NFL's first black starting QB Briscoe to be honored
OMAHA -- Marlin Briscoe, the first black man to start at quarterback in professional football, will receive a special honor from Congress.
The Omaha native was recognized by U.S. Rep. Lee Terry last week on the House floor as part of Black History Month. A Congressional Record will be presented to Briscoe on Monday during a ceremony.
Briscoe was a quarterback in college, but was drafted in 1968 by the Broncos as a cornerback. He moved to quarterback after an injury sidelined the starter.
Briscoe was released by the Broncos in 1969. He went on to become an all-pro receiver with the Buffalo Bills and Miami, winning two Super Bowls with the Dolphins.
Cardinals let Pendergast go
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Cardinals fired defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, less than a week after Arizona played the Steelers in the Super Bowl.
"Like every decision, it comes down to what's best for the team and what gives us the best chance to win," coach Ken Whisenhunt said in a statement released by the team.
Pendergast's departure leaves the team without both coordinators. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley was named head coach of the Chiefs on Friday.
Possible ex-Panthers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Julius Peppers and Jordan Gross will slip on Carolina helmets today in the Pro Bowl. It's possible it'll be the last time either player is seen in Panthers colors.
Coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney face difficult decisions with the impending unrestricted free agents, complicated by Peppers' desire to play elsewhere next season and the impact the two will have on the salary cap.
Copyright 2009 The Denver Post
Super Bowl again delivers classic finish
Tampa, Fla. -- Kurt Warner played his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and his team lost.
The Pittsburgh Steelers blew their chance to establish themselves as one of the best defenses in NFL history, and they won.
The Super Bowl's entertainment value was further restored Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium, where Arizona and Pittsburgh traded touchdowns in the last three minutes. The Steelers' 27-23 win gives them a record six titles after a game that unquestionably will be remembered as the best Super Bowl since ... last February's.
This little exercise is getting good. Disregard what may have heard about the ultimate game of the pro football season being boring, one-sided or anticlimactic.
If it was true last century, it is hardly the case lately.
"That's how big games should be played," said Arizona offensive lineman Deuce Lutui, a Snow College product. "Unfortunately, we ended up on the losing side of it, but what a fun game."
No kidding. What more could anyone have wanted? It featured a 14-point swing on the last play of the first half that should have destroyed Warner and the Cardinals, but they regrouped. Having posted only seven points through three quarters, they scored two touchdowns (plus a safety) in the fourth period, positioning themselves for the biggest comeback victory in Super Bowl history.
"I couldn't believe it," said Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel, from BYU.
This part was completely believable to him: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and friends responded. Having scored 10 points on its first two drives and only three more to that point, when they were backed up to their 12-yard line and trailing 23-20, they drove down the field with little resistance.
A year after the New York Giants came through with a clutch drive highlighted by a remarkable catch to knock off previously unbeaten New England, it was Pittsburgh's turn to deliver a great finish Sunday.
The winning march ended with Roethlisberger's 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds remaining.
Former BYU safety Aaron Francisco was the closest defender to Holmes, who extended himself to make the catch while barely keeping his toes inside the end zone. Roethlisberger "put the ball where only we could get it," said offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. "It was just an unbelievable catch and throw."
Warner made a bunch of those himself, including the strike over the middle that Larry Fitzgerald took 64 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. In his third Super Bowl, Warner was better than ever at age 37. He finished 31-for-43 for 377 yards and three touchdowns against a defense that allowed only 237 yards a game during the regular season. Of course, there was one throw Warner would love to have back.
Linebacker James Harrison returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown that threatened to permanently alter this game, just as Bruce Springsteen was about to take the stage at halftime.
"They showed an all-out blitz and [Harrison] did an excellent job of holding in towards the line of scrimmage and then popping out," Warner said. "I couldn't see him around our linemen and the pressure."
Decide for yourself which seven points was more critical: the seven that Harrison saved by cutting in front of Anquan Boldin on a first-down play from the 1-yard line? Or the seven he scored by somehow running 100 yards down the right sideline, shaking off tackling attempts by Warner, Fitzgerald and others and ultimately tumbling into the end zone?
