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Corey Linsley on Rimington Watch List

Fifth-year senior started all 12 games in 2012 and was named honorable mention all-Big Ten

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State senior center Corey Linsley, from Youngstown, Ohio and Boardman High School, has been named to the initial watch list for the Rimington Trophy, presented annually by the Boomer Esiason Foundation to the best center in college football.

Linsley is among 44 centers from the Football Bowl Subdivision, and four from the Big Ten Conference, named to the watch list.

Ohio State Buckeyes senior C Corey Linsley (photo by Dan Poel/Chris Spielman’s The Week In Football)

One of four returning starters along the offensive line for Ohio State, Linsely successfully made the transition from offensive guard/tackle to center in the spring of 2012. He became one of the Buckeyes most improved players and preceded to start all 12 games at center last season for the undefeated Buckeyes. He was named honorable mention all-Big Ten Conference by both the conference coaches and media.

Linsley helped the Buckeyes’ offense to a Big Ten-best 37.2 points per game and to 242.2 rushing yards per game (2nd in the Big Ten and 10th nationally). The team also scored a team 34-year best 37 rushing touchdowns last year.

Linsley is a three-year letterwinner who has played in 28 games for the Buckeyes.

The Rimington Trophy will be awarded for the 15th time this season. Ohio State great LeCharles Bentley was the second winner of the Rimington Trophy, in 2001. Three other Buckeyes were Rimington Trophy finalists: Mike Brewster in 2010, Doug Datish in 2006 and Nick Mangold in 2005.

Alabama’s Barrett Jones was the recipient of the trophy last season.

Rimington Trophy Winners

2012 – Barrett Jones, Alabama

2011 – David Molk, Michigan

2010 – Jake Kirkpatrick, TCU

2009 – Maurkice Pouncey, Florida

2008 – A.Q Shipley, Penn State

2007 – Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas

2006 – Dan Mozes, West Virginia

2005 – Greg Eslinger, Minnesota

2004 – Ben Wilkerson, LSU

2004 – David Baas, Michigan

2003 – Jake Grove, Virginia Tech

2002 – Brett Rombert, Miami

2001 – LeCharles Bentley, Ohio State

2000 – Dominic Raiola, Nebraska

The Baltimore Sun

www.BaltimoreSun.com

BALTIMORE - The Ravens have signed fourth-round outside linebacker John Simon to a  four-year deal.

Simon’s contract has a total value of $2.545 million, including  a $385,652 signing bonus. The deal includes base salaries of $405,000,  $495,000, $585,000 and $675,000.

Former Ohio State Buckeyes DL and newly signed Baltimore Raven John Simon (photo courtesy of The OSU Athletics Communications)

The Ravens now have three unsigned draft picks: first-round safety Matt Elam,  second-round inside linebacker Arthur Brown and third-round defensive tackle  Brandon Williams.

Simon is expected to compete for playing time at strongside outside  linebacker behind Elvis Dumervil and Courtney Upshaw, and also for a role as a  situational pass rusher and on special teams.

The Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year last season, Simon lined  up everywhere from defensive end, defensive tackle and linebacker for the  Buckeyes.

Because of his gritty style of play, Simon has drawn comparisons to  former Ravens outside linebacker Jarret Johnson.

“Yes, toughness and style, work ethic, attention to detail, guys that love  ball,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after the draft of Simon and Johnson, who  now plays for the San Diego Chargers. “He’s our kind of guy. Jarret Johnson was  a Raven, and he always will be. So it’s probably a good comparison.”

Last season, Simon recorded 44 tackles, 14.5 for losses and a career-high  nine sacks. In four seasons, Simon finished with 154 tackles, 43 for losses,  20.5 sacks and 10 pass deflections.

“I’m a nonstop motor guy who’s going to do whatever it takes to better the  team,” Simon said after being drafted by the Ravens. ”I do my job. I’m  aggressive. My mentality: never quit.”

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer often called Simon the heart and soul of the  Buckeyes, saying the two-time team captain was his second-favorite player he’s  ever coached behind Tim Tebow at the Florida.

At his campus Pro Day workout, Simon ran the 40-yard dash between 4.62 and  4.7 seconds. Simon is an avid weightlifter.

