Nfl Football - Football Betting

2005-11-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

Perfect timing for the bye week

posted by Mark Isherwood Sports Producer

DENVER (AP) -- The Denver Broncos went through a quick practice Tuesday, then hit the road for some well-deserved time off. -NFL Football-

The Broncos enter their bye week at 6-2. The NFL did them a favor by giving them the week off smack in the middle of the season. -NFL Football-

"I think it comes at a good time," coach Mike Shanahan said. "You have four preseason games, you've got the regular season, eight games. It's tough mentally as well as physically. This is a time when guys need some time off." -NFL Football-

Even Shanahan and his staff take time off. The coach and many of his assistants will join the player in heading out of town. -NFL Football-

Before they left, they conducted a short practice to go over special situations -- no huddle, hurry-up offense and the like. -NFL Football-

"They're kind of reminders of things that will happen in the second half of the season," Shanahan said. -NFL Football-

The Broncos, who started the last two seasons 5-1 only to fall to 5-3 at the midway point, are showing signs of being a better team than the previous two. -NFL Football-

Shanahan, however, has warned the Broncos that they're only at the midway point. -NFL Football-

"When you've been in it long enough, you understand that we really haven't done anything," Shanahan said. "We have the opportunity to do something, and that's where the focus of this football team is." -NFL Football-

CARSWELL: As expected, the Broncos placed OL Dwayne Carswell on the non-football injured list. To take his roster spot, the team signed OL Taylor Whitley, a third-round pick of the Dolphins in 2003. -NFL Football-

Carswell continues to improve in the hospital from injuries suffered in a car accident last Thursday. He is expected to be out of the hospital later this week or early next week and could make an appearance at Broncos headquarters when the team reconvenes next week after the bye. -NFL Football-

BIG GAME: Even thought the Broncos are off, they'll probably keep an eye on next Monday's big game between New England and Indianapolis. -NFL Football-

Denver trails the Colts (7-0) by 11/2 games for the best record in the AFC. Denver's last two seasons have ended ugly, with lopsided first-round playoff losses to the Colts in Indy. -NFL Football-

Currently, the Broncos have one loss in the AFC and Indy is undefeated. That would be the first tiebreaker if the teams finish with the same record. One other disadvantage for the Broncos: They'll play five of their last eight games on the road, while the Colts will play five of their final eight at home. -NFL Football-

TURNOVER GAME: The Broncos are on an incredible stretch of not committing a turnover on offense in six games. They're on pace to set the NFL record for fewest turnovers allowed. -NFL Football-

Still, at plus-9, they're a distant third in the turnover differential this year, three behind the New York Giants and 11 behind Cincinnati. -NFL Football-

The difference is in takeaways. The Bengals have 28, while the Broncos have 15. -NFL Football-

Meanwhile, Denver's six giveaways are tied for the least in the league with Oakland, which has played one fewer game. -NFL Football-

BRONCO BRIEFS: On the strength of his 11 touchdowns and no interceptions over the last six games, Jake Plummer's passer rating has climbed to 91.3. That's still only tied for ninth in the NFL. ... The Broncos alternated Cornell Green at right tackle Sunday with George Foster, who hurt his knee the previous week and wasn't playing at the level Shanahan was hoping for. ... K Jason Elam went without a field goal attempt for the third time in four weeks against Philadelphia. He is 11-for-17 this season, ranked 30th in the league in accuracy. -NFL Football-

2005-10-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

Packers TE Martin listed as questionable

NFL.com wire reports

GREEN BAY, Wis. (Oct. 28, 2005) -- Green Bay Packers tight end David Martin might miss Sunday's game against Cincinnati after straining his right hamstring. -NFL Football-

Martin, second on the depth chart behind Pro Bowler Bubba Franks, was injured while running routes during a 2-minute drill near the end of practice Thursday, coach Mike Sherman said. He's listed as questionable and was kept out of practice Friday. -NFL Football-

"I was running and just cut a little quick," Martin said. He added that he wasn't certain he'd be able to play this weekend. "Right now, it's up in the air." -NFL Football-

Martin has nine catches and two touchdowns in the last three games. He said he feels pressured to make a quick recovery. -NFL Football-

Franks missed all but one snap of three games with a bruised knee before catching three passes for 38 yards in the loss last Sunday to Minnesota. The only other tight end available is Donald Lee. -NFL Football-

Third-down running back Tony Fisher will be making only his second career start in place of Ahman Green (thigh tendon) and Najeh Davenport (ankle), who both are on injured reserve and out for the season. -NFL Football-

