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.
Getty ImagesTrue Professionals
The next time you feel like whining about overpaid athletes who don’t care whether they win or lose, think about what you saw in Week 6.
Two of the teams that forged impossible comeback wins — the Rams and Texans — came into the game winless and with little if any hope of making the playoffs. The Texans had had their hearts ripped out last week by the Colts, who scored 21 unanswered points to win a game Indianapolis should have lost. They coughed up another lead to Miami on Sunday. But they refused to give up. The Rams were in the same situation, and they, too, refused to quit.
They’ve been written off, told they’re no good, beaten up by the commentators, booed by their own fans. But they didn’t give up. That’s professionalism.
While you’re congratulating them, how about a pat on the back for the Bungles? They remain defeated, but Cincinnati has played the Giants, Cowboys and Jets as hard as they possibly could. Give them credit for that. They deserve it.
Making a statement
The Colts and Chargers have stumbled out of the gate, but both sent a strong message to the rest of the league: “We’re not dead yet.” Both, in fact, are feeling much better. The Colts were impressive in a 31-3 win over Baltimore which got their record to 3-2. The Chargers were equally emphatic in dismantling New England and evening their record at 3-3.
The Bucs made a pretty strong statement of their own in their game against Carolina. Tampa came into the contest trailing Carolina by a game in the NFC South. They left it on the long end of a 27-3 score and a tie for the division lead at 4-2. The Bucs picked off Jake Delhomme three times and outgained the Panthers on the ground 142 yards to 40 yards. The Bucs are back.
0-16 anyone?
Last year, the Dolphins came within a flipper of going 0-16. This year, the Lions are looking like they’re ready to take a run at a winless season.
It’s early, but if they couldn’t get past the Vikings after leading almost the entire game, they’re got a real shot at infamy. They’ve got a tough schedule ahead of them, and their best chance of beating somebody may be next week when they travel to Houston to take on the Texans.
After that, it’s Washington, Chicago, Jacksonville, Carolina, Tampa, Tennessee, Minnesota, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Green Bay — not exactly a walk in the park.
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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.
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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Week 17 standouts | Click here for more |
| Passing | Comp. | Att. | Yards | TDs |
| 1. D. Brees, Saints | 30 | 49 | 386 | 4 |
| 2. M. Schaub, Texans | 27 | 36 | 328 | 2 |
| 3. J. Cutler, Broncos | 33 | 49 | 316 | 1 |
| Rushing | Att. | Yds. | Avg. | TDs |
| 1. M. Turner, Falcons | 25 | 208 | 8.3 | 1 |
| 2. D. Williams, Panthers | 25 | 178 | 7.1 | 0 |
| 3. M. Bush, Raiders | 27 | 177 | 6.6 | 2 |
| Receiving | No. | Yds. | Avg. | TDs |
| 1. A. Johnson, Texans | 10 | 148 | 14.8 | 2 |
| 2. S. Smith, Panthers | 5 | 134 | 26.8 | 0 |
| 3. L. Fitzgerald, Cardinals | 5 | 130 | 26.0 | 2 |
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.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.
