If you are looking for the next 1972 Miami Dolphins, you won't find it. That type of team does not exist. Not this year, anyway. Every team will have dips, valleys, slumps and losses.
But you have to give the Falcons props. Their record says they are the best team in the NFL, and as Bill Parcells famously said, you are what your record says you are. The Falcons didn't get lucky six times. They are winning because Matt Ryan is playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL. And because they are averaging 28.5 points per game and allowing only 18.8 per game.
They have shown the ability to take an opponent's best shot, get up and keep coming. The Falcons aren't perfect. But they are the NFL's best team today.
[email]dpompei@tribune-com[/email]
Giants are resilient
Omar Kelly
Sun Sentinel
The Giants reside on top of the NFL mountain wearing the crown until someone knocks the champions off the throne. The 49ers had their opportunity last Sunday and got blown out 26-3 by Eli Manning's road warriors.
The Giants (4-2) have nothing but playoff-caliber teams left on the schedule, but that arduous road should only make Tom Coughlin's team tougher. The Giants have the third-best offense in the NFL, and the defense (14 sacks and 11 interceptions) has the potential to play better when key contributors heal up.
The Giants are resilient, and know how to finish out a season. If the Giants can take care of business against Washington on Sunday and then Dallas, they should be in the driver's seat.
[email]okelly@tribune-com[/email]
Giants finish strong
Sam Farmer
Los Angeles Times
At this point, the Giants are the best. We already know they play their best football in the second half of the season, but to come across the country and hold the 49ers to three points is really impressive.
Atlanta is undefeated and a very good team on both sides of the ball, but the Falcons nearly lost at home to a couple of one-win teams, Carolina and Oakland. In the crunch, I'd take Eli Manning over Matt Ryan. Baltimore and Houston are the two best teams in the AFC, but both have lost key defensive fixtures.
There will be lots of ups and downs between now and December, but the Giants are playing the best at the moment. Now, watch them lose to the Redskins.
Which NFL team is currently the best? - baltimoresun-com
The San Francisco 49ers sit alone atop the NFC West for now — hardly the kind of firm hold on the division they owned last October. Alex Smith threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Delanie Walker late in the third quarter and San Francisco held off the Seattle Seahawks 13-6 on Thursday night as the 49ers won their long-awaited division opener.
Frank Gore ran for 131 yards and the 49ers (5-2) took over sole possession of first place in the NFC West by making just enough plays to win this defense-first game, featuring two teams allowing fewer than 16 points per game.
''That was the most physical 30 minutes of football in the second half that I have ever seen our football team play,'' 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. ''It's a sweet win. It was a real football fight, and our guys won it.''
Walker's score was San Francisco's first touchdown in seven quarters after an embarrassing 26-3 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday in a lopsided rematch of the NFC championship game. The tight end broke his jaw in two places at Seattle last Dec. 24 and sat out until the title game.
Smith went 14 of 23 for 140 yards in another subpar performance. The defense hung tough down the stretch.
NFC rushing leader Marshawn Lynch finished with 103 yards for Seattle (4-3).
It's now Harbaugh 3, Pete Carroll 0 since these two coaching rivals started facing off in the NFL last year after all those memorable moments in the college game.
Read More: Frank Gore carries the San Francisco 49ers past the Seattle Seahawks - NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will not hear players' appeals in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. Instead, his predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, will act as judge and jury.
The players implicated in the scandal had asked Goodell to recuse himself, basically saying he could not be an impartial judge because he levied the punishment.
The NFL confirmed via a statement that Goodell would have no further involvement in the hearings to come.
"I have held two hearings to date and have modified the discipline in several respects based on my recent meetings with the players," Goodell said in the statement. "To bring this matter to a prompt and fair conclusion, I have appointed former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue to serve as the hearing officer for the upcoming appeals. Paul Tagliabue is a genuine football authority whose tenure as commissioner was marked by his thorough and judicious approach to all matters. He has many years of experience in NFL collective bargaining matters and an impeccable reputation for integrity."
Tagliabue, an attorney who was commissioner from 1989-2006, will conduct hearings with the players Oct. 30, according to the NFL, at a location yet to be determined.
Read More: Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue to hear Saints appeal | The Jackson Sun | jacksonsun-com
So far we know this much about the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers: They tend to fold in the fourth quarter, they haven't won on the road, and their injury list is as long as the Bellwood phone directory.
They're 2-3, but it seems worse. Maybe that's why linebacker Larry Foote suggested all these crises will seem funny in the rear view mirror after another 10 weeks.
It's also possible that the Steelers just aren't very good. The NFL system works against sustained success with drafting order and salary cap issues that come from having accomplished players. That's the way it's supposed to happen. The league doesn't want dynasties; it wants to sell hope in every market.
Cleveland aside, darned if they aren't doing that. New England goes to Seattle and loses. The Bengals look like they're finally going to do something. Then they lose to the Browns.
This morning seven of the 16 teams in the AFC are 3-3. If the Steelers beat the Bengals tonight, they'll have the same record. If they lose, they still won't forfeit their chance to spend the holiday season chasing a wild card spot.
You don't have to be great to be a playoff contender in today's NFL. You just have to avoid being awful. The Steelers haven't decided which way they're headed on that, but it's hard to imagine a team with Ben Roethlisberger and that group of receivers being awful.
It would help if the defense could stop someone once in a while. (Paging Ike Taylor).
The Steelers haven't looked good, but they have plenty of company in that department. It may wind up being a lousy year, but that determination is still a long way off.
Low class
Delmon Young of the Detroit Tigers was named MVP of the American League championship series.
Jackie Autry, widow of Gene Autry, presented Young with the award on behalf of the league. In making the presentation, she proclaimed Young "a class act."
