Nfl Football - Football Betting

2005-11-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

When push comes to shove, the Patriots have proven they can rough up Colts
By Michael Felger/ Patriots Beat
Monday, November 7, 2005 - Updated: 07:17 AM EST

FOXBORO – So how do the Patriots do it THIS time?
Yet again, the Indianapolis Colts are coming into Foxboro as a seemingly unstoppable machine. They’re healthy. They’re balanced. They’re undefeated. --football gambling--

The Patriots are hurting on both sides of the ball and are battling an inconsistency rarely seen under Bill Belichick. Their defense can’t seem to stop anybody, never mind the most prolific offense of this generation. --football gambling--

You look at some of the individual matchups – Dwight Freeney vs. Nick Kaczur, Marvin Harrison vs. Duane Starks – and you wonder how the Pats can stay within three touchdowns of the Colts. And maybe they won’t. --football gambling--

But history tells a different story. The Pats have been here before, and just about every time they’ve defied the experts and handed the Colts a devastating loss. In 2001, the Pats were reeling at 0-2 and the Colts came to Foxboro having won their first two games with 87 points of offense. The result: Patriots, 44-10. This marked Tom Brady’s first start, but the game was won on the strength of a dominating defense (remember Bryan Cox’ hit on Jerome Pathon?). --football gambling--

In 2003, the Pats went into Indy to face the 9-2 Colts. The conditions were decidedly in the Colts’ favor – inside, on the carpet, with a full house of support. The result: Patriots, 38-34. Once again, defense was the key with a goal-line stand saving the day for the Pats. --football gambling--

In the 2003 AFC title game, the Colts came into Foxboro having outscored their opponents 79-41 over the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Pats were coming off a hard-fought, 17-14 squeaker over Tennessee. The result: Patriots, 24-14. Manning was intercepted four times. --football gambling--

In the 2004 divisional round, the Colts once again traveled to Foxboro having put up a huge number the week before with their 49-24 rout of Denver. The Pats were without Ty Law and Richard Seymour. The result: Patriots, 20-3. --football gambling--

In all, the Pats have won their last six games against Manning and the Colts and are 7-1 against them in the Belichick era. Manning, as we all know, has never won in Foxboro (0-6).--football gambling--

What’s the secret? At the end of the day, the answer is as old as football itself: The Patriots have been more physical. --football gambling--

The dome-dwelling, high-flying Colts don’t play that brand of football, and by muscling their receivers, the Pats have thrown Manning out of his rhythm and created turnovers. In the last four meetings between the teams, the Pats have 13 takeaways (seven interceptions, six mbles). --football gambling--

“The (Colts) don’t like it,” said former Pats linebacker Ted Johnson recently. “I remember the AFC title game, they were done in the second quarter. They were done and they knew it. (Tight end Marcus) Pollard (now with Detroit) didn’t want to be out there, that field was a sandbox and they knew we were bringing it. And they couldn’t take it. They don’t like it – at all.” --football gambling--

Much has been made of Belichick’s ability to confuse Manning, but Johnson said that aspect of the matchup has been overrated. He said the key has been the Pats’ ability to chuck the Colts receivers at the line and force Manning to hold the ball an extra second. “Stop the run with the front seven and kick the crap out of their receivers,” said Johnson, simplifying the game plan to its barest element. --football gambling--

The problem for the Pats is that they’ve lost much of their physical presence in the secondary with Ty Law’s departure and Rodney Harrison’s season-ending knee injury. Starks has said he doesn’t like to play physical, which is an attitude that has to change tonight. The physical element will get a boost if Randall Gay can return from the injured ranks. --football gambling--

The Pats also have another bit of history on their side: they’ve always been a better team in November and December than September and October. Since 2001, the Pats have lost just five games after Nov. 1, compiling an off-the-charts record of 39-5 (.886).--football gambling--

Also lost in the Manning vs. Belichick dynamic is the fact that Tom Brady has routinely torched the Colts secondary, with the Pats averaging 31.8 points per game against Indy since 2001.
But, again, most matchups favor the Colts by a healthy margin. --football gambling--
It seems the only way the Pats can win tonight is if they get tough and force the Colts to screw it up. It’s happened before.--football gambling--

2005-10-31T13:46:00.000-08:00

Patriots Avoid Date With Grim Reaper
By: Kevin Rousseau

During the middle of the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Bills, I was beginning to form my column around the writing of an obituary for the 2005 New England Patriots. But before I could make a few phone calls to check on the availability of a hall for a reception following the funeral, the patient came back from the beyond and gained a second life with an inspiring seven minutes of football. -NFL Football-

The obituary would have read something to the effect of “Due to an inability to make any game-turning plays, injuries and a lack of discipline, the 2005 New England Patriots will be playing through the motions on their way to an 8-8 finish.” -NFL Football-

Instead, perhaps the 21-16 win will be the wake up call the Patriots need to finally hit their stride this season. And it couldn’t have come at a better time with the Colts coming to town next Monday night. -NFL Football-

For the first three and a half quarters of the game, the Pats defense showed about as much resistance as yellow police crime scene tape. Frankly, the only reason this game wasn’t over by halftime was the ineptness of the Bills to capitalize on a staggering 23 minutes to 7 minutes time-of-possession advantage up until that point. -NFL Football-

My notice for the 2005 Patriots would have also mentioned how the Patriots completely botched a field goal attempt at the end of the half that would have tied the game at 3-3 heading into the locker room. With a timeout still in hand and the clock running down, the Pats uncharacteristically were called for a delay of the game call that negated a successful field goal attempt. I don’t have to tell you what happened on the retry. -NFL Football-

I would have also mentioned that going through life in the NFL with the kind of secondary that made Kelly Holcomb look like Joe Montana is a quick way to finish out of the playoff picture. The soft coverage and lack of decent tackling gave the Bills all the chances they could have asked for in the initial 53 minutes of the 60 minute contest. -NFL Football-

Yet seconds before I would have hit the “send” key on such a morbid tale, the Patriots team that we have come to know over the last few years decided to make an appearance. It started with a Rosevelt Colvin ball strip out of Holcomb’s hands deep in Buffalo territory that was quickly turned into six points. What a noble concept, folks; points off turnovers. Just like they draw it up. -NFL Football-

Mix in a few Tom Brady to Deion Branch bombs and - voila - you’re on your way to a 21-16 lead with just a few minutes to play. -NFL Football-

And perhaps even more refreshing than the offense’s levitation was the way the defense made a stop when it absolutely had to on the ensuing Buffalo drive. -NFL Football-

And that brings us to #54, kids. -NFL Football-

Even though the bar isn’t set that high for the honor, one could make the case that Tedy Bruschi was the most effective player on the Patriots defensive squad on Sunday night, a remarkable feat given the road he has traveled to this point. He was always around the ball and plugged many of Buffalo’s running lanes. Remarkably, a post-stroke Bruschi easily outperforms a perfectly healthy Monty Beilsel in the middle of the defense right now. Brushchi is also a calming influence in an otherwise stormy situation. Does he make everyone around him better? Perhaps. -NFL Football-

But unless he can suddenly learn to be an effective cornerback or strong safety, it won’t make much of a difference against the Colts this coming Monday night. -NFL Football-

Right now, it’s difficult to make a convincing argument that Pats are going to beat the Colts in their Ali/Frazier-style tilt. Only the most naive Patriots fan would think that Peyton Manning isn’t going to shred up that secondary. -NFL Football-

The only way the Patriots are going to be able to win this game will be to win in a shootout. But that would require four quarters of consistent football from an offense that so far hasn’t demonstrated the consistent ability to do so. Sorry. It’s the truth. -NFL Football-

Perhaps it’s a bit of a stretch to say that the season was saved on Sunday night. It was only week eight for goodness sake. But if the Pats came in off a bye, lost to a crummy Bills team and then dropped to 3-5 after putting up a stinker against the Colts, it would have been too far of a hole for anyone to climb out of; even these Patriots. -NFL Football-

At least for now, the reports of the 2005 Patriots demise have been a bit premature. -NFL Football-

Bring on the hype of Peyton and the Colts. -NFL Football-

Idle Zinger thoughts while thinking of going with a Richard Marx-style hairdo the next time I go into Duke’s Rotary Barbershop in Augusta: -NFL Football-