Instead of taking a 14-10 lead, the Cardinals trailed 17-7. "That's the difference in the game, when you look at it," said Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley. But "we overcame that and put ourselves in position to win."
Indeed, it was a game the Steelers seemingly had won, then lost, then won again -- all you could ask for in a Super Bowl, in other words. It just might be worth tuning into this thing again next year.
sltrib.com
Arizona Cardinals could do NFL a favor ... lose
They're the Super story, though it's not clear whether the Arizona Cardinals are the protagonists or just a bunch of desert-spawned historical asterisks.
The Cards were the story right after they clinched the franchise's first Super Bowl berth, they have been the story ever since, and they will be the story up until kickoff Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
And, though it seems incredibly, wildly unlikely, it is not out of the question that they could win.
The Cardinals could win Super Bowl XLIII and transform themselves into this sports era's biggest cosmic head-shaker.
So the larger question, as we head into Hype Week: If the Cardinals beat the Steelers, would that be a good or bad thing for the NFL?
Let's do a rundown "...
An Arizona championship would be BAD for the NFL because it would further erode the significance of the regular season.
We accept that baseball, the NBA and the NHL play their seasons as a semi-coherent, occasionally entertaining prologue before the real stuff begins.
But no professional league - probably in the world - makes more money and gets more attention for each regular-season game than the NFL.
The league's riches are built on the significance of its regular season. It's a tremendous regular season.
So what happens if the Vince Lombardi Trophy goes to Arizona, with its 9-7 regular-season record, 3-7 mark against non-NFC West opponents, four losses by 21 points or more, and tradition of poor ownership, poor luck and poor, poor fans?
Actually, the importance of the regular season seems to have been frittering away for a little while now. Arizona might kill off the meaning forever.
Last year, the New York Giants were very talented but muddled through the regular season at 10-6 and scored only 22 more points than they allowed. That was before they got red hot and eventually toppled 16-0 New England (plus-315 in points differential) in the Super Bowl.
Two years ago, Indianapolis went 12-4 in the regular season but was only a plus-67 in points differential, and won the Super Bowl by beating Chicago, which was a plus-172.
Before the 2006 season, both Super Bowl entrants usually had points differentials above plus-100 and the winner often was closer to plus-200 - a sure sign of season dominance.
This year, the Cardinals had a plus-1 regular-season points differential. The Steelers, who went 12-4, were plus-124.
A win for Arizona would be GOOD for the NFL because it would give all low-lying teams hope for a quick turnaround and incentive to actually try.
Two years ago, Arizona went 5-11 and fired Dennis Green. Last year, they hired Ken Whisenhunt from the Pittsburgh staff and went 8-8.
The Cardinals' true surge started with the 2004 draft, which netted them superstar receiver Larry Fitzgerald (No. 3 overall, one slot after the Raiders selected Robert Gallery), linebacker Karlos Dansby (No. 33 overall, two slots after the 49ers selected Rashaun Woods) and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett (No. 64 overall, six slots after the 49ers selected Shawntae Spencer).
A year later, Arizona signed Kurt Warner. In 2006, the Cardinals opened a new stadium in Glendale.
And now Fitzgerald is the best receiver on earth, Whisenhunt and Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin are the NFL's prototype young, stern coaches and Warner is aiming for Canton.
Right coach, right players, right quarterback, right division, new stadium "... that's all you need, Raiders and 49ers! (And Lions, Chiefs and Texans.)
Conclusion: Arizona is a fun Cinderella story, but if we're going to continue to take the NFL regular season seriously, Cinderella has to lose Sunday.
To paraphrase Bill Parcells, what makes the NFL great is that every team is what its record says it is. Once you lose that, you lose a lot.
Copyright (c) 2009 - San Jose Mercury News
With Arizona in the Super Bowl, Detroit Is Lonlier Than Ever
The football world is in shock and awe this morning. The Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl. Yes, those Arizona Cardinals.
The Detroit Lions have been real bad for nearly a decade, but before that they were respectably mediocre for a good while. As much as Detroit fans don't want to admit it, there was a franchise worse than the Lions out there, playing in the same league, in the same conference.
The Arizona Cardinals.
