Hall of Famer Huff dead at 87

Sam Huff, the hardhitting Hall of Fame linebacker who helped the

New York Giants reach six NFL title games from the mid-1950s to the early

1960s and later became a popular player and announcer in Washington, died Saturday. He was 87.

Huff family lawyer Deborah Matthews told the Associated Press that Huff died of natural causes in Winchester, Va. An obituary released by the Giants said Huff had been diagnosed with dementia in 2013.

Huff always will be remembered as the furious middle linebacker in a 4-3 scheme developed for him by fellow Hall of Famer Tom Landry, his defensive coordinator with New York and later the architect of the Dallas Cowboys’ rise to power.

Raised in West Virginia coal mining country, Huff became a two-time All-Pro in a career that spanned 1956-69, regularly crashing into the likes of Jim Brown, Jim Taylor and other bruising running backs.

“Sam was one of the greatest Giants of all time. He was the heart and soul of our defense in his era. He almost single-handedly influenced the first chants of ‘Defense, defense’ in Yankee Stadium,” team president John Mara said in a statement.

Huff ’s major regret was winning only one of his title games, the championship in his rookie season when the Giants crushed the Chicago Bears 47-7 at Yankee Stadium.

Huff was selected as the NFL’s top linebacker in 1959. He went to five Pro Bowls, four with the Giants and one with Washington.

Rodgers cleared to play: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers received medical clearance to rejoin team activities Saturday with the Green Bay Packers, according to a person familiar with the situation. That cleared the way for him to be activated from the COVID-19 reserve list and start Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field.

Rodgers’s 10-day isolation from his positive test for the coronavirus expired Saturday. He was back in the Packers’ facility, the league-owned NFL Network reported, for Saturday’s scheduled team meetings and a walkthrough practice.

He was eligible to be activated, under the protocols for unvaccinated players developed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, provided that he was symptom-free and was cleared by doctors. Rodgers’s clearance included a cardiac screening, under the protocols, but a negative coronavirus test was not required.

Coach Matt LaFleur had said Rodgers would start this game.

Steelers’ Roethlisberger placed on COVID list: Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been placed on the COVID-19 list and will miss the Steelers’ game Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

The Steelers announced Saturday night that Roethlisberger was ruled out for the game.

Rams’ Woods out for the year: Los Angeles

Rams receiver Robert Woods suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will be out for the rest of the season, coach Sean McVay said Saturday.

Woods injured his knee during practice Friday, the same day Odell Beckham Jr. arrived.