First off, from the Shameless Self-Promotion Department: If you live in the Portland television market, be sure to check out “Pats Game Day” at 8 p.m. next Monday night before the big Colts game. Along with former NFL player Ed McAleney, I will be on the program giving my analysis and commentary. Check it out. -NFL Football-

Oh, if I had a nickel for every time Drew Bledsoe threw down his hands and scowled after a near miss or ill-timed interception, my kids’ college fund would almost be endowed. And this comes from the former Maine chapter president of the Drew Bledsoe Apologist Club. -NFL Football-

Is it me or does Denver Head Coach Mike Shanahan always roam the sidelines as if he is searching for someone to punch. -NFL Football-

News item: A fan won $1 million after kicking a 50-yard field goal during halftime of a recent CFL game. He was subsequently given a tryout with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In a related matter, the Arizona Cardinals will now scout local youth Punt, Pass and Kick competitions to help plug in some holes. -NFL Football-

The Houston Texans are on the clock… -NFL Football-

Have an appointment with my optometrist in a few weeks. Thinking about going with some Bob Griese circa 1974 spectacles. -NFL Football-

After finishing a copy of Mad magazine the other night, I snuggled up with Historic New England and discovered an interesting tidbit. Did you know that the first football club in the United States was the Oneida Football Club from Boston? The group was formed in 1863 and “took on all comers” on the Boston Common. One could make a historical argument that thanks in large part to Oneida and the Harvard-Yale matchups that commenced in 1875 that New England is the birthplace of modern American football. -NFL Football-

This column also appears in the American Journal (Westbrook/Gorham, Maine), the Current (Scarborough/Cape Elizabeth/South Portland, Maine), the Lakes Region Suburban Weekly (Windham/Naples, Maine), the Citizen (Sacopee Valley, Maine), the Reporter (Waterboro/Hollis, Maine), the Sun Chronicle (Saco/Old Orchard Beach, Maine), and online at VillageSoup.com (Belfast, Camden, Rockland, Maine).

2005-10-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

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Seattle
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It hasn’t taken long to convince the Seahawks they made out like bandits with their second-round draft pick for the second straight season. --- nfl ---
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Following in the footsteps of SS Michael Boulware, the team’s instant-impact No. 2 pick last season, Lofa Tatupu has improved steadily each week as the team’s starting middle linebacker and is making a case for staying on the field in passing situations as a nickel linebacker after excelling in that role in place of an injured D.D. Lewis in the Week Five win over the Rams. --- nfl ---
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Tatupu has done a solid job handling defensive signals, and his attitude and leadership ability have drawn rave reviews. After the Rams returned the opening kickoff for a TD in Week Five, Tatupu was dead serious when he offered his services on kickoff coverage to special-teams coach Bob Casullo. Tatupu isn’t the only rookie linebacker making his presence felt for the Seahawks.--- nfl ---
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Third-round pick Leroy Hill continues to close in on Lewis for the starting WLB job. With his natural pass-rush ability, our sources believe Hill has quickly become the team’s most disruptive force at the LB position since Chad Brown when Brown was healthy.--- nfl ---
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2005-10-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

Dave Albee: Smith's progress softens blow of loss

SAN FRANCISCO

UNLESS YOU HAD Peyton Manning or Marvin Harrison on your NFL fantasy football team, it wasn't such a bad day at Candlestick yesterday. - NFL Football -

The 49ers, even though their wide receivers combined for only one catch, managed to score on the 28th anniversary of the last time they failed to score in a home game. And their best offensive weapon was an onside kick, which really did thrill 49ers fans. And the 49ers makeshift defense held Manning, Harrison and the Colts to one offensive touchdown for the first three quarters.

So 49ers rookie No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith had a quarterback rating (8.5) lower than Brady (Greg, not Tom). And Smith was intercepted more than protesters at a police line. And Smith's favorite target was Cato June, a linebacker, who caught two Smith passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. - NFL Football -

The point is, it could have been worse for the 49ers and Smith. They get a week off with pay to recuperate.

For his first NFL start, the 49ers put Smith behind a battered and beaten

offensive line with a flimsy running game and made him face an undefeated team with a defense that has given up only one offensive touchdown in the first five games. He threw four interceptions, as many as he threw in two years at the University of Utah.

"It seemed so unique that they (the Colts) can sit there and play (the defensive scheme) cover two most of the game and drop seven, drop eight (into pass coverage) and still get a pass rush," Smith said. - NFL Football -

Thus, Smith's NFL regular-season debut should be graded on a curve because the 49ers offensive line left an Indianapolis 500 straightaway for Colts defenders to get to him.

For example, after Smith neatly engineered a 49ers drive to a first down at the Indy 36-yard line in the first quarter, his protection broke down like a Ford Pinto. It wasn't just one guy getting through all the time. - NFL Football -

On the next three plays, the 49ers quarterback was knocked on his back by Colts tackle Corey Smith on an incomplete pass, knocked on his back by Colts tackle Larry Triplett on an incomplete pass and might have been knocked on his back by Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney had 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Clement not held Freeney before Smith threw an incomplete pass.

On the next two plays that Smith didn't hand off the ball, he was tackled by Colts defensive end Robert Mathis attempting a quarterback sweep then Mathis sacked Smith attempting to pass on the next down. - NFL Football -

Then things got worse for Smith.

June intercepted a Smith pass and returned it for a touchdown. The pass was intended for 49ers wide receiver Brandon Lloyd but it appeared his teammate, Otis Amey, ran the wrong route and June, who was covering him, drifted into the passing lane in zone coverage.

"I expected a different look than we got. On third down, I was trying to make something happen," Smith said.

On the 49ers next series, Triplett and Colts tackle Montae Reagor were on top of Smith before he had a chance to step into the throw - which was intercepted.

Then, on the 49ers next series, Smith rolled left to avoid the Indy pass rush yet left end Raheem Brock chased him across the field and teamed with Mathis to smother Smith as he unloaded another pass - which was intercepted. - NFL Football -

The 49ers drafted Smith No. 1 overall because they felt he was a great decision maker. But behind a much maligned and injured 49ers offensive line, the only decision Smith seems capable of making right now is whether to run, duck or contact Lloyd's of London.

"Having three-step drops and not really having time to throw the ball to get to his reads, that's tough for a quarterback," said June, who intercepted Smith twice. "When you've got D-linemen in your face all game, it's tough to make big plays." - NFL Football -

That's what Peyton Manning is supposed to do and why everyone and his frat brother was told to play Manning on their fantasy football team yesterday. Play him as sure as you play the national anthem before a game. Play him as long as "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The Colts quarterback was supposed to cut through the 49ers secondary yesterday like the Blue Angels through the Bay Area sky. - NFL Football -

Well, Manning had one TD toss and passed for only 255 yards against a secondary that had been yielding almost 400. The Colts QB had two of his passes picked off, too. This wasn't his best day.

Besides, the NFL's reigning MVP threw three interceptions in his first NFL start in 1998 so Smith can take away from yesterday's game that things are not always as bad as they might appear.

"My biggest thing is to look at the guys who have been through it before," Smith said. "Peyton set a rookie record for interceptions (28) and he came out the other side of the tunnel and he was better for it."

Smith somehow found something good to come out of 25-point loss where he completed only 9-of-23 passes for 74 yards. Following the game, Manning went out of his way to meet Smith at midfield, as did Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy. - NFL Football -

"I coached against John Elway in his first game and it was very similar," Dungy said. "You can't judge anyone by their first game."

The bottom line is Smith made rookie mistakes and that should be expected. He will learn when to take sacks. He will learn when to throw the ball away. He will learn not to lock onto one receiver. - NFL Football -

Smith will play lesser teams than the Colts and learn how to win.

"I don't regret anything. I'm kind of happy it happened this way," Smith said. "It's going to make me all the better for it in the future and down the road."

2005-10-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

McNair returns to Titans practice
NFL.com wire reports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 29, 2005) -- Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair practiced, but did not take part in all drills as he recovers from a sore right foot.