Fisher also has had physical problems after being poked in the eye during the Packers' 23-20 loss at Minnesota on Sunday. Fisher suffered minor damage to his retina. -NFL Football-

He had minor laser surgery Tuesday and missed one day of practice this week. ReShard Lee and Walt Williams, signed earlier this week, will back up Fisher on Sunday. -NFL Football-

2005-10-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

Superdome to be ready for 2006

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) --
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Superdome officials say the stadium should be largely cleaned up from Hurricane Katrina and ready for the New Orleans Saints to play at least some of their games there in 2006.--- nfl ---
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The announcement Thursday came as San Antonio officials said they were working with Saints owner Tom Benson to keep the team in Texas. The state must also respond to the team's assertions that its state-owned practice facility has been rendered unusable by damages caused by federal agencies in the weeks following the Aug. 29 storm.--- nfl ---
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The Superdome, severely damaged by high winds, should have a temporary roof in place within 10 days, said Doug Thornton, regional vice president for SMG, which manages the stadium. An environmental assessment of its interior -- damaged by rainfall through holes in the roof and its use as a shelter for evacuees -- should be finished by Dec. 1, he said.--- nfl ---
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"We're working to make the Dome ready for the next season," Thornton said at a meeting of the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District Commission, the state board that oversees the Superdome.--- nfl ---
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The Saints have drawn criticism recently with shake ups in upper-level staff, as Benson apparently leans toward moving the team from New Orleans to San Antonio.--- nfl ---

On Monday, Benson fired Arnold Fielkow, the team's top business executive since 2000 and an advocate for keeping the Saints in Louisiana. Fielkow has said that stance led to his dismissal. On Tuesday, Conrad Kowal, senior director of marketing and business development, resigned.--- nfl ---
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The team also sent a letter to the Louisiana National Guard and the stadium commission, saying their Jefferson Parish practice facility, leased from the state for $1 per year, has been damaged so badly by federal actions after the storm that the team cannot return "for some time [if ever]."--- nfl ------ nfl ---
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"These actions have effectively terminated the Saints' lease for the facility and have caused great and continuing damage to the team," said the letter, signed by lawyers for the team.--- nfl ---
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Tim Coulon, head of the stadium commission and the state's negotiator with the team, said Thursday that state officials planned to inspect damage at the practice facility next week.--- nfl ---
"If there's some damage to those buildings, we're going to rectify that," Coulon said.--- nfl ---
Asked it he thought the letter was Benson's first step toward leaving New Orleans, Coulon said he hoped not.--- nfl ---
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"I don't want to speculate, because I haven't heard from him," Coulon said. "But it's not too late [for Benson] to step up to the plate and be the good citizen."
Under the terms of the state's contract with the team, the Saints could argue that the storm has made the stadium unusable, move to another state and avoid paying an $81 million penalty, Coulon said.--- nfl ---
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Coulon said the state would fight such a move, probably in court or in arbitration.--- nfl ---
Gov. Kathleen Blanco said she talked for some time with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on Wednesday. She said he is committed to working with Louisiana, but also suggested that the game at LSU's Tiger Stadium on Oct. 30 "is not just a game but a very symbolic event and we should encourage as many people as possible to go."--- nfl ---
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She said she had not spoken to Benson.--- nfl ---
"I'm planning to speak with him shortly," she said. "I needed to speak with the commissioner first."--- nfl ---
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Aske--- nfl ---d about New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's suggestion that if the team does leave, the city should keep the name, she said, "I think it's brilliant."
But Blanco said she didn't talk to Tagliabue about that.--- nfl ---
"Let's just support the Saints. That's what I say."--- nfl ---
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Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.--- nfl ---
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2005-10-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

Falcons QB Vick limited in practice

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (Oct. 7) -- Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick was limited during practice Oct. 7 but is still listed as probable for the Falcons' game against New England.

Backup Matt Schaub took nearly all the snaps during the workout, while Vick was limited mainly to running and agility drills. He missed practice Oct. 5 and Oct. 6. - NFL Football -

Vick sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a 30-10 victory over Minnesota on Oct. 2. Schaub played the final 2½ quarters for the Falcons (3-1).

While Vick has been wearing a brace, he expressed hope Oct. 6 that his knee will be healthy enough for him to play against the defending Super Bowl champions. - NFL Football -

"Yeah, it's getting better, and the only way I can tell that is when I go out there and try to do some things on it," he said. - NFL Football -

2005-09-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Leftwich's Jaguars win in rematch with Pennington

By Anthony Hanshew
The Herald-Dispatch

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Sunday's gathering at Giants Stadium was equal parts football and family, at least from the quarterbacks' perspective.

