Blair Walsh to visit first graders who sent letters of support after missed FG (VIDEO)

After the Minnesota Vikings saw their season come to a sudden end Sunday when kicker Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal against the Seattle Seahawks in the waning moments of their NFC Wild Card Game, nobody felt worse than the usually reliable three-point specialist.

To his credit, the 26-year-old Walsh faced the media and took full responsibility for the wide-left kick, but it seemed a foregone conclusion that he would be facing a long offseason filled with self-doubt and condemnation.

That was until a group of first graders at a Minnesota elementary school got together and took the time to write some kind words to Walsh in hopes of making him feel better.

Northpoint Elementary teacher Judie Offerdahl saw a teachable moment about things like empathy and forgiveness with this sports moment. She had her students write supportive letters to Walsh and read them aloud to the class.

“Dear Blair Walsh,” wrote one student. “I know that it can be hard to get through things that are sad. but you have to try and try again. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. One time I made a mistake when I was doing a cartwheel. I felt embarrassed. You can still help the Vikings win the Super Bowl next year. Your fan, Sophia Doffin.”

And after this video showing the youngsters' heartfelt support was posted, the healing process kicked (no pun intended) into gear.

Now, as payback for those kind words, Walsh will return the favor with a visit Thursday to their classroom in Blaine.

Walsh will express his gratitude by taking photos and sign autographs with the kids, who unlike many of the adults who used Walsh as a social media punching bag, understand that football is still just a game.

Dez Bryant denies taunting injured Ricardo Lockette with 'That's what you f-cking get' after injury (VIDEO)

Dez Bryant returned to the field Sunday after missing the last five games with a fractured right foot. The Cowboys' star made two catches for 12 yards while on the field for 48 of Dallas' 58 offensive plays in the Cowboys' 13-12 loss to the Seahawks . 

But after the game, Bryant was particularly upset with tweets that accused him of taunted Ricardo Lockette with, "That's what he f-cking gets," while the Seahawks receiver was laid out on the  turf of AT&T Stadium.

It all started late in the first half when Dallas safetyJeff Heath delivered a blindside shot that knocked out Lockette. Pushing and shoving between the teams ensued, while a cart was driven onto the field and Lockette was strapped down and taken to a local hospital for a precautionary exam.

In a seven-second video clip, Bryant appears to utter a profanity while he points his index finger at Seattle linebacker Bruce Irvin.

Dez Bryant on Ricardo Lockette injury: "That's what you f-cking get." #Leadership pic.twitter.com/Pb3d1UGZX5

— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) November 1, 2015

In the locker room, Bryant angrily denied wishing harm upon Lockette and put the blame directly on media for creating the rumors. When asked if any of the Seahawks accused him of the profanity, Bryant responded with "Nah man. Y'all did, man. Bull s--- media did," reported ESPN.

"I won't ever, ever, ever, ever wish bad on a player that's been knocked down. C'mon, man. Stop with the bulls---," said Bryant. "Not once did I say that's what you get. I got on one knee and prayed for that man.

          "I got on one knee and prayed for him. C'mon, man. Don't put clips together and do 
            that."

Bryant also defended himself in a since-deleted Tweet.

With no other accusations from anyone else on the field, it just might be Bryant's word against social media's. 

Only a lip-reader knows for sure.

Eagles’ Byron Maxwell says growing up in the South prepared him for criticism

Last offseason, cornerback Byron Maxwell spread his wings and flew from Seattle to Philadelphia and signed a $63 million contract to huddle with a new flock of birds.

But as the Eagles' new corner prepares to try to cover Jets receiver Brandon Marshall this week at MetLife Stadium, Maxwell was flapping more than his feathers about his chilly reception in Philly after two games.

“I feel it. They’re cold on me,” Maxwell told the New York Daily News. “That’s fine. Everybody’s got their opinion.”

The City of Brotherly Love is a tough place to play when things go bad, but Maxwell, who hails from South Carolina, isn't fazed by the negativity. After all, he is from the land that's more than just y'alls and pecan pie.

“Everything’s in your face in the South,” said Maxwell. “That’s how it is in the South. They got Confederate flags running around. . . . I’m just saying. You’re used to sh-t. You grow up with a thick skin in the South.”

He may need skin thicker than a hog's hide if he continues to get burned by quarterbacks who have feasted on his neck of the playing field.

“That’s part of being the guy with the big contract and being the big free agent coming in,” Maxwell said. “I haven’t performed up to it, but it’s a new week against the Jets. I get to play again.”

Let's see what those Yankees Jets think about that.