McNair said he didn't even notice that his right foot had been stepped on in last week's 31-27 loss to St. Louis until halftime. But he said he felt good. - NFL Football -

"I just wanted to rest it for a day. I came out there, did something today and felt pretty good. Tomorrow I'll do more, probably all the team (drills). I just wanted to rest. I didn't want to take a chance of going out and getting it even more sore," McNair said. - NFL Football -

The Titans added defensive end Travis LaBoy to the injury report as questionable with a groin injury. Coach Jeff Fisher said LaBoy strained his groin during practice Sept. 28.

But receiver Drew Bennett, who missed practice Sept. 28, was back on the field the next day with his sore foot. - NFL Football -

Linebacker Peter Sirmon (right knee) and defensive end Albert Haynesworth (left knee) did not practice. Fisher said Haynesworth, who sprained his knee on Sept. 18 against Baltimore and missed last week's loss at St. Louis, has enough experience that he could play without practicing.

2005-09-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Ten players fined for Monday night melee

drawing the biggest fine -- $7,500 -- for a hit on NEW YORK (Sept. 15, 2005) -- Nine players were fined for their roles in a fight before Monday night's game between the Eagles and Falcons, with Atlanta defensive tackle Chad LavalaisDonovan McNabb during the game.

Lavalais was fined for using his helmet on McNabb, who hurt his chest on the play. McNabb is questionable for Philadelphia's game Sunday against San Francisco because of the injury.

For the pregame fight, which resulted in Falcons cornerback Kevin Mathis and Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter being ejected before kickoff, both players got $5,000 fines. Also receiving a $5,000 hit was cornerback DeAngelo Hall for unsportsmanlike conduct for grabbing an opponent's facemask and then throwing the opponent's helmet.

Three Falcons were fined $2,500 for entering a fight area, which made them active participants: safety Keion Carpenter, cornerback-kick returner Allen Rossum and safety Kevin McCadam.

Along with Trotter, the three Eagles fined for entering a fight area were linebackers Keith Adams, Jason Short and Mike Labinjo.

During warmups, Trotter apparently pushed Mathis, who responded with a punch. Hall also appeared to throw a punch. Then everyone got into it, forcing the officials to intervene.

Trotter and Mathis were ejected after the officials peered into the replay monitor, which is normally used to rectify disputed calls during the game. This time, it helped determine who started the fight and which players were involved.

Moments later, another brawl nearly broke out. As the Atlanta players were trotting back to the locker room, they noticed the Eagles gathering on the Falcons logo in the middle of the field.

The Falcons ran en masse back to the 50-yard line and fought for position with the Eagles, forcing the officials to separate the teams again. No punches were thrown, and both teams went off slowly in opposite directions to their respective locker rooms.

2005-09-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Culpepper glad to shed weight of NFL lineman

By David Whitley
THE ORLANDO SENTINEL

TAMPA - A police officer pulled over Brad Culpepper's car a while back and couldn't believe what he found inside.

Was it really Brad Culpepper?

"Are you the football player?" the cop asked.

It was, only he didn't exactly match the picture of the guy on the drivers license. Forget the faulty headlight, should the cop arrest somebody for stealing about one-third of Culpepper's body?

Wherever it went, a lot of other ex-football players would be smart to follow.

Most people remember the former Leon player as Warren Sapp's sidekick on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive line. He was 280 pounds of beef and bravado.

These days, he operates out of an eighth-floor office with a great view of Tampa. Culpepper is a lawyer for Morgan & Morgan, the ubiquitous personal injury law firm. Clients see the old magazine covers and action photos on the wall, and say that can't be the same chiseled guy in front of them.

"They're astonished," Culpepper said.

He retired from the NFL four years ago, then retired 80 pounds in eight months. Culpepper didn't get sick. He got smart.

"It's not how much money you make," he said. "It's who lives the longest."

That realization slowly is hitting his previous profession. The death of San Francisco lineman Thomas Herrion three weeks ago fired up the obesity debate.

Are football players super-sizing themselves to death? A certain smooth-faced attorney has become Exhibit A in the debate.

The 36-year-old Culpepper spent almost a decade gorging his way through the NFL. He didn't want to. He had to in order to keep up with the inflating bodies around him.

The same ones that statistics show are liable to develop heart disease, diabetes and be dead before they turn 53. While the players are burying themselves in Big Macs, the NFL is burying its head in the sand.

At all levels of football these days, bigger is better. The NFL acknowledges there's a hugeness issue but says it needs more study. The league's medical expert was even on ESPN last week saying we need to define "obesity."

How about when a guy looks like he just ate Orson Welles?

"These are grown men. If they want to retire and weigh 400 pounds, that's their choice," Culpepper said. "Roll over and be dead. But I think it's sad."

Fifteen years ago, 39 players on NFL rosters exceeded 300 pounds. At the start of training camps this year, there were 552.

There have always been behemoths, but even football players aren't naturally designed to weigh as much as the average Subaru. That usually leads to one assumption.

There are steroids in the tank.

"I dabbled a little bit in college," said Culpepper, who graduated from Florida in 1992. "But by me saying that, I swear to God, I never did it in the NFL. You can't."

It's not that players wouldn't because some obviously do. But Culpepper said the NFL's policy dissuades most players from trying to juice up.

Testing personnel used to knock on his door at 6 a.m. to collect a sample. It always would come back negative for steroids. If there were penalties for cholesterol levels, however, Culpepper would have been kicked out of the league.

His daily regimen was big breakfast, midmorning snack, lunch, midafternoon snack, home for dinner. Then before bed, "I'd run for the border," he said. A few tacos or a Wendy's double would serve as a nightcap. Culpepper was lucky to play in a Tony Dungy defense, which stressed quickness over size. That changed when he went to the Chicago Bears, who had Friday night weigh-ins.

"They thought you might be too light if you were playing a big team," Culpepper said.

He was supposed to be at least 275. He missed it once and had to sit out. Incensed, Culpepper started showing up at weigh-ins with a couple of 5-pound weights hidden in his underwear.

"I had to wear a T-shirt to hide the bulge in my pants," he said.

Culpepper played the last 10 games of the season, all of them without the weights in his jockstrap. Then he retired, never intending to become two-thirds the man he used to be.

The first 30 or so pounds just evaporated. Then he started running and eating a more healthy diet. Before he knew it, he was under 200 pounds, his waist size had gone from 42 to 33, and he was running a marathon.

The downside is Culpepper had to toss out two full wardrobes. The upside is he no longer needs two Excedrin PMs to sleep at night, his arthritic left knee doesn't constantly ache and he enjoys that forgotten feeling of actually being hungry.

Oh yeah, he should also live long enough to at least see his three kids graduate from college.

Herrion never will. There's no indication what killed him,, but he was listed at 315 pounds and probably weighed at least 15 pounds more.

The issue only is going to grow because it hardly starts in the NFL. Teenagers hardly can get recruited to college nowadays unless they weigh 280 pounds.

"Maybe it's totally unrelated to the size issue, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody dropped dead in the middle of a game," Culpepper said. "Especially with the heat. Your heart can only pump so much stuff."

Even if nobody drops dead, you don't have to be Jenny Craig to know obesity leads to long-term problems. The NFL should at least educate the players on the risks.

"They're still convincing guys that they're fit at 340 pounds," Culpepper said.

They think they're just running for the border.

In reality, they're running for the coroner.

2005-09-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for some football? TV sure is

For people who simply cannot get enough of the NFL, there are two options -- the NFL Sunday Ticket "SuperFan" package on DirecTV and NFL Network "On Demand" through Comcast digital cable -- that should go a long way in satisfying the thirst for highlights and stats, everything from A (Atlanta Falcons) to Z (Miami defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina).

One of the main attractions of the NFL Network "On Demand" feature is a four-letter word: free. Comcast digital-cable subscribers don't have to pay anything more to receive the NFL Network programming.

That programming ranges from market-specific offerings (in the Bay Area, that means 49ers and Raiders fare) to shows with league-wide appeal.

For the fan interested in 32 teams, the offering that most likely will get his or her attention is "Weekly Replay." Scheduled to be available at 12:01 a.m. Mondays, "Weekly Replay" provides about 12 minutes of highlights of each Sunday game (and, as the schedule dictates, games played Thursday and/or Saturday).

