Nfl Football - Football Betting

2005-11-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

Benson a no-show for Saints game in Baton Rouge
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Tom Benson was a no-show for New Orleans' game against Chicago on Sunday in Baton Rouge, staying true to his earlier promise never to return to the city where last week he swatted at a TV news camera and argued with a heckling fan.--football gambling--

However, Benson's granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, did come to the game. LeBlanc, who has the title of owner/executive, is Benson's heir apparent.--football gambling--

After the Saints' loss to Miami a week ago, Benson fired off an e-mail to NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue saying his trip to Baton Rouge was a "total disaster," adding that he and his family members could have been injured or killed and that he would no longer attend games in Baton Rouge either this season or if any Saints games are scheduled here in 2006.--football gambling--

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel later said Benson wrote the e-mail out of frustration and still may attend one of the remaining games scheduled for Baton Rouge. Bensel did not immediately issue a statement on Benson's behalf during the Chicago game.--football gambling--

Fans booed when a public address announcement mentioned Benson while soliciting donations to the Saints' Hurricane Katrina relief fund. --football gambling--

The Saints, based temporarily in San Antonio, play twice more in Baton Rouge, on Dec. 4 against Tampa Bay and Dec. 18 against Carolina. Their final home game will be in San Antonio on Dec. 24 against Detroit. --football gambling--

2005-11-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Cincy fan pleads innocent

Man who took ball from Favre faces variety of charges

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The fan who ran out of the stands and snatched a football from Brett Favre's hand pleaded innocent to a variety of charges at his arraignment Monday. -NFL Football-

Gregory Gall, 31, of Cincinnati, is accused of resisting arrest, trespass and disorderly conduct while intoxicated. He was released on his own recognizance following his appearance in Municipal Court. -NFL Football-

The Cincinnati Bengals are reviewing their security measures to prevent a repeat of Gall's run on the field, which interrupted the final minute of Cincinnati's 21-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers. -NFL Football-

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday that the league doesn't get involved in team security issues. -NFL Football-

"It's a local matter," he said. "If there's any questions, we can assist them. But it appears to be an isolated incident, and the Bengals are reviewing it." -NFL Football-

Favre drove the Packers to the Cincinnati 28-yard line in the final minute and took a snap from center when Gall ran onto the field, prompting officials to blow the play dead. -NFL Football-

Gall approached Favre from behind, snatched the ball from his throwing hand and ran to the other end of the field, with security guards in pursuit. He was finally tackled and taken from the field. -NFL Football-

The 5-minute delay gave the Bengals time to regroup. They sacked Favre on the next play, and the clock ran out after Favre faked a spike and wound up running downfield. He flipped the ball forward illegally as the game ended. -NFL Football-

Sports leagues have struggled with the question of how to prevent fans from going on the field. In September 2002, a father and his son ran onto the field during a Chicago White Sox game and attacked Kansas City first base coach Tom Gamboa. -NFL Football-

A fan went onto the field at halftime of the Patriots' Super Bowl win over Carolina two years ago, briefly delaying the second-half kickoff. -NFL Football-

The NFL required all 32 teams to conduct pat-downs of fans entering their stadiums before games this season. Local government officials initially balked, but the pat-downs were conducted before each of the last two Bengals home games. -NFL Football-

2005-10-31T12:46:00.000-08:00

Giants Top Redskins to Take Over NFC East: NFL Week 8 (Update2)

Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The New York Giants took over first place in the National Football Conference's East Division with a 36-0 win against the Washington Redskins in a game the Giants dedicated to their late co-owner, Wellington Mara. -NFL Football-

Tiki Barber rushed for 206 yards and a score, while the Giants defense held the Redskins' second-ranked offense to 125 yards and shut out a team for the first time since 1998. -NFL Football-

New York scored on three of its first four possessions for a 13-0 lead following a pre-game tribute to Mara, who died on Oct. 25. -NFL Football-

In other games during Week 8 of the National Football League season, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Arizona Cardinals 34-13, the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Green Bay Packers 21-14, the St. Louis Rams defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-21, the Houston Texans beat the Cleveland Browns 19-16 for their first victory of the season, the Carolina Panthers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 38-13, the Oakland Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans 34-25 and the Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 19-13 in overtime. -NFL Football-

In late games, it's the Miami Dolphins at the New Orleans Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs at the San Diego Chargers, the Philadelphia Eagles at the Denver Broncos and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the San Francisco 49ers. -NFL Football-

The Buffalo Bills visit the New England Patriots tonight. The Baltimore Ravens visit the Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow night. -NFL Football-

At Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Mara's grandchildren gathered on the field as the teams and fans observed a moment of silence, before one of Mara's granddaughter's sang the ``Star Spangled Banner.'' -NFL Football-

The Giants, wearing patches on their uniforms to honor Mara, got touchdowns from Barber, Jeremy Shockey and Brandon Jacobs. Jay Feely kicked five field goals for New York (5-2). The Redskins are 4-3. -NFL Football-

Elsewhere today:

-- Dallas 34, Arizona 13: Marion Barber rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns for Dallas (5-3) against the Cardinals (2-5). -NFL Football-

-- Cincinnati 21, Green Bay 14: Carson Palmer threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns for the Bengals (6-2). Brett Favre passed John Elway to move into second in career passes and yards. The Packers are 1-6. -NFL Football-

-- St. Louis 24, Jacksonville 21: Steven Jackson rushed for 179 yards for the Jaguars (4-4). Fred Taylor ran for 165 for the Jaguars (4-3). -NFL Football-

-- Houston 19, Cleveland 16: Kris Brown's field goal with 2:45 remaining gave the Texans their first win after six losses this season. The Browns are 2-5. -NFL Football-

-- Carolina 38, Minnesota 13: Steve Smith had 201 yards and a score for the Panthers (5-2). The Vikings are 2-5. -NFL Football-

-- Oakland 34, Tennessee 25: Kerry Collins threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns for the Raiders (3-4). The Titans are 2-6. -NFL Football-

-- Chicago 19, Detroit 13 (OT): Charles Tillman returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown to give the Bears (4-3) the overtime win. The Lions are 3-4. -NFL Football-

To contact the reporter on this story:
Larry DiTore in New York at  lditore@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 30, 2005 16:50 EST

2005-10-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

Week Seven game previews

By PFW staff Oct. 20, 2005
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Denver at New York Giants
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After vaulting to a 25-point lead, the Broncos had to hold off the defending champion Patriots for a 28-20 win last week to notch their fifth win in a row. The Giants had their chances but couldn’t pull out a victory in overtime in Dallas. --- nfl ---
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A conservative Broncos approach took a few more chances last week, and the results were positive, with big passing plays to WRs Rod Smith and Ashley Lelie. More opportunities are sure to present themselves against a Giants defense that comes in ranked 31st against the pass. --- nfl ---
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Giants CB Will Allen has not shown much in the way of ball skills in coverage, and DE Michael Strahan was the only lineman generating any consistent pass rush against Dallas last week. Look for more explosive runs from the confident Tatum Bell, who gouged the Redskins and Patriots for 241 yards at a gaudy 9.6 yards per rush.--- nfl ---
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If smallish rookie CBs Darrent Williams and Domonique Foxworth are forced to cover the Giants’ 6-foot-5 Plaxico Burress, it could be trouble. Pro Bowl CB Champ Bailey pulled himself from last week’s game with tightness in the injured hamstring that kept him out of the previous two games. --- nfl ---
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TE Jeremy Shockey has been the favorite target of QB Eli Manning lately, hauling in five catches for 129 yards and a touchdown vs. Dallas. The Broncos could stand to have a more consistent pass rush, as the pressure on Patriots QB Tom Brady leveled off in the second half last week.--- nfl ---
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2005-10-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Panthers rally to top Cardinals 24-20

TEMPE, Ariz. (Oct. 9, 2005) -- The Carolina Panthers finally stopped Josh McCown's passing show and with a 94-yard touchdown drive pulled above .500 for the first time this season.

