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.
Reuters fileBrian Billick of the Ravens, Romeo Crennel of the Browns, Herman Edwards of the Chiefs, Brad Childress of Minnesota and new Cowboys coach Wade Phillips also will be under the microscope this season. Billick was on the hot seat a year ago, but the Ravens’ division title gave him a reprieve. Ravens fans are still waiting for Billick to show his magic offensive touch with the team.
Crennel does not have much to work with, but he is in his third year on the job, and his bosses in Cleveland want to see progress after 6-10 and 4-12 seasons. It looks like it will take rookie Brady Quinn quite a long time to be ready, so it’s hard to find improvement when Charlie Frye is the starting quarterback.
Edwards is an established coach who was successful with the Jets despite an overwhelming lack of talent. He’s probably a better coach now, but GM Carl Peterson is a demanding boss who wants results and will not hesitate to change leaders if he doesn’t like what he sees.
Through the first six games of the 2006 season, Childress appeared to have the 4-2 Vikings on track for a winning season. But he lost control of his team and the Vikings had no direction. The insecure Childress has the bulk of the decision-making power in the organization, but a double-digit loss season will force owner Zygi Wilf into action.
There’s little doubt that the Cowboys will enjoy the working conditions Phillips gives them after being under the thumb of Bill Parcells. A quick start is likely, but Phillips never has been more than an average strategist, and his players instinctively learn how to take advantage of his “friendly” attitude. If the Cowboys don’t have the kind of season that Jerry Jones is expecting — a division title and at least one postseason win — Phillips may be one-and-done in Dallas.
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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