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?
LIVE VIDEO: NBCSports.com shows Washington-New York, with alternate camera angles, HD views and more.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
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.
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) -England defender Joleon Lescott preserved Manchester City's two-point lead in the Premier League by scoring a second-half winner in a 1-0 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday.
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.
Icy Issue: Which off-season move is proving to bear the most fruit here in the playoff harvest season?
Icier Response: Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio’s decision to dump QB Byron Leftwich in favor of David Garrard.
Del Rio shocked the football world when, days before the start of the 2007 season, he dumped Leftwich, the former No. 1 pick and face of the franchise, and rolled his dice with journeyman Garrard.
The Cold, Hard Football Facts applauded the decision then and – much like Del Rio and Jaguars fans in general – have not been disappointed.
The Jaguars are 10-4 and well positioned to wrap up a playoff spot this weekend with a home win over Oakland. If not for a four-point loss in Indy a couple weeks ago, the Jaguars would be a fighting for a No. 2 seed and first-round bye.
Garrard is the singular force behind the resurrection of a team that went just 8-8 last year. Jacksonville's defense was actually much tougher last year, when it ranked No. 2 in total defense and No. 4 in scoring defense. This year's Jaguars rank a mere No. 14 in total defense and No. 8 in scoring defense.
But Garrard has played well enough to overcome any decline on the other side of the ball.
His passer rating of 101.6 is second in the NFL, behind only New England's Tom Brady. He's thrown just two picks in 307 pass attempts, a rate of 0.65 percent, the second-lowest single-season rate in NFL history. And his completion percentage of 64.2 is better than notable quarterbacks (and 2007 Pro Bowlers) Peyton Manning and Matt Hasselbeck. All from a guy in his first full year as an NFL starter.
Bottom line: no team made a gutsier move before the start of the season than Jacksonville. And no team has been rewarded more handsomely for a controversial decision.
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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Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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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