For the fan who filters things through either red-and-gold or silver-and-black glasses, there is "Local Replay," which will have highlights of each 49ers and Raiders game available throughout the season. In other words, if in late November you want to review the Raiders-Patriots opener, you can access clips of that game on "Local Replay."

As of Saturday, the NFL Network "On Demand" page for a San Francisco digital-cable customer listed three sections: 1) 2005 NFL Preview, which had season-preview features of 3-4 minutes for every team; 2) NFL Network Xtra, which had programming ranging from NFL Network's signature show, "NFL Total Access," to a three-part series on the Miami Dolphins' cheerleaders; and 3) Local Zone, which one would assume is where the 49ers' and Raiders' "Local Replay" editions will be found.

Local Zone also provides NFL Films shows featuring the Bay Area teams. The three offerings available Saturday: the highlight film of the 1976 Patriots-Raiders playoff game, the highlight film of the 1977 Raiders-Colts "Ghost to the Post" playoff game and a highlight film of a November 1985 Broncos-Raiders matchup listed as "DEN vs. OAK."

Those three offerings indicated two "lacks" in Local Zone at that point: one, programming about the 49ers and two, a sense of history. That's because a 1985 Broncos-Raiders game should be listed as "DEN vs. L.A." Or, more accurately, it shouldn't be offered in a Bay Area Local Zone.

In any event, DirecTV subscribers who purchase the NFL Sunday Ticket package (access to all the morning and afternoon Sunday telecasts costs $280 for the season) can acquire the "SuperFan" upgrade for an additional $99.

One key component of the "SuperFan" tier is called "Game Mix," which provides a checkerboard-like screen with eight telecasts. Customers who have interactive receivers can click on one of the eight telecasts to get that game full-screen, then can click back to the eight-telecast checkerboard.

Another intriguing feature of the "SuperFan" option is the "Red Zone Channel," which provides highlights throughout the day and switches to possibly dramatic moments in various games. One drawback, though, is only Fox games get the "Red Zone" treatment; CBS games aren't part of the deal.

"SuperFan" customers also receive "Short Cuts" on Mondays and Tuesdays. These are versions of entire games; with almost all non-action trimmed, the "Short Cuts" last 20-30 minutes.

So, say, on Dec. 19, the "Short Cuts" version of the 49ers-Jaguars game could have everything from A (49ers defensive tackle Anthony Adams) to Z (Jacksonville long-snapper Joe Zelenka) in 25 minutes.

Briefly: Blackout restrictions still apply to Sunday Ticket subscribers; in other words, if a Raiders game is blacked out in the Bay Area, Sunday Ticket subscribers won't see it, either. ... The Monday news conferences of Raiders head coach Norv Turner and 49ers head coach Mike Nolan will get live TV coverage this season. At noon, Comcast SportsNet (digital-cable Channel 400 in the Bay Area) has Turner's conference from Alameda. At 12:30 p.m., KBHK (Channel 44) airs Nolan's conference from Santa Clara.

2005-08-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

Virginia has plenty in football

JOHN MARKON

POINT OF VIEW

The sports editors of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution chose to celebrate the imminent arrival of autumn with a list of "50 Things We Love" about collegefootball in the South. It sounded like a promising idea until research revealed that only one of the 50 things -- the annual "Silver Shako" game between Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel -- was in any way related to Virginia.

Either the Atlantans have somehow excised our state from "the South" or they just don't think the commonwealth has too much to offer on Saturday afternoons.

Whichever way you approach it, they're wrong. While I contemplated compiling "50 Reasons Why Spending a Day in Atlanta Always Seems Like a Week to Me," I compromised on a list of 10 things I've always loved about collegefootball in the Old Dominion:

Rivalries Without Enmity: In Virginia, we leave to others the idea that despising your opponent is the essential ingredient in anyfootball rivalry. Most of the state's great old games Richmond vs. William and Mary, Randolph-Macon vs. Hampden-Sydney, Virginia Union vs. Virginia State, Norfolk State vs. Hampton, VMI vs. The Citadel, etc. -- are played with an underlying, Army-Navy sense of ultimate brotherhood. At the final gun, players hug each other rather than slug each other.

Real rivalry: If you actually prefer fans who revel in each other's misery, there's always the Virginia-Virginia Tech game.

'Glory Days' Coaches: Every college has an iconic figure who'll always be recognized as the best man ever to blow the Big Whistle at that particular school. Think: Knute Rockne at Notre Dame, Bear Bryant at Alabama, Red Blaik at Army, John McKay at Southern Cal, etc.

Two of these "best ever" guys are currently active in Virginia, Frank Beamer at Tech and Jimmye Laycock at W&M. James Madison's program is relatively young, but Mickey Matthews has a national title in his pocket and could be considered a third. When the Glory Days are now, it's a good time to be alive.

Nicknames: What's a Hokie? Who's a Hoo? Why are they the "Key"-dets? With all the insects in the world to choose from, why did they pick Spiders? Singular, colorful nicknames dominate Virginiafootball.

"From the blue waters of the Chesapeake Bay to the hills of Tennessee, the Virginia Tech Hokies are on the air": Bill Roth's tenure as the radio voice of Techfootball roughly parallels Beamer's, thus coinciding with the school finally gaining the athletic identity many fans and grads had awaited for decades. Roth's signature opening line means far more to most Hokies then just the start of another game.

Old Grads at Scott Stadium: From the early 1950s through the early 1980s, U.Va. football was caught in an internal tug-of-war. There were always loyalists who felt the school could pursue excellence in football without compromising its elevated academic reputation. When they look around the stadium these days and see the 60,000 seats, the marching band and theNFL-caliber talent on the field, these guys have to smile.

It was a long fight. They won.

Virginia State at Virginia Union: While the game's fine entertainment when played at State, it blooms as the Gold Bowl on VUU's urban campus, where it serves as the centerpiece of a twilight street festival that gradually morphs into an all-night blowout. There's always an overflow crowd at Hovey Field, but fans tend to leave early -- not to beat the traffic but to start the party.

The Woo-Woos: Virginia State's cheerleaders. If you can chirp like a bird, vibrate like a tuning fork and dance like a drop of water on hot cooking grease, feel free to try out.

The Doxology: Moments after the end of every game, all VMI players and students come to attention to sing a short school song based on this familiar hymn. The last line is "God bless our team and VMI." It takes less than a minute, often long enough to recenter an athlete after a win or reaffirm him after a loss.

Michael Vick: We saw him before he ever saw Atlanta.

