Briefs
OT changes for NFL?
All the Buffalo Bills wanted in January was one more chance to beat Kansas City.
Now they’re trying to make sure no NFL team begins the offseason as it did.
On Tuesday, more than a month after enduring a crushing AFC divisional round loss without ever touching the ball in overtime, Bills general manager Brandon Beane threw his support behind a proposal to change the league’s postseason rules.
“Ours is going to be more instead of one possession and then you get the other possession, is a time, similar to in basketball, you play five minutes,” Beane said.
“Baseball, both teams get the top half and the bottom half (of an inning). So a time limit, and I’m talking about postseason only. That way, both teams will definitely have a chance and maybe even more than one possession.”
Beane acknowledged the league’s competition committee could field multiple proposals during this week’s meeting at the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, joking there could be one from all 32 teams. No decision is expected this week.
And it’s not just current Bills jumping on board.
Colts coach Frank Reich, the former quarterback who orchestrated the NFL’s greatest comeback during his tenure in Buffalo, also supports the move. Reich is a first-year committee member and is uncertain what that might include.
“It’s basically something that would guarantee each team a possession,” Reich said. “My opinion is that I think there’s a place for both teams to have a possession. But I can see both sides of it. You’ve got 60 minutes to win a game, so go win the game. Or play defense.”
Surgery for Prescott
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder after the season, a procedure coach Mike McCarthy said was a clean up for an issue that isn’t a concern.
McCarthy told reporters at the scouting combine Tuesday he expects Prescott to be available for offseason work. The coach said he didn’t think the left shoulder bothered Prescott during the season.
“He practiced full out,” McCarthy said. “I think he just wanted to get it cleaned up.”
It was the third surgery in less than 18 months for Prescott. The first two surgeries were to repair the compound fracture and dislocation of Prescott’s right ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 season against the New York Giants.
Prescott also dealt with right shoulder and calf strains last year. The shoulder injury kept him out of team drills for most of training camp, while the calf strain sidelined him for two weeks, but just one game.
The Cowboys had a 5-1 record and were cruising on offense when Prescott strained the calf in an overtime victory at New England. While the quarterback said the calf wasn’t an issue, his production wasn’t the same the rest of the season.
Lionel James dies at 59
Former Auburn and San Diego Chargers running back Lionel James, who made a name for himself for being unstoppable despite his small stature, died Friday after a lengthy illness, the university said. He was 59.
Auburn announced the death of James, a 5-foot-6 player nicknamed “Little Train,” but provided no additional details.
James played five seasons with the Chargers, who have since moved to Los Angeles, after being drafted in the fifth round in 1984. He set an NFL record with 2,535 all-purpose yards in 1985 after leading the Chargers in rushing, receiving and kickoff and punt return yardage.
He led the AFC in receptions that season with 86 while setting the NFL record for receiving yards by a running back with 1,027.
James, who was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, led Auburn in all-purpose yards in 1981 and 1982 and became one of the first signature players of the Pat Dye era. He was a team captain in 1983 and helped lead the Tigers to their first Southeastern Conference championship in 26 years.
That backfield included 1985 Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson and another future NFL player, Tommie Agee.
“Lionel James defined Auburn football for a generation,” David Housel, a former Auburn sports information director and athletic director, said in a news release.
Agee called James “pound for pound one of the greatest all-purpose players to play the game of football.”
James returned to Auburn after his NFL career and graduated in 1989. He coached tight ends on Terry Bowden’s staff in 1996-97.