Around Fantasyland: WR injuries (Pro Football Weekly)
(Thu, 24 May 2012 16:22:38 PDT)
There are so many offseason injuries, and with the NFL now 24/7 with offseason activities, it’s important to know who is still in recovery mode and not practicing as opposed to those who are ready to go. In a time with complicated offenses, new coaches and schemes to learn, the receiver position is fluid, and staying on top of injuries is key for draft-day success.

Hakeem Nicks breaks right foot at Giants OTA (The Associated Press)
(Thu, 24 May 2012 13:33:39 PDT)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) New York Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks is expected to be sidelined up to three months after breaking his right foot at a team organized activity early Thursday.

Vegas has spoken, NFL season win totals are live (National Football Post)
(Thu, 24 May 2012 13:06:06 PDT)
Four picks to keep an eye on this summer as we approach the start of the 2012 season.

Hakeem Nicks out 12 weeks with broken foot (National Football Post)
(Thu, 24 May 2012 12:51:05 PDT)
Giants WR could miss start of training camp

Chargers Smith labels Broncos as AFC West favorite (National Football Post)
(Thu, 24 May 2012 06:06:05 PDT)
San Diego GM hopes Denver doesn't 'run away with the division.'

Why is the NFL Making the Players Wear Leg Padding Now? Fan's Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 20:27:00 PDT)
It may have been a bit of a surprise to some NFL fans to find out that the vast majority of NFL players don't wear padding on their legs. No knee pads. No thigh pads. In a sport as violent as football, the use of padding would seem to be a no-brainer. The NFL seems to think so, too, and so they are going to start requiring the players to wear thigh and knee pads in the future.

Seau's suicide prompts worries about post-NFL life (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 09:42:21 PDT)
Junior Seau's suicide is troubling NFL players.

Criner could be another Raiders draft steal (Pro Football Weekly)
(Sun, 20 May 2012 08:18:19 PDT)
Here are some whispers we've been hearing from around the AFC:

The final season of Unitas (Pro Football Weekly)
(Fri, 18 May 2012 08:18:54 PDT)
There are those who would have liked to see No. 19 finish his career in a Baltimore Colts uniform. Johnny Unitas was one. But it wasn’t to be. The 1972 Colts finished with a 5-9 record — the club’s worst mark since Unitas’ rookie season of 1956 — and new owner Robert Irsay was pushing for change. Those in the organization who resisted it didn’t last. According to legend, Colts head coach Don McCafferty refused to bench Unitas during the 1972 season, despite Irsay’s orders, so after the fifth game McCafferty was sent packing; the following week, new coach John Sandusky started Marty Domres.

Turner: Gates is healthy again (Pro Football Weekly)
(Thu, 17 May 2012 18:57:00 PDT)
Chargers TE Antonio Gates is healthy again, according to his head coach, Norv Turner.

11 value picks to remember for August (National Football Post)
(Thu, 17 May 2012 13:07:35 PDT)
An early look at the market has these players undervalued entering the summer.

Chargers will add RB, but it won't be Tomlinson (Pro Football Weekly)
(Thu, 17 May 2012 12:06:04 PDT)
After losing Darren Sproles and Mike Tolbert in free agency the past two years, many were surprised the Chargers waited until the seventh round of last month’s NFL draft to select a running back. The team needs depth behind starter Ryan Mathews, and though rookie Edwin ‘Rock’ Baker is expected to contribute as a third-down back, the team still has a glaring need to fill on the depth chart.

Bicycle stolen from Junior Seau's garage recovered (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 20:27:30 PDT)
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) A bicycle stolen from Junior Seau's Oceanside home days after the former NFL star's suicide has been recovered, police said.

Junior Seau's San Diego restaurant closes after his death
(Wed, 16 May 2012 18:57:01 PDT)
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A San Diego restaurant owned by Junior Seau closed its doors for good on Wednesday, two weeks after the former football star shot himself to death at his beachfront California home, trustees for his estate announced.

Junior Seau's San Diego-area restaurant closes (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 18:18:08 PDT)
SAN DIEGO (AP) A San Diego restaurant opened by Junior Seau in 1996 has closed its doors two weeks after the NFL star's suicide.

Junior Seau's garage burglarized (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 12:50:46 PDT)
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) A thief burglarized the garage of Junior Seau's home days after the former NFL star's suicide, police said Wednesday.