In April, Young was arrested in New York at 2:40 a.m. outside the Tigers' hotel. He was accused of shouting anti-Semitic remarks to a man he then pushed the ground. The police report said Young was highly intoxicated. He was suspended for seven games, and faces a Nov. 7 hearing on those charges.
As a minor leaguer in 2006, Young was suspended for 50 games for throwing his bat at an umpire.
There must be a different definition of class in the American League.
The NFL players' union might challenge former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue replacing Roger Goodell as the appeals officer in the Saints' bounties case.
The players association has concerns about "ethical and legal issues," a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The NFL had no comment.
Tagliabue is scheduled to hear the appeals of Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove on Oct. 30. He was appointed Friday by Goodell, his successor as commissioner.
Tagliabue works for the law firm that is defending the league in U.S. District Court in Louisiana in the bounties case. The NFLPA believes that's a conflict of interest. The union also might contend that such "pay-for programs" existed when Tagliabue was commissioner, with his knowledge.
The NFL and the union discussed the possibility that Tagliabue would step in if Goodell recused himself from hearing the appeals, and the union also suggested "several outsiders" who could be used in place of Goodell, the person said.
Vilma was suspended for the 2012 season and Smith was banned four games. Fujita, now with the Browns, was barred three games, since reduced to one. Hargrove is a free agent whose suspension was reduced from eight games to seven.
"I have held two hearings to date and have modified the discipline in several respects based on my recent meetings with the players," Goodell said Friday. "I will have no role in the upcoming hearings or in Mr. Tagliabue's decisions."
Tagliabue was NFL commissioner from 1989-2006. For part of that time, Goodell was the league's general counsel.
The collective bargaining agreement with the union that was reached to end the lockout in August 2011 gave Goodell exclusive authority to hear appeals of discipline for conduct detrimental or to appoint someone to hear and decide an appeal. Goodell periodically has appointed others to hear appeals for club fines, personal conduct suspensions and for matters concerning drug and steroid policy.
Goodell handed down the suspensions in May and they took effect in July after initial appeals were rejected by Goodell. Those suspensions lasted through training camp before being vacated by a three-member appeals panel that instructed Goodell to start the disciplinary process again and clarify his reasons for suspending the players.
The suspensions were reissued by the NFL last week and promptly appealed by all four players. None of the suspensions is currently in effect because they were appealed within the framework of the NFL's labor agreement.
But all four players have asked U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan to throw out Goodell's disciplinary rulings on the grounds he has demonstrated bias against the players in his handling of the bounty investigation. The players say Goodell violated due process.
NFL union could challenge Tagliabue's role - MontereyHerald-com :
There was a big gasp going through the stadium as Jay Cutler writhed in pain on the field. He got up and the defense provided a big lift.
Cutler returned after bruising his ribs, and Brian Urlacher made a key fumble recovery to help the Chicago Bears beat the Detroit Lions 13-7 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.
It was certainly not an easy night for the NFC North leaders, particularly their quarterback, but they came away with the win after a week off and possibly buried Detroit (2-4) in the process despite getting a major scare along the way.
That happened in the second quarter when Cutler was sacked by Ndamukong Suh and ultimately wound up going to the locker room to have his ribs examined.
"He's a tough guy," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "Most people thought Jay would get up. Unless it's a broken leg or something like that, he's going to get up. He is a tough guy. … That was a gutsy effort by him. He was in some pain, but he fought through it."
Cutler came back to start the second half and finished 16 of 31 for 150 yards and a touchdown. Although he said he was feeling "all right" afterward, he acknowledged he wasn't at full strength during the game.
"But we had to fight through it," he added.
They did just that, and with the defense locking down the Lions, the Bears (5-1) prevailed. It was a huge blow for last-place Detroit, a team many expected to contend for the division championship after making the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
The Lions simply never got in gear, and when they had chances, they blew them. The biggest came early in the third quarter, when Joique Bell fumbled at the goal line with the Bears leading 13-0.
Urlacher recovered and Chicago hung on from there, sending Detroit to its fourth loss in five games.
Brandon Marshall caught six passes for 81 yards and scored a touchdown on Chicago's first possession. Matt Forte ran for 96 yards, and with the defense doing its part again, Chicago never really was threatened in this one.
It was a rough night for the Lions, with Matthew Stafford going 28 of 46 for 261 yards after leading the late charge in last week's win over Philadelphia. Calvin Johnson had trouble shaking the Bears' Charles Tillman and finished with three catches for 34 yards. He dropped a deep pass over the middle on the game's first possession even though he was wide open.
Ndamukong Suh appears to be in the clear on his big hit on Jay Cutler, and the Bears quarterback and others said Tuesday that's just how it should be.
Suh sacked Cutler violently to the ground late in the first half of Monday's 13-7 Bears win, injuring Cutler's ribs and resuscitating talk that he's a dirty player.
An NFL spokesperson said it was a legal play, and Cutler said the play was "clean" and Suh is "a good player."
"It was a tough hit, and he caught me just right," Cutler said on his radio show on Chicago's WMVP-AM (1000), via the Chicago Tribune. "It was an awkward fall more than anything.
"I knew it was my ribs, and it wasn't my shoulder or head or anything like that. His knee and the ball got caught in my ribs. … I knew on my way down it wasn't going to be good."
Suh said after the game the hit was "simply a football play."
With just over five minutes to play in the first half, he flushed Cutler from the pocket, wrangled him by the left arm and flung him hard to the ground, bending him over his left leg.
Bears trainers attended to Cutler on the field as Suh leaned in to make sure he was OK.
Cutler eventually walked off under his own power, missed one play, returned, then went to the locker room for another series to have his ribs examined.
"I can't control my momentum, especially at that high a speed," Suh said Monday. "I'm chasing him, he's running away from me. My whole goal is just to get the quarterback down and make a play and get us off the field or move on to the next play."
