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.
APThe similarities were striking.
The way the quarterback stood tall in the pocket. The footwork of a boxer to maneuver through it. The command of the huddle. Even the No. 12 on his back.
At the time, last December inside Boston College's practice bubble, Thomas Dimitroff remained on the Patriots' payroll, as college scouting director.
That meant two things. First, if you work for the Patriots and find a guy to compare to Tom Brady, your pulse quickens. Dimitroff's did. But it also meant, with the presence of Brady, drafting Matt Ryan was out of the question.
"I'd just come from the office, and just on stature and presence, he was eerily similar," says Dimitroff, who emphasizes that the comparison still is about three rings off. "I thought it was too bad I'd never have the opportunity to get him with the team I'm with. A month later, I'm staring down the reality that we could work together."
By then, Dimitroff was the Falcons general manager and, after a fortuitous coin flip, inherited the draft slot needed to nab Ryan. Which is - after an extensive process he and coach Mike Smith took Ryan through -what he did.
So here his Falcons are, a year after a 4-12 season started with the jailing of Michael Vick and ended in the messy departure of coach Bobby Petrino, at 11-5 with a playoff game in the offing. The Falcons are 11-5, hours away from kicking off a playoff game today at Arizona.
Since arriving in Atlanta, Ryan has reinforced Dimitroff's early visions of Ryan as a Brady clone. There's Ryan's uncanny sense to elude a pass rush and the intangibles to succeed in the tenuous role of Vick's heir.
"When he stepped on the field, the microscope was on him," Dimitroff says. "And he started as a third-teamer and handled that as a third-teamer. He worked through the ranks, and handled each step the right way. He didn't beat his chest; he knew had to earn his stripes."
Ryan has, posting perhaps the greatest season ever by a rookie quarterback. And just like Brady once inspired confidence in teammates when succeeding Drew Bledsoe, Ryan has done the same in replacing Vick.
"We have a chance to accomplish something that's special to this team," says safety Lawyer Milloy, a former Patriot who added Ryan's one-of-the-guys demeanor is just like Brady's.
"That's to win a championship. And it's because No. 2 under center. It's the same way I felt when I had Tom on my side."
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.
 | Video |
 |
Falcons-Cardinals wild card preview Jan. 1: Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth break down the Falcons vs Cardinals wild card game this Saturday on NBC. |
 | Slideshow |
 | Super Bowl XLVI shots See the best moments before, during and after the Giants' win over the Patriots more photos |
Latest from ProFootballTalk |
 | Video: Football from NBC Sports |
 Getty Images |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
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.