Former Marshall University teammates Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich squared off Sunday afternoon on the NFL stage, renewing the friendliest of rivalries. Numerous members of the Thundering Herd football family, including their former coach, watched from Pennington's box seats as Leftwich earned the right to boast with a 26-20 overtime victory.

Leftwich closed a physical, hard-fought contest with a 36-yard touchdown to Jimmy Smith, improving the Jacksonville Jaguars to 2-1. Pennington and the New York Jets dropped to 1-2.

"He got me the first time, and I got him this time," Leftwich said, referring to the Jets' victory over Jacksonville in 2003.

Marshall's top two all-time passing leaders were repeatedly knocked to the turf during their reunion. A punishing John Abraham shot to Leftwich's chest resulted in a 33-yard fumble return touchdown by James Reed; Pennington was temporarily knocked from the game, following a blindside shot to his surgically repaired shoulder.

"That's the job of playing quarterback," Leftwich said. "You have to take your shots. You've got to get up from it and go out and be ready to play."

Sunday's matchup wasn't always aesthetically pleasing, but it was competitive throughout. Leftwich completed 16 of 23 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and Pennington connected on nine of 19 attempts for 76 yards.

Pennington was sacked four times and intercepted twice, and Leftwich was picked off once and sacked twice. - NFL Football -

Of greater concern than statistics or perhaps even a loss was the status of Pennington's shoulder. His February surgery kept him from participating in most preseason camps.

"It's frustrating and demoralizing," said Pennington, who led Marshall to an undefeated 1999 season. "You work really hard to get back to play, put in all of the extra hours of work to get back on the field. And then to have something like that happen -- it really tests you."

Bobby Pruett, who coached both Leftwich and Pennington during his Marshall tenure from 1996-2004, caught an early flight Sunday morning to take in the duo's secondNFL encounter. Pruett provided color commentary for Saturday's Troy-South Carolina game (kickoff in Columbia, S.C., was 7 p.m.) and flew to New Jersey early Sunday with his wife, Elsie.

Joining the Pruetts in Pennington's box seats were Chad's family and several prominent Thundering Herd supporters.

"I had a friendship with Byron, too, because we were the same age and went to Marshall," said Pennington's younger sister, Andrea. "Plus, coach Pruett is here and a lot of the Marshall family, so it's a special day." - NFL Football -

Two years ago, Pennington's Jets edged Leftwich and the Jaguars 13-10 in the same stadium. Marshall fans Dean and Debra Cusatis made the easy, 30-minute trip from their New Jersey residence and again were in attendance Sunday.

This time, the drive lasted nine hours. They have since moved to Burlington, N.C., but remain enthusiastic Thundering Herd and Jets fans, attending several games a season.

"It shows how far Marshall's program has come," Dean Cusatis said while grilling burgers outside of Giants Stadium. "They represent very well for a school their size. It makes you feel good because you know you're not a bandwagon fan if you watched Chad play in college for four years and you watched Byron in college for four years."

Following Sunday's action, Leftwich, Pennington and Pruett joined for a jovial chat near the stadium's entrance ramp. Just minutes before, frustration from an overtime loss was unmistakable while addressing the media. - NFL Football -

Funny what seeing friendly faces can do to a mood.

"It's been a good weekend," Pennington said, excluding the obvious. "It's always good to see two Marshall guys out there competing, and you've got (Jacksonville punter and Marshall alum) Chris (Hanson), who is punting as well as anybody in the league.

"It says a lot about our program and where we came from and hopefully where we're going to go."

2005-09-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Giants-Saints game rescheduled
NFL.com wire reports

(Sept. 5, 2005) -- The New Orleans Saints' game against the New York Giants in Week 2 of the NFL regular season will be played on Monday night, Sept. 19 as part of an unprecedented Monday Night Football doubleheader designed to highlight the national Hurricane Katrina relief effort, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue announced. - NFL Football -

The game had originally been scheduled to be played in New Orleans on Sept. 18. Due to the devastation in Louisiana caused by Hurricane Katrina and the magnitude of the challenges in the relief and recovery effort in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and elsewhere in the region, the NFL announced last week that the game would be played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The rescheduled game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC-TV. At 9 p.m. ET -- at the kickoff of the regularly scheduled Washington at Dallas game on ABC -- the Saints-Giants telecast will be switched to ESPN in all markets except New York, Louisiana and selected hurricane-affected areas, which will continue to see the game on ABC until its conclusion. Those ABC stations then will go to the Washington-Dallas game. - NFL Football -

"We appreciate the leadership of ABC and ESPN in helping us turn this particular Monday night into far more than a primetime football doubleheader, making it part of the overall Gulf Coast relief effort," said Commissioner Tagliabue. "The New Orleans Saints know the importance of rising to help meet the Gulf Coast's extraordinary challenges, and we salute them, too."