Bears receiver Brandon Marshall took exception to the hit after the game, tweeting to Suh, "What u did to Jay wasn't cool. Great players don't have to do that." And, "Something I've learned and now passing down to you. Succeed with character."
Marshall went a step further on ESPN's "First Take" on Tuesday, saying "the leg whip that Ndamukong Suh placed on our quarterback Jay Cutler, that was dirty."
"He can be one of the best D-tackles that ever done it, but he cannot do that that way," Marshall said. "And if you look at it, come on, this is not wrestling. You don't leg-whip someone, you don't do that. That's not clean."
Lions coach Jim Schwartz said the hit was clean and a necessary play against a good quarterback who gave the Lions fits Monday.
"Ndamukong was able to get a hold of his shirt sleeve and had to get him down on the ground," Schwartz said. "We've seen him be in the grasp and be able to throw. We're going to try to get him on the ground the best we can and Ndamukong's a big, physical player. It's just part of the game. He wasn't in the pocket, we didn't hit him high, didn't hit him low, just tackled him very hard."
NFL says Suh's hit on Cutler was legal; issue over?
The players’ union and the four players suspended in the Saints’ bounties case filed motions Wednesday to have former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue removed from hearing their appeals.
They asked in US District Court in New Orleans that Tagliabue recuse himself because of a conflict of interest, and also asked for a neutral arbitrator to be appointed by the court.
The NFL said it would oppose Tagliabue stepping aside.
Commissioner Roger Goodell removed himself from hearing this set of appeals and appointed his predecessor last week. But the players and their union contend Tagliabue should be disqualified because of his employment by a law firm that has handled bounty-related matters for the league and represented Goodell in Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma’s defamation lawsuit against him.
The hearings are scheduled for next Tuesday, subject to any court rulings.
The players association has concerns about ‘‘ethical and legal’’ issues involving Tagliabue hearing appeals by Vilma and defensive end Will Smith, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, and free agent defensive end Anthony Hargrove .
The union also contends that such ‘‘pay-for programs’’ existed when Tagliabue was commissioner, with his knowledge.
Read More: NFL union trying to remove Paul Tagliabue from appeals case - Football - Boston-com
After the Oakland Raiders set NFL records in 2011 for penalties and penalty yards, rookie coach Dennis Allen made it a top priority to field more disciplined team.
Until recently, the plan seemed to be working.
That's why several Oakland players were caught off guard by comments made this week by Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali, who told a Kansas City newspaper the Raiders are a "dirty'' team whose players "cheap shot'' opponents, and said it was a tradition in the games between the AFC West rivals.
A few years ago that might have elicited a more profound reaction from the Raiders, but this is clearly not the same franchise it was when late owner Al Davis was calling the shots.
Allen brushed off Hali's comments while players like defensive back Michael Huff and fullback Marcel Reece laughed.
"If somebody's talking about you, you're doing something right,'' Reece said Thursday. "We play hard, we don't play dirty. Obviously divisional opponents are going to feel it a little more because it's a rivalry.''
Hali's comments came on the heels of Oakland's two most penalized games of the season. The Raiders had 12 penalties in a loss to Atlanta on Oct. 14, then picked up nine more in Sunday's win over Jacksonville. They had 19 total through the first four weeks.
Reducing penalties has been a primary concern for almost every Raiders coach. Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie talked extensively about the need to be more disciplined.
Before the recent backslide, Oakland had been just that despite a rough start in the standings.
The Raiders (2-4) have 40 penalties but only three have been for unnecessary roughness and they've been whistled only once for roughing the quarterback. That's a significant reduction from 2011 when Oakland had 10 unnecessary roughness calls, five roughing the quarterback penalties and four flags for unsportsmanlike conduct.
So is this a kindler, gentler Raiders team?
"I wouldn't go that far,'' Huff said. "I don't think we're dirty. I just think we play physical, aggressive football, like it's supposed to be played.''
Oakland set single-season NFL records for penalties (163) and penalty yards (1,358) in 2011 and historically is among the league leaders in that dubious category.
Hali, whose Chiefs host the Raiders on Sunday, doesn't believe much has changed even though Oakland has made sweeping changes in just about every corner of the franchise.
"It's a tradition,'' Hali told The Kansas City Star. "The Raiders, they come in, they cheap shot, they hit you. I'm not saying names. It is what it is. We've got to be ready to play and keep our composure, stayed poised and be able to get this win.
"They are coming in and they're a good team and a fast team and they play dirty. We've got to come out swinging. We've got to be ready for that. You can let these guys come in and if they do it and you let them do it, they're going to enjoy themselves doing it and they'll run over you.''
Allen didn't seem too bothered by the comments. The Raiders are trying to win consecutive games for the first time this season and have enough issues on both sides of the ball for Allen to get caught in a war of words.
"He's entitled to his opinion,'' Allen said flatly.
The Chiefs (1-5) have more penalties (43) than the Raiders, though only two have been for unnecessary roughness, and Reece sounded surprised Hali would even broach the topic.
"I could expect it from some other people, but from him I was real surprised because he plays hard, he's a tough guy,'' Reece said. "To each his own.''
NOTES: DT Desmond Bryant missed practice with a sore elbow but the Raiders are hopeful he will be able to play Sunday. ... Oakland lists 17 players on the injury report but none are considered serious.
Lawrence Taylor, retired New York Giants linebacker and NFL Hall of Fame inductee, admitted in court on Thursday that he pays for sex with prostitutes and will probably do it again.
“I still like the chase, but I like to stack the deck a little in my favor,” Taylor testified. “I like to enjoy somebody’s company, but I don’t want to work too hard.”
The civil trial against Taylor is in full swing in New York. He is accused for sexually assaulting an underage prostitute.
The prostitute is 19-year-old Christina Fierro, who was only 16 years old during the alleged sexual assault.
