AFC rivals clash on MNF

Scouts Inc.: Peyton Manning and the Colts have lost their past six games against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Patriots. Equipped with a much-improved and far more physical defense, the Colts are hoping to reverse their fortunes in Foxborough, where their playoff run has ended each of the past two seasons. --football gambling--

A win for the undefeated Colts would be the biggest step yet toward claiming home-field advantage in this season's playoffs. Perhaps more importantly, it would all but rid them of a third-consecutive postseason trip to Gillette Stadium. --football gambling--

But before anyone gets too carried away, the Patriots have had the Colts' number for a reason. Manning might have the passing records, but Tom Brady is the one wearing three Super Bowl rings. --football gambling--

Patriots coach and defensive guru Bill Belichick seems to be one step ahead of the curve in terms of frustrating the otherwise unflappable Manning, and New England has a huge mental advantage due to the physically dominating manner in which it has handled Indianapolis in the past. --football gambling--

And oh, by the way, ILB Tedy Bruschi is back healthy to lead an emotionally charged Patriots' defense. Does Monday Night Football get any better than this?--football gambling--

Road to ruin a familiar NFL path

November 2, 2005

BY MIKE MULLIGAN STAFF REPORTER

It's never easy to live out of a suitcase. It's virtually impossible to play winning football in the NFL while living out of a suitcase. -NFL Football-

The Bears learned that lesson during the 2002 season, when the glory of a 13-3 run the year before turned into a miserable 4-12 campaign with home games played 135 miles away at Champaign's Memorial Stadium. -NFL Football-

In light of that experience, the Bears have an idea, however remote, about what the New Orleans Saints are going through this season after their city was destroyed in August by Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing flooding. The Saints relocated to San Antonio and are splitting home games between that city and Baton Rouge, La., where the Bears travel for a 3:05 p.m. game Sunday. -NFL Football-

"They have a lot more to overcome than we did,'' middle linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "Guys lost their homes, they've relocated -- it stinks what they are going through. It's not easy doing that, but once Sunday rolls around, it doesn't matter. They have played some good games this year. -NFL Football-

"They beat our butts in Champaign, so we have to beat their butts in Baton Rouge.'' -NFL Football-

Indeed, the Bears had a 2-0 record and an early lead against New Orleans in 2002 when the Saints rallied for a 29-23 victory that began an eight-game slide that buried the season. Enduring memories of that year include bungled hotel plans, the terrible smell coming from a nearby farm that's part of the University of Illinois' agriculture school and a series of injuries that at least two players blamed on the surface at Memorial Stadium. -NFL Football-

Urlacher said he remembered some good card games on the trips. Jerry Azumah said he has blocked out the entire year from his memory, while Patrick Mannelly and Olin Kreutz said they just remember all the travel. Bus rides and plane trips and weather delays and an exhausting weekend grind that took a toll on the psyche as much as the body. -NFL Football-

"Sixteen road trips, who the hell wants to do that?'' Kreutz wondered. "When you are at home, you have a lot of time. You meet in the morning on Saturday, and then you go home. You rest, and then make your way to the hotel downtown. When you travel, with the security checks, you go right to the plane after the morning meeting. At home, you have an extra six hours, at least, to study film or to rest. It's a huge advantage.'' -NFL Football-

The Bears knew they were going on the road. They had plenty of time to make travel arrangements for friends and family going to games. They knew well in advance what the weekend and game-day routine would be. And the process proved exhausting. -NFL Football-

The Saints, in contrast, never could have prepared for the disaster that led to their relocation. They lost out on one home game when they were forced to play at the New York Giants in Week 2 and lost 27-10. It was a downer for a team that rode an emotional tidal wave in a season-opening victory at Carolina. Since then, the Saints have won only one other game, a 19-7 victory against Buffalo on Oct. 2 in San Antonio. -NFL Football-

They have looked like a tired and battered team in losing four straight, and a run of injuries, including the loss of running back Deuce McAllister for the season, hasn't helped. The Saints have talent, including an excellent defensive line, but they have been riddled by mistakes and negative plays and lead the NFL in turnovers, penalties and dropped passes. -NFL Football-

