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.
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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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had 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.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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.
FOXBORO, Mass. - Even as a part-timer, Willie McGinest comes up with the big-time plays. Of course, the Indianapolis Colts already knew that.
The Patriots’ linebacker had the key tackle of New England’s playoff victory over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night when he knocked Frank Wycheck for a 10-yard loss at the end of the third quarter. The play stalled the Titans’ comeback, and the Patriots won 17-14 on Adam Vinatieri’s 46-yard field goal with 4:06 left.
It was reminiscent of the goal-line tackle McGinest made against the Colts on Nov. 30 to preserve New England’s 38-34 regular-season victory. With Indianapolis coming to Foxboro for the AFC title game, the Patriots are glad McGinest is back in the form that first earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1997.
“It was really a great play by McGinest,” coach Bill Belichick said of the tackle that stopped the Titans’ momentum after they tied the game late in the third quarter. “It made me look like a good coach.”
The Titans tied it 14-all late and then forced a fumble near midfield. On first down, Steve McNair threw the ball backward to Wycheck, and he was supposed to throw the ball downfield.
He never got a chance.
Instead of heading for the quarterback, McGinest went right for Wycheck and knocked him back for a 10-yard loss. Instead of being near midfield, the Titans were at their own 37 and were forced to punt.
When they got the ball back it was at their own 7 yard-line.
“You could see trouble coming there,” Belichick said. “It was 14-14, they have the ball at midfield and McGinest makes the play on the double pass that Wycheck was going to throw. Willie made a great read on the play.
“Normally, he would be rushing the passer. But he read it on his first step and then flattened out, and by the time Wycheck got the ball, he was right on top of him.”
McGinest was a star of the Patriots’ team that made it to the 1997 Super Bowl, but missed half of the next season with a groin injury and in the 2001-02 seasons he wasn’t a regular starter.
He has been in and out of the lineup again this season, but that didn’t keep him from being selected to the AFC Pro Bowl squad as a substitute for injured Baltimore Raven Peter Boulware. It will McGinest’s first Pro Bowl appearance since 1997.
McGinest had 79 tackles and 5½ sacks this season. He was the AFC’s defensive player of the week in Week 16 after recording nine tackles and 1½ sacks in a 21-16 victory over the New York Jets.
Sunday’s AFC title game gives Indianapolis another chance at McGinest, who stopped Edgerrin James at the goal line on a fourth-and-1 on Nov. 30.
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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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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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