Jake Delhomme threw two touchdown passes to Steve Smith, one for 65 yards in the first half and the decisive 4-yarder with 6:54 to go to give the Panthers (3-2) a 24-20 comeback victory over the Arizona Cardinals. - NFL Football -

Delhomme completed 18 of 29 passes for 243 yards and two scores. He was intercepted once.

"To come across the country on a short week to win and fight back the way we did," Delhomme said, "it was pretty nice."

Arizona (1-4), leading 20-10 after three quarters, had the ball twice after Carolina's go-ahead score. - NFL Football -

The Cardinals drove to the Panthers' 33, but Marlon McCree intercepted McCown's pass in the end zone for the second time in the game. The Cardinals' last shot ended when McCown scrambled on fourth-and-10, but came up inches short at the Panthers' 49.

"We moved the ball OK, but you've got to be able to score points and you've got to be able to slam the door," Arizona coach Dennis Green said.

McCown completed 29 of 46 passes for 394 yards, a career high for the second week in a row. He threw for two touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. McCown threw for 385 yards a week earlier in the victory over San Francisco in Mexico City, a game he started in place of injured Kurt Warner. - NFL Football -

Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald became the first Cardinals tandem to top 100 yards receiving each in consecutive games. It was the first time it's happened in the NFL since 2001, when Derrick Mason and Kevin Dyson did it for Tennessee.

Boldin caught 10 for 158 yards and a touchdown, Fitzgerald nine for 136 yards and a score.

After beating Green Bay on Monday night, the Panthers were in trouble most of the afternoon in the desert. - NFL Football -

With Arizona leading 20-10 late in the third, McCown threw to Boldin, who dodged a tackler -- but Thomas Davis stripped the ball, and Ken Lucas picked it up and ran to the Arizona 5.

"The ball got away from my body. He hit it as he was coming. It was just a bad play on my part," Boldin said. - NFL Football -

Two plays later, Stephen Davis scored from the one on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 20-17.

The Panthers went 94 yards in 10 plays for the winning touchdown. On second-and-12 from his 25, Delhomme's screen pass to DeShaun Foster gained 30 yards. A personal foul against Darnell Dockett for a blow to Delhomme's head added 15 to the play to put the ball on the Arizona 30.

With two cornerbacks already sidelined, Arizona lost another, Robert Tate, on the drive. Safety Quentin Harris moved to cornerback and on the 6-yard winning touchdown, Smith fought the ball away from him. - NFL Football -

Boldin broke four tackles on a 20-yard scoring play that put Arizona up 17-10 in the second period. Fitzgerald's leaping grab of McCown's 26-yard pass for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter gave the Cardinals a 7-3 lead. - NFL Football -

The Cardinals blew a chance for a late first-half score. McCown connected with Charles Lee on a 49-yard pass to the Carolina 2, but on second down from the 4, Lucas deflected McCown's pass to Fitzgerald and McCree intercepted.

"All turnovers are big because they usually put points on the board or take points off the board," Panthers coach John Fox said. "That play was huge."

Lucas took the place of cornerback Chris Gamble, hobbled by a sore ankle, late in the first half. Fitzgerald caught three passes for 30 yards in the second half. - NFL Football -

The Cardinals are off in Week 6. If Warner's groin injury is healed by then, Green will have to decide whether to stay with McCown. He hinted that it would be hard to go away from the youngster after his two performances while Warner was down.

"That's a lot of yardage," Green said. "Josh has been able to find the wide receivers, that's a big plus." - NFL Football -

McCown said he wasn't going to concern himself with job security.

"I'm just going to fight and play as hard as I can and whatever happens happens," he said. "I just hate that we didn't get a win today. As a quarterback, with the opportunity to make plays, you hate that you walked off this field a loser. That's what hurts the worst."

2005-10-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Super Bowl record-holding RB Smith arrested

NFL.com wire reports

DENVER (Sept. 30, 2005) -- Timmy Smith, who set a Super Bowl rushing record when he played for the Washington Redskins in 1988, has been arrested after allegedly trying to sell cocaine to an undercover drug agent.

Smith, 41, of Denver and his brother, Chris, of suburban Lakewood, were in custody and due in court Oct. 3, U.S. attorney's spokesman Jeff Dorschner said. They could face charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.

Bond had not been set. - NFL Football -

Authorities said the investigation has resulted in the seizure of about 2.8 pounds of cocaine and unspecified assets worth about $100,000. Search warrants were executed on houses in Denver and Lakewood, authorities said. - NFL Football -

Smith rushed for a Super Bowl-record 204 yards and two touchdowns in the Redskins' 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in 1988. He gained weight the following season and never performed at the same level. He last played in the NFL in 1990 with the Dallas Cowboys.

He worked this summer as a youth counselor and participated in several youth football camps, authorities said. - NFL Football -

He was in custody and had not yet been appointed an attorney, Dorschner said.

2005-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Bengals players coping with storm aftermath
NFL.com wire reports

CINCINNATI (Sept. 13, 2005) -- When he saw the final score, cornerback Tory James was happy for the New Orleans Saints.

The team that represents his hurricane-ravaged home town won its season opener, no small feat for a collection of players who had every reason to be distracted and disheartened.

"I know it's got to be tough dealing with what the Saints are going through," James said. "I feel for them. For them to come out and play a football game and get a win, that shows a lot."

James and three other Cincinnati Bengals who grew up in the Gulf area understand what they're enduring. Hurricane Katrina has scattered their families, destroyed their homes and made their game seem insignificant.

But football is their livelihood and their teammates need them, so they keep plugging away at the playbook while trying to do everything they can to help those who lost everything.

It's not easy, not for an instant.

"Sometimes we're supposed to be big football players and nothing can touch us," said James, who made his first Pro Bowl last season. "This one hurts right here."

James, cornerback Greg Brooks and receiver Chris Henry grew up in the New Orleans area. Safety Reggie Myles is from Pascagoula, Miss., where his family rode out the storm.

Each has a different story, but they share an anxiety that never goes away for long. They worry about relatives who are temporarily living with them -- or, in Myles' case, who have chosen to stay behind and deal with it.

"I'm still trying to get them to come up and stay with me, but they won't," said Myles, who grew up in Pascagoula. "It's home, their roots, their whole lives. My mom and dad and family have always been there.

"It's kind of hard for me knowing that this has happened and my parents won't leave and there's nothing I can do to get my people up here. It's hurtful every day, stressful."

Nothing was more stressful than the first few days after the storm hit land and the players couldn't get in touch with their families. Myles broke down in tears when he finally got a call from his parents.

The calls are still coming for James, who was in Cleveland for the Bengals' opening 27-13 win when a missing member of his family checked in.

"I was on a bus getting off the plane for the game and my nephew called me," James said. "We hadn't heard from him. He called and he's doing good. I think he's in Texas."

A group of James' relatives moved to Cincinnati after the storm, arriving in the middle of the night. He was overjoyed to see them, but didn't know what to do next.

Caring for so many people can feel overwhelming.

"They showed up, like 16 of them, at my door at 3 o'clock in the morning, and I've got to go to practice the next day and it was tough," James said. "I was just lost, trying to help get them situated."

Coach Marvin Lewis offered to let the players take some time off, but they decided they needed to "tough it out."

