budge, and having won 12 games and lost none, they are thus far the only flawless team in the league. They got 288 points to clinch the top spot again. The Pack is followed by the New Orleans Saints who are 9-3 and who have garnered 268 points. The Baltimore Ravens are 9-3 too and third place belongs to them with 266 points.

4^th place is where things have gotten a tad more interesting. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers are locked in a tie even as the 49ers sport a 10-2 record. The Steelers are 9-3 and they have 259 points to the 49ers’ 262. Other than this small tangle-up, the top 7 of the list has remained unchanged: the New England Patriots have retained their 6^th place with 9-3 record and 250 points. The Houston Texans also sport a 9-3 record but they only tallied 234 points. The Denver Broncos have jumped from 15^th to 8^th this week, with a 7-5 record, and with critics proclaiming that the “future is now” for this bunch.

The biggest losers were Chicago and Philadalphia. The Bears lost no fewer than 7 spots, dropping from 10^th place to 17^th. Obviously, the team’s ever longer injury list was to blame for this freefall. The Eagles went from the lowly 18^th to the even less impressive 25^th place. Their 4-8 record pretty much speaks for itself. The very bottom of the power rankings saw a little bit of bickering among NFL experts as to which team deserved to be given the honor. The Indianapolis Colts, with their 0-12 record seem to be THE lock for last place, and they obviously deserve no props whatsoever, although the 2-10 St Louis Rams have definitely done their best to beat them to the spot.

Veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb and the Minnesota Vikings parted ways on Dec. 1 after McNabb asked the club to release him. The 35-year-old now has the chance to sign on with any club for the remainder of the season. Vikings’ head coach Leslie Frazier said releasing the 13-year NFL veteran was the best move for both parties.

McNabb was traded to the Vikings by the Washington Redskins during the summer for a sixth-round draft pick. McNabb started six games and went 1-5 with just four touchdown passes and two interceptions. Rookie Christian Ponder then took over the position and has gone 1-4 since, with the Vikings record at 2-9 overall. Frazier had worked with McNabb before. He was the Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach in 1999 when McNabb played with the team as a rookie. Frazier wished McNabb luck and said he hopes he can continue to be a great player for the NFL.

McNabb was replaced by Ponder during a game in Chicago back on Oct. 16^th and has remained there since. He said he’s well rested because of the situation and is looking forward to resuming his career with another club. However, he doesn’t know where he’ll end up or if anybody will take him. He will be placed on waivers before he can sign with another club and it’s possible that the Houston Americans and Chicago Bears are looking for some insurance at quarterback with the Bears’ Jay Cutler out with a broken thumb.

Frazier said McNabb has been a complete professional since the benching and has been a great teacher for Joe Webb and Ponder. He added that McNabb’s shown a lot of class and that’s the way he’s been throughout his career. The Vikings will have the chance to see what Webb and Ponder have learned, but didn’t say if they were going to add another quarterback to their roster.

It’s still possible that McNabb calls it quits if he doesn’t get picked up or signs with anybody. His salary for the season is slightly more than $5 million and if he gets picked up his new team will be on the line for about $1.5 million of that total. McNabb has been selected to the Pro Bowl six times and his interception percentage is the third best in league history.

He spent his first 11 years in the league with the Eagles and started a Super Bowl game with them in 2005, but lost 24-21 to New England. He’s also played in five NFC Championship Games in his career. He was then traded to the Redskins, but also struggled there last season and spent some time on the bench.

McNabb’s time with Minnesota was plagued by his inability to avoid turnovers. He also showed a reluctance to throw deep and the team’s offense simply didn’t click while he was playing. However, they haven’t really improved since Ponder took over the reins.