Nfl Football - Football Betting

2005-11-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots: Monday Night Football Showdown

The Indianapolis Colts vs. the New England Patriots is the Week 9 game everybody is looking forward to and sports bettors are licking their chops.--football gambling--
Miami Beach, FL (PRWEB) November 7, 2005 -- It is perhaps the most single anticipated game of Week 9 of the NFL. In fact, this could be the most looked forward to game of the 2005/2006 NFL season. --football gambling--

An undefeated Indianapolis Colts team plays in New England against the Super Bowl champion Patriots."This is one of those rare times when the New England Patriots opened as a +3 dog at home," commented former Indianapolis Colts cheerleader turned Sports Analyst for Gambling911.com, Lisa Perry. "The Patriots will definitely be the toughest team Indianapolis faces thus far this season. Outside of Jacksonville, none of the teams Indianapolis has faced are over the .500 mark."Lisa Perry was 7-4-1 with her Week 9 NFL plays going into Sunday night's game and she believes the game will be very close with a win by the Indianapolis Colts, but New England covers what is now a +4 1/2 line.--football gambling--

Lisa will be going against the general betting public which overwhelmingly had Indianapolis beating the spread at Sportsbook.com entering into the weekend. The online bookmaker reported 82% of all wagers were placed on the Colts. The Patriots have gone 6-0 against the Colts since 2001. In New England, Peyton Manning has never won. For the Colts, who ended their season in Foxborough in each of the last two years, a victory would mean a four-game advantage over the Patriots in the race for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. --football gambling--

The Patriots (4-3) have alternated wins and losses every game since opening the season with a victory over the Oakland Raiders. The toughest stretch of their schedule has been a five-game span against teams that were .500 or better entering Sunday -- four of them on the road. They went 2-3 in those games. Sports bettors and enthusiast alike are encouraged to read www.gambling911.com regularly and bookmark the web site as one of their favorites. --football gambling--

Gambling911.com features Free NFL picks, predictions, analyses, forecasts and vital line moves (provided by PinnacleSports.com) in addition to now showing which team side the majority of action is being taken on (care of Sportsbook.com). --football gambling--

Gambling911.com through its Sports911.com arm is also the first to news outlet to provide full results on the early Sunday afternoon NFL games each week.Check out www.gambling911.com and see more of sexy former Indianapolis cheerleader Lisa Perry in addition to all the top sports handicapping information available free at your fingertips. --football gambling--

About Gambling911.com: Gambling911.com is recognized as the global leader in gambling news as it relates to entertainment, sports and politics. The web site was mentioned in The Wall Street Journal and featured in numerous other publications and media outlets including the Miami Herald, Canadian Business Magazine, Winnipeg Free Press, Las Vegas Sun, The Hartford Courant and Fox Television. The web site will also be mentioned in Canadian Business Magazine this coming month. Gambling911.com is owned by Twenty-One Holdings, LLC.# # #--football gambling--

2005-11-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

Chiefs quarterback Trent Green still grieving for father
Associated Press
Mon, Nov 7, 2005

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- There was an empty seat Sunday near the 30-yard line amid the sellout crowd in Arrowhead Stadium. Security promised Trent Green it would stay that way all afternoon. ``From an emotional standpoint, this was probably as draining as any game I`ve been a part of,`` said Kansas City`s exhausted quarterback. --football gambling--

Four days after laying his father and No. 1 fan to rest, Green played through a pain that does not get noted on the injury report. Ever since their son joined the Chiefs in 2001, Jim and Judy Green had never missed a game, coming to the stadium hours before kickoff and tailgated with other fans. --football gambling--

Jim Green died unexpectedly on Oct. 27 the age of 58. He was buried on Wednesday and on Sunday, several hours before the Chiefs hosted the Oakland Raiders, Trent was the one who came early. ``I put a little sign, or a little tribute on the seat and kind of taped the seat so nobody would sit on it,`` he said.--football gambling--

``Hopefully the message got across. Somebody could always just rip the tape up and sit down. But security saw me doing it and they said, `We`ll keep an eye on it.```It really meant a lot.`` Judy and her other two children had already decided they simply could not bear to be at the stadium. They watched at home as Trent redirected his thoughts long enough to throw for 235 yards and a touchdown in a dramatic 27-23 victory.--football gambling--

``It wasn`t something they all felt comfortable with,`` Green said. ``And I completely understood. I supported it 100 percent. My brother and sister and their spouse and my mom - it just became too emotional. He`s never missed a game in Arrowhead.--football gambling--
``They`ve gotten to know a lot of people who sit around them and that would have been very difficult for them and they just weren`t ready for it. They felt bad because they weren`t there to support me.`` --football gambling--

Green told security people he didn`t mind if anyone moved down to take the seats his mom and siblings had always occupied. But his dad`s seat was different. After Larry Johnson took Green`s handoff and vaulted into the end zone in the final seconds for the win, coach Dick Vermeil and several of his teammates gathered near Green. Vermeil announced in the locker room that he was giving the game ball to Jim Green. --football gambling--

``That really meant a lot,`` Green said. ``That was hard for me to control myself. The emotional part for me was the opening kickoff, and then the end ... where I had to bite my lip to maintain my composure. I`m just real fortunate it ended up the way it did.`` --football gambling--

Throughout the game, Green felt his dad`s presence. ``He was with me all day,`` he said. ``I got emotional after we scored that final touchdown. He was always proud of me. Would have loved the game. ... He would have laughed and said this was a typical Raider game.``He allowed himself to look into the stands where his dad had sat only once, during warmups.The sign was still there. --football gambling-- ``It just said my dad`s name, and we miss him and we love him.`` --football gambling--

2005-10-31T14:25:00.000-08:00

Boo! Welcome to the Scary and Unpredictable NFL
By The Sports Curmudgeon Monday, October 31, 2005

It seems as if there is one weekend every season when the NFL games are shocking in terms of their results. Last weekend may have been the one for this season. Look, the 49ers, the Dolphins and the Texans both won outright last weekend. The Browns did not win but one reason they did not was that they were the ones that lost to the Texans. It was an upside down week but there was one island of order and rationality in the sea of chaos; the Arizona Cardinals stunk out the joint. Josh McCown – perhaps worthy of the name Josh McClown? – had been anointed as the system quarterback that Dennis Green had been looking for. Well, if that’s the case, then “the system” out there is a septic system. McCown led the team against the Cowboys and got them run outta town. Completing less than 50% of your passes and having two of them intercepted and amassing all of 142 yards passing for the day won’t get it done. -NFL Football-

But as I said, the 49ers won a game against the previously 5-1 and division-leading Tampa Bay Bucs. The 49ers did not score a TD all day but did kick 5 field goals and held the Bucs to 10 points. The Bucs sent defensive end, Simeon Rice, home from SF and deactivated him for an unspecified violation of team rules. Sporting News Radio reported that Rice had blown off a 45-minute team meeting the night before the game but the team had no comment on that. Rice is not suspended, but something strange is going on there. The hero of the day in SF is Cody Pickett who rallied the team to the clinching field goal after both Ales Smith and Ken Dorsey had to head to the sidelines with injuries. Before the 49ers traded away Tim Rattay, Pickett had been the 4th string QB and maintained his place on the roster by playing on special teams. -NFL Football-

The Texans beat the Browns yesterday. That match-up assured that one of the really bad teams in the league had to be a winner – or at least not be a loser should the game have ended in a “fifth quarter tie”. David Carr appreciated the win but called the game one of the “ugliest I’ve ever played in.” Rookie WR, Jerome Mathis was the hero of this ugly game catching a TD pass in the first quarter giving the Texans the first lead they have held all season long. That’s right, this was “Halloween Weekend” and Houston had never led at any point in any game all season long. Then in the final moments, he returned a kickoff for 63 yards to set up the winning field goal with about 3 minutes left in the game. -NFL Football-

