Nfl Football - Football Betting

2005-11-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

Giants defense holds Niners without a touchdown

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Though Jeremy Shockey and Michael Strahan had miserable memories of Candlestick Park, Eli Manning was still in college when the New York Giants' last trip to the playoffs ended here in a historic collapse. --football gambling--

The young quarterback thought the old building was an excellent place to get his first true road victory. Manning passed for 251 yards and a touchdown, Brandon Jacobs rushed for two short fourth-quarter scores and the Giants' defense yielded just 138 total yards in a 24-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. --football gambling--

Plaxico Burress had five catches for 79 yards in the third straight victory for the Giants (6-2), who maintained their lead in the NFC East by suffocating the 49ers' offense, which hasn't scored a touchdown in its last 13 quarters at home. --football gambling--

The Giants' offense also floundered for long stretches against San Francisco's solid defense, but a handful of big throws by Manning led to scores. --football gambling--
"We just had to get the ball in our receivers' hands and let them be the athletes," said Manning, who had been 0-5 in games outside Giants Stadium; New York beat New Orleans at the Meadowlands in Week 2, technically a Saints home game after Hurricane Katrina damaged the Superdome. "We had to figure out a way not to hurt ourselves, and mostly we avoided that. We had too many mistakes, but they didn't end up hurting us."--football gambling--

That wasn't always the case in San Francisco. Just 11 Giants are left from one of the club's most infamous postseason defeats: On Jan. 5, 2003, New York allowed San Francisco to rally from a 24-point deficit in the second half of a 39-38 wild-card victory.--football gambling--

It was the second-biggest collapse in NFL playoff history, and New York hasn't been back to the postseason or Candlestick since. But while the 49ers are 10-31 since that win, the Giants have rebuilt themselves into a postseason contender behind Manning, who was 18-of-33 and threw a TD pass in his ninth straight game.--football gambling--

Shockey, who dropped a pass in the end zone during the second half of that playoff loss in San Francisco, stretched full-length to catch a 32-yard scoring pass 13 seconds before halftime.
"It was wide open, and there was no one there," Shockey said of his TD catch -- not the ball he dropped two seasons ago. "I have never seen that look in my whole career, and I probably will never see it again. It was a completely busted coverage."--football gambling--

Burress made a stunning one-handed, 50-yard catch on the final play of the third quarter, and Jacobs rushed for a 1-yard score moments later. Amani Toomer then made a 23-yard catch near the goal line, setting up another 1-yard TD run. --football gambling--

Cody Pickett, the 49ers' fourth starting quarterback in five games, made few mistakes in his first start. But he couldn't spark anything behind San Francisco's comically inept offensive line, which committed several penalties and rarely allowed Pickett a moment's peace.--football gambling--

"Cody did a great job with the plays, but it's tough getting the timing down when you don't have the same quarterback in practice every week," receiver Brandon Lloyd said of Pickett, who went 12-of-21 for 102 yards. --football gambling--

"(Pickett) didn't cause any problems for us," Strahan said. "It seemed like every time he dropped back, we were successful in putting some pressure on him and hitting him."
Joe Nedney kicked two field goals for the Niners (2-6), who lost for the sixth time in seven games.--football gambling--

The 49ers' offense briefly got going late in the first half, with Pickett scrambling for two first downs before Lloyd took the crowd's breath away with a one-handed, behind-the-head catch inside the New York 5.--football gambling--

But struggling left tackle Anthony Clement was called for holding on the play -- and after consecutive false starts by the line, Pickett's long pass was intercepted by Brent Alexander.
Manning quickly hit Shockey twice for the Giants' first TD. --football gambling--

"It is a lack of focus and concentration," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said of the penalties. "Emotion is a huge part of the game, and you can't let emotions get the better of you. There's not a tremendous amount of noise at home. Today, (false starts are) inexcusable." --football gambling--

San Francisco scored on Nedney's 48-yard field goal early in the second half, ending nearly 108 scoreless minutes for the Giants' defense, which shut out Washington last week. Nedney hit a 52-yarder several minutes later. --football gambling--

Game notes
San Francisco got four of its nine first downs on penalties. ... Back judge Don Dorkowski injured his calf during the second half, and the game was finished with six officials. ... The Niners had just 10 men on the field for the game's first play -- a 28-yard catch by Shockey.--football gambling--

2005-10-31T14:35:00.000-08:00

NFC race now wide open as Eagles fall back to pack

(October 31, 2005) — The Philadelphia Eagles no longer rule the NFC. They're just another team. -NFL Football-

The Eagles entered Sunday ranked a deceiving seventh in total offense and 20th in total defense and will be even lower after a convincing 49-21 road loss in Denver. -NFL Football-

Philadelphia ranks high in offense because it passes so often. It passes often because it can't run the ball. The Eagles are averaging only 3.5 yards per carry and less than 25 percent of their plays from scrimmage have been rushes by running backs. -NFL Football-

Quick but smallish Brian Westbrook might think he's one of the NFL's best running backs, but coach Andy Reid must not agree. A heavy-duty running back has to be a top priority for next season. -NFL Football-

Opponents are stacking their defenses against the pass and Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is too banged up to keep them honest by running. -NFL Football-

The Eagles are the NFL's only team to make the playoffs in each of the last five years. They're now 4-3 in the rugged NFC East and that streak is very much in jeopardy. -NFL Football-

Other observations on NFL Week 8:

The way rookie quarterback Kyle Orton played Sunday in a 19-13 overtime victory over Detroit (230 yards passing; only one interception in the last four games), the Bears look like the team to beat in the NFC North. The defense has been terrific and linebacker Brian Urlacher is making a strong bid for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. -NFL Football-

Check out these defensive numbers for the Bears: Allowed only 7 TDs in seven games (including the first rushing TD of the season Sunday by Detroit); allowed only 263 total yards and 11.6 points per game and 3.2 yards per rush. -NFL Football-

The New York Giants proved Sunday how much late owner Wellington Mara meant to them and how much emotion can mean in what otherwise appears to be a competitive matchup. He died Tuesday at age 89 and plenty of the players obviously took it hard and were determined to give their best efforts against Washington. The Giants crushed the Redskins 36-0 and it is impossible to believe that Mr. Mara's passing didn't have a lot to do with it. -NFL Football-

Green Bay is 1-6 after a 21-14 loss in Cincinnati. The Packers haven't had a losing record since 1991, the longest active streak in the NFL, but it surely will end this season. Brett Favre threw five interceptions Sunday but nearly pulled off the 35th fourth-quarter comeback of his career. The Packers have a young quarterback on the sidelines in Aaron Rodgers, but even he scoffs at suggestions that Favre be benched to give him game experience in what appears to be a lost season. Favre should and will start every game he is healthy for as long as he wears a Packers uniform. -NFL Football-

The Denver Broncos would be tough to beat in a playoff game in January with their rushing attack in the snow in their stadium. ... Are the St. Louis Rams hurting Mike Martz's chances of returning with two straight wins under interim coach Joe Vitt with their starting QB and two star WRs not playing? ... It seems reasonably safe to project massive player moves by the Minnesota Vikings in the off-season. ... San Diego is one of the best 4-4 teams we'll ever see. ... If San Francisco isn't careful, it could win another game and blow a chance to draft Southern California's Matt Leinart or Reggie Bush. ... I don't imagine many quarterbacks go to Pro Bowls playing for three different teams, but Drew Bledsoe has a chance (New England to Buffalo to Dallas) if his second half of the season is as good as his first eight games. -NFL Football-