They've been touched by the public's response. James' brother drove to a gas station with Louisiana plates on his car, and others in line to fill up asked if he needed housing or anything else.

"Two days ago, my mom, grandmother and aunt went to get their hair done," Brooks said. "When the people realized they're from Louisiana, they did all their hair for free."

Myles checks in with his parents as often as he can, making sure they're surviving in a neighborhood spared from flooding -- the water came within two inches of their home.

"They're all taking turns cooking each day because of the shortage of food down there," Myles said, sniffling back emotions. "What they could save from the storm is basically what they've got. I know it's hard for them down there. I know they're hurting. They won't ask me for anything. I don't know what to do."

The devastation is never far from the players' thoughts.

"I'm blessed to have a job where I can help out and do things for them," James said. "I was building a house down there, and the people who were building my house are calling me from shelters. The phone is just constantly ringing.

"There's only so much I can do. I try my best, but I still feel like I'm leaving people behind. It's a funny feeling. Words can't describe it. And it's going to be like that for a long time."

2005-09-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

Football: Focus returns to field for Miami linebacker

Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press

ALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Willie Williams' reputation was once based solely on football exploits.

The very talented, often troubled and ultra-hyped linebacker for No. 9 Miami hopes that will soon be the case again. - NFL Football -

"My adrenaline is just flowing so much," Williams said in the days leading to its opener against No. 14 Florida State last night. "I can't wait to run down. I'm ready. I've got that killer instinct. And when I get out there, I think it's going to be huge, huge trouble."

Williams previously played a game nearly two years ago, and much has happened since.

As a senior at Miami Carol City High School in 2003, Williams may have been the most feared and dominant player in the state. He practically willed his school to a state championship. In the final, the opposing quarterback's arm was broken with a crushing -- but clean -- hit from Williams. - NFL Football -

Florida State was among the many schools that pleaded for his services. But Williams signed with Miami Feb. 4, 2004.

That was the day when his arrest record -- with 11 entries on it -- became publicly known, with the capper that his most recent arrests stemmed from two incidents during his recruiting visit to the University of Florida in Gainesville.

He spent a few days in jail for violating probation. His admission to Miami was scrutinized and delayed. He eventually was sentenced to three more years of probation and must adhere to a number of rules to stay in the university's good graces.

"I'm sure he didn't have a lot of good role models around him," Miami left tackle Eric Winston said. "I think a lot of guys took it upon themselves, especially the guys who grew up in that neighborhood, to ... show him how things are done around here. I think he's done just fine."

Since enrolling at Miami, Williams has met all the stricter-than-standard academic requirements and satisfied his probation terms.

"I've grown tremendously on and off the field," said Williams, a father of 7-month-old daughter Willaya. "I've definitely matured, looking at different situations, different aspects in a mature way now. I brought life into this world. I've got to be a good example."

Touted as a player who could immediately thrive at college football's highest level, Williams' 2004 season was over before it started. A ligament in his right knee was torn in preseason practice and never got into a game a year ago for the Hurricanes. - NFL Football -

Now with 20 more pounds of muscle packed onto a chiseled frame that puts him at 240, Williams feels ready to pounce with the season before him.

"Willie has as much physical talent as anybody I've seen since I've been here," Miami quarterback Kyle Wright said. "He's a good kid. Obviously, everybody knows he's just extremely talented. If he gets out on the field, he's just a playmaker. He's going to be able to impact a game."

This is how much Wright thinks of Williams' ability: He calls him "Combine." As in NFL combine, the annual predraft showcase for scouts.

For all his skills, however, Williams isn't listed as a starter on the Hurricanes' depth chart. Not yet, anyway. - NFL Football -

The team suspects that will change, perhaps soon, and Williams will emerge as Miami's next great linebacker, following the likes of Ray Lewis, Mike Barrow, Jessie Armstead, Jonathan Vilma, Dan Morgan and D.J. Williams.

"He has shown me a lot," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "He's going to be an outstanding player."

2005-08-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

Comcast hopes for TD with on-demand

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Cable giant Comcast Corp. may not have the "NFL Sunday Ticket," but it's trying to counter the popular DirecTV football package the best way it can, with its NFL Network On Demand programming.

Philadelphia-based Comcast (CMCSK: news, chart, profile) (CMCSA: news, chart, profile) is now in its second year of offering NFL Network On Demand, which features extended highlights of every regular season and playoff game; digital video recorder capability that lets customers execute their own instant replays; and online access to video clips, scores, standings and other items.

Though Hollywood doesn't seem completely sold on the video-on-demand platform -- which is probably delaying its emergence as a major force in the marketplace -- Comcast is arguably the foremost proponent of VOD.

For Comcast, VOD is seen as a valued weapon against competitors like satellite and -- eventually -- regional Bell phone companies. The company is a particular believer in VOD programming that is offered at no additional charge to digital subscribers. On the company's quarterly conference calls, VOD is consistently cited as one of the elements that is attracting new digital customers and inducing them to stay with the service.

So it is, then, that sports are an increasingly important part of Comcast's VOD arsenal. Introduced last fall, NFL Network On Demand programs garnered 8.6 million views.

"What we've tried to do with sports content is make programming available that wouldn't be available on your regular linear channels," said Page Thompson, vice president and general manager of Comcast On Demand.

During the current NFL preseason, the product features season previews for every team, along with Fantasy Football shows that offer tips on which players to select at various positions.

Each week during the regular season and the playoffs, viewers get "Weekly Replay" -- eight to 20 minute highlights of each NFL game, which are available by midday on Monday. Monday night highlights will be available by the middle of the day on Tuesday.

"There's a lot of on-field material that we're going to take and break out into a separate category," Thompson said.

Comcast also offers "Local Replay," which spotlights the local team's game highlights during the season. In any given week, fans of the localNFL club can see all of that team's weekly highlights to that point.

This is augmented by locally-oriented NFL Films programming. For example, in the Oakland, Calif. area, on-demand customers have been offered such vintage productions as the 1976 Oakland Raiders highlight film and highlights of Super Bowl XV.

"All the feedback we've gotten is that this extra content is that it's a tremendous benefit to people if their team doesn't happen to be playing that day," Thompson said.

Comcast also hopes the package proves enticing to viewers who are primarily interested in the team in their local market, and may not feel compelled to have access to everyNFL game in its entirety.

"I think it's a very strong alternative to DirecTV, especially since it comes free with your digital cable subscription, as opposed to paying a couple hundred dollars," said Thompson.

DirecTV (DTV: news, chart, profile) hasn't ignored Comcast's efforts, judging by some of the features of its new SuperFan tier, which is available to NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers at an additional charge of $99. The basic Sunday Ticket package is $239, up from $219 last season.

Among those features is the Red Zone Channel, which offers constantly updated highlights of various NFL Sunday Ticket broadcasts on game day. Also available on SuperFan is "Short Cuts," which are 30-minute versions of game broadcasts. DirecTV says the format is similar to that used byNFL teams when they review "game film" to break down the players' performance.

DirecTV says consumer response to SuperFan has been strong, contributing to an overall subscription renewal that has been similar to previous years, despite this season's price increase.

Though the NFL Sunday Ticket has big appeal to transplanted fans whose favorite team plays in a far-away market, DirecTV has had also had about as much support from fans of local hometown teams.

"The thing we appeal to is a fan's affinity for the game, and how much more they can get out of the game, if they have Sunday Ticket," said DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer. "For instance, the fantasy players, that's a whole different market. They all recognize the value of the Ticket for keeping track of their fantasy teams."

