Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
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Each week John Madden answers readers questions. To ask Coach a question, e-mail him at:
Coach,
I know it's just one game but what were your impressions of Brett Favre's performance against Miami?
Nick G, Brooklyn
Madden: Well Nick, he looked like the old Brett Favre. You are looking to see where he slowed up. Did he not move the way he used to? Is he a step slower? Is his fastball not there? Has he lost some velocity? And to be honest I didn't see those things. Now it is a 16 game season so there is a lot of football left to be played but I did see him in the preseason on film and I don't see that he has lost anything.
Coach,
Now that Brady is out for the season, are the Bills poised to take the division?
Dick Gilbert, Bills fan
Pearl, Mississippi
Madden: Dick, It is too early to jump right to the end of the season after one game. Brady being done for the season does put the AFC East in more of a balance. I am not sure that puts the Buffalo Bills in there. One, you still have to deal with the Patriots. Here is a team that had a great quarterback in Tom Brady, but also is a great team. You can't forget that they went undefeated in the regular season last year. That is an amazing feat. It wasn't all about one guy. He was an amazing leader but it wasn't just about him. They still have the running game and the deep threat in Randy Moss. They still have great defense. And they still have Bill Belichick coaching them. So I wouldn't give up on the New England Patriots and number two, I wouldn't necessarily put the Buffalo Bills in there. Brett Favre and the Jets are going to have something to say about that too. The division is more balanced now, but until someone comes up and takes it from the Patriots I think you still have to stay with them.
Coach,
Do you think that Peyton and the Colts will push through and still be one of the top teams this season?
Rachel Whitlock, Kankakee, Illinois
Madden: Yeah Rachel, I think they have to. It was a rather auspicious start for the top teams in the AFC. Everyone had in some order the top teams would be the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts and the San Diego Chargers. The Patriots lose Brady, the Colts lose a game to the Chicago Bears and the San Diego Chargers lose a game to Carolina. The dominance of those three teams in the conference didn't start off that way. Now that doesn't mean that they are not going to be. Peyton Manning missing all of training camp and preseason showed and he wasn't as effective as I think he is going to be. Because of that they were a little conservative and that is not the nature of that Colts offense. I think they are going to break through and still be one of the better teams in the AFC and Peyton Manning drives that truck and as he gets through these first three or four games I think you are going to see that Colts offense that we are used to seeing.
Coach,
Do you agree that the NFC East is the strongest division in the NFL?
Billy Manna, NJ
Madden: I think it is the most competitive Billy. Again that is after just playing one game and if you go back to last year it sure was. You go back to last year three teams out of the division made the playoffs and one of them won the Super Bowl. Based on what you know and watching this year I would have to say that is the toughest division in football.
Coach
Here in Seattle it seems like everyone on offense is getting hurt and Matt Hasselbeck has no one to throw to. Are the Seahawks good enough to hang on, get healthy and still win the division?
Fred G., Seattle
Madden: Yeah they are Fred and I think more because of a weaker division than the strength of the Seattle Seahawks. If you look at that division and you say if not them then who. The 49ers are down and not very good, the St. Louis Rams are not very good and I don't think that Arizona is ready to be that team. More than a real Seattle strength based on their team is the division that they are in.
Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
Rotoworld: Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill among the 10 players who will slip down draft boards, but probably shouldn't.
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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.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.
On their last trip to Atlanta, the Miami Heat were missing two-thirds of their Big Three.
