NFL

How does it feel to be the BEST tight end in Fantasy Football?

It actually SUCKS when you don't own yourself! Just ask Eric Ebron!

The Indianapolis Colts tight end is having a crazy year -- with 7 TDs (more than any other TE in football) and no signs of slowing down!

So, what's the problem? Eric says he loves to play FF -- but this year, his best friend drafted him before he could draft himself ... and the points he's been putting up are killing him!

Remember that game against the Patriots where Ebron had 9 grabs for 105 yards and 2 scores? Yeah, Eric says he was playing his buddy that week.

The good news -- Eric says he's having a blast playing with the Colts and LOVES his new QB Andrew Luck, telling TMZ Sports he believes Luck's the best in the league right now.

In fact, Ebron says the two have really bonded since he came to Indy from the Detroit Lions -- they sit together in meetings, they run routes before practice and they get along outside the office.

"He's like a nerdy goofball," Ebron jokes ... noting that Luck's one of the hardest working dudes in the league.

Terrell Owens is sick of the excuses in New York -- and says the Giants need to suck it up and BENCH Eli Manning already ... because it's obvious he just ain't got it anymore.

"Odell can't perform because the quarterback is not performing. So, they should basically replace the quarterback," the Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports.

"I mean, if it was anybody else, any other quarterback, he would have already been replaced. So, at this point, give someone else an opportunity."

And, to the people calling Eli a "legend" -- Owens has a bone to pick with them too.

"He's won a couple of Super Bowls, but I wouldn't put him in the legendary status. I wouldn't put him in that legend status as of yet ... no disrespect."

Owens also says he's sick of people blaming Eli's offensive line -- saying other quarterbacks in the league have similar problems ... but elite players find a way to win.

"You have special players that are behind those not so great lines that can make something out of nothing. Eli's not one of those types of quarterbacks. He needs protection."

But, the bottom line for Owens -- "[Eli's] skills are pretty much eroding and he's not really giving the guys an opportunity."

One last thing, even though he's a Hall of Famer, 44-year-old Owens is trying to get a roster spot with the Buffalo Bills ... and he's even rocking the hat to curry favor with management.

Question: How do you block the Rams' D-line now that it's added Dante Fowler to the mix??

Answer: YOU DON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least, that's what Todd Gurley's saying ... 'cause when we got the Rams superstar out in L.A. after his squad added the ex-Jags' pass-rusher -- he gushed over the former top-5 pick.

"I like Dante Fowler, man," Gurley says ... "He's the best!"

Then ... T.G. told us exactly how O-linemen can block his defense's front now.

"YOU CAN'T!!!"

Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Ndamukong Suh AND Fowler?? Yeah, Todd ain't wrong.

All 4 of the guys are former 1st-round NFL Draft picks -- and Donald is currently leading the NFL with 10 sacks.

The Rams got 24-year-old Fowler from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a trade on Tuesday -- the Jags will get the Rams' 2019 3rd round draft pick and the 2020 5th round pick.

Fowler will become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Fowler has a ton of talent but has had a bunch of off-the-field issues ever since he was drafted back in 2015.

Kellen Winslow Jr. is finally speaking against allegations he raped 3 women -- claiming, "I'm an innocent man."

The 35-year-old ex-NFL star appeared in court in San Diego on Tuesday to face multiple felony charges including kidnapping and forcible rape. If convicted on all counts, he faces life in prison.

Remember, he was initially arrested back in June. Officials say he kidnapped and raped 2 transient women. A 3rd woman claims Winslow raped her 15 years ago while she was unconscious.

Outside the courtroom, Winslow finally commented on the allegations to FOX 5 -- saying, "I’m innocent."

"To the people who know me out there, who know what type of person I am, know my character, my NFL friends and family, just my regular friends and family ... they know who I am. And I’m an innocent guy. I’m an innocent man."

When asked about his accusers, Winslow said, "It’s a money grab. It's a money grab and unfortunately, that’s the society we live in now. That's alI I got."

Winslow played in the NFL from 2004 to 2013 -- and made the Pro Bowl in 2007 as a tight end for the Cleveland Browns.

It's the day before Halloween and Tom Brady still has NO IDEA what his costume's gonna be ... but TB12's keepin' calm in the pocket, 'cause he's leaving it all up to Gisele!!

ICYMI ... the superstar couple went viral with their avocado toast costume last year (which we pretty much assumed was Gisele's idea at the time).

But, Brady came clean during his weekly interview with "Kirk & Callahan" on WEEI about how much he contributed to the couple's outfit selection this year ... and it seems like the dude's been spending too much time in the film room to give much effort.

"I gotta check in with the missus. I don't know what she got," Brady says. "That hasn't been on my radar, unfortunately."

"She got something, so ... I'll ask her today."

Nothin' like a good ole 2-minute drill, Halloween edition, from Brady.

There's more ... Brady was asked about his upcoming match-up with Aaron Rodgers ... and Brady says he's been inspired by the Packers QB.