Comcast also has on-demand programming that offers highlights from the NBA and other sports, and is ongoing discussions with Major League Baseball, though no deal is imminent, says Thompson.

One of the goals of the on-demand sports offerings is that they will entice viewers to other sections of the onscreen on-demand menu, and they'll become attached to other programming.

"Historically, what happens is that a new user discovers on-demand because there's a piece of content that they're particularly interested in," Thompson said. "Then they go on to watch other content. On average, one of our on-demand users looks at content from at least four different networks.

"So someone that is attracted by the NFL On Demand will almost always at least look at other sports content, and then go on to order movies or other things."

David B. Wilkerson
MarketWatch

2005-08-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

Phillips faces seven counts of assault with deadly weapon

LOS ANGELES -- Former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips was charged Tuesday with multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two days after prosecutors say he drove into three teenagers who argued with him following a pickup football game.
Phillips was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon, the district attorney's office said. He was charged with seven counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of child abuse and one count of hit and run. - NFL Football - If convicted, Phillips faces up to 13 years and four months in prison. Phillips, a star at Nebraska before the St. Louis Rams made him the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, got into an argument with several young men after the pickup football game Sunday in Exposition Park, Los Angeles police officer Sandra Escalante said. He left the park, but returned and drove a black Honda onto the field, allegedly running into a group of young males. Three were hit, including two aged 14 and 15, the district attorney's office said. The teenagers were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. The car Phillips was driving had been reported stolen in San Diego earlier in the week, Escalante said. The district attorney's office said a bench warrant was issued for Phillips in 2003 after he allegedly failed to appear for a probation hearing at the Airport Court. He had pleaded no contest to one count of making a criminal threat in 2000 after he allegedly attacked a girlfriend in Beverly Hills. - NFL Football - Police in San Diego had been seeking Phillips since earlier this month for allegedly attacking his girlfriend twice, once choking her into unconsciousness. Phillips, 30, was arrested Sunday and held on the domestic violence felony warrant and held without bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's website. San Diego police had offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to Phillips' whereabouts, and said he had indicated he wouldn't surrender peacefully. - NFL Football - The first domestic assault, in which police say Phillips' 28-year-old girlfriend was choked, allegedly occurred Aug. 2 at her San Diego home. Police said the second assault allegedly took place 11 days later when Phillips confronted the woman at a party. In both cases he left the scene before officers could arrest him. Phillips has a history of high-profile trouble with the law going back a decade to his time as one of the nation's top college football players at Nebraska. The Rams released him for insubordination in 1997 after he played 25 games with them. Phillips signed with the Miami Dolphins later in the 1997 season, but was released after pleading no contest to hitting a woman in a nightclub. - NFL Football - He was the top offensive player in NFL Europe in 1999 after setting league records for rushing and touchdowns with the Barcelona Dragons. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers later that year, but was released for missing a practice. He also has played in the Canadian Football League.

Associated Press News Service

2005-08-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

Truth and Rumours

The NFL trade deadline is Oct. 18 and the Philadelphia Eagles figure to swap eternally annoying wide receiver Terrell Owens by then. It will be interesting to see whether the Eagles can get nearly fair value in return. They'd want at least a starting wide receiver and a first-round draft pick.-- Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - NFL Football -

There was a Terrell Owens sighting at Saturday's preseason game between the Falcons and the Ravens in Atlanta. Owens sat in the stands. Before training camp, and in the midst of his media campaign to try and get the Eagles to renegotiate his contract, Owens told an Atlanta television station he wouldn't mind playing with Michael Vick and the Falcons.-- Philadelphia Inquirer

Most Eagles players declined comment when asked whether the Eagles should make Terrell Owens happy by increasing his salary in order to assure a smooth season. But the man with whom Owens has the most tenuous relationship said he would be happy for the receiver. Definitely," linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said. "I think that it is worth it to have him here happy. You would definitely have [other players being unhappy], but it's worth it."-- Philadelphia Inquirer - NFL Football -

If all goes according to plan, Terrell Owens will return to the Eagles on Wednesday at the NovaCare training facility.-- Philadelphia Inquirer
Long before the Eagles arrived at training camp and shortly after Terrell Owens and agent Drew Rosenhaus announced their desire to rework the receiver's contract, offensive tackle Jon Runyan quietly took an $800,000 pay cut for this season. He did so with little attention and no complaint.-- Philadelphia Inquirer - NFL Football -

The Lions have no interest in trading for Terrell Owens or dealing any of their receivers, president Matt Millen said Sunday. "I like what we have right now," Millen said. "After having no receivers, it's nice to have some options."-- Detroit News
Randy Moss wished the Vikings the best of luck in 2005 and basically called a truce in his long-distance feud with quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Moss said the two of them are "cool" with each other now. He chalked up most of the comments on both sides to their "competitiveness" and said it's time for each of them to move on and "see whose team does what."-- Minneapolis Star Tribune - NFL Football -

The Jets and John Abraham's representatives haven't had any official talks in at least two weeks, according to someone with knowledge of the situation.-- Newark Star-Ledger
Jerome Bettis warned yesterday that every Steelers player is watching the contract holdout by Hines Ward, and that, if the situation is not resolved properly, it would send a sour message to the entire roster.-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - NFL Football -

Chiefs safety Greg Wesley and defensive lineman Junior Siavii were arrested early Sunday morning after a disturbance at a Minneapolis hotel. Both posted bail and returned to River Falls, Wis. Siavii was charged with one count of disorderly conduct and one count of fifth-degree assault. Both charges are misdemeanors. Wesley was charged with one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.-- Kansas City Star - NFL Football -

Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, the second pick of this year's NFL Draft, said he expects to sign a contract today , ending a three-week holdout. A source close to the negotiations also confirmed plans for today's meeting with team officials.-- Palm Beach Post
The Chargers' top draft pick Shawne Merriman acknowledged that his injured hamstring is the result of his being away from football for so long and his working hard to drop nine pounds in the two weeks before he signed.-- San Diego Union-Tribune - NFL Football -

The Saints still are looking into the possibility of signing a free agent offensive tackle in the wake of Jon Stinchcomb's season-ending knee injury last week.-- New Orleans Times-Picayune
The Redskins are bucking a league-wide trend for tall wideouts and hope their assortment of small wide receivers will provide several big plays this season. Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls with help from smaller receivers, including the "Smurfs" in the early '80s and the "Posse" in the late '80s.-- Washington Post - NFL Football -

Although Gus Frerotte has built an obvious lead over A.J. Feeley in the chase for Miami's starting quarterback spot, the advantage Feeley holds over Sage Rosenfels for the backup job apparently is closing. And Brock Berlin also is gaining on Feeley as the former University of Miami player continues to make a case for a spot somewhere on the Dolphins roster.-- Miami Herald - NFL Football -

Jerry Rice said he believes he is nearly ready to contribute to the Broncos' passing game. The NFL's all-time leading receiver, who battled a sore left foot all week had one catch for 6 yards. He expects to practice more this week in preparation for Saturday night's home game against the 49ers, Rice's team for his first 16 seasons.-- Denver Post - NFL Football -

Jets coach Herm Edwards, perhaps feeling a sense of urgency, said Chad Pennington will practice twice today - a training-camp first for the quarterback. The increased work load represents another key hurdle for Pennington and his surgically repaired throwing shoulder, but what makes this development so intriguing is that it came only one day after Edwards declared there was no chance of Pennington practicing twice a day in the preseason.-- New York Daily News - NFL Football -

Dewayne Robertson, the Jets' first-round draft choice three springs ago, has been told his knee problem will not require surgery.-- New York Journal-News - NFL Football -

