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.
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.
Getty Images fileCONFERENCE USA
CONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR
Oct. 11: Tulsa at SMU
No offense gained more yardage than the Golden Hurricane last season, while no team scored more points than June Jones' Hawaii Warriors. Now Jones is in Dallas, hoping to transform the Mustangs into a Pony Express-via-air mail (the Flying Pony?) program. Tulsa will miss record-setting QB Paul Smith, but every other skill-position player returns for a team that won the C-USA, as well as its bowl game by 56 points.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR
Sept. 6: West Virginia at East Carolina
The Hawaii Bowl champion Pirates return six starters from their defensive front seven, and they'll need everyone to take on a fired-up Pat White. The Mountaineers' O-line returns intact, and that plus White and Noel Devine should be sufficient to stave off an early-season upset bid by Skip Holtz's squad.
OTHER KEY NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Aug. 30: East Carolina vs. Virginia Tech at Charlotte, N.C.
Look at you, East Carolina, taking on the Hokies and Mountaineers on successive weekends. We see a program that wants to sit at the big kids' table.
Sept. 20: Rice at Texas
Longhorns won by 44 last year in Austin — Owls last beat Bevo in '65 — but QB Chase Clement has NFL scouts intrigued. Could be fun to see how far he has come since '07.
Oct. 11: East Carolina at Virginia
Now we're just wondering, ECU, if you are afflicted with BCS-envy or Virginia-envy. The Cavs are your most beatable Va./W.Va. foe.
Oct. 11: Boise State at Southern Miss
That cannot be a non-stop flight, eh? First-year Golden Eagles coach Larry Fedora is going to have his hat handed to him by Ian Johnson and the Broncos.
Nov. 1: Tulsa at Arkansas
Golden Hurricane have lost 14 in a row on road versus BCS schools, but this could be a down year for the Hogs.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
EAST DIVISION
Alabama-Birmingham
Role reversal: QB Joe Webb was considered Blazers' top wideout threat a year ago.
Central Florida
Knights in a daze over early-entry to NFL of Kevin Smith, nation's leading rusher last season.
East Carolina
Pirates must tackle Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia out of conference.
Marshall
All aptly-named team MVP Darius Passmore returns at wide receiver.
Memphis
Many unhappy returns: Tigers last took one back to the house in 1996.
Southern Mississippi
Coach Jeff Bowers was shown the door after 17 stellar seasons in Hattiesburg.
WEST DIVISION
Houston
'07 Conference freshman of the year Case Keenum must adapt his passing game to first-year coach Kevin Sumlin.
Rice
QB Chase Clement set a school single-season passing record with 3,377 yards last autumn.
SMU
June Jones, late of Hawaii, inherits squad that allowed 39.8 ppg (117th in nation) last year.
Texas-El Paso
Among frosh QBs, only Oklahoma's Sam Bradford threw for more yardage (3,121 to 3,101) than the Miners' Trevor Vittatoe in '07.
Tulane
Green Wave QBs were fair game for team's own defense during full-speed 11-on-11 drills last spring.
Tulsa
Wideout Brennan Marion averaged an NCAA-record 31.9 yards per catch (39 receptions) in '07.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR
Oct. 18: Western Michigan at Central Michigan
Three of the past four games between these Great Lakes neighbors (located 161 miles apart) have been decided by a TD or less. The Chippewas (that's CMU) were MAC champs last season but the Broncos, with 10 defensive starters returning, will challenge them this season. This one probably decides the MAC West.
NON-CONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR
Sept. 20: Central Michigan at Purdue
The Chippewas and Boilermakers, like BYU and UCLA, will be facing one another for the third time in 53 weeks. Purdue won both meetings last season, including a 51-48 Motor City Bowl thriller in which Boilermaker QB Curtis Painter threw for 546 yards and three TDs. His Chippewa counterpart, Dan LeFevour, threw four TD passes in the second-highest scoring bowl game ever to end in regulation. Painter and LeFevour return in what should be another thriller.
OTHER KEY NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Aug. 30: Boston College vs. Kent State at Cleveland
Do the Eagles, replacing seven defensive starters, really want to open the season chasing around 5-foot-5 Eugene Jarvis (1,669 yards in '07)?
Aug. 30: Western Michigan at Nebraska
The Broncos land in Lincoln to help launch the Bo Pelini era.
Sept. 6: Central Michigan at Georgia
Bulldogs are just too dominant in openers such as this (see Georgia 48, Boise St. 13, 2005), but the SEC crowd will come away impressed by Chippewa QB Dan LeFevour.
Sept. 6: Minnesota at Bowling Green
The Falcons won in OT in Minneapolis last September, and at least one Big Ten program is going to lose to their Midwest step-children this year. This game could be that loss.
Sept. 20: Ball State at Indiana
Or this one could. Keep your eyes, feast your eyes, on the Cardinals' Dante Love.
Sept. 20: Temple at Penn State
The Owls, steadily improving (but then, what other direction did they have to go?) have five coaches who played under JoePa. Last time Temple beat the Nittany Lions was 1941 … a decade before the Nittany Lion in winter arrived.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
EAST DIVISION
Akron
QB Chris Jacqueman must improve upon his 11 TD/10 INT ratio from last autumn
Bowling Green
63-7 loss to Tulsa in last year's GMAC Bowl set an NCAA bowl record for margin of defeat.
Buffalo
Safety Davonte Shannon led all freshman in the nation in tackles (123) in '07.
Kent State
5-foot-5 Eugene Jarvis finished 5th nationally in rushing with 1,669 yards per game and a 6-yard average last season.
Miami
OLB Clayton Mullins, MAC's defensive POY in '07, paced Red Hawks with 143 tackles.
Ohio
Bobcats must replace graduated RB Kalvin McRae's 119.5 YPG.
Temple
Great name, great game; Sam LB Amara Kamara started all 12 games as a true frosh last season.
WEST DIVISION
Ball State
WR/RB Dante Love set the all-time MAC single-season for all-purpose yards record with 2,690 last season.
Central Michigan
QB Dan LeFevour became only second QB ever (first was Vince Young) to top 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in same season in '07.
Eastern Michigan
Mike 'backer Daniel Holtzclaw (125 tackles in '07) is on Lombardi Award watch list.
Northern Illinois
Huskies play five of their first six games away from Huskie Stadium.
Toledo
Kicker Alex Steigerwald is 20-21 on field goals over the past two seasons.
Western Michigan
Broncos return 10 starters on defense.
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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The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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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