Tuesday's NFL: Miami suspends AWOL linebacker
Miami — Linebacker Lawrence Timmons was suspended indefinitely by the Dolphins after he went AWOL on the eve of the team’s season opener.
The Dolphins announced the move in a one-sentence news release Tuesday, a day off for the team.
Timmons’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, had no immediate comment on the decision.
Timmons wanted to rejoin the team this week, but coach Adam Gase was angered by the disappearance of the 11th-year veteran, which came Saturday in Los Angeles the day before Miami’s game at the Chargers.
The Dolphins filed a missing person report before making contact with Timmons, who apparently was dealing with a personal matter. He wasn’t with the Dolphins at the game and didn’t fly back to South Florida on the team plane after Miami’s 19-17 win.
Undrafted rookie free agent Chase Allen started in Timmons’ place Sunday and made three tackles. Middle linebacker Mike Hull, making his second career start, played every snap and led Miami with 10 tackles.
Timmons signed a $12 million, two-year deal with Miami in March after 10 seasons with Pittsburgh, where he won a Super Bowl ring in 2009 and made the Pro Bowl in 2014.
Moss criticizes Griffin
Santana Moss says Robert Griffin III took credit for coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan being fired by Washington.
During his weekly radio appearance on FM-106.7 in Washington on Monday, Moss says it bothered him Griffin acted like the Shanahans’ treatment of him was what got them fired after the 2013 season.
Griffin responded on Twitter, saying, “To openly lie about me is a betrayal.”
Griffin tweets he was the “good soldier” in an “impossible situation” with the Redskins after Shanahan said he never wanted him as his quarterback.
He adds: “Some so desperately want me to fit this negative narrative that has been pushed about me. But I don’t fit it. Never have. Never will.”
Moss says Griffin taking joy in the Shanahans being fired was “the dumbest mistake you can ever make in this league” and adds when Jay Gruden was hired as coach, he ripped Griffin in meetings because he wasn’t doing the things needed to win football games.
Personneldept.
Greg Olsen will miss a minimum of eight games after the Panthers placed the three-time Pro Bowl tight end on injured reserve with a broken right foot Tuesday.
The earliest Olsen is eligible to return Nov. 26 when Panthers visit the Jets.
Panthers trainer Ryan Vermillion told the team website that Olsen has a “Jones fracture,” meaning he broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Olsen was injured in the second quarter of Carolina’s 9-3 win over Buffalo and had surgery Monday.
The injury ends Olsen’s streak of 160 consecutive games played. It was the second longest active streak among tight ends behind Dallas’ Jason Witten (221).
Carolina replaced Olsen on the 53-man roster with rookie fullback Alex Armah from the practice squad.
... Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman has been placed on injured reserve after having surgery on his broken right hand.
Coleman broke his hand for the second time in a year on Sunday in a loss at Baltimore. The injury came almost exactly a year to the day from when he broke his hand during practice as a rookie.
The No. 15 overall pick in the 2016 draft can return to practice in six weeks and would be eligible to play in a game after eight weeks.
... The Jets waived wide receiver Kalif Raymond, two days after his fumbled punt changed momentum in the team’s loss at Oakland.
Raymond was claimed off waivers by the Jets on Sept. 3 after he played his rookie season with Denver last year. He served as New York’s primary returner on punts and kickoffs in the first two games, but had ball security issues.
Raymond mishandled two punts in the opener at Buffalo, but recovered both fumbles. Last Sunday against the Raiders, he fumbled a punt with 1:50 left in the opening half and the Jets trailing 14-10.
The Raiders recovered the fumble at the Jets 4 and scored three plays later. New York never got close after that.