Cool candid moment between Kirk Cousins and Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday -- when the new Vikings QB told the old Vikings QB how they REALLY feel about him in Minnesota these days.

Teddy and the Saints were in Minnesota to play Kirk and the Vikings -- but after the game, Cousins tracked down Bridgewater and told him what the Vikings execs have been saying behind his back.

"Everyone here speaks really highly of you," Kirk said to Teddy ... "You left a good mark on the organization."

Yeah, they love him!

Of course, Bridgewater -- the Vikings' 2014 1st-round pick -- WAS the future of Minnesota ... before a gnarly knee injury nearly ended his football career in 2016.

Teddy fought to get back onto the field ... but wasn't able to start a game for Minnesota after the 2015 season and moved on to the Jets this offseason.

Bridgewater is now Drew Brees' backup after the Saints traded for him in the preseason ... and if you're listening to Cousins -- everyone in purple and gold couldn't be happier for him.

Ben Roethlisberger and his wife -- along with several Steelers players -- attended funeral services for two brothers killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting on Tuesday ... in support of a close friend and former team staffer.

Cecil and David Rosenthal -- brothers to ex-Steelers community relations manager Michele Rosenthal -- were murdered when an anti-Semitic shooter opened fire inside the Tree of Life synagogue on Saturday.

Among the guests who attended the services at Rodef Shalom Congregation -- head coach Mike Tomlin, linebacker Ryan Shazier and Steelers legend Troy Polamalu attended the funeral.

The entire city seems to be rallying around the victims and their families. As we previously reported, the Pittsburgh Penguins will honor the victims with a special patch on their uniforms tonight.

Von Miller says he's HURT by the Demaryius Thomas trade from the Broncos to the Texans ... saying in a lengthy goodbye letter, "I can’t believe this is real!"

Denver shipped D.T. and a 7th-round pick to Houston on Tuesday for 4th and 7th-round picks in return ... and Miller was so sad about it, he took to his social media page to vent.

"These last 8 years have been incredible," Von wrote ... "I love you bro. I’m hurt, no doubt. I can’t be too hurt because every chance I got to tell you I love you, did just that."

"From our time together off the field, to our time on it. You are a brother to me, and 'Blood couldn’t make us any closer' LOVE ETERNALLY!"

Of course ... Demaryius and Miller were back-to-back Broncos 1st-round picks in 2010 and 2011 -- and helped lead the team to a Super Bowl title in 2016 over the Panthers.

For their part ... the Broncos issued a goodbye to the wideout as well, saying, "Demaryius will always be a part of the Denver Broncos family."

11:38 AM PT -- New info directly from police ...

The Weehawken PD says Lauletta was driving a 2017 Jaguar in a "dangerous manner" around 8 AM.

When an officer tried to stop him, the QB "attempted to evade him, making an illegal turn and continuing towards Route 495, almost striking the officer."

Another officer then stopped Lauletta -- but the QB "refused various instructions to produce his driving credentials and exit his vehicle."

Lauletta was then arrested and charged with 3rd degree eluding police, obstructing administration of law, resisting arrest, reckless driving, disregarding an officer's directions, improper turn and failure to remain in a marked lane.

There's more ... cops say upon further investigation, they realized the 2017 Jaguar registered to the QB was involved in a similar incident the previous day.

Cops say a summons for the previous incident was sent by mail since the car left the scene.

Kyle Lauletta -- the NY Giants backup quarterback -- was arrested in New Jersey early Tuesday morning on his way to practice, law enforcement confirms to TMZ Sports.

The 23-year-old was pulled over in Weehawken -- and allegedly failed to obey a police officer's directions, according to NJ.com.

Lauletta reportedly came close to striking the officer with his car.

NY Giants head coach Pat Shurmur issued a statement saying, “We were made aware of the situation this morning, and we have been in contact with Kyle. We are still in the process of gathering information. This is obviously very disappointing.”

Lauletta is a rookie out of the University of Richmond. The Giants selected him in the 4th round of the 2018 Draft.

With the Giants playing like garbage this season, there has been a push for Shurmur to start Lauletta over Eli Manning when they face the 49ers on Nov. 12.

Story developing ...

Hue Jackson deserved to be canned after two-plus seasons of losing AND looking like crap against the Steelers on Sunday ... so says Browns legend Earnest Byner.

It's nothing against Hue personally -- E.B. tells us the coach couldn't have been a nicer dude and even let him intern with the team recently -- but Byner says it was just time for him to go.

"I didn't like how that team looked," Earnest says ... "You'd have to say this firing has been earned."

Of course, lots of people in Cleveland would agree ... Hue was 3-36-1 since taking over the head coaching reigns back in 2016.

But, Byner's questioning how the Browns' brass even allowed Hue to make it into the start of THIS season.

"You wonder what was the process of what made them bring Hue back, especially after going through so much losing."

Is it possible a kicker could wait LESS time than Terrell Owens did to get into the Hall of Fame???