The Browns might take some solace in the fact that they played a precise game; they were penalized only one time for 5 yards. But the Dallas Cowboys who played an entire NFL game with not a single penalty against them overshadowed even that performance yesterday. That is highly unusual. -NFL Football-

The Eagles laid a huge egg in Denver. I said several weeks ago that Donovan McNabb is not right and that whatever his injury might be, it is clearly affecting his ability to pass with accuracy. That was reinforced yesterday. But what Eagle fans need to be concerned about much more than that is the fact that there is no fire on the team. The players are not crisp in their play execution and they are not hustling to get into position. They play many snaps of the ball as if they are double-parked in an emergency zone and what they really want to do is to get this over and done with. I have no idea what the underlying cause of this zombie-like atmosphere is, but if it continues for another couple of weeks, the Eagles will not be in the playoffs come January. -NFL Football-

The Redskins got romped and stomped by the Giants yesterday; people attribute this to the Giants’ emotional play on the death of team owner Wellington Mara. Maybe that’s so. What I do know is that the Redskins could not block anyone or tackle anyone all day long. After the game, one of the Redskins said that the problem was that they could not find the end zone. Excuse me. The Giants did not hide the end zone; it was in the same place it has always been in every football game that I’ve ever seen at every level of play. And if you don’t believe that, check out where the Giants managed to go in order to score their touchdowns. It was right there behind the goal line... -NFL Football-

Paul Tagliabue met with politicos in Louisiana over the weekend and assured them that the league will try hard to keep the Saints in New Orleans. Of course, he stopped short of saying they would definitely return there since there is that court ruling in place thanks to AL Davis which says that any team can move any time it damned well pleases. And the Saints’ owner wants out of New Orleans – and that desire predates Hurricane Katrina – and he has at least one if not two “out clauses” in his lease there to make his team a free agent. And after the way the Saints have played this year and after the way they were booed in their first game in Louisiana (Baton Rouge no less), why should they stay there? -NFL Football-

NFLEurope reportedly has reserved Wembly Stadium in London for a weekend next October. Since the London team ceased to exist years ago, you would have to think this is a strong indicator that there will be a regular season NFL game in London next year. Various parts of the British media have said that the NY Giants are the “home team” that the British public would most like to see. Whatever... -NFL Football-

On Saturday, Stanford led UCLA by three touchdowns with seven minutes left to play in the game. At that point, someone must have cued the “gag reflex” because UCLA tied the game sending it to overtime. Stanford got a field goal with its overtime possession. Then UCLA ran one play for next to nothing and proceeded to throw the ball into the end zone for a TD and Stanford was a loser. This is the same team that lost to UC Davis (a Division II school that is in the process of moving to Division 1-AA) earlier this year. Don’t even think about firing the coach; they just hired a new one last year... -NFL Football-

Finally, in case you missed this college football result over the weekend, let me reproduce it for you here exactly as it appeared in my edition of the Washington Post: -NFL Football-

Friends 50 Southwestern Kansas 26 -NFL Football-

Friends is probably tuning up for its big rivalry game on Thanksgiving weekend against Enemies... -NFL Football-

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports... -NFL Football-

2005-10-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Terry Long's death caused in part from repeated blows
By STEVE WISEMAN

The question dogged Levane Pinckney for months.

What exactly caused her 45-year-old son, Terry Long, to die in his Pittsburgh apartment on June 7?

The uncertainty as she awaited the coroner’s report was maddening. Long’s life was littered with personal problems, including a suspension from the NFL for steroid use, bankruptcy, a failed marriage, a suicide attempt — which Pinckney doesn’t believe happened — and, at the time of his death, a federal indictment on fraud charges.

Naturally, his unexpected death had people thinking the worst.

Finally, the waiting ended for Long’s family last month when Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht issued his report, which stated the Eau Claire High graduate’s death was caused by swelling of his brain that partly stemmed from repeated blows to his head during his football career.

For Pinckney, who lives in the North Columbia home where Long was raised, the report brought her closure and relief.

“People were thinking something different,” Pinckney said. “I’m glad it came out that way, because I didn’t want to have no bad reflection on my child, because people were thinking he might have hurt himself.”

Wecht’s report cited meningitis — a swelling of the lining of the brain — as the cause of death. Wecht determined that Long’s meningitis wasn’t viral or caused by bacteria, leading the doctor to conclude football played a role in making Long “punch drunk.”

“A football helmet gives you an awful lot of protection,” Wecht told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “but you don’t have to be a doctor or engineer or even a football player to realize that the helmet doesn’t block out all the measured force produced when some 300-pound player with a hand the size of a Christmas ham whacks you in the head dozens of times a game, season after season.”

Columbia’s Art Baker, an assistant coach at East Carolina in 1983 when Long was named an All-American offensive lineman, could not remember Long suffering any concussions that season. But, he said, sports medicine wasn’t as advanced then as it is now.

“I can understand somebody playing football and getting hit for so many years having problems and not knowing it,” Baker said. “These days they’ve got trainers who have gotten degrees in training. Before that, my goodness, there was nobody on the sideline except the coach.”

Wecht’s report caused a stir among members of the Steelers’ medical staff, which did not believe football played a major role in Long’s death. Dr. Joseph Maroon, the Steelers’ team neurosurgeon and a nationally renowned expert on sports concussions, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Wecht’s conclusions were a “misinterpretation of the facts.”

After attending her son’s funeral in Columbia and burying him in Swansea Cemetery in June, Pinckney said she hopes her son’s death won’t go unnoticed.

“I sure hope that other people can be protected from injuries like he (had),” Pinckney said.

The State.com

2005-09-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Bye gives NU time to reassess

After two straight losses, Northwestern's football team has next week off.

To head coach Randy Walker, that's the best thing in the world.

"I really like bye weeks early," Walker said in the wake of the Wildcats' 34-29 loss to Penn State on Saturday. "I remember a couple of years here we had our bye week in the 10th week. The hay's in the barn by then. You know what you've got. - NFL Football -

"We need to discover who we are, get closer to what Northwestern needs to be this year."

If Walker and his players knew what they've got after the first two weeks, which featured a rout of Ohio and a last-second win over Northern Illinois, they know less now.

The victory over NIU came about only when the Huskies' 2-point conversion to win the game hit the turf. A rout by host Arizona State followed, and Saturday's defeat by Penn State — a game the Wildcats led twice, once by 16 points — followed that loss.

In particular, Walker would like to discover a way to get into the end zone more regularly. The Wildcats scored seven times on Penn State, but only two scores were touchdowns. The rest were field goals. - NFL Football -

"It hurts to go from the 20 to the 20 and not put it in for six," said Tyrell Sutton, the freshman who led the Wildcats with 112 yards rushing and scored the two touchdowns on a pair of 1-yard plunges.

Sutton's been the brightest spot in the Northwestern offense, even more than quarterback Brett Basanez. In four games, Sutton has run for 528 yards and eight touchdowns, the latter setting a team record for a first-year player. - NFL Football -

The Wildcats were troubled Saturday by nagging injuries to offensive tackles Zach Strief and Dylan Thiry. Strief, a senior of NFL caliber, played with a sore rotator cuff and bruised ribs, while Thiry worked with a sore shoulder. Usually, both players are in for almost every snap. Not this time. Players such as Vince Clarke came in in relief.

