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.
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And the 33-year-old’s having an impact for the Dirty Birds who have a battle with the Bears this week on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Peterson made time for a few Irrelevant Questions.
Q: What’s life like in the NFC?
A: I’m not as familiar with all of the teams and all of the players as I was in the AFC but so far so good. But it’s all still football.
Q: Is one conference better than the other?
A: No, I don’t think so. Maybe because I haven’t seen them all, so maybe later I’ll be able to give you a different answer.
Q: There aren’t many 33-year-old linebackers. What’s the hardest hurdle to clear physically?
A: You need to maintain your body and not take it for granted. The ice tub, the massage, eating right, getting the proper rest. The things you take for granted when you’re younger you have to pay attention to now. But staying on that health kick is important.
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Q: What have the Falcons done for Mike Peterson this year? 
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Rating the new NFL coaches
Tom Curran says Jim Caldwell’s doing a great job with the Colts, but he’s not the best of the NFL’s 11 rookie coaches.
A: It’s refreshing, especially with everything I went through last year. I didn’t have to answer any questions here from the organization about my character. There were no questions about my playing ability. As far as the players, we have a lot of young guys and a lot of old guys working in there and I’ve been welcomed in with open arms. That’s what you always worry about in free agency going to another team: How will the players who are there going to react to you? I think it was a real smooth transition for me.
Q: What was your first car?
A: It probably was a Pontiac. A car my mom had. Mighta been an ‘84 Pontiac. I drove a lot of those hoochies, that’s what we call them. Beat up old cars. Those cars you see on the side of the road with a sign on them for 200 or 300 dollars. I had a lot of them.
Q: What song on your iPod do you not want anyone to know about?
A: Probably some Kid Rock song, man. I can’t think of the name of it but I was just signing it the other day, something about “I’m a low life.”
Q: What’s the hardest you’ve ever been hit?
A: Probably my rookie year. We were playing against the Cowboys. Larry Allen was pulling around. I was young, I was flying around trying to hit anything that moved and I ran into him and it was like running into a wall. That was my welcome to the NFL.
Q: Did you have an opinion on Rush Limbaugh’s hopes of being a minority owner of the Rams?
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A: No, not at all man. I’m a big spots fan and I form my own little opinion but I don’t get into it. Slideshow
Top 15 NFL rookies thus far
Evan Silva highlights the standout newcomers, like Colts running back Donald Brown.
Q: Do you feel as if the players are up on the issues being discussed in the ongoing CBA talks?
A: Yes. I think so. A lot of the player reps are coming back and giving us information and keeping us up with what’s going on. Definitely a lot of the older guys and guys at the end of their careers are keeping us informed on what’s going on. I think everything’s on the positive and everything will work out.
Q: What’s Mike Jr. going to be for Halloween?
A: I don’t know, man, his mom’s worried to death about these Halloween costumes, though. I told her to just go with Batman or Superman and call it a day, but they want to go overboard and come up with some character nobody will have. It don’t matter to me.
Q: What was your favorite costume as a kid?
A: Man, I didn’t do costumes, I just went around in my regular street clothes. I wouldn’t think of asking my mom to go buy me a costume, I went around in my regular clothes.
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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 | 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 |
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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.
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.
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.