Teenager's soccer kick nets $50K by hitting crossbar (VIDEO)

A 13-year-old New Jersey boy is $50,000 richer after nailing a tricky soccer kick — and on live television, no less.

Roee Maor appeared on Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Sports 2015 awards show Thursday, where the challenge was to hit the crossbar of a soccer goal in front of a screaming crowd at the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

The high school freshman jumped for joy when he managed the trick shot, sending the ball into netting several feet above the goal. And Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who hosted the show, seemed just as excited when Maor pulled off the feat of fancy footwork.

Hit the bar, win $50,000? NO SWEAT FOR ROEE MAOR!!!!! 🏆⚽️🎊🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 #kidschoicesports https://t.co/SrY2vA2Wpr

— Nickelodeon (@NickelodeonTV) July 17, 2015

"It was insane, the amount of people that had questions for me or wanted to know my name," Maor told NorthJersey.com. "I would never imagine anything like that happening to me."

Don't know why hitting the crossbar earns a prize, but the teen is 50 Large richer because he did.

Seahawks fan's death blamed on 'lousy' Super Bowl call

The Seahawks' fatal last-second play call in Super Bowl XLIX caused plenty of heartbreak in Seattle. But it also may have killed more than the team's hopes for a second consecutive Lombardi Trophy.

The final line in the obituary for Michael Vedvik, who died of a heart attack early Monday morning, reads, "We blame the Seahawks lousy play call for Mike's untimely demise."

Good thing it was just Vedvik's family having the last laugh.

Vedvik's family says the 53-year-old didn't even get to see the game, much less the shocking finish in which the Seahawks elected to pass the ball from the one-yard line instead of having Marshawn Lynch run it in.

Thinking he had indigestion or was just suffering from stress, Vedvik recorded the game and went to get some rest at his home in Kent, Wash. He died of a heart attack at approximately 4 a.m., according to The Spokesman-Review.

OBITUARY: "We blame the Seahawks lousy play call for Mike’s untimely demise" http://t.co/Pl1qmdjTf8 pic.twitter.com/0ustFSsqlJ
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) February 5, 2015

The family told the newspaper that the final sentence in the obit was just a joke.

“My husband would have thought it was hysterical. If I had read this obituary to my husband about somebody else, he would have had a laugh," his wife, Stephanie Vedvik, told the Spokesman-Review.

"It was just so true because my husband would have said, 'What a dumbass.'"

Somewhere Pete Carroll isn't laughing.

Seahawks apologize for tweet comparing Martin Luther King Jr. to football

The Seattle Seahawks have apologized for a tweet that linked their incredible NFC championship game victory over the Green Bay Packers to Martin Luther King Jr.

On Monday, the national holiday celebrating the slain civil rights leader, the organization sent out a Twitter message that said, "We shall overcome." The tweet featured a picture of a tearful Russell Wilson, the team's quarterback, next to the famous quote from King and the hashtag MLKDay.

Later, the team deleted the tweet and sent out an apology for "poor judgment," adding it was not the intent to equate football to "the civil rights legacy of Dr. King."

On Sunday, the Seahawks rallied to defeat the Packers 28-22. They will face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

Ex-Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes trolls Patriots on Twitter

It wasn't long after the New England Patriots thumped the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7, in the AFC Championship Game, before one former New York Giant took to Twitter and trolled the winners.

The Patriots earned a trip to Super Bowl XLIX  against the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks but ex-Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes wanted to make sure they remembered the last two times the New Englanders made it to the big game

The Pats have learned to celebrate the hell out of those AFC Championships because the know what comes 2 weeks later. #0-2inGlendale
— Lawrence Tynes (@lt4kicks) January 19, 2015

And Tynes wasn't satisfied with just one infuriating slam. He had plenty more to say about the team his Giants beat twice.

The facts are the facts. I sense the 10 year frustration in these tweets. Enjoy the AFC ring ceremony. They should have the process down
— Lawrence Tynes (@lt4kicks) January 19, 2015

I sincerely love the passion. Although some of you are a little over the top, I get it. I am sure I will get this going again real soon
— Lawrence Tynes (@lt4kicks) January 19, 2015

At least the Pats will have more than this photo of David Tyree's Helmet Catch as added incentive now.

They'll have Tynes' prediction too:

Do you think @RSherman_25 will do the "You Mad Bro" Part II after the @Seahawks win the Super Bowl. #SuperBowl
— Lawrence Tynes (@lt4kicks) January 19, 2015

DEA Agents surprise NFL teams with drug checks after Sunday games: Report

Federal drug enforcement agents showed up unannounced Sunday to check at least three visiting NFL teams' medical staffs as part of an investigation into former players' claims that teams mishandled prescription drugs, according to the Washington Post.

