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(01/27/09 4:14am)
TAMPA, Fla. — The pilot of their airplane stuck a team flag out
the cockpit window as the Arizona Cardinals landed in a place few could have
imagined.
Ever.
A team whose fans haven't touched ground since the start of a stunning
postseason run in early January, arrived in the Super Bowl city Monday. With
many players videotaping the proceedings — the walk across the tarmac, the bus
ride to the team hotel, the first onslaught of media — it was clear that just
being here meant something to a franchise long considered an NFL doormat.
"It's a great moment," said safety Adrian Wilson, the longest-tenured
Cardinal. "To be here, to go through all the teams, to go through all the
players, it's big for the whole organization. It's big for the players who are
here right now. You never know the type of team you have and you never know the
circumstances. This team and this group of guys who you have right now, I think
we are special."
Not that the Steelers, seeking an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl title, don't
have a special feeling about their surroundings. Even though a huge chunk of
them have been this route before, the cameras were out, the smiles were wide,
and the warm sun was welcoming.
"Are you kidding?" said wide receiver Hines Ward, the MVP of the
Steelers' 2006 Super Bowl win over Seattle. "It's very nice to be in
Tampa; it was snowing on our way here. They had to defrost the plane there was
so much snow on the ground.
"It's the Super Bowl and it's a great event to take part in and,
personally, I love the South, everything about being down in the South,"
said Ward, who grew up in Georgia. "Being in Florida, the weather is
something. It definitely beats being back in Pittsburgh."
Ward and his teammates fully expect Tampa to resemble the Steel City by the
weekend. No, not weather-wise; if that happens, rest assured the NFL won't be
bringing its extravaganza back here. But in color, as in black and gold.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger envisions a tsunami of Terrible Towels.
"It's awesome," he said. "Every time we go to an away-city, in a
way it feels like a home game because there are so many fans. We expect them to
be out there and having fun."
For now, with no practice sessions until Wednesday, the players actually can
have some fun, too. Not too much, of course.
Neither coach is about to clamp down on his players this early in the week.
They promise to keep things reasonable and as normal as possible, so don't look
for any early curfews like the ones Dick Vermeil imposed on his 1980 Eagles.
Philly's players got tighter as the week wore on, even as the Oakland Raiders
were partying across New Orleans.
By game time, the Eagles could barely breathe, let along play football, and
they were routed by the loose Raiders.
"He hasn't put any handcuffs on us," James Harrison, the defensive
player of the year, said, referring to coach Mike Tomlin. "We have the
same freedoms as if we were staying in Pittsburgh for a week, as opposed to
here."
Same thing for the Cardinals, whose coach, Ken Whisenhunt, was Pittsburgh's
offensive coordinator for that fifth Super Bowl win. Whisenhunt understands the
importance of sticking to the norms, even if this is more than uncharted
territory for the Cardinals.
He also believes the week the Cardinals spent in the East in September, with
back-to-back games in Washington and the Meadowlands, will be beneficial now.
Even if Arizona lost both games.
"This is a week of distractions," he said, "and this is one
distraction that is not new to us. It helps us minimize that distraction."
Regardless, both coaches, as well as veterans who have gotten this far — yes,
the Cardinals have some players who made Super Bowl teams elsewhere, including
quarterback Kurt Warner — can't stress enough the importance of not stressing
too much.
"I'm just going to have fun and enjoy it," Roethlisberger said.
"I don't know if it's my last one, you never know. I hope not. I hope I
can come back to five more of these, but you just never know."
(01/10/08 4:06am)
LaDainian Tomlinson and Randy Moss were unanimous selections to The Associated Press 2007 NFL All-Pro team on Wednesday. So was Tom Brady – sort of.\nThe league’s Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year was chosen on each of the ballots from 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. One voter, however, split the vote at quarterback between Brady and Green Bay’s Brett Favre.\nStill, Brady was a runaway choice at the position, and was joined by four other unbeaten Patriots on the squad: Moss, tackle Matt Light, cornerback Asante Samuel and outside linebacker Mike Vrabel.\nAll but Moss made the All-Pro team for the first time; Moss was chosen as a Minnesota Viking in 1998, 2000 and 2003.\n“Every week, we come in here on Monday and you win and everybody’s excited, the plane flights home are great,” Brady said, referring to what has been a historic season so far for the 16-0 Patriots. “It’s been a lot of fun. To see what we’ve accomplished thus far is great. At the same time we realize that, as coach put it, there’s another mountain to climb.”\nEasily scaling the All-Pro mountain were Tomlinson, for the third time, and Moss. Joining Tomlinson, the league’s leading rusher, were fellow Chargers Lorenzo Neal, who clears many of L.T.’s paths from his fullback spot, and cornerback Antonio Cromartie.\nCromartie’s breakthrough season saw him lead the NFL with 10 interceptions.\n“I should have had 13,” he said. “This year, I think I proved a lot of people wrong, with everybody saying how my knee injury was going to affect me. I mean, I’m two years off of it. My biggest thing was proving everybody wrong.”\nAlso with three players on the team were Dallas and Seattle. The Cowboys had linebacker DeMarcus Ware, tight end Jason Witten and wide receiver Terrell Owens; Ware and Witten were first-timers, Owens also was selected in 2000, 2001 and 2002 with San Francisco, and 2004 with Philadelphia.\n“Any time you can be the best in the entire league, that’s always a special moment,” said Witten, who had 96 receptions and seven touchdowns this season. “There’s a lot of great tight ends out there, so to be on the top of that list is nice.”\nThe Seahawks had tackle Walter Jones, defensive end Patrick Kerney and linebacker Lofa Tatupu. Jones previously made All-Pro in 2001, 2004 and 2005; the others Seahawks were first-timers.\nSeahawks coach Mike Holmgren called Tatupu’s three-interception day in a win at Philadelphia on Dec. 2 “one of the great games I’ve ever seen a linebacker have.”\n“Everybody has been instrumental in everything that I’ve been able to do,” Tatupu said. “The D-line has been enabling me to get sacks, DBs staying on their guys so we can get back there and get sacks, or getting interceptions.”\nJoining Brady, Tomlinson and Neal in the backfield was Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook, who led the league in total yards from scrimmage with 2,104.\nThe rest of the offense had Minnesota guard Steve Hutchinson, Pittsburgh guard Alan Faneca, and Indianapolis center Jeff Saturday.\nThe other All-Pros on defense were Kansas City end Jared Allen, the league sacks leader with 15 ½; Minnesota tackle Kevin Williams and Tennessee tackle Albert Haynesworth; San Francisco inside linebacker Patrick Willis, the only rookie on the squad; Indianapolis safety Bob Sanders, the Defensive Player of the Year; and Baltimore safety Ed Reed, making it for the third time.\nThe special teams players were Titans kicker Rob Bironas and 49ers punter Andy Lee, both newcomers to the squad, and record-setting kick returner Devin Hester of Chicago, who also made it as a rookie in 2006.\n“It’s been an incredible journey,” said Bironas, who also played in the Arena Football League and arenafootball2 before making good with the Titans. “I didn’t have any doubt in myself when I got started on this journey in high school. That was my dream to play in the pros, and I just kept pursuing it. I wanted to be one of the better kickers in the NFL, and this year I was able to do that.”\nIn all, 15 AFC players and 12 from the NFC were chosen as All-Pros.
