NFL news: Around the league in 32 plays

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Happy Red Friday, Addicts!

It’s another week down, and another week of NFL news from all across the league. There was no shortage of stories to cover this week, which is bad news if you’re a kicker, but hopeful news if you’re a Rams fan. Fines and no fines, injuries and the ultimate “rub some dirt on it” moment from Steve Smith, plus a head coach is fired before Week 5 of the season…has that ever happened before?

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So let’s get to it.

Atlanta Falcons: It’s hard to imagine that an undefeated team might have controversy, but that is apparently the case in Atlanta. While Julio Jones has been lighting the league up, veteran wide receiver Roddy White has been growing frustrated with seemingly being ignored. The situation has warranted a meeting between head coach Dan Quinn and White.

Steve Smith isn’t human. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Ravens: Steve Smith laughs at you puny mortals and your “injuries”. The veteran wide receiver is reportedly trying to play with several broken bones in his back…broken bones…in his back. The team has not officially declared him out at this point, though he is listed as “week-to-week”. Whether Smith misses time or not, the fact he’s trying to play right now is amazing. Smith has been the sole bright spot for the Ravens, who suffered another offensive setback with receiver Michael Campanaro going to injured reserve. To help mitigate the situation, the Ravens have traded a conditional draft pick to the Rams for receiver Chris Givens.

Author’s note: For those of you who don’t know, I live in the Carolina area. So for a long time I have followed the Panthers just due to proximity. That caused me to develop a profound respect for Steve Smith. The man is all heart when it comes to football. It rubs some folks the wrong way (like Ken Lucas, heh), but I’ve always appreciated it. If you were to tell me this story without mentioning the player’s name, my first guess would have been Smith.

Buffalo Bills: The Bills made a pair of roster moves to shore up their special teams this week. The team replaced kickoff specialist Jordan Gay and depth receiver Marcus Thigpen with kicker Billy Cundiff and receiver Denarius Moore respectively. Cundiff and Moore are both better known commodities than Gay and Thigpen.

Carolina Panthers: Luke Kuechly is still under concussion protocol, but Josh Norman is trying to speed that along by bribing his doctor with perhaps the most enticing gift anyone can imagine…gummy bears.

The Chiefs need to attack Jay Cutler early and often this Sunday. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears: The Bears have lost starting center Will Montgomery with a fracture fibula. The Bears offensive line is already much maligned, both in terms of injury and a simple lack of talent. The move comes at an inconvenient time as Jay Cutler is coming back to the lineup despite not being 100% himself.

Chiefs’ take

: Plain and simple, the Chiefs need to be the most aggressive defense in NFL history this Sunday. The Bears OL is in shambles and Jay Cutler is prone to throwing interceptions. There is no excuse for sitting back and turtling up this week. And after the game…see what kind of talent they’re willing to unload.

Next: The most Browns thing ever

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