Associated Press
The NFL notebook …
NEW YORK ó Star defensive end Julius Peppers was fined $10,000 each Friday by the NFL for a late hit.
Carolina’s Peppers was fined for his hit on Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers after the quarterback had gone out of bounds in the fourth quarter Sunday.
Peppers was also fined $10,000 in October for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. Peppers had two sacks in the win over the Packers, giving him a team-leading 11 on the season.
LIONSDETROIT ó Rod Marinelli repeatedly insisted the thought of making NFL history as the first 0-16 hadn’t entered his mind.
That changed this week.
The Detroit Lions coach addressed the topic with his team for the first time at a meeting after a long break following a 37-point loss to Tennessee.
Marinelli refused to talk about it with reporters, but his players did.
“He said, `We’re not going 0-16,”‘ running back Aveion Cason recalled Marinelli saying. “Nobody wants to be a part of NFL history.”
At least not that kind.
The Lions (0-12) seem to be marching toward a dubious distinction.
In fact, Las Vegas oddsmakers are gambling that Detroit will finish the season winless.
If you think the Lions are going to make history, you’ll have to bet $160 or $180 to make $100, according to the Glantz-Culver line and Las Vegas Sports Consultants, respectively.
GIANTS
NEW YORK ó After making them wait almost a week, Antonio Pierce talked to investigators Friday about the accidental shooting of New York Giants teammate Plaxico Burress.
What he said, much like many of the details of that night, remains a mystery.
Authorities provided no details of Pierce’s meeting with police detectives and prosecutors at the Manhattan district attorney’s office. His attorney Michael Bachner refused to comment when reached by The Associated Press.
NFL IN CANADA
TORONTO ó The executive who lured the Buffalo Bills into playing in Toronto foresees having the team make more than one regular-season stop a year north of the border ó especially if the NFL goes through with its proposal to lengthen the schedule.
“Depending on the arrangements, I wouldn’t mind one more game here,” Rogers Communications vice chairman Phil Lind told The Associated Press on Friday. “Especially if the NFL’s going to nuke two of their preseasons game, I would think for certain we would have one of those games.”