Taylor claimed that Fierro lied to him and told him she was 19 at the time.
During his testimony, Taylor explained that, after checking into a Holiday Inn that night in Rockland County, N.Y., he thought Fierro was one of the many prostitutes his friend “Fat Boy” had referred him to.
Taylor testified that, while he does have sex with prostitutes, that sex with Fierro was consensual.
“I went as far as she would let me go, until she said, ‘No,’” he said on Thursday.
Read more: NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor admits in court to paying for sex with prostitutes | The Daily Caller
Bill Belichick was the Dour of London on Friday, as the Patriots arrived to play a different brand of football than the one of Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, and David Beckham.
On a quintessential overcast London morning, Belichick, the man that Bill Parcells nicknamed “Gloom,” looked and sounded as enthused as Kate Middleton caught in her knickers at a photography convention about being in Merry Old England to play the St. Louis Rams on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
If the NFL was looking for its preeminent coach to act as a good-natured goodwill ambassador for expansion in the United Kingdom, it made a miscalculation. A bleary-eyed Belichick, more chary than cheery, offered the requisite niceties and name-checks during his press conference at the Grosvenor House Hotel. But it was more than just jet lag that left him lacking genuine enthusiasm about or appreciation for the opportunity to export the NFL to the London.
“It’s good to be in London . . . Excited to be here. We’re looking forward to the game and facing the Rams — and London. It’s always nice to be in London,” said Belichick, sounding rehearsed.
People who are excited about a destination tend to want to get there sooner. The Rams have been here since Tuesday, carrying the NFL flag. The Patriots arrived Friday. New England had the same travel itinerary in 2009, when it defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 35-7.
If the NFL is serious about becoming part of the fabric of the British sports scene, it has to mandate that the teams show up by Wednesday for more media coverage. There isn’t a coach in the league who wouldn’t like to show up at the Super Bowl on a Friday, have one day of media access, and play the game on Sunday. But the NFL would let Jonathan Vilma become commissioner before it let that happen.
Read More: Bill Belichick is not a great NFL ambassador in London - Sports - The Boston Globe
Chris Parsons’s passion for football — American football, that is — began when he was 10 years old, watching a weekly NFL highlights show.
Parsons loved it, his friends in Manchester loved it, and it wasn’t long before the boy found himself searching for the Armed Forces radio signal so he could hear the broadcasts of games.
Now, Parsons is at the forefront of bringing the NFL not just to his native United Kingdom but to the rest of the world, as head of the league’s International Unit.
With the city of London and Wembley Stadium ready to host the International Series game Sunday between the Rams and Patriots, the NFL never has been more popular in the UK.
Which is just what the league wanted.
“I think it’s good because you think about the 180 million people that watched our Super Bowl against the Giants live, which is almost two-thirds of America, so we’ve pretty much tapped out the American [market],” said Patriots owner Robert Kraft. “For our game to continue to grow and be special we have to expand our fan base, and I think from our cultural and language point of view, going to England and playing there and developing the game [made sense].
“We have such a following in the UK and people really grab on to the game. It’s wonderful to see another country embrace our sport, and by bringing the real game there I think they have really loved it.”
The Super Bowl annually ranks as the most-watched television event in the United States, and the NFL receives billions of dollars from American companies who want to be part of the game.
But Kraft and commissioner Roger Goodell believe the game can grow even more. The NFL had played preseason games in Mexico City, Tokyo, Berlin, Montreal, Dublin, and Sydney from 1986 to 2005.
For the 2007 season, the decision was made to take a regular-season game overseas for the first time (the Bills began playing one “home” game per year in Toronto a year later), with the Giants beating the Dolphins.
The game has returned every year since, always played in late October.
Alistair Kirkwood, head of the NFL’s UK office, said the television audience for NFL games has grown threefold since 2007, and now ranks as the country’s seventh most-watched sport.
On Sundays, the NFL often will go against Spanish La Liga soccer games, arguably the strongest league in the sport, and draw similar ratings. During the regular season, fans have access to every game. And despite the Super Bowl coming on well past midnight in England, more than four million fans here watch the game live.
“We have a very strong, hard-core fan base,” said Kirkwood, a long-suffering Bills fan. “We’ve grown substantially with a younger fan base in the last three or four years since we’ve been playing these games, but we still have some way to go because we’re not an indigenous sport, we’re not a sport that is played in schools.
“So, the very fact that we will have a sold-out game again this Sunday, and that it’s an incredibly popular ticket, indicates that the sport has a really good base to build on, and the fact that we’re moving to two games a year next year shows that we believe that not only do we have a lot of demand but we can grow.”
The NFL already has announced that there will be two games played at Wembley in 2013 — the Vikings will “host” the Steelers in September, and the Jaguars will host the 49ers in October.
Jacksonville, which long has struggled to fill its stadium and recently was purchased by Pakistani-born Shad Khan, who built his fortune in the United States, has agreed to play one home game per year for four years at Wembley.
Adding a second London game long has been in the NFL’s plans.
“I think when you look at our strategy over here we’ve come through the first phase very well. The first phase was to bring games over here every year for five or six years and really show how bringing those games would really accelerate the growth of our business,” Parsons said. “We’ve demonstrated that. For the next phase, we have a team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, signed up to be a returning home team.
“We believe that gives us another opportunity to engage newer fans who will be able to see a team year in and year out and support the Jaguars, and the Jaguars will work with us very closely to build a fan base over here. I think that’s sort of Phase One of the next round of strategic development.
“And the next piece was always to get a second game, which is incredibly important for us because the notion that we could be a true UK sport but only play one game a season is a bit challenging. We want to become a much deeper part of the fabric of the sports calendar here and so playing that second game, especially four weeks earlier and four weeks into the season, gives us a real boost in terms of making this much more of a nationally embraced sport in the UK. We’ll be working very hard to make sure that second game is successful and that the two games work better than the one, and we’re confident that we can do that.”