One of the first things he did after arriving at the Ravens’ training complex  for a rookie minicamp is ask team officials when he could get into the weight  room for a workout.

awilson@baltsun.com

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Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-ravens-sign-fourthrounder-john-simon-to-fouryear-deal-20130521,0,4880041.story#ixzz2TxwSekNE

www.SFGate.com

SAN FRANCISCO - The Super Bowl is coming back to the bay in 2016.

The San Francisco Bay Area beat out the Miami region to host the marquee 50th edition of the National Football League’s championship game. The announcement was made Tuesday after 32 NFL owners voted on the host city for 2016.

It will mark the first time the Super Bowl will be held in the Bay Area since Super Bowl XIX was played at Stanford Stadium in 1985.

A futuristic look at the soon-to-be-constructed Levi’s Stadium – the new home of the San Francisco 49ers, and host of Super Bowl 50 in 2016

The game will be played at the $1.2 billion Levi’s Stadium being built in Santa Clara, but many of the lead-up events will be held in San Francisco, including the NFL Experience — a league showcase with a replica field, locker room and other exhibits — at the Moscone Convention Center.

Boosters, led by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee,  have said the event will be a boon for the region, attracting a new crop of visitors who will roam from Napa to Carmel, filing hotel rooms and frequenting businesses.  A 2010 report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute and Beacon Economics found that hosting the Super Bowl generates between $300 million and $500 million on average for the host.

Major companies, Including Apple, Google, Gap and Yahoo, have committed a combined $30 million so far to cover hosting costs, according to officials with the Bay Area’s bid committee.

Read more about the upcoming Bay Area Super Bowl here

The Detroit Free Press

www.Freep.com

DETROIT - The Detroit Lions are working on putting together a bowl game at Ford Field that would replace the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in 2014, two people with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press today. The people did not want to be identified because details have not been finalized.

The situation was first reported by ESPN’s Brett McMurphy on Twitter. McMurphy reported that the game would pit a Big Ten team against an ACC team.

Ford Field in Detroit – home of the Lions and the current Little Caesars Bowl

The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl’s contract is up after 2013. It is set up to pit a Big Ten team against a Mid-American Conference team each year, though with the eighth selection of Big Ten teams, the league often doesn’t have enough bowl-eligible teams available to send one to Detroit.

One three Big Ten teams have played in the game in its 16-year history: Purdue twice and Northwestern once.

This past December’s Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, a 24-21 Central Michigan win over Western Kentucky, drew its smallest crowd ever: 23,310, though there was a snowstorm that day.

The Lions declined to comment on today’s report. Team president Tom Lewand is at the NFL meetings in Boston and didn’t immediately return phone calls.

The new bowl game likely would be run by Ford Field and the business arm of the Lions and be separate from the team’s football operations.

There was no immediate word about what the bowl would be called nor when it would be played. It’s believed that the new game would attempt to move up in the Big Ten’s pecking order for bowl tie-ins.

Asked about the future of the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, game CEO George Perles said, “We’re still working on it.” He referred questions to Ken Hoffman, the game’s executive director, who said the game might relocate to Comerica Park.

The Dallas Morning News

www.DallasNews.com

DALLAS - Tony Romo will be held out of organized team activities the next three weeks as he recovers from a minor procedure to remove a cyst from his back, but the quarterback is optimistic he will be cleared to take part in the Cowboys mini-camp next month.

There is absolutely no question about his health for the start of training camp in July.

“If this was the regular season and I had to play next week, I could,’’ Romo said Monday night on the eve of the Cowboys first OTA of the off-season. “This is just about being smart.

“That’s why I did it now. This will have no effect on training camp. No way will it have an impact. And I still think there’s a good chance I’m on the field for mini-camp.’’

Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo (photo by James Smith/Dallas Cowboys)

Add this to the long list of questions Romo will encounter when he meets with reporters Tuesday afternoon once the rest of his teammates complete their first OTA practice.

Romo has not spoken publicly since the six-year, $108 million contract extension he signed on March 29 made him the highest paid player in franchise history.

Since that day, Jerry Jones has repeatedly spoken of the increased involvement the quarterback will have when it comes to shaping the offense. The Cowboys owner said he expects a presence “beyond the norm’’ and is looking for, “Peyton Manning-type time on the job’’ for the $40 million he’s guaranteed Romo.

Executive vice president Stephen Jones said Romo will have more input into what happens offensively than any player since Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman.

The cyst Romo had removed won’t impact any of those bigger questions or compromise his preparation for the 2013 season.

