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.
APThey may think they need Bush, but, if he couldn't really bust free against Texas in the Rose Bowl — he did have one big play, but he tried to lateral and turned it over — how's he going to do it against bigger and faster defenses behind a bad offensive line? And what happens if he blows out a knee?
What Houston needs — what every team needs — is somebody who can control the line of scrimmage on defense, somebody who strikes terror into the hearts of opposing quarterbacks, somebody like White, the person Williams is most often compared to, who can dominate the opposing offense.
You can't win if you can't stop the other guys. But if you can stop them, even with a challenged offense, you have a chance.
For illustrations, think back to the Lions during Barry Sanders' days — exciting as all get out to watch, but basically a failure as a team. Then think about last year's Bears — an offensive game plan that consisted of three-play sequences, nearly every one of which was succeeded by a punt, but they through one round of the playoffs on the strength of their defense. Then think about the Super Bowl champion Ravens. Again, they had no offense to speak of, but they won because they had one of the greatest defenses ever to take the field.
New England won its first two Super Bowls without a premier running back. The Giants won their second title with a superannuated O.J. Anderson, who had lost so much speed he couldn't outrun the Lincoln Tunnel, grinding out three and four yards at a time. Much as everyone loves Jerome Bettis, he wasn't exactly O.J. Simpson for the Steelers last year, either.
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I've already said that Bush is one of the only running backs I've ever seen worthy of the first pick. That doesn't mean he's the right pick for Houston, though, not when the Texans can have anybody they want. Bush is the best back in the draft and one of the best that's ever come into the league.
But Mario Williams is the best player.
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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