Tonight's Baltimore at Pittsburgh game is one of those Monday Night Football matchups that was appealing when the schedule came out but looks like a stinker now. The Ravens have no offense unless Jamal Lewis (2.6 yards per carry this season) suddenly wakes up (he has averaged 116 yards rushing in his last seven prime-time games). Defensive mainstays Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are hurting and probably won't play. Baltimore has lost six straight road games. Pittsburgh even has the revenge motive on its side. Baltimore handed the Steelers their only regular-season loss in 2004. Finally, Pittsburgh is an NFL-best 31-11 in October since 1995. -NFL Football-

2005-10-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

QB Tim Rattay traded from 49ers to Buccaneers
By FRED GOODALL, AP Sports Writer
-- NFL --
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers braced for life without Brian Griese on Tuesday, acquiring Tim Rattay from the San Francisco 49ers to back up young quarterbacks Chris Simms and Luke McCown. -- NFL --
The Bucs sent what was believed to be a sixth-round draft choice to the 49ers for Rattay, a six-year veteran who recently lost his caretaker hold on San Francisco's starting job to No. 1 overall draft pick Alex Smith. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
Griese injured his left knee during Sunday's 27-13 victory over Miami, though the Bucs still haven't said how long he will be sidelined after helping them to a 5-1 start. -- NFL --
``We're getting some more analysis,'' general manager Bruce Allen said. ``He's still on the team. He is wanting to play. We're hopeful that he can. But we're going to get the proper medical opinion.'' -- NFL --

Allen declined to discuss specifics of the injury, which occurred when Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas rolled into Griese's leg, or what doctors have told the team about the quarterback's status. -- NFL --
What's clear, though, is Griese will be out for a lengthy time.
Simms replaced him against the Dolphins and will have two weeks to prepare for his first start of the season because Tampa Bay has a bye this Sunday. Oddly enough, the Buccaneers' next game is in San Francisco on Oct. 30. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
San Francisco coach Mike Nolan initially was reluctant to make the deal, which puts the 49ers' future even more squarely on the shoulders of Smith, who made five turnovers in his first NFL start on Oct. 9.
-- NFL --But Nolan liked the draft pick, the roster room created by the trade and the chance to exploit the team's depth at quarterback. Though Nolan refused to disclose the draft pick acquired, he acknowledged it could improve if Rattay reaches certain performance standards.
-- NFL --
``This was a difficult decision for me, because I've learned some things about Tim,'' said Nolan, who wasn't impressed by Rattay's placid demeanor during training
camp. ``I think he is a good solid backup, and that's an important role on any team. ... It wasn't so much that he didn't fit in. It was just that Alex was the guy that we drafted.'' -- NFL --
-- NFL --
Ken Dorsey, who started seven games last season while San Francisco went a league-worst 2-14, will be Smith's backup. Fourth-stringer Cody Pickett, who has played on the Niners' special teams in recent weeks, will be No. 3. -- NFL --

``We're one of very few teams that kept four quarterbacks this year, and one of the reasons was there was a high chance that at this time, somebody would be looking for a quarterback,'' Nolan said. ``It just so happened Tampa Bay was on a hunt because they needed somebody.''
-- NFL --
Allen said the Bucs explored the prospect of acquiring Rattay during the offseason and were excited to find he was available before the NFL trading deadline of 4 p.m. Tuesday. Paul Hackett, the Bucs' quarterbacks coach, mentored 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy and QBs coach Jim Hostler earlier in their careers. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
To make room on the active roster, the team released rookie fullback Rick Razzano.
``We feel he'll be a great fit for our team,'' Allen said. ``He'll come in and be our No. 3 quarterback. It gives us some great insurance and a feeling that we can sleep at night that we have a bona fide NFL starter.'' -- NFL --
-- NFL --
Simms and McCown, like Rattay a former standout at Louisiana Tech, have made a combined six starts as pros -- all last season when Simms made two for the Bucs and McCown started four as a rookie in Cleveland. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
Rattay, a seventh-round -- NFL --
pick in 2000 who spent four years backing up Jeff Garcia, started nine games last season and beat out Smith in training camp this year. But he struggled behind San Francisco's terrible offensive line after an opening victory over St. Louis, and Nolan decided to put his $49 million rookie into the lineup. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
``He was the best quarterback we thought could help us right now,'' Allen said. ``And the fact that he has experience allowed us to look at enough tape ... we feel very comfortable we know what we're getting.'' -- NFL --
-- NFL --
At Louisiana Tech, Rattay started 33 games, finishing second in NCAA history with 12,746 yards passing. He was the third player in NCAA history with more than 100 career touchdown passes.
-- NFL --

2005-10-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

WR Johnson injured for Texans

HOUSTON (Oct. 9, 2005) -- Texans Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson strained his right calf in the first quarter and was knocked out of the game against the Tennessee Titans. - NFL Football -

He remained on the sideline until halftime and then returned in street clothes after the break.

Johnson entered play having caught at least one pass in all 35 of his NFL games, but he had no receptions before leaving with the injury. - NFL Football -

2005-10-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

NFL to Make Short-Lived Visit to Mexico

By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer

MEXICO CITY - Don't expect the NFL to stick around Mexico very long after Sunday's game between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, the first regular-season game played outside the United States.

NFL Mexico, which oversees the sport in this country, says it has no plans to push for a team any time soon. It appears content to follow the lead of the NBA and major league baseball, which played games that counted in Mexico in years past but haven't seriously considered sanctioning Mexican franchises.

"A franchise in Mexico, it's not a priority for the short or medium term," said Geraldine Gonzalez of the league's Mexico City office. "It's not so viable."

NFL surveys say 20 million Mexicans, a little less than one in five, are fans of the league.

Still, Gonzalez said the fact that few play football has prohibited a sports culture from forming around homegrown talent. Factor in concerns about security, logistical difficulties and whether fans can afford ticket prices, and an NFL team here starts to look about as likely as Giants Stadium hosting Mexican cockfights.

"There are a number of communities in the United States that have raised their hands and said, 'We are ready for a franchise,' including Los Angeles," Gonzalez said. "The league will first look out for its interests within the United States."

The NFL is not alone. The northern city of Monterrey hosted baseball in 1999 and a three-game series between the San Diego Padres and New York Mets in 1996. But a bid to bring the Montreal Expos there part time, instead of playing in Puerto Rico, fizzled in 2003.

NBA commissioner David Stern has mentioned Mexico City as a possible site for an expansion franchise, and the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks 108-106 here on Dec. 6, 1997. But the league has not been back for a regular-season contest.

Paul Swangard, managing director of the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Management Center, said Mexico's inability to provide would-be franchises with modern stadiums including luxury boxes and other lucrative perks have helped scare away U.S. leagues.

"The leagues, especially the NFL, don't want to discount their product for a particular market," Swangard said.

Tickets for Sunday's game at Azteca Stadium, which hosted World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986, cost between $23 and $80. That's cheaper than seats at most U.S. stadiums, but prohibitively expensive for millions in a country where the minimum wage is $4 a day.

Wearing a Pittsburg Steelers cap while waiting for a bus in southern Mexico City, construction worker Jorge Chavez said he was proud an NFL game was being played here — but that he couldn't afford to go.

"Feeding the children comes first," he said. "I can watch it on television."

Instead of expansion plans, if things go well Sunday the NFL has promised to consider holding regular-season contests in other international locations. Strong television ratings across Mexico and a crowd of 100,000-plus in the stands would go a long way toward making the game a success.

