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.
Marlies Schild of Austria won her sixth World Cup slalom of the season Saturday after overall leader Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out in the opening run on the windy Pyrenees course.
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 Images
INDIANAPOLIS - Minnesota quarterback Sage Rosenfels won this round.
And he finally beat the Colts.
Rosenfels looked sharp Friday night, leading the Vikings to scores on their first two series and a 13-3 victory over Indianapolis. The longtime backup took the early lead in Minnesota’s quarterback derby as last year’s starter, Tarvaris Jackson, produced just one field goal in two quarters.
“I thought he had a decent rhythm. I thought he knew where he was looking. He got the football up the field, checked it down a little bit, had a good command,” coach Brad Childress said. “So he started off this week, and Tarvaris will kick it off next week against Kansas City.”
It was a far cry from the way training camp started.
Rosenfels was shaky early and gradually improved. On Friday, he got the start, looked like he knew every nuance of the Vikings offense — and avoided another forgettable finish against the Colts.
Last October, it was Rosenfels who committed three turnovers in the final five minutes and the Colts rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Houston.
The signature play from that game — Rosenfels going airborne, fumbling and Gary Brackett running it back 68 yards for a touchdown — was replayed on the Colts’ two video boards early in the second quarter.
This time, Rosenfels finished 10 of 13 for 91 yards in a little more than a quarter with no big mistakes.
“I can’t say he surprised me,” Adrian Peterson said. “We’ve been seeing it in training camp out of him and Tarvaris. Both of these guys were starting quarterbacks for a team, so they both come out and are able to do well.”
Jackson wasn’t bad, completing seven of 15 passes for 39 yards, but didn’t get Minnesota into the end zone. He played nearly twice as long as Rosenfels.
The wrinkle, of course, was that Jackson played primarily with backups and Rosenfels — acquired from Houston in an offseason trade after starting five games for the Texans last year — didn’t face the Colts’ top-line players.
Indy went into typical preseason mode for coach Jim Caldwell’s debut, benching five offensive starters and its top five defensive backs. The most notable absentees: Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne, 2007 NFL defensive player of the year Bob Sanders, and tight end Dallas Clark.
Those who played, didn’t stick around long.
Three-time MVP Peyton Manning took only six snaps and most of the other offensive starters left with him.
For the Colts, it was downright ugly.
Manning was sacked three times, and the revamped defense looked a lot like last year’s version, though the Colts didn’t showcase many of their new twists.
Peterson ran four times for 20 yards, Chester Taylor had four carries for 31 yards and a 5-yard touchdown and the Vikings averaged 4.8 yards on 41 carries.
The Vikings even outgained Indy 147-0 in the first quarter. The Colts have lost five straight preseason openers.
“Obviously winning is important to us and we want to win every time we take the field,” Caldwell said. “Obviously, we didn’t perform well enough to win tonight.”
Rosenfels, however, did exactly what he needed to: Kept it simple, played efficiently and converted plays on third and fourth down to keep the drives moving.
He led the Vikings 72 yards on their first series, setting up Taylor’s TD run.
Minnesota drove 75 yards on the next series, getting a 35-yard field goal from Ryan Longwell to make it 10-0 early in the second quarter.
“I thought he did a good job taking care of the football, by and large, getting it out, just being efficient, being consistent,” Childress said.
One of the few bright spots for Indy was top draft pick Donald Brown. He ran five times for 58 yards, including a 38-yard run that set up Indy’s only score — Shane Andrus’ 42-yard field goal midway through the second quarter.
Jackson answered that with a 14-play, 49-yard drive, that set up Longwell’s 36-yard field goal with 2 minutes left in the half.
NOTES: Vikings receiver Bernard Berrian hurt his leg in the first quarter and did not return though Childress said he did not think the injury was serious. ... Minnesota’s top draft pick, Percy Harvin, did not play. ... Colts rookie punter Pat McAfee averaged 49.4 yards on seven kicks.
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.
 | Slideshow |
 |
Fantasy Football's top sleepers Gregg Rosenthal breaks down players you shouldn't forget in this year's draft. |
 | Slideshow |
 | Super Bowl XLVI shots See the best moments before, during and after the Giants' win over the Patriots more photos |
 | Video: Football from NBC Sports |
 Getty Images |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
 | NFL blog |
 | ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.com Profootballtalk.com is hosted by NBCSports.com, giving you the latest greatest NFL rumors. |
| Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.