There will be fundraising efforts intertwined with the telecasts of both the Saints-Giants and Redskins-Cowboys games. ABC and ESPN will devote other parts of their programming that day to promoting the evening telecasts and the relief efforts. - NFL Football -

2005-09-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ties that bind
Terry Foster / The Detroit News

But what makes college football so appealing?

Todd Heustess, a free-lance writer based in Miami, travels the country writing stories from various sports venues.

This season, he plans to write about the college football pageantry at Colorado, Texas, Florida and Washington.

"What I have found is college football games are like giant family reunions," Heustess said. "The tailgates and meeting other people is almost as important as the game. You have a connection with all the other alumni around the country that is shared and manifests itself infootball more than anything else."

Mike Cray, who moved to Canton from Cleveland two years ago, won't let go of his love for Ohio State.

"College football has a stranglehold on this country," Cray said. "There is just something about football. The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is so strong in football it makes it more important."

So important that Nitz's wife, Tracy, and 17-month-old son, Gunnar, leave him alone every Saturday during the fall -- all for the love of his team.

Nitz spends all day in the basement on his "comfy couch" in front of his big-screen television. The day begins with a visit to the past, thanks to "ESPN Classic," and ends with a Pac-10 game that goes into the wee hours of Sunday morning.

"I never talk to (my wife) about it," Nitz said. "It is nonnegotiable."

2005-08-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Football star's antics mirror office games Like a resolute worker trying to get ahead, T.O. challenged the boss for more recognition, money.

Carol Hymowitz / Wall Street Journal

A lot of buzz has been going through corner offices over the antics of Terrell Owens of the Philadelphia Eagles. The tempestuous wide receiver made news when, after a year with theNFL team, he asked to renegotiate his seven-year, $49 million contract. He also landed in hot water when he lambasted the team's quarterback, Donovan McNabb, and argued with his coach, Andy Reid.

But T.O., as he is known, was back at training camp last week and working hard, according to team managers, after being sent home for seven days for disruptive behavior.

Many business leaders have a lot to say about T.O.'s in-your-face feistiness, and how they've dealt with similar behavior in their own employees, clients and themselves.

Though few admit it, the fascination is partly because many executives envy the role of the bad-boy superstar, unafraid to challenge the boss and win more recognition and money. Most also know the headache of managing a supertalent.

"T.O. wouldn't be a problem if he wasn't so talented; he'd just be out of the game," says Dave House, former head of Bay Networks, now a unit of Nortel, and a former Intel executive. Such talent has to be cultivated and certainly can't be dismissed, he adds.

Still, he knows that "hugely talented people often feel, and have been treated, as special all their lives and so can be hard to deal with."

House learned that during his 23 years at Intel, where he launched the successful Inside Intel marketing campaign for the company's microprocessors, got to know Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs and did business with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. "Having dealt with both of them personally, I can tell you it's a challenge to work with brilliance," he says. "You've got to get their respect and prove you're up to dealing with them."

His strategy was just to listen when Gates talked about software. "I never tried to question him in areas he believed he knew better than me, even when I disagreed with him," House says. But he didn't hesitate to push his own ideas about semiconductor technology, "which I knew more about," he adds.

He figures Owens needs to be listened to by his coach and managers, and understands that stars often expect to be the center of attention. T.O. once pulled a pen out of his sock after scoring a touchdown, ran over to fans and signed an autograph. But he lives up to his hype. Last season he snagged 77 balls for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns, and made a quick comeback, against doctor's orders, from a serious leg injury to play well in the Super Bowl. "He is special, so why shouldn't he want to be recognized for that?" asks House.

Mark Cuban, the former Internet tycoon and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is more disapproving. "The things T.O. was quoted as saying to his coaches -- like 'don't talk to me' -- are so outrageous that if they were in a sports movie, it would get panned as being completely unrealistic," says Cuban, who sold his Broadcast.com company for $5.7 billion before the dot-com crash.

Cuban is known for his publicity-grabbing courtside antics at Mavericks games, and once denounced NBA officials as unable to run a Dairy Queen stand. That triggered a $500,000 league fine against him, and an offer from Dairy Queen officials to work at one of their stores for a day. He accepted -- and attracted 14 TV camera crews. "It could be that he is just a drama queen," he says of Owens.

But there is a difference between unruly talk and unruly play, he says. T.O.'s managers "might know he is going to say bizarre things and be incredibly self-centered, but trust his preparation as an athlete and his knowledge of the system as a player," he says.

