NFL

Santana Moss says he has the PERFECT candidate to replace Jay Gruden on the Redskins ... telling TMZ Sports Gregg Williams would KILL IT as headman in D.C.!

Of course, Moss is a bit biased ... he was playing receiver for the 'Skins while Williams was the defensive coordinator there back in the early 2000s.

But, Moss says that's exactly why he's pounding the table for Gregg after Gruden's firing Monday ... saying his time with Williams has convinced him the 61-year-old should be Dan Snyder's next hire.

"I watched our defense for years," Moss says ... "One year, we had a lot of missing bodies out there -- like, key guys. And, he made us a contender."

Moss says Williams' defenses were so inspiring, it actually made the offense play better ... telling us, "He implemented what we needed as a culture."

Williams is currently the defensive coordinator in New York ... but it seems like he might be available for hire in 2020, 'cause the Jets are currently terrible.

And -- even though Williams is seemingly constantly surrounded by controversy (see Bountygate and the 2019 Odell Beckham drama) ... he does have a SERIOUSLY impressive resume.

Stud running back Jeff Wilson says the Niners are LOVING the shade doubters are throwing their way after their 3-0 start ... he tells TMZ Sports SF's using it as motivation!!!

"It's cool," Wilson says ... "That can continue to be our fuel."

The Niners are off to a piping hot start this season ... but with their trio of wins coming against the Buccaneers, Steelers and Bengals -- people aren't quite sold on them yet.

When we spoke with Wilson -- he told us he's fine with that ... saying it'll "continue to motivate us."

But, Jeff tells us he's also trying not to pay too much attention to any of the outside noise ... saying the Niners have a great locker room that doesn't need outside validation.

"We just going to keep on working on ourselves, man," Wilson says.

"And, just going out and playing every Sunday and leaving it all on the field and whatever else anybody got to say or feel their opinion is, it'll be that."

The Niners have a chance to shut up some of the doubters on "Monday Night Football" against the Browns ... a lot of people would consider that a huge win for the Bay Area squad.

As for Wilson's personal game on the field ... he's killing it this year with 4 TDs on just 18 carries -- and he tells us fantasy owners everywhere are LOVING him!!!

Antonio Brown isn't giving up on his pro football career ... the embattled WR is still training as if he's expecting to get back on the field this season -- despite some major obstacles.

AB posted footage on Monday showing him working out on a football field in the Fort Lauderdale area ... near his 84/7 training facility.

The workout comes days after the NFL Player's Association reportedly filed a grievance on his behalf, seeking $40 million from the Patriots and Raiders in unpaid salary, fines and unpaid guarantees.

Of course, Brown was cut by BOTH teams earlier this season over bizarre off-the-field conduct.

The Raiders cut bait back in Sept. after a dispute with GM Mike Mayock led to AB secretly recording a phone call with head coach Jon Gruden. Brown posted the call to social media.

The Patriots picked him up hours after the Raiders let him go ... but days later a lawsuit was filed against the WR alleging multiple incidents of sexual assault, including violent rape. The NFL has since launched its own investigation into the allegations.

The Jay Gruden era in Washington is finally over ... the Redskins fired the head coach after losing its 5th game in 5 weeks.

Surprised? No way. Washington (0-5) has been garbage this season ... and last season. And, the season before that.

But, losing to the New England Patriots at home on Sunday was the final straw for owner Dan Snyder, who fired the 52-year-old just hours after the game.

The team issued a statement saying, "Through the first five games of the 2019 season, the team has clearly not performed up to expectations, and we all share in that responsibility."

Vontaze Burfict, listen up ... Shawne Merriman's got the PERFECT job for you while you serve your NFL suspension -- a contract to fight in his MMA league!!!

"He's going to have a lot of time on his hands and he needs to put it to good use," Merriman tells TMZ Sports. "So, bring some of that aggression over here!"