Fans have not snapped up tickets as quickly as anticipated, but officials point out that Mexican buyers are notorious for waiting until the last minute.

Buying seats at an Azteca ticket window, 48-year-old Jamie Solis said: "Mexico's so close, there should be an NFL team. There are good football fans here. They want a full stadium. We will fill it."

But a complete sellout won't be possible because officials are not offering tickets for the first seven rows around Azteca's massive bowl, citing atrocious viewing angles at field level.

The halftime show will feature a series of traditional Mexican dances involving 900 performers. The Mexican national anthem will complement that of the United States, and kickoffs, punts and field goals might carry farther given the 7,200-foot altitude.

Otherwise, things on the field will look much the same as at any other NFL game. The league even brought down the paint used for yard markers, the NFL logos and the insignia of the Cardinals in one end zone and the 49ers in the other.

"We're trying to use less paint to save the stadium," said Pete Wozniak, manager of athletic facilities at Arizona State, who came down to lead a 14-member grounds crew preparing the field for the game. "They've got to play soccer here again in a few weeks."

And going back to soccer, Mexico's true sports love, is fine with many.

"There's a lot of interest. But an entire NFL season, when so many people like soccer better?" said Juan Hernandez, who was asked about a Mexican franchise after arriving at the Azteca ticket booth aboard an SUV with a Dallas Cowboys novelty license plate. "For the NFL, it should be 'yes' in Mexico, but better only for one day."

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

2005-09-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Ex-NFL QB heads USD turnaround

BY ALEX GOLDBERGER

Jim Harbaugh was born with a football in his right hand. Forty years later, after 15 seasons as an NFL quarterback, he did what his father did -- and what his brother and brother-in-law do -- he turned to coaching.

"My dad's a coach," said Harbaugh, now head coach at the University of San Diego, which will host the Bulldogs Saturday. "He's been coaching for 43 years. I sort of grew up around coaching -- games on Saturdays. So I knew I'd play as long as I could and then start coaching. It's such a great profession. I was always so proud of him growing up. He coached at Michigan and he was a celebrity almost. Stems from him, my mom, the relationship they had, the relationships he had with other coaches. Personally, as an adult, it's the way I'm wired. I need competition."

Indeed, the coaching bug bit Harbaugh even before his playing career was over. Over his final eight seasons in the NFL (1994-2001) -- including 1995, the year in which he finished runner-up in the MVP voting -- Harbaugh was an NCAA-certified unpaid assistant coach under his father, Jack, at Western Kentucky University, serving as offensive consultant, scout and recruiter.

When he finally took the reins of his own team, at San Diego before the 2004 season, coaching did not seem to come as naturally for the son as it had for the father. The Toreros lost four of their first six games, including a 61-18 thrashing at the hands of Pennsylvania (lowly Princeton also edged USD a week later, 24-17).

"We did have a tough schedule," Harbaugh said. "But the one thing about the west-coast offense is it takes some time to learn." - NFL Football -

It takes five games, it turned out. In San Diego's final loss of the season, quarterback Todd Mortensen carved up the Drake defense for 347 yards passing.

He, Harbaugh and the Toreros never looked back. After the team reeled off five consecutive victories to close out the season, Mortensen was named Pacific Football League co-Offensive Player of the Year and was signed by the Detroit Lions and Harbaugh -- the former Heisman finalist, first-round pick and Pro Bowler -- was one of the hottest names in Division I-AA coaching. - NFL Football -

"I take pride in the entire team," Harbaugh said when asked if he favored quarterbacks over his other players. "Quarterback is an important position, probably the most important on offense because he handles the ball every play. Maybe I'm a little biased for having played it, and since I coach the quarterbacks, but it's the head coach's responsibility for the success of the whole team, and I take great pride in wins and losses."

This season, with new starters at running back and quarterback, the Toreros (2-0) picked up right where they left off, vanquishing Azusa Pacific and Southern Oregon by a combined count of 81-6. - NFL Football -

Still, Harbaugh is quick to point out that Yale might just be in another class than San Diego and the rest of the PFL, widely regarded as second-tier within I-AA.

"We definitely welcome the competition with a team with the tradition of Yale," Harbaugh said. "Watching them on film, I think it's a great football team and should be a great challenge for our team."

It might please the Eli coaching staff to hear that Harbaugh was most concerned about Yale's wideouts, a major source of consternation for the Bulldogs since a preseason injury to receiver Chandler Henley '06 left the team without any starting experience at the position.

"They have playmakers on both sides of the ball," Harbaugh said. "I'm really impressed with their receiving corps. They're really athletic at that position." - NFL Football -

The upcoming battles in the trenches have also cost San Diego's coach sleep this week.

"They have such great size and strength," he said. "They're really big in the lines. That'll be a key matchup for us. It's sort of a David and Goliath thing."

Nevertheless, despite an 0-2 mark against Ivy League foes, Harbaugh is not worried about making a statement to the choice world of northeastern football. - NFL Football -

"Do I feel extra pressure? I don't feel any pressure. I don't have to block anybody or tackle anybody." - NFL Football -

Copyright © 1995-2005 Yale Daily News Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

2005-09-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Three 2004 Cardinals make NFL rosters
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Of the three Ball State football players selected in the 2005 NFL Draft, each one has secured a roster spot after Saturday's final cut down.

Safety Justin Beriault remained with the Dallas Cowboys, but he has been placed on injured reserve for the season.

Punter Reggie Hodges is the only punter listed on the St. Louis Rams roster. He might also be holding for the kicking game as he is listed as the No. 2 holder.

Wide receiver Dante Ridgeway didn't make it with the Cincinnati Bengals, but was picked up by the New York Jets. He was picked up by the Bengals after being cut from the Rams ealier in the week.

According to Dallas's team website, Beriault will miss the entire season with meniscus damage in his right knee. He will have surgery to repair the injury.

The safety recorded two tackles and a sack in a preseason Monday night game against Seattle.

Former BSU punter Brad Maynard, who was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1997 draft, is back for his ninth NFL season and fifth with the Chicago Bears.

2005-08-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

Passion makes college football better than pros
Ben Smith

I’m that guy you heard about.

I’m the guy who loves college football more than food and almost as much as beer and way more than the NFL, which some people say stands for No Fun League and others say stands for Now Frown Longer.

I’m the guy who leaves a third of the estate to the kids, a third to the wife and a third to the care and feeding of Chomp the Crocodile, mascot of the Swampwater State Fightin’ Crocodiles.

I’m the guy who’s the “1” in, “Football fans prefer the pro game to the college 5-to-1.” The guy whose second-to-last request is an orange-and-blue casket, ’cause those are Auburn’s colors. The guy whose last request is to be positioned in said casket facedown, pointed toward Tuscaloosa, so that Alabama can forever kiss his ... well, you know

I skew the demographic, is what I do. I go against the grain. I may be the only guy left in America who gets to autumn every year and looks forward to Saturday afternoon more than he does Sunday.

Pro football?

It went out for me with Walter Payton, with Jim Brown and Lance Alworth and Johnny U., all the ringing names. It went out with halfback Tom Matte reading plays off his wrist as he tried to quarterback the Colts one year, and with Jack Concannon occasionally throwing the football into Lake Michigan because, after all, you can’t hand off to Gale Sayers every down.

I watched the NFL every Sunday growing up, as religiously as the rest of America. But somehow the college game stole me away while I was doing it. Somehow it’s the college game that owns my most visceral childhood memories, that stirs half-remembered smells and sounds and snippets of minutiae the way Concannon and Co. never could.

