Arizona Cardinals tag Darnell Dockett with six-figure fine

Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett has received a “six-figure” fine from the Cardinals for his behavior in the waning seconds in a 7-6 loss to the New York Jets last Sunday, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Friday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the punishment had not been made public. The exact size of the fine was not known and it was uncertain whether the punishment would impact Dockett’s participation Sunday in Seattle. NFL.com reported the amount as $200,000.

Dockett refused to go along with a coach’s directive to allow the Jets to score late in the game so the Cardinals could get the ball back and go for the tying touchdown. Dockett got into a heated on-field argument with safety Kerry Rhodes about it.

Dockett indicated in a tweet Friday night that he was appealing through the players’ union.

League fines Broncos’ Miller

Denver Broncos defensive end Von Miller topped the list of league fines, being charged $25,000 for his hit below the knee of Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman last Sunday. Miller was fined $21,000 last month for a similar infraction against Carolina quarterback Cam Newton.

Among the others to receive top fines was Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, who was charged $21,000 for a horse-collar tackle on Seattle’s Leon Washington, Urlacher’s second fine in two weeks.

Green Bay’s Tramon Williams and Jacksonville’s Jason Babin were each fined $21,000 for helmet-to-helmet hits in their games last Sunday.

Cribbs upset by talk of abolishing kickoffs

The possibility of the NFL abolishing the kickoff isn’t sitting well with the Cleveland Browns’ Josh Cribbs, who has returned eight kickoffs for touchdowns this season.

“They need to call it a different league if they do that,” Cribbs said. “It’ll change the game drastically.”

Earlier this week, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league’s competition committee will consider eliminating kickoffs in the off-season. In an effort to reduce head injuries and protect players, the league previously moved the kickoff from the 30- to 35-yard line to cut down on violent collisions.

Tampa Bay Coach Greg Schiano has suggested that instead of kickoffs, teams would have the option of punting from the 30-yard line and going for a first down in a fourth-and-15 situation. While he coached at Rutgers, Schiano witnessed one of his players, Eric LeGrand, get paralyzed on a kickoff in 2010.

Tebow a game-time decision

New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan said it will be a game-time decision whether backup quarterback Tim Tebow plays in his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., against the Jaguars on Sunday. “As far as Tim is concerned, we want to make sure,” Ryan said. “He’s done more this week in practice, quite a bit more. We want to see how he travels and what he feels like on game day.”

Team doctors will determine before the game whether Tebow, healing from two broken ribs will play. If Tebow can play, Ryan said it’s possible all three quarterbacks — Mark Sanchez, Greg McElroy and Tebow — could be active for this first time this season.

Etc.

The Jaguars have ruled wide receiver Cecil Shorts out for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets due to concussion symptoms.

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Tennessee middle linebacker Colin McCarthy will miss his second consecutive game because of a concussion, and his sixth overall, when the Titans visit the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. McCarthy was held out of practice Friday after practicing some Wednesday and Thursday.

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The Green Bay Packers ruled out linebacker Clay Matthews (hamstring), safety Charles Woodson (collarbone), receiver Jordy Nelson (hamstring), running back James Starks (knee) and defensive end C.J. Wilson (knee) for the game Sunday.

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Running back Frank Gore and cornerback Tarell Brown took a little time off to heal nagging injuries but both are expected to play when the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

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Atlanta Falcons strong safety William Moore and cornerback Asante Samuel missed practice Friday for the third straight day and are questionable for the game Sunday at Carolina.

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Although police initially called a fan’s fall during the Raiders-Broncos game Thursday an accident, law enforcement officials said Friday that the fan appeared to deliberately jump from the upper deck at the Oakland.