The San Francisco 49ers' staff was checked at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, after they played the New York Giants. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' staff was checked at Baltimore-Washington International airport after playing the Redskins, reported the Post.

 The Seattle Seahawks, who played at Kansas City, confirmed via the team's Twitter account that they were spot-checked as well.

There were no arrests during the spot checks, said Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman, Rusty Payne, after the inspections. 

"DEA agents are currently interviewing NFL team doctors in several locations as part of an ongoing investigation into potential violations of the (Controlled Substances Act)," Payne said.

The nationwide probe is being directed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York — where the NFL is headquartered — but involves several U.S. attorney's offices.

The investigation was sparked by a lawsuit filed in May on behalf of former NFL players going back to 1968. The number of plaintiffs has grown to more than 1,200, including dozens who played as recently as 2012. Any violations of federal drug laws from 2009 forward could also become the subject of a criminal investigation because they would not be subject to the five-year statute of limitations.

The operation was still ongoing, and other teams may be checked later.

Seahawks mascot really...really likes punter Jon Ryan's girlfriend (PHOTO)

The Seattle Seahawks mascots found themselves in a couple of of public relations conundrums before Sunday's game against the Giants.

First, Taima the hawk got real cozy with a fan's shoulder.

But just when you thought things couldn't get more embarrassing, the human mascot, Blitz the Seahawk, goes and hits on a Seattle player's girlfriend — and it looks like he really is enjoying his selfie.

The tweet is from Seahawks punter Jon Ryan, and he makes no bones about how he feels about the feathered dude's PDA:

Hey Blitz next time u cozy up to my gf put that "situation" back in ur pants. pic.twitter.com/zQYNY5dHAQ
— Jon Ryan (@JonRyan9) November 10, 2014

At least Taima apologized for its indiscretion.

Two teams impacted by high school shooting invited to work out with Seahawks: Report

Usually out of the chaos of tragedy comes a little compassion and, in the case of the senseless shooting at a Washington high school, it also brings out the best in sportsmanship.

Just days after the WesCo North Division title matchup was canceled — and the Oak Harbor football team offered to forfeit the game and give its rival Marysville-Pilchuck first place in tribute — the Seattle Seahawks have now extended an offer to both squads to work out at the NFL team's facility before the high school gridders advance to the playoffs this Friday.

The Marysville-Pilchuck High School football team is already planning to practice with the Seahawks Tuesday after accepting an invitation from coach Pete Carroll.

The school — where the shootings took place —is about 30 miles from Seattle.

Carroll reached out to the football teams from both Marysville-Pilchuck and Oak Harbor after the deadly shooting Friday at Marysville-Pilchuck. It has not yet been worked out when Oak Harbor might be able to practice at the Seahawks’ facility in Renton, the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

Carroll said Monday the Seahawks wanted to do whatever they could to offer support to each school.

“Our hearts just opened immediately to try to help in any way that we can,’’ Carroll said. “When they are faced with an opportunity about a playoff situation and the other school decides to forfeit the game, what an extraordinary gesture. And I think it’s a gesture in every direction and an understanding and compassion that it’s good to be recognized. And we hope that we can do whatever we can in our support, our fans’ support.

“You feel so helpless but we wish that we could do something to ease the pain of all of the people that have been troubled.’’

Marysville-Pilchuck will play in the WesCo 3A championship game Friday while Oak Harbor plays host to Mountlake Terrace in a matchup of No. 2 seeds on the same night.

Mike Colbrese, executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, said someone in the Seahawks’ front office called the WIAA “to see if there are any restrictions on what they could do” for the teams.

“It’s not a violation of our rules and regulations,” said Colbrese, whose organization oversees high-school sports. “We don’t have any restrictions on where teams practice or play during the regular season. That’s up to them.”

Seahawks fan gets team logo on prosthetic eyeball (PHOTO)

It's hard to look Bill Vandenbush in the eye and not know which NFL team he roots for. That's because the die-hard Seattle Seahawks fan has the team's navy and neon logo printed on his prosthetic right eyeball.

“I had mentioned it to my wife. She wasn’t a big Seahawks fan,” Vandenbush said, as reported by KIRO-TV. “I said it’d be cool to have the Seahawks logo right there in my eye.”

So, when their 10th wedding anniversary rolled around on July 23, his wife surprised him with a new artificial eye featuring the Seahawks logo as the pupil.