I see Leroy Keyes now, for instance, and I still associate him with the smell of furniture polish, as my mother the Purdue grad cleaned the house on those bright fall Saturdays to the accompaniment of Boilermakers football.

I watch Huston Street come out of the bullpen out there in Oakland, and I see his dad, James – the slickest wishbone quarterback Darrell Royal ever had – slicing through the Arkansas defense to get No. 1 Texas back into the Game of the Century in 1969.

I can’t remember who played left half for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1966, but I do remember that Bob Gladieux started there for unbeaten Notre Dame against unbeaten Michigan State in their fabled 10-10 tie that year. I couldn’t name half the Atlanta Falcons’ backfield from 1968, but I can name the tricky little guy who starred for the profoundly unheralded Northwestern Wildcats that year.

Chico Kurzawski was his name, and I have no idea why I remember that. Probably had a big game against Purdue that year. Probably he came out of the radio and bounced around the room until he lodged in my brain somehow, there to remain forever undisturbed.

College football does this to me more than anything I can think of, which is why it is way, way better than the pro game, with its interminable season and numbing uniformity. One Roman numeral just blurs into the next, when I think about the NFL. One game is just like every other game.

It’s an affair of the head, the NFL. But the college game belongs to the heart.

And so while I’ve covered my share of pro games over the years, I don’t remember any of them the way I remember every detail of, say, Notre Dame-Florida State in 1993. I remember the year Antwaan Randle El whipped Purdue in a monsoon. I remember the year Rod Woodson, playing both ways, did the same to Indiana.

The best couple hours of my life, bar none, are always the couple of hours on Saturday night when I’m driving home from South Bend or Ann Arbor or West Lafayette, the story filed, some night game out of the SEC or Pac-10 murmuring from the radio. One night it was Ole Miss-Arkansas, and I listened to it all the way home. Then I went inside and watched for another hour as the game went seven epic overtimes.

It was, frankly, one of the four or five best football games I ever saw. I’ll let you guess how many of the others involved the Bears or Cowboys or Steelers.

Nothing may be more successful or all-encompassing than the NFL, but give me the college game any day, for all its tics and flaws. The BCS has sucked a lot of the joy out of its bowl season, and the big football schools more and more reflect the corporate culture that has made the NFL so colorless. But it’s still the place where the game’s romance gets its mail delivered.

Harvard still plays Yale every year, after all, and that out-lores any matchup the NFL can offer. So does Army-Navy. So does Auburn-Alabama. So do Florida-Georgia, Texas-Oklahoma and Notre Dame-USC, which goes all the way back to Rockne.

You can have your Colts vs. your Pats, your Ravens-Browns, your Broncos-Raiders. You can have Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and Brett Favre.

Me, I’m that guy you heard about.

I’ll take Chico Kurzawski.

2005-08-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

Pac-10 football previews: Trojans looking to win it all again

LOS ANGELES — "Matt," barked a gnarled sportswriter in the first row at Pac-10 football media day, "ever think about the $10 million?"
Surely he does, if for no other reason than Matt Leinart is continually asked about it. What he did, in essence, was make the most celebrated snub in history of a rich professional-sports contract, deciding to stay in college for his final year as USC quarterback.
Maybe you regard as magnum stupidity turning thumbs-down to an eight-figure signing bonus and opting to return to the NCAA for little or nothing, but this much is also true: What Leinart did is pretty cool. - NFL Football -
Yes, he took note of the contract signed by Alex Smith, the No. 1 pick, with the 49ers: six years worth $57 million, $24 million guaranteed.
"Who knows, it could have been me," Leinart said. "But whatever, I'm happy with what I'm doing. I'm living in L.A., hanging out. I've got a pretty good life."
He disputes that it's as glamorous as it's portrayed. He must be talking about the fact that if you Google "Matt Leinart and dating," you come up with, in no particular order, reported relationships with Veronica Kay, actress/pro surfer; CaCee Cobb, Jessica Simpson's personal assistant; actress Alyssa Milano; and Kristen, from MTV's "Laguna Beach."
Trojans at a glanceCoach: Pete Carroll, 5th year (42-9).
Playmakers: QB Matt Leinart, RB Reggie Bush, RB LenDale White, WR Dwayne Jarrett, WR Steve Smith, LB Dallas Sartz, DE Frostee Rucker, S Darnell Bing.
2004: 13-0 (consensus national champion). Defeated Oklahoma 55-19 in the Orange Bowl.
Bud Withers
All this, and adulation, too. - NFL Football -
"I kind of feel ... not like the spokesman of college football, but I think my decision to return to school has really affected a lot of people," he says. "I've gotten a lot of great compliments — kids, parents, all sorts of people.
"If I can send a message to people, that's what I'm going to send."
Here's another message to college football: Look out.
As if USC needed it, it enjoys the bonanza of all that Tom Lemming/Allen Wallace/oh-my-goodness talent surrounding the most accomplished college quarterback in the land.
You envision the L.A.-living Leinart, out with a Southland starlet: "Oh yeah. Have I showed you my Heisman?"
"It's at my parents' house," Leinart said, responding to a question. "I actually asked my mom yesterday. She said, 'Oh, it's on the box in the closet.' "
This is a mouthful, but it's what could come to Leinart in 2005: He has a chance to become the most decorated college-football player in history — a repeat Heisman winner (only Archie Griffin of Ohio State has done it) on a team trying to win an unprecedented three straight national titles. - NFL Football -
Consider this: In his two seasons, Leinart has an obscene touchdown-to-interception ratio of 71-15. Carson Palmer, who won the Heisman in 2002 — but with a lesser cast in his early years — finished with a 72-49 number at USC.
Surely, the offensive arsenal around Leinart affected his decision. The Trojans have eight starters back, including the running-back combo of mercurial Reggie Bush and masher LenDale White, and four of five starters on the offensive line.
Leinart is asked to assess his receivers. He wades through Dwayne Jarrett, the Mike Williams clone who caught 55 balls as a freshman; Steve Smith, who made a touchdown catch against Oklahoma while a Sooner was pinning one arm; and tight end Dominique Byrd, who also had a 33-yard scoring reception with one hand against Oklahoma.
There's one more — Patrick Turner, the latest 6-5 import from east of the Mississippi, this one a Parade All-American from Nashville, Tenn.
"We're going to expect a lot from him," Leinart said. - NFL Football -
Considerable focus will be on the controversial coaching shakeup that saw the exit of wizard offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who gives way to quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian and coordinator Lane Kiffin, each in his early 30s.
"The people have changed, but the format is exactly the same," insisted coach Pete Carroll.
"They're coming into a situation where we've got a great team," added Leinart. "Those guys have a great offense with a lot of guys back. It's not like they've got to deal with a whole new offensive line or quarterbacks or receivers." - NFL Football -
But on defense, the Trojans are remade. Only five starters return, and among the departed are top-shelf Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson up front and linebackers Matt Grootegoed and Lofa Tatupu.
"We'll be fine, I think," said end Frostee Rucker, leaning on one of the many trophy cases at USC's Heritage Hall. "We don't rebuild, we reload."
In reference to the losses, defensive end Lawrence Jackson says, "Those were all great guys. That's the one thing guys have to get — quick experience. But I think we gain a lot of athleticism in the guys who replace them."
Not that punting is a big thing at USC, but when the Trojans do, they turn to Tom Malone, whose 44.5-yard average is ahead of the school's career mark. Meanwhile, the placekicking job is expected to be given to Mario Danelo, son of ex-Washington State and New York Giants kicker Joe Danelo.
Mostly, it's an embarrassment of riches here, befitting a program that has gone 40-4 since mid-2001. - NFL Football -
"You get the collaboration of the best coaches and the best athletes around the nation," said Rucker.
It's enough to make a Heisman Trophy winner come back for more.