"We've been on a rotation plan, and I'm not against that," Walker said. "I'm not sure you need five linemen to play every play. Getting the sixth, seventh, eighth linemen in bodes well for us down the stretch." - NFL Football -

Additionally, center Austin Matthews played with back spasms, one possible reason there were so many high snaps when Basanez was in the shotgun.

"That's the risk you take in the shotgun," Basanez said. "But it was nothing serious."

Northwestern's overall predicament is. After two wins to start the season, a 2-2 record with the heart of the Big Ten schedule approaching makes the goal of qualifying for a bowl game difficult. The Wildcats' next four games are against Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan.

"It's going to take the leaders first and foremost to bring the guys along," defensive tackle Barry Cofield said. - NFL Football -

Walker sees the off week as an opportunity to regroup.

"I'll say what I say on the sidelines: There's a lot of football left," Walker said. "There's a lot of football left in this season — a lot. We need a great off week."

Dayli Southtown

2005-09-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Trotter, Mathis ejected after pregame scuffle

ATLANTA (Sept. 12, 2005) -- Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter and Atlanta Falcons cornerback Kevin Mathis were ejected about a half-hour before their teams' season opener following a scuffle during pregame warmups. - NFL Football -

Emotions between the teams that played in the 2004 NFC Championship Game clearly were running high when they came together at midfield.

Trotter apparently pushed Mathis, who responded with a punch. Another Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall also appeared to throw a punch. Everyone then got into it, which forced the officials to step in. - NFL Football -

Trotter and Mathis were ejected after the officials peered into the replay monitor, which normally is used to rectify disputed calls during the game. This time, it came in handy in determining who started the fight and which players were involved.

Moments later, another brawl nearly broke out. As the Atlanta players were trotting back to the locker room, they noticed the Eagles gathering on the Falcons logo in the middle of the field.

The Falcons ran en masse back to the 50-yard line and fought for position with the Eagles, forcing the officials to separate the teams again. No punches were thrown, and both teams went off slowly in opposite directions to their respective locker rooms. - NFL Football -

Fans in the half-filled Georgia Dome -- the rest of the sellout crowd was still outside -- booed the Eagles heavily as they headed toward the tunnel. But the mood softened when Falcons owner Arthur Blank went on the field to discuss fund-raising efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Atlanta appeared to get the best of the ejections.

Trotter is a three-time Pro Bowl selection who led Philadelphia with eight tackles in its 27-10 victory against the Falcons in the 2004 NFC Championship Game. He was replaced at the crucial middle linebacker position by second-year player Mike Labinjo, who played only three games last season and is making his first career start. - NFL Football -

Mathis is a backup cornerback whom Atlanta uses mainly in passing situations.

There were no problems when the captains gathered at midfield just before the game for the coin toss, which went off without delay. The Eagles won the flip, received the kickoff and quickly drove into Falcons territory. But the Atlanta defense stiffened, and David Akers missed a 49-yard field goal attempt. - NFL Football -

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2005, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

2005-09-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

Patriots` drive for three is overshadowed by player death, Saints` travails
Associated Press

This should be a glorious year for the NFL.

So far, it`s been anything but.

The death of San Francisco`s Thomas Herrion after an exhibition game in Denver on Aug. 20 put football in perspective. So did Hurricane Katrina, which drove theSaints from New Orleans and left them, for the time being, in San Antonio, Texas, looking for a place to play. Their ``home opener`` against the Giants will be played in Giants Stadium.

That perspective was lacking for most of a preseason dominated by the squabble between Terrell Owens and the Philadelphia Eagles, a sideshow that took up so much attention it annoyed everyone from commissioner Paul Tagliabue to Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis.

Then Herrion, a backup offensive lineman trying to make the 49ers, collapsed and died after that preseason game, a far more somber moment for theNFL than Owens` predictably erratic behavior.

Finally came the hurricane, which drove the Saints out of town to eventually settle in San Antonio, although where they will play this season remained a question. Tagliabue conceded that they probably won`t get back to New Orleans this season, but also pointed out that the loss of life and rescue efforts are far more important thanfootball - the league donated $1 million to relief efforts.

Meanwhile, the season will indeed start on schedule.

What it will likely be about is:

- The New England Patriots, perhaps the best constructed team in any sport, seeking to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.

- Glamorous stars in their prime: Manning, Tom Brady, Julius Peppers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Ed Reed, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper.

- Veteran stars (Brett Favre, Lewis, Priest Holmes, Curtis Martin, Michael Strahan) and rising stars (Antonio Gates, Ben Roethlisberger, Jonathan Vilma). One veteran who tried to keep going, 42-year-old Jerry Rice, retired just before the start of the season after spending training camp with Denver. He quit after 20 years with 38NFL receiving records.

- Key players coming off injuries or absences such as Titans QB Steve McNair, Jets QB Chad Pennington and Miami RB Ricky Williams. Or big names in new locales: Randy Moss in Oakland, Kurt Warner in Arizona and even 42-year-old Doug Flutie returning to New England.

- A league at the top of the sports world with a new multibillion dollar television contract already complete and, perhaps soon, an extension to the labor deal. That`s in contrast to the problems of other leagues: steroids, strikes, declining television ratings.

- The promise of intriguing rookies, ranging from San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith, the first player taken in last April`s draft, all the way down to a fourth-rounder, Brandon Jacobs, a 260-pound running back for the New York Giants who has been brilliant in the preseason.

Still, all that has been almost totally ignored. Even the Patriots seem just an afterthought to a lot of media outlets, most prominently a certain cable sports network where it`s all T.O. all the time - with daily up-to-the-minute reports on Owens, who has monopolized the airwaves since his heroic performance in the Super Bowl nearly helped the Eagles overcome the Patriots. He wants a new contract; he`s criticizing McNabb, he`s in camp, he`s out of camp, he`s defying his coaches ...

But New England`s Richard Seymour, Pittsburgh`s Hines Ward, San Diego`s Gates, the New York Jets` John Abraham and Green Bay`s Bubba Franks also were camp holdouts, and hardly anybody knew about it.

Gates agreed to a six-year contract after he was put on an NFL suspension list by the Chargers, meaning he will miss the season opener - a screwup of major proportions by both the player or his agent and the team.

But always the spotlight got back to T.O.

``It has as much effect on the league as a summer firefly will be gone this September,`` Tagliabue says, perhaps in frustration with what has become the ultimate media circus.

Still, T.O. has overshadowed what has seemed to be overwhelming interest in the NFL in the preseason: 60,000 fans in Green Bay for a scrimmage between the Bills and the Packers; 18,000 more in Foxborough for an evening workout by the Patriots (and yes, the Red Sox were playing that night); a capacity 4,000 fans in the stadium in Mankato, Minn., for Vikings scrimmages; an average of 1,300 for Bills scrimmages in Rochester, N.Y.; 7,000 fans in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on the opening day of Dallas` camp there.

``There are soldiers fighting in Iraq right now that love the game of football,`` Lewis said. ``They don`t want to turn the TV on every day and listen to the Philadelphia Eagles and Terrell Owens` saga. We`re covering the Philadelphia Eagles more than we`re covering the New England Patriots and they`re the Super Bowl champions.``

Indeed they are, with a team that apart from Brady and Seymour seems able to plug in interchangeable parts and win. If they do it again, they become the first to win four Super Bowls in five seasons.

They won`t talk about it, of course. Coach Bill Belichick won`t allow it, to the point that the most innocent allusion to three straight by Brady early in camp was excised from the transcript of his chat with reporters.

Nor will it be easy.

