Truth & Rumors > NFL

07:14 PM ET 06.19 | When the Indianapolis Colts cut Peyton Manning last summer, it looked like they were in for a long haul in terms of getting back to the glory days of being a playoff contender. But thanks to Andrew Luck and a resilient spirit the team showed they had, the Colts went from having the first pick in the draft the year prior to an AFC playoff team. Among the players who stepped up for the Colts in 2012 was running back Vick Ballard. But despite turning in an amazing season which came out of nowhere, it looks like Ballard will once again be starting his season by taking a backseat to another running back. After the Colts signed free agent Ahmad Bradshaw, Evan Silva is reporting that Ballard is going to be relegated to backup duties once again.

Fansided

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07:12 PM ET 06.19 | When the Cleveland Browns hired Rob Chudzinski and Norv Turner this offseason it was expected that the tight end position would be addressed through a significant transaction. Yet free agency and the draft came and went with no significant additions, unless you consider two backup blocking tight ends. With the loss of Josh Gordon for two games due to a positive drug test, those receiving passes in the new offense are more important than ever. Coach Chud and Coordinator Turner have a long history of using the tight end position to stretch the middle of the field and keep safeties from cheating over on sideline routes. This strategy worked wonders for Chud with Kellen Winslow in his first go 'round with the Browns, and Turner had years of success deploying Antonio Gates for the Chargers. Gates teamed with receivers, specifically Vincent Jackson to deploy Turner's offense and turn Philip Rivers into a star. To start out, the team is expecting Jordan Cameron, a basketball player turned tight end like Gates, to star in the tight end role. Cameron's athletic ability should prove key in his attempt to make Browns fans utter the names of Winslow and Gates comparisons. Yet Cameron has not shown the ability to be a full-time difference maker in his young career. The Browns this offseason made some additions that may allow for some flexibility. The addition of Devone Bess and David Nelson are the key contributions that may provide successful offensive football.

Factory of Sadness

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05:40 PM ET 06.19 | Hakeem Nicks revealed Wednesday that he formally apologized to Giants coach Tom Coughlin for breaking his promise to attend voluntary workouts but isn???t sorry he skipped them, with the star receiver citing injury concerns -- not his contract -- for his high-profile absence. In a lengthy and exclusive sitdown with The Post, Nicks also offered a cloudy outlook on his long-term future with the team beyond the final year of his contract, saying only that he enjoys being a Giant ???right now.??? Nicks, who was making a promotional appearance for Procter & Gamble in Herald Square as part of a new marketing deal with the company, was asked if his goal ultimately is to retire a Giant. ???I really can???t speak for my whole career,??? Nicks said. ???I enjoy being a Giant right now. I???m going to take care of what I can take care of as long as I???m a Giant, but I do understand the business side of football, too.???

New York Post

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05:37 PM ET 06.19 | He was a punter out of St. Lawrence University and maybe there have been more unlikely great Giants than Dave Jennings, but it is hard to think of one today, the day when we get the news that Jennings is dead, much too soon, at the age of 61. Dead after battling Parkinson???s for such a long time, his physical skills and his wonderful mind finally crushed by the disease in the end, Parkinson's finally taking everything from Dave Jennings except his immense dignity. His really was such a wonderful and unlikely football life. Because as skilled a kicker as he was, Dave Jennings was never supposed to get anywhere near the Giants??? Ring of Honor. But there he was on a December night less than two years ago, Giants against the Packers, old and frail before his time, driven out on the field along with Alex (Big Red) Webster, himself failing and failing badly by then. So he came out there on a golf cart with Alex Webster and then had some St. Lawrence buddies to hold him up by his elbows, Giants cap on his head, hearing the cheers from Giants fans once last time. At least Dave Jennings, No. 13 for the Giants and later for the Jets over in Jersey, was still standing for that. He had at least made it to a moment like that and a night like that.

New York Daily News

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05:28 PM ET 06.19 | One day after police first arrived at the home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez to question him about the possible murder of one his associates, news broke of a lawsuit filed by a Connecticut man claiming Hernandez shot him in the face in February. A complaint filed last Thursday in a South Florida district court by attorneys for Alexander S. Bradley alleges Hernandez aimed a gun at the plaintiff and discharged the weapon as the two were in a vehicle traveling from Miami toward Palm Beach, Fla., on or about Feb. 13. Police, however, say they have not been able to locate an incident report. "We continue to receive inquiries regarding an alleged incident involving professional athlete, Aaron Hernandez. After conducting research and based on the information that was received, the Miami-Dade Police Department does not have any documented incident on record," Det. Javier Baez said in a statement. "We will continue to research the incident, and as with any developing situation, the details may change."

USA Today

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