Bud Withers
Seattle Times

2005-08-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

New quarterback feature in 'Madden NFL 2006' makes it a tough game to tackle

NEW YORK --- The "Madden NFL 2006" season kicked off with a preseason game between the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings that featured new complicated passing controls, an improved running game and no noticeable graphical improvements.With the new game set to hit stores Tuesday, AP Sports staffers and Madden veterans Jim Scott and Josh Dickey squared off to determine if "Madden NFL 2006" is a must-have this virtual football season.Scott took his hometown New York Jets. Minnesota native Dickey went the homer route too, taking the new-look, Randy Moss-less Vikings. - NFL Football -
The "QB Vision" control is the most significant new feature in "Madden NFL 2006." On passing plays, gamers must manipulate a white cone representing the quarterback's field of vision. If a receiver is in cone, passes are accurate. Throws to receivers out of the cone are wildly inaccurate and often lead to interceptions.Dickey got his first bad taste of the "QB Vision" feature on the game's first drive. Attempting to pass to a receiver outside his "QB Vision" cone, Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper's pass was intercepted by linebacker Eric Barton."It's a complicated process to look from receiver to receiver," said Scott (yeah, that's me, in the difficult dual role of participant and reviewer). - NFL Football -
"The steep learning curve is going to turn off most casual gamers."Switching the "QB Vision" from receiver to receiver takes time. The pass rush is often right on top of you by the time you've checked down to your second or third passing option."Paying attention to the vision controls made me hesitate too much," said Dickey, who was sacked four times and pressured often (perhaps because he's a PlayStation 2 guy).A Chad Pennington 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Doug Jolley and the game's first missed extra point put the Jets up 6-0 early. A Culpepper fumble led to another Pennington-to-Jolley connection, making it 13-0 after one quarter.Struggling with the passing game, Dickey used Minnesota's speedy running back Michael Bennett to take advantage of the game's improved run blocking."It's easy to find and exploit the holes on running plays," said Dickey, as the Vikings drove down the field right before the half. "Running off tackle is great." - NFL Football -
"Offensive lineman are sealing off defenders and finishing off their blocks," Scott added.The game turned late in the first half when Culpepper's errant end-zone pass was picked off by Jets cornerback Donnie Abraham. Abraham returned the interception 103 yards to put the Jets up 20-0.Curtis Martin opened the second half scoring with a 1-yard run for New York. Scott took full advantage of the new "Truck Stick" on Martin's run to barrel over a Vikings linebacker on his way into the end zone."The Truck Stick is a bit gimmicky, but it's useful in short yardage and goal line situations," Scott said after missing his second extra point to take a 26-0 lead.A solid running game and effective play-action passing helped Dickey get on the scoreboard with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Culpepper to Nate Burleson. - NFL Football -
Aaron Elling shanked the extra point attempt to make it 26-6 heading into the fourth quarter.Linebacker Jonathon Vilma's 68-yard interception return for a touchdown put the game away as the Jets took a commanding 33-6 lead with 2:17 remaining. The two teams traded touchdowns late, and the Jets finished with a 40-12 victory."I should have put Randy Moss back on the Vikings," lamented Dickey after Minnesota finished the game with six turnovers.In postgame interviews, Dickey and Scott agreed that the new single-player "Superstar Mode" and improved online play gives "Madden NFL 2006" more legs, but the core game play and graphics haven't changed much. "QB Vision" controls, while innovative and realistic, make it more difficult to pass and won't be loved by all. - NFL Football -

JIM SCOTT, Associated Press Writer

2005-08-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

Four quarterbacks enter NFL Hall of Fame
Marino, Young lead the charge at Canton, Ohio

CANTON, Ohio -- He licked his fingers, a trademark of his 17 seasons as the NFL's most prolific quarterback, then turned to one of his favorite receivers, Mark Clayton, in the audience.
"Go deep, Mark," Dan Marino commanded.
Clayton sauntered up the aisle, turned and latched onto -- what else? -- a perfect spiral.
"Of course, in the end, every quarterback wants one more Sunday with a football in his hands and going deep," Marino said. - NFL Football -
And that's exactly what he did this Sunday, wrapping up his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the best way possible: with a long completion.
Thousands of fans clad in No. 13 Dolphins jerseys shook Fawcett Stadium with cheers, remembering how sweet it was to see Marino setting all his records.
"I'll remember this day for the rest of my life," Marino said. - NFL Football -
Marino joined Steve Young, Fritz Pollard and Benny Friedman in the shrine.
Paying tribute to his Western Pennsylvania roots, Marino noted that John Unitas, Joe Namath, Joe Montana and Jim Kelly all came from the region. All are Hall of Famers.
"When I was younger, there's no doubt I thought about being Joe Namath," Marino said, adding that joining them in the Hall "definitely makes an impact on you.
"I've accomplished many things, but what I cherish more than any record I hold, fourth-quarter comebacks or any wins I was involved in, is the relationships."
Young suggested it was the first time only quarterbacks entered the Hall in one class, and he was partly right. Pollard was a running back who sometimes played QB.
While Marino and Young had diverse styles, they both spent years at the top of their profession. Marino set NFL marks of 4,967 completions, 8,358 passes, 61,361 yards (nearly 35 miles) and 420 touchdowns. Marino also owned 21 NFL marks when he retired.
"We didn't win a Super Bowl, something I'll always regret," Marino said.
Young, the 1992 and '94 league MVP after taking over for Montana in San Francisco, and the career passing efficiency leader, guided the 49ers to the '94 NFL championship. He also is the first left-handed QB in the Hall. - NFL Football -
"I can taste the pride I felt to be able to put on a 49ers jersey with all of their titles," Young said. "In San Francisco, I found football in its newly enlightened form. I found heaven on Earth for football." - NFL Football -
Young began his career in the USFL with the Los Angeles Express, followed by two seasons with the Buccaneers before Bill Walsh acquired him in 1987. It wasn't until Montana was injured in 1991 that Young became the starter.
He never looked back. - NFL Football -
"I'm not sure where a Hall of Fame career starts," Young said. "I've been the recipient of the best coaching one individual has ever had," mentioning LaVell Edwards, John Hadl, Sid Gillman, Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan and, of course, Walsh.
Pollard, like Friedman, was a pro football pioneer and the first black NFL head coach. After a sensational college career at Brown, where he became the first black to play in the Rose Bowl, the running back led the Akron Pros to the 1920 championship. They went undefeated.
He later organized the Chicago Brown Bombers, an independent team of black players that barnstormed the country from 1927-33, routinely beating white teams while often trying to hold down the score. - NFL Football -
Friedman, who died in 1982, probably was the first great pro passer, and his 20 TD throws in 1929 were considered phenomenal because the ball he threw barely resembled the modern football. The record stood for 14 years.