Bears coach Lovie Smith seems to view the game as a trap, one where the Bears easily could come in with a sense of superiority created by a three-game winning streak and forget to finish off a wounded team eager to get to its bye the following week. -NFL Football-

"We can't get to a point where we think they have all this stuff going on and there is no way they can think about football,'' Smith said. "They are still a very good team with a lot of talent. It's got to be tough for them, but the game is still in Louisiana and they will have the majority of their crowd there. It's not like playing at home.'' -NFL Football-

The Bears may empathize with the Saints' plight, but once the ball is kicked off, the goal is to win and win big. There is no quarter given in pro football. -NFL Football-

"We all have different things going on in our lives,'' Smith said, "but once you come inside the building, it's supposed to be just football then. You can't think about what is happening outside in the world when you are playing a football game. -NFL Football-

"I know it is easy for me to say with my home right down the street and my kids here, but that is the only way you can look at it. They have put it together to win a couple of games. What happened then? It's a disadvantage for them, but it's something they can overcome.'' -NFL Football-

ALIVE AND KICKING: Rookie kicker Robbie Gould has made 4 of 6 field goals, including two in the Bears' 19-13 overtime victory Sunday at Detroit. But Gould is 1-for-3 from beyond 40 yards, and you have to wonder if the Bears are being cautious in terms of his attempts. -NFL Football-

It looked that way at the end of regulation Sunday, when the Bears opted to run out the clock rather than throw the ball in an effort to get into field-goal range in the final minute. It was odd to see the team throw a 22-yard pass from its 3-yard line with 1:21 left, then opt to play for overtime by calling two running plays. -NFL Football-

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner said the decision had nothing to do with Gould. Turner said after the pass to Justin Gage got the Bears to the 25, the idea was to get into field-goal range. -NFL Football-

"We threw it the next play and threw incomplete, so then we took the air out of it a little bit,'' Turner said. "Now all of a sudden, the clock stops and it's second-and-10. If we throw it again incomplete, it's third-and-10 and they have 40-some seconds and all they need is a field goal. We had to balance it. We didn't want to take the air out of it, but we didn't want to be stupid.'' -NFL Football-

Gould has flown below the radar, but he's bound to play an important role, especially for a low-scoring team. While only 18.7 percent of games in 1970 were decided by three points or fewer, the number has risen dramatically in this era. Since 1999, almost one quarter of the games, 24.5 percent, have been decided by three or fewer. -NFL Football-

RETURN OF THE RETURN MAN: Cornerback Jerry Azumah looked as dangerous as ever on kickoff returns against the Lions. Azumah averaged 30.5 yards on four returns with a long of 40. He had another nice return erased by a penalty. Azumah started the year slowly with a hip injury but looks to have regained his Pro Bowl form, something the Lions picked up on during the game. -NFL Football-

"They were trying to kick it away from me a few times,'' Azumah said. "They were making me move all over the place. They weren't just getting it high and between the hashes, they were kicking outside the numbers. It feels good to get the thing going again because obviously we've been there before. We know how to do it. Once we get that thing going, it's hard to stop because we know it well.'' -NFL Football-

ROOKIE RECORDS: Don't look now, but Kyle Orton is getting ready to rewrite the Bears' rookie record book. Orton tied the team record for starts by a rookie with his seventh against Detroit, putting him in the books with Bobby Douglass (1969) and Jim McMahon (1982). He'll break that mark Sunday against New Orleans. Orton also should scratch the name Cade McNown out of the record book. He needs just 37 pass attempts and 17 completions to pass McNown's team rookie records of 235 and 127, set in 1999. Orton has six touchdown passes in seven games, three short of McMahon's rookie record. -NFL Football-

Orton also has thrown 62 consecutive passes without an interception and has only one pick in his last 136 attempts, although the Lions had their hands on three balls Sunday and couldn't hang on. -NFL Football-