Part of American football taking hold long term in the UK is likely seeing it played in the university system here and perhaps at the youth level.
The league is trying to foster grassroots growth. Parsons said it is working with the British American Football Association, which is the governing body for the sport in the UK. The BAFA is part of the European Federation of American Football.
While there has been talk of an NFL franchise based in London — Kraft is a major proponent of that idea because of how it could grow the sport and the league — Kirkwood and Parsons said that is a long way off.
“We would probably need to triple our fan base from where we are,” Kirkwood said. “But next year we will go to the equivalent of a quarter of a regular-season [home] schedule. So although two games doesn’t sound a lot, that’s us coming a really long way from where we were starting 2007.”
The picture of the Chiefs' now historic level of "professional" football incompetence is their overmatched head coach, asked a simple question about why his star running back got only five carries in another blowout loss, saying "I'm not exactly sure."
The Chiefs are beyond disappointment, beyond even the kind of stink that makes your eyes water, and are now neck-deep in the all-time pool of pathetic with Matt Millen's Lions, Turner Gill's Jayhawks and Buddy Bell's Royals.
Keep in mind, the Raiders stink, too. They won only two games this season before beating the Chiefs 26-16, a sort-of-close final score that makes it seem like the Chiefs had a chance.
Here's coach Romeo Crennel's explanation:
"Well, generally, if the other team is able to score, that puts you down," he says. ". . . You can say this is similar to what we've been talking about all along. We get penalties at inopportune times, we turn the ball over, then we allow teams to score."
These are your Chiefs, Kansas City. And with the next two games shown nationally in prime time, the rest of the country will see why you've been booing so much, and why it's past time for the coach and general manager to be fired.
At some point, the team may just be bad enough for owner Clark Hunt to break his silence.
A few weeks ago, Crennel put up a sign in the locker room that will ensure he never gets another head-coaching job. On it, he urged the team to "ELIMINATE BAD FOOTBALL."
Just a humble suggestion here, but maybe the new sign should say: "OK, LET'S JUST ELIMINATE HISTORICALLY INEPT FOOTBALL AND THEN WE'LL WORRY ABOUT MERELY BAD FOOTBALL."
You might've heard this stat by now, but it's so amazing it should be repeated a million times and shouted from the rooftops and included in every story once Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli are canned for leading this mess: The Chiefs are the first team to go seven weeks without a lead in regulation since 1940.
Nineteen-forty.
Do you know what the NFL was in 1940? The Brooklyn Dodgers finished second in the NFL's Eastern Division. The Pittsburgh Pirates renamed themselves the Steelers. Players had day jobs. Lamar Hunt turned 8 years old.
The men in charge of today's NFL have taken great strides to make sure a team is never so unable to compete with other professional teams that it trails six of seven games by at least 17 points. That's a staple of the NFL's success, actually. The league is built on parity.
The Chiefs have become parody.
Think about this: The Royals haven't played in 25 days, finished their season like dogs and still have two wins since the Chiefs' last victory.
The Chiefs have been a fireable offense for Crennel and Pioli, but now the team is bad enough that the men in charge might think about apologizing when they're fired.
This is an all-time level of pathetic, bad enough that fans are paying to fly banners mocking the team over the stadium, and incompetent enough that fans are already wearing paper bags and plan on coming to the next game dressed in mourning. At least one fan wrote to the team demanding his tickets be refunded - and they were.
This is the team Pioli has spent four offseasons and four drafts building.
Much has been said - both on the record and off - about how bad the Chiefs were when Pioli was hired, and only some of it is exaggerated. They won two games the year before, and the coach Pioli hired famously told the players he inherited that he could win two games with 22 guys off the street. Well, the Chiefs still haven't won two games this season with the presumed "Right 53" guys that Pioli has spent four years accumulating.
He has talked so much about changing the Chiefs' losing culture, but really, he's just updated it.
Hunt hasn't said a word publicly about any of this, which is being taken by some fans as a sign of detachment. That perception is understandable, but also wrong.
Hunt is listening to angry fans, responding to some personally, inviting a few to lunch . . . and at least one for a two-hour meeting in his office.
He talked publicly during last year's bye week. His silence now may be frustrating, but indications are that it's purposeful.
A source distanced the team from a report of an extension for Pioli, remember, and if Hunt says anything publicly now, he's going to be asked about his faith in Pioli. At the very least, that appears to be a question he's not willing to answer at the moment.
Hunt hired and has supported Pioli. Nearly everybody thought it was the best hire the Chiefs could make at the time. Hunt wants to believe in Pioli. Hunt wants to build a franchise like the Steelers, the NFL's model of consistency, and firing a GM after four seasons is a rotten way to do it.
But this team is pathetic enough he may not have a choice.
Read more here: KANSAS CITY, Mo.: Sam Mellinger: What's next for the pathetic Chiefs? | NFL Football | Macon-com
On an almost perfect Monday night for Alex Smith, the San Francisco 49ers flexed their NFC West dominance with a 24-3 flattening of the Arizona Cardinals.
Smith completed 18 of 19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns two to Michael Crabtree and one to Randy Moss, as San Francisco (6-2) opened a two-game lead in the division and sent Arizona (4-4) to its fourth straight lost.
Smith's only incompletion was dropped by a wide-open receiver.
DENVER: The Broncos are relieved Peyton Manning wasn't seriously injured on a hard hit by New Orleans Saints defensive end Martez Wilson. The Broncos are expected to have the NFL look at the play from Sunday night's game in which Manning banged his right thumb on Wilson's helmet just before the crown of that helmet hit the quarterback in the chin.
Although no flag was thrown, it was similar to the illegal hit that cost Broncos linebacker Joe Mays a $50,000 fine and a one-game suspension last month for blasting Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub. Coach John Fox said Monday that Manning's thumb was fine.
