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.
West
Gardena (Calif.) Serra has a strong group of players coming up in the next few classes. One player getting a lot of interest is defensive back Anthony Carpenter, who recently landed his second Pac-10 offer.
Carpenter (6-1, 180 pounds) is a talented defensive back prospect with the size and speed to play just about anywhere in the secondary. He earned all-league honors last season after totaling 74 tackles and one interception. He was one of the standouts at the SoCal NIKE camp in April.
Washington State was the first school to come in with an offer, and now another northwest school has followed suit.
"Oregon State offered on Tuesday," Serra coach Chuck Kimbell said. "I think Arizona State and Nevada could offer soon as well, from what the coaches there have told me."
Stanford, UCLA, Utah State, Wyoming and Oregon are other schools showing interest in Carpenter. The athlete is currently carrying a 3.1 GPA and scored a 1406 on the SAT.
Mid-Atlantic
Charlotte (N.C.) West defensive tackle Curtis Porter may very well see his recruiting stock rise in the coming months. According to Joseph Johnson who handles his recruiting, the 6-foot-2, 334-pounder is garnering his share of interest and many of the colleges are on the verge of offering.
"He has no offers yet," Johnson said. "Give it a month, and once these teams meet him in person they'll offer him. He's a character kid. Coach Fulmer at Tennessee went crazy about him and Duke is very interested, too. They are holding an offer just waiting on his test scores.
"The one thing about him is that nobody has seen his tape. Virginia's coaches are talking, Notre Dame is interested, Virginia Tech and North Carolina are looking, too. They all want to see his tape. He's going to camp this summer with Jheranie Boyd. I'm telling you, he'll have a few offers."
What makes Porter stick out?
"He is unbelievably freakish strong," Johnson said. "He plays with a chip on his shoulder and will knock you out. … He had a lot of pancake blocks. He was just throwing guys that are bigger than him.
Porter carries a 3.1 GPA, so academics won't hold him back from any schools. Once that first offer rolls in, look for many others to follow.
East
Milford (Pa.) Delaware Valley offensive tackle Chris Conklin has already taken a couple of visits this spring. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder is making plans for the summer in hopes of landing some scholarships.
"I've been to Pittsburgh, Penn State and Buffalo," he said. "I'm getting interest from Connecticut, Maryland, Boston College and Syracuse. I'm mostly getting letters from colleges."
Conklin discussed his visits a bit.
"Pittsburgh and Penn State were really good," he said. "I was impressed with Pittsburgh's facilities that they share with the Steelers. That was pretty cool. Pittsburgh had longer practices.
"Penn State … I had been there before. It was real nice."
Is there an early favorite for the Keystone State prospect?
"Pittsburgh is probably my No. 1 pick," he said. "It's because of the facilities. I like them a lot better. If you get injured, they are in one of the best medical areas in the country."
In general, what does Conklin want in a college?
"I want a good education in case something happens, that is my No. 1 priority," he stated. "I want a good football staff and I'd like to stay close. If I can't, it's not a big deal. I'll deal with it."
Conklin earned first team all-league as a junior last season.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
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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.