First-round draft pick Roddy White, a wide receiver, suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter, based on initial reports but he was scheduled to undergo further tests Sunday. White, who had a game-high four catches against the Ravens, said he was told by team doctors he'd miss at least two days of practice.-- Atlanta Journal-Constitution - NFL Football -

Tim Rattay won the battle, but Alex Smith is still winning the war. Smith, the 21-year-old prized rookie drafted first overall as the centerpiece of the 49ers' rebuilding efforts, struggled in his first professional action. Rattay, a sixth-year player who was the starting quarterback in the 49ers' disastrous 2-14 season in 2004, played well.-- San Francisco Chronicle

The day before Rex Grossman will undergo surgery on his broken left ankle and the day Chad Hutchinson took snaps as the No. 1 quarterback, the Bears signed Jeff Blake to a one-year contract for $750,000. Blake will be at Monday night's practice.-- Chicago Tribune

The battle for the Giants' No. 2 quarterback job became even more intriguing after Saturday's performances by Jesse Palmer and Tim Hasselbeck. Palmer completed 2 of 3 passes for 20 yards in relief of Eli Manning, but he threw a second-quarter interception that irked Tom Coughlin enough for him to mention it Saturday night and again on Sunday in conference calls with reporters.-- New York Times - NFL Football -

Bill Belichick attempted to temper the Matt Cassel craze that has swelled throughout camp and exploded after the rookie quarterback's performance in Cincinnati, which is a couple of hundred miles from Canton, Ohio, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ''Look, the guy's played one preseason game, made a lot of mistakes, came up with some good plays, but I think it's a little too early to start working on his bust for Cant on," said Belichick. ''I think it's way too early for that.-- Boston Globe - NFL Football -

Alex Barron's five-year deal with the Rams is worth $9.2 million. But if Barron qualifies for an incentive and two escalators in the contract, he could earn as much as $11 million.-- St. Louis Post-Dispatch

2005-08-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Football season is my favorite time of year

Yesterday, if you were willing to be up at 5 a.m., you witnessed the official start of football season. In Japan, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Indianapolis Colts in the first pre-season NFL game of the year.This is the time of year that any football fan for any football team has every reason to be excited. - NFL Football -
Every team has a chance to win it all. Sure, some are expected to do better than others, but right now, expectations mean nothing.High school football will begin in our area in just over two weeks from today when Dadeville plays Reeltown Thursday, Aug. 25. I'm hearing a lot about how far Benjamin Russell's team could go this year. - NFL Football -
There's a buzz in the air coming from Horseshoe Bend where a new head coach and his new approach will be looking to turn around last year's 1-9 record.Alabama, Auburn and UAB will kick off the college season slightly more that a week later on Saturday, Sept. 3. The weekend will be highlighted on the Plains of Auburn as the Tigers host Georgia Tech in an attempt to avenge their loss to the Yellow Jackets two years ago in Atlanta. ESPN will be there as they make their 49th stop in their "50 States in 50 Days" tour. - NFL Football -
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love football. I am a football fan. I'm the guy they created CSS for. The reason they replay college games day after day throughout the week is for guys like me. The same could be said for the NFL Network.Don't misunderstand me; I'm not a fanatic about the game. I don't get superstitious. I don't have a lucky shirt or hat that I have to wear every time my team plays. I don't have a special place I have to sit when I watch a game. It's nothing like that at all. - NFL Football -
I appreciate the strategy. I can enjoy a 3-0 game as much as a 42-41 game. I may enjoy it even more. I went to school at Auburn so, naturally, I pull a little more for the Tigers than I do any other college. With that said, I've watched the Alabama-Miami Sugar Bowl game from 1992 more than half a dozen times because of how that defense played. I would love to see former Alabama defensive coordinator and former Auburn head coach Bill Oliver coaching somewhere because of the defenses he's put on the field- at both Alabama and Auburn. In my opinion, he's the best I've ever seen. - NFL Football -
I'll be there Thursday night when Dadeville plays Reeltown. One of Dadeville's own, former Auburn cornerback and Oliver prodigy Rodney Crayton is coaching the secondary for Dadeville this year. I'm curious to see just how much he remembers and if can coach 'em up like Brother Bill. Then again, I'll be at several local games this year. - NFL Football -

Tommy Chandler

2005-07-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

N.C.'s Heath Shuler, Former NFL Player, Making Run For Congress

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. -- Former NFL and Tennessee football player and Swain County native Heath Shuler is following a well-worn path as he tries to unseat North Carolina congressman Charles Taylor. - NFL Football -
The 33-year-old Shuler wants to be the Democratic candidate for the 11th congressional district seat in western North Carolina. - NFL Football -
The election isn't until next year, but Shuler is working to get his message of bringing the mountain values of North Carolina to Washington. - NFL Football -
Taylor's office said the eight-term congressman is busy performing the job voters elected him to do. - NFL Football -
If he is successful Shuler would follow other football players such as J.C. Watts and Tom Osborne to Capitol Hill.

The Associated Press.

2005-07-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

NFL passes on former Royals draft choice

Former Royals farmhand Roscoe Crosby didn’t get selected in Thursday’s NFL supplemental draft, though his agent, Kevin Parker, virtually swore he would. More than likely, however, Crosby will sign somewhere as a free agent and wind up in an NFL training camp.
And that’s just fine with the Royals, who once had huge hopes for Crosby when they selected him in the second round of the 2001 amateur draft. - NFL Football -
“I had heard he was pursuing football again,” Royals general manager Allard Baird said, “and I thought that would be a good fit. He’s still a great athlete, and I’m sure he’ll get his chance.”
The Royals have let go of any bitterness over the Crosby situation. Crosby, now 22, wavered between playing football for South Carolina and playing baseball in the Royals’ farm system and after a series of injuries and personal matters, Crosby fell completely off the team’s radar.
Well, almost. The Royals wound up seeking a return of about $750,000 of his $1.75 million signing bonus after he left spring training without permission in 2003. An arbitrator ruled last spring in favor of the Royals. - NFL Football -
Money aside, the Royals do wonder on occasion about the what-ifs.
“Every time I look at Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay’s speedy outfielder), I can’t help but think of Roscoe,” Baird said. “He had that type of ability, but with a lot more power. That’s the type of baseball player I think he would have developed into. That’s why we drafted him.”
On the subject of prospects becoming busts, how about former K-State football player Christopher Boggas? - NFL Football -
Boggas was a highly recruited offensive lineman from Texas who wound up playing only sparingly in three seasons.
Now, Boggas has been arrested on a charge of stealing autographed baseballs owned by — get this — Wildcats coach Bill Snyder. Boggas was charged with felony theft, according to The Manhattan Mercury, and confined on a $10,000 bond.
Reported missing from Snyder’s home were baseballs signed by Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto and Paul O’Neill.
And the story gets better. Snyder’s 19-year-old daughter apparently was host of a “gathering of people” at the home late Tuesday night and later reported the theft after noticing the baseballs were missing. - NFL Football -
Kansas legend John Riggins has been hired to be the lead analyst for all of Westwood One’s Sunday night football broadcasts this season. Riggins will be paired with golden throated play-by-play man Joel Meyers. - NFL Football -
Former Missouri Tiger center Arthur Johnson is on the Chicago Bulls’ summer-league roster. The A Train has scored 22 points through four games with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.
The whereabouts of some other familiar names:
■ Former Kansas guard Keith Langford has signed to play with the Dallas Mavericks’ secondary summer-league team. That team also has Eric Chenowith and Derek Hood on its roster.
■ Former Kansas guard Aaron Miles has hooked on with the Seattle Sonics’ summer-league team.
■ Rounding out the former Kansas guards — Michael Lee plans on playing basketball overseas. Lee turned down a chance to sign with the Harlem Globetrotters.
■ Former Shawnee Mission West star Matt Freije is on the Cavs’ summer roster, and former Tiger Rickey Paulding is back with the Pistons on their summer roster.
■ And former K-State standout Jeremiah Massey has hooked on with the Boston Celtics.