Merriman currently helps run the Lights Out Xtreme Fighting league ... and he tells us he's straight-up ready to get the troubled Raiders linebacker a scrap in his cage.

And, why? The ex-Chargers superstar says it's pretty clear ... Burfict is a BAD man -- and he could be a seriously entertaining MMA fighter.

"I just talked to my partners right now," Merriman tells us. "We want to make Vontaze Burfict an offer to come and fight."

Of course, Burfict ain't exactly out of NFL options just yet ... he's still in the process of appealing the season-long suspension the league just handed down to him this week.

But, if the NFL does uphold its initial decision ... Merriman seems all-in on the idea of seeing him scrap in the LXF, telling us, "We got a place for you!"

Rams legend Isaac Bruce ain't going to get on his hands and knees and beg to be in the Hall of Fame ... he tells us his numbers are enough to do all the talking necessary!!!

"I can't do any cartwheels or backwards flips to make people notice me," Bruce says ...

"When introducing me, I always say just put my numbers up front and let the numbers speak for the career that I had."

Bruce -- a 16-year NFL vet -- is widely considered one of the biggest Hall of Fame snubs ... and, in fact, Nate Burleson just told us this week Isaac IS the biggest HoF snub.

But, voters have disagreed -- despite Bruce's wild numbers (1,024 receptions, 15,208 receiving yards, 91 TDs) -- 'cause Isaac's been kept out of Canton for YEARS.

But, Bruce tells us he's staying patient throughout this whole process ... saying he's confident he'll get in at some point.

Does Seattle Seahawks legend Shaun Alexander deserve a bust in Canton?

Nate Burleson says the ex-running back definitely deserves consideration for it ... telling TMZ Sports, "Not first ballot, but should you consider him second ballot? Yeah."

Shaun rushed for 9,429 yards and 100 TDs in 119 career games for the Seahawks from 2000 to 2007. He also won the league MVP in 2005.

But, most NFL experts believe he's NOT a Hall of Famer ... saying he just didn't do enough for long enough to be among the league's all-time legends.

So, when we got Burleson -- who played with Shaun in Seattle in 2006 and 2007 -- we had to get his thoughts on Shaun's candidacy ... and he broke it all down for us.

"With Shaun Alexander, there's three tiers," Nate says. "Was he one of the best of his draft class? Yes. Was he one of the best of his era? Yes."

"And, can you write the story of football without him? That might be up for debate."

Nate says because of all that ... he believes HOF voters should definitely take a deeper look at Shaun when the next round of voting begins, telling us, "He should be considered."

TMZ Sports has obtained surveillance video of the moment NFL D-lineman Darius Philon allegedly pulled a gun on women in a strip club parking lot ... but it's unclear if the guy ever committed the crime.

Earlier this summer ... a woman accused Philon -- a 25-year-old who was playing for the Arizona Cardinals at the time -- of threatening to shoot her and her friend in a strip club parking lot.

In the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, the woman alleges that on May 17 ... she was dancing at V-Live in Phoenix, Arizona when Darius asked her and her friend to come to his car so he could pay her.

She alleges that when they got to his car ... he pulled a gun on them, pointed it at their chests and said, "Which one of you wants a bullet?"

She says when she told him to put the gun down and went to the other side of her friend ... he pointed the gun at her a second time.

In the surveillance video ... you can see Philon clearly speaking with the two women -- but it's difficult to tell if he ever brandishes a weapon.

Cops launched an investigation ... and eventually arrested Philon on Aug. 9 -- booking the 6-foot-1, 286-pounder for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

A day later, the Cardinals cut Philon.

But, Philon is still waiting to receive formal charges in the case ... a rep for the Maricopa County Attorney's office tells us, "We received the case for review less than a week ago and are currently reviewing it for a charging decision."

Philon -- who's still an NFL free agent searching for another team -- signed a 2-year deal worth $10 MILLION with the Cards just months before his August release.

