Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher apparently killed his girlfriend Saturday and then took his own life, the latter death having unfolded in the presence of general manager Scott Pioli and two coaches. The tragedy leaves a three-month-girl orphaned and a team and the larger NFL community in shock.

[Related: Police say the Chiefs' Jovan Belcher kills girlfriend, takes own life]

At this point, I would love not to focus on a football game, specifically the one slated to take place Sunday at noon Central time between the Chiefs and Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what I'm doing because the game is expected to be played as scheduled.

I'm appalled that the team and league are sticking to the script, and I question the logic behind the decision. Pardon my skepticism, and that of one Chiefs player who predicted this in the wake of the tragedy: "It's all about money," he said.

In this particular situation, it shouldn't

Read More »from NFL making mistake by allowing Panthers-Chiefs game to go on as scheduled

Thanks to the 2012 NFL season's most sudden and surprising quarterback switch, San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh has become a polarizing figure. With the Niners (8-2-1) closing in on a second consecutive NFC West title and Colin Kaepernick having displaced Alex Smith, Harbaugh's handling of a delicate situation will be hotly debated until San Francisco's season is complete.

Even after Smith's mildly frustrated comments to reporters Thursday about losing his starting job following a concussion, Harbaugh's dramatic move has yet to mushroom into a full-blown locker-room controversy.

Had Harbaugh been confronted with a similar situation during his 14-year career as an NFL quarterback, however, some of his former teammates believe the fiery competitor would not have accepted his demotion so gracefully.

Jim Harbaugh has given the nod to second-year QB Colin Kaepernick ... at least for another week. (Getty Images)"Now that he's the coach, he's handling it like a coach is supposed to," said Ray Buchanan, a standout cornerback who played with Harbaugh on the Indianapolis Colts from Read More »from Ex-teammates doubt Jim Harbaugh would have quietly accepted demotion if in Alex Smith's shoes

When the Baltimore Ravens showed up for work on Halloween morning, coach John Harbaugh presented them with a piece of news that was the football equivalent of passing out parched apple slices to trick-or-treaters: The Ravens would be practicing in full pads later that afternoon.

Groans filled the auditorium at the team's training facility. October had been a rough month for Baltimore, which 10 days earlier had suffered a 43-13 defeat to the Houston Texans — the most lopsided loss in Harbaugh's five seasons as coach — before taking a bye-week break. The Ravens' most respected leader, legendary linebacker Ray Lewis, was back at home in Florida, having suffered a torn triceps on Oct. 14 that seemed destined to end his season.

Practicing in pads did not go over well with some of Baltimore's other veterans, including safeties Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard, and several of them openly challenged Harbaugh's edict. Rather than squashing the mini-uprising, the coach welcomed the

Read More »from John Harbaugh kept Ravens on track despite near 'mutiny' at meeting in October

SAN DIEGO — Joe Flacco kept his eyes locked upfield, surveyed his options and saw a powder-blue wall of resistance standing between the Baltimore Ravens and survival. In what looked more like an act of resignation than realistic aerial attack, Flacco flipped a short pass to halfback Ray Rice at the Ravens' 39-yard line — two yards past the line of scrimmage, and more than a quarter of a football field away from a seemingly futile first down.

Then, football's equivalent of a massive seismic event occurred: Rice eluded three Chargers defenders, fought through a collision with another who'd been involuntarily launched, and lunged forward while being dragged down by two tacklers. He ended up just past the first-down marker, and a team that's been defying logic all season had just given the NFL another unlikely jolt. After surviving an excruciating replay reversal that left them inches from defeat, the Ravens parlayed their unlikely fourth-and-29 conversion into a game-tying field Read More »from Morning Rush: LB Ray Lewis could rejoin Ravens as early as Week 15 clash against Broncos

Back in his early days as the Cincinnati Bengals' franchise quarterback, Carson Palmer used to daydream away his offseasons by staring at a pocket schedule and envisioning how each of the 16 impending matchups would play out.