(02/02/07 4:49am)
WHEN THE COLTS HAVE THE BALL\nEverything starts and revolves around Peyton Manning, the best quarterback of his generation. Surprisingly, Manning has not been outstanding in Indianapolis' run to the AFC championship. But the Bears will count on facing the guy who has torn up the league for most of his career, the one who guided an 80-yard drive to the deciding touchdown in the AFC title game.\nManning has so many weapons that the Bears might need to scrap some of their cover-2 pass defenses and gamble on man coverage. Wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are the most formidable targets, but tight end Dallas Clark has been sensational in the playoffs with a team-high 17 catches for 281 yards. Running backs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes also are good receivers, and the Colts' running game can serve as a nice complement to Manning's passing.\nOf course, the Bears shut down the NFC's best offense when they beat the Saints for the NFC title. Even without injured tackle Tommie Harris, they stopped runs through the middle as All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher and all of the linemen had strong games. Indianapolis must get a surge from center Jeff Saturday and guards Ryan Lilja and Jake Scott to offer some balance on the ground. It's unlikely Addai and Rhodes will have a great impact running to the outside against active ends Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown, Urlacher and outside linebacker Lance Briggs.\nIf Indy can protect Manning, particularly when rookie sack-master Mark Anderson is in the game, some deep throws could be open. And the way Reggie Bush abused several DBs on his 88-yard catch-and-run score in the NFC championship match, don't be surprised if the Colts try to spring Addai out of the backfield.
(01/22/07 5:11am)
CHICAGO -- Relax, Chicago. Rex Grossman and Da Bears are indeed good enough for this Super Bowl, and they've already made it a historic one.\nFew teams with such an impressive record have been as questioned, even maligned, as the Bears. Yet after romping past the New Orleans Saints 39-14 Sunday, they are headed to their first NFL title game since the 1985 team overwhelmed the league and shuffled in under Mike Ditka and Jim McMahon.\nThis time, Lovie Smith will lead them there, the first black head coach to make it to the title game in its 41 years.\n"I'll feel even better to be the first black coach to hold up the world championship trophy," he said.\nSmith's team did it in true Bears fashion -- big plays on defense and a steady running game in the sleet and snow, ending the Saints' uplifting saga.\nThe Bears (15-3) will play either the New England Patriots or Indianapolis Colts in Miami in two weeks. \nAll the worries about how genuine the Bears' outstanding season was disappeared thanks to running back Thomas Jones, All-Pro kicker Robbie Gould and a defense that, while not dominant, made enough decisive plays.\n"I am really into the great tradition we have with the Chicago Bears," Smith said. "I am just trying to get our football team up to that same standard Mike had his team at, especially that '85 team."\nAdded All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher: "We knew what the experts said. It didn't matter. This is a great team win for our franchise."\nFor a moment, though, in the third quarter they seemed to be in trouble.\nReggie Bush's electrifying 88-yard touchdown catch and dash to the end zone pulled the Saints within two points, 16-14.\nBut from then on, Urlacher and the Bears' defense took over.\nChicago, which has won nine NFL titles but has been an also-ran for much of the last two decades, later went 85 yards in five plays in the worst of the weather. Often-criticized Grossman had four completions, including a 33-yarder to a diving Bernard Berrian that clinched it, sending the bundled-up fans in Soldier Field into foot-stomping hysteria and chants of "Super Bowl, Super Bowl."\n"We had a great game today," said Grossman, who was 11-for-26 for 144 yards but made no mistakes. "This is great and all, but we have one game to go."\nJones had all 69 yards on an eight-play ground drive in the second quarter, scored twice and rushed for 123 yards. Gould nailed three field goals.\nThe Bears, who led the league with 44 takeaways, forced four turnovers, and when NFC passing leader Drew Brees fumbled less than a minute after Berrian's TD, whatever karma the Saints (11-7) carried this season disappeared.\nCedric Benson scored on a 12-yard run, and from there it was a matter of searching for the sunscreen.\nIt was a bitter, sloppy conclusion to the Saints' remarkable turnaround from a nomadic 3-13 season in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's destruction to this winning season. As their city rebuilds, the team has provided an uplifting respite in the saga.
(01/08/07 4:52am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Peyton Manning knows all about falling apart in the playoffs. Though he struggled early Saturday, the Indianapolis Colts' stingy defense came to the rescue.\nManning and the Colts beat the inept Kansas City Chiefs 23-8 Saturday, and while the star quarterback's numbers were good -- 30-of-38 for 268 yards -- his performance \nwas mediocre. \nHe threw three interceptions, didn't complete a deep pass and, ultimately, was bailed out by his defense.\n"You have to keep playing," said Manning, who improved to 4-6 in the playoffs. "Every time you drop back to throw, your goal is to possess the ball on the next play. Three times, I was very poor on that. As soon as it gets you second-guessing, as soon as it gets you gun-shy, that's when you have problems."\nThe beleaguered Indianapolis defense was so good -- or perhaps more accurately, Kansas City's offense was so bad -- that Manning's miscues didn't stop the AFC South champions from advancing to the next round at Baltimore on Saturday.\n"Our defense was awesome today," Manning said. "We made some mistakes and the defense made sure we didn't pay for it."\nA defense that yielded 173 yards rushing per game this season allowed only 44 to Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson and the Chiefs.\nKansas City's initial first down came with 3:34 remaining in the third quarter. Indianapolis had four sacks, two by Dwight Freeney, and two interceptions. The Chiefs managed 126 total yards.\n"We heard it all about having the worst defense," Freeney said. "Now we can here this: We have the best run defense in the playoffs."\nMeanwhile, Adam Vinatieri made three field goals and rookie running back Joseph Addai rushed for 122 yards and a TD for the Colts (13-4). With Manning unable to throw deep, Indianapolis gave Kansas City (9-8) a steady dose of short passes.\nWhen Bob Sanders intercepted Green's desperate lob with just more than six minutes remaining, the Colts could start making travel plans for Baltimore -- the city they left 23 years ago.\n"It's a big challenge," Manning said. "Playing Baltimore is tough enough, but to go there, I think it's one of the tougher places to play. And they've been off a week and are fresh."\nJohnson, who rushed for 1,789 yards and 17 TDs this season, was never a factor. He had only 32 yards on 13 carries.\n"If we can't do what we do best, it amps them up," Johnson said. "And they certainly \ngot amped up."\nThis game took a far different shape than the previous meeting between these clubs.\nWhen Dustin Colquitt punted less than 1 1/2 minutes into the game, it was one more punt than in a 38-31 Indianapolis win three years ago at Kansas City. His 37-yard effort gave the Colts good field position, and they wound up with Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal.\nVinatieri added a 19-yarder to make it 6-0 following a 42-yard hookup on third down between Manning and Harrison on another short pass.\nManning nearly handed Kansas City points when his throw behind Harrison from the Colts 49 went to Chiefs cornerback Ty Law. He ran to the Indianapolis 9-yard line, but again the Chiefs couldn't capitalize. Even worse for them, kicker Lawrence Tynes missed the chip-shot field goal, clanging it off the left upright.\n"We didn't get any rhythm offensively," Chiefs coach Herman Edwards said. "I thought our defense hung in there for the most part, but I think they got a little fatigued"
(01/05/07 5:25am)