Vandenbush — who has been a Seahawks fan since the team's inception in 1976 — ended up with the prosthetic eye as a result of his military tour in Vietnam, where he was "blown up and shot five times."

The vet ended up without a right eye and has to be fitted for a new eye every six years.

Vanderbush has a normal eye but he uses and plans to use the eye-catching Seahawks orb for "special occasions."

“Every game I'll have it in, or any gathering with Seahawks' fans present," he said.

And things have been looking pretty good for the Super Bowl champs.

Seattle Seahawks to try out second deaf player: Report

The Seattle Seahawks are planning to try out a second deaf player after the success of fullback Derrick Coleman. 

Coleman, who has been deaf since the age of three, helped Seattle win their first ever Super Bowl last February all while becoming an inspirational fan favorite.

Now, Seattle has invited another deaf player Adham Talaat to take part in a mini-camp in a bid to earn a spot on the team. 

The 23-year-old defensive end currently plays with tiny Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. which is a school for the deaf.

According to Seattle Post Intelligencer, Talaat is being given the opportunity to try out for the Seahawks after failing to be selected in the NFL draft last week.

Seattle was one of the six NFL teams that were present on April 9 for Talaat's Pro Day at Gallaudet, the first in school history.

The 6-foot-6 Talaat can run the 40 in under five seconds. He made 123 tackles over the course of last season, prompting the interest from Seattle. 

Talaat, like Coleman, failed to get picked during last week's draft although he is being offered a chance of making it to the highest level. 

Coleman wasn't during the draft twelve months earlier, but managed to impress Seattle's coaches at a special training camp.

Now, Talaat — who lost his hearing when he was an18-month-old — is being given the same opportunity. 

"The fact that Derrick Coleman is thriving in the NFL despite his hearing loss is opening eyes and doors in that aspect," said Talatt. 

"For every person that has ever been told the words: 'Deaf people can't do this, deaf people can't do that,' I want to be a living example that yes, they can."

"I don't view my hearing loss as any detriment or hindrance at all. I actually feel it is an advantage for me," reasoned Talaat.

"Crowd noise and trash talk does not faze me. An important point to consider is that NFL stadiums are loud. Players can't always hear each other, so they use signals or signs on the sidelines, which is non-verbal communication. That happens to be my specialty."

And it gets plenty loud inside CenturyLink Field.

Seattle doughnut shop tweets farewell to Golden Tate (PHOTO)

Former Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate recently signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Lions, ending a successful stint in Seattle. 

Seahawk fans will definitely miss the talented wideout, but one particular doughnut shop will miss him the most and tweeted him a sweet farewell.

@ShowtimeTate congratulations and wishing you all the best! Come back to visit someday! pic.twitter.com/EEnEsVmGSP
— Top Pot Doughnuts (@Toppot) March 12, 2014

To refresh your memory, when Tate was a rookie, he was caught by police at 3 a.m. for trespassing at Top Pot Doughnuts while searching for some freshly baked maple bars. Tate lived in the building above the shop and claimed he was so enticed by the smell of the pastries, he made the after-hours entry. 

According to Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times, Tate explained his reasoning for his early morning break-in: "They're irresistible. ... If you ever want some maple bars, that's the place to go."

You've been warned Detroit. Lock up your eclairs and baklava.

[bleacherreport]

Pete Carroll tweets premature jubilation over Phil Jackson's return to NBA

On Tuesday, Pete Carroll seemed to be the first person to break the story about Phil Jackson's return to the NBA. One problem. The Seattle coach's excited tweet was just a little premature.

Unless Carroll was sitting in on the talks between Knicks owner James Dolan and 11-time NBA Championship coach, that's all it was — talk.

Although The New York Post reported Jackson gave the Knicks a verbal commitment on Saturday, the team still will not comment on Jackson's status.

Congrats to Phil Jackson on his new role with the Knicks! It's good to have him back in the NBA!
— Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) March 11, 2014

But, to Carroll's credit, it looks like a done deal.

Omaha zoo names baby penguin after Peyton Manning (VIDEO)

Peyton Manning has endeared himself to Nebraskans with his pre-snap calls of "Omaha" but now another Peyton is ready to warm their hearts.

The Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha announced Sunday that it would name one of its five new penguin chicks born late last December after the Broncos quarterback who helped give Nebraska's largest city a little free publicity.

Peyton the penguin's name is a direct nod to the quarterback whom zoo officials and Nebraska Tourism wanted to honor with the name.

