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.
"Great size, speed and leverage, practiced hard,'' he said. "The guy who always practiced the hardest was (Patriots guard) John Hannah and that's why he's in the Hall of Fame, and Tippett would be a close second. He went full bore all the time.
"If you were game-planning against him, you'd have to know where he was, very similar to Lawrence Taylor,'' Grogan said. "If you didn't, he was going to make a play on you.''
Tippett relied more on power than finesse. Taylor was more athletic and would elude blockers as well as overpower them.
Don Blackmon saw that playing outside linebacker on the opposite side from Tippett.
"It may seem crazy to say this, but Tip was more of a brute,'' said Blackmon, who plans to be at the induction ceremony. "He was not a thinking man's linebacker. He would just want to crush you and run over you.
"He just played the game with so much intensity. I can remember times getting my own sack and he'd be so excited he'd slap me on the head three or four times.''
Tippett's best team was the 1985 Patriots. They went to the Super Bowl, but were routed by the Chicago Bears 46-10. They had winning records the next three years before going 5-11 in 1989, starting the streak of five losing seasons.
"He put up some good numbers when he had people around him,'' Grogan said. "That's what great players do.''
Tippett made five straight Pro Bowls and led the AFC in sacks twice. He was chosen to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1980s.
Taylor made 10 Pro Bowls and was picked for the NFL's 75th anniversary team in 1994.
"It's a known fact that I've been referred to as the LT of the AFC,'' Tippett said. "He opened a lot of doors for a lot of other guys to come into the league. Guys were measured up against him - we want to get us an LT, we want to get us an Andre Tippett.''
On Saturday, the Hall of Fame will have both.
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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