NEW YORK -- Spell this year's NFL MVP: L.T.\nRecord-setting LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers ran away with The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award Thursday, just as he eluded defenders in leading his team to the AFC's best record (14-2) and a favorite's role for the Super Bowl.\n"When you're MVP of the league, it's a great accomplishment," Tomlinson said. He added that the honor means "that I've had a great year, that's all, on a great team."\nBut with so much more on the horizon, he hopes.\n"I would feel so much better about winning if we win the Super Bowl. It would feel like it would be everything," Tomlinson said.\nTomlinson, who broke Shaun Alexander's league record for touchdowns by scoring 31 (28 rushing) and also threw for two scores, had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history. He rushed for a league-high 1,815 yards on 348 carries, had 56 receptions for 508 yards and was 2-for-3 as a passer, both completions for scores, giving the Chargers running back six in his six-year career, tying him for second among non-quarterbacks.\n"It just kind of got on a roll," Tomlinson said. "Touchdowns, as they say, come in bunches. That was kind of the way it happened. It seemed like once we started scoring that we couldn't stop."\nOf all his records and accomplishments this year, Tomlinson said the highlights were breaking Paul Hornung's single-season scoring record -- Tomlinson finished with 186 points -- and winning the rushing title.\nNoting that Hornung was also a kicker, Tomlinson said, "To be able to break that record that stood for 40 some years by scoring touchdowns, I think for me is a huge accomplishment. I think leading the league in rushing solidifies your position as being a running back."\nFew players have approached what Tomlinson achieved as San Diego won its final 10 games. Alexander, last season's MVP, understood what Tomlinson did.\n"He won't realize it until after the year is over. Because when you're in a groove you're just about winning games," Alexander said late in the season. "Their season almost looks like ours last year; it's kind of funny. He won't recognize it until it's all over with, and then he'll be like, 'Dang that was sweet.'"\nSo sweet that he received 44 of the 50 votes from a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Former teammate Drew Brees, now starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, got four votes, and Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning received two.\nTomlinson rushed for at least 100 yards 10 times this season, including nine in a row, and scored two or more TDs in 10 games. The highlights were four-touchdown games against San Francisco in a 48-19 romp and Cincinnati in a 49-41 shootout in which San Diego trailed 28-7 at halftime.\nThose performances prompted San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer to declare Tomlinson the best running back in pro-football history. \n"It definitely feels good because these are all guys I grew up watching and idolizing at times," Tomlinson said. "To me, guys who could do no wrong. It just says the kind of hard work I have put in to kind of prove that I belong in this league, now proving that, I guess I belong to be mentioned with guys like with Jim Brown and Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders"
(06/12/06 2:19am)
Times Square won't be packed with soccer fans watching movie theater-sized screens. Americans won't be shouldering each other out of the way for a better view of TVs in shop windows.\nThe World Cup might be the Super Bowl, Final Four and Olympics rolled into one for just about everyone else. To the U.S. sporting public, it's ho-hum.\nSo when the United States, coming off a run to the quarterfinals four years ago, faces the Czech Republic on Monday (noon EDT), life won't come to a standstill in the 50 states.\nThat doesn't mean the game should be ignored. Hardly, with the Czechs ranked second in the world by FIFA and the Americans standing fifth.\n"Today the world of soccer, or football, is shrinking," U.S. coach Bruce Arena said. "You have players from all these countries in this tournament that play for big clubs that are much more experienced, and they bring those experiences to their national team."\nThat includes a slew of Americans, particularly stars Landon Donovan, Kasey Keller and DaMarcus Beasley. The core of the U.S. team has been together for most of this decade and has become a formidable foe.\n"It's a good, complex squad with no weak point. They play fast soccer. We've seen what they're capable of," Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky said.\nIn the 2002 World Cup, the Americans upset Portugal in their opener, catapulting them toward the second round. Now, with Italy and Ghana also in their group, the Americans can't afford to slip in their opener.\nThen again, neither can the Czechs, who have been plagued by a series of injuries, including Rosicky's thigh problem.\n"In this tournament, the first step is one of the most important," he said. "If we win, we'll be just one step, or victory, from advancing."\nMonday's other two games feature Italy vs. Ghana at Hanover, and Australia vs. Japan at Kaiserslautern.\nThings got juicy heading toward the Australia-Japan match when Guus Hiddink, the Aussies' Dutch coach, complained about accusations his team plays dirty.\n"I'm getting very angry when people are suggesting that," Hiddink said. "We have a good team. They like to fight. Every team must fight in my opinion."\nA Japanese Football Association official criticized Australia's physical style in a newspaper report. Hiddink said such talk reflected "irresponsible behavior toward our team and the sport in general."\n"And I think that's not fair," Hiddink said. "You should play fair at the beginning."\nThe Socceroos, in their first World Cup since 1974, have a reputation for hard tackles, which was reinforced in a 1-1 draw in a warmup game with the Netherlands.\n"We're very competitive people," captain Mark Viduka said. "We like to win and we will never pull out of a tackle. But it doesn't mean that we go out to hurt people. I think it's a lot of hype made up so people can write articles."\nJapan, making its third straight World Cup appearance, hopes its experience will provide a boost.\n"We have a lot players here who were around four years ago and that should help," said defender Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, who was team captain when Japan co-hosted the event with South Korea and made the second round. "But this is a completely different atmosphere from last time."\nGhana has no such reference points as it makes its World Cup debut. The Africans have recent warmup victories against Jamaica and South Korea _ but neither of those opponents compare with three-time World Cup champion Italy.\nCaptain Stephen Appiah said he relished the thought of playing against former Juventus teammates and Italy coach Marcelo Lippi.\n"I played in Italy for eight years, so this is a special game for me," he said.\n"This means so much for Ghana and its population of 20 million ... We didn't just come to participate but to make surprises."\nSuccess against Italy would be a stunner, although the Italians could be distracted by a soccer scandal involving gambling and match-fixing back home. They've vowed not to let that happen.\n"Our duty at this World Cup and for Italian soccer in general is very important," Alessandro Del Piero said. "But it's not fair to expect this team to resolve all the problems"
(02/21/06 5:54am)
TURIN, Italy -- At last, a figure skating medal for the United States -- in ice dancing, of all things. And yet another Olympic gold for Russia.\nTanith Belbin and partner Ben Agosto snapped the U.S. medals drought in figure skating with a silver Monday night. They were behind Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov, who gave Russia a gold medal hat trick -- pairs, men's and dance. No nation has swept the four skating events in one games, and Russian Irina Slutskaya is favored in the women's competition.\n"I am extremely proud that we've been able to achieve this for our country," said the Canadian-born Belbin, who became a U.S. citizen on Dec. 31.\n"It's only our first Olympics. We're competing with second- and third-time Olympians, so this is great to come here and get a medal the first time out when we didn't even know we'd be here.\n"Can't ask for more."\nBelbin and Agosto won the first dance medal for the United States since a bronze in 1976 by Colleen O'Connor and Jim Millns, and only the second medal of any kind. It also is the only medal for American figure skaters at these Olympics.\nElena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov of Ukraine won the bronze.\nSunday's original dance was marred by falls and an injury that forced the top Canadians out of the free dance. Italian favorites Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio were back, friends again, after their flop and subsequent venomous staredown.\n"We were angry at ourselves, but between each other everything is OK," Poli said.\nNot only were they OK on ice, but they kissed and made up after four minutes of tense skating featuring some intricate lifts and carries. She put her arm around his shoulder as they sat next to each other this time -- observing their mediocre scores that placed them sixth.\nThose marks were in sharp contrast to the winners, whose 200.64 total was the only score higher than 200 points and won by 4.58 over Belbin and Agosto.\nAmericans Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov were 14th, and Jamie Silverstein and Ryan O'Meara finished 16th.\nRising stars in the sport since 2000, Belbin and Agosto's silver medal at last year's world championships marked them as contenders. When Belbin became eligible to compete for the United States seven weeks ago, their Olympic schedule was pushed up four years.\nAlthough Belbin and Agosto have won three U.S. titles, they were barred from the Olympics until she got her citizenship -- all U.S. competitors must be Americans. They paid back everyone who sped up the naturalization process, surging from sixth after compulsories to second through the original dance.\nThe couple remained in second with a passionate flamenco free skate that far surpassed their program at nationals, but was not completely clean, and certainly was not in the same league as Navka and Kostomarov's playful routine to "Carmen."\nNo matter. Considering where U.S. dance has been, or hasn't been, through the last three decades, silver was just super.
