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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has 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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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.
APThere are other NFL teams that can claim “national” fanbases. The Cowboys, Raiders, Packers and — perhaps to lesser degrees — the Patriots, 49ers and Giants all have far-flung fans.
But when one considers why the Steelers captured American imaginations, it has more to do with their brand of straight-ahead, smashmouth offensive football and brute-force defensive football that has been in the game’s DNA since the sport began.
The “Steeler Way” didn’t start seven years ago with their latest coach. It started with Chuck Noll in 1969. It developed through four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s. The torch was passed to Pittsburgh native Bill Cowher in 1992 and the defense-first, running game second commitment resulted in another Super Bowl win in 2005. Now, it’s Tomlin’s job, and he says he understands what his marching orders are.
“One of the reasons we have had consistent excellence over a long period of time in our organization is because we are under the leadership of Dan and Art Rooney (the team’s ownership),” Tomlin explains. “Their vision of what Steelers football is about is very clear. I think I have my job because my vision is similar to what their vision is. I have learned more about their vision since I have been there so, of course, I am going to play to it."
Said former Dallas Cowboy Nate Newton on Friday, “Who would not like how the Steelers do things? They’ve had three coaches (in 30 years) and they’re all the same kind of guy. Serious-minded men, guys that can lead. I love the Steelers for what they’ve done in that aspect. They don’t say, ‘Well, we need a soft coach, we need a hard coach.’ They hire men who have a philosophy that fits what they’ve always done.”
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There’s something reassuring about that. Steady. Consistent.
Says Steelers chairman Dan Rooney when asked about his teams following through the decades.
“Success had something to do with it. And difficult times in Pittsburgh (in the 1970s) had something to do with it. We sort of filled the void (that the tough times brought). We were something for their pride.”
Same as it ever was.
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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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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.
