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.
APQ: Everybody is picking the Saints to be the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but their defense is borderline questionable at best. Won't their defensive woes catch up with them this year, as no one will take them lightly this go around?
— Omar, Davidson, N.C.
A: I thought the Colts' inability to stop the run would catch up with them, too. They were last in the league at stopping the run. The Colts' ended up 21st overall on defense and the Saints were 11th. The Saints were 31st against the run and the Colts were 32d. What the Saints have going for them is the NFC is relatively weak compared to the AFC. It's pretty much wide open, with no teams clearly at the top of the heap, unlike the AFC, where the Colts, Patriots, Ravens, Chargers look better than any NFC team.
Q: There is a lot of optimism in Detroit over Calvin Johnson, and what he might be able to do for the team. Do the Lions have the defense to help keep them in the game when it gets to crunch time. Do they have the offense? Can they win 10 games this season?
— Tim, Old Hickory, Tenn.
A: I've seen a few Lions predict they will win 10 games. They're like the 300-pound man who wants to lose 100 pounds. I can't figure out why the fat guy doesn't start with losing one pound. The Lions need to figure out how to win five games before they can dream about 10. But they do have talent, as pointed out above, and they do play in a competitively challenged division.
Q: Why did the Redskins pass up on running back Adrian Peterson for a secondary player when they already have Sean Taylor and company and could really use a young and talented running back to replace Clinton Portis and to develop along with their up and coming new quarterback, Jason Campbell? To me Peterson was the best player in the draft. I felt they missed a great opportunity there.
— Josh Phillip, Sparks, Nev.
A: Hadn't thought of that, but you're probably right. Portis is still young, but he's been around for five years and has had injury problems, so maybe he's past his prime. As much as Joe Gibbs loves to run, Peterson would have made at least as much sense as LaRon Landry, who plays essentially the same way Taylor does.
Q: The Raiders have revamped the whole team, improving the offense by leaps and bounds. The whole team is on the same page as Lane Kiffin, who is a fiery coach that has induced that sense of pride that the team has been lacking for some time now. Do you think the Raiders can win 10 games this year?
— Doc, Fargo, N.D.
A: In your dreams. You're like the Lions' fan, biting off more than your team can chew. Try three games and adjust your sights. No question, they will be improved but this is a 2-14 team you're following. Absolutely awful. If Kiffin wins five games, he should be coach of the year.
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.
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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.