“It was something I felt like was nagging me just enough,’’ Romo said. “I wanted to make sure to get it done now. I wanted to take care of it earlier rather than later.’’

Dr. Drew Dossett, an orthopedic surgeon, performed the procedure in April before the NFL draft. His wife, Candice, drove him to the procedure in the morning and picked him up early that afternoon. Romo fed and played with his young son, Hawkins, shortly after he got back home.

“It was a pretty routine afternoon,’’ Romo said. “I was back at the (Cowboys) complex the next day to go through what we would do in the teaching sessions and the throwing sessions this off-season.’’

Romo was restricted to some light conditioning work the remainder of April. He responded by upping his film work. His conditioning work has increased steadily in recent days and he has been cleared to throw the ball.

Romo will throw off to the side during OTA’s the next three weeks but won’t take part in team drills. Backup Kyle Orton will take his snaps.

There was no, one incident that led to the visit that resulted in this diagnosis of the cyst. Romo said there was no lingering injury from the season. It wasn’t like he tweaked his back while throwing the ball or felt a twinge when he was running or in the weight room during the off-season.

It was simply a persistent ache that developed in the middle of his back. He wanted to make sure whatever it was wouldn’t linger into training camp and hinder his ability to prepare for the 2013 season.

“It was not much of anything,’’ Romo said. “I just went in and had them look at it. It was more of an ache than anything. I just thought, ‘well, it’s something I’d rather not feel.’

“I’d rather be 100 percent, not 96 percent. It’s done and it’s made me feel better.’’

Again, Romo hopes to take part in the team’s mini-camp June 12-14. If he doesn’t, that’s likely a call by Cowboys officials who don’t see the need for him to participate as a precaution.

Vice president of public relations Rich Dalrymple said the club would have no comment at this time.

“I’m excited,’’ Romo said. “Over the last month, I got my juices flowing even more.

“I’m amped up and ready to go.’’

He’ll simply encounter a slight delay before he’s allowed to carry that enthusiasm onto the field for practice.

Follow David Moore on Twitter at @DavidMooreDMN

www.AOL.SportingNews.com

The NFL’s spring meeting kicks off Monday in Boston, and the big item on the agenda will be the announcement of the host cities for Super Bowls L and LI (after the 2015 and 2016 seasons).

A futuristic look at the soon-to-be-constructed Levi’s Stadium – the new home of the San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco and South Florida are vying for Super Bowl L—the 50th game—and the loser of that bid will go up against Houston for Super Bowl LI.

Considering South Florida was recently unable to secure the tax dollars it needed for a major renovation at Sun Life Stadium—the Florida Legislature opted not to vote on the bill—San Francisco is regarded as a heavy favorite to win the bid for Super Bowl L.

For the same reason, Houston is considered the favorite to win the Super Bowl LI bid.

The host cities will be announced at 2 p.m. ET Tuesday on the NFL Network.

The 49ers are scheduled to open their new stadium in Santa Clara in 2014, so it will be fully ready to host the Super Bowl after the following season. The Bay Area has hosted the Super Bowl once before—at Stanford Stadium following the 1984 season.

Houston’s Reliant Stadium has hosted the Super Bowl one other time—Super Bowl XXXVIII after the 2003 season.

Also at the meetings, the NFL will consider adjustments to the embattled Pro Bowl such as having a “draft” to select the AFC and NFC squads. With the improvement in player effort in last season’s game, at least for now the Pro Bowl doesn’t seem in danger of being eliminated.

According to NFL.com, the league will also hold sessions on finance and stadium issues, the fan experience, stadium security, officiating, youth football and the NFL’s international initiative.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson has been arrested on charges that he violated probation stemming from an altercation with his now ex-wife, TV reality star Evelyn Lozada.

The former Chad “Ochocinco” while with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006

A Broward County judge ordered Johnson jailed Monday until he posts a $1,000 bond. Another hearing was set for June 3. An arrest warrant was issued earlier this month when Johnson failed to meet his probation officer.

The six-time Pro Bowl player formerly known as Chad Ochocinco is serving a year of probation after Lozada said he head-butted her during an argument last August. She quickly filed for divorce. They had been married only since July 4.

Johnson was released by the Miami Dolphins after the incident. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots.

Lozada, who once was engaged to former NBA player Antoine Walker, is on the Basketball Wives TV show.

The Detroit Free Press

www.Freep.com

DETROIT - Did he or didn’t he? Or does it even matter?

Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson seemed to acknowledge today, in his first meeting with reporters this off-season, that he played with broken fingers last year.

“I had a couple injuries to them, yeah,” Johnson said when asked directly whether he broke his fingers last fall. “But other than that, it ain’t nothing that’s going to prohibit me from doing what I’ve got to do.”

Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson

Johnson caught a career-high 122 passes last year and broke Jerry Rice’s single-season receiving record with 1,964 yards.

It was a phenomenal season by any measure, but if Johnson’s fingers were broken, it could cause problems for the Lions, who never listed their Pro Bowl receiver on the injury report with a finger ailment of any kind.

Last year, both the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins were fined for not listing injured players on their reports, and after Johnson’s comments hit the Internet today, word quickly spread that he never actually broke any of his digits.

The NFL referred questions about the Lions’ manipulation of the injury report to the team. The team declined public comment about Johnson’s injuries.

Regardless, it’s not the first time Johnson and the Lions seemingly have been at odds over injuries.

Last fall, Johnson said he suffered a concussion in a September loss to the Minnesota Vikings and nerve damage that made it tough for him to grip the ball.

A day later, the team issued a statement denying those injuries, and another one from Johnson retracting his comments.

Johnson, who missed time during training camp last year with a splint on his finger, appeared on the injury report multiple times last year with foot, ankle, knee and thumb injuries.

Asked today about when he broke his fingers, Johnson said, “I couldn’t even tell you. I really couldn’t. The season’s such a blur, it just happened so fast.”

“The thing with a lot of football players, if you have injuries, unless you know about it, you just think it’s something that’s hurting, so you just keep on playing,” Johnson said.

Broken fingers or not, Johnson had an uncharacteristic 10 dropped passes last year, tied for second-most in the NFL.

He said today his finger injuries – whatever they were – were no excuse for whatever plays he missed during the season.

“I don’t blame anything on it,” Johnson said. “I don’t blame any drops or anything like that on it. It’s just part of the game and had a heck of a season with it and just fortunate to be in that position.”

Johnson said he didn’t require off-season surgery on his fingers nor any other part of his body – “pretty much just getting them back straight, trying to straighten them things out,” he said – and he’s healthy now and looking forward to an even bigger 2013.

Among his goals: 2,000 yards, more touchdowns and another playoff appearance.

“That’s exactly where we’re at,” Johnson said. “It’s funny, ’cause I talked to Hines (Ward) in the off-season – over the last few off-seasons, ’cause we share the same trainer. He’s like, ‘You can have all the accolades in the world, but it doesn’t really mean nothing.’ And told me, ‘You can attest to this, because if you’re not winning.’ I can have three touchdowns and 200 yards, but if we lose a game, what’s it all for?”

Contact Dave Birkett: 313-550-4592 or dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett .

The Washington Post

www.WashingtonPost.com

The NFL calendar may be on the verge of a major change, one that would move the big post-Super Bowl events like the scouting combine and the draft and extend the league’s dominance over a longer stretch.

Get ready for the combine in March and the draft in mid-May. The NFL and the NFL Players Association, which would have to approve the changes, reportedly are on the verge of approving the changes for three years, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports, at the annual spring meeting being held in Boston.

The start of the new league year, when free agency begins, is likely to precede the combine, rather than following it. The combine this year was Feb. 20-26, the league year started March 12 and the NFL draft was April 25-27.

In other business on the Boston agenda, owners will choose sites for Super Bowl L and LI on Tuesday.

Follow @CindyBoren on Twitter and on Facebook.

www.ChicagoTribune.com

Maurice Clarett was a noted NFL failure, but the former Ohio State running back is chasing another dream — playing rugby in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Maurice Clarett while playing for The Ohio State Buckeyes during the 2002 BCS National Championship Game

Clarett, 29, has been training for several months with the Columbus affiliate of Tiger Rugby, according to Paul Holmes, the director of the team.

The developmental program is responsible for helping select the team to represent the United States at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Clarett will participate in an international event May 25 in Mechanicsburg, Ohio.

A third-round NFL draft pick, Clarett never played a game in the league and served 3 1/2 years in prison on weapons and robbery charges.

Clarett played one season at Ohio State, leading the Buckeyes to the 2002 BCS championship game with 1,237 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was dismissed from the program after one year after an investigation into his receipt of improper benefits.