In the offseason, the Patriots lost both coordinators to head coaching jobs: Charlie Weis (offense) to Notre Dame, Romeo Crennel (defense) to the Cleveland Browns. That`s the normal reward/penalty for winning, and it leaves a void.

``It`s not the same camp without Charlie yelling at us,`` jokes wide receiver Deion Branch, the MVP of last February`s 24-21 Super Bowl win over the Eagles.

But replacing them may not be a joke. The offensive game planning has been taken over by a four- or five-man group headed by Belichick, a defensive specialist, and including Brady, who could be one of the few QBs of the modern era to call his own plays.

More important could be the absence of linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who suffered a mild stroke shortly after the Super Bowl and has decided to sit out the season. His loss was compounded when Ted Johnson, the other inside linebacker, retired after a series of concussions.

For now, that leaves a key component of the 3-4 defense in the hands of journeyman Monte Beisel and 35-year-old injury-prone former Pro Bowler Chad Brown, who has played outside most of his career.

Challengers to the Pats?

Buffalo and the New York Jets could be contenders in the AFC East, although the Bills will go at quarterback with J.P. Losman, who threw all of five passes as a rookie last season. Jets QB Pennington is coming back from rotator cuff surgery on his throwing arm.

Pittsburgh was 15-1 last season, but lost at home to the Patriots in the conference title game.

The Steelers won`t win 15 again as teams try to exploit some of the inexperience Roethlisberger showed in the playoffs after going 13-0 in the regular season. Baltimore, with Lewis seemingly revived in the return to a 4-3 defense, should challenge the Steelers in the North, and Cincinnati is improving slowly.

Indianapolis, with Peyton Manning coming off a record 49 touchdown passes, is the heavy favorite in the South.

They became even more dangerous when they signed defensive tackle Corey Simon, let go by Philadelphia after he declined to sign a franchise tender (Owens beware - the Eagles have no fear of letting go high-provile players). Simon will join Dwight Freeney as an impact player on a defense that has suffered in the past because most of the team`s salary cap allotment has gone to offense.

The other problem is beating the Patriots, The Colts, who play indoors, have been knocked out of the playoffs in Foxborough the last two seasons and have lost six straight to New England and 10 of 12 since Manning has been the quarterback.

San Diego, a surprise 12-4 last season, probably won`t do that again in an improved AFC West, where Oakland has added Randy Moss from Minnesota, which tired of his antics. The Chargers also will be without Gates for the first game because they suspended him and reported it to the league a day before he ended his holdout.

The NFC once again seems to have far fewer good teams.

The Eagles are the class of the NFC despite the Owens saga: his holdout, his exile from camp after an argument with coach Andy Reid, and his silent return. But look for Carolina and Peppers, which reached the Super Bowl two seasons ago, to rebound from a spate of injuries to compete with Michael Vick and Atlanta in the South.

Minnesota looks like the class of the North, with Green Bay and Favre fading and Detroit rising. The Vikings might, in fact, benefit by the trade that shipped Moss to Oakland - addition by subtraction, especially in chemistry.

The West, won by Seattle at 9-7 last season, again looks like a fight among the average: the Seahawks, St. Louis and an improved Arizona, with San Francisco at the bottom.

In fact, the bottom is where the three new coaches are - that`s why they got their jobs.

The 49ers, with Mike Nolan taking over, will start a rebuilding job. The Browns now have Crennel, who has been cleaning house, and Miami hired former LSU coach Nick Saban and welcomed back Williams, who sat out last season and will have to sit out the first four games this year for a drug suspension.

Still, this is the NFL and one key injury can change every prediction.

Except the fact that T.O. will do something to grab attention again.

``We take it day to day,`` Eagles safety Brian Dawkins acknowledged the day the cantankerous receiver returned to practice. Who knows what will happen any time - now, next week, before Game 5?``

``I just wish the best for him, that he can somehow get it together and understand life,`` says Deion Sanders, still working as a nickel back for Baltimore. ``He`s a good guy.``

A lot of people might thing otherwise. Starting with Andy Reid.

2005-08-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Tennis: Women to battle for No. 1

NEW YORK — Women's tennis and the NFL have one thing in common: injuries galore.

Tennis seems a tame game compared with football's violence, but there is no shortage of aches among the women heading into the U.S. Open today with their bandages and painkillers, physical therapists and chiropractors.

Belgium's Kim Clijsters, healthier than most elite players at the moment, has been sizzling this summer and seems to have a solid chance to win her first Grand Slam tournament after taking a WTA Tour-leading six titles this year.

She will challenge No. 1 seed Maria Sharapova (returning from a strained chest muscle) and the woman set to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the world today, Lindsay Davenport (returning from a back injury).

Yet Clijsters, 22, spoke yesterday of retiring in about two years because of the toll the sport has taken on her body. She is worried about how past injuries will affect her life away from tennis in the future.

Clijsters' most serious problem last year was a torn tendon in her left wrist, which led to surgery and cost her most of the season, as well as the start of this year. She made a strong comeback when she returned to the WTA Tour in February, despite a knee injury in May.

"I know how my body is feeling now and that, for me, is the main reason," Clijsters said of her thoughts of retirement. "For the next two years ... I'll just have to look after my body, make sure I have massages every day, do my knee exercises, my shoulder exercises and my core exercises. There's so much. I need to do all those things if I want to be able to play as well as I have been. That's why, after the U.S. Open, I'm going to have a long break ... just to make sure that everything is right again and that I recover well."
Davenport, 29, spoke last year about retiring. She was bothered by foot and back injuries, among others. But she got a second wind in her career, finished last year ranked No. 1 and has occupied the top spot most of this year.

The Associated Press

2005-08-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Ex-NFL Player May Also Face Local Charges

SAN DIEGO -- A former pro-football player accused of running down three teenagers in Los Angeles may end up facing attempted murder charges in San Diego.
Former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips, who was wanted in San Diego by police for domestic violence, was arrested Sunday after allegedly running his car into three teenagers who argued with him during a pickup football game, police said.
Police say on Aug 2, he assaulted his then-girlfriend at her home in Mission Valley from 4:30 a.m until 1 p.m. the next afternoon. - NFL Football -
"Over that period of time, he repeatedly slapped the 28-year-old woman and choked her, the final time so severely that she passed out on us," said Sgt. Dan Cerar of the San Diego Police Department.
According to police, Phillips assaulted the woman again 11 days later when Phillips confronted her at a party. In a restraining order obtained by NBC 7/39, the woman said Phillips choked her and asked, "Do you want to die tonight?" - NFL Football -
Police said the women later escaped but that Phillips stole her car, the same car that police believe he was driving this weekend and used to run down the teenagers. Authorities said Phillips may face attempted-murder charges in San Diego.
Phillips was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and domestic abuse and held without bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Web site. - NFL Football -
Police had been seeking the 30-year-old former running back since earlier this month for allegedly attacking his Mission Valley girlfriend twice, once choking her into unconsciousness, they said. It wasn't immediately clear if Phillips had an attorney to represent him.
Phillips joined a group of 16- and 17-year-olds in a pickup football game in Exposition Park on Sunday and got into an argument with several of the teens, said Los Angeles Police Officer Sandra Escalante. He left the park, but returned and drove a black Honda onto the field, allegedly running into three teenage boys, she said. - NFL Football -
The teenagers were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
San Diego Police had offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to Phillips' whereabouts, and said he had indicated he wouldn't surrender peacefully.
Police have said Phillips is also wanted on an outstanding felony warrant from Los Angeles for an unrelated domestic violence case.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound former University of Nebraska star has a history of high-profile trouble with the law going back a decade to his time as one of the nation's top college football players. - NFL Football -
He was drafted sixth overall in 1996 by the St. Louis Rams despite pleading no contest to a charge of domestic violence in a confrontation with a girlfriend. He was released for insubordination in 1997 after 25 games with the Rams.
Phillips signed with the Miami Dolphins later in the 1997 season, but was released after pleading no contest to hitting a woman in a nightclub.
He was the top offensive player in NFL Europe in 1999 after setting league records for rushing and touchdowns with the Barcelona Dragons. - NFL Football -
He signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 1999, but was released for missing a practice. He later played in the Canadian Football League, but was dropped from two teams for behavioral problems.
He was charged in Quebec in late 2003 with sexual assault, assault and uttering threats, apparently against another girlfriend. He was denied entry into Canada last year when he attempted to appear in court on those charges because of his criminal history.

