Cleveland's Winslow will have knee surgery

Cleveland's Winslow will have knee surgery
Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow will undergo surgery on his knee this off-season, he told WKNR AM/850 from Phoenix on Friday.

A first alternate to the Pro Bowl, Winslow postponed the surgery in hopes of going to the NFL's all-star game in Honolulu next week. When Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (dislocated toe) failed to opt out of the game by Wednesday's deadline, Winslow's hopes for making it this season were dashed.

"I'm definitely going to have a surgery done on my knee," Winslow said in an interview with Mark "Munch" Bishop. "My shoulder might be strong enough . . . I'm just really worried about my knee. Your legs are your life. I need my knee."

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Coasting could be costly in the NFL
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday the league is looking into ways to create incentives for teams to play hard through the end of the regular season, even if they have already secured a playoff berth according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

"The incentive should be for every team to win as many games as possible," Goodell said in his annual state-of-the-league address. "We owe that to our fans."

The league is looking at seeding teams differently after they qualify for the playoffs, something that would increase the number of meaningful games. Goodell said there were nine games in the last two weeks of the season in which at least one of the team's postseason seeding would not be impacted.

Patriots apply for trademarks on 19-0
According to the New York Post the New England Patriots are suffering from premature exhilaration.

The arrogant New England team has already applied for trademarks on "19-0" and "19-0 The Perfect Season." Three days before they beat the San Diego Chargers, and more than two weeks before Super Bowl XLII, the team egotistically filed paperwork with the US Patent and Trademark Office to cash in on sales of T-shirts, caps, posters and all kinds of Pats paraphernalia.

The Post, ever confident that Eli Manning and company will squash the Pats on Sunday, spent $375 for its own trademark application Thursday — on "18-1."

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Plaxico's bum ankle more of an issue than Brady's
For the third consecutive day, Plaxico Burress did not participate in any real aspects of practice, an ominous sign that is sure to affect the New York Giants far more adversely than Tom Brady's slight high right ankle sprain will bother the New England Patriots on Super Bowl Sunday according to the New York Post.

Burress is the Giants big-play target and was an absolute terror in the NFC Championship game, when he savaged Packers Pro Bowl cornerback Al Harris in frigid Green Bay with 11 catches for 154 yards.

He seemed primed for a huge Super Bowl performance, stating upon arrival that his chronically sprained right ankle was "97 percent" healed.

NFL destroyed six "Spygate'' tapes
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, revealing for the first time the extent of the Patriots' illegal videotaping of opponents, said�Friday the league had seized and destroyed tapes on six games dating to the 2006 season the Boston Globe reported.

In September, Goodell fined coach Bill Belichick $500,000, the team $250,000, and took away one of New England's first-round draft picks after ruling the team illegally filmed defensive signals of New York Jets coaches in the season opener. The league also destroyed scouting notes that could have been related to the videotaping.

Although he levied record fines and penalties against the Patriots, Goodell downplayed the significance of the tapes in his Super Bowl press conference. He said one of the tapes included an opposing coach "waving at the camera, indicating they almost knew they were being taped.

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