(01/20/06 5:18am)
SEATTLE -- The road to the Super Bowl never leads through Carolina. Instead, it leads the Panthers all over the map.\nTwo years ago, the team went to St. Louis and Philadelphia in the playoffs, won both times and made its first NFL championship game appearance. This winter, the stops have been in the Northeast (23-0 over the Giants), the Midwest (29-21 over the Bears) and, now, the Pacific Northwest, where the Seahawks await Sunday in the NFC title game.\nDon't expect the Panthers to be intimidated. They've already shut out one of the league's most prolific offenses and manhandled the stingiest defense.\nCarolina is 8-2 as a visitor this season and is trying to become the first team to win five straight road playoff games.\n"I think when we go on the road, it's just us against the whole city," Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers said. "You go to a city like New York and Chicago, where we only travel with 46 players and the coaches and the media guys through the organization, less than 100 people. It's us against the whole people, basically ... so I think we see the challenge. I think it brings us tighter when we're on the road because we know we're all we have in that city at that time."\nThe Panthers were seeded fifth after going 11-5 during the season, finishing second to Tampa Bay in the NFC South. But while the Buccaneers went out in the first round to Washington, the Panthers are looking very much like the team that barely lost to New England, 32-29, in the 2004 Super Bowl.\nSeahawks coach Mike Holmgren, whose team was 5-3 away from Qwest Field this season, said he is impressed by how well the Panthers travel.\n"I'm envious," he said. "I heard something this morning about Pittsburgh's road record (also 8-2); I admire that. It's very difficult to win on the road, and teams that have figured out how to do that on a consistent basis usually will be very good and be in the playoffs"
(01/06/06 4:44am)
NEW YORK -- Shaun Alexander set an NFL record for touchdowns, led the league in rushing and ran away with The Associated Press Most Valuable Player award Thursday.\nAnd with free agency on the horizon, the Seattle running back could parlay his sensational year into unprecedented riches.\nAlexander spearheaded the Seahawks' rise to the best record in the NFC, 13-3, including a victory over the league's only 14-2 team, the Colts. It was the most productive season in Seahawks history, one in which Alexander scored 28 touchdowns and rushed for 1,880 yards.\nThat earned him 19 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. He ended the two-year reign of Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning, who received 13 votes.\n"I think that is a team goal," Alexander said of winning the award. "The way I always looked at MVPs was it was a player that did really, really good on a really, really good team. That is why I am even more excited about this year, because I have put together some great numbers, but we have a great team."\nThose great numbers included 11 games rushing for 100 yards or more, topped by 173 against Arizona on Nov. 6. He scored 27 TDs on the ground and one as a receiver to break Priest Holmes' seasonal record by one.\nHis lowest output was in a Monday night game in Philadelphia, a 42-0 romp in which he played only the first half and had 49 yards in the snow.\nAlexander became the only player in NFL history with at least 15 TDs in five straight seasons and the fourth with consecutive 20-touchdown years. He became Seattle's career rushing leader this season.\n"It's just like all the things -- the rushing title, the MVP, all those things -- it's exciting to talk about," said the sixth-year pro out of Alabama. "But I don't think it would mean that much until after I retire, because then it would actually hit me what it means.\n"Right now, we're on this ride and it's just kind of one of those things; everything is kind of numb to us. It's all exciting. We're already in the second round of the playoffs, we've just got a bunch of cool things that we are really not used to."\nSeattle would like to get used to having Alexander in the backfield. But he could leave in the offseason.\nHe was designated the Seahawks' franchise player before this season and accepted the team's one-year, $6.323 million offer with a proviso. The team agreed not to use the same franchise tag on him in 2006.\nSo either the Seahawks come up with a huge financial package, or the MVP could be scoring touchdowns and gaining all those yards elsewhere next season.\n"It is a business," he said. "The Seahawks have to make their own decisions. I am going to be happy for whatever they do."\nAlexander is the first Seahawk to win the award. He also is the first running back voted MVP since Marshall Faulk in 2000.\nTrailing Manning in the balloting were New England quarterback Tom Brady with 10 votes, New York Giants running back Tiki Barber with six and Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer with two.
(11/08/05 5:42am)
FOXBORO, Mass. -- Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts finally scaled their personal Everest. Maybe now, after routing the New England Patriots 40-21 on Monday night, they'll admit this could be a super season.\nManning shrugged off his 0-7 record at Foxboro with an intelligent dissection of the two-time defending champions. Aided by star running back Edgerrin James' 104 yards on 34 carries, and 100-yard receiving games from Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, Manning led the Colts on six lengthy scoring drives and kept them perfect through eight games, the NFL's only undefeated team.\nWhile the Patriots have struggled mightily with injuries, an undependable running game and a leaky defense, their hex over the Colts was the major theme in this meeting. But other than a masterful first-quarter march -- Tom Brady was 10-for-10 passing in the opening half -- and two TD drives when the Patriots (4-4) were trying to rally, they were the inferior team.\nThat mediocre record is good enough to lead the AFC East. It doesn't put them within shouting distance of the Colts, who looked mature, savvy and resourceful, all elements they have lacked against New England in recent years.\nThe last time Indianapolis was here, in January, it managed all of three points and never contended in the divisional playoff game. This time, the Colts' vastly upgraded defense hit harder when the score was close and forced the pace, while the offense was versatile and unflappable.\nManning was 28-of-37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns. He guided the Colts, who are 5-0 on the road, to scores on seven of eight possessions. Indy didn't punt until the final 2 minutes and scored its most points ever against the Patriots.\nThe Colts, who have downplayed their great start this season, were so skillful this night they even forced Bill Belichick into some desperate measures. After Daniel Graham turned a tight end screen into a 31-yard touchdown midway in the third quarter, New England's coach ordered an onside kick. It was recovered by the Colts' Joseph Jefferson, who advanced it to the Patriots 22.\nIndianapolis managed only Mike Vanderjagt's 35-yard field goal, and Belichick remained emboldened. The Patriots went for a fourth-and-4 at the Indy 43, but Brady threw too low for David Givens.\nVanderjagt added a 20-yard field goal before Manning capped it with an on-the-run throw that descended directly into Harrison's hands in the end zone despite tight coverage by Asante Samuel.\nThe win made Colts coach Tony Dungy 51-0 when his team has led by at least 14 points.\nHarrison had nine catches for 128 yards and Wayne had nine for 124. The Colts held the ball for 36:41.\nThe offensive showcase began immediately when Manning hit Harrison for 48 yards, then threw him a fade pass in the right corner of the end zone over Samuel for a 1-yard touchdown.\nThat drive took five plays to cover 54 yards. Showing they also could sustain a longer march, the Colts went 68 yards on 17 plays -- James handled the ball on 11 of them, including a 2-yard run from the Patriots 46 on fourth-and-1.\nAnother 2-yard run by James gave Indy a 14-7 lead.\nIn between those drives, the Patriots were just as efficient with their first possession. They also converted a fourth down when Brady hit David Givens for 5 yards on fourth-and-1 at the Colts 21. Two plays later, he connected with Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch for a 16-yard score.\nNearing the end of the half, though, both defenses made big plays. First, New England unnerved Manning and the offensive line with a blitz. Manning unwisely threw off his back foot to avoid a sack and Mike Vrabel picked it off at the Patriots 47.\nNew England returned the favor, however, after reaching the Indy 17. Bob Sanders knocked the ball out of Corey Dillon's hands directly to Jason David, who made up for earlier allowing Branch's TD and a 35-yard third-down completion to Givens.\nUsing the hurry-up offense to perfection, Manning took up nearly all the remaining 2:07 on a nine-play, 73-yard drive. He capped it by hitting Wayne with a precise pass into the left corner of the end zone for a 10-yard TD just 9 seconds before halftime, making it 21-7.\nHe was right back at it again after New England held the ball a mere 29 seconds after the second-half kickoff. The two-time MVP engineered an 11-play, 60-yard series highlighted by his own 18-yard scramble on third-and-5. Dominic Rhodes ran in from the 4 for a 28-7 lead.\nNot even the second game for Tedy Bruschi, New England's Pro Bowl linebacker returning from a mild stroke, could help the Patriots this night. Not against a Colts team that no longer can play it low-key.