If he has been harboring any hopeful fantasies about his return to Paul Brown Stadium Sunday as a member of the Oakland Raiders, Palmer isn't delusional enough to believe he'll receive a warm welcome.

Carson Palmer with Bengals coach Marvin Lewis during the 2010 season, the QB's last in Cincy. (US Presswire)"I have a pretty good feeling how that's going to go," Palmer told reporters earlier this week. "We'll wait and see Sunday at 1."

Palmer was smiling as he spoke. The veteran quarterback knows what's coming: A hearty chorus of boos from a fan base stung by his refusal to remain a part of the Bengals' organization following the 2010 season.

I can understand why Cincinnati fans would feel like venting their bitterness toward Palmer, but their enmity is misguided. If anything, they should be welcoming him back to the Queen City with a warm

Read More »from Instead of booing Carson Palmer, Bengals fans should be thankful that he left town

SAN FRANCISCO — A star was born at Candlestick Park on Monday night, along with a full-fledged quarterback controversy and, perhaps, the makings of a Super Bowl-caliber offense.

In a game that underscored exactly why so many NFL players try to fight through concussion symptoms to stay on the field, the San Francisco 49ers' aerial attack got an unexpected surge in a 32-7 victory over the Chicago Bears. As 49ers quarterback Alex Smith stood on the sidelines watching backup Colin Kaepernick tear up the Bears in his first NFL start, he may have spotted his job security blowing away in the chilly Bay breeze.

As 49ers owner Jed York asked rhetorically following the game, "What do you think the headlines will be tomorrow?"

Colin Kaepernick celebrates with TE Vernon Davis after they connected on a first-quarter TD. (AP)York knows the deal. So does 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, whose postgame comments about which quarterback will start next Sunday's game against the Saints in New Orleans were purposely noncommittal. And if Smith's head doesn't still hurt from the

Read More »from Colin Kaepernick creates Niners QB controversy with incredible outing against Bears

OAKLAND, Calif. – For Drew Brees, the beauty was in the chase.

On Sunday, Brees stood triumphantly on the New Orleans Saints' sideline at the O.co Coliseum and relished the sight of his backup, Chase Daniel, closing out a 38-17 victory over the Oakland Raiders with a 19-yard dash around right end.

It was a play that told you everything you need to know about a suddenly energized Saints team which, after a disastrous first month, has climbed back to .500 and into the playoff hunt. And it made Brees believe that his football soulmate, exiled coach Sean Payton, was sending telepathic high-fives from afar.

Drew Brees greets RB Mark Ingram after he scored a touchdown on a 27-yard run in the third quarter. (AP)"Oh, he would've been proud," Brees said of Payton following New Orleans' third consecutive victory and fifth in six games. "He would've gotten a kick out of Chase turning the corner there to seal the deal. He would've loved it."

Chances are that the rest of the NFL's players and coaches, particularly those employed by the NFC's other postseason contenders, were

Read More »from Morning Rush: Drew Brees, Saints catching fire and pose threat to rest of NFC

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Eight months ago, the New York Jets made a significant organizational decision, outbidding two other franchises to land quarterback Tim Tebow in a high-profile trade.

Now, with the Jets (3-6) in freefall and starter Mark Sanchez struggling, many outsiders are wondering whether Tebow can somehow save the season. In the wake of a 28-7 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks in which Sanchez completed 9 of 22 passes for 124 yards, with a red-zone interception and a fumble, at least some people on the inside are advocating a quarterback switch as well.

Tim Tebow has thrown six passes this season. (Getty Images)"Something's got to change," Jets running back Shonn Greene told Yahoo! Sports. "When you get to the point where you're 3-6, and losing and losing, a couple of guys are like, 'Oh, what would happen [if Tebow played]?' But guys at the same time have faith in Mark, so it's kind of an up-and-down thing.

"You feel bad for Mark, but at the same time you want to win games. We're not here to protect people's

Read More »from Jets RB Shonn Greene is right: Time for team to hand ball to 'terrible' Tim Tebow