NFL News

The latest on Big Blue before the Giants take on the Eagles tonight..

• Jason Pierre-Paul will report back to the Giants on Tuesday and allow his hand to be re-examined by team doctors, sources tell Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. However, there are some in the organization who doubt JPP’s hand has healed enough for him to be cleared to return to the field, another team source tells the Daily News. When the Giants looked at JPP’s hand on September 7th, the damage was much worse than expected, so some team officials aren’t all that optimistic about the upcoming evaluation.
• Giants left tackle Will Beatty, who has yet to play this season due to a torn pectoral muscle, could practice early this week, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Beatty’s injury was a huge blow for the Giants, who used their first-round pick in this year’s draft on a tackle in an effort to solidify their offensive line. Beatty was one of the league’s more effective left tackles in 2014, grading as a positive contributor as both a run- and pass-blocker, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF ranked him 14th overall out of 84 qualified players at the position.
• Giants tight end Daniel Fells has now been given an optimistic prognosis, as Rapoport writes. After nearly three weeks in the hospital battling an aggressive MRSA infection, sources say his scans and cultures have come back “looking good” and there is a real chance he’s released from the hospital this week. Furthermore, doctors now believe that they’ll be able to save Fells’ foot. Still, he’s unlikely to ever return to football given the damage his foot has sustained.

The NFL is investigating a recent incident involving Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel and his girlfriend, coach Mike Pettine told reporters, including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal. An in-car fight last week Manziel and girlfriend Colleen Crowley led to questioning from Avon police and now the league is also asking questions about the involvement of the troubled former first-round pick.

Pettine hasn’t ruled out punishing Manziel in connection with the incident, but he explained that he wants to let the process play out with the league.

“The league gets involved when there are cases like this,” Pettine said during a news conference. “I don’t know what their timetable is. I don’t know the specifics, but as with anything that comes up, there’s a reporting process you go through. I’m not privy to what their details are as far as timetable.”

Crowley took to Instagram on Friday (via Ulrich on Twitter) and downplayed the incident. Manziel later echoed Crowley’s sentiment in a series of tweets (1; 2; 3).

“Colleen and I got into a dumb public argument on the way home Monday afternoon. It probably looked more interesting than it was and I know I would stop and check if I saw a couple arguing on the side of the road,” Manziel wrote. “It was embarrassing but not serious and when we talked to the police and they realized everything was alright and I was sober, we went home together and everything is fine.”

According to the police report, Crowley was intoxicated when they arrived and made inconsistent statements, “ranging from whether Mr. Manziel was physically abusive towards her or not.” The former Texas A&M star was also said to be drinking that day and that’s a potential red flag considering his recent stint in rehab.

The Seahawks will lift their suspension on fullback Derrick Coleman, coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Coleman was indefinitely suspended last week after he was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of a hit and run. However, Carroll explained that the organization will welcome him back now that they have had an opportunity to review evidence from the incident. It’s not known at this time exactly when the suspension will be lifted or if the fullback will be able to play against the 49ers on Thursday.

Coleman, who turned 25 on Sunday, has played in 22 games since joining the Seahawks in 2013. The fullback missed the majority of 2014 with a broken foot he suffered during pregame warmups for an October tilt against the Rams. So far in 2015, he has only two carries and one reception to his credit. Last year, Coleman recorded ten receptions for 91 yards in his partial season.

According to a jail-booking report cited by The Seattle Times, Coleman got out of his car and walked away from the crash. The other driver was hurt in the crash with a possibly broken collarbone, according to a law-enforcement source. Coleman was found nearby and arrested without incident.

Coleman was a notable player at UCLA, having rushed for 1,780 yards and earning second team All-Pac-12 honors as a senior for his special teams play. After initially breaking into the league as a UDFA with the Vikings, he landed with the Seahawks prior to the 2013 season.

The 49ers have been granted a one-game roster exemption for wide receiver Jerome Simpson, who is coming off of suspension, as Cam Inman of the Mercury News tweets. Simpson, who was suspended for three games to start the 2014 season, served his latest penalty as a result of a July incident in Bloomington, Minnesota.

While Simpson has had his share of off-field issues, he had productive seasons on the field in 2011 and 2013. The numbers the 29-year-old posted for the Bengals in ’11 (50 receptions, 725 yards, four touchdowns) were nearly identical to the ones he put up for Minnesota in ’13 (48 receptions, 726 yards, one TD).

Along with Torrey Smith, Simpson was one of the free agents brought in this season by Baalke and company to replace a slew of departing players, including receivers Michael Crabtree, Stevie Johnson, and Brandon Lloyd. Some were surprised that San Francisco signed Simpson soon after their release of Ray McDonald, but the club is presumably confident that the wide receiver will stay on the straight and narrow.