(09/20/05 4:56am)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It didn't look, sound or feel like home. Then again, it will be that way all season for the New Orleans Saints.\nThe New York Giants had no complaints, though. Playing before 68,031 of their fans Monday night in the comfort of their own ballpark, the Giants beat the displaced Saints 27-10 in one of the most bizarre "home" settings in sports history.\nNFL nomads with no stadium after the damage to the Superdome and New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Saints were given a home game there by the league. Historically more successful away from home under coach Jim Haslett (25-16 going in), they couldn't overcome critical mistakes in falling to 1-1.\nWhile they could be excused if their minds are elsewhere, Saints players have insisted their focus is fully on football on gameday. It looked that way in last week's upset of Carolina. It looked decidedly different Monday night.\nIn the first half alone, the Saints committed 11 penalties for 72 yards, including an illegal contact by Sedrick Hodge that negated a third-down sack and set up the Giants' third touchdown.\nEfforts to make this resemble something to home appeared minimal at Giants Stadium, where, surprisingly, considering the local team's popularity, about 10,000 seats went unoccupied. The people in the filled ones generally were dressed in Giants blue and, except for mild applause when the entire Saints squad came onto the field before the coin toss, they rooted for their guys.\nOne end zone had Saints painted in white and there were a few Saints banners scattered along the blue bunting on the lower level. Other than a http://www.saintshurricanefund.org sign on the message board, everything about the night said New Jersey, not New Orleans.\nAt least the Saints' other seven home games will be played closer to home: four in Baton Rouge, La., and three in San Antonio, where they train. For this one, they had to dress in the cramped visitors' locker room, with a makeshift Saints sign hung above the entrance.\nThe Giants (2-0) benefited in every way from the NFL's decision, beginning with the opening kickoff. The Saints tried some trickery, and it immediately backfired. Michael Lewis handed off the return to Fred McAfee, who fumbled at the 10-yard line, with Chase Blackburn recovering. Three plays later, to tumultuous cheers for the "visitors," rookie Brandon Jacobs barely squeezed into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.\nIt was hardly the start the Saints needed, and it didn't get much better. The Giants moved 76 yards in 11 plays and took a 14-0 lead on Tiki Barber's 6-yard reception. Barber took a middle screen and dived to the goal line, colliding with teammate David Diehl as he scored.\nBut the Saints are nothing if not resilient, and they came back with an 86-yard drive that was almost all Joe Horn. He had two catches of 15 yards before beating a zone for a 21-yard touchdown. It was Horn whose cell phone antics in a game against the Giants two years ago drew him a measure of fame -- and a $30,000 fine.\nHodge's penalty three plays after Carlos Emmons' interception led to Barber's 12-yard run for a 21-7 New York lead. While the Saints got closer on John Carney's 21-yard field goal near the end of the half, their miscues continued in the second half.\nAaron Brooks' fumble set up Jay Feely's 39-yard field goal, making it 24-10. And when his pass deflected off Donte' Stallworth to safety Brent Alexander, who returned it 26 yards, the Saints were reeling.\nCarney, who kicked the winning field goal last week at Carolina, even missed a 29-yarder, hitting the left upright. Feely then made a 30-yarder for New York.\nWhen Horn fumbled as he was stretching for the end zone with 3:40 to go -- the Saints' fifth turnover -- most of the fans headed home, quite happy to see the visitors' victory.
(08/08/05 8:07am)
CANTON, Ohio -- The eyes that stared down defenses betrayed Dan Marino on Sunday. They were wet with tears as he took his place among the legends of football.\nMarino suspected he might break down and cry during his emotionally charged acceptance speech. He did so even before then, after his oldest son Daniel's introduction.\nNone of that on-field stoicism for the Miami Dolphins great, at least not on this sun-splashed day in front of thousands of fans in No. 13 jerseys, and amid chants of "D-A-N-N-Y."\n"I'll remember this day for the rest of my life," Marino said.\nThen he capped it by throwing -- what else? -- a perfect spiral into the audience to his former receiving partner, Mark Clayton.\n"Go deep, Mark," Marino said as he licked the fingers on his right hand, a trademark of his 17-year career.\nMarino, the NFL's most prolific passer, joined Steve Young, Fritz Pollard and Benny Friedman in the shrine. Paying tribute to his Western Pennsylvania roots, Marino noted that John Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana and Jim Kelly all came from the region. All are Hall of Famers.\n"When I was younger, there's no doubt I thought about being Joe Namath," Marino said, adding that joining them in the Hall "definitely makes an impact on you."\nYoung suggested it was the first time only quarterbacks entered the Hall in one class, and he was partly right. Pollard was a running back who sometimes played QB.\n"I'm proud to be part of this with Dan and the Pollard and Friedman families," Young said. "We are quarterbacks and that's what is neat about this position."\nWhile Marino and Young had diverse styles, they both spent years at the top of their profession. Marino set NFL marks of 4,967 completions, 8,358 passes, 61,361 yards (nearly 35 miles) and 420 touchdowns. His record of 48 TD passes in the 1984 season, when he was MVP, was broken by Peyton Manning last year.\nHe also owned 21 NFL marks when he retired, including most seasons with 3,000 yards or more passing (13); most yards passing in one season (5,084 in '84, the only year he won a conference championship); and most games with 300 yards or more passing (63).\n"I know individually you get the honor of being inducted in the Hall of Fame," Marino said, "but you see coach (Don) Shula up onstage and teammates and family and friends -- my mom and dad and wife and kids -- this day is for them."\nThe only achievement Marino didn't reach that Young did was winning a title. Young, the 1992 and '94 league MVP after taking over for Montana in San Francisco, and the career passing efficiency leader, guided the 49ers to the '94 championship. He also is the first left-handed QB in the Hall.\n"I can taste the pride I felt to be able to put on a 49ers jersey and represent the great city of San Francisco," Young said. "In San Francisco, I found football in its newly enlightened form. I found heaven on Earth for football."\nPollard, like Friedman, was a pro football pioneer and the first black NFL head coach. After a sensational college career at Brown, where he became the first black to play in the Rose Bowl, the running back led the Akron Pros to the 1920 championship. They went undefeated.\nHe later organized the Chicago Brown Bombers, an independent team of black players that barnstormed the country from 1927-33.\nPollard is among the most important minority figures in football history, a man who seemed to open the door for black athletes in his sport, only to see it slammed shut from 1934 until 1946.\nHis grandson, Stephen Towns, and other family members, have campaigned for decades to get him elected to the Hall.\n"Fritz Pollard was a 5-foot-9, 165-pound running back who had the speed of Tony Dorsett, the elusiveness of Barry Sanders and the tenacity of Walter Payton," Towns said in his acceptance speech. "My grandfather and Jim Thorpe were the highest-paid players of their times. Jim Thorpe became the first commissioner of pro football and was inducted into the first class of the Hall of Fame in 1963. My grandfather became a footnote.\n"After today, everyone will know the gifts you have given to football. Rest in peace, Grandpa."\nFriedman, who died in 1982, probably was the first great pro passer, and his 20 TD throws in 1929 were considered phenomenal because the ball he threw barely resembled the modern football. The record stood for 14 years.\nHe played for four teams from 1927-34 and was a strong draw at the box office, even helping the New York Giants become a solvent operation in those early NFL days.\n"If Uncle Benny was here today, he would tell you it was all about family, friends, teammates and teamwork," said his nephew, David Friedman. "Proud yet unpretentious, that was the essence of my uncle.\n"His example of excellence will survive for as long as there is a Hall of Fame"