The Associated Press

2005-08-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Field goals top priority

Still, it's field-goal kicking that will determine Mehlhaff's season. He is expected to hold that job following the departure of senior Mike Allen. That's why Mehlhaff's success in the kicking competition was so important.
"Just to see how I compared to some of those guys and how I was kicking was a good confidence boost for me," Mehlhaff said. "I know I can get it done. I just have to get my mind right and do it." - NFL Football -
One of the keys to confidence is being able to do things consistently well under pressure. Sailer gave Mehlhaff a lot of muscle-memory drills, to be done without kicking a football, that reinforce proper mechanics.
"So that when you actually go out there live, your body just does it," Sailer said. "You don't have to think about it. He was really hungry for it and wanted to get there. He's a guy that's not used to not being successful." - NFL Football -
Mehlhaff is off to a good start in camp. The specialists do most of their work before practice and Mehlhaff was booming field goals out to 54 yards on Friday. But then he missed a kick of about 40 yards during the team portion of practice.
"People were asking, 'Where's your range?' " he said. "Until I get it done with the team, I know I can kick beyond 50 yards, but I've got to do it in the team for me to be confident doing it out there."
Badgers fans have a right to be skeptical, given the recent string of failed kickers. But Mehlhaff seems to be cut from a different cloth. - NFL Football -
Besides, the kicking doctor is not worried.
"Competitively, his mentality is, 'If I'm not the best right now, I'm going to be the best,' " Sailer said. "I'd never say he lost confidence. He was just aware that he wasn't at the level he needed to be at and he was going to do whatever it took to get there."
Somebody pointed out to University of Wisconsin defensive coordinator Bret Bielema during media day earlier last week that Bowling Green was supposed to have a good quarterback.
Notes: QB Jacobs puts defense on alert - NFL Football -
"That's what somebody said," Bielema said in his best deadpan voice.
Rest assured, the Badgers' season-opener against Bowling Green is still almost three weeks away, but Bielema knows just about everything possible about Omar Jacobs, who threw for 4,002 yards last season and led the nation with a Mid-American Conference-record 41 touchdown passes.
In fact, Bielema even has some first-hand knowledge of Jacobs, a junior from Delray Beach, Fla.
"I recruited him when I was down there, working at Kansas State and at Iowa, during my transition years," Bielema said. "(He's) a good athlete. He's in a great system. They coach him very well. - NFL Football -
"He's able to understand what he's supposed to do, probably off of looks, better than I've ever seen out of a quarterback. I think he really understands the game of football. It'll be fun and a great challenge for us."
UW coach Barry Alvarez has said this opener presents a difficult preparation, especially for the defense. That could require some more attention in camp than the Badgers would normally give an opening opponent.
"We really have our work cut out for us because they do some things (that are) unconventional," Alvarez said. "They're a very difficult preparation. - NFL Football -
"It's hard to emulate, in practice, what they do, with different tempos. It's going to be a hard preparation, particularly for (young players). It's not that any of their formations are anything we haven't seen before, it's just the tempo they run, the no-huddle, different speeds of it."

Wisconsin State Journal

2005-08-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

NFL-Marino and Young enter Football Hall of Fame

TORONTO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Former MVP quarterbacks Dan Marino and Steve Young were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Sunday.
Marino spent his entire 17-year career with the Miami Dolphins and retired following the 1999 season holding every significant quarterbacking record, including most yards passing (61,361), most completions (4,967) and touchdown passes (420).
A nine-time Pro Bowl selection, Marino won every honour available to a player apart from the biggest prize of all -- a Super Bowl victory. - NFL Football -
Marino played in just one Super Bowl, the Dolphins losing a 38-16 to the San Francisco 49ers in 1984.
"As a young man God blessed me with a special talent to throw a football," Marino, told a large crowd, many wearing his number 13 jersey, during induction ceremonies.
"We didn't win a Super Bowl and that's something I'll always regret -- not knowing what that feels like." - NFL Football -
Young did win a Super Bowl ring and along with it game MVP honours for tossing a record six touchdown passes in San Francisco's 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers in the 1995 championship game.
A two-time MVP with the 49ers, Young finished his career with 33,124 yards passing while throwing for 232 touchdowns. - NFL Football -
A scrambling quarterback, Young began his professional career in the now defunct USFL before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 1987 he moved to San Francisco as the backup for the legendary Joe Montana and finished his career in 1999 as the NFL's all-time leader in passing efficiency.
A seven-time Pro Bowl selection, Young won six NFL passing titles but was not afraid to run with the ball, scoring 43 touchdowns. - NFL Football -
"I can taste the pride that I felt to be able to put on a 49er jersey and represent the great city of San Francisco," Young told the crowd.
"We did not think we were going to win. We knew there was no alternative."
Quarterback Benny Friedman, considered the first great pro passer, and running back Fritz Pollard, the first black NFL coach, were also inducted. - NFL Football -

Reuters.

2005-07-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

Camp's heat good fare for NFL Films

BOURBONNAIS – NFL Films should have been here to make a movie.
With the same dramatic music and narration that accompanied the recap of the 1967 Ice Bowl between Dallas and Green Bay, the piece could have chronicled the Bears' efforts to make it through Sunday's practice. - NFL Football -
The opening shot would be the silhouette of safety Mike Brown, kneeling on the sideline with sweat pouring off his face and arms. The voice of pro football, John Facenda – if he were alive – would intone, "These are the times for the men to show they are men and for the boys to head for the nearest water tent."
Or something to that effect. - NFL Football -
OK, so the first practice of the season is not up there with the Ice Bowl. All I know is the elements were similarly severe, albeit on the opposite end of the thermometer.
The Bears kicked off their preseason with a temperature of 100 degrees and heat index of 112 cooking the Olivet Nazarene University field and everyone who set foot on it.
Highlights were scarce, even for a first practice. The problem was not just rust, either.
Even these athletes, some of the best-conditioned in the world, struggled mightily. No wonder I counted 40 fans walking out of the complex during the first half-hour.
"My mind was raring to go," cornerback Charles Tillman said. "My body just wasn't always listening." - NFL Football -
Coach Lovie Smith said afterward the heat was not a significant issue. As far as not completely disrupting what the Bears wanted to do, perhaps Smith was right.
Rex Grossman still threw the ball, although not always accurately. The receivers still ran their routes with the cornerbacks providing coverage. Tailback Thomas Jones still darted through holes in the non-contact practice, in which players wore helmets but no shoulder or leg pads.
The heat nonetheless was a factor. Instead of focusing on the beginning of a new season, with all the promise such an occasion entails, everyone just wanted to survive.
By everyone, I mean fans and reporters as well as players, who worked hard but mostly seemed to be wondering when the next water break would come. - NFL Football -
"Things were kind of sluggish out there," Brown said. "Don't worry, we'll get it going."
Maybe not today – the temperature is expected to remain well into the 90s, and practice is at high noon. - NFL Football -
The Bears have not worked out in these conditions for a number of years. They apparently had a few – I did not attend them – during the glory seasons.
Mike Ditka talks about loving those sessions. He made his players practice in full pads, although the team reportedly provided man-sized vats of ice for players to jump into afterward.
There were no such ice bins Sunday. Players spent the previous 24 hours hydrating themselves. They took three water breaks during the 2-hour practice.
And so everyone made it through without any noticeable problems. The players will not tell the story of this day to their grandkids the way the Ice Bowl participants probably do.
But they could. - NFL Football -

