Steelers' LB Harrison wins Defensive Player of the Year award
New York, NY (Sports Network) - After helping the Pittsburgh Steelers post the NFL's top-ranked defense this season, linebacker James Harrison was honored on Monday as the Associated Press' Defensive Player of the Year.
Harrison set a Steelers record with a career-high 16 sacks in helping the Steelers to a 12-4 regular season record and an AFC North title. The 30-year- old also notched an NFL-high seven forced fumbles in addition to 101 tackles and an interception in 15 games this season.
With Harrison as its anchor, Pittsburgh's defense allowed just 237.2 yards per game and 156.9 yards per game through the air, both tops in the league. The Steelers finished second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game with 80.2, behind only the Minnesota Vikings. Pittsburgh also led the league in fewest points allowed this season.
Harrison earned 22 of the 50 votes turned in by a nationwide panel of sports writers. Dallas' DeMarcus Ware earned 13 to finish second in the voting.
The Steelers won six of their final seven games to capture the division crown and will host the San Diego Chargers this Saturday.
Ware, meanwhile, led the NFL with 20 sacks this season for the Cowboys, who failed to earn a playoff berth after getting blown out by Philadelphia in their final regular season game of the year.
Copyright (c) 2008 Reflex Publishing, Inc
Kiffin coaches last game with Bucs
TAMPA -- The man who many say is one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL coached his last game with the Bucs Sunday.
Monte Kiffin is leaving to join the University of Tennessee.
It was a bitter Sunday for the Bucs: they lost Sunday's game, and with it, the chance of making it to the playoffs.
And now they are losing Kiffin.
Fans say whoever takes the beloved coach's place will have some large shoes to fill.
"The defense has been great for a number of years, and without Monte Kiffin, it'll be a whole new face coming onto the organization. So hopefully we can keep it going," said Julia Bland as she walks into Raymond James Stadium for Sunday's game.
Kiffin is a defense master-mind. During the last 12 years, the Bucs' defense has ranked in the top ten. He's so successful, his scheme has been fingerprinted around the National Football League. And now fans worry his departure may mean the Bucs' pirate ship will begin to sink.
"Down. I think the defense is what carried us. Gruden has the offensive genius label that isn't applicable," said Buccaneer fan Paul Ferrentino.
Many argue that Monte Kiffin is one of the best defensive coordinators that has ever coached in the NFL. His play calling lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl win back in 2002.
Fans say they'll miss his play calling, but they'll also miss h.
"He's quite a character. With his antics, and the way he gets excited and animated, he's fun to watch," said Ferrentino.
(c) 2008 Fox Television Stations, Inc
Delhomme would still would put odds on Kasay
CHARLOTTE - The NFL's most accurate field goal kicker in 2008 was faced with a difficult challenge Sunday night - booting the game-winner kick in 30-degree weather with winds whipping at more than 20 miles per hour.
And from 50 yards out, nonetheless.
Still, Kasay thought he had the wind pretty much figured out when he lined up with nine seconds left in regulation against the New York Giants. It was blowing from right to left, so he figured on starting the kick to the right and letting it drift back in.
The only problem was he hit it too straight.
"I wanted to start it a little further right," Kasay said. "I started it pretty much down the middle. I knew it was going to be close from 50 yards. It just wasn't able to hold on line long enough. That's what I was afraid of."
The kick sailed wide left by a few feet, costing the Panthers a shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and home-field advantage.
The Giants went on to win the game in overtime 34-28 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Brandon Jacobs, leaving Kasay feeling like he let his teammates down.
"It would have been nice," Kasay said. "But this is not a fairy tale. (Football) can be cruel sometimes. That is why you try to take advantage of the opportunity when you get it."
The wind, Kasay said, didn't bother him all that much.
"We've had a lot of days in practice that are similar," he said. "That can make it difficult. I've been in worse situations. I should have made the kick. There are no excuses."
Before the start of his only field goal attempt of the game Kasay inexplicably shuffled his feet as if approaching the ball. Then he stopped and quickly tried to reset himself. The ball was then snapped and he still got plenty of leg on it.
When asked if the early movement threw him off, Kasay said, "It didn't make any difference. I reset. I was fine."
Kasay came into the game having made 24 of 25 field goals this season with his only miss coming on a 54-yarder against the Oakland Raiders. That prompted the Panthers to give the 39-year-old a four-year contract extension.
Unfortunately, for all that he's done right this year, this may be the kick he's remembered for. And that's a bit unfair.
The Panthers could have been much closer had Steve Smith not been flagged for a holding call on a 9-yard run by DeAngelo Williams. That run would have given the Panthers a second-and-1 at the Giants 30. Even if the Panthers hadn't picked up another yard, which is unlikely given the down and distance, Kasay would have been looking at a 47-yard field goal.