Odell Beckham says he had a golden opportunity to retaliate against Marlon Humphrey after Sunday's choking incident ... but chose not to fight back because "it's not MMA."

The Cleveland Browns WR says he was fined by the NFL for the incident -- even though he claims he was not the aggressor and was only defending himself.

But, Beckham says things could have been WAYYYY worse ... if he wasn't such a mature and restrained person.

"There was an opportunity for me to really take things way further," Beckham said.

"He was on the ground, I was standing up still. And, I kind of just let the moment pass."

Beckham says the decision to NOT fight back shows how mature he is now -- "I've come a long way. I probably would have been suspended for the next game if I would have done what I wanted to do."

He added, "This is football, this isn't MMA. This isn't 'Street Fighter.' It's a different story."

Of course, the big dispute is whether or not Marlon actually choked Beckham -- something the Ravens have said did NOT happen.

Beckham deflected when asked straight up about the strangulation ... "I don't know. We grown ass men."

"We get hit every day. We get hit by 300 pounders. I’m good."

Beckham also griped about the fighting fine from the NFL ... saying he's sick and tired of the league taking money out of his pockets.

"I understand the penalty, getting fined for that. But, pants above your knees or a shirt hanging out, we’re talking about a t-shirt that cost $5 to make and you’re getting $5,000 taken from you.”

The Miami Dolphins might suck, but it's still good to be Josh Rosen ... who left an L.A. hotspot Thursday night with a very attractive lady on his arm!!!

Rosen's Dolphins are on a bye week so the QB decided to catch a plane back to his hometown where he was spotted on a double date with his longtime buddy, Scotty McKnight.

The duo left with two hot chicks ... but we haven't been able to identify them yet.

If McKnight looks familiar, it's because he not only was drafted by the NY Jets back in the day, but he's also kind of a Hollywood big shot who famously dated "Gossip Girl" star Jessica Szohr.

Robert Kraft's helicopter did NOT destroy a college field when he landed before the Pats vs. Bills game this past weekend ... the damage was "minimal," according to multiple sources.

Here's the deal ... Kraft's chopper touched down on the football field at Erie Community College on Sunday, right before the Pats took on the Bills in Buffalo.

There were reports the helicopter damaged the football field, causing divots that may have led to a problem when ECC played their next football game.

But, we reached out to multiple people connected to the situation -- including ECC -- and were assured by multiple parties the extent of the damage was "overblown."

We're told there WAS some minor damage to the field -- and the Buffalo Bills sent their groundskeeping crew over to check it out -- but it didn't exactly require a massive effort to fix.

An ECC rep tells us the guys just stomped some dirt in the divots and it successfully remedied the issue. The rep says, "There wasn't even $100 in damage."

We're also told the field is in fine condition for ECC's next game and it doesn't seem like anyone has any problems with Kraft or the Patriots.

Ex-NFL star Fred Smoot -- who played for the Vikings and Redskins -- was arrested in Virginia on Thursday and TMZ Sports has the pics.

Law enforcement tells us, 40-year-old Smoot was taken into custody in Loudoun County around 7:15 PM local time.

A witness says multiple cops were waiting for Smoot at his home when the ex-NFL player arrived there. He was placed in handcuffs and taken to a nearby station where he was booked into county jail.

We're told Smoot was taken in on outstanding warrant stemming from a failure to appear in court in Sept. for a previous issue. Unclear what the previous issue is at this point, but we're working on it.

Smoot was previously arrested in Washington D.C. in 2014 for domestic violence stemming from an issue with his girlfriend. But, when the case went in front of a judge in 2015, he was found not guilty.

Besides being a pretty solid defensive back, Smoot was famously involved in the Minnesota Vikings "Love Boat" scandal back in Oct. 2005 ... when several players were accused of hiring prostitutes for a sex party on water.

Smoot later pled guilty to disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance on a watercraft stemming from the incident.