PHILADELPHIA:
Michael Vick remains the Eagles' starting quarterback for now, according to three sources who spoke with the Associated Press. Coach Andy Reid reportedly hasn't benched Vick, the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, has struggled this season and Philadelphia (3-4) has lost three straight games.
Reid didn't endorse Vick after Sunday's 30-17 loss to Atlanta, saying he's going to evaluate all his starters. Vick then said he would support whatever decision Reid makes.
NFL roundup: 49ers crush Cardinals, 24-3 | Detroit Lions | Detroit Free Press | freep-com
Mike Tomlin doesn't expect Hurricane Sandy to derail the National Football League.
The Pittsburgh Steelers coach said Tuesday he believes Sunday's game in New York against the Giants to go on as scheduled and plans to prepare that way even as New York and New Jersey dig out from the massive storm.
Tomlin said he understands the league will look at any logistical issues the storm's aftermath may present but added the Steelers will stick to their weekly routine unless they hear from NFL officials.
Pittsburgh (4-3) has won two straight to climb back into the thick of the muddled AFC but will be without safety Troy Polamalu against the Giants. Polamalu will miss his fourth straight game and sixth overall this season due to a strained right calf.
Read more here: PITTSBURGH: Steelers planning on business as usual vs. Giants | NFL Football | Macon-com
Arguing that “football has become the site of perhaps the gravest health crisis in the history of sports,” attorneys for thousands of former NFL players asked a judge to reject the league’s bid to dismiss their lawsuits about concussions.
In a brief filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, the players disputed the league’s framing of the cases as a labor issue that should be governed by collective-bargaining agreements instead of the legal system.
Among the players’ arguments: Relevant collective-bargaining agreements did not address long-term brain injuries, the NFL committed fraud by concealing risks of repeated head trauma, and the league has a common-law duty to protect players.
The league filed its motion to dismiss the lawsuits in August and now will have the chance to respond to the players’ reply. The NFL repeatedly has said that it did not intentionally mislead players and that it has tried to better protect their health.
The players’ response Wednesday said “a party cannot shirk its own duty by pointing to the duties of others” and that the “NFL deceived club doctors (as well as players) by insisting repeatedly that head trauma carried little long-term risk for football players.”
EAGLES: Michael Vick will remain Philadelphia’s starting quarterback, coach Andy Reid said. Reid didn’t endorse Vick, who has struggled this season, after Sunday’s 30-17 loss to Atlanta and said he was going to evaluate all his starters. Vick then said he would support whatever decision Reid made.
BRONCOS: Peyton Manning’s right thumbnail was covered with white tape upon his return to the football field Wednesday, but the tape didn’t wrap all the way around his thumb, leaving him able to grip the football like normal. Teammates said his throws and handoffs at practice were unaffected by the injury, suffered when he smacked his throwing hand on a defender’s helmet Sunday night against the Saints.
Coach John Fox said he noticed no lingering effects.
Manning, who threw two second-half touchdowns in Denver’s 34-14 victory over New Orleans after getting hurt just before halftime, said after practice that his thumb was “sore, but it’s more of an irritant than anything else.”
DOLPHINS: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is practicing on a limited basis after leaving Sunday’s victory against the New York Jets in the first quarter with left knee and thigh injuries. Tannehill wore a brace and thigh-to-ankle sleeve on his left leg Wednesday. He went through passing drills, but backup Matt Moore took the snaps with the starters in team drills.
TEXANS: Houston claimed running back Jonathan Grimes off waivers and released linebacker Mister Alexander.
The Jets waived Grimes on Tuesday, and the Texans picked him up with Ben Tate’s status uncertain for Sunday’s game against Buffalo because of a hamstring injury. Grimes was an undrafted free agent out of William & Mary.
STEELERS: Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said he would meet with NFL officials to discuss his fourth-quarter leg cramp in a victory against Cincinnati last month. Sanders maintains he did nothing wrong when he dropped to the ground with the Steelers nursing a seven-point lead. Officials stopped play afterward, and television announcers suggested that Sanders was faking so Pittsburgh could avoid using a timeout.
NFL Notebook: Ex-players reply to NFL's motion to dismiss cases - Winston-Salem Journal: Football
The NFL and the players’ union are combining to donate $1 million to the American Red Cross to help in the recovery efforts in the Northeast after Hurricane Sandy.
Also, the league and its network broadcasters will run TV pregame and in-game messages to promote donations during this weekend’s games, beginning with Thursday night’s game on NFL Network between Kansas City and San Diego.
Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith announced the donations Thursday.
“This contribution on behalf of all 32 clubs and players throughout the league will help the American Red Cross assist people in need in the affected areas,” Goodell said. “We salute the dedication of those who have been working so hard on the rescue, relief and recovery effort.”
Green Bay Packers defensive back Charles Woodson donated $100,000 to the Red Cross on Thursday, and the Orlando Magic donated $25,000.
On Wednesday, the New York Yankees gave $500,000 to relief efforts through the Red Cross.
We have separation at the top of the NFL: Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco, Chicago and the New York Giants.
We have depression at the bottom: Jacksonville, Carolina, Cleveland and Kansas City.
Nearing the halfway mark of the season, we also have a muddle in the middle. Playoff races could be wide open into late December, but not for some teams that already have reached desperation time.
Mark down the Cowboys, Eagles, Titans, Bengals, Chargers, Saints and Lions in that category. All of them had winning or .500 records in 2011, and each of them entered the season with designs on playoff berths.
Now, all of them appear to be outsiders, plagued by inconsistency and underachievement, questionable decision making and, at least in Dallas, Philadelphia and San Diego, uncertain futures for the coaching staffs.
Nowhere is the disappointment thus far more pronounced than in the NFC East, where the Giants have a 2 1/2-game edge over the Cowboys and Eagles.