"We thought it would be a really 'cool' way to say thanks to Mr. Manning for using the word Omaha in his pre-snap chants," zoo director Dennis Pate said in a statement. "We hope that Mr. Manning and his family will consider coming to Nebraska to say hi to his namesake sometime in the near future.”

The Broncos beat the New England Patriots 26-16 Sunday to secure Manning's third trip to the Super Bowl, where they will face birds of another flock — the Seattle Seahawks  — at MetLife Stadium.

If the weather forecast is correct, penguin Peyton might want to give football Peyton a few tips on handling the cold temperatures.

Get used to seeing Richard Sherman boast for the next two weeks (VIDEO)

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman gave one of the most intense postgame interviews in recent memory after his team beat the San Francisco 49ers, 23-17, Sunday in the NFC Championship Game and advanced to Super Bowl XLVIII.

The third-year defender called out 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree, calling him a "sorry receiver" and telling him not to "ever talk about me."

And social media blew up after his rant.

Get used to seeing this clip ad nauseam for the next 13 days.

Golden Tate tries catching Skittles in his mouth and fails (GIF)

Seattle Seahawks receiver Golden Tate was ready for the Skittles shower after Marshawn Lynch's 40-yard touchdown run in the NFC Championship Game. 

When the Seattle fans started throwing Skittles onto the field (as is custom when Lynch scores at CenturyLink Field), Tate tried to taste the rainbow and failed.

Seahawks fans throw food at 49ers' NaVorro Bowman as he's carted off field (VIDEO)

The 49ers’ NaVorro Bowman suffered a nasty-looking injury (it’s a likely ACL tear) during a goal-line stand late in the fourth quarter, as he got his leg bent under him, apparently twisting his knee. He kept possession of a fumble, but the Seahawks players grabbed it away from him as he lay in pain, and officials awarded the ball to Seattle.

So Bowman, one of the best linebackers in the NFL, was carted off the field, his season apparently over … and as he passed the stands, Seahawks’ fans threw food at him.

San Francisco to dock cable cars for 49er-Seahawks game: Report

Sightseers who planned on riding San Francisco's famous cable cars or streetcars Sunday afternoon during the 49ers-Seahawks game or into the night might want adjust their travel plans.

That's because Muni wants to protect its historic rides from overzealous fans, vandals and other troublemakers who might get a bit too rowdy after the Niners win — or lose  — in Seattle. It also wants to protect joyous celebrants or angry losers from hurting themselves, reports the sfgate.

Talk about a San Francisco mis-treat.

The transit system will use buses on the cable car and some rail lines for at least the latter part of the NFC Championship game and through the night, said Paul Rose, a Municipal Transportation Agency spokesman.

Muni will stop service on the California cable car line at 2 p.m. with the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable cars running only between Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown beginning at 4 p.m.

That leaves handling the rowdy crowds up the buses and taxis.

Fox Sports will test infrared camera showing players' body temperatures during NFC title game: Report

Have you ever wondered just how frozen a frost-breathing football player was during a cold weather game while you were curled up on your toasty couch?

Well, now you'll know — Predator-style

Fox Sports has a few surprises lined for next month's cold weather Super Bowl telecast at MetLife Stadium, and the network plans to test them out during the San Francisco 49ers-Seattle Seahawks game at CenturyLink Field this Sunday.

The  network will use this weekend's NFC title game in Seattle to test an infrared camera that will show how players' body temperatures change throughout the game. The thermal-imaging shows a person's body heat with different colors — just how the movie extra-terrestrial saw his prey.

"I don't know what story that tells, but it might make for some pretty cool pictures," Eric Shanks, Fox Sports chief operating officer and executive producer, told the Television Critics Association on Monday.

He said another unspecified device will show how wind affects a quarterback or kicker.

Shanks said the network will also have more high-tech 4K cameras than ever before to zoom in for what he called "that definitive angle."

The network is touting the Feb. 2 game as "the coldest and boldest Super Bowl ever" in its advertising. Shanks said the pre-game timing will be altered slightly because of the temperature so people aren't on the field standing around too long waiting for the players to come out.

"We have spent a lot of time with the league going over contingency plans not unlike what we do for this weekend in Seattle," Shanks said, noting three NFL games on Fox this season were delayed because of weather.

"It's not like football isn't played in the cold. We were just in Green Bay," he added. "The NFL shouldn't be apologizing for a cold-weather Super Bowl. If this goes off well, I think we should give another Super Bowl to a cold-weather city. How great would it be to have a Super Bowl in Green Bay?"