Here's something you've never seen before ... Tim Tebow got dominated in a push-up battle -- all while he was spending time with inmates at a Texas prison!!!

Tim -- who's been preaching religion to people behind bars for YEARS -- visited the Alfred D. Hughes Unit in Gatesville, TX on Thursday to talk with the guys.

But, at some point ... Tim put down the mic and put his arms to the test -- 'cause the ex-NFL QB went one-on-one with an inmate in a push-up contest ... and got DESTROYED!!!

The former Heisman Trophy winner actually threw up some amazing numbers ... in about a minute, he got his body up and down 71 times.

Good news for Jason Pierre-Paul ... the Tampa Bay Bucs pass rusher says he's all healed up after suffering a neck injury in a May car crash and expects to get back on the field for Week 8.

As we previously reported, JPP suffered a fracture in his neck during a single-car wreck on May 2 at 5 AM in Florida while driving his SUV. He spent the past couple of months in a neck brace while he recovered.

At the time, the Bucs placed 30-year-old JPP on the non-football injury list -- making him ineligible to play for the first 6 weeks of the NFL season.

The player is allowed to receive treatment and attend team meetings -- and JPP has been doing just that. In fact, he was at the Bucs gym on Thursday working out and showing off his 6-pack.

We reached out to JPP's agent, Doug Hendrickson, who tells us Pierre-Paul is ready to go and would play as early as Week 7, but the Bucs have a bye that week.

But, the Bucs play the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 27 (Week 8) ... and we're told JPP is targeting that game for his triumphant return.

The Bucs are probably eager to get JPP back on the field soon since they're paying him a ton of money. He was originally slated to make $13.65 mil in 2019 but amended his contract after suffering the injury and will only make $10.5 mil instead.

Don't feel too bad for JPP, he's reportedly made over $72 mil in his NFL career.

Rams legend Isaac Bruce doesn't understand what's going on with Todd Gurley this season ... telling TMZ Sports the Rams' usage of the star running back is "strange."

Gurley signed a 4-year, $57.5 MILLION contract before last season -- and was the team's workhorse ... averaging 18.3 carries per game plus 4.2 catches per game.

But, this year ... he's been rotated in and out of the lineup for backup Malcolm Brown -- and has seen his touches drop to just 12.2 carries per game and 2.8 catches per game.

Bruce says TG's role in the offense so far is perplexing ... telling us, "It's strange to see with Todd being as young as he is being on somewhat of a management program."

Bruce added, "It's kind of strange. It's different."

Wanna hear about the time Julian Edelman walked in Bill Belichick taking a soak in a hot tub while BUTT-ASS NEKKED?! Well, good news for you!

The New England Patriots WR broke down the hilarious tale from his rookie year in a deleted scene from his Showtime documentary "100% Julian Edelman" -- describing the run-in as you'd expect ... "extremely uncomfortable."

"I saw that he saw that I was in there, and then he got up and got out," Edelman says, "And, real good party foul by coach. I mean, we’re supposed to have shorts on."

"But, I guess at 11 o’clock [at night], when you’re the G.O.A.T. of coaching, you go wherever you want ... freeball."

YO EVERYONE -- BILL BELICHICK LIKES TO HOT TUB NAKED!!!!! This is crazy!!!

What did Edelman do after seeing his coach in the buff?? He jumped right in the tub and tried to forget about it ... but clearly, he couldn't.

"So, I sit in the hot tub, I’m already extremely uncomfortable, I don’t know what to think. I didn’t know that people went into hot tubs without swim trunks at a public facility. I accepted it ... it’s coach.”

Of course, the awkwardness didn't end there -- Edelman and BB ended up having ANOTHER encounter after the hot tub incident ... and somehow the star receiver was able to gather up the courage to say how impressive it was to see him at the facility so late at night.

And, coach's response?? "It beats being a plumber. See you tomorrow."

Edelman's reaction?? "I was mind f**ked."