That was little consolation to Kasay aferward.
"We take them one week at a time," he said. "This is not what we wanted. But sometimes you've got to accept what you get."
Quarterback Jake Delhomme, for one, said he wouldn't want anyone in the league attempting that field goal the next time around.
"When he kicked it I thought it went through," Delhomme said. "I was at the far end trying to get a good look. It's a very tough field goal because that wind on the field was blowing extremely hard. We knew that was a tough field goal.
"We had ourselves in some better field position, but the (holding) penalty (on Steve Smith), that was just part of it. I take my chances with John in that spot."
gastongazette.com
At home in the desert, Vikings win big
GLENDALE, ARIZ. - Brad Childress surveyed his surroundings during pregame warmups Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium and saw an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a successful afternoon.
As his players reconvened in the locker room, the Vikings coach asked his team where it plays its best. The unanimous answer: at home. Childress, having seen countless fans wearing Vikings gear, quickly shot back: "You see all those purple jerseys in the stands? It's going to be a home environment. We are going to make it a home environment right here."
The Vikings did exactly that. With Tarvaris Jackson starting at quarterback for injured Gus Frerotte, the Vikings scored 28 first-half points and cruised to a 35-14 victory over the Cardinals before an announced crowd of 64,457.
The victory increased the Vikings' winning streak to four games, three on the road, and kept them a game ahead of Chicago for the lead in the NFC North. It also set up a chance for the Vikings to clinch the division next Sunday when they return to their real home, the Metrodome, to play the Atlanta Falcons.
"We're peaking. We're playing our best football," Vikings veteran safety Darren Sharper said. "I don't know how good we are. It's yet to be seen.
"We run the ball extremely well, we stop the run extremely well. We have playmakers and now special teams is coming around, flying around making plays. Those are all the makings for not only a playoff team but a championship team. But we have to keep working and keep trying to get better."
The Vikings are going to find it difficult to improve much on their performance in the first 30 minutes Sunday. They had a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, and the Cardinals' normally high-flying offense had run nine plays. Bernard Berrian got things going by returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown after the Cardinals' first possession. He would add a 41-yard scoring catch shortly thereafter.
(c) 2008 Star Tribune
Americas Team Falling Into Recession
The gold and black sign flapping in the wind like a gigantic Terrible Towel Sunday night at Heinz Field might have been the final indignity for the Dallas Cowboys. It read: "America's Real Team." Ouch.
How many more slaps to the face can the Cowboys possibly take?
From the look and sound of their pin-drop silent locker room after their 20-13 defeat to the Steelers, not many more. Coach Wade Phillips called the loss, in which the Cowboys blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead, the toughest he's had with the Cowboys, which is saying something considering that he has lost enough games that he might not return next year.
Over and over, Jason Witten took the blame for slipping on the interception that lost the game. Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner, was ashen, explaining over and over that he is not worried about his team's heart, but with its numbers.
The critical number is five, as in the number of losses. "I'm sick," Jones said. "I'm sick for the players. We knew if we got to 8-5 that would put it on us to win the final three games probably."
The Cowboys play the Giants next week with an opportunity for Dallas to cling to its wild-card hopes (the Giants have already clinched the division). Imagine how different it would have been if the Cowboys had held on to beat the Steelers and were just two games behind the Giants. Instead, in seven minutes, hope gave way to despair.
The Cowboys are tied with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins for the sixth playoff spot (the loser of Monday's National Football Conference South showdown between Carolina and Tampa Bay, both 9-3, would be in the first wild card spot). But the bigger problem is that the Cowboys have realized their potential for only fleeting moments this season.
The Cowboys spent a lot of money to build a team designed to outscore opponents. You don't put Terrell Owens and Roy Williams on the field together with the idea that you're going to win a lot of defensive battles. But Owens is ranked 28th in the league in receptions and 19th in yardage, and the Cowboys are just 12th in points per game. Too often, the Cowboys have not been able to push the ball down the field when they've most needed to, as was glaringly obvious against the Steelers.
The wind made passing difficult Sunday, but not impossible, as the Steelers' biggest offensive playmaker, in this case Nate Washington, showed when he caught three passes in the fourth-quarter scoring drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Heath Miller. The biggest Cowboys playmakers - Owens and Williams - caught five passes total, as many as running back Tashard Choice.
The Steelers were no thing of beauty. They have to get their protection problems straightened out and Ben Roethlisberger has to get rid of the ball faster before the playoffs start, and they have now been stopped three times on the one at home in the last month, a weird development for a team that once employed someone nicknamed The Bus. But in the mark of a good team merely having a bad day - rather than a not-as-good-as-we-thought team having a bad year, like the Cowboys - the Steelers did just enough to win. When someone asked Coach Mike Tomlin about his offense's "terrible" performance, he replied: "Terrible is a strong word. Very poor."
