Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
APThe move seemed to motivate Brees, who threw for a combined 6,735 yards and 51 touchdowns during the past two seasons in leading San Diego to 20 victories and a playoff appearance in 2004.
He injured himself during the last game of the 2005 season. Yet Saints coach Sean Payton, a former college quarterback with a very brief pro career in Canada and as a replacement player in the NFL, made up his mind that Brees was a proven winner who could be trusted to rehabilitate intelligently and be effective by fall.
He noted Brees’ 16-0 record in high school, his success making Purdue a Big Ten contender and recent success in San Diego.
“Those aren’t by accident. That track record at this position is, I think, critical in the evaluation process,” Payton said. “He’s a player that makes great decisions. He’s a high-character person. He’s everything you look for at the quarterback position.”
General manager Mickey Loomis declined to rule out using the Saints’ No. 2 overall pick in the draft on a quarterback but added, “Obviously, we’ve got our quarterback right here.”
“I don’t want to take anything out of play,” Loomis said. “It definitely gives us a flexibility that we don’t have to take a quarterback.”
Loomis said the Saints hope to fill most of their needs through free agency and then take the best player available in the draft, which was what they did with the selection Deuce McAllister, even though Ricky Williams was already on the roster and coming off a strong second season in the league.
Brees said he ultimately leaned toward New Orleans because he sensed the Saints wanted him more than the Miami Dolphins, who also courted him before trading for Daunte Culpepper.
Brees also wanted to play close to his home state of Texas, in a region that he knows appreciates football like no other sport, and in a city where he might have a chance to leave a legacy even more meaningful than winning football games.
He spoke of his recent tour with team officials through New Orleans, much of which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but much of which is also rebuilding and functioning again.
“You still see the city is very alive and you’ve got a lot of great citizens of New Orleans committed to rebuilding this city that are just so excited about Saints football,” Brees said. “In times of tragedy, in times like this, people look to whatever they can to try to lift their spirits and I think for a lot of people that is Saints football. ... What a great opportunity it was for me to be here as quarterback, but not only that, but as a person in this community.”
Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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