Yes, the Cardinals who held the title of longest championship drought in the NFL. The Cardinals who had the second longest championship drought in professional sports! Second only to the Chicago Cubs infamous 100-year drought. (And you thought we had it bad Lions fans? Imagine living your entire life and never seeing a championship for your team!)
Sure, Arizona has won championships. So has Detroit. Think back to before there was a Super Bowl. Oh, you can't? That's ok, neither can I. Apparently such a time did in fact exist however.
The Arizona Cardinals, before last night, would have quickly pointed that fact out to you, because they won their last championship in 1947, 20 years before Super Bowl I.
The Detroit Lions won three championships in the 1950s, culminating in their 1957 championship, nine years before Super Bowl I. Yes, the Lions are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their last NFL championship. Nostalgic ain't it? Oh, I keep forgetting, you don't remember.
Before Arizona glued the wings to a couple of barnyard animals last night, they were one of four NFL franchises to have never played in a Super Bowl. The other three are New Orleans, Cleveland, and you guessed it, Detroit.
Cleveland won their last championship in 1964, just missing the birth of the Super Bowl.
New Orleans was an expansion team in 1967 and to date, they have never won a championship. However, that still means that the Saints have only gone 41 years without a title compared to Detroit's 50.
So what does that mean everybody? (All together now) Detroit now stands alone as the most inept franchise in the NFL.
Before last night, Lions fans could at the very least point to Arizona and say "1957," and Arizona fans would nod slowly, put their heads down and slink away.
Now that distinction weighs on Detroit, and Detroit alone. They now receive the title of longest championship drought in the NFL. They now also receive the title of third-longest championship drought in professional sports, behind the Sacramento Kings of 1951.
Is there hope? Well, as Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press pointed out, Arizona finally stumbled upon the right coach, and the right players, and then they took a chance on an aging Kurt Warner who everyone thought was washed up. Arizona alone held out hope that Warner had some magic left in that arm, and they were right.
Was it luck? Arizona has never really had a great quarterback of note, no hall of fame quarterbacks to speak of since they were known as the Chicago Cardinals.
At least Detroit had Bobby Layne, who newly hired head coach Jim Schwartz said the Lions are still trying to replace.
So yes, I'd say in part, Arizona got lucky.
What would be the equivalent for Detroit?
Well, for starters, Jim Schwartz would have to be the right hire. His coordinators would have to be the right hires, Mayhew and the front office would have to draft the right players, and on top of all that, throw a little luck in.
How would luck be defined for Detroit in this scenario? How about Tom Brady getting healthy enough to convince New England that they don't really need a multi-millionaire backup quarterback in Matt Cassel, and they offer him up for trade...to Detroit.
Yeah, probably not going to happen.
So how long will Detroit go? Will the 50 year streak of futility be extended?
Of course, the infamous curse of Bobby Layne is now over, so it would be the opportune time to, you know...win some games.
Hopefully there's a renewed sense of urgency though. It gets pretty lonely when there's no one to lean against the wall of shame along with you.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc
Plaxico Burress' destruction of the Giants is complete
There were a lot of interesting stories from this past weekend's NFL playoff games, but the most remarkable one involved a person who was nowhere to be seen on your TV screen. It's the story of how one man's stupidity brought down the best team in the NFL. I'm looking at you, Plaxico Burress. When Giants fans (most of them, anyway) went to bed on Nov. 28, the defending Super Bowl champs were 10-1, the only loss being a head-scratcher on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns. The Giants were averaging 30 points per game, and had just won five straight games against the Steelers, the Cowboys, the Eagles, the Ravens and the Cardinals.
Then, early in the morning on Nov. 29, Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub, an incident that resulted in criminal charges and Burress' being lost for the rest of the season. The Giants won their next game, against the sinking Redskins, but went on to lose four of their final five. In their six games after the Burress shooting, New York scored 18 points per game. The running game that had been so dominant early in the season became less so down the stretch (the loss of Brandon Jacobs for period of time had something to do with that, but so did the lack of a big-time receiving threat to keep teams honest), and Eli Manning was not the same quarterback:
Manning before Plax was shot: 209-337, 2319 yards, 18 TD, 7 INT, 91.6 QB rating
Manning after Plax was shot: 95-171, 1088 yards, 3 TD, 5 INT, 68.6 QB rating
No matter how much Giants players may have tried to deny it yesterday, Plaxico Burress was the biggest cause for the collapse of their season. Particularly since their exit came against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that Burress has killed throughout his career. Yesterday, Giants receivers had a combined six catches for 80 yards. While Manning was not very accurate with his throws, the fact remains that no one made plays.
