Tuesday’s NFL news notables.

Manning Out for the G-Men?

Well, just when you think luck isn’t on your side, turns out someone else has it a little worse than you.

The Giants may be without Eli Manning from anywhere as long as a week or a month, after it was reported by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that Manning’s right shoulder suffered a slight separation when he was driven into the ground on a hit by Anthony Spencer in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game.

But, there are conflicting reports and comments about just how serious the injury is, with Manning saying that it was just a little sore, and Giants coach Tom Coughlin questioning the validity of the report given to Mortensen.

If Manning does miss a month, he’ll miss games against the Packers, Redskins, Eagles, and Jets. Three of the four games are at home, with the Redskins game in two weeks being the only road game. It’s not as if they have to play New England or Indy or the Saints, but none of those teams will be a cakewalk, so even if Manning is less than 100 percent, that could kill the Giants’ NFC East and playoff hopes pretty quickly.

Running back Brandon Jacobs is week-to-week after his knee injury in Sunday night’s game, and, while he’s out, Derrick Ward, who ran for 89 yards, including a 44-yard run, will start in his place.

Cheater, Cheater

If you stick your hand in the cookie jar one time too many, you’re going to get caught.

The Patriots are one of the best teams in the league, so you would think that they wouldn’t have to resort to underhanded techniques to get an advantage over their opponents. But, for some reason, the boys in Foxboro think it’s okay to play ‘I Spy’ with their opponents. On Sunday, NFL security officials took a camera and videotape from a New England video assistant on their sideline, and the video evidence showed that he (Matt Estrella, the zoom is on you now!) was taping the Jets’ defensive signals.

Sneaky, sure. But, Roger Goodell certainly doesn’t approve, and New England may be getting punished very shortly, with the sanctions potentially including getting draft picks taken away from them.

A lot of people don’t like the Patriots because they’ve won so much, but now there’s an actual reason to dislike them. They may well not be the only team in the league who does this kind of thing, but this isn’t the first time the Patriots have gotten in the news for it, after a Patriots’ staff member was suspiciously carrying a camera around on the Packers’ sideline.

It may well not make that huge of a difference in the Patriots running over their opponents, but ethically and competitively, it’s a low move, and a slap in the face to the league, who’s been trying to crack down on anything negative, both competitively and conduct-wise.

Of course, the Pats will have their chance to explain themselves, but from the looks of it, the water’s juuuuuust a little bit on the hot side.

Hopes Now High for Injured Bills’ TE

A day after doctors said that Kevin Everett’s chances of walking again were very slim, the prognosis has drastically shifted in the positive.

On Monday, his doctor said that the injury that he had suffered was life-threatening and that it was very unlikely that he’d walk again. It appears that the Bills’ tight end must have heard what the doctor was saying, as today, he voluntarily moved his arms and legs, which has the doctor now very optimistic about Everett’s chances of walking again.

His hopes of returning to the football field might be pretty slim, but if he’s able to walk again, that will be a bigger victory than any that he’s experienced on the football field. I, along with everyone else, wish him all the best and a speedy recovery.