TICKET SALES: The Bears don't figure to be near the same draw in Baton Rouge, La., that the Miami Dolphins were last week. The Dolphins, thanks in part to the appearance of former LSU coach Nick Saban, helped draw 61,643 fans. That was well below the crowd of 88,887 that attended the LSU-North Texas game Saturday, but that included a large student ticket base that doesn't pay NFL prices. -NFL Football-

LSU plays Appalachian State on Saturday and will draw another crowd in the 88,000 range, while the Bears could play in front of a house half that size. A Saints spokesman said tickets are available in all price ranges from $15 to $89, but fans from Chicago who want to attend should check on lodging before making the trip. All hotels in the area are currently sold out. -NFL Football-

GETTING A LOOK: The Bears worked out free-agent wide receiver Charles Lee on Tuesday. Lee was waived by the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 24, and with Mark Bradley (knee) lost for the season and Bernard Berrian (thumb) out at least five more weeks, the Bears had to at least get a look at what is available. They cannot re-sign Eddie Berlin for two more weeks because they gave him an injury settlement. Lee is a six-year veteran whose best season was 2003, when he made five starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had 33 catches. -NFL Football-

NUMBERS GAME

51: The number of points the Bears have scored off turnovers, including two interception returns for touchdowns by Mike Brown and Charles Tillman in two meetings with the Lions. The Bears are fifth in the league in points off turnovers, and the 51 points count for 42.9 percent of their total points, the fourth-highest percentage in the league. -NFL Football-

Bills, McGee agree to four-year extension

NFL.com wire reports

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (Oct. 28, 2005) -- Cornerback Terrence McGee signed a four-year contract extension, allowing the Buffalo Bills to lock up their outstanding pass defender and Pro Bowl kickoff returner through 2009. -NFL Football-

The Bills were not immediately available for comment. -NFL Football-

McGee was in the final year of his contract, although the Bills held the right to re-sign him next season because he's not eligible to become an unrestricted free agent until 2007. -NFL Football-

He was the first of Buffalo's two fourth-round picks in 2003, drafted out of I-AA Northwestern State in Louisiana. -NFL Football-

After making two starts in 14 games as a rookie, McGee emerged last season as an impact player. -NFL Football-

He earned his first Pro Bowl selection as the AFC's kick return specialist after becoming only the 10th NFL player to take three kickoffs back for touchdowns in one season. The scores included a franchise record 104-yarder against Miami in December. -NFL Football-

McGee also took over the starting job as the team's No. 2 cornerback, filling in after Troy Vincent was hurt three games into last season. McGee performed so well that Vincent agreed to switch to free safety once he returned -- a move made permanent this season. -NFL Football-

McGee finished the season with three interceptions and two sacks. -NFL Football-

He has two interceptions in seven games this season. Although he's yet to score, McGee is averaging a league-leading 34.3 yards per kickoff return. -NFL Football-

Earlier, McGee said he wanted an opportunity to stay in Buffalo and was glad talks were progressing. -NFL Football-

He was not immediately available for comment because the Bills held a night practice in preparation for their game at New England on Sunday night. -NFL Football-

Officials expect Superdome to be ready for some 2006 Saints game
October 20, 2005 --- nfl ---
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)
--- nfl ---
-- 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 ---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 ---
--- nfl ---
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 ---
--- nfl ---
``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 ---
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 ---
--- 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 ---
--- nfl ---
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 ---
``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 ---
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 ---
--- 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 ---``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.'' --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
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 ---Coulon said the state would fight such a move, probably in court or in arbitration. --- nfl ---
--- 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 ---
--- nfl ---
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 ---
Asked 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 ---
--- nfl ---
``Let's just support the Saints. That's what I say.''--- nfl ---
--- nfl ---

Packers offense to be short-handed vs. Saints

GREEN BAY, Wis. (Oct. 7, 2005) -- The Green Bay Packers might be without running back Ahman Green, tight end Bubba Franks and left tackle Chad Clifton against New Orleans.

The Packers completed a short week of practice with Green, Franks and Clifton nursing injuries. All three are listed as questionable for the game.

