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.
PBT: Jeremy Lin wasn't his hot self on Saturday, but he still led the Knicks to victory.
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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has 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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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.
But before they start clearing out space for another championship trophy in South Bend, there’s plenty of work to do.
The Notre Dame offense was efficient but hardly spectacular against Georgia Tech, a team that ended last season giving up 38 points to Utah in the Emerald Bowl. The Irish managed 384 yards and did a good job controlling the clock, but still put up fewer points than any game during Weis’ first season. Carl Gioia had a troubling debut as the kicker, missing from 42 and 36 yards for a team that might have to win a few close games, especially with games against No. 19 Penn State and No. 14 Michigan coming up the next two weeks.
Quinn struggled against Georgia Tech’s frequent blitzes in the first half. He took a sack, drew a flag for intentional grounding and was bodyslammed to the turf by Joe Anoai, a defensive tackle who hails from a family of professional wrestlers.
“This game would have been a lot more wide open if I had done a better job,” said Quinn, fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting a year ago after breaking nearly all of Notre Dame’s passing records. “I felt like we accomplished what we came to do, but I was little off.”
Still, the senior quarterback came up with just enough big plays. With the first half winding down, he converted one third down with a 14-yard pass and another with a 16-yard run. After the Irish called their final timeout with 16 seconds remaining, Quinn lined up with no one in the backfield, spotted a gap up the middle and took off on a 5-yard touchdown run.
If he had been stopped short, it’s doubtful that Notre Dame would have been able to get off another play.
“If they’re bringing the house, he’s going to throw a pass,” Weis explained. “I said, ’Don’t make me look stupid, but if you get a look, you run the ball.’ He got the look that we were counting on, so he went with the play and got in.”
The Yellow Jackets never expected Quinn to be running in that situation.
“He made a good read,” Anoai said. “He saw a big hole, and he exploited it. He’s a big-time player who made a big-time play.”
With a big hand from the defense, Quinn made enough plays to keep Notre Dame from taking a major stumble in its very first game.
It took a while for the light bulb to go on, but when it did, Jonas Gray finally showed the talent many had expected from the blue-chip prospect from Detroit. In a recent interview, Gray, who is rehabbing an ACL injury to get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, expressed the confidence and support he has for head coach Brian Kelly.
 | Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
 | Timeline |
 | Notre Dame 2011 schedule See when all the big matchups will take place with Notre Dame's 2011 schedule. NBCSports.com |
 | Slideshow |
 |
| Slideshow |
 |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
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.
NBC Sports TV and livestream listings
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.