The Cowboys, despite superior talent, were very poor, too.
After the fourth-quarter interception, Owens was seen yelling at a Cowboys assistant coach. Naturally, Owens intimated that the pass intended for Witten, which ended up in Deshea Townsend's hands, and in the end zone for the Steelers' winning touchdown, should have gone to him. He said he had one-on-one coverage and the Steelers defender was playing 10 to 12 yards off him. That is a fair assessment.
This is not: "It's his job to go out there and assess what the defense is, and he made that decision." Owens said, implying that Tony Romo's decision to go to Witten was the wrong one.
That's just what the Cowboys need, a little more strife in a season that has overflowed with it. Adam (used-to-be-Pacman) Jones returned to action after his latest suspension and it was nothing more than a note.
The Cowboys have three brutal games remaining against the Giants, the Ravens and at the Eagles. The Cowboys have sunk into the depths of adversity before and bounced out, but this time Romo can't come off the injured list to rescue this season - this team - that looks beyond saving.
"I hope this gives us more fight," receiver Patrick Crayton said. "But to come away with a loss like this is deflating."
Confronting Reality in Detroit
It might be time to just say it: the Detroit Lions are probably going to go 0-16. With an inexplicable tendency to get a lead, and then lose it (something the Lions have done in six of their last seven games) Detroit is steaming toward the ignominious. They may have blown their last best chance Sunday when they lost to the Vikings, who were led, if you want to call it that, by former starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. With games against the roaring Colts, Saints and Packers (only the Saints are at home), the Lions appear doomed to being a punch line. They can take some solace from the fact that last year's joke - the Dolphins, who were 0-13 before finally winning their only game of the season - are now tied for first place in the AFC East. Then again, Bill Parcells is unlikely to leave Florida to engineer a turnaround in Detroit any time soon.
The Vikings shouldn't be feeling too great right now, though. Gus Frerotte might miss the game against Arizona with a back injury that forced him from Sunday's game. Jackson could take back the starting job, which he lost after two games. More ominous is that a judge could decide the fates of Pat and Kevin Williams, who were allowed to play Sunday by a judge who wanted time to review their Starcaps-based league suspensions. But if those suspensions are upheld, the Williamses head to the bench and the Vikings try to cling to their one-game lead without the heart of their defense.
Keeping the Patriots Running
The New England Patriots are back in a tie for first place in the AFC East thanks, in part, to the extraordinary workers they brought back from furlough this week. Rosevelt Colvin and Junior Seau played a significant number of snaps on Sunday. The Patriots play the Oakland Raiders next week and, after Tedy Bruschi did not returni Sunday after leaving the game with a knee injury, you have to wonder if Lawrence Taylor is next on the Belichick/Pioli speed dial. The Patriots still could miss the playoffs, but in a season beset by injuries, Scott Pioli, the team's vice president of pro personnel, has done a remarkable job fitting in spare parts to keep the engine running - hello, BenJarvus Green Ellis. The Patriots deserved raves last year for the dominant team they assembled, but this season might serve as a quieter, but more impressive example of their resourcefulness. Shouldn't the Lions make Pioli an overwhelming offer to try to bring that resourcefulness to Detroit?
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
Giants Beat Redskins, 11-1 for 1st Time: NFL Week 13
Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The New York Giants raised their record to 11-1 for the first time in franchise history, beating the Washington Redskins 23-7 for their seventh straight victory.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for 305 yards and a touchdown to Amani Toomer, Brandon Jacobs added a rushing score and John Carney kicked three field goals. Redskins wide receiver Devin Thomas scored his team's only points on a 29-yard reverse.
With the win in rainy conditions at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, the Giants maintained their three-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys (8-4) in the National Football Conference's East Division, while the Redskins fell to 7-5. The Cowboys beat Seattle 34-9 on Thanksgiving Day.
The last time the Giants had a chance to get to at least 11-1 was in 1990, when they opened their season 10-0 before losing consecutive games at Philadelphia and San Francisco. New York went on to beat Buffalo 20-19 in the Super Bowl.
"Our guys rose up again," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said at a televised postgame news conference. "They're mentally tough, they work had, they work as one and we got a lot of contributions from a lot of guys."
Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was ruled out of the game with a hamstring injury two days ago, before accidentally shooting himself in the same right leg at a Manhattan nightclub. He'll deny criminal possession of a weapon when he's charged by New York police tomorrow.
Four Sacks
Manning went 21-for-34 passing, including one interception, while Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell completed 23 of 38 passes for 232 yards and an interception, getting sacked four times in the loss.