(02/07/05 5:55am)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Some dynasties are pretty, some are perfect. The New England Patriots never worry about style points.\nThe Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years with a dominant second half Sunday, wearing down the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21.\nIt wasn't overpowering, and at times it was downright ugly. But it was more than enough to match the Dallas Cowboys' run of the 1990s and certify the Patriots of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as the NFL's latest dynasty.\nWith MVP Deion Branch tying a Super Bowl record for receptions with 11, Brady efficiently running the offense and Rodney Harrison sparking a smothering defense, the Patriots won their ninth successive postseason game. That ties the record of Vince Lombardi's Packers of the 1960s, and there's hardly any better company a team can keep.\nThe difference once again was an Adam Vinatieri field goal, this one a 22-yarder with 8:40 to go. New England won its other two Super Bowls by the margin of Vinatieri's kicks.\nPhiladelphia (15-4) got the ball back at its 4 with 46 seconds remaining. It was hardly enough time and far too much territory to cover against such a formidable foe.\nHarrison got his second interception with 9 seconds remaining to end it.\nPlaying before a sea of mostly green jerseys in the crowd of 78,125, the Patriots made sure Philadelphia would not get its first pro sports title since 1983. Indeed, it's been 45 years since the Eagles won the NFL crown. And even though they made it to the Super Bowl for the first time in 24 seasons -- after three straight conference championship flops -- their season still ended in disappointment.\nCorey Dillon, a newcomer to the championship game, scored the go-ahead points on a 2-yard run early in the fourth period. And when Branch wasn't running free and catching passes, the Patriots flaunted their versatility by again using linebacker Mike Vrabel to find the end zone. Vrabel has caught TD passes in two straight Super Bowls and has five TDs in as many career catches, not bad for a linebacker -- or anyone else.\nBrady wasn't as fluid as he was when he won the MVP awards in the 2002 and 2004 games, but he was on-target much of the time, finishing 23-for-33 for 236 yards and two TDs.\nWhen the offense bogged down or turned over the ball, Harrison and his mates forced four turnovers, including a goal-line interception by the veteran safety. The Patriots (17-2) also had four sacks, making Donovan McNabb look ordinary, even skittish at times.\nAnd while Terrell Owens' return from a seven-week injury layoff was an individual success -- he had nine catches for 122 yards -- it was not nearly the star turn that Branch made.
(02/04/05 5:28am)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- To win the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles need lots of T.O. and no TOs.\nOf course, with All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens coming off six weeks on the sidelines with a leg injury and the Patriots' penchant for forcing turnovers, that's not such a simple formula.\nAt least Owens will be available for the first time since Dec. 19 and was listed as a starter for Sunday's title game. He even caught several long passes in practice Thursday.\nNow he has to be a contributor, because T.O. as a decoy isn't likely to work against the Pats for more than, say, one play.\n"That is just like putting Shaq on the court and not giving him the ball," Owens said.\n"First of all, T.O. is going to be a decoy," Donovan McNabb added, smiling broadly. "We are not going to throw him the ball, so that makes me Allen Iverson."\nNot quite. McNabb, who also played basketball at Syracuse, won't be ignoring his prime target anymore than the Patriots will. While Freddie Mitchell, Todd Pinkston and Greg Lewis have performed relatively well in Owens' absence, they could be overmatched by the Patriots' defensive alignments that tend to hide any weaknesses.\nSo T.O. will need to be a strong semblance of, well, T.O.\n"I am excited to see that he still has that drive, that determination to get back out there on the field," McNabb said. "I am not saying he is going to be fully at 100 percent, but when you get so close to this ultimate dream and know that you are at 85-90 percent, the first thing that comes to mind when you get out there is calming yourself down. I am sure his adrenaline is going to be at a high. He will probably be bouncing around the locker room. But if he can control that and have the full confidence in the ankle, as well as the mind-set, T.O. will be back to the old T.O."\nWhich means a playmaker. Owens, acquired from San Francisco to be the gamebreaker the Philadelphia offense lacked, was just that for almost 14 games. He had 77 receptions for 1,200 yards and 14 TDs. He required double and even triple coverage.\nIf that is the Owens who shows up in Alltel Stadium, it significantly multiplies Philly's chances to win its first NFL crown since 1960. And even if he isn't fully healthy, he could still be a factor.\nIndeed, T.O.'s mere presence on the field should give the Eagles a lift.\n"When I'm in there, I am going to play 100 percent. Anytime I am on the field, I expect to have an impact," he said.\nNot surprisingly, the Patriots are preparing for a fully fit, ultradangerous Owens. They certainly won't be intimidated by him, not after the way they shut down MVP Peyton Manning and the Colts in the playoffs.\nNew England, despite being without its top two cornerbacks (Ty Law and Tyrone Poole) for months, tends to get the best of any matchups because of the brilliance of coach Bill Belichick's schemes.\nSo don't be surprised to see linebacker Tedy Bruschi or safety Rodney Harrison or perhaps a lineman dropping into coverage during a zone blitz to help cornerbacks Asante Samuel or Randall Gay -- or even wideout Troy Brown, who had three interceptions as a fill-in nickel back.\n"Players make plays," Harrison said. "If you don't make plays, what is a scheme? You can engineer a great car, but if you don't have the people putting it together, the car won't turn out to be anything. I think the main thing that our coaches have is a great awareness of our strengths and weaknesses and they play to that."\nWhether Owens has a major role Sunday or is a minor player, the Eagles can't afford to hand the ball to the Patriots. Philly's 22 giveaways during the season were five fewer than New England's, which is encouraging for the Eagles. But the Patriots had 36 takeaways to their 28.\nIn the playoffs, New England already has seven takeaways. In winning two of the last three Super Bowls, the Pats committed only one turnover and forced four.\nThey simply don't make mistakes and they force enough errors to make a difference.\n"They are stripping the ball," McNabb said. "When some guys look like they are out of place, it seems that they always have someone that is there to make a play and cover up for them. The chemistry is out there. You don't see that too much in some teams"
