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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Peter King's Notebook: Part 1 Oct 5: In part one of Peter King's Notebook, Peter and Bob Costas discuss the Titans' QBs and the Colts' comeback. |
Green Bay (2-3)
Injuries. Defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins is out for the season and cornerback Al Harris is out indefinitely, meaning the Packers are without two top defenders. The other cornerback, Charles Woodson, is playing with a broken toe, and safety Atari Bigby didn’t play in Sunday’s 27-24 loss to Atlanta.
Then there’s Aaron Rodgers, who played Sunday with a sore shoulder and threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns. It was obvious at times the shoulder bothered him, but he carried on. Why didn’t the Packers at least sign a veteran backup in the offseason?
The one positive: Chicago is only a game ahead, and the Bears, while decent, are clearly beatable.
Minnesota (1-3)
The problem starts with the passing game. Gus Frerotte took over after two games, but at 37 is simply a placeholder until Jackson develops or a new QB is found (Marc Bulger, anyone?). The Vikings were 8-8 last year and the acquisition of Jared Allen and Bernard Berrian raised visions of Super Bowl trips.
That was premature, especially without a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback. Berrian is a decent deep threat as a complement in a good receiving corps, but he’s not a Randy Moss or Terrell Owens with a unit that otherwise is barely average.
Philadelphia (2-3)
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In any case, 2-3 would be OK in another division. Not in one where the other three teams are 4-0, 4-1 and 4-1. Overall, the Giants, Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles are 12-1 against everyone else and the one loss was by Philly in Chicago.
Yes, it’s early.
But none of these teams is the 2005 Steelers or the 2007 Giants. Maybe two or three will make the playoffs.
Or maybe not.
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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 | Super Bowl XLVI shots See the best moments before, during and after the Giants' win over the Patriots more photos |
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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.
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.