Owens's request to renegotiate his contract was predictable, says Brian Sullivan, CEO of Christian & Timbers, the big executive-search firm. Executives know that if they don't ask for what they think they're worth they'll never get it. Eagles managers should have seen it coming, he adds. Under his contract, Owens earns a base salary of about $3.25 million this year -- not high compared with other NFL wide receivers. In the NFL, players can be cut and lose their contracted pay if they are injured or don't perform well.

His managers "should have sat down with him in the spring and said, 'We're aware your contract reads like this and you might want more. And even though we're not willing to negotiate, we want to know what you think,' " says Sullivan.

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

Alumnus scores first NFL sack for Cowboys

Former Ball State football player Justin Beriault made his prime time debut on Monday Night Football this week when the Dallas Cowboys faced the Seattle Seahawks. - NFL Football -
Beriault scored his first NFL sack, a late pass deflection and, with linebacker Eric Obogu, pressured Seattle backup QB David Greene into running behind the end line for a safety.
Beriault has been fighting a knee injury in preseason but is currently listed as backup strong safety to Roy Williams. Beriault still may be in competition for the starting free safety job.
Despite his strong performance, Bill Parcells didn’t have praise for the rookie. - NFL Football -
“He did a couple of knucklehead things,” Parcells said in a press conference after the game.
One of Beriault’s teammates, inside linebacker Dat Nguyen, did have praise for him.
“He gave himself an opportunity,” Nguyen told the San Antonio Express-News. “From day one, he’s made a lot of plays. He’s got a nose for the ball.” - NFL Football -
Beriault was mentioned by Al Michaels and John Madden during the broadcast and was compared favorably to Bill Bates by the duo.

Ball State Daily News

2005-08-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

NFL Football Tickets Available at Tickets4Concerts.com

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PRWeb

2005-08-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

Pro football shrine gets a new class
Memorable moments

Green is revered by his contemporaries. Rick Gosselin, pro football writer for the Dallas Morning News, is a native of Grosse Pointe Park and a Michigan State graduate. He grew up reading Green's work. - NFL Football -
Gosselin, the 2004 McCann winner, said he feels honored to be in Green's class.
"Some of the nation's greatest sportswriters have been honored: Arthur Daley, Will McDonough, Dave Anderson, John Steadman and now Jerry Green," Gosselin said. "It is humbling to be in their company."
Green took over the Lions beat for The News on a full-time basis in 1966. It was a time when the NFL was fighting the fledgling American Football League, and pro football's popularity was soaring. - NFL Football -
Green's reporting instincts and diligence were rewarded . In 1966, he hung around Tiger Stadium after practice and noticed that the Lions were giving a tryout to a slightly built, balding man whose only experience was kicking a soccer ball.
The man was Garo Yepremian, and Green had a national scoop that the Lions were about to sign a soccer-style kicker. - NFL Football -
Green's persistence paid dividends again in the week leading up to Super Bowl III -- the famed game in which New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed a victory over the mighty Baltimore Colts.
Namath shooed away most writers from NFL cities. He considered them the enemy of the AFL. But Green would not be put off, and he was one of the few writers present for a poolside interview with him.
A picture, with Green in the group, ran in many national publications and has been an NFL classic. - NFL Football -
Through all the years and games, travel and deadlines, Green hasn't lost his enthusiasm to search for angles and report and write compelling stories for his readers.
Peter King of Sports Illustrated marveled at Green's energy level during a visit to Lions training camp last week. - NFL Football -
"I have a great amount of respect for a guy who's still enthusiastic after 20, 30 or 40 years of what they do," King said. "When I saw Jerry at the Super Bowl in Jacksonville this year, I saw that here's a guy who, after so many years of doing this, is still involved in the game and in writing a story." - NFL Football -

Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News

2005-07-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Viral outbreak leaves NFL club homeless for training camp

TEMPE, United States - As if the - NFL Football -
Arizona Cardinals' do not have enough problems, a viral outbreak has left them homeless for training camp six days before they start preparing for the National Football League season.
The Cardinals, coming off a difficult 6-10 season, announced here Monday that they have decided to move their pre-season workouts from Northern Arizona University because of an outbreak of Norwalk virus at the Flagstaff campus. - NFL Football -
"Since becoming aware of the situation, we've spent a considerable amount of time in discussions with the university officials, outside health professionals and our own medical personnel to determine the best course of action," said Tod Graves, the Cardinals vice president of football of operations. - NFL Football -
"The overwhelming concern obviously was the health and well-being of our football team."
Rookies and veterans are set to report Sunday. Just where is uncertain.
Last week, several people at summer youth camps at the school were exposed to the highly contagious norovirus and about 100 people have been affected. - NFL Football -
School officials canceled all remaining summer conferences at the university planned for the next month.