(01/24/05 5:26am)
PHILADELPHIA -- His smile can light up a locker room, even a stadium. On Sunday, Donovan McNabb lit up the city.\nBreak out the cheesesteaks, because this long-suffering quarterback is taking the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl at last.\n"I'm excited with this win, everybody in the Philadelphia area is excited," McNabb said after Sunday's 27-10 victory over Atlanta gave the Eagles their first NFC championship since the 1980 season. "It definitely was all I thought it would be. I was just waiting for the confetti to finally start flying.\n"We know what happened the last three years, but this year was special and we have no reason to stop now."\nMcNabb exuded a quiet confidence all week, and his teammates took his cue.\n"We had to continue to stay patient," he said. "A lot of people turned their backs on us and said we would never do it."\nA lot of those people were Philadelphians. But make no mistake: That frigid rush of wind swirling over the East Coast was no arctic blast. That was the biggest sigh of relief this place has breathed in decades.\nOther than Rocky, Philly hasn't had a champion in 22 years. On Feb. 6 in Jacksonville, the Eagles will try to bring a real title home, the first since the 76ers swept the Lakers in 1983.\nThe Eagles had become one of the great teases in sports, losing three straight NFC championship games, the last two at home. Their close calls turned Philadelphia into the City of Brotherly Love -- and Loathing.\nAs the focal point of that team, McNabb knows all the fans' ever-present angst. Hey, the boobirds were out for him the moment he was selected by the Eagles in the 1999 draft.\nThose fans wanted Ricky Williams then; anybody think they're complaining now? He's not even playing football.\n"I think we convinced a lot of critics," McNabb said. "This was a special game, it was history."\nHistory has not been kind to Philadelphia sports lately. Nothing was more agonizing than the NFC title losses, though, and McNabb struggled through all of them\nBut he swore this year would be different. And it was, because the Eagles didn't let the past haunt them. Instead, they ignored it and prepared for this fourth try to make the Super Bowl with the certitude that epitomizes the very best athletes.\nMcNabb was on his way to becoming the quarterback who couldn't win the big ones. He put that notion to rest by throwing two touchdowns passes to Chad Lewis and staring down the doubters, along with the Atlanta defense.\nMcNabb now gets the opportunity to join the truly elite quarterbacks of the NFL by winning a Super Bowl. He sure looks ready.\n"When you're playing the quarterback position, you get the good and the bad, and he handles that so well," said coach Andy Reid, whose late-season tactics of resting his regulars now looks very wise. "I'm very happy for Donovan."\nTrue happiness, though, does not come with conference championships. Just ask the Buffalo Bills.\nTheir quarterback and leader, Jim Kelly, is in the Hall of Fame, and McNabb might eventually wind up there. He doesn't want to emulate Kelly -- or Fran Tarkenton or Dan Marino -- by getting to Canton without a Super Bowl ring.\n"I think what you've seen is a team that just continued to stay loose and stayed focused on the task at hand _ to put ourselves in position to go to the Super Bowl and possibly win it," McNabb said. "So maybe people will be happy about the Philadelphia Eagles again, maybe not. But, as you can see, we're not worried about it."\nAll of those worries about the Eagles not being good enough without McNabb's favorite target, All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens, also proved foolish. And don't think the injured Owens had no effect on the outcome.\nThe Eagles acquired the gamebreaking receiver to lead them over this mountain. While he couldn't do it on the field, his ability to keep things loose permeated the locker room all season, right through to this victory.\nOwens was leading most of the cheers on the sideline after greeting his teammates during introductions. By the middle of the fourth quarter, when it was clear there would be no collapse, Owens was busy handing out hugs and leading the raucous crowd in cheers of "Super Bowl, Super Bowl."\nWhen McNabb held up the conference championship trophy, Owens was nearby, and it seemed appropriate for the quarterback to chuck the prize over to his favorite target.\nOn this day, McNabb probably could have healed the crack in the Liberty Bell -- with his smile.
(10/14/04 5:43am)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Established star Landon Donovan and rising sensation Eddie Johnson carried the United States into the regional qualifying finals for the 2006 World Cup in emphatic fashion Wednesday night.\nDonovan scored the first two goals, then Johnson, a second-half substitute, got three in a row in a 6-0 rout of Panama. It was the first U.S. hat trick in World Cup qualifying since 1968 and only the third ever.\nThe Americans' biggest victory since beating Barbados 7-0 in 2000 moved them one huge step closer to Germany '06. They clinched a spot in the CONCACAF regional finals, where the top three of six teams automatically make the World Cup field.\nAnd they did it with an unrelenting attack that extended their longest unbeaten streak to 12 games. Only a 1-0 loss to the Netherlands in February blemishes the record. They are 3-0-2 in qualifying.\nJohnson, in just his second national team game, became the first American sub ever to score three times in a game. The rangy 20-year-old forward connected in the 70th, 84th and 87th minutes.\nBy then, Donovan had established U.S. superiority, with plenty of help from his teammates, whose creative passing and speed dominated play. On both of his goals, he received pinpoint passes.\nDonovan's first goal, his 18th for the national team and first as captain, was a precision combination play with Josh Wolff. With Wolff charging into the penalty area from the left wing, Donovan headed for the goal and perfectly timed his right-footed deflection of Wolff's pass. The ball sailed beyond diving goalkeeper Donald Gonzalez in the 21st minute.\nThe Americans probably should have had two goals before that. Gregg Berhalter barely headed wide in the fifth minute off a header feed from Brian McBride. Then McBride, set free on left wing after a brilliant run by DaMarcus Beasley, just knocked a right-footed shot wide of the post.\nDonovan made it 2-0 by breaking free behind the defense off a pass from Kerry Zavagnin. Donovan cut across the penalty area and, just before being sandwiched by two defenders, placed a shot into the top of the net.\nPanama, which to its credit did not stack the defense and play an ultraconservative game -- as many visiting teams might have -- rarely challenged goalie Kasey Keller in the first hour. In the 65th minute, though, Panama captain Julio Dely Valdes wasted two good chances.\nValdes broke free on right wing, but never got a shot off before the defense caught up. Then, off a corner kick, his header skimmed off the crossbar.\nTwo minutes later, Keller had to climb high to tip Alberto Blancas's free kick over the bar.\nJust three minutes after Keller's splendid save, the Americans clinched passage into the CONCACAF finals. Johnson, who came in just three minutes earlier for Wolff, soared high and headed home yet another superb feed, this one a cross by Carlos Bocanegra.\nHe connected again off a corner kick after two teammates played the ball, and finished the hat trick with a sliding shot off a cross from Eddie Lewis.\nThe Americans are 8-1-5 this season. Their final semifinal round game, in Columbus, Ohio next month against Jamaica, was rendered meaningless for the United States by this rout.\nPanama still is alive with a 1-2-2 record.