2005-08-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

Football: Pro football is carrying far too much weight

Common sense and science have been warning for some time that we are pushing athletes toward some natural limits of size, speed and toughness without regard for how they get there, or stay there. Even so, there remains no shortage of kids willing to risk everything for the opportunity. By most accounts, 23-year-old Thomas Herrion was one of those. He hung on with the Dallas Cowboys until the final cuts at training camp last year, played in the NFL Europe, spent much of the summer working out in the sweltering Texas heat and was chasing a spot on San Francisco's roster when he collapsed and died just a few minutes after walking off the field after a preseason game in Denver on Saturday night. The reason Herrion worked so hard, he told pals, was so he could buy a house for his mother. The cause of Herrion's death won't be determined until toxicology tests are completed, which usually takes about three to six weeks. He was listed as a 6-foot-3, or 1.90-meter, 310-pound, or 140-kilogram, guard, but estimates of his playing weight by some former teammates and coaches often added between 10 and 30 pounds. That sounds big - too big to be healthy, according to some medical experts - but it's just about average for National Football League linemen these days. Twenty years ago, some experts were warning that supersizing football was a recipe for disaster. Explaining how so many NFL players got so big was easier. Before baseball was outed by Jose Canseco, football had Lyle Alzado. He played a different sport in an earlier era, but Alzado, who admitted steroid use after his career was over, was just as provocative and just as certain that players on every side of him played juiced, too. "There are freaks of nature," he liked to say, "but not enough to fill an NFL roster." It's even more true today. By every measure, steroid use is down, there still aren't enough "freaks of nature" to go around, and yet players are bigger than ever. When Alzado ran riot with the Broncos, Browns and Raiders in the 1970s and 1980s, the NFL didn't test for steroids, and there were no more than two dozen 300-pounders. Two seasons ago, the offensive linemen on all but three teams averaged 300 pounds. According to this season's rosters, as many as 350 players have already tipped the scale at that weight. When the Vikings All-Pro lineman Korey Stringer died four years ago of complications from heat stroke, it forced the NFL to rethink the strategy of brutal practices in brutal weather. But left unexamined were the underlying dangers - how a heart set up to support someone who should weigh 220 pounds would hold up in someone at 320. "Pick any of the body's systems - skeletal, muscular, circulatory - the same is true across the board," Bob Goldman, a prominent steroids researcher and sports medicine expert, said at the time. A few years earlier, Goldman finished a study on the evolution of linemen on college and university teams from 1950 through 1990. Over that time, they added, on average, 50 pounds of bulk. But, he said, he thinks that most of the new generation came by their bulk honestly. "Money is a powerful incentive," he said. "If you can develop a lineman who's 6-8 and 330 with the same speed and agility of a guy who's 250, who's more dangerous?" The NFL began answering the question with a rule change in the mid-1970s. Stuck with a spate of low-scoring games, the league's competition committee decided to allow offensive lineman to extend their arms to block, and stopped cornerbacks from jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage. Those changes resulted in smaller, quicker, even lighter cornerbacks and receivers. Lineman just got bigger and bigger. All those warnings went largely unheeded. Linemen didn't grow to 300-plus pounds in the NFL; they began arriving that way. And many of them were not just big but agile, too - despite having 25 percent to 30 percent body fat, meaning they were carrying as much as 90 extra pounds. The increased size also increased the risk of strokes, high blood pressure, traumatic joint injuries and cardiovascular problems. As unsettled as we should be by what happened to Herrion it's a little late to be surprised. Common sense and science have been warning for some time that we are pushing athletes toward some natural limits of size, speed and toughness without regard for how they get there, or stay there. Even so, there remains no shortage of kids willing to risk everything for the opportunity. By most accounts, 23-year-old Thomas Herrion was one of those. He hung on with the Dallas Cowboys until the final cuts at training camp last year, played in the NFL Europe, spent much of the summer working out in the sweltering Texas heat and was chasing a spot on San Francisco's roster when he collapsed and died just a few minutes after walking off the field after a preseason game in Denver on Saturday night. The reason Herrion worked so hard, he told pals, was so he could buy a house for his mother. The cause of Herrion's death won't be determined until toxicology tests are completed, which usually takes about three to six weeks. He was listed as a 6-foot-3, or 1.90-meter, 310-pound, or 140-kilogram, guard, but estimates of his playing weight by some former teammates and coaches often added between 10 and 30 pounds. That sounds big - too big to be healthy, according to some medical experts - but it's just about average for National Football League linemen these days. Twenty years ago, some experts were warning that supersizing football was a recipe for disaster. Explaining how so many NFL players got so big was easier. Before baseball was outed by Jose Canseco, football had Lyle Alzado. He played a different sport in an earlier era, but Alzado, who admitted steroid use after his career was over, was just as provocative and just as certain that players on every side of him played juiced, too. "There are freaks of nature," he liked to say, "but not enough to fill an NFL roster." It's even more true today. By every measure, steroid use is down, there still aren't enough "freaks of nature" to go around, and yet players are bigger than ever. When Alzado ran riot with the Broncos, Browns and Raiders in the 1970s and 1980s, the NFL didn't test for steroids, and there were no more than two dozen 300-pounders. Two seasons ago, the offensive linemen on all but three teams averaged 300 pounds. According to this season's rosters, as many as 350 players have already tipped the scale at that weight. When the Vikings All-Pro lineman Korey Stringer died four years ago of complications from heat stroke, it forced the NFL to rethink the strategy of brutal practices in brutal weather. But left unexamined were the underlying dangers - how a heart set up to support someone who should weigh 220 pounds would hold up in someone at 320. "Pick any of the body's systems - skeletal, muscular, circulatory - the same is true across the board," Bob Goldman, a prominent steroids researcher and sports medicine expert, said at the time. A few years earlier, Goldman finished a study on the evolution of linemen on college and university teams from 1950 through 1990. Over that time, they added, on average, 50 pounds of bulk. But, he said, he thinks that most of the new generation came by their bulk honestly. "Money is a powerful incentive," he said. "If you can develop a lineman who's 6-8 and 330 with the same speed and agility of a guy who's 250, who's more dangerous?" The NFL began answering the question with a rule change in the mid-1970s. Stuck with a spate of low-scoring games, the league's competition committee decided to allow offensive lineman to extend their arms to block, and stopped cornerbacks from jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage. Those changes resulted in smaller, quicker, even lighter cornerbacks and receivers. Lineman just got bigger and bigger. All those warnings went largely unheeded. Linemen didn't grow to 300-plus pounds in the NFL; they began arriving that way. And many of them were not just big but agile, too - despite having 25 percent to 30 percent body fat, meaning they were carrying as much as 90 extra pounds. The increased size also increased the risk of strokes, high blood pressure, traumatic joint injuries and cardiovascular problems. As unsettled as we should be by what happened to Herrion it's a little late to be surprised. Common sense and science have been warning for some time that we are pushing athletes toward some natural limits of size, speed and toughness without regard for how they get there, or stay there. Even so, there remains no shortage of kids willing to risk everything for the opportunity. By most accounts, 23-year-old Thomas Herrion was one of those. He hung on with the Dallas Cowboys until the final cuts at training camp last year, played in the NFL Europe, spent much of the summer working out in the sweltering Texas heat and was chasing a spot on San Francisco's roster when he collapsed and died just a few minutes after walking off the field after a preseason game in Denver on Saturday night. The reason Herrion worked so hard, he told pals, was so he could buy a house for his mother. The cause of Herrion's death won't be determined until toxicology tests are completed, which usually takes about three to six weeks. He was listed as a 6-foot-3, or 1.90-meter, 310-pound, or 140-kilogram, guard, but estimates of his playing weight by some former teammates and coaches often added between 10 and 30 pounds. That sounds big - too big to be healthy, according to some medical experts - but it's just about average for National Football League linemen these days. Twenty years ago, some experts were warning that supersizing football was a recipe for disaster. Explaining how so many NFL players got so big was easier. Before baseball was outed by Jose Canseco, football had Lyle Alzado. He played a different sport in an earlier era, but Alzado, who admitted steroid use after his career was over, was just as provocative and just as certain that players on every side of him played juiced, too. "There are freaks of nature," he liked to say, "but not enough to fill an NFL roster." It's even more true today. By every measure, steroid use is down, there still aren't enough "freaks of nature" to go around, and yet players are bigger than ever. When Alzado ran riot with the Broncos, Browns and Raiders in the 1970s and 1980s, the NFL didn't test for steroids, and there were no more than two dozen 300-pounders. Two seasons ago, the offensive linemen on all but three teams averaged 300 pounds. According to this season's rosters, as many as 350 players have already tipped the scale at that weight. When the Vikings All-Pro lineman Korey Stringer died four years ago of complications from heat stroke, it forced the NFL to rethink the strategy of brutal practices in brutal weather. But left unexamined were the underlying dangers - how a heart set up to support someone who should weigh 220 pounds would hold up in someone at 320. "Pick any of the body's systems - skeletal, muscular, circulatory - the same is true across the board," Bob Goldman, a prominent steroids researcher and sports medicine expert, said at the time. A few years earlier, Goldman finished a study on the evolution of linemen on college and university teams from 1950 through 1990. Over that time, they added, on average, 50 pounds of bulk. But, he said, he thinks that most of the new generation came by their bulk honestly. "Money is a powerful incentive," he said. "If you can develop a lineman who's 6-8 and 330 with the same speed and agility of a guy who's 250, who's more dangerous?" The NFL began answering the question with a rule change in the mid-1970s. Stuck with a spate of low-scoring games, the league's competition committee decided to allow offensive lineman to extend their arms to block, and stopped cornerbacks from jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage. Those changes resulted in smaller, quicker, even lighter cornerbacks and receivers. Lineman just got bigger and bigger. All those warnings went largely unheeded. Linemen didn't grow to 300-plus pounds in the NFL; they began arriving that way. And many of them were not just big but agile, too - despite having 25 percent to 30 percent body fat, meaning they were carrying as much as 90 extra pounds. The increased size also increased the risk of strokes, high blood pressure, traumatic joint injuries and cardiovascular problems. As unsettled as we should be by what happened to Herrion it's a little late to be surprised.