Barry Wilner
ASSOCIATED PRESS

2005-07-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

JCPenney Partners with the NFL for ''Take a Player to School'' ContestMonday

Promotion Features Sale of NFL Team Wrist Bands to Support The JCPenney Afterschool Fund
PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2005--JCPenney and the National Football League launch the second annual "Take a Player to School" contest to promote the JCPenney Afterschool Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting afterschool programs and raising awareness of the need for more programs that keep kids safely and constructively engaged during out-of-school hours. - NFL Football -
The partnership centers on a national in-store sweepstakes that encourages children between the ages of six and 13 to register for a chance to win the ultimate 'show and tell' opportunity for their classmates. The contest culminates in October when 34 winners will be drawn to take an NFL player to their own school. Registration ends Sept. 22, 2005 and no purchase is required to enter. More contest details may be obtained at www.NFLYouthFootball.com.
As part of the promotion, all JCPenney stores will sell NFL team wrist bands for $2.99, with all net profits and NFL royalties being donated to the JCPenney Afterschool Fund.
Donovan McNabb, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and national spokesperson for the "Take a Player to School" program, said, "There is nothing more important in America than our youth, and we are excited to build on last year's success in working with the JCPenney Afterschool Fund to provide young people with every opportunity and inspiration to succeed."
A recent study funded by JCPenney and published by the Afterschool Alliance, "America After 3 p.m.," indicates that 25 percent of America's youth between kindergarten and high school are home alone after school. In single-parent households, or those in which both parents work, the percentage is even higher, at 31 percent. - NFL Football -
According to the study, quality afterschool programs benefit students by raising math and reading performance, improving attendance, decreasing involvement in crime and reducing dropout rates. - NFL Football -
"Through the generous support of JCPenney customers across the country and our partnership with the NFL, the JCPenney Afterschool Fund is able to contribute to our country's leading afterschool providers and advocates -- Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Afterschool Alliance, YMCA of the USA, 4-H and Junior Achievement," said Ken Hicks, president and chief merchandising officer for J. C. Penney Company, Inc. "Together, we can ensure that afterschool programs are available to families who need them and help children power their potential."
Since 1999, JCPenney and the JCPenney Afterschool Fund have contributed more than $40 million to support programs that promote the academic, physical and social development of children in afterschool centers nationwide. - NFL Football -
About JCPenney
J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc., the wholly owned operating subsidiary of J. C. Penney Company, Inc., is one of America's largest department store, catalog, and e-commerce retailers, employing approximately 150,000 associates. As of April 30, 2005, J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc. operated 1,017 JCPenney department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. JCPenney is the nation's largest catalog merchant of general merchandise, and jcpenney.com is one of the largest apparel and home furnishings sites on the Internet. - NFL Football -
About JCPenney Afterschool
The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports programs designed to keep kids safely and constructively engaged during out-of-school time. The Fund's contributions allow for the creation and continuance of afterschool programs aimed at the academic, physical, and social development of children throughout the U.S. The JCPenney Afterschool Fund also works to raise awareness of the benefits of afterschool programming, and is committed to ensuring that every child has access to the world of opportunities that awaits them after school. - NFL Football -

Business Wire.

2005-07-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

J.D. and Caryl Hill sentenced to five years probation

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Former NFL wide receiver J.D. Hill and his wife have been sentenced to five years probation for bilking the Social Security Administration out of more than $65,000.
Hill, 55, and his wife Caryl, had pleaded guilty in November to bank fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors said Hill collected Social Security disability payments while continuing to earn a "significant income'' from a job. - NFL Football -
Caryl Hill cashed the checks knowing that she had her husband were not entitled to the money, prosecutors said. - NFL Football -
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Pratt ordered the couple Wednesday to repay the $65,326 they collected. Pratt said he was giving Hill a chance to restore his reputation.
The government said the fraud occurred while the Hills were living in Iowa City from 1995 to 2000. They now live in Chandler, Ariz. - NFL Football -
"All my life I wanted to be a role model to help kids,'' J.D. Hill told the judge. "I could not have predicted what I've been through. I apologize.'' - NFL Football -
After playing at Arizona State, Hill spent five seasons with the Buffalo Bills and two with the Detroit Lions, catching 185 passes for 2,880 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl in 1972, when he finished with a career-best 52 receptions.
The Hills' sons, Kahlil and Hakim, starred in football at Iowa City High. Kahlil Hill played wide receiver at Iowa, while Hakim was a running back at Arizona State.

Associated Press

2005-07-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Former ER standouts testing arena football waters

A.J. Haglund and Mike Pruitt spent much of their youth suiting up in the same color uniform. Now in the professional world of Arena Football, the pair is trying to carve out their own careers and trying to shake off a sense of déjà vu.
From their 9-year-old league games through the end of their high school careers, Haglund and Pruitt, both El Reno natives, found themselves repeatedly on the same side of the line of scrimmage. After successful college careers, both are now pursuing professional careers as players with the Arena Football League 2 team, the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz.
“I have played with Mike since Little League football, played with him all through high school. We were really good friends in high school, and it’s really fun to have him around now,” Haglund said.
Haglund, 21, began kicking as a sophomore in high school. As he improved both his accuracy and strength, he began to consider the possibility that he would not only play football in college, but that he could also reach the professional level.
After a record-breaking senior season as the kicker for the University of Central Oklahoma, where he will complete a general studies degree in the spring, Haglund contacted the Yard Dawgz, who asked him to try out against their then-current kicker.
“I talked to the coaches after UCO’s season was over and came down and tried out. Basically, I just competed head-to-head with the guy who was kicking for them for a couple of days,” he said.
Assistant head coach and special teams coach Jon Lyles said, “A.J. has great mechanics. We have put a lot of responsibility on him right at the beginning here. That game against Memphis was a tough one, and the next game against Amarillo will be as well. Amarillo is an especially tough place for specials teams to play. He’s really been asked to grow up fast.”
In his arena football debut June 24 against the Memphis Xplorers, Haglund was 1-for-3 in field goals, hitting an 18-yard try. He also made five of seven extra point attempts in the Yard Dawgz’ 50-47 win.
The transition from the outdoor game to arena football, though, can be difficult, particularly for kickers.
“He (Haglund) was surprised by the indoor game a bit, and is in a transition right now. After the first game, he said his legs were like jelly. It’s really a different game from the outdoor game, and he’ll have to get used to it,” Lyles said.
His coaches said he is progressing well, making the transition from the outdoor game. In traditional football, kickers are taught to get as much trajectory and loft under their kicks as possible. In the arena game, kickers are required to be exceptionally accurate, as the goal posts are only 9-feet-wide with a 15-foot-high crossbar, compared to 18 ½-feet- wide, with a 10-foot-high crossbar in outdoor play. To accommodate this difference, some kickers have to learn to lower their trajectory to hit the nets more consistently, Lyles said.
Mentally, Haglund said, the transition has been a change to a more business-like approach to the game. In college, he said, the coaches were more like friends, who would spend time in their offices chatting with their players and spend time on the field joking and laughing. At the professional level, the coaches are friendly, but much more business-like.
“Everyone has a job to do, and it’s business,” he said. “The toughest transition is being mentally prepared. When I miss a kick, it’s all mental. In fact, kicking is 90 percent mental. The actual kicking isn’t what’s so hard.”
Pruitt said he first began to believe he could play professional football when he qualified to play collegiate ball, first for two years at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami and then two years at the University of North Texas.
“I had planned to take the path of playing professional football, but was unsure if I would be academically eligible to play ball in college. Once I was able to play in college, I believed I could make it to the professional level,” he said.
After graduating from UNT with a degree in criminal justice, Pruitt, who plays on both the offensive and defensive lines for the Dawgz, traveled to Indianapolis to try out with the NFL’s Colts franchise. After the Colts mini camp, he returned home to El Reno. His mother had been in contact with Jeff Jarnigan, head coach of the Yard Dawgz, who expressed interest in seeing Pruitt play.
In his first game with the Yard Dawgz against the Amarillo Dusters, Pruitt managed a solid day with one spectacular highlight – a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Despite the momentary glory, Pruitt said prefers making hits to scoring points.
“The best part about playing is just putting on the helmet and shoulder pads. I like being in front of the crowd and making big hits. I don’t care about the touchdowns, I just care about making the hits and doing my part,” he said.
Dawgz line coach J.R. Conrad said Pruitt’s success is driven by his attitude.
“Mike provides a great spark for this team. He always plays hard and has a desire to be successful. He brings a certain passion to the game,” he said.
Conrad predicts as Pruitt gains more experience, he will become a difference maker for the Yard Dawgz, rushing from the edge and making plays on the opposing quarterback and ball carrier. Pruitt leads on the field with the level of play he brings to each down and a determination to prove that he can play quality football, he said.
Pruitt and Haglund agree the greatest rewards to the hard work required of them are the opportunity to compete and to be part of a team.
“These guys on the team are great. Part of the reason you come out every day and practice and play hard is because you are part of a team like this,” Pruitt said.
The demands of the game, though, are difficult.
“It’s hard to always be dedicated, to always work hard and come out and do your best every day. But in the end, I get to come out and compete, meet new people and be part of a good team,” Haglund said.
Pruitt said his greatest challenge is the physical demands. It is difficult to keep his body fit when every day he is making hits and being hit, bumped and bruised, he said.
For Pruitt, the transition to arena football has meant adapting to the indoor game’s speed. Arena football is played on a field half the length of an outdoor field. The playing surface is padded turf and resembles a large carpet laid out on the floor of the Ford Center. Pruitt said he enjoys the challenges of playing indoors. The game is more spontaneous and much faster. The change from 11-man football to the arena’s eight-man set-up creates an extremely quick pace he enjoys, he said.
Both men said they hope to use the experience they gain with the Yard Dawgz to advance to the NFL.
“I would like to play in the NFL, but whatever happens, happens. I’m a religious man, and I say if it’s God’s will, then I’ll take it,” Pruitt said.
Haglund said he would like to move into the NFL as soon as possible but will only pursue his goal for a limited time.
“I’ll give it three years, and if I don’t make it, I’ll do something else and I won’t play anymore,” he said. “Playing in a league like this helps get you ready for the next level. It’s not about the money, and there’s not a whole lot of that in AF2, but it helps you prepare.”
Pruitt and Haglund both enjoy the local support they receive from playing close to home and say they feel fortunate to be playing in Oklahoma City. The experience has helped them to appreciate their fans, both past and present.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet that I am playing professional football, having people look up to you, signing autographs after games,” Haglund said.
“The fans make it really special. It is great to get to interact with them after the games, to get to sign autographs with young people. I like to talk to them, hear about how they liked the game. They are such a big part of it,” Pruitt said.
Both players said they encourage young people to pursue their dreams and to never stop working hard to make their dreams reality. The best advice they can offer to a young person who wants to come up in the game is to work hard and to be dedicated.
“You don’t have to be the biggest guy on the field. I’m not the biggest guy. But you have to have the biggest heart,” Haglund said.