NICK HUT

2005-07-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

UConn has made progress, still has a long way to go
Part IV in an occasional series: UConn football recruiting

With the first bowl victory in school history and its first two NFL draft picks in more than a decade, the UConn football program has begun to make its way onto the national stage.
The Division I-A neophyte, preparing to begin its second tour around the new-look Big East, has made a moderate amount of noise from New Hampshire to New Orleans as head coach Randy Edsall and his staff have shepherded the Huskies through an upgrade and into a BCS conference.
The Huskies, however, are still fighting a battle to keep most, if not all, of the state's top recruits close to home. - NFL Football -
Once an afterthought for big-time high school Nutmeggers who were bound for Penn State, Boston College or Syracuse, UConn has become a prime option for most of the state's brightest gridiron stars. "When we first got here, we couldn't even get our foot in the door with a lot of kids," said Edsall, whose team was 8-4 in 2004 and beat Toledo 39-10 in the Motor City Bowl. "Now we're able to recruit those kids — some that we're getting and some that we're not."
But are the Huskies ready to take the final step in their recruiting progression and stop the Wisconsins, Iowas and Notre Dames of the college football world from raiding their back yard?
Many of the region's top high school coaches, all of whom have sent players to the Division I-A ranks, believe the Huskies can do it — but most agree the job isn't done.
"I don't see kids in-state going to other places soon. The place to be is going to be the University of Connecticut, if it's not already," Staples coach Marce Petroccio said. "They may not always get the kid who wants to go to Wisconsin right now. But eventually they will."
While UConn has several numbers in its favor at this point — its first bowl victory, two draft picks, a two-year-old stadium — it hasn't finished its climb in most people's minds.
Work to do - NFL Football -
"They're moving in the right direction. I don't think they've caught up," Fairfield Prep coach Rich Magdon said. "A lot of those other schools are established, big-time programs. They have more of a track record; UConn is the new kid on the block. They've covered a lot of ground in the last four years, and they're going in the right direction. They're moving into that circle, but they have some work to do in order to be thought of in the same light as these teams that have been to countless bowl games." - NFL Football -
Petroccio, for one, has enjoyed a good relationship with the Huskies in recent years, having watched as Sean Mulcahy moved from Westport schoolboy talent to UConn team captain. Staples senior quarterback D.J. Stefkovich might not end up following Mulcahy to Storrs — Edsall and his staff are keenly aware of Stefkovich's talents but are unlikely to take any quarterbacks in their upcoming recruiting class. But Petroccio says he and his fellow coaches have seen a change in the UConn coaches. - NFL Football -
"There's been a huge difference. Coach Edsall and his staff do a great job of getting to the high schools in the area, finding the talent, and really going after them hard," Petroccio said. "In the past, a lot of high school coaches felt that UConn really didn't care much about us. But that's definitely not the case now."
Edsall says he has tried hard to include many in-state high schoolers in his summer camp and has run various clinics with some of the state's teams.
"We've tried to cultivate relationships with the high school coaches," Edsall said. "We had to overcome some long-standing relationships that coaches had with other universities."
Some of those ties obviously are harder to break than others. - NFL Football -
UConn will welcome a pair of Connecticut high school stars into the fold soon as Seymour offensive tackle Mike Hicks and Danbury safety Glen Mourning join the team. But the Huskies this year watched as Norwich Free Academy defensive end Matt Shaughnessy opted for Wisconsin, Hyde defensive back Willie Harriott chose Penn State and Bloomfield running back Kory Sheets backed out of his verbal commitment and went to Purdue.
In truth, the Huskies had backed off Harriott a bit, and Sheets' decision was something of a positive for them (UConn already had too many talented running backs for Sheets' liking), but the casual observer still was left with the impression that UConn couldn't keep its home-grown talent around. - NFL Football -
Edsall has a few opinions about such cases. First, he says, the Huskies are clearly committed to the state's stars.
"We've recruited this state harder than any other state," Edsall said. "I've got seven coaches in Connecticut, one for each of seven different leagues. We've put an emphasis on recruiting kids from in-state. There isn't any other area where I have seven coaches involved."
But just because a high school star is from Connecticut, doesn't mean he necessarily is interested in the Huskies. - NFL Football -
Constant pressure
"With some in-state kids, they think there's too much pressure to play here at home," Edsall said. "Because of the constant media pressure that goes with that, they don't even want to deal with it. There's some kids that can handle that, there's some kids that can't."
And even if a player is from Connecticut and has interest in UConn, the Huskies aren't automatically going to take him.
"Just because we're in the state of Connecticut, doesn't mean we're just going to take kids from the state," Edsall said. "Our job is to recruit the best players, the best student-athletes that fit our system and fit the needs we have. - NFL Football -
"And some of those kids the so-called experts deemed top kids have not gone here, and not fared well or played well at other places," Edsall continued. "There's some kids that people think we should recruit, but they don't know the total package like we do. I feel very good about what we've done in-state, because I know all the ins and outs."
Among the other state standouts who earned Division I-A scholarships for the upcoming season were a pair of Newtown High products. Defensive lineman Dan Cascone is going to Wisconsin and tight end Brennan Coakley is off to Penn State. - NFL Football -
The Huskies did not actively recruit Coakley, but had their eyes on Cascone. One of the deciding factors for Cascone, was the uncertain future of the Big East and UConn's place in it.
"What was a little bit up in the air before, was what was happening with the Big East," Newtown coach Ken Roberts said. "With Dan Cascone, that was kind of an issue: 'Who are they going to play? What type of league is it going to be? Are they going to be bouncing in and out of leagues?' "
Roberts and, obviously, Edsall say that is no longer an issue.
"Now that it seems to be straightened out and they have a really good lineup in the Big East, I don't think it's going to be much of a concern anymore," Roberts said.
The UConn football program received some unwanted attention this spring as five of its players were arrested following a pellet gun shooting in Willimantic. All five were briefly suspended by Edsall for their roles and one player, safety Donta Moore, has since been expelled by the school.
But there appears to be little evidence of negative recruiting because of that incident. Across the landscape of college football, many teams have recently experienced more serious legal problems. - NFL Football -
The recruitment of Connecticut high schoolers as a whole certainly was given a boost in 2000 when a lanky young gunslinger from Shelton High committed to the Huskies. And when Dan Orlovsky finished his career in December as the school's all-time leader in passing yardage and passing touchdowns, Edsall had the football version of a Chris Smith — a stay-at-home-blue chipper that showed what could be done in nearby Storrs.
As much help as Orlovsky has been to the Huskies' cause, Edsall points out that his former star is something of an anomaly. - NFL Football -
"Dan was different. Dan wanted to be that guy. He wanted to be that poster child. There's a lot of guys that don't want to be that," Edsall said. "A lot of kids don't want to be compared to anybody. They want to be their own person."
The next great quarterback from Connecticut could well come from the region again; Seymour junior Ryan Osiecki has certainly caught the Huskies' eye. Whatever Edsall's intentions with Osiecki, whose father, Sandy, played briefly in the NFL and was a star at Ansonia High, it's a good bet the coach will be direct with the player.
"We're going to be up-front and honest with kids. We're not going to tell them what they want to hear," Edsall said. "We're going to tell them that it's hard here. We're going to tell them you have to work hard. That way, the relationship can always be strong. If you tell them anything different during the recruiting process, now you've got credibility issues with your own team."
Hard to avoid - NFL Football -
The region's coaches have gotten a taste of that honesty already.
"We're fortunate that we have a kid now who's getting a lot of attention. He's being recruited by a lot of people," said Magdon, referring to Prep lineman Garrett Brown. "And they (UConn coaches) have done a great job. They've conducted themselves as well as anybody who's come to talk to him, whether it be a Big Ten school, ACC school or SEC school. They're right on par."
Brown, whom Magdon said has drawn interest from Purdue and Virginia, is a 6-foot-2, 295-pound offensive and defensive lineman.
Among the other top prospects in Fairfield County is Newtown linebacker Marc Inderman. UConn is not necessarily hot on the trail of Inderman, who is being recruited by UMass, James Madison, Villanova and Maryland, according to his coach, but the Huskies have maintained a good relationship with Roberts. And the players themselves in Connecticut appear to be watching UConn a lot more themselves. - NFL Football -
"I think after going to a bowl game last year, the impact that Dan Orlovsky had, I think Connecticut kids see a program on the rise," Roberts said.
Between newspaper coverage and television exposure, both locally and nationally, it's hard to avoid the Huskies sometimes.
"Kids are definitely paying more attention to them," Magdon said. "They can't help it now that UConn has become a focal point with the local media. UConn is getting more attention all around the state, and they're definitely looked at differently than they were before."
While Rentschler Field in East Hartford is now something of a big stop on the tour the UConn coaches give recruits, they'll soon have a closer complex to show off. A facilities building with offices, meeting rooms and locker rooms is being erected on the Storrs campus, with a domed indoor practice facility going up right next door. - NFL Football -
These latest additions to the UConn football arsenal of recruiting weapons, which are slated to be ready in about a year, could put the Huskies over the top.
"They've made inroads against those people, especially against the Syracuses and BCs," Petroccio said. "The last piece of the puzzle for them is their facilities. Rentschler Field, of course, is beautiful. But now they're going to have on-campus facilities that can rival the top ones in the country."