The Associated Press

2005-08-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

NFL Football Tickets Available at Tickets4Concerts.com

PRWEB) - (PRWEB) August 12, 2005 -- Check out the low prices for football games in your area. Football tickets are going fast, so get them before the premium tickets are sold out, said Marketing President Shannon Diem. The football ticket listings allow you to choose a ticket for the exact row & area of the venue that you would like to see the football game from, before purchasing. Also, a map of the selected football game venue as well as seating areas are also provided.
The complete football schedule for all the Teams and the listings for football tickets including prices available live. Tickets4Concerts.com sells football tickets for every Football Game in the US. Buy Football Tickets online by choosing from the team below. The Football tickets for your favorite teams that you're looking for may be sold out from other sources, but you'll always find Football ticket availability here with a live inventory of tickets at up to 30% off.Tickets for Football are available, and hundreds of customers have secured their tickets through tickets4concerts.com already.The NFL consists of 31 teams that are divided into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC), each of which has three divisions. The NFL season is played during the late summer, through autumn, and into January. Professional teams play 4 exhibition games, followed by 16 regular-season games. Teams play one game each week, using the time between games to recover, practice, and prepare for the next game. Each team receives one week without a game, known as a bye, during the season.

PRWeb

2005-08-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

No NFL-season kickoff concert for Detroit

The NFL has dropped plans for a free Detroit concert to launch the city's Super Bowl season, officials said Monday. The Rolling Stones will instead tape footage during their Aug. 31 Ford Field date for a football kickoff show to air Sept. 8 on ABC-TV.
A Detroit concert had been scheduled to launch a season that culminates at the stadium with the Feb. 5 Super Bowl, though no acts had been named. The idea was nuked, sources say, as the anniversary-minded NFL steered its focus to events in L.A., home of the inaugural Super Bowl 40 seasons ago.
The Stones, meanwhile, have signed on to a season-long NFL promo campaign -- a move certain to fuel talk, already circulating in local music circles, of a Super Bowl halftime set by the veteran rock band. An NFL spokesman said Monday that no decision has been made.

Brian McCollum, Free Press pop music writer

2005-07-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Williams back on football fieldMiami running back issues apology on first day of practice.

Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams made all the right moves Monday.
First, he showed up for the Dolphins’ first training camp practice in Davie, Fla. Then he apologized for leaving the team in the lurch last season, said he was done with dope and submitted to a media interrogation regarding his surreal one-year retirement.
But one question — the first one — momentarily stumped him: Why did he return?
“Why? Why? I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know.” - NFL Football -
Williams was greeted by teammates and cheered by fans on Monday. Lining up for his first play since the 2003 season, Williams took a handoff from Gus Frerotte and sprinted 20 yards to the goal line.
But there was no defense on the field, and Williams is sure to meet stiffer resistance in the weeks to come as he tries to regain favor and reclaim a starting job for the Dolphins, who fell to 4-12 last season. - NFL Football -
“There were things about life that I wanted to explore outside of football, and I had never had the chance,” Williams said at a news conference after practice. “I realize by making that decision, I affected the team in a negative way and upset a lot of fans. - NFL Football -
“I’m very regretful that people were hurt in the process of me doing that. I do realize that to a lot of people it comes off as being very selfish. So I do offer an apology to all the people who were negatively impacted.” - NFL Football -
When the topic turned to his admitted use of marijuana, Williams said he no longer smokes it. He faces a four-game suspension at the start of the season for violating the NFL substance-abuse policy.
His words of contrition seemed to satisfy teammates, including center Seth McKinney, who a year ago called Williams a quitter. - NFL Football -
“In the team meeting, he did what he had to do,” McKinney said. “He’s a man about it. We’re all being men about it. Nobody is holding any grudges. We all want him back. He’s a great player.”
Locker-room teasing helped lighten the mood, players said. Defensive tackle Larry Chester noted Williams’ long, scraggly beard and multidirectional hairdo.
“Guys were saying he looked like a little homeless guy,” Chester said. “It was all in fun.”
■ TWO OTHER TOP PICKS SIGN: No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith signing with the San Francisco 49ers was the big news Monday, but two other first-round choices also agreed to terms with the teams that drafted them. - NFL Football -
The New England Patriots were the first NFL team to sign a No. 1 pick this season when they agreed to terms with Fresno State offensive lineman Logan Mankins, the 32nd and final pick of the first round. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The Philadelphia Eagles came to an agreement with USC defensive tackle Mike Patterson on a five-year deal. Patterson, the 31st pick in the draft, was a member of two national-championship teams with the Trojans. - NFL Football -
■ LAW WORKS OUT FOR LIONS: Cornerback Ty Law’s workout for the Detroit Lions on Monday may start the ball rolling on getting him to an NFL training camp.
According to Law’s agent, Carl Poston, Lions general manager Matt Millen was excited and surprised about how well Law worked out.
“They told us that they had to work some things around financially and they could give us an offer by (today),” Poston said. - NFL Football -
Law, who has been in four Pro Bowls, was released by New England. He has been rehabilitating a surgically-repaired left foot.
The Chiefs are one of a handful of teams that have kept in contact with Law as he has rehabbed. Law visited Kansas City in March, and the Chiefs have maintained weekly contact with his agents. Last week, president/general manager Carl Peterson told The Star that no contract has been offered to Law. - NFL Football -
■ JAYHAWK JOINS BROWNS: Former Kansas player David McMillan and the Cleveland Browns have reached agreement on a contract. McMillan, a defensive end with the Jayhawks, is expected to play outside linebacker in Cleveland’s new 3-4 defense. He had a career-high seven sacks as a senior. - NFL Football -
■ CARDINALS’ CAMP ON MOVE: The Arizona Cardinals are moving their training camp from Flagstaff, Ariz., because of a virus outbreak on the Northern Arizona University campus.
The team said late Monday afternoon that no decision had been made on where the camp will be located. Players are scheduled to gather Sunday, with workouts beginning next Monday.
Last week, more than 100 people attending summer camps at the university contracted the highly contagious norovirus, an illness that is not life-threatening but causes flulike symptoms.