AFP.

2005-07-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

49ers, Cardinals hope to expand fan base

MEXICO CITY -- The NFL emphasized again Friday that if its first regular-season game abroad this year is successful, it could be the start of a broader international push.
The league "is going to look at all of the markets that have indicated an interest in doing this around the world: several in Europe, Canada, Asia," Roger Goodell, the league's executive vice president, said. - NFL Football -
Goodell spoke at a news conference to talk about the Oct. 2 game between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, the first regular-season contest outside the United States.
Goodell re-emphasized what commissioner Paul Tagliabue said when he announced the project: that if the game here between the Cardinals and 49ers is a success, the league might "look to play an international game, maybe on an annual basis, and rotate that around to some of the markets that have an interest globally." - NFL Football -
But the league wants to know first how the game goes in North America's largest metropolis, one that has hosted five NFL preseason games. The first of those set a league attendance record of 112,376 in 1994 when the Dallas Cowboys met the Houston Oilers.
Attendance this year can't top 105,000 because of modifications since then to Azteca Stadium.
The stadium's 7,200-foot altitude has helped make Azteca difficult for visiting soccer teams, including the U.S. national team in games against Mexico. In this case, San Francisco safety Tony Parrish said, "The altitude is going to affect both teams the same."
Goodell said the league will have to cope with teams' home-game stadium commitments. "We do the scheduling and most of the leases recognize that," he said, but acknowledged, "those will be issues we'll have to address as we look to how we expand this series if we find that this is the right way to do it." - NFL Football -
Mexico was chosen for the first game partly because it has the largest NFL fan base outside of the United States and regularly televised games have created loyal fans of the Cowboys, 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers, among others.
The country also has a national collegiate league and the NFL sponsors a national touch football series for youths. - NFL Football -
The Cardinals are the home team, in part because they stand to lose little from their home gate. The team, which is moving into a modern new stadium last year, often is lucky to fill half the seats at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., its home field.

Associated Press

2005-07-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

Pro turns con

A person's love of football comes in many different forms, but "The Longest Yard" fans are as wacky as they come.Starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds, this movie touches the heart of any football lover by incorporating one of America's most beloved pastimes with the age-old battle between good and evil --- or pros and cons.Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler) is an ex-MVP of the NFL, who effectively threw his career away by shaving points during a game. Besides having a controlling girlfriend (Courteney Cox), Crewe is accomplishing nothing in life. He decides it's time for a change, and one high-speed chase later, he finds himself locked up in the Allenville Correctional Facility for the next three years as a parole violator.
Immediately infamous for his past in the NFL, his only friend is a man they call Caretaker (Chris Rock). Forced into organizing a team of inmates to play the guards in a game of football, Crewe finds himself making as many enemies as friends during the first few months of his sentence.A remake that originally starred Burt Reynolds in Sandler's position, "The Longest Yard" is back with bigger and badder actors and comedians. Sandler and Rock make a great duo in this comedy and the supporting cast members throw in their own brand of humor. Former professional wrestlers Bill Goldberg, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Kevin Nash are among the supporting cast, making both excellent athletes on the football field and hysterical comedy acts off.And what would a football movie be without a little football? The action is as violent and exciting as it can get, pitting the two ultimate rival teams --- the convicts and the guards --- against each other in a battle for blood.Leading up to the big game, Crewe and his teammates face multiple obstacles to get what they hope will not only be a chance to get back at their oppressive guards, but also give them a little confidence with a big win. Finding team unity in an unsuspecting place, these men learn there is more to life than looking out for number one.Combining two of America's true loves --- football and comedy --- into one film only leaves room for "The Longest Yard" to live up to its title at the box office. It's the must-see comedy of the summer.

LINDSAY KALVIG, Pulse Movie Reviewer

2005-07-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hall of Fame NFL coach Hank Stram dies at 82

Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram, who took the Kansas City Chiefs to two Super Bowls and was known for his inventive game plans and exuberance on the sideline, died Monday, his family said. He was 82.
Stram had been in declining health for several years and Dale Stram attributed his father's death to complications from diabetes. He died at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, near his home in Covington, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. He built a home there during his two-year stint as coach of the Saints and retired there. - NFL Football -
"Pro football has lost one of its most innovative and creative coaches and one of its most innovative and creative personalities as well," Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt said in a telephone interview.
Stram was the Chiefs' first and winningest coach. He took over the expansion Dallas Texans of the upstart AFL in 1960 and coached them through 1974, moving with them to Kansas City where they were renamed the Chiefs in 1963. - NFL Football -
The gregarious, stocky, blazer-wearing Stram carried a rolled up game plan in his hand as he paced the sideline. He led the Chiefs to AFL titles in 1962, '66 and '69 and to appearances in the first Super Bowl, a 35-10 loss to Green Bay, and the fourth, a 23-7 victory over Minnesota in 1970.
He had a 124-76-10 record with the Chiefs and in 17 seasons as a head coach was 131-97-10 in the regular season and 5-3 in the postseason.
Stram was credited with the two-tight end offense that provided an extra blocker.
He was the first coach to wear a microphone during a Super Bowl and Stram's sideline antics, captured by NFL Films, helped bring the league into the video age.
Stram later coached two seasons with the Saints and enjoyed a successful second career in CBS' television and Monday Night Football radio booths as an analyst.
Stram made his mark in the booth by consistently telling the audience what would happen before it did. - NFL Football -
"I think they'll go deep here," he would tell his partner, Jack Buck.
"Elway to throw," Buck would respond. "He's looking deep. He throws deep. Caught by Steve Sewell at the 11-yard line. You called that one, Coach."
"John just saw what I saw," Stram would say.
Stram was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. The then-80-year-old had to be pushed onto the stage in a wheelchair and his induction speech was videotaped.
In an interview that year, Stram said he would accept another coaching job in a minute.
"I've lived a charmed life," he said. "I married the only girl I ever loved and did the only job I ever loved."
Len Dawson, the Hall of Fame quarterback who played under Stram at Kansas City, also called him an innovator.
"He was responsible for doing a lot of the things in the '60s that teams are still using now," said Dawson, citing the moving pocket and the triple stack defense.
"His whole life was football that's what he was born for, I think. He had a passion for it, not just a liking," Dawson said. "He was really sincere when he talked about the team being a family. Everybody really loved him." - NFL Football -
Hall of Fame linebacker Willie Lanier, who played for the Chiefs under Stram, said his former coach was able to elevate his players to new levels of success.
"All of us had a great joy in being able to experience the sport at the level we did because of his creative mind and the kind of personality that he put around you," he said from his home in Midlothian, Va. "That allowed everyone to perform at levels higher than they would have without him."
Hunt hired Stram, then an assistant at Miami, Fla., in 1959 after Oklahoma's Bud Wilkinson and then-New York Giants assistant Tom Landry turned down the team.
"He had never been a head coach before and you never know how that's going to work out. In our case it worked out tremendously. I think it worked out great for his career, too, because he ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Hunt said. "He deserves to be there."
Stram is survived by his wife Phyllis, sons Henry, Dale, Stu and Gary, daughters Julia and Mary Nell, and a sister, Dolly.
His sons said a private memorial service was being planned for later this week.

Associated Press

2005-06-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Alabama Gives Shula an Extension

Alabama coach Mike Shula received a one-year contract extension Tuesday but didn't get a raise to his $900,000 salary.

Shula, 40, has led Alabama to 4-9 and 6-6 records, including a berth in the Music City Bowl, in his first two seasons after taking over a program reeling from NCAA sanctions and the offseason firing of Mike Price.

The board of trustees' compensation committee voted unanimously in a brief teleconference to approve the extension keeping Shula under contract through the 2010 season, but didn't change any other part of his contract.

Shula's contract includes a base salary of $150,000 and a $750,000 talent fee.
The New England Patriots signed free agent kick returner Chad Morton on Tuesday. Morton injured his right knee last year and appeared in just six games for the Washington Redskins. He was released earlier in the month.

The Patriots also announced the signing of free agent guard Bryan Anderson and two 2005 draft picks, linebacker Ryan Claridge and quarterback Matt Cassel.

Honolulu businessman Manuel Sanchez, charged with defrauding the NFL of more than $500,000, has been placed on five years probation. Sanchez also was fined $25,000 and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service.

The NFL sued the former chief executive officer with Tickets Plus in 2003, alleging it was owed $474,000 in Pro Bowl tickets sold by the company and a $100,000 event sponsorship fee for the 2003 game.

Sanchez has paid the NFL $557,000 since he was charged.

Two Tennessee football players who entered a contract to buy furniture to replace items destroyed in an apartment fire violated NCAA rules, documents show.

Defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona and offensive lineman Arron Sears have been declared ineligible for competition until they pay $95.84 each for the value of having the furniture for one month and speak to the team about breaking NCAA rules.

They will not be able to address the team until August practice begins, but their status does not prevent them from participating in voluntary workouts this summer.

