Sports

Howard sat out Sunday and Monday due to a sore left knee, but a cortisone shot has apparently done the job. Still, the situation warrants monitoring.

The details have yet to emerge, but there have been rumblings that Del Negro's days were numbered for some time. The latest rumor making waves is that Chris Paul and Dwight Howard will emerge in Atlanta together next season, but that's far from having any substance at this point. The Clippers failed to advance far enough in the playoffs for anyone's liking and "Paul coaches the Clippers" jokes were all the rage this season. Paul will likely have some say in who the next coach will be, while names like Byron Scott, Alvin Gentry, Mike Malone, Stan Van Gundy and Mike Budenholzer are already being listed as possible replacements for Del Negro.

McCutchen was scratched from Sunday's lineup due to right knee soreness, but it was never a major concern. He should be fine moving forward.

Super Bowl L ' or 50, if you will ' will be played in the 49ers' new stadium in February 2016. It will be the first Super Bowl played in the Bay Area since 1985. Super Bowl LI will be Houston's first Super Bowl since the Patriots defeated the Panthers in 2004. Shut out of the bidding was Miami, which failed to secure public funding for apparently necessary upgrades to Sun Life Stadium. Next year's Super Bowl will be played in New York/New Jersey's MetLife Stadium ' outdoors.

"His movement ability is second only to (Cleveland Browns All-Pro left tackle) Joe Thomas out of linemen that I have worked with in the last 12 years," said Herbert. Swanson reportedly ran a three-cone time of 7.39 seconds, which is important for the center spot. In terms of Combine tests, our own Josh Norris believes the 20 yard shuttle is a better predictor of future success.

Per Kraft, Gronk will be back "as soon as possible." Right now, "as soon as possible" appears to be mid-August. That's because Gronk is tentatively slated for "minor" back surgery some time in the next 3-4 weeks. Like Robert Griffin III, Gronk's Week 1 status will be hard to accurately gauge before training camp.

Johnson said last week he had "no idea" when he'd be cleared to return, but it took less than seven days. "It was great to see him," OC Nathaniel Hackett said. "It was great to see him run some routes instead of being on the side. We've just got to work him back in." The Bills will take things slow with their No. 1 receiver before camp, but his back is not a long-term concern.