FANTASY FOOTBALL

The Facts:
Following up on the ongoing story. ... Holmes tweeted this Saturday night: "@Mark_Sanchez @Pouha91 Hope your getting as antsy as me for the 2012-13 season to start. One more day til we start to make that journey."   Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line:
This came one day after Rex Ryan said QB Mark Sanchez and Holmes are planning some sort of extended sit-down, maybe a weekend retreat. As ESPN.com's Rich Cimini notes, these are certainly positive developments for the Jets' fractured locker room. But Cimini wonders: Holmes' tweet wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that his $7.75 million guarantee jumps to $15 million if he's still on the roster after Wednesday, would it? It's a good question. ... Stay tuned.
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The Facts:
Ward, who turns 36 March 8, had surgery to remove bone fragments from his right ankle. He will resume working out Monday at home in suburban Atlanta toward what he hopes will be his 15th season with the Steelers.  Reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Diehards Line:
Ward, the most prolific and decorated Steelers receiver of all time, opened his 14th season as he did the previous 12, as one of two starters. He caught 20 passes in his first five games but finished with 46, the lowest total since his rookie season in 1998. Ward maintained throughout the season that he wanted to play in '12. The unknown is whether the Steelers want him. Stay tuned.
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The Facts:
Beckum tore his right ACL in the first half of Sunday’s Super Bowl game against the Patriots, NBC’s Michele Tafoya reported.  Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line:
Known for his receiving skills, Beckum managed just five receptions during the regular season though he’s caught seven balls so far in the postseason. The Giants are left with starter Jake Ballard and Bear Pascoe at the position for the rest of the game.
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The Facts:
The Patriots have declared QB Ryan Mallett, RB Kevin Faulk, RB Shane Vereen, LB Gary Guyton, OG Donald Thomas, G/C Nick McDonald and DE Ron Brace inactive for today's game against the Giants; New York will be without C Jim Cordle, OT James Brewer, LB Mark Herzlich, RB Da'Rel Scott, DT Jimmy Kennedy, WR Ramses Barden and DE Justin Trattou.   Reported by FootballDiehards.com

Diehards Line:
Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski is active as expected. He will start and play as much as the high-ankle sprain he suffered two weeks ago will allow him. Chad Ochocinco is also active for New England for the first time since the team's Divisional Playoff win over the Broncos. ... For the Giants, it's essentially all hands on deck. Enjoy the game.
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The Facts:
Following up on the ongoing soap opera. ... Get used to seeing Manning in a uniform other than the one worn by the Colts. Per a source close to Manning, the long-time Indy starter will play in 2012. The source also has predicted that Peyton eventually will be the comeback player of the year next season.  Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line:
That's right. ... PFT's Mike Florio is now hearing what the rest of have been hearing: Essentially, Manning is making it clear that he's ready to move on. Notice the words: "A source close to Manning." Take that literally. Also take literally that the source told Florio he fully expects that the Colts will cut Manning before March 8, at which time he will be owed another $28 million, in addition to the $26 million he received in 2011 without taking a single snap. Florio, who works closely with former Colts HC Tony Dungy on the NBC set, went on to note that Dungy, who previously couldn't see Manning playing for another team, conceded that Florio's report "could be right," and that Manning could indeed be playing for another team. Two different reports this morning -- one by Miami Herald staffer Barry Jackson (which claims Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is "infatuated" by the idea of signing Manning) and another by Philadelphia's WIP Radio host Howard Eskin (who cites two sources close to Manning as saying the QB is "likely" to be a Redskin this season) -- make it clear there will be no shortage of interest. Another report by ESPN's Adam Schefter, indicates Manning is willing to pass up on guaranteed money up front in favor of an incentive laden deal with playing-time bonuses to facilitate his move to another team (although Florio believes that might not be necessary). ... Whatever the case, Manning is clearly setting the pace in the public relations campaign that continues unabated even as the kickoff to Super Bowl XLVI draws near. And yes. Stand by; more undoubtedly to come.
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The Facts:
Following up on the ongoing story. ... HC Bill Belichick said that Gronkowski will definitely play according to Alex Flanagan of NFL Network and NBC Sports.   Reported by the Redzone.org