Things looked so bright for Dallas when it beat the defending Super Bowl champions in the season opener, and for Philly when it squeezed past New York in Week 4. Now, both teams need binoculars to see how far the Giants are out front.
"There is a tremendous amount of urgency," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "Every game is critical."
The problems in Dallas in great part stem from the unreliability of the receiving corps and the run game (without DeMarco Murray). Jason Witten is as dependable as any tight end in the league, as his sensational 18-catch, 167-yard performance in last Sunday's lost to the Giants showed. But Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and the other targets run too many poor routes, drop too many balls and cause Tony Romo to look even worse than he actually is playing. Yes, those wideouts make a lot of good plays as well. But their biggest plays are the ones they don't make, and the Cowboys have become a turnover machine.
"It's to that point in the season where you don't have time," Witten said. "Nobody cares about battling. They don't, they want to see you win. ... The clock's ticking. You have to be able to find a way to get on top here a little bit."
Similarly in Philadelphia, some of the Eagles' stars haven't shined. Michael Vick is having an awful season, plagued by turnovers and an inability to make use of his team's speed at the skill positions. Nnamdi Asomugha hasn't come close to earning the huge contract he landed last year. LeSean McCoy doesn't get the ball enough and, often when he does, the line can't make holes for him.
If the Cowboys and Eagles don't turn desperation into motivation and then into domination, Garrett and Eagles coach Andy Reid could be unemployed by January.
Almost as puzzling is the abyss the Bengals and Lions have fallen into.
Cincinnati opened 3-1, then imploded with losses to Miami, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The Bengals seemed ready to take the next step into true contention, perhaps even win the AFC North where Baltimore is banged-up and Pittsburgh is in a bit of a transition phase. Instead, they've reached back into their Bungles past, and with matchups against the Broncos, Giants, Steelers and Ravens remaining, their task isn't enviable.
"We've wallowed around here in mediocrity," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "Let's go. That's the thing we've got to do."
Detroit has made last year's playoff run after an 11-season hiatus marked by horrid teams - remember 0-16 in 2008? - look like a fluke. Perhaps the NFL's most undisciplined team with 52 penalties - only Dallas and Baltimore have more through seven games - and dissatisfying showings by the touted defensive line, the Lions' chore is even more challenging than Cincinnati's: Chicago, Green Bay and even Minnesota have been far better in the NFC North.
Struggles in Tennessee and San Diego probably were more predictable. The Titans outperformed their talent base in going 9-7 a year ago, and are in more of a rebuilding stage than a contending one, with a sieve of a defense. The Chargers are, well, the Chargers, which means fans should expect unfathomable losses such as the 7-6 debacle at Cleveland. San Diego simply makes just enough errors of omission and commission to flop.
Then there's New Orleans. The folks in the Big Easy believe the Saints' 2-5 record is all Commissioner Roger Goodell's fault. Maybe things would be more jovial on Bourbon Street if the team had a defense.
Desperate times for a bunch of NFL teams | Sports | The Seattle Times
It’s election week in the United States, and we can’t let our neighbours to the south have all the fun.
So it’s time for us to have a popularity contest of our own.
Let’s call it the Canadian Bowl.
We want to know which NFL franchise is Calgary’s team and we’re asking fans from across the country to weigh in for this titanic battle.
Starting today, you can go online to calgarysun-com/nflteam and vote for your favourite NFL team. The voting will continue all week and we’ll bring you the national and regional results next weekend.
So who will it be? The most likely candidates are those closest to the border, teams that share a northern spirit and similar weather patterns.
No doubt Canadians can identify with teams like the Green Bay Packers, the Buffalo Bills, the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks, because it’s easy for people in various parts of the country to get to their games and they are often the regional team of choice for TV networks.
TV plays a big role in how fans pick their allegiances, but there are many other factors, including star power, tradition and, perhaps most importantly, success. For those reasons, there are no doubt many fans of the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Peyton Manning brought many fans to the Indianapolis Colts and is now bringing them back to the Denver Broncos, whose popularity harkens back to the John Elway days.
Teams like the San Francisco 49ers, the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers were always part of the late nationally televised game back in the day and many fans still wear their jerseys for that reason.
More than a few snowbirds would likely vote for teams in their winter homes, like the the Arizona Cardinals or the Miami Dolphins.
Everyone has their reasons for liking a particular team. It could be a favourite player like Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, a slick jersey design, an identifiable logo or sometimes even a colourful coach (hello, Rex Ryan).
Perhaps you will cast your vote for Barack Obama’s Chicago Bears, or Mitt Romney’s Patriots.
Which NFL club should be Calgary's team? | Home | Calgary Sun
The Pittsburgh Steelers tried to beat themselves before they beat the New York Giants.
Overcoming unusual sloppiness, the Steelers dominated the second half for a 24-20 victory Sunday as Isaac Redman rushed for 147 yards and the winning touchdown from 1 yard with 4:02 to go.
Temporary relief from the destruction of Superstorm Sandy was what New York’s fans sought, and the Giants provided it for a while. But they couldn’t stop Redman, who had little relief with Pittsburgh’s other two main backs injured.
The Steelers (5-3) arrived in New Jersey hours before the game, which might have accounted for their carelessness. They had the fewest giveaways in the NFL entering the game, but were neglectful with the ball and in pass coverage; cornerback Keenan Lewis had 87 yards on two pass interference penalties. They wasted some great kick returns, too.
■ Packers 31, Cardinals 17
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Tom Crabtree caught the ball at the Green Bay 45 and chugged up field, looking over one shoulder and then the other to be sure the two Arizona Cardinals who were giving chase were still behind him.
They were. Barely.