Morten Andersen clearly thinks so ... 'cause the legendary Saints kicker says there's no doubt Adam Vinatieri will be a 1st-ballot HOFer after setting the all-time points mark Sunday.

"Adam's resume is very strong," Morten tells TMZ Sports.

"That's going to be validated, that's going to be confirmed once he decides to hang up his cleats and waits the obligatory 5 years. He'll be in Canton, Ohio."

Of course, that'd be unprecedented. Only 5 kickers have ever made it to the Hall ... and Andersen -- who held the all-time points record at 2,544 before A.V. beat it -- had to wait a decade to get in.

But, Morten thinks Vinatieri is just that good, saying, "He's done it in big games. He's won Super Bowls!"

We also talked with Andersen about field-goal kicking nowadays vs. back when he played ... and he tells us he can't believe some of the yardage dudes are consistently nailing from now.

But ... when we asked Morten for the longest field goal he's ever drilled ... he tells us he once made one FROM HIS OWN 36-YARD LINE!!!!!!!!

Another head coach just got the axe in Cleveland -- Hue Jackson has been fired by the Browns after the team racked up its 5th loss of the season.

The 53-year-old has been the head coach of the Browns since 2016 -- but they've been historically TERRIBLE ever since he took over ... 3-36-1 over the last 3 seasons.

Of course, the team went 0-16 last year but had expected big things after bringing on studs like Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry and others this season.

But, it ain't working out -- the Browns are 2-5-1 this season and things look bad.

Now, Jackson is out (as first reported by Adam Schefter) ... and the Browns are once again a team in dismay.

Bad Fun Fact -- when it comes to career winning percentage, Jackson ranks 218th out of 219 coaches in NFL history who've coached at least 40 games in their career.

Not good.

Maybe the only guy happier than Todd Gurley after the Rams game Sunday -- YG ... 'cause the rap star WENT OFF on his way out of the stadium -- trollin' every Packers fan he could find!!!

Gurley, Jared Goff and L.A. rolled to their 8th straight win, beating Green Bay, 29-27 ... and YG was there to take it all in -- and made sure Pack fans knew about the "L" afterward.

"WHOSE HOUSE?!?!! RAMS HOUSE!!!!" YG screamed on his way to the parking lot.

The rapper didn't stop there ... yelling at every cheesehead in attendance to tell Aaron Rodgers to go back to Wisconsin.

BTW ... the "Big Bank" spitter ain't a bandwagon fan -- dude's been there all season ... remember when he celebrated a TD with Robert Woods in Week 4??

Jermaine Dupri says artists like Jay-Z and Rihanna, who've boycotted the Super Bowl, have it all wrong ... because they missed out on an opportunity to promote their cause on the biggest stage.

Rihanna reportedly turned down the halftime show this year and Hov told the NFL to kick rocks last year, all because both artists have MAJOR issues with the league's treatment of Colin Kaepernick.

The Super Bowl is in ATL this year ... Dupri's stomping grounds ... and he tells TMZ Sports he thinks the platform of the Super Bowl is more valuable than a boycott.

"Boycotts and marches don't seem like they work to me, I'm sorry. I think they should send a message while they're onstage, take advantage of your platform."

Dupri says it's totally cool NOT to do the Super Bowl in protest as well, but makes it clear that further conversation does more good than ignoring it.

Don't give Tom Brady the brown just yet -- Terry Bradshaw LAUGHED when we suggested the Patriots QB is the greatest football player of all time ... and then named 3 guys he thinks are better.

It's becoming a big debate -- where does Tom fall on the NFL's G.O.A.T. list? Tim Tebow previously told us he thinks TB12 is "probably" #1.

He's got the resume -- 5 Super Bowl rings. 8 AFC championships. 3 NFL MVPs. 4 Super Bowl MVP. 13 Pro Bowls.

But, Bradshaw says it ain't enough to jump 3 offensive legends -- and he didn't mention Lawrence Taylor, who a lot of people argue could easily be the best ever.

"You guys are too quick to anoint someone 'The Greatest,'" Bradshaw told us.

The man who got beat up by Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler claims he needs surgery to repair his injuries from the 2017 attack ... so now he's suing the NFL player.

As we previously reported Fowler confronted and attacked Alvin Trotman on July 18, 2017 after a dispute in an apartment complex parking lot in Florida.

Trotman claims he was innocently strolling through with groceries when he witnessed Fowler almost hit another car. Trotman admits he made a comment to Fowler, who then got out of his car and said, "What did you say, bitch?"

Trotman says Fowler punched him in the face, stomped on his prescription glasses, stole his grocery bag and threw it in a nearby lake.

Fowler was arrested and convicted in the subsequent battery case and was sentenced to a year probation.

But, Trotman says he's still really injured from the attack -- with damage to his back and a torn rotator cuff that requires surgery.

Trotman also claims he suffers from humiliation and mental anguish, and he wants Fowler to pony up a check to make things right.