JEFFREY FLANAGAN

2005-07-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

Q&A: Golf vs. Football
Former Cajun football players host charity golf tournament

Brian Mitchell and Don Wallace were both standout quarterbacks at then-USL before Mitchell went on to a record-setting NFL career and Wallace took an administrative position with the PGA Tour. Mitchell was bitten by the golf bug during his pro football career, and with his recent retirement, golf has become his sports passion.
Five years ago, the two teamed for the first Brian Mitchell-Donnie Wallace Celebrity Golf Weekend and Tournament, bringing together friends in the pro football and sports world for an event that renews acquaintances and also raises funds for charities such as Stuller Place, Acadiana Outreach and the UL Quarterback Club.
The fifth annual weekend wraps up today with the tournament beginning at 10 a.m. at Le Triomphe, and the two ex-signalcallers talked with sports reporter Dan McDonald about football, golf and their desire to help others through this event.
Question: Which is harder, football or golf?
Answer: Don - Golf is harder. Football's more physical, but golf is harder. It's mental. In football, you can prepare and when you feel good about it, chances are you're going to execute. In golf, you can prepare, and as soon as you feel good about it, it changes.
Brian - The thing about golf is everything changes day by day. You can come out one day and play very well and you start thinking you have it, and it leaves. Any other sport you play, especially football, as years go on, it becomes easier for you, like riding a bike. If golf was that easy, you wouldn't see Tiger Woods and all those guys with coaches every week. Those guys have to play all the time, every day, or they lose something. The one year Tiger had that he was destroying everybody, he came back the next year and didn't look like the same guy. Vijay Singh was that guy last year. This year's not the same, because of the mental aspect. We always say football is 95 percent mental, but golf is really that. You do have to be able to run around and have some physical ability, but in golf I don't care how strong you are. You can watch the smallest guy out there, and he hits it a lot further than that 6-foot-8 guy because it's all about technique.
Don - Being around the pros as much as I am, in what I do, to see them have that off day keeps my game in perspective. I don't beat myself up. You tend to want to be a perfectionist just by being an athlete, you want to compete. And this is one game, there's no mastering this game.
Q: Both of you played football all your early lives, but when did you start playing golf?
A: Don - I started playing some in high school before I went to UL. Actually, I didn't play, we just went to a range in New Iberia. The thing that got me attracted to golf, I had no idea what I was doing, I took a driver out and hit it, and I was just amazed at how far it went that one time. I kept trying to duplicate that and barely could, and then you do it again. That's the same philosophy that keeps you playing golf even now. You'll have that great round or that great shot, that'll keep you coming back because you felt it, you felt good about it, and you try to duplicate it, but the game won't let you do it shot after shot.
Brian - It was about eight and a half years ago when I finally went out. I always said golf was an old man's sport and it was boring and I'd never play it. It was right around the time Tiger turned pro is when I started thinking about it. One of my buddies had been playing about three years, I went out with him and played, he shot 95 and I shot 98. I figured he'd been playing three years and I was only three shots behind him. But I hit one long drive, and it's always a long drive or a long putt that gets you back. In the last eight and a half years, I've probably played more golf than people play in 30 years of their life.
Q: You grew up around team sports. Does golf satisfy the competitive urges?
A: Don - It satisfies it, but it doesn't quite replace it. There's nothing like a third-and-five when you've got to make that play and get that first down. But it does satisfy it, because there's no single biggest challenge in this game. It's an ever-present challenge, literally shot to shot, that's what amazes me, and when you pull it off, it's so gratifying to watch your progression. It's just like in the weight room. It's great to see the weight go up and that keeps you lifting. He started out shooting that 98, and he probably hasn't seen that since.
Brian - I've seen it since then.
Don - But then again, it can show up.
Brian - The one thing about golf, it's totally individual. You're out there by yourself. You can't blame anybody. You can't say the center didn't do his job or the quarterback didn't throw the ball to me. In golf, it's all about you, and the ball is just sitting right there. That's what amazes people about it. The ball is sitting, and you still can't hit it where you want to hit it. In baseball, guys can hit the ball all day coming at them 90 miles an hour, but that golf ball they can't make go. It satisfies my urge because I challenge myself all the time, just like I did in football. Every time I stepped on the field, I tried to minimize my mistakes and capitalize and do the things that made me better, and in golf I do the same thing. I play against myself. If I hit a ball down the middle 300 yards, my buddies are swinging out of their shoes to try to do that. If they hit one 300, I'm going to swing my same swing all the time. I watch the guys on TV, and their swing is the same all the time and that's why they're so consistent. You watch the amateurs, they swing the driver one way, they swing their 3-iron one way, they get to their wedges and they want to change their whole swing. That's why they're a 90 golfer.
Q: What's your handicaps now?
A: Brian - Can't really tell you, because then Don will know. I'm better than a 15 and I'm worse than a one.
Don - Obviously, I'm not scratch and I'm below a 13.
Brian - I'll say the same thing he just said.
Q: What's the best part of your games right now?
A: Don - The best part of my game is a great question because it wasn't the best part of my game a month and a half ago. The best part of my game right now is my iron play and my short game. If you asked me a month ago, I would have said the best thing in my bag was my driver. That's golf.
Brian - My best part right now is being able to get up and down, and I've gotten much better putting. What I've learned is your driver's going to leave you some days, it's going to be with you other days, but if you can hit your irons and have a good short game, you can still score. I've gotten out of the mentality of hitting every drive 290 or 300 yards, and into scoring. You drive for show and putt for dough. I was in too many weekend matches with my buddies, I'd hit it 320 and they'd hit it 260, and they'd win the hole. It's all about being able to score. I've learned how to master all kind of little chip shots under trees and stuff, but golf was made to play on the short grass.
Q: Your tournament started as a chance to get together with friends and still do some good in the community. Is that what it's still about?
A: Don - That's all of what it's about. When I found out Brian was playing golf, that was the best news I heard. When I'd go through there (near D.C., where Brian lives) for the Kemper Open, and when he told me he was hitting it, we used to always talk about what we could do to stay plugged in back here. What better to do, since we both play golf. Hey, let's go back and play golf, bring some friends in and see if we can do some good doing something we both love to do. Unless something changes on Brian's end, that's what the basis is always going to be for the event. We're not trying to do what I do every week. This is friends getting together, and local people in the community getting to see a side of people they've never seen, and at the same time raising money for charity. Whatever we can do, it's an up side, and I don't ever want to change the focus.
Brian - We'd probably try to get together and do something like this even if it wasn't a charity thing. So why not get together and do something positive.

The Daily Advertiser

2005-07-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

Cue the trumpets: Football is national pastime

Could anything be more blasphemous than denigrating baseball so close to the fourth of July?
What's next, mom is overrated and apple pie is no match for chocolate cake?
Don't get me wrong, I love baseball. I am a baseball freak, a seamhead who is down with OBP, OPS and batting average with RISP. It's just that from where I'm sitting baseball has been supplanted by football as the national pastime. (Both, of course, have been supplanted by NASCAR as the regional pastime, but let's just pretend we still live in a world where most people prefer sports where the athlete is more important than the internal combustion engine.)
probably won't get any argument in Wisconsin, where the Packers are a religion and the Brewers are a punch line. In my adopted home of Southern California, however, fans might see things differently. They've been jilted by two football teams and have two proud baseball franchises fighting for their loyalty. I come at the argument from the lofty and unprejudiced perspective of a New England sports fan, whose baseball and football teams are both reigning champions.
While it's true that no sports experience could ever top what Red Sox fans experienced last October — even last-second field goals to win Super Bowls took a back seat — the fact is that the National Football League's product is more reflective of America's sporting soul than baseball.
How so? Here are 10 reasons why football is America's new national pastime.