Nfl Football Card

2005-06-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

Heisman Recipients to be Honored

Four athletes with Nebraska ties who went on to immortality as recipients of the Heisman Trophy, college football's highest award, will be honored at the Omaha Press Club on Thursday, July 7, in an event open to the public. The OPC has been honoring newsmakers with the “Face on the Barroom Floor,” a caricature drawing presented at a roast and toast, since 1971. This will be the 102nd Face recognition in OPC history.
The Heisman Trophy winners who will be honored are Eric Crouch (winner in 2001); Mike Rozier (1983); Johnny Rodgers (1972), and the late Nile Kinnick (1939). Rodgers, Rozier and Crouch played for Nebraska. Kinnick, who died in 1943 while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, played for the University of Iowa, but attended Omaha Benson High School.
Crouch and Rodgers will be in attendance at the roast and will be available for autographs, while Rozier hopes to connect via the telephone. A no-host reception will start at 5:30 p.m. The roast and toast will begin at 6:30 p.m. Those who plan to stay for the dinner that follows should call (402) 345-8008 for reservations. Cost for dinner is $40 for OPC members and $50 for non-members. There is no cost to just attend the roast.
Roasters for the event will be: Omaha sportscasters Jack Payne (emcee), Jon Schuetz, KETV (Ch. 7), and Dave Webber, WOWT (Ch. 6); Jack Hallstrom, retired principal at Omaha Northwest High School; Kathy Trotter, principal, Druid Hill Elementary School in Omaha; Bob Fromkin, retired Omaha attorney; Don Benning, retired Omaha Public Schools assistant superintendent; Fred Petito, head football coach, Millard North High School; Paul Griego, owner of Pauli’s, an Omaha bar and grill; and Don Bryant, retired sports information director for the University of Nebraska.
Heisman Trophy Winners
Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers helped the Huskers win the school’s first two national titles in 1970 and 1971, before also making history as Nebraska’s first Heisman winner in 1972. He was selected for the award after his senior season when he amassed more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns, easily topping the next two competitors for the Heisman. Still remembered by fans for his spectacular punt return in the 1971 “Game of the Century” against Oklahoma, Rodgers is now an Omaha businessman working for Select Realty and Best Year Yet for Real Estate. The two-time All-American wingback still holds many school records. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000. He also was voted the Most Valuable Player in the history of the Big 8 Conference and the Huskers’ Player of the Century.
Eric Crouch was Nebraska’s third Heisman Trophy winner, earning his spot as the greatest rushing quarterback in the school’s history.
Crouch spent his four years at Nebraska rewriting the Husker’s quarterback records, becoming the third quarterback in NCAA Division 1-A history to rush for 3,000 yards and pass for 4,000 yards in a career. He was the only player in the school’s history to lead the team in total offense four straight years. He eclipsed the NCAA record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 59, topping fellow Heisman winner Mike Rozier’s previous school record of 49 rushing touchdowns.
Called the greatest running back in Nebraska history, Mike Rozier brought home the 1983 Heisman while a senior by setting a school record with 2,148 yards on 275 carries and a school record 29 touchdowns. Rozier averaged 179 yards per game while tying an NCAA record with 11 straight 100-yard performances, including a career-best 285 yards on 31 carries against Kansas. The No. 1 pick of the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers in the 1984 draft, Rozier, who now lives in New Jersey, was also the No. 1 overall pick of the Houston Oilers in the supplemental phase of the 1984 NFL Draft.
Nile Kinnick played for Omaha Benson High School, where he led his team to state championships and graduated in 1936. Omaha’s Northwest High School football field is named for him. Kinnick was quarterback for the University of Iowa’s victorious 1939 football squad known as the “Ironmen” and won the Heisman, the Walter Camp Award, the Big Ten MVP and the Maxwell Award as a senior. The quarterback also was named Athlete of the Year by Associated Press sports writers.
He chose law school at Iowa over an NFL pro football career before reporting for Navy duty three days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Just four years after he accepted his Heisman in 1939 by saying, “I thank God I was born to the gridirons of the middle west and not to the battlefields of Europe,” Kinnick was killed in the Caribbean during a training flight. The 24-year-old hero’s body was never found. He was inducted posthumously into the first class of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
This is the first time the Omaha Press Club has honored four individuals at one time with the Face recognition. The first recipient in 1971 was then-Mayor Gene Leahy. Other “Face on the Barroom Floor” recipients from the world of sports have been: Nebraska coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne; baseball’s Bob Gibson; football’s Gale Sayers; boxer Ron Stander; Iowa Football Coach Hayden Fry; and Creighton Basketball Coach Dana Altman.

By NU Sports Information