Coach Mike Sherman didn't rule any of them out. However, the team practiced as though it wouldn't have the three against the Saints, except for some limited on-field work by Clifton and Franks. - NFL Football -

Green, who hasn't rushed for 100 yards in 11 straight games dating to mid-November last year, has a bruised right knee and strained quadriceps tendon. Offensive coordinator Tom Rossley all but confirmed Green won't play. - NFL Football -

The Packers also will have to shuffle their offensive line. Besides Franks, whose bruised left knee has sidelined him the last two games, center Mike Flanagan is out indefinitely after hernia surgery. Scott Wells will make his third career start at center.

Clifton sprained his left ankle Oct. 3. He was in a walking boot Oct. 5 and didn't practice on the 6th. He was still hobbling, though offensive line coach Larry Beightol said Clifton handled about half the reps with the first-team offense in practice. - NFL Football -

© 2005, NFL Enterprises LLC.

GRILLO: Football's home-run hitters

By Ron Grillo, Rocky Mount Telegram

It's funny the things you remember, but the best pair of hands I ever saw belonged to one of my boyhood friends, Frankie Gallo.

I don't think even he knew how blessed he was. Frank and my other classmates played on some pretty good football teams, both in grade school and high school. In fact, on the prep level we won the Philadelphia city championship by beating the public league champion Central High, 50- 0.

If Central sounds familiar, it's because it was the alma mater of Bill Cosby. One of the coaches on the Central staff was Art McNally, who attained legendary status as an official in the NFL.

But back to Gallo. I contend he could have been a record-breaking wide receiver under the proper circumstances. However, once we reached high school, we had such a ridiculous plethora of talent, and Frank wound up playing defense. As far as our personnel, I have the feeling the offensive and defensive coaches got together and said, “You take that guy, I'll take this guy, you take, etc.”

My second contention is that if Frank lined up at offensive end he would have latched on to a minimum of 10 passes a game if our coach, Jack Ferrante, had not been obsessed with the ground game.

Frank went on to Drexel University, and I want to say they had the good sense to play him on offense, but they didn't throw the ball his way nearly enough.

The forward pass, ever since the days of Gus Dorais and Knute Rockne at that school in Indiana, has been the great equalizer. Actually it's been the great dominator. I know, defense wins championships, and you've gotta be able to run the ball, etc.

You might have seen a perfect example of what I'm talking about last Monday night in the Giants-Saints game. I've never been a Plaxico Burress fan, but last week, he was feasting on the Saints small defensive back, Jason Craft.

I'm surprised Craft is still in the game.

Go back to early 2003 to the Saints-Panthers game in Charlotte. I believe Rodney Peete got injured. Enter Jake Delhomme. Jake pulled out an exciting come-from-behind win, victimizing Craft, time and time again by throwing to the much taller Mushin Muhammad, who's now with the Bears.

There is no doubt defensive back is the most difficult position to play in football, and most offenses don't take advantage of that fact.

Receivers know where they're going and are running forward, while the defensive back can only guess where the receiver is headed and the defensive back — for the most part — is running backwards. Talk about advantages.

Add to that the fact that any receiver should be able to get position on a defensive back. that is, positioning himself between the defender and where the ball is thrown, regardless of the length of the pass. Panther receivers the past few years have excelled at doing this, especially the aforementioned Muhammad and Steve Smith. They've also benefited from returning to undertrown passes by Delhomme.

Jake underthrows so many passes, I'll have to be convinced that it's not on purpose.

This past week Chris Collinsworth, himself a former receiver at Florida and with the Cincinnati Bengals, said ESPN radio that, “Receivers are the home-run hitters of football. They are the guys who can take it long, the Babe Ruths and Hank Aarons of the sport.”

There was no better example of the sudden strike than the second of last Monday night's games, when the Redskins rallied from 13 points down inside of four minutes left in the game, as Santana Moss beat Roy Williams on two scoring passes from Mark Brunell.

Practically every team in the NFL has the capacity to score like that. Okay. Maybe not the Browns because they've got Trent Dilfer, but almost everyone else.