So Plax, this one is on you. No one can prove that the Giants would have beaten the Eagles yesterday with you on the field, but your absence certainly made Philadelphia's job a lot easier.
COME BACK, PLEASE! The Giants appear to have learned a lesson from the Burress debacle. But if you thought that the lesson would be to distance themselves from players who can't stay out of trouble, you'd be wrong. Instead, based on general manager Jerry Reese's postgame comments, the front office feels that they need to forgive past transgressions and get Burress back on the field in 2009.
THIS ISN'T THE '90s ANYMORE: The Arizona Cardinals' victory on Saturday night means that only four NFC teams have not qualified for a conference championship game in this decade. One of them is the Detroit Lions, and the other three are among the proudest franchises in the NFL: the 49ers, the Redskins and the Cowboys.
COME HERE OFTEN? Philadelphia, meanwhile, becomes the second team in the NFL (the Patriots are the other) to qualify for five conference championship games this decade -- a remarkable feat considering that the Eagles made just one conference championship appearance before the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb era. And somehow McNabb still isn't the most popular quarterback in Eagles history.
END OF A SORRY LEGACY: Arizona's victory also means that only two current NFL franchises have never played for a conference championship: The Houston Texans and the current edition of the Cleveland Browns (i.e., not the team that eventually moved to Baltimore). The Houston and Cleveland franchises are only seven and 10 years old, respectively.
A SEASON FOR DEFENSE: The Steelers, the Ravens and the Eagles ranked one, two and three in the NFL in total defense this regular season.
BRONCOS CHOOSE OFFENSE: The success of defensive-oriented teams wasn't enough to keep the Denver Broncos from hiring Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels rather than a defensive-minded head coach -- this despite the fact that the Broncos were 29th in team defense this season and second in total offense. Broncos fan Ben Hundley looks at the move as a mile-high blunder, especially since the Broncos passed over Leslie Frazier, the coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings' vaunted defense (Bleacher Report).
LEFT BEHIND: Should the Patriots decide to look in-house for McDaniels' replacement, they will find only one coach with offensive coordinator experience: tight ends coach Pete Mangurian, the former director of the Atlanta Falcons offense (Boston Herald).
PIOLI TO FOLLOW? The Boston Globe's Mike Reiss reports today that Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli is a clear favorite to be Kansas City's next general manager, and that Pioli's interest in the Chiefs job has grown.
THANKS, PITTSBURGH: Reiss also notes that the Steelers' victory over San Diego was a blessing for the Patriots, who own the Chargers' second-round draft choice. Had the Chargers continued their improbable late-season run all the way to the Super Bowl, that pick would have been significantly less valuable.
COWBOYS PLAY ON: Dallas linebacker Anthony Spencer was arrested over the weekend in Indianapolis on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct (Dallas Morning News). According to the police, Spencer and a friend offered money for a bar to stay open past closing time, then threw punches at the bouncers who tried to make them leave.
ANOTHER HARRISON ACCUSER: A second witness has told Philadelphia authorities that Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison had a gun in his hand during an altercation that resulted in a shooting outside of Harrison's car wash, ESPN the Magazine is reporting. But the witness's account was not enough for Philadelphia D.A. Lynne Abraham to charge Harrison in the shooting, despite her assertion that she is "pretty comfortable I know who fired the gun."
FAREWELL, OLD FRIEND: Jeff Schudel of Ohio's News-Herald newspaper says that one of Eric Mangini's priorities as Browns head coach should be encouraging Willie McGinest to retire.
(c)The Providence Journal Co
Keep the faith, Detroit Lions fans
In writing about the hope Detroit Lions fans should still have (even after an 0-16 season), Robert Weintraub looks at the smart moves the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins made to make major turnarounds from 2007.
