Sunday Morning Headlines: NFL Edition

Sep 16, 2012; Foxboro, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) is helped off the field by trainers during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Aaron Hernandez will sit the bench again on Sunday for the Patriots. The high ankle sprain he suffered in week 2 is still bothering the tight end as he tries to get back in to action. New England has activated Visanthe Shiancoe to the 53-man roster in his place.

Also suffering an ankle injury, Antonio Brown will be out again for the Steelers. Reports are saying that the wide receiver will miss a few games with the injury. The Steelers are no stranger to the injury this season and he will join an all star cast on the bench.

Raiders activate Ron Bartell from IR, where he was placed in week one with a shoulder blade injury. They also promoted running back Jeremy Stewart from the practice squad with McFadden and Goodson out with ankle injuries. CB Pat Lee was cut in order to bring Bartell back and Shawntae Spencer was placed on IR to make room for Stewart’s promotion.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders will appeal the $15,000 fine that the NFL slapped him with after faking an injury when the team faced Cincinnati during a Sunday Night game on October 21. The NFL fined Sanders and the team after got a “leg cramp” that quickly healed in the fourth quarter. The NFL and many fans believed he faked the injury to slow the game down and aid his team in the 24-17 win.

The Jets, 3-5 this season in the NFL, are known for the pre-game trash talk that seems to never come to fruition. They are at again in New York. DE Muhammed Wilkerson told WFAN of their game this Sunday against the Seahawks, “We’re going to get Wilson rattled. He’s a rookie so he’s not as experienced as somebody like Tom Brady or something. So we’ve got to just after him, get hits on him and try and put pressure on him and get him uncomfortable.” There are a couple notables from this comment. First, Wilson has only been sacked 15 times due to his elusiveness. Second, GangGreen only has 12 sacks this season, which is 29th in the 32 team league. The Jets are clearly not good with facts.

Patriots’ rookie running back Brandon Bolden has been suspended for four games for testing positive for PEDs.

In very sad news, Tyson Williams, the four year old son of Raiders defensive line coach Terrell Williams has died from a sudden and unexplained illness just eight days after his fourth birthday. It is always horrible when someone dies, but when it is a child the sadness is deeper. Thoughts will be Williams and his family.