Super Bowl XLVI
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.
Buried on the bench a little more than a week ago, the Knicks' Jeremy Lin is now the toast of New York.
Beyond the Arc: No. 14 UNLV's 65-63 victory over No. 13 San Diego State adds spice to the Mountain West Conference race.
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 ImagesThe Arizona Cardinals continued their active offseason Saturday night, acquiring safety Kerry Rhodes from the Jets, in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2010, and a seventh-round pick in 2011, another dramatic change for a team that's altered itself more than anyone else thus far.
I still view the Cardinals as the team to beat in the NFC West. But think about the players they have lost, not only during the last few days – wide receiver Anquan Boldin (traded to Ravens), linebacker Karlos Dansby (signed by Dolphins) and safety Antrel Rolle (signed by Giants) – but since the end of the season (QB Kurt Warner, retirement).
Clearly, the Cardinals are embarking on a new era. But they will not concede that losing key players will lead to losing more games.
"We are a football team that I think is positioned correctly to withstand transition," general manager Rod Graves said at the Combine. "Whether we lose Karlos Dansby or Kurt Warner, I feel (head coach) Ken (Whisenhunt) has done a tremendous job in instilling the right qualities and setting the proper standards. If we lose players from time to time, I think we can keep going."
Why do I still call the Cardinals the NFC West favorites? For starters, the division is weak, with the Rams and Seahawks in rebuilding mode, and only the 49ers posing a serious threat to unseat the Cardinals as division champs
Offensively, the Cardinals have enough wide receivers to compensate for losing Boldin – Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, and Early Doucet. With Matt Leinart as their new starting quarterback, look for the Cardinals to rely more on their running attack, and Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower have the talent to be effective in a two-back system.
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Defensively, the Cardinals will look different without Dansby and Rolle, but they needed to make changes anyway, and getting Rhodes softens the blow of losing Rolle. The Cardinals surrendered 45 points in each of their two playoff games. You cannot win a championship like that.
"We all know that the safety position was a hole we needed to fill," Whisenhunt said in a statement. "To be able to do that so quickly and with a proven starter off the NFL's No. 1 defense is a tremendous positive for our football team. Kerry has the experience and ability to step in right away. He fits a lot of the things that we do defensively and the prospect of having him alongside a perennial All-Pro like Adrian Wilson is very exciting."
The Cardinals may also sign free-agent linebacker Larry Foote, a player Whisenhunt is familiar with from their days together with the Steelers. Look for the Cardinals to focus on defense in the draft, hoping to get younger and more physical.
Leinart is still the key to how well the Cardinals fare next season. But with leaders like Whisenhunt, Fitzgerald, and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, the Cardinals' losses in free agency should not send them into free fall.
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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Phil Pressey's first 3-point attempt went in off the glass. The sophomore guard, known more for flashy, no-look passes than his outside touch, took that sketchy success and ran with it.
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.
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.