He does make a bad assumption, though, when he compares Lions owner William Clay Ford to the Falcons' and Dolphins' owners.
Slate, December 31: Hey, Lions fans! No need to fret. Sure, your team just completed the worst professional football season of all time, including the CFL, the World League, even the XFL. But this is the NFL, where waiting until next year actually works. Check out the playoff-bound Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons. In 2007, both franchises suffered through near-Detroit levels of decrepitude. Miami was 1-15. Meanwhile, Atlanta's rookie head coach bailed on the team for the University of Arkansas, and the team's dog-killing star quarterback was escorted to Leavenworth. ... The NFL is a top-down league, and owners have more influence than in other sports. In Arthur Blank and Wayne Huizenga, the Falcons and Dolphins are run by a pair of men who inserted their egos into team operations, found out the hard way it was a mistake, and backed off this season to let a football man run the show. Bill Parcells, a master renovator who should have his own show on HGTV, was the first choice of both teams. Atlanta thought it had the Tuna signed, but Parcells wiggled free and headed for South Florida instead. Atlanta settled for a canny personnel man from the Parcells tree, Thomas Dimitroff, late of the Patriots' omniscient scouting department. Both men set about remaking their organizations to prize toughness, accountability, and smarts.
(c)2009 mlive.com
The Chargers Are Ready For a Deep Playoff Run
When the Chargers went 4-8, I was stunned, truly stunned. A team with their kind of talent was just playing horribly, and I believed that they were over and done with. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson did not have the spark he once had, whether it was due to injury or age.
Quarterback Philip Rivers, however, really impressed me. For a team that is thought to rely solely on the running game, it was throwing a lot of touchdowns. Philip Rivers threw for more touchdowns in a single season than Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts did. Fouts had 33 touchdowns with a team that had a passing attack of another world at that time. Philip Rivers comes in and throws 34 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions compared to Fout's 17.
Philip Rivers was not even selected to the Pro Bowl, which shows how much this Chargers team was seen as a failure because LaDainian Tomlinson was not tearing up the field.
In a stunning rout of the Denver Broncos, the Chargers make the playoffs three years in a row, and I don't think that they are leaving so soon.
This team is much better than their record. What I saw on Sunday Night Football last night is a team that is ready to do the unthinkable. End San Diego's championship drought.
I saw a LaDainian Tomlinson at his elite level again. I saw a Philip Rivers that could release a deep ball accurately and powerfully. I saw a team that is determined to prove everyone under the sun in the United States wrong.
I think they will.
I'm making a Super Bowl pick, that I may or may not regret. My pick for the AFC is the San Diego Chargers. I think they will run over the Colts next week, and they will take it from there. I hope they do. I can't think of a greater athlete in the NFL that does not have a Super Bowl ring other than LaDainian Tomlinson.
Tomlinson's Alma mater, Texas Christian University, won a bowl game in San Diego a few days ago, and Tomlinson was there cheering them on to victory. I think that their victory has added gasoline to his fire. Combine him with other running backs Darren Sproles, and Jacob Hester, this team has a superb running game.
The Chargers have been burned so many times. Two years ago they go 14-2 and are upset by the New England Patriots in the first round. Last year they lose to the Patriots because of failure in the red zone, and the fact that Philip Rivers was playing on two injured legs. This team has had nothing but struggle especially since Pro Bowl linebacker Shawn Merriman had to go on injured reserve.
Then the takeaway defense went away itself. After having a +24 in turnovers, they have a +4, and one of the worst pass defenses in the league. They even fired the defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell during the season. The new one, Ron Rivera, has done a much better job helping this team win the division.
They deal with a miracle pass in week one, and a blown call in week two. After constant battling they become 4-8, and not one of the games they lost was a blow out. The highest margin of loss was nine points to the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo.
Head Coach Norv Turner has to make a deep run in playoffs if he expects to keep his job. This team barely made it in on an 8-8 record, and a gift like that cannot be squandered.
This team is much better than that, and I think we will see why in the playoffs.
Copyright (c) 2008 Bleacher Report, Inc.
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