By Glen Miller/El Reno Tribune

2005-07-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

NFL pays price for suspicions about steroids
The National Football League has been vigilant about policing itself when it comes to steroids, but some Members of Congress aren't satisfied with that.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It's an ordinary summer night when Na'il Diggs gets the call. They'll be there at 7 a.m. the next morning for his urine sample. It used to be they couldn't test him any more than twice in the off-season, but now they can track him down as many as six times in the spring and summer.
The starting linebacker for the Green Bay Packers isn't amused. This is his down time and he thinks it's inconvenient and pointless. He expects there's always going to be some deviant who'll pump his body with steroids, but Diggs has never known anyone actually who has. Not when he was a scrawny kid being recruited by the football factory at Ohio State University. Not in five years in this Lambeau Field locker room.
Like a lot of his Green Bay teammates, Diggs said the health risks alone are scary enough to avoid the juice. On top of that, the NFL's financial consequences are way too steep. He takes a long scan around the locker room during the Packers' most recent minicamp, acknowledging that his teammates, some of them amazing athletes topping 300 pounds, are not your average-sized men.
But he cannot believe any of them got here without lonely hours in the weight room and a lot of genetic blessings.
"This is not a league driven by steroids," insisted Diggs.
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue agrees. He has been defending the NFL's steroid testing and punishment policy in the last couple of months before Congress. Some lawmakers, following the allegations of steroid abuse in major-league baseball, have turned a suspicious eye to all pro sports. Legislation in several versions has been introduced that would force pro leagues like the NFL to follow federal standardized testing procedures, with stricter suspensions for those getting caught using steroids.
But Diggs can't see why the NFL should get a bad rap all of a sudden.
Tagliabue is backed by many Packers who believe the NFL's problem with steroids is minimal. They feel they do not need outside regulations from the government. Though those random tests are a pain to Diggs, he and others think they work in deterring athletes from using steroids.
"The major leagues can handle this on their own. There's no reason to bring paid politicians into this," said Diggs. "The economy, that's what (the politicians) need to be worried about. We have the strictest policy on steroids in the world, probably. The NFL penalizes the most, as far as steroids go.
"I mean, you can go smoke coke, get caught with cocaine and still be able to play. But you get caught for steroids once? You're done for four games, unpaid. And it's been that way for years.
"Now we're under scrutiny because of major-league baseball? It's a waste of time. It's a waste of taxpayers money. Yeah, there are probably a couple of guys out there who are taking (steroids), but it's like crime -- you can't completely stop all of it. And the small percentage that there is, it's not worth writing up bills and all that.
"And I don't like waking up at seven in the morning and taking this test. If I didn't get caught the first time, don't bother me no more and test me for nothin'. "
The NFL has had year-round random testing for steroids since 1990. There are two new elements to the NFL's self-imposed screening process this summer:
One measurement to test for testosterone levels in the body is more precise now, with a more concentrated ratio that helps determine if there is more testosterone in the body than there should be. The NFL used to detect if testosterone was six times more than normal in the body; now it can detect if it is four times higher.
The NFL has also allowed for those four additional unannounced drug tests in the off-season, meaning any player may be tested as many as six times in the off-season now. That's in addition to the season-long testing that includes a mandatory, unannounced test for all players during training camp. Also, any given week starting in the pre-season and continuing through the playoffs, seven Packers will arrive to a blue slip in their locker, their summons for another random test.
In all, the NFL said it spends $10 million a year on more than 9,000 tests of its approximate 2,000 players for all prohibitive substances, including everything from steroids to marijuana.
An NFL player who gets caught for steroids is suspended for four games without pay, representing a fourth of their entire paycheck. A second violation would mean a six-game, unpaid suspension and a third would equal a year suspension. The testing and consequences are all policies that were agreed upon with the NFL Players Association and are a part of the collective bargaining agreement.
"We've had the (toughest) drug policy in major-league sports for years and will continue to," said Packers center Mike Flanagan. "The TV revenue and all the dollars that are coming in . . . everybody knows this business is a golden egg and everyone's got to protect it."
Flanagan took an interest in learning about steroids soon after he began playing at UCLA in 1993, after hearing rumors about steroid use among college players. He said he has never taken them and has never seen any of his Packer teammates ever take them, so he concludes the use is not widespread.
"There is always a way to beat the system," said Flanagan. "I'm not saying morally or ethically it's right, but if anyone can find an edge, they find it. I'm not condoning it. It's not been something that's been a part of my life.
"But if it comes to it where they've got to test every guy for every drug on the street for steroids and everything else, it doesn't matter. There's always going to be people who want to step out of the box."
Still, lawmakers are not entirely satisfied with a business like the NFL policing itself when it comes to steroids.
If one of the bills currently under consideration is passed by the House and Senate and gets the approval of President Bush, the penalties for violators could be harsh. One suggestion follows the Olympic model: a two-year ban for a first offense and a lifetime ban for a second, with five mandatory tests per year. Others call for a half season suspension on the first offense.
The NFL does not support this proposed legislation, according to Greg Aiello, the NFL's vice president of public relations.