Star News Services

2005-07-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

Weak PSL sales mean trouble for the Raiders

The upcoming Raiders football season could prove to be a pivotal one for the team, the fans and, perhaps most of all, Oakland and Alameda County taxpayers.
No, the team isn't moving, but when the 2005 NFL season ends in January, so will the 10-year obligation of nearly 25,000 ticket-holders whose purchase of personal seat licenses is inextricably linked to the public financing of the deal that brought the team back to its Oakland roots in 1995. - NFL Football -
It's fourth down and long for the team and its public landlords, who this month agreed to pay $3 million more in public funds this year to come up with a plan to persuade Raiders fans to dip into their pockets again -- thousands of them paid $250 to $4,000 per seat a decade ago -- for PSLs that guarantee holders the rights to season tickets.
Before the team agreed to leave Los Angeles, where its fan base rose and fell with the team's won-loss record, it asked for nearly $200 million in stadium improvements that included Mount Davis, a 10,000-seat addition that rises above the rest of McAfee Coliseum.
The Alameda County Coliseum Authority's plan to cover the cost of construction was based on PSL revenue for the 62,000-seat Coliseum. But before the first season back in Oakland had ended, it was clear that the taxpayers were going to get stuck with a big chunk of the bill. Just 39,000 PSLs sold at first, and thousands of fans have since forfeited them.
Why would anyone want to invest in something that isn't worth anything, given that there are more than 35,000 tickets available without the hefty surcharge?
Patrick O'Connell, auditor-controller for the authority, estimated revenues at between $115 million and $120 million from Raiders games since 1995. The total includes a percentage of food concessions and parking revenue, he said. - NFL Football -
On top of that, the team's lackluster performance in its first two years was coupled with bitter, nasty off-the-field battles between team officials and local government that erupted into a court duel. The team filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming elected officials defrauded the team into signing the deal by allegedly telling them the first season of home games were sold out when they weren't. A Sacramento jury in 2003 awarded the team $34.5 million.
Taxpayers are right to be ticked off because the annual subsidies of nearly $20 million will only climb if fans abandon the PSL plan when it expires at season's end -- and there is every reason to expect they will.
It doesn't take a degree in quantum physics to calculate the savings of purchasing game-day ticket because sellouts at Raiders games have been as erratic as the team's performance. For every PSL holder who opts out at the end of the season, count another brick on the pile for John Q. Public. - NFL Football -
At a time when local governments are struggling to pay for basic services such as parks and street maintenance, health programs and youth programs, the annual handouts to the football team are hard to swallow. - NFL Football -
"Most of the PSL holders I know, and I know a lot of them, don't want to pay for the license anymore,'' said Alameda County Supervisor Gail Steele, chair of the Coliseum authority board. "We are trying to build a relationship with the Raiders, and it's getting better by working together on how to move forward with the new marketing campaign.''
Steele said her colleagues hope to hammer out a plan by the end of the summer, even against seemingly long odds. - NFL Football -
"We are very aware that we have to take care of the PSL holders,'' Steele added.
Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, one of the architects of the deal that brought the Raiders home, said Coliseum authority officials are looking for ways to enhance the value of a PSL in a bid to resuscitate the idea.
"It's not going to be an easy task, but we are going to have to find a way to add value to the PSLs,'' De La Fuente said.
Among some of the ideas being tossed around include converting PSLs into lifetime guarantees of a game-day seat (even though at this point, the Raiders' lease to play in Oakland expires in 2010). Licenses could be enhanced with VIP parking, food discounts and giving holders perks at events held at the Arena at Oakland, he said. - NFL Football -
Another possible perk on the table: A PSL holder could be given first choice to purchase concert tickets to potentially sold-out events like the Eagles and U2 performances scheduled at the arena this fall. There is also talk of giving PSL holders a chance to enter the stadium an hour ahead of everyone, giving them some pre-game face time with players.
None of the ideas have been formally reviewed by the Coliseum board or approved by either the public agency or the football team, De La Fuente acknowledged.
But after spending a decade at each other's throats, it appears that the futures of board members and the team's fortunes seem to go hand in hand. They need each other now more than ever.
For elected officials, increasing the burden on taxpayers because of a poorly planned deal doesn't help anyone get re-elected, or even move on to a higher office.
For the Raiders, the Raider Nation will remain as hard-core and faithful as any fan base in the country, but not even the costumed behemoths who live and die with every snap are going to pay for a PSL premium when regular-priced seats are available for every game.

San Francisco Chronicle.

2005-07-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

New NFL TV Deal Could Bring Changes

Why should the average pro football fan care about the new Sunday afternoon TV packages the NFL signed this week with CBS and Fox? Good question. After all, as long as you get to watch games on the tube every Sunday and Monday, what do you care who's paying what to whom?
Well, first of all, the money's huge and huge almost to the point of being incomprehensible.
Keep in mind all the NFL has done so far is extend contracts for the two Sunday afternoon packages _ for CBS to show AFC games and for Fox to show NFC games _ and to extend the "Sunday Ticket" pay package with DirecTV. The league hasn't even completed new contracts for its Sunday and Monday prime-time games. USA Today pointed out this week that even as things stand at this moment, the NFL can count on averaging more national TV money annually than the NBA, Major League Baseball, NASCAR and the NHL combined.
The $8 billion in extensions for the broadcast networks breaks down to $4.3 billion, or $712.5 million per year from Fox _ a 30 percent boost annually _ and $3.7 billion, or $622.5 million a year from CBS, a 25 percent boost annually. DirecTV will pay $3.5 billion or $700 million a year, an increase of 70 percent per year.
As far as what's been agreed to so far, viewers won't notice a whole lot of changes, at least not for a while. The same networks, through 2011, will show the same conferences and the usual starting times will continue.
DirecTV's pay package for out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, extended through 2010, may add some premium interactive features, including viewer-selected camera angles and replays. Also planned is a premium "red-zone channel," which would switch viewers from game to game where teams are poised to score. CBS and Fox have agreed to phase in high-definition broadcasts for all its NFL games.
The big changes in TV on the NFL _ and keep in mind the current TV packages don't run out until after the 2005 season _ will be in the things still to be decided.
The prime-time package figures to undergo a few changes _ perhaps some big ones. The NFL has reserved the right to take eight late-season games, four each from CBS and Fox. The league could use those games to strengthen its Sunday and Monday night schedules or to create a new package of prime-time games for Thursday and Saturday nights that it could open up for other networks to bid on or that it could put on its NFL Network in order to get more cable companies to add the channel.
"We got some protections," Fox Sports chairman David Hill said. "The last several weeks of the season, the NFL has the right to pull a game for 'Monday Night Football' and we're still in conversation on (details)."
Noticeably still missing from the total package is what networks will be showing the Sunday and Monday night games that are now on ABC and ESPN. The Disney networks are reported to want to keep those games and their exclusive negotiating period extends for nearly another year, but they may face competition such as from NBC, which lost AFC rights in 1998 and could now put a Sunday night package on USA. Other cable entities, such as TNT, could also make a play.
All this brings about a big decision for Disney. "Monday Night Football" loses $150 million a year, according to some accounts. Despite the prestige of having the package, which always wins the night for ABC and brings a lot of young males to the screen, that's a lot of money. ESPN is said to need to keep the Sunday night games in order to maintain its per-subscriber fees with cable companies.
Meanwhile, CBS and Fox are thrilled to be re-upping with the NFL. Said Leslie Moonves, co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom and chairman of CBS: "We made money on the last deal, and we'll make even more money on this deal."
Notes: Eric Wynalda will join JP Dellacamera, Rob Stone and Lorrie Fair on ABC's telecast of the MLS Cup Sunday afternoon. Wynalda is known for being the top scorer in U.S. national soccer team history with 34 goals. ABC points out he also scored 34 goals in his MLS career, 34 goals at San Diego State and 34 goals in his senior year at Westlake. ... NFL Network will have both coaches and 10 players miked during Sunday's Baltimore-New York Jets game for a "Special Edition Game of the Week: Sounds of the Game" program Thursday night. ...
Two heavyweight title fights will be on pay-per-view Saturday night. WBA champion John Ruiz faces Andrew Golota and IBF champ Chris Byrd meets Jameel McCline from New York's Madison Square Garden. Suggested price is $44.95. ... The "1st and 10" segment on ESPN2's "Cold Pizza" is being made into a 30-minute afternoon program starting Dec. 1 on ESPN. Jay Crawford will host the show with commentators Skip Bayless and Woody Paige.

Scripps Howard

2005-07-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

Two Deacons suspended for VU opener

In NFL terms, it’s the equivalent of the Titans learning Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would be a bystander in their Sept. 11 opener.The Vanderbilt football team found out over the holiday weekend that Wake Forest senior running back Chris Barclay, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading rusher last season, has been suspended for the Sept. 1 opener in Winston Salem, N.C. - NFL Football -
Demon Deacons junior cornerback Riley Swanson, a projected starter, will also serve a one-game suspension against the Commodores.Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said Barclay and Swanson violated athletic department policy and will also sit out the first week of practice in August, in addition to the game against Vanderbilt.“Chris and Riley are two really good kids,” Grobe said. “I am disappointed in their judgment. They made a foolish decision and they will pay a price for it.”Barclay was a first-team all-ACC selection as a junior in 2004 after leading the league in rushing with 1,010 yards. - NFL Football -
He is also one of only 13 players in ACC history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.In 2003, Swanson was named ACC All-Freshman by The Sporting News after producing 41 tackles in 12 games. Last season, he posted 49 tackles and five pass break-ups.Wake Forest, which is coming off a 4-7 season (1-7 in ACC), will host Vandy on Thursday, Sept. 1, in a game to be televised on ESPN at 6 p.m.Przybyszewski heads WestFormer Vanderbilt basketball center Dawid Przybyszewski will play for the Chicago Bulls’ entry in the Reebok NBA Summer League, which begins today and runs through July 15 in Las Vegas. Since graduating from VU in May, the 7-2 native of Poland has been playing with the Gulf Coast Bandits of the World Basketball Association. - NFL Football -
Price, USA open 3-0Vanderbilt pitcher David Price was named to the 22-man 2005 USA Baseball National Team last week, and the squad is off to a 3-0 start after a 7-6 victory Monday over the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.Price pitched three scoreless innings in relief during USA’s 3-1 opening win over the Torrington Twisters of the New England Collegiate Baseball League last Saturday, striking out three batters and walking one.The USA squad will now travel to Japan to participate in the 34th annual USA-Japan Collegiate All-Star Series. The Americans will look to capture the series for the first time since 1979. Team USA will also play a five-game series in Taiwan before returning to the U.S. for series against Italy and Nicaragua. - NFL Football -
Price, a product of Murfreesboro’s Blackman High, became one of Vandy’s top starters as a freshman this spring, finishing 2-4 with a 2.73 earned-run average.The 2005 USA team is coached by Steve Smith of Baylor. In the rankingsVanderbilt’s Jay Cutler is ranked by NFLReport.com as the nation’s 12th-best senior quarterback entering the 2005 football season.VU’s Moses Osemwegie is ranked 13th among senior outside linebackers, while Nashville native Erik Davis is rated 26th among senior wide receivers.