NEILL OSTROUT

2005-07-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Faulk fun in the sun

Cousins Kevin and Trev Faulk are home this weekend for a little fun before returning to the daily grinds of their respective NFL training camps.
The Faulks put on their second annual football camp Friday at Lafayette High with a middle school session. The high school session begins around 8 a.m. today at Carencro High.
More than 90 kids showed up for Friday's session to learn football drills and a chance to meet current NFL players. The camp is free of charge. - NFL Football -
"It was a wonderful session," Kevin Faulk said. "We were real surprised to see the turnout. Today's turnout was more than we had for last year on both days put together.
"It was real good for us. Like I said, our friends helped out."
The camp isn't the first volunteer activity Kevin Faulk has been involved in this summer, supporting the Lafayette Community Health Care Clinic last month in a benefit golf event.
Some of those friends included NFL'ers Rohan Davey (New England), Daniel Graham (New England), Kenderick Allen (N.Y. Giants), Kenyatta Jones (free agent), Corey Raymond (retired) and Abbeville native Brandon Mitchell (Atlanta). - NFL Football -
"We had great support," Trev Faulk said. "We had a coach from Lafayette High and a coach from Carencro. My old coach (Bobby) Green from Lafayette High came out. It's already grown in just a year's time."
Kevin Faulk said he's leaving next week for New England to start preparing for training camp. The former Carencro and LSU star is a third down specialist for the Patriots and also has three Super Bowl rings. - NFL Football -
The Patriots are again considered a Super Bowl favorite.
"Everybody is favoring us to go back to the Super Bowl," Faulk said. "But every year we go into training camp with our mindset being the same thing - just try to play good consistent football and stay mistake free."
Faulk pairs with All-Pro Corey Dillon in the Patriots' backfield. The duo provides a 1-2 punch that gives opposing defenses fits. Faulk is mainly used in long distances situations, a role that his teammate said often goes unnoticed. - NFL Football -
"Kevin is a great player and a hard worker," Graham said. "He doesn't get a lot of credit for what he does, but the team knows what he can do and that's all that matters. He's the perfect third-down back that you're looking for."
Faulk doesn't worry about how much or how little playing time he receives. He knows his role in helping the Patriots' win three Super Bowl crowns.
"My role is to be consistent and my role is to help the team out anyway I can," he said. "If they ask me to kick the ball, I'll do it. It's just the way the team is. The whole team is set up that way."
Both Faulk and Graham said the celebration of the third Super Bowl title is over and the team is ready to go for a fourth. - NFL Football -
"We won it," Faulk said. "Now we're trying to win another one. It's time to get back to work. There's not too much time to think about it, because work is right around the corner."
"It's a whole new year," Graham said. "We don't even think about that. What happened last year doesn't affect what's going to happen this year. It's a whole new season."
Faulk's younger cousin, Trev, was a standout at Lafayette High and LSU. Trev Faulk was undrafted out of LSU, but signed as a free agent with Denver and later with Arizona.
The younger Faulk seems to have finally found a home in St. Louis, where he begins his second year this fall. He played mainly special teams last year, but enters this season No. 2 on the depth chart at middle linebacker behind Chris Claiborne.
"I just go out there and play," Trev Faulk said. "If they tell me I need to play on every special team, I'll do that and prepare as best I can to do that. Also, at the same time I'll prepare to play defense if they need me to do that as well. I just try to go out there and prepare to be a starter and whenever my time comes, I'll be ready." - NFL Football -
The Rams squeaked into the playoffs last year and defeated Seattle 27-20 in the wild-card game, but lost to Atlanta 47-17.
"In terms of wins and losses (we expected to do better), but going into the second round of the playoffs - the team was fairly young and we came out and did our best," Faulk said. "Hopefully, we'll be a little better this year." - NFL Football -

Daily Advertiser

2005-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

Tornados to finally land permanent home field
After 3 years with schedule woes, team hopes to only play at Carmel after July.