Diehards Line:
How much the star TE plays, Belichick said, will depend on what he's able to do. ... So there we have it. If there were any lingering doubts about Gronkowski's availability (and there really weren't any), that should put an end to them. We will, of course, continue to follow up through kickoff as needed.
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The Facts:
In late January,Fitzpatrick suggested that the team fell apart after a hot start because it wasn't "ready" to win. But there could be another reason, according to Bills WR David Nelson, who said Friday that Fitzpatrick was dealing with a serious injury for the majority of the season. "A lot of people don't know, but Fitz, during the Washington game, actually cracked a couple of ribs," Nelson said, according to ProFootballTalk.com. "So after that, he was playing hurt."  Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line:
The Bills beat the Redskins 23-0 in Week 8, when Fitzpatrick threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson did not specify when exactly the injury occurred. It's worth noting, though, that Fitzgerald took some abuse in that game, including a tackle from London Fletcher that had Fitzpatrick being tended to by trainers. "I think the whole team had a collective gasp when they saw him down there trying to suck air," running back Fred Jackson said after that game. "It was good for him to get back in there. ..." If Nelson is right, though, that Oct. 30 game was the last time Fitzgerald was healthy. The Bills went on to close out the season with a 1-9 record, with Fitzgerald completing just 58.2 percent of his passes and getting picked off 16 times.
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The Facts:
Following up on the endless drama. ... According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Manning is willing to create a contract that would contain no guaranteed money up front and would be incentive laden with bonuses.  Reported by FootballDiehards.com

Diehards Line:
Hey... Guess what? Manning really wants to play this year. And he wants to play for somebody other than the Colts. Is this new? Is this news? Not in and of itself. It's been hinted at before. No. We'll still contend that Manning's willingness to leak his plans and position himself through the media by taking advantage of the world's biggest stage -- the Super Bowl (even as his brother Eli Manning prepares to play in that game) -- is the real story here. It not only tells us the happy faces being put on in public by both sides are a weak facade and it tells you that Peyton Manning is willing to do or say anything to gain an edge in a public relations tug-of-war that only he and Colts owner Jim Irsay have a true interest in. We'll continue to follow up, but the next real development in this story will come when the Colts actually release Manning. So stay tuned.
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The Facts:
Following up on the ongoing story. ... Per a league source, Gronkowski will play today despite a high ankle sprain suffered against the Ravens in the AFC title game.  Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line:
Have we heard that somewhere before? Yes. And we'll continue to hear it throughout the day as the team prepares to take on the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. We're not going to try to keep up with the blow by blow because the hype machine is rolling at a furious pace. We'll go ahead and note that ESPN's Ed Werder reported that Patriots' sources claim Gronkowski ran at full speed this week. We'll also note the Giants intend to "test" the ankle (meaning Gronkowski is likely to see a lot of tacklers coming in low). So the real question will continue to be not whether he starts the game, but how he plays. How effective can he be? Also worth some thought is the lengthier than usual halftime break. It could be an issue. ... Whatever the case, we'll report back with any truly pertinent news as needed. We'll certainly have his official game status when the official inactive lists are released approximately 90 minutes before kickoff.
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The Facts:
The Washington Redskins had two quarterbacks who played in 2011: Rex Grossman and John Beck. And so they are trying to upgrade. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Redskins have had internal discussions about pursuing (surprise, surprise) Peyton Manning, Packers quarterback Matt Flynn, and Chiefs quarterback Kyle Orton.  Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line:
Flynn and Orton will be free agents in March. Manning likely will be too, and possibly sooner than that. As PFT's Mike Florio suggests, if the Redskins get Manning, OC Kyle Shanahan would have to find a way to adjust his style to Manning. Shanahan wants to control everything the quarterback does. Manning wouldn't be thrilled about being micromanaged. ... But there will be ample time to work that out over the coming month before free agency begins. We suspect Manning's name might be bandied about in any number of cities. Oh wait. It already has been. Either way, stay tuned.
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