Football Reporters Online

From NFLMedia.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

1/31/11

41^ST Year of TV’s Longest-Running, Most-Honored Annual Sports Special

One-Hour Special Culled From 1.7 Million Feet of Game Film &

400 Hours of Game Audio from 133 Coaches & Players

How did the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers advance to Super Bowl XLV in North Texas?  Re-live the journey as only NFL Films can present it on “Road to the Super Bowl” on Super Bowl Sunday, February 6 at 12:00 Noon ET on FOX.

“Road to the Super Bowl” begins with Kickoff Weekend and chronicles the 2010 NFL season utilizing NFL Films’ signature captivating video and sound from on the field and in the locker room from exclusive player and coach wirings.

“For those who love football, this show is red meat,” said NFL Films president Steve Sabol. “No interviews, no talking heads, all action.”

“Road to the Super Bowl” is the longest-running (41 years) and most honored (28 Sports Emmys) annual sports special. “Road to the Super Bowl,” which debuted following the 1969 season, was culled by NFL Films producers from more than 1.7 million feet of game footage to 980 feet for the one-hour special.  In addition, more than 400 hours of audio were captured from 133 exclusive coach and player on-field wirings.  Original orchestral music, including a 60-person choir, was used in producing the show.

Is he kidding?  Talk about posturing and playing your cards too early……

from nfllabor.com:

“In a letter to the players that was seen by The Associated Press, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said the union had an ‘internal deadline’ for agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement,” Jimmy Golen of The AP reported this afternoon.

“That deadline has now passed,” Smith wrote in the one-page letter. “It is important that you protect yourself and your family.”

Golen noted that “the letter was dated Wednesday, and copies were strewn across a table in the New England Patriots locker room during the media availability on Saturday.”

Said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, “It is disappointing and inexplicable, especially for fans. What deadline is he talking about? We hope this does not mean the union has abandoned negotiating in favor of de-certifying and litigating. We are ready to meet and negotiate anytime and anywhere. But it takes sustained effort and shared commitment to reach an agreement. One side can’t do it alone.”

For the complete story, click here.

…. from Rob Demovsky /packernews.com

The Green Bay Packers have only four players left on their roster with NFL experience in double-digit seasons, and there are only six players older than 30.

The NFL always has been a young man’s game, but Packers General Manager Ted Thompson has taken that to the extreme.

For a team whose Super Bowl aspirations remain within reach heading into the final seven weeks of the regular season, Thompson seems anything but concerned about the lack of veteran presence in his locker room. If he was, he wouldn’t have dumped cornerback Al Harris last week after Harris’ stint on the physically unable to perform list was up. Nor would he have placed right tackle Mark Tauscher on injured reserve even though recent medical progress reports indicated Tauscher’s shoulder injury was improving.

For the first time since Harris, who was claimed by Miami and played for the Dolphins on Sunday, was let go last Monday and Tauscher was put down for the season on Friday, the Packers’ players were back in their locker room on Monday following the bye. And at least a few of the veterans couldn’t help but shake their heads and wonder who might be next on the chopping block if an ailment befalls them.

“It doesn’t seem too unusual; It’s been like that around here for a while,” said defensive end Cullen Jenkins, a 29-year-old who is in his seventh season. “It kind of feels like the norm around here. The only thing that does feel unusual is that as you start to look around, you can’t tell some of your old stories that you did because there’s not people here who can relate to them.”

When asked whether veteran players sometimes wonder what the organization is doing when it comes to other veterans who have been injured, quarterback Aaron Rodgers gave a long pause before saying, “You know, I’m not worried.”

The Packers have asked Tauscher, 33, to remain a part of the team even though he won’t play again in this, his 11th NFL season, which could be his last. Some players on injured reserve don’t spend time with the team and sometimes leave town before the season is over, but coach Mike McCarthy said he wants Tauscher around. Tauscher lost his starting job after he sustained a shoulder injury, which will require surgery tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, in Week 4 against Detroit, and the way rookie Bryan Bulaga has played, Tauscher would have had a hard time getting it back.

Still, Tauscher, who according