LORI NICKEL
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

2005-06-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Even professional athletes have bad days

Even Drew Brees has experienced the lowest of lows.

The former quarterback for Purdue and current leader of the San Diego Chargers had the worst experience of his life in 2003.

Brees had entered the NFL season with high expectations, but found himself on the wrong end of a five-game losing streak after the first five contests; however, that was just the beginning for Brees.

Later that season, while the Chargers were losing to the Chicago Bears, Brees failed to convert a third-and-ten late in the third quarter. And as he went to the sidelines, the head coach approached him and pulled him from the game.

"As soon as I hit the sideline, I saw coach coming at me," Brees said, "and I knew it was coming. But I didn’t say anything to him but ‘I understand.’"

That’s the part that really disappointed Brees; he didn’t compete about staying in the game.

And through similar experiences, Brees had a season to remember in 2004 and is now one of the top-five highest paid quarterbacks in the nation.

But for him it is all about competing.

"After I got pulled in that Bears game, I thought about things," Brees said. "I really scared myself because I didn’t compete at that moment to stay in the game."

Brees is back in West Lafayette this week to sponsor several PEFCU events and helped headline the inaugural National Football Foundation Honors Dinner on Tuesday.

The foundation was established to help support area high school football players with scholarships, as well as promote youth football.

As well as being the guest speaker, Brees was awarded the Mental Toughness Award for fighting through the "lowest of lows" and becoming a top NFL quarterback.

"Sometimes it’s not about the 10 percent that you did bad," Brees said. "It’s about the other 90 that you can say ‘Hey, that is what I am all about.’"

And even as Brees tries to continue his success in the NFL he will always say, "Adversity creates opportunity."

By Leroy Bridges

Summer Editor

NFL FLAG FOOTBALL

2005-06-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

NFL FLAG FOOTBALL
Warfield awaits decision after DUI

Special to the Gazette

Normally this time of year Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback Eric Warfield would be concerned with his physical conditioning and the team's brutal opening stretch against the Jets, Raiders, Broncos and Eagles.

Normally.

But this hasn't been a normal year for Warfield, the former Arkansas High and University of Nebraska standout who's about to enter his eighth National Football League season. That's because the 29-year-old doesn't know when he'll play his next NFL game.

Warfield is facing possible suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse and alcohol policy following a driving under the influence charge on Sept. 20, 2004, in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park.

Eric Warfienld, a cornerback who is entering his seventh season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004 and his forth year as a full-time starter participates in the NFL Celebrity Basketball Game held Saturday night at AHS. This game was played against the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department and was part of the 4th Annual Hometown NFL Weekend.

"I guess the worse part in dealing with my situation with the DUI is that neither myself, my agent nor my lawyer knows what's to come of it," Warfield said this week when he was participating in the annual Texarkana NFL Hometown Weekend. "We know there is supposed to be a suspension, but this incident happened way back in September and they could easily have come up with something to deal with the whole situation way back then."

Warfield pleaded no contest in January to a felony DUI charge and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 80 days of house arrest. The charge was a felony because Warfield had two prior DUI convictions.

As part of a plea agreement with Johnson County prosecutors, Warfield also was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine and perform 100 hours of community service. He will be on probation for a year. In exchange for the no-contest plea, prosecutors dropped misdemeanor counts of driving with a suspended license and having no proof of insurance.

The charges stemmed from a traffic stop. Police said Warfield had a blood alcohol level of .189 percent, more than double Kansas' .08 percent legal limit.

A Kansas City newspaper reported that Warfield is likely facing a four-game suspension.

"I couldn't say. It wouldn't be fair because I pretty much put myself in this situation," Warfield said. "I wrote a letter to the (NFL) Commissioner (Paul Tagliabue) and told him that I recognize my problems and I'm willing to face whatever suspension he wanted to put upon me, so it's not like I'm afraid of what's going to become of the suspension part.

"It's just that we would like to know now because we're just sitting in the dark and nobody knows anything. And here it's only a month away from going to training camp and you would at least like to know something before you go to training camp."

The Chiefs are taking measures to deal with Warfield's problem and to fix a shaky defense that ranked 31st in the NFL last season. They signed former Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain, an eight-year veteran, to play alongside Warfield. They also elevated Julian Battle to a starting job, but he tore his Achilles' tendon last week in mini-camp, had surgery and is lost for the season.

"The coaches aren't sure what to do now," Warfield said. "When we lost the guy who was going to take my place, things got even worse. I guess when things start looking good, some things will come back and bite you in the tail."

Warfield, who has been the Chiefs' starting left corner the past three seasons, is still taking a positive approach to this upcoming season.

"My goal, for one, is to be consistent on the playmaking side," said Warfield, who has started 47 of the Chiefs' last 48 games (he missed one game in 2003 due to a back problem). "I also want to avoid nonchalant play. I've got to get over the barrier of four interceptions in one season."

Warfield has made four interceptions each of the past three seasons. The 6-foot, 200-pounder also made 58 tackles last year.

"Hopefully my defense will continue to improve and I'd like to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl," Warfield said. "If I could get in a Pro Bowl, that means our defense has improved that much, and hopefully with that improvement we can be in the Super Bowl."

Kansas City coach Dick Vermeil has used the draft, trades and free-agent signings to beef up the team's porous defense, which has pleased Warfield, who lives in Leawood, Kan.

"I feel very good about the team bringing in Kendrell Bell (linebacker), Carlos Hall (defensive end, Arkansas), Sammy Knight (strong safety), Surtain (cornerback), and for drafting Derrick Johnson (linebacker) from Texas.

"Johnson's really a great player, and hopefully if he gets in his playbook and learns everything, I'm pretty sure he's going to be a starter for us this year."

The Chiefs had the No. 1 offense in the league last year and the improvements on defense should make the team competitive enough to be a playoff contender, Warfield said.

"I know every other team has made upgrades to their team, but I like our chances," he said. "I mean when you've got the No. 1 offense, that means you're always going to put points on the board. But whenever you can go out there with a strong defense, it helps you that much more to know that you can go out and stop high-caliber teams like New England (defending Super Bowl champion)."

The Oakland Raiders have picked up explosive wide receiver Randy Moss and the Broncos have two standout receivers in Rod Smith, another Arkansas High graduate, and veteran Jerry Rice, a future Hall of Famer.

"Right now I'd have to say the AFC West is probably the hardest division in pro football," Warfield said. "You've got to be prepared to play every week or you'll find yourself on the bottom."

The Chiefs slipped to 7-9 and finished third in the AFC West last year behind San Diego (12-4) and Denver (10-6).

"This will be my eighth season in the league and the years are really flying by," Warfield said. "I'm getting old by NFL standards. I never thought I'd be playing this long, but yet I've been fortunate to do so, and hopefully I can continue playing at the level I've reached."

Perhaps then things can return to normal for Warfield.

By Richard Thomas