Brett Hait

2005-06-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

NFL: AFC East Overview

Buffalo Bills:

The Bills won eight out of ten down the stretch in ’04, then dumped Drew Bledsoe in the offseason. That puts the pressure squarely on second year QB JP Losman, who missed most of his rookie season with a broken leg, throwing only five pass attempts for the entire season.
The Bills drafted offense, despite the fact that they scored more points in the final seven games of last season than any Bills team in history, including the run-n-gun Jim Kelly era. Their top draft choice, second round WR Roscoe Parrish, has blazing speed to give the Bills a triple threat on the outside with Lee Evans and Eric Moulds. But their next pick, third round TE Kevin Everett, tore his ACL in mini-camp.

The Bills lost key contributors on both the offensive and defensive lines. Free agent signee Mike Gandy will likely replace offensive tackle Jonas Jennings. Another free agent signee, guard Bennie Anderson, also has the potential to move into the starting lineup. Defensive tackle Pat Williams was a force for the Bills in ’04, but management is confident that second year tackle Tim Anderson out of Ohio St can fill his shoes.

Miami Dolphins: The biggest news in Miami this offseason came from the coaching staff, as LSU’s Nick Saban stopped flirting with the NFL and finally committed to a long term relationship with the Dolphins. Big time college coaches haven’t enjoyed much success in the pros in recent decades, the last impact maker being Jimmy Johnson with the Cowboys back in the early `90s. In other words, don’t expect Saban to work miracles with a team that won only four games last year, especially considering the fact that the ‘Fins still don’t have an NFL caliber starting quarterback.
Dismal veteran Gus Frerrote outplayed dismal veteran AJ Feeley in mini-camp, giving Frerrote the edge heading into the fall. Saban reshuffled the coaching staff, retaining only three assistants from last year’s team. Frerrote has experience in new offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s schemes, giving him an added edge.
As with most four win teams, Miami made a ton of offseason moves. They lost a pair of key contributors in their defensive backfield, trading CB Patrick Surtain and letting S Sammy Knight depart via free agency. But Saban brought in a host of bodies in the secondary, starting with CB Mario Edwards along with safeties Tebucky Jones and Travares Tillman.

Defensive linemen Kevin Carter and Vonnie Holiday should help take some pressure off the secondary by providing some semblance of a pass rush, along with second round draft choice Matt Roth from Iowa. First round pick Ronnie Brown has explosive speed at running back, but his durability may be a question mark if Ricky Williams does not return to the team.

New England Patriots:

No team in NFL history has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls. No team has ever won four Super Bowls in a five year span. The Pats enter 2005 trying to become the first team ever to accomplish those feats after proving to be a dynasty with yet another three point victory on the first Sunday of February this past season.

If they are going to make history, they’ll have to do it without the two best assistant coaches in the league over the past four years, as both offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel have moved on to head coaching positions. No team was able to gameplan more effectively than the Pats in recent years, altering their philosophies dramatically from week to week depending on their opponent’s weaknesses. Eric Mangini is the new defensive coordinator, while Bill Belichick himself will be calling the plays on offense, although QB Tom Brady will have plenty of freedom to call audibles at the line of scrimmage.

The Pats suffered some significant offseason losses on both sides of the football. The biggest may be LB Tedy Bruschi, the heart and soul of their defense, who suffered an offseason stroke and is not expected to return to football. The Pats also lost CB Ty Law, WR David Patten, LB Roman Phifer and OG Joe Andruzzi, all of whom will be missed.

But Belichick has proven to be a master of personnel maneuvers, acquiring mini-camp stud LB Monty Beisel, LB Chad Brown, CB Chad Scott, CB Duane Starks and WR David Terrell to fill holes. First round draft choice Logan Mankins from Fresno St could step right into a starting role. Don’t forget about TE Ben Watson, S Gus Scott and DE Rodney Bailey, all of whom spent most of the 2004 season on injured reserve. Second year WR PK Sam was a mini-camp star, showing sure hands and great quickness.

New York Jets:

New York’s season came to a disappointing conclusion in the playoffs at Pittsburgh, thanks to a pair of crucial missed field goals from Doug Brien. Brien won’t be back, replaced by top draft choice Mike Nugent, from Ohio St. Nugent was virtually flawless in college, and has the potential to be an impact player for the Jets. Head Coach Herm Edwards also dumped punter Toby Gowan and traded return man Santana Moss. Rookie CB Justin Miller has been anointed as the new return specialist, while veteran Micah Knorr and Australian Rules newcomer Ben Graham will battle for the punting job.

New York suffered major free agent losses. TE Anthony Becht was replaced by Doug Jolley, acquired for the Jets #1 draft choice. Change of pace RB Lamont Jordan got big free agent dollars, but lower cost replacement Derrick Blaylock could fill his shoes behind Curtis Martin. LB Sam Cowart is gone, but Barry Gardner has arrived. New York traded Santana Moss for Laverneous Coles, who played extremely well here in his first few seasons in the league. Defensive tackle Jason Ferguson could be replaced by third rounder Sinoe Pouha or free agent signee Lance Lagree. However, the offensive line will be weaker after the loss of Kareem McKenzie at right tackle, especially with an aging group – three of the other four starters are well over 30 years old.

Share your thoughts on this article in the Covers posting forum.

Ted Sevransky

Nfl Football Stadiums

2005-06-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Blitz: The League is the football video game the National Football League probably isn't looking forward to.
And there's a Canadian partly responsible for it. Thanks to producer Adam Boyes, a native of Abbotsford, B.C., who works in Chicago for Midway Amusement Games, the new Blitz game has been jammed with features the NFL has barred in the past from licensed products.
Blitz Pro used to be an arcade-style football game licensed by the NFL. The league has since signed an exclusive rights agreement with Electronic Arts, the home to the hit Madden games, but the Midway developers say they had decided before that to take a different tack with their game.
The NFL had been too much of a killjoy, taking the fun out of Blitz, according to Boyes.

"We realized the noose had just been tightened so much around what we had been trying to do," Boyes said. ". . . We weren't happy with the result at all in the end."
So in the absence of an NFL licence or control, the decision was made to "break open the shackles."
The result is Blitz: The League, due out on Oct. 1 for Xbox and PlayStation 2.
Its influence is more Playmakers and Any Given Sunday than NFL Films. The game's story was penned by Peter Egan, who wrote the controversial Playmakers series for ESPN that focused on sex, drugs and the seamier side of a big-money sport.
On the field, there are grunts, taunts and big hits. Not to mention revenge and dirty play.
Players can deliberately injure opponents. Coaches can decide whether to let injured players heal or inject them with painkillers to get them through a game. Of course, freezing an injury can lead to even more pain for the player if he is hurt again.
When Blitz was a licensed game, the NFL used to scrutinize everything.
"There are so many things that the NFL always has not allowed us to do," Boyes said.
"Luckily, we kept track of every move they ever cut. Just good accounting.
"We went through all our historical notes and found every one they had turned down and we turned all right back on."

By NEIL DAVIDSON