Sunday is an event
For all different kinds of Americans, Sunday is a sacred day. It is a day of worship, a day of family, and — in my case — a day to get together with buddies, eat, drink and watch five separate football games simultaneously. (We've tried to develop a call-letter system so you can steer people's attention to a particular screen, but no one can ever remember if Alpha refers to the far left or the big projection screen in the middle.)
Some guys are rooting like crazy for their Bills or Pats or Steelers, others for their fantasy teams, and still others for a particular game to merely pass the over/under threshold. The point is that beginning in Week 1, every Sunday of football season is an event. Guys are screaming, swearing, seething and, occasionally, even smiling. There is nothing like it in baseball.

Violence
In case you haven't been to a megaplex or seen Deadwood or the Sopranos (when, oh when are you returning?) or pro wrestling or played Halo or Grand Theft Auto, we Americans sure like our violence. I don't know how you'd measure such a thing, but I suspect violence has surpassed sex as our nation's go-to indulgence of the lesser angels of our nature.
Sure, occasionally a former football player like Darin Erstad will crush a catcher at the plate, but for the most part baseball just can't satisfy our bloodlust.
On a related note, the NFL has to back off its fines and penalties for inadvertent helmet-to-helmet contact. That's why they are wearing helmets!
Every game matters
Let's face it, when you play 162 games, your concentration is going to wander, especially when you're playing in front of 35,000 empty seats against a non-contender in late August. But in football, every game, every snap matters, right from the opening kickoff of the season.
Just ask the Indianapolis Colts how much every game matters. A missed field goal in their opening game against the Patriots doomed them to return to Foxboro for another January playoff loss. No baseball team can ever point to an opening-day loss as the pivotal moment of the season.
Heck, in baseball, you can even lose three straight games in the World Series and still prevail — the '87 Twins come to mind. In the NFL playoffs, the one-and-done format raises the stakes and the drama. The World Series has come down to a one-game, winner-take-all finale 35 times in its 101-year history. The Super Bowl has come down to a one-game, winner-take-all finale all 39 times it has been played.

The salary cap
One of the defining elements of American culture — as mythical as it may be — is that all men are created equal. Growing out of that founding principle, we have strived over our 11 score and nine years to make sure that the playing field was level for all people, though we have often disagreed on how best to achieve that goal.
Ironic, then, that the one place where the playing field is actually level is the very place from which the metaphor stems, an athletic field (although if a football field were truly level there would probably be drainage problems). Football's salary cap may lead to cruel and confusing roster moves — nowhere else are All-Pros routinely cut — but it does mean that no matter how forsaken your team is today, with a good draft, a couple of decent free-agent signings and a shrewd coaching staff, they can be contenders almost overnight.
Such is not the case in baseball, where George Steinbrenner can spend the entire D-Rays' payroll on a weak-hitting first baseman and an inconsistent No. 4 starter. Yes, there will always be one or two great stories like the Nationals, but year after year the eight playoff teams will be comprised mostly of the teams with the highest payrolls.

Fantasy Football
America was founded, has been sustained and will be led into the future by dreamers. The founders' fulfillment of their dreams delivered us from taxation without representation, and we have now arrived at a place in history where a lucky few have lots of representation with almost no taxation.
I, too, have a dream. That one day in any of my multiple fantasy football leagues I will actually hoist the championship trophy. (Will somebody explain to me how I missed the playoffs with Drew Brees, Brian Westbrook, Muhsin Muhammad and Tony Gonzalez?)
While it's true that there probably wouldn't have been any fantasy football without rotisserie baseball, roto baseball has been left in the dust by fantasy football. Sundays, my friends and I invariably face some crazy emotional conflict between real life and fantasy.
"Buddy, why the long face? Your Cowboys just scored."
"Yeah, but I'm going against Keyshawn in fantasy."
It's embarrassing, but a tough fantasy football loss can ruin my whole weekend. Roto baseball just never seems to get as intense.
One other note on fantasy sports and its place in the fabric of American life: If you have a roto baseball team, you are by definition a sports geek. But plenty of normal, employed, fully functioning adults have fantasy football teams. I, of course, have both and long ago made my peace with being an abnormal, semi-functioning sports geek.

For every season ...
Part of America's majesty is its incredible range of physical beauty. From snow-capped purple mountains to sun-dappled painted deserts, there's a postcard off the next exit. Like in New England, where lush green yields to a spectacular explosion of colors in a couple of months before settling into a winter wonderland for, oh, about six months. Which brings us to the fact that you can't play baseball in much of the country for much of the year.
Baseball is a summer sport, but its most important games are often played in near-wintry conditions with Joe Buck starting the broadcast by informing us what the wind-chill factor is.
Football is an all-weather, all-terrain sport that has the versatility to be played in withering heat and in sub-zero temperatures. Rain, sleet, snow, 59 below? Bring it.
Baseball just had a game end in a tie because it was raining.

Tailgating
Sure, we are smack dab in the middle of baseball season and football training camp hasn't begun yet, but as you wash down those sausages and peppers with a cold beer, just think how happy you'd be if it were merely a prelude to three hours of full-contact tackle football.
There's a certain thrill piling into a subway with your fellow fans on the Green Line to Fenway or the No. 4 to Yankee Stadium or the El to Wrigley. But it's just not quite as American as dropping the tailgate on the F-250, throwing some red meat on the grill and popping open an ice gold Anheuser-Busch product, now is it?

Athleticism
Forget for a second that America has become a sedentary culture of video games and reality TV voyeurism. Think instead of our long line of 100-meter champions, swimming gold medalists and boxing greats. The United States has consistently produced the greatest athletes in the world. Nowhere is this more true than on the football field.
It's long been accepted that the hardest thing to do in all sports is hit a round ball (going 90 miles per hour) with a round bat squarely. But the fact is Terrell Owens would eventually make solid contact with a Major League fastball while no big leaguer could ever do what Owens did in the Super Bowl. NFL running backs, wide receivers, linebackers and defensive backs have a combination of strength and speed that boggles the mind. Baseball has David Wells, who, in his own way, boggles the mind — like when he lost a footrace to first base with lead-footed Jim Thome last week.

Coaching
In America, we are taught that through hard work and smarts we can accomplish anything. (At least I think that's what we were taught, I was pretty foggy on a lot of Tuesdays as a schoolboy after staying up to watch Monday Night Football.)
Football has a long history of actual geniuses patrolling the sidelines, most notably Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. These brilliant minds studied their sport and found ways to revolutionize it. Walsh turned the game upside down and made the passing game — long considered high risk — the most efficient way to maintain possession.
Parcells was the first coach to understand that special teams were fully one-third of the game and he won championships by discovering talent like punt-coverage specialist Reyna Thompson and return man Dave Meggett.
Belichick has created a system that expands the limits of the 45-man roster by stressing versatility. He has found linebackers who can become down linemen, safeties who can play corner and one very special wide receiver who can play nickelback. Other coaches must feel like they're up against 55-man rosters.
Baseball gave us Grady Little. When my mom — and every other mom in New England — was screaming at Grady to lift Pedro after seven but he just froze, well, you get the feeling ol' Grady would be a little overwhelmed by the particulars of a hot read against a zone blitz.
The fact is managing a baseball team is easy. Hit-and-run, lefty-lefty, infield in, intentional walk to set up the double play. Most of the decisions are fairly obvious and all can be made at a leisurely pace. Coaching football is nearly impossible with hundreds of options on each snap and each decision needing to be made with the play clock winding down. A baseball manager and his staff could stay at the office until 5 a.m., but they'd better bring a deck of cards because there just aren't that many contingencies to prepare for. (Though they still manage to get confused.)