Crabtree had just enough gas to “outrace” the Cardinals, tumbling into the end zone for a 72-yard touchdown at the end of the third quarter that sealed Green Bay’s win. Arizona had pulled within a touchdown before Crabtree’s score, but could manage only one more first down the rest of the game.
■ Bears 51, Titans 20
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans got off to a perfect start against the stingy Chicago Bears when Matt Hasselbeck found Kenny Britt for a 23-yard catch on their first play.
Then Britt lost the ball, the beginning of their lost afternoon.
The Titans fumbled and bungled their way to their worst loss this season, blown out by Chicago on a day where they committed five turnovers, had a punt blocked for a touchdown and were called for a slew of penalties where they struggled to even line up correctly at times.
■ Panthers 21, Redskins 13
LANDOVER, Md. — So much for Cam Newton vs. Robert Griffin III. For the ticked-off players in the visitor’s locker room, it was more like the Carolina Panthers vs. Sonny Jurgensen, Sam Huff and Bobby Mitchell.
Newton and the Panthers broke a five-game losing streak Sunday, topping Griffin and the penalty-prone Washington Redskins 21-13, prompting coach Mike Shanahan to essentially throw in the towel on the season. Newton threw for 201 yards, ran for 37, played part of the game with a bloodied thumb and didn’t look his usual disconsolate self when he sat with the familiar white towel on his head between drives.
■ Lions 31, Jaguars 14
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Given the result, the Detroit Lions probably should try to be this balanced all the time.
Mikel Leshoure ran for three touchdowns, Calvin Johnson got involved early and the Lions turned in their most complete victory of the season over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Detroit dominated from start to finish, building a three-score lead before halftime and coasting after the break.
■ Broncos 31, Bengals 23
CINCINNATI — Peyton Manning overcame a pair of interceptions by throwing three touchdown passes, rallying Denver to a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Trindon Holliday also returned a kickoff a Broncos-record 105 yards for a touchdown.
Manning improved to 8-0 career against Cincinnati (3-5), which has lost four in a row for the first time in two years. This win didn’t come so easily.
The four-time MVP threw a pair of interceptions — one in the end zone — that led to 10 points and a 20-17 Cincinnati lead early in the fourth quarter.
■ Ravens 25, Browns 15
CLEVELAND — Somehow, some way, Joe Flacco always finds a way to beat the Browns.
Flacco threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith with 4:26 left as the Baltimore Ravens won their 11th straight game inside the AFC North with a comeback win over Cleveland.
Smith caught Flacco’s strike and spun away from cornerback Joe Haden as the Ravens (6-2) defeated the Browns (2-7) for the 10th consecutive time — all with Flacco at quarterback. It was also Baltimore’s 15th straight win following a loss.
■ Colts 23, Dolphins 20
INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Luck and Ryan Tannehill put on a memorable show for Chuck Pagano.
The rookie quarterbacks traded jab for jab, hook for hook and TD pass for TD pass. When the duel finally ended, it was Luck who had the records — and another win for his ailing coach.
Luck threw for 433 yards and two TD passes, breaking Cam Newton’s single-game passing record (422 yards) for a rookie as he led the Colts to a victory over Miami.
■ Seahawks 30, Vikings 20
SEATTLE — Marshawn Lynch ran for 124 yards and a touchdown, rookie QB Russell Wilson threw three first-half touchdowns, and the Seattle Seahawks overcame 182 yards rushing by Adrian Peterson in a win over the Minnesota Vikings.
The matchup between the top two rushers in the NFL — Peterson and Lynch — didn’t disappoint with Peterson having his best game since 2008.
■ Bucs 42, Raiders 32
OAKLAND, Calif. — Rookie Doug Martin rushed for a franchise-record 251 yards and four touchdowns and Ahmad Black intercepted a Carson Palmer pass after Oakland had cut an 18-point deficit to three late in the fourth quarter and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held on to beat the Raiders.
Martin, who was born in Oakland, had a memorable homecoming for the Bucs (4-4) by scoring on runs of 1, 45, 67 and 70 yards in the second half as he gashed what had been an improved run defense for the Raiders (3-5).
But you have to give the Falcons props. Their record says they are the best team in the NFL, and as Bill Parcells famously said, you are what your record says you are. The Falcons didn't get lucky six times. They are winning because Matt Ryan is playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL. And because they are averaging 28.5 points per game and allowing only 18.8 per game.
They have shown the ability to take an opponent's best shot, get up and keep coming. The Falcons aren't perfect. But they are the NFL's best team today.
[email]dpompei@tribune-com[/email]
Giants are resilient
Omar Kelly
Sun Sentinel
The Giants reside on top of the NFL mountain wearing the crown until someone knocks the champions off the throne. The 49ers had their opportunity last Sunday and got blown out 26-3 by Eli Manning's road warriors.
The Giants (4-2) have nothing but playoff-caliber teams left on the schedule, but that arduous road should only make Tom Coughlin's team tougher. The Giants have the third-best offense in the NFL, and the defense (14 sacks and 11 interceptions) has the potential to play better when key contributors heal up.
The Giants are resilient, and know how to finish out a season. If the Giants can take care of business against Washington on Sunday and then Dallas, they should be in the driver's seat.
[email]okelly@tribune-com[/email]
Giants finish strong
Sam Farmer
Los Angeles Times
At this point, the Giants are the best. We already know they play their best football in the second half of the season, but to come across the country and hold the 49ers to three points is really impressive.
Atlanta is undefeated and a very good team on both sides of the ball, but the Falcons nearly lost at home to a couple of one-win teams, Carolina and Oakland. In the crunch, I'd take Eli Manning over Matt Ryan. Baltimore and Houston are the two best teams in the AFC, but both have lost key defensive fixtures.
There will be lots of ups and downs between now and December, but the Giants are playing the best at the moment. Now, watch them lose to the Redskins.
Which NFL team is currently the best? - baltimoresun-com