Around The NFL: Saint Hurt Badly, Geno Smith Benched, Soldier Field Evacuated
By Danny Cox
Sunday's action in the NFL had a lot of big time stories to be told, but there were some that stood out a bit more than others. Among those stories there were some that were strange, some that were expected, and some that were just downright ugly.
Saints Jabari Greer suffers gruesome injury against 49ers
The New Orleans Saints have the seventh-ranked defense in the NFL, but a key cog of that unit may be gone for a long time. Cornerback Jabari Greer suffered a horrific-looking injury against the San Francisco 49ers that could keep him on the sidelines for quite a while.
During the first quarter, Greer ended up being carted off the field after breaking up a pass from 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Greer went up into the air to break up the pass but landed very awkwardly. Replays showed that his left knee and ankle both rolled as he landed and it didn't look good.
Corey White was sent in to replace Greer who had an air cast placed around his leg before being carted off.
Geno Smith benched during Bills rout of the Jets
Due to the preseason injury to Mark Sanchez, rookie Geno Smith took over the leadership role as quarterback of the New York Jets. On Sunday, Smith was benched in favor of Matt Simms due to horrible play that led to a rout by the lowly Buffalo Bills.
After three quarters, Smith had completed just eight of 23 pass attempts for 103 yards and three interceptions. That's not even mentioning the fact that he was sacked four times for a loss of 30 yards.
In his place, Simms came in and completed four of six attempts for 60 yards and a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland. By that point, the game was already way out of hand and the Bills had it wrapped up. It isn't yet known if Smith will be replaced as starter for next week or not.
Huge storm delays Ravens-Bears game for almost two hours
The Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens started the day and played until there was 4:51 remaining in the first quarter before a severe storm put the game on a weather delay. A tornado watch, severe thunderstorm, and flash-flood warnings for the downtown Chicago area caused the stands at Soldier Field to be evacuated as well.
At the time of the delay, the Ravens were up 10-0, and it took one hour and 53 minutes before play could begin again.
Once the players returned to the field, momentum had shifted. The Bears came out and took control from the Ravens before winning in overtime over five hours later.
For more NFL news and updates, visit NFL Central.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. Danny is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