Barry Krauss is used to the challenges of running a minor league football team.
Krauss, who played 10 seasons as a linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts, is entering his fourth season as the head coach of the Indiana Tornados.
Scheduling conflicts permeated each of the Carmel-based team's first three seasons in the North American Football League. Games were canceled. Opponents backed out. Game locations were changed at the last minute. - NFL Football -
The NAFL is a minor league system of about 100 teams throughout the United States that plays its games in summer and early fall, and scheduling is a constant adventure.
This year, for example, the Tornados' lone preseason contest was canceled after a pair of opponents backed out.
Krauss said a deal is in place with Carmel High School that will make the Carmel football field the Tornados' permanent home stadium beginning this year -- but they'll begin the season playing home games at Sheridan High School.
The team opens its season Saturday at Wisconsin against the Milwaukee Marauders.
Its July 16 and July 30 home games against the Kane County Eagles and Racine Raiders have been moved to Sheridan because the Carmel field is still being fitted for FieldTurf, an artificial surface. - NFL Football -
An opponent and location have not been determined for the Aug. 6 date.
Krauss said the team would play its remaining August and September home games at Carmel, but the school's assistant athletic director, Bruce Wolf, said the field might not be ready for the Tornados as early as they had hoped.
"The completion date for the project isn't until July 30th," Wolf said. "We're just hoping we're going to be able to get on the field August 1st, when (high school teams) start practices."
Despite the effort and challenges of just getting a game in, Krauss and the Tornados have thrived. - NFL Football -
The team has posted a winning record in each of its first three seasons, including back-to-back 11-2 marks.
"Scheduling issues (are) always a challenge," said Krauss, whose team has previously played home games at Brebeuf Jesuit, Carmel and Sheridan.
Krauss admits the instability hurts the team and limits its ability to market itself to its growing fan base. The team averaged just 650 fans per game last year, although it did draw more than 1,200 to a game at Carmel. - NFL Football -
Still, Krauss -- a former University of Alabama standout who played under legendary coaches such as Paul "Bear" Bryant and Don Shula -- won't let those challenges bring him or the organization down.
The Tornados are focused on reaching the league championship game, something players have come agonizingly close to each season.
"I'm really excited about the talent that we have and the attitude," Krauss said. "These kids work their butts off."
Krauss isn't as concerned with who or where his team plays, as he is with where his players could end up playing. - NFL Football -
The goal of the league is to provide opportunities for players to advance to a higher level of football, be it Arena League or the National Football League.
A handful of Tornados players -- many of whom are local former high school products -- have played in Arena leagues or had tryouts with NFL teams.
"The focus of the organization is to help guys as much as we can," Krauss said. "Every day, I try to focus out there about caring about each other, trusting each other and growing closer and closer."

Paul Shepherd
Star correspondent

2005-06-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

NFL 'thug' reputation inaccurate

Another NFL player arrested? What's new? It happens all the time, right?

No, it doesn't.

Actually, it happens with less frequency than the general public's arrest rate.

Washington Redskins and former Miami Hurricanes standout Sean Taylor was charged Saturday with aggravated assault with a firearm and a misdemeanor charge of simple battery. Most folks yawned and figured it was a typical NFL player, getting into typical trouble.
That's the perception, a league run amok with thugs, gangstas and hoodlums, a bunch of young, rich black guys (mostly), who can't suppress their aggressive nature or overcome their criminal instincts.

But The Associated Press made an unofficial count of NFL arrests since the end of last season and came up with 16. The report said Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy has tracked NFL arrests for a decade and finds that the number of offseason arrests is usually 18-25 of the 2,900 players under contract during that period.

In other words, less than 1 percent (.009 at most).

Now consider the FBI's 2003 Uniform Crime Report. It found that the national arrest rate — excluding traffic offenses — was 4,695.1 per 100,000 in population (.047).

"Athletes are no more immune from committing crimes," said Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. "They're just higher profile than the public at large."

Two of Dungy's players were arrested recently. Safety Mike Doss is accused of firing a gun in the air outside a bar, and cornerback Nick Harper is accused of hitting his wife. Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis and linebacker Terrell Suggs missed minicamp due to run-ins with the criminal justice system, Lewis in a halfway house on drug charges and Suggs on trial for assault.

It takes about 29 player arrests to equal 1 percent. You need another 107 player arrests to reach the national rate.

Yet the perception persists, this nagging notion that players are out of control.

I'm not surprised, considering that large segments of the masses spend countless hours frying their brains on the most inane TV programs imaginable. Those folks aren't savvy enough to realize the impact of overactive media attention on celebrities.

But since most young knuckleheads don't make millions playing sports, their dirty deeds rarely circulate outside their locale. Conversely, even the most obscure NFL players running afoul of the law can land in the national news roundup.

Don't mistake my understanding for sympathy. If athletes don't want the spotlight they should exit the stage. Extra attention and added scrutiny come with the contract, just like signing bonuses and incentive clauses.

Doing the right thing should be motivation enough. But if not, the knowledge that everyone's watching should keep NFL players in line.

And it does.

At least 99 percent of them.
Published by news-press.com

Nfl Football Draft

2005-06-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

Cardinals stadium naming deal may approach record amount

The Arizona Cardinals are scouring America's corporate giants to find a naming rights partner for its new stadium, and some experts say it could result in one of the biggest deals of its kind in professional sports.
The 63,000-seat stadium in Glendale will open in little more than a year, and it arguably will be the most advanced facility of its size and scope in the nation. While its main tenant, the Arizona Cardinals, has been a perennial loser since moving to Arizona in 1988, there are a number of factors that make the building uniquely attractive to potential naming rights partners.

Cardinals Vice President of Marketing and Sales Ron Minegar said the team has had close to 10 conversations with potential naming rights partners. While those discussions have been preliminary, Minegar has been pleased with the interest level in the building. He declined to reveal who the team has talked to, but said companies have been local, regional and national.
"We're getting significant interest from some potential naming rights partners," he said. "People are enthused with the whole package the building has to offer."
Those offerings, in addition to the Cardinals, are the 2008 Super Bowl and the annual college football Fiesta Bowl. In addition, in 2007 and potentially every four years after that, a college football national championship game will be played at the stadium a week after the Fiesta Bowl.
These marquee events give the Cardinals major selling points in the short term. But growth of the Phoenix market is a major long-term incentive for a naming rights partner. These deals generally cover 20 to 30 years, and the Valley is expected to continue to boom in population during that time.
With a small number of Fortune 500 companies based in the Valley, the industry sentiment is that the Cardinals' eventual partner likely will come from out of state.
"The facility will appeal first to any large regional corporation looking to enhance its brand in the area," said Don Hinchey, vice president of communications for The Bonham Group, a Colorado firm that has structured many naming rights deals for pro sports franchises. The Phoenix Coyotes have The Bonham Group on retainer to find a naming partner for the Glendale Arena.
"It's also appealing to a national firm that wants to come in and make a big splash in a new market," Hinchey added.
Whichever firm hangs a name on the Cardinals facility, it won't do so cheaply. Recent naming rights deals for similar, newly built facilities have ranged from a few million to $10 million dollars per year.
Reliant Field in Houston, where the NFL's Texans play, has the richest deal in U.S. history at $10 million a year for 30 years. Reliant's deal also includes naming rights on two smaller facilities.
James Kahler, director of Arizona State University's Sports Business MBA Program, said the Cardinals deal could potentially approach $10 million a year.
"Why shouldn't they be near the top?" he said. "I think the market is ready for it, and just think about how big Phoenix will be in 20 years."
NFL football and the other college bowl games -- which routinely draw great television ratings -- will add to the deal's value, Kahler said.
"I also think it's only a matter of time before that building hosts the Final 4, and that is huge exposure," he said. "And with Phoenix, we attract a lot of other indoor/outdoor events."
Minegar said there is no set timetable for a deal to get done, and he declined to speculate when it would, or what dollar amount the team is shooting for.
It seems likely that any potential partner would need a major regional or national presence to afford the long-term deal the team seeks.
Airlines are unlikely because of industry struggles, and some major banks already have similar deals with other NFL venues. JPMorgan Chase & Co., which bought out Bank One, will rename Bank One Ballpark to reflect the Chase name in the coming months.
Bank One paid $2.2 million a year for 30 years, or a total of $66 million, for the namings rights on Bank One Ballpark in downtown Phoenix.
KB Home was rumored last year to be a partner for the Coyotes and the Glendale Arena, and the company or similar home builder could be a good fit for the Valley and the Cardinals. A major consumer company, possibly a grocer or retailer looking to capture a growing market, also could make sense.

By Adam Kress
The Business Journal of Phoenix
Updated: 8:00 p.m. ET June 26, 2005