Junior Seau’s home burglarized just days after his death (Shutdown Corner)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 22:19:13 PDT)
There are people in or around the town of Oceanside, Calif., who just got an express trip to the place where the red guy with the horns and pitchfork does his business. There are few things more disgusting than a robbery that affects the family of a man who just died, but that's what happened last week to the family of Junior Seau. Just five days after the great linebacker took his own life, some sorry excuses for humanity broke into Seau's home , went through cabinets in the garage, and stole a bicycle that belonged to a friend of Seau's. Oceanside police Lt. Leonard Mata said that the stolen bike is gray with chrome fenders and a black seat, and there are 143 spokes in each wheel. Whoever broke in didn't enter the house -- just the garage. Nothing else was taken. The estimated value of the bike is approximately $500. [ Related: Junior Seau was gregarious, ebullient, hilarious and immensely popular ] On May 2, at approximately 9:35 a.m., Seau's girlfriend placed a 911 call indicating that she had found the body of the future Hall of Fame linebacker in a spare bedroom of his home. The death was suspected to be, and was later ruled, a suicide. Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowler and six-time First-Team All-Pro, was selected fifth overall in the 1990 NFL draft after an outstanding collegiate career at USC. He played with the San Diego Chargers through the 2002 season, spent 2003-2005 with the Miami Dolphins, and then signed with the New England Patriots in time for the 2006 season. In New England's perfect regular season of 2007, he played in all 16 games and started four. Seau first retired after that season, only to come back and play for the Patriots in 2008 and 2009 before finally leaving the NFL for good. "I'm going to go surf," he told Showtime upon his January 2010 retirement announcement. "Whatever happens, I can honestly say, that that probably was my last game."

NFL roundup: Patriots' Welker signs franchise tender (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 16:10:06 PDT)
New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker signed his $9.5 million franchise tender Tuesday, he announced on his Twitter feed.

Wes Welker signs his franchise tender; announces it on Twitter (Shutdown Corner)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 11:47:38 PDT)
Since he came to the New England Patriots in 2007, Wes Welker has been about as productive as a receiver can be. In five seasons, he's caught 554 passes for 6,105 yards (an 11.0 yards-per-catch average) and 31 touchdowns. He's redefined the role of possession receiver in some of the most productive offenses in league history, and he's far from done. In 2011, Welker caught 122 passes -- the second most in his career, and good enough to lead the NFL in receptions for the third time in the last five seasons. So, it was a bit surprising when the New England Patriots decided to place the franchise tag on Welker instead of signing him to a new long-term contract. "I'm pretty certain I'll be playing there this next year, and I'm looking forward to that," Welker told Shutdown Corner in April . "Like everybody else, I'd like a long-term deal, but at the same time, I'm just focused on going out there and playing the best I can." After biding his time, Welker signed his tender on Tuesday, and announced it on Twitter . Confident that a new deal is around the corner, and unwilling to  create distractions as organized team activities begin soon, Welker is now looking forward to what he perceives to be a willingness on both sides to get that new contract hammered out. "I think we are all on the same page," he told WEEI on Monday . "We're all trying to collectively come together and make something happen. I think everybody just seems to know we're all on the same page and we're trying to work towards something. "I think anybody that plays for any organization that has done a good job over the years wants to be rewarded for it. I think I'm no different from any other guy that's in the league. The main thing is just trying to keep a level head about it and make sure you're making the best decisions for yourself, but at the same time put yourself in a position where you can play for a great team and hopefully do some great things in the future."

Not-ready-for-prime-time gems (Pro Football Weekly)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 08:47:11 PDT)
If you think there’s no time like “prime time” in the NFL, then you’re sadly mistaken.

Chargers complete rookie signings (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 07:20:13 PDT)
Safety Brandon Taylor agreed to a four-year deal, completing the contracts for all of the Chargers' draft picks. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

Cutler: Thumb fine, ready to return (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 14 May 2012 17:05:18 PDT)
CHICAGO (AP) Quarterback Jay Cutler says his right thumb is fine and he can't wait to return to lead a significantly upgraded Bears offense.

Longtime D-line coach Wayne Nunnely retires (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 14 May 2012 14:41:23 PDT)
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) Wayne Nunnely, one of the premiere defensive line coaches in the NFL, is retiring after 17 seasons, the last three with the Denver Broncos.

Tommie Harris working to build schools in the Sudan in memory of his late wife (Shutdown Corner)
(Mon, 14 May 2012 12:43:26 PDT)
Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris lost his wife Ashley unexpectedl y in February. Instead of dwelling on what is gone from his life, Harris told the Chicago Sun-Times that he is working to honor her memory by building a school in the Sudan. Harris wants the school to serve girls who have been abused or enslaved by Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army. He will name it the Ashley Harris Sunshine School, and he hopes to build many more across the continent. He and Ashley took two trips to Africa through Pros for Africa , a not for profit that describes its mission, "connecting professionals of all fields with the children of Africa." She was affected by the people she met in Tanzania and Uganda, and PFA appreciated her work so much that they dedicated this year's medical expedition through northern Uganda and South Sudan to her. PFA has experience in school building , and Harris has enlisted friends from the NFL to donate. Matt Forte, who was Harris' teammate when he was with the Chicago Bears, has already signed on as a donor. Considering the large NFL contingent that reached out to Harris after her death, and his many fans in Chicago and San Diego, Harris shouldn't have a hard time getting enough money to build the school. To help Harris with his mission, visit Pros for Africa . Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports: • Derided coach Vinny Del Negro sounds off after Clippers' Game 7 win • Jeff Passan: Who's most likely to land Josh Hamilton in free-agency? • Usain Bolt reportedly dumps girlfriend to focus on Olympics training