Washington's Thomas scored his first National Football League touchdown in the second quarter to get the Redskins on the scoreboard after they trailed 13-0 following Toomer's 40- yard scoring catch and two Carney field goals.
Jacobs rushed 71 yards on 21 carries, while NFL rushing leader Clinton Portis was held to 22 yards on 11 rushes.
Prior to the game, the Redskins inducted former safety Sean Taylor into the team's Ring of Fame. The two-time Pro Bowl selection died a year ago after a burglary at his Miami home.
In other early NFL games today, it was Baltimore 34, Cincinnati 3; Tampa Bay 23, New Orleans 20; Miami 16, St. Louis 12; Indianapolis 10, Cleveland 6; Carolina 35, Green Bay 31; and San Francisco 10, Buffalo 3.
Later this afternoon, the New York Jets host Denver; Atlanta is at San Diego; Pittsburgh visits New England; and Oakland hosts Kansas City.
Chicago plays at Minnesota tonight, while Houston hosts Jacksonville tomorrow night.
Also on Thanksgiving Day, Tennessee beat winless Detroit 47-10, while Philadelphia topped Arizona 48-20.
Elsewhere today:
San Francisco 10, Buffalo 3: Isaac Bruce scored the game's only touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Shaun Hill as the 49ers raised their record to 4-8. Marshawn Lynch had 134 yards rushing for the Bills (6-6).
Baltimore 34, Cincinnati 3: Mark Clayton made a one-handed catch for a 70-yard touchdown and threw a 32-yard scoring pass to Derrick Mason as the Ravens improved to 8-4. The Bengals are 1-10-1.
Carolina 35, Green Bay 31: DeAngelo Williams had four one- yard scoring runs, including the go-ahead score with 1 minute, 33 seconds remaining as the Panthers moved to 9-3. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns for the Packers (5-7).
Indianapolis 10, Cleveland 6: Robert Mathis's 37-yard fourth-quarter fumble return was the game's only touchdown. The Colts are 8-4 and the Browns are 4-8.
Miami 16, St. Louis 12: Ronnie Brown had a three-yard scoring run for the game's lone touchdown as the Dolphins raised their record to 7-5. Josh Brown had four field goals for the Rams (2-10).
Tampa Bay 23, New Orleans 20: Matt Bryant's 37-yard field goal with two minutes remaining broke a 20-20 tie as the Buccaneers moved to 9-3. Drew Brees threw for 296 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions for the Saints (6-6).
(c) BLOOMBERG L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Bulluck Not Happy With Effort From Team Sunday
Sunday's Titans-Jets game featured many impressive NFL streaks.
The Titans were just the 11th NFL team in history to reach a 10-0 mark on a season. That streak was snapped as the Jets handed the Titans their first loss of the 2008 season, and their first regular-season loss since week 14 of the 2007 season.
''We got handled at home today,'' Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said. ''We will be ready for Detroit, the taste of a loss is not sitting well with this team right now.''
Sunday's game featured other streaks of note. It marked Jets quarterback Brett Favre's 264th career start and LP Field's 101st consecutive sell-out.
Brett Favre entered Sunday's AFC showdown of division leaders with a career record of 0-2 against the Titans. The Titans hoped to extend that losing streak, but proved to be unsuccessful as the NFL's leading passer threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
The win at LP extended a winning streak for the Jets rather than the Titans. The AFC East leaders have won five games in a row and seven of their last eight. Favre also entered the game against the Titans with 4 interceptions thrown against them, with a completion rate of less than 70 percent.
Bulluck said things didn't fall into place for the previously-unbeaten Titans.
''We just didn't play with the same intensity as the Jets,'' Bulluck said. ''We need to come out and play better football the rest of the year.''
One positive note during Sunday's loss came when rookie running back Chris Johnson carried the ball off right tackle for a gain of 24 yards. The run gave Johnson over 1,000 yards from scrimmage this year.
Johnson finished the day with 10 carries for 46 yards and three catches for 15 yards.
The loss was the first Johnson had experienced in the NFL. He said a short week may be just what the team needs to overcome a disappointing effort.
''It won't be easy, but it is a good thing to get to the next game and get this loss out of our head and get to our next opponent.''
The Titans next opponent is the Detroit Lions, a team which has a streak of their own. A streak that they would like to end. The Lions are winless on the year with an 0-11 mark. They are on a 12-game losing streak which dates back to 2007.
The Titans will look to start a new winning streak next week, and more importantly avoid starting a losing streak.
''We are still in the drivers seat,'' Keith Bulluck said. ''It is time to turn up the heat. Teams will still be gunning for us but it is time to get back to the good football that we were playing early in the season.''
Copyright 2008 Citadel Broadcasting Company and MediaSpan
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