Nationalism
The simplest reason football has replaced baseball as the national pastime is nationalism.
Except for the occasional kicker, American football is played by Americans. Big ol' linemen from the corn belt, speed merchants from Florida and Texas and quarterbacks from Pennsylvania.
Not so with baseball.
It may be called the American League, but a quick look at the AL All-Star starters and you'll see nearly half the team is from the Dominican Republic. No other country has adopted American football as its national pastime. But Japan, Cuba and the Dominican are all more wild about baseball than America.
That the United States has long been an underdog in Olympic baseball has been explained away because we have been sending our amateurs. But now it is hard to imagine a team of U.S. professionals being favored against the Dominicans.
The worst team in the NFL, meanwhile, would crush the best football team the rest of the world could put together.

Kevin Hench / FOXSports.com

2005-06-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Lynch, Edwards retain friendship despite distance

The nature of pro football often causes change -- seldom do players or coaches in the NFL remain in one place for an entire career.

That's why safety John Lynch cherished his six years with Herman Edwards, his defensive backfield coach in Tampa Bay.

Each has moved on. Edwards is the New York Jets head coach and Lynch is in Denver, where he is set to begin his 13th season in the NFL as one of league's premier safeties.

Yet, their bond remains as strong as ever.

Lynch, who was at CSU-Monterey Bay on Tuesday for the 10th Herman Edwards Football Camp, still hears his mentor's voice in his head before a kickoff -- even if they're separated by thousands of miles during the season.

"We had a tradition before each game where we hugged before the opening kickoff," Lynch said. "He has so many lines. He used to say, 'You're special.' I have them all in my head."

Edwards echoed similar sentiments.

"I miss the conversations we had on the sidelines," Edwards said. "I've built a similar bound with Chad (Pennington) in New York. But it's different. John was my coach on the field. Chad has an offensive coordinator always in his ear. I can't talk to him as much."

The godfather to Edwards' son Marcus, Lynch has become a regular at the camp, attending his sixth this year.

Clarence Love, a former camper now helping instruct, reminded Lynch that he signed his T-shirt when he was in the camp a few years back.

"There are a lot of familiar faces," said Lynch.

Among those is Edwards.

"He's more like a son to me," Edwards said. "I look at him and see a little of me when I was a player. They all said he was too slow. People don't always measure a man's heart. All he needed was an opportunity. He was my leader on defense in Tampa."

Lynch has continued to be a leader. In his first season in Denver last year, he was named the defensive team captain. And he earned another trip to the Pro Bowl.

Still, there are things about Edwards that Lynch misses dearly.

"I miss his energy, the character of the person that he is," Lynch said. "He's such a role model. He's incredibly driven. But he has a clear mind and direction. He has his priorities straight."

Despite a mini-camp slated to start today in Denver, Lynch still stuck around until the last minute, signing autographs and working with youths before boarding a plane to Colorado

Lynch was an immediate hit in his first year with the Broncos. Saying he felt like a rookie again, he finished among the team leaders in tackles (65).

"It was a great challenge," Lynch said. "I had been in Tampa for 11 years. It shakes you out of your comfort zone. It challenges your leadership skills."

That wasn't the only challenge Lynch was facing.

This time last year, Lynch wasn't sure about his future. A neck injury during his final season in Tampa had put his career in jeopardy.

Lynch said a handful of specialists recommended that he call it quits. One year after helping Tampa to its first Super Bowl title, he wasn't offered a contract.

"I was worried," Lynch said. "When there is something wrong with your neck, your worst fears come out. I feared the game might be taken away from me. Fortunately we found doctors that believed it could be fixed. It made me appreciate the game that much more."

Lynch choose not to tell the 800 youth at the camp his story during a speech.

"I was a kid once," Lynch said. "You don't want to talk too long. Kids want to play."

Yet, the kids were quiet as he spoke. His words about the love of the game and the importance of surrounding yourself with solid people seemed to hit home.

"Be careful with the friends you choose," Lynch told the players. "It's not brain surgery to be successful in life. You can't be afraid to fall, otherwise you'll never try."

It's easy to see why Lynch and Edwards have formed a bond.

Edwards stresses at the end of the day that the most important thing is to have fun. Lynch always seems to have a big smile on his face.

"I don't feel like I've worked a day in my life," said Lynch, who has 24 career interceptions.

As much as Lynch has embraced the community, he says he has received the same support back. He spent Tuesday working with high school coaches and collegiate players helping with the camp.

"It fires me up to see 800 kids excited about playing football," Lynch said. "Being around Herman fires me up. I'm ready to put the pads on now."

By JOHN DEVINE

Herald Staff Writer

Nfl Football Rumor

2005-06-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Nfl Football Rumor
MANY STANDOUT ATHLETES IN CANALE-MELLEKAS CONNECTION

OSWEGO - The Canale family of Oswego and the Mellekas family of Rhode Island have a family tree with many athletic branches.
The latest to achieve athletic success is Jimmy Canale. He is the son of Gregory and Zinovia (Mellekas) Canale of Portsmouth, R.I., and the grandson of John M. Canale of Oswego.
Jimmy just completed his senior year at Portsmouth High School. He gained a reputation as a tough and determined lineman for the football team. He also won one of two sportsmanship trophies awarded after the annual Portsmouth-Middletown Thanksgiving game, won by Portsmouth 34-12. He was named the team's Most Improved Player, and has also been honored in hockey and baseball.
Jimmy will attend Fairfield University this fall.
Jimmy's brother John G. Canale starred in football at Portsmouth High School, and is presently attending Quinnipiac College. A dean's list student and a journalism major, he just completed his sophomore year.
Another brother, Christopher, has participated in T-Ball, baseball, football, and karate.
Jimmy's father Gregory J. Canale, a 1971 Oswego High School graduate, played varsity basketball and JV baseball.
Jimmy's grandfather John M. Canale is a 1941 graduate of Oswego High School. He played for the Buc baseball team coached by David E. Powers which won the 4A League title in 1941. He later played basketball, baseball, and soccer under legendary Oswego State coach Max Ziel, playing college varsity sports as a 17-year-old freshman. He went on to teach and coach baseball and basketball. He also served as an Oswego School District central office administrator for 21 years in attendance, census, pupil accounting, and transportation.
Jimmy's uncle Michael J. Canale was a an outstanding pitcher at St. Lawrence University, and later played semi-pro baseball with the Markson's team. His brother Ben was an OHS basketball standout.
Jimmy also has a rich athletic background on his mother's side of the family. He is the great-nephew of former University of Arizona and NFL football star John Mellekas. Mellekas played NFL football for the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and Philadelphia Eagles. He played in the 1956 NFL championship game. John Mellekas, of Newport, R.I., was also an all-state high school basketball player.
Jimmy's uncle Steve Mellekas played for the Rogers High School team which won the state football championship, and went on to play college football at the University of Rhode Island. Another uncle, Gregory Mellekas, competed on the football, basketball, and track teams in high school. Steve and Gregory Mellekas now run a diner in Newport, R.I.
Jimmy's grandfather, Jim Mellekas, was also a good football player in high school.