Panthers Top Eagles on Monday Night, Still a Quarterback Controversy in San Francisco

November 26, 2012; Philadelphia, PA USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates his 1-yard touchdown run with teammate fullback Mike Tolbert (35) in the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The Panthers defeated the Eagles 30-22. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

Cam Newton led the Carolina Panthers over the Eagles on Monday Night 30-22. The quarterback picked up 306 yards and two touchdowns through the air, but he wasn’t done there. Newton went also scored two touchdowns with his feet, picking up 52 yards in the process. Both teams are now 3-8 on the season.

After the San Francisco 49ers started their backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick in favor of starter Alex Smith because he had the hot hand last week, Jim Harbaugh is continuing to keep everyone guessing who the starter will be in the coming weeks. Harbaugh stated that Alex Smith has done nothing to lose his starting position and is playing at a high level, but Keapernick is clearly not a back up. The 49er’s head coach said that he will have an answer for the masses by midweek.

Seattle Seahawks’ Cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner were found by the league to have taken performance enhancing drugs and are facing suspension. However, the two players are in the process of appealing the accusations, according to ESPN.com. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is so confident that his players are clean that he is expecting them to play next Sunday against the Bears.

Speaking of suspensions, Ndamukong Suh escaped punishment for kicking Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the groin when the teams matched up on Thanksgiving. It was determined that the kick was inadvertent as Suh was falling to the ground.

New England Patriots defensive end Jermaine Cunningham has been suspended for four games after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The substance was specified by the league, but the four games without pay are a good sign that the substance wasn’t so good.

After being annihilated in front of America on Thanksgiving night, the Jets head coach Rex Ryan said that Tebow should be ready to go and recovered from his rib injury for the team’s week 13 matchup. This actually says nothing for the Jets. They still are not saying they will start him, use him sparingly, or if he will keep the bench warm. I am not a Tebow fan, but at this point, why not just put him in?

Martellus Bennett, New York Giants Tight End, caught a fan that fell from the stands 15 feet above him. Bennett was walking into the locker room and noticed that the man may be taking a tumble, so he stepped up and saved the guy from being splattered on the concrete. The tight end was a hero and the falling man was taken to jail.

Another Dolphins player has had a run-in with the law and his name is not Chad Johnson. Miami defensive back Jonathon Amaya allegedly choked a taxi driver after he was asked to get out of the car when he became aggressive. Police saw the taxi driving erratically and pulled the cab over. Amaya was arrested and charged with battery.

In non-football related news, Evan Longoria and the Rays agreed to a deal that would keep the third baseman in Tampa Bay for the rest of his career. His new contract is a 10 year deal worth $136.6 million, with six of those seasons and $100 million guaranteed.

The NHL and NHLPA have accepted an invitation from federal mediators and will meet with them Wednesday for the first time. The two sides have yet to be able to compromise on anything, further damaging the NHL season and possibly the future of the league.