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.
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.
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DENVER - Jay Cutler’s been the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback all of one practice and he’s already a rattled rookie.
Cutler was playing it cool in his first interview at the podium when fellow rookies Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler began heckling him from the side. Cutler tried to keep from laughing and couldn’t.
“I’m excited,” Cutler said. “And a little nervous.”
The Cutler Era has officially started. Coach Mike Shanahan ended the speculation Monday by elevating the rookie to starting quarterback for the rest of the year, sending Jake Plummer to the bench.
“He’s our future, he’s our present,” Shanahan said.
Cutler, the 11th pick out of Vanderbilt in the draft last April, hasn’t taken a snap since the preseason. But Shanahan is hoping a quarterback change can ignite the Broncos’ struggling offense. The team is 7-4, but ranks 26th in the league with 171 yards passing per game.
“There’s a lot of pressure on a first-year quarterback, no question about it,” Shanahan said. “I think this kid can handle it. I think he gives us the best chance to win.”
His teammates figure it’s worth the chance.
“With the losing streak we’re on, it doesn’t hurt to try,” receiver Javon Walker said. “If he does (well), we’ll ride it all the way out. If not, obviously he’s our quarterback of the future.”
A quarterback switch worked in Dallas when Tony Romo took over for Drew Bledsoe. The Cowboys have gone 4-1 with Romo as the starter. San Diego is leading the AFC West behind first-year starter Philip Rivers.
When asked if the situations were comparable, Shanahan was blunt.
“No,” he said.
Cutler, though, feels like he’s in a better situation than Tennessee’s Vince Young and Arizona’s Matt Leinart, both of whom were drafted ahead of him and are starting for teams with losing records.
“Matt and Vince have to go out there and really win games,” said Cutler, who’s the first rookie quarterback to start for Denver since Tommy Maddox on Dec. 12, 1992, at Buffalo. Maddox started for an injured John Elway. “We’ve got a good team. We’ve got leaders on this team. I need to go out there and do my part.”
“Preseason is preseason. I don’t put a lot of stock in it,” Cutler said. “This is a different animal. We’re playing for real now.”
Cutler is the latest in line of Broncos quarterbacks attempting to become the ‘next John Elway.’ He knows the comparisons will be inevitable.
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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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.
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.
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