(09/06/04 6:00am)
Tim Couch's stay in Green Bay was short and unproductive.\nThe top overall draft choice in the 1999 draft by Cleveland, Couch was released by the Browns in June. He joined the Packers and was projected as Brett Favre's backup.\nBut the quarterback never progressed, and the Packers cut him Sunday as teams got down to the 53-man roster limit for the regular season.\n"He just wasn't productive enough," Packers coach-general manager Mike Sherman said. "We took a shot in hoping he could be the guy. I don't think it's the first time in the league that you were wrong on somebody. It certainly won't be my last time and it wasn't my first time.\n"It's unfortunate. I'm disappointed it didn't work out. I really thought with the tapes I studied last year, I really thought it would work out. It didn't."\nCouch, who got a $625,000 roster bonus from Green Bay when he signed, completed just 11 of 34 passes for 96 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in three preseason games.\nTwo other former Packers, running back Dorsey Levens and wide receiver Antonio Freeman, also had brief stints with new teams before being cut Sunday.\nLevens, 34, was signed two weeks ago after the Eagles lost Correll Buckhalter to a season-ending knee injury. Levens ran for 37 yards on 12 carries in his only game against the New York Jets.\nFreeman joined the Dolphins earlier this summer after David Boston was lost for the season. But his lack of speed and inability to make any plays in the preseason got him released.\nMorten Andersen, the second-leading scorer in NFL history, had his contract terminated by Kansas City. Andersen was beaten out by Lawrence Tynes, who kicked the past two seasons in the Canadian Football League.\n"I am sure he will find a place," Vermeil said of Andersen. "He could end up kicking against us."\nThe 44-year-old Andersen has 2,259 points.\nNew Orleans cut 15-year veteran center Jerry Fontenot, who lost his position to LeCharles Bentley, who moved over from guard. Fontenot, 37, started all 80 games the past five seasons and was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate last season.\n"I certainly hold my head high, knowing that I did everything the coaches asked of me and everything the organization asked of me," Fontenot said. "I feel very blessed in my career."\nThe Saints also let go of linebacker Darrin Smith, who was with them since 2000.\nSan Diego cut receiver Kevin Dyson, a member of the Titans and Panthers when each played in the Super Bowl, and safety Kwamie Lassiter. Lassiter, a nine-year pro, started for the Chargers last year.\nThe Chargers kept four quarterbacks: projected starter Drew Brees, first-round draft choice Philip Rivers, veteran Doug Flutie, and Cleo Lemon.\nOther notable moves:\n-- Veteran DL Bryan Robinson, who had been with the Bears since 1998, was cut. Robinson played both defensive end and tackle in 100 games, with 82 starts.\n-- Damien Robinson went on Seattle's injured reserve list. He missed several practices with a bruised shoulder.\nThe Seahawks also announced second-year tackle Wayne Hunter has been suspended one game by the NFL for violation of the league's personal conduct policy. Hunter was involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend last summer.\n-- Nine-year veteran DE Regan Upshaw, who started only eight games after signing a five-year, $7.5 million contract with Washington, was released.\n-- New England cut CB Terrell Buckley, 33, who played 31 games with the Patriots in the 2001 and 2002 seasons, winning one Super Bowl. He spent last season with the Miami Dolphins. He was selected with the fifth pick in the 1992 draft by Green Bay and also played for Denver.\n-- Buffalo released LB Jason Gildon and placed quarterback Travis Brown on injured reserve, meaning he will miss his second consecutive season. Gildon, who holds the Pittsburgh Steelers' record with 77 sacks, was cut six weeks after the Bills signed the 10-year veteran in hopes of bolstering their pass rush.\nBrown was angry about being deactivated for the season. The Bills earlier announced that Brown was expected to miss four to six weeks. Team president Tom Donahoe said Monday that Brown's return could even come sooner, adding that the team was going to keep him on the active roster.\n"When you tell me something and you repeatedly tell me something, and then totally come out of left field with something else, I just don't think that's the way you should do business," Brown said.\n-- Jarrett Payton, son of the late Walter Payton who was a former teammate of Titans coach Jeff Fisher's in Chicago, was cut by Tennessee. Fisher said Payton knew the situation from the start.\n"He was going to be given an opportunity to get better. He took care of the ball in preseason games and to be evaluated. That's what we did. We kept our commitment to him," Fisher said.\n-- WR Joe Jurevicius was placed on the reserve non-football injury list and guard Kerry Jenkins was placed on injured reserve with a neck strain by Tampa Bay. Jurevicius was a major contributor when the Bucs won the Super Bowl two years ago, then missed most of last season with a knee injury that has been slow to heal. Back surgery the first week of training camp further delayed his return.\n-- Oakland placed strong safety Derrick Gibson on injured reserve three days after he dislocated his shoulder in the team's final preseason game. Gibson would have been a starter.\n"It's a time-consuming rehab," coach Norv Turner said Sunday. "It probably could be two and a half to three months. It's one of those deals that when he got back, you're way beyond it."\n-- Dexter Jackson, the MVP of the 2003 Super Bowl, was placed on Arizona's injured list with a back problem.\n"Dexter's back just has not cleared up sufficient for him to play football, and that's what we're in, is the football business," coach Dennis Green said.
(02/02/04 5:54am)
HOUSTON -- Tom Brady is getting quite a collection of playoff wins and Super Bowl MVP trophies.\nThe New England quarterback has won all six of his postseason games, including two Super Bowls in three years. He threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns Sunday in leading the Patriots past the Carolina Panthers 32-29.\nBrady also made up for a critical interception in the Carolina end zone by guiding the Patriots to a go-ahead score with 2:51 remaining.\n"We realized we had done it so many times this year," Brady said of coming back. "We knew we could come up with the plays."\nWhen the scrappy Panthers came back to tie it, Brady engineered a 37-yard drive in the final minute. His 17-yard completion to Deion Branch on third-down -- against a shockingly soft defensive alignment -- set up Adam Vinatieri's 41-yard field goal to win it with only four seconds remaining.\nIn all, Brady was 32 for 48 with 5-yard touchdown throws to Branch and David Givens and a 1-yarder to, of all people, linebacker Mike Vrabel, who reported as a tight end.\nIt was a more masterly performance than in 2002, when Brady, then a first-year starter, helped New England upset St. Louis 20-17. Vinatieri also won that game on a late field goal, from 48 yards.\n"I think each game is different," Brady said. "To win this the way we did is incredible, unbelievable. A great all-around game.\n"I don't know how I do it."\nAnd just as against the Rams, Brady made clutch throws throughout the final quarter in taking New England to its 15th straight victory.\nIndeed, he made sure the interception by Reggie Howard with 7:38 to go did not cost New England the championship. Carolina turned that pickoff into an 85-yard touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad, the longest play in Super Bowl history.\nWith Carolina on top 22-21, Brady went 6 for 8 on a 68-yard drive. He converted two third downs on the series with perfect passes, then found Vrabel in the front portion of the end zone.\nAfter Delhomme rallied Carolina again and the first overtime in Super Bowl history loomed, Brady and New England got a break. John Kasay's kickoff sailed out of bounds, giving the Patriots the ball at their 40 with 1:08 left.\nBrady had two 13-yard completions to Troy Brown, leading to the 17-yarder to Branch when the Panthers played a conservative defense.\n"Deion ran a great route, I laid it up for him and it gave us enough time for Adam to run on the field," he said. "We made enough plays at the end there to win it"
(01/20/04 5:09am)
PHILADELPHIA -- The Carolina Panthers made sure their stunning run to the Super Bowl wasn't stopped by a Philadelphia team flopping at the final hurdle.\nWhile the Panthers are headed to their first Super Bowl after a dominating 14-3 victory in the NFC championship game Sunday night, the Eagles fell one win short of the big game for the third straight year.\nSuper Bowl XXXVIII between the Panthers and Patriots will be played Feb. 1 in Houston.\nNow Carolina (14-5) is the NFC's best, and will take on New England in Houston Feb. 1. The Patriots, who beat Indianapolis 24-14 earlier Sunday, won the Super Bowl two years ago, when the Panthers were the NFL's worst team.\n"It has been a long ride," said receiver Muhsin Muhammad, who caught a 24-yard touchdown pass. "There have been a lot of good moments, as well as some bad moments. This has to be the best moment yet."\nThere have been many nice memories in these playoffs -- from a lopsided wild-card victory over Dallas, to a thrilling double-overtime win at St. Louis ending the Rams' 14-game home winning streak.