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 three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Move over, Hollywood and NFL types, golf's two real A-listers take center stage Sunday at Pebble Beach, both in need of a win.
The United States swept favored Switzerland out of the Davis Cup on Saturday when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Luis Suarez's refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra overshadowed Manchester United's 2-1 win over rival Liverpool that lifted the defending champions to first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
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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As unimpressively pedestrian as that sounds, 2008 started off even worse for Irish junior running back James Aldridge. He was, more or less, the third option in essentially a two-back rotation.
In the past two games, though, the 6-foot, 225-pounder has racked up more than half of his 191 rushing yards on the season and all three of his career rushing touchdowns. And he was the leading ground-gainer in ND’s season-high 252 rushing yards last Saturday against Washington.
Flavor of the week? Or ready to turn the corner?
“I think for about the last month in practice he's been getting better and better every day,” ND head coach Charlie Weis said. “He's been running with power in practice, and (offensive coordinator Mike) Haywood has rewarded him by giving him more opportunities on the field.”
Saturday against Pittsburgh (5-2) in South Bend, there may be a reversal of field of sorts. The Panthers have statistically the second-best rush defense the Irish (5-2) have faced so far, but Aldridge’s opportunities might be limited more by the game plan than by Pitt.
That’s because the No. 1 key to victory Saturday is plagiarizing what Rutgers did.
The Scarlet Knights had amassed all of 39 points combined in their three games leading into last Saturday’s Pitt matchup, then passed at will in upending the Panthers at home, 54-34, in the worst defensive performance by a Pitt team in 15 seasons.
That’s not to say Notre Dame should abandon the recent strides it has made in the running game completely. But Pittsburgh, with its 94th-ranked pass defense, may actually be worse than that figure indicates, given that the Panthers have yet to face one of the top 25 passing attack in the country.
Until now. The Irish are the most prolific passing team (20th) on Pittsburgh's schedule.
If Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen is on, Pittsburgh could be struggling to play catch-up all afternoon.
No. 2: Turn over a new leaf
These two teams have decidedly different styles, but they are so even in terms of personnel and octane that mistakes will likely make a big difference in the final outcome. In both of Pitt’s losses, to Bowling Green and Rutgers, the Panthers had a turnover deficit. Ditto for the two Irish losses, to Michigan State and North Carolina.
No. 3: Three’s a charm
Three as in third quarter. The Panthers have had trouble making adjustments after halftime, and have been outscored 48-17 in period No. 3. The Irish, conversely, hold a 45-29 edge on their opponents in the third quarter but had bad third quarters in both of their losses.
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No. 4: Do the little things
And that starts on special teams. The Panthers have an uncanny ability to block kicks (three extra points, two field goals and a punt in 2008), and kicker Conor Lee is close to automatic on field goals. But beyond that, Pitt’s special teams are a mess. Their coverage units are mediocre. The Panthers’ return games make mediocre seem palatable. Net punting is unimpressive. So there’s a real opportunity for the Irish to dominate the field-position battle.
No. 5 Press the issue
LeSean McCoy is the nation’s leading scorer and No. 11 rusher, and he is too good to simply shut down. What the Irish can do is mitigate his yardage by playing with the lead and by relentlessly rushing the Pitt quarterback, whether it be junior Bill Stull or sophomore Pat Bostick.
The Irish dialed up the pressure last Saturday against admittedly a struggling offensive team in Washington, but it did produce the best numbers by an Irish defense (124 total yards) since the end of the Lou Holtz Era (1996). Pittsburgh is worse at protecting the passer than any team the Irish have played, except for Washington.
Notre Dame has a solid enough secondary to bring the blitzes early and often.
It took a while for the light bulb to go on, but when it did, Jonas Gray finally showed the talent many had expected from the blue-chip prospect from Detroit. In a recent interview, Gray, who is rehabbing an ACL injury to get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, expressed the confidence and support he has for head coach Brian Kelly.
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 | Notre Dame 2011 schedule See when all the big matchups will take place with Notre Dame's 2011 schedule. NBCSports.com |
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Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.