A couple of gimmick offenses have materialized the past few decades, seriously hampering the production of the long pass. First there was the Run and Shoot, which we utilized, without much success, when I coached at Malvern Prep in suburban Philadelphia in the late 60s. I think my friend, Nick Robak, who was the head coach at Malvern, still has the book on the offense, which was not conceived by Mouse Davis.

The other offense has been the so-called West Coast offense.

Ten years, ago Billy Barnes told me the Eagles, with Norm Van Brocklin, were using the West Coast offense back in 1960, when they won the world title. They just didn't have a penchant for naming everything back then.

There are few things more annoying in football to many of us than the short pass, especially when it's stopped for little or no gain. My friend Ray Didinger of NFL Films, claims that recently, the Eagles, the game's foremost proponents of the West Coast offense, completed three passes in a row and punted on fourth down.

© 2005 Cox Newspapers, Inc. - The Rocky Mount Telegram

Saints vs. Giants game event details

(Sept. 14, 2005) -- The NFL announced details of its activities to focus on the Gulf Coast recovery and rebuilding effort as part of the New Orleans Saints vs. New York Giants game on Monday night, Sept. 19.

Under the theme "Recover and Rebuild," special guests and entertainers from New Orleans and décor changes at Giants Stadium will reflect the special character of what was scheduled to be the Saints' home opener in New Orleans against the Giants. The game was originally scheduled for the Louisiana Superdome but moved to Giants Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

The NFL will host New Orleans police chief Eddie Compass and other members of the New Orleans Police and Fire Department who will participate in the coin toss along with former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, who lead the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. In addition, the NFL has arranged through several relief agencies for more than 600 residents of New Orleans who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina to the northeast to attend the game.

There will be several performances at Giants Stadium by artists with Gulf Coast ties.

New Orleans natives and music superstars Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis will perform the national anthem on piano and saxophone. Irvin Mayfield, the famed New Orleans jazz trumpeter and cultural ambassador for the city, will perform "America the Beautiful." The band 3 Doors Down from Escatawpa, Miss., will perform during halftime.

The west end zone will say "Saints" and feature the team's helmet logo. Team banners will be placed on the sideline walls. In addition, banners with the website address and phone number for the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund will be on the walls and the fund's logo will be screened onto the field on the sidelines near the bench areas.

The New Orleans Saints cheerleaders, the "Saintsations," also will be on hand.

Tickets for the game are still available through Ticketmaster by phone, (201-507-8900 or 212-307-7171), online ( www.ticketmaster.com) or by visiting a Ticketmaster outlet.

Every NFL game on Sept. 18 and 19 will include elements that will highlight and contribute to the national relief effort. The NFL's network television partners (ABC, ESPN, CBS and FOX), and national radio partner, Westwood One/CBS Radio Sports, will promote the relief effort during their pregame shows and game telecasts.

ABC, ESPN and the NFL are teaming on an unprecedented telethon to raise funds and bring attention to the massive needs of the Gulf Coast region. The Monday night telethon will emanate from ABC's Times Square studio in New York City. The telethon will raise money for the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund ( www.bushclintonkatrinafund.com). Former Presidents Bush and Clinton lead the fund, which serves as an umbrella organization for three special funds established by the governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to assist in the long-term recovery plan for those states.

Current and former NFL players, including Hall of Famers Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson, Mike Haynes, Steve Largent, Ronnie Lott, Art Shell and Bart Starr, will be on hand at the studio to answer calls and accept pledges.

The Saints vs. New York Giants game will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET. ABC will televise the game until the 9 pm ET start of the Washington at Dallas game. At that time, the Saints vs. Giants telecast will switch to ESPN in most markets. New York, Louisiana and selected hurricane-affected areas will see the Giants-Saints game to its conclusion on ABC. The Cowboys-Redskins game will begin on ESPN in those markets and switch to ABC following the conclusion of the Giants vs. Saints game.

The NFL, its owners, clubs and players have contributed nearly $10 million so far to Hurricane Katrina relief. Saints owner Tom Benson donated the first $100,000 to a special relief fund created by the team -- the New Orleans Saints Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund ( www.saintshurricanefund.org), which will provide assistance to people in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region.

© 2005, NFL Enterprises LLC.