Advertisement

NFL-National Football League roundup

Sept 4 (The Sports Xchange) - New England Patriots president Jonathan Kraft said the organization does not plan to fight to regain lost draft picks or the $1 million fine as part of the original Deflategate penalities. Kraft, appearing in his weekly pregame interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub prior to Thursday night's preseason finale, said the organization feels vindicated by a federal court decision to nullify a four-game suspension for Tom Brady. "Robert is a man of his word," Kraft said of his father and the team owner. "From the beginning we felt getting Tom cleared was more important than anything else. ... I would never say never but as we sit here today it's not our intention." Robert Kraft did not appeal the Patriots' $1 million fine and the loss of a first-round draft pick next year and a fourth-rounder in 2017 as part of the penalties. - - - Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels praised Brady for how he stayed focused on his job throughout the legal fight. "Tom's a veteran player with a lot of experience, and he's had to deal with different types of adversities and distractions in the past, whether it be injuries or personnel or something else," McDaniels said Friday. "I thought he went out and practiced and improved, tried to do his job, worked at his craft and put in a lot of hard work in different areas of playing the position of quarterback. "He was prepared, studied hard for practice and games, the OTAs, and all those things we've done. That's the best way to try to go about -- control the things you can control -- and I thought he did a good job of that. "I'm happy for Tom. This week, hopefully we will be able to just focus on football, and he'll be able to do that." Brady, who has not spoken publicly to reporters since his Super Bowl MVP news conference on Feb. 2, is expected to address reporters at some point between Saturday and Tuesday, according to ESPN.com. Coach Bill Belichick was asked Friday about Brady rejoining the Patriots as a result of his four-game suspension being vacated. "He never left," Belichick said. "We'll do the best that we can to have the best plan (and) best preparation for Pittsburgh, as we always do." - - - Tim Tebow made a strong case for the Philadelphia Eagles' No. 3 quarterback job by throwing two touchdown passes in the preseason finale Thursday night. Tebow and Matt Barkley were competing to be the third quarterback on the roster behind starter Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez. On Friday afternoon, the Eagles traded Barkley to the Arizona Cardinals for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The trade likely means Tebow, who has not played in a regular-season game since 2012, will make the Eagles' roster. The NFL deadline to reduce rosters to 53 players is Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. Tebow completed 11 of 17 passes for 189 yards with one interception and added 32 rushing yards on four carries as the Eagles fell to the New York Jets 24-18 in MetLife Stadium. Barkley went 4-for-9 for 45 yards with an interception. "I'm not going to worry about what I can't control," Tebow said Thursday night after the game. "It's a blessing being able to come out here and play this game that I love. It was a lot of fun out there tonight. It was a blast." - - - Tom Savage, the Houston Texans' third quarterback, will miss four to six weeks with a badly sprained shoulder. Savage was injured when he was hit by Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Davon Coleman in the fourth quarter Thursday night. On Friday, coach Bill O'Brien said Savage will not require surgery but will "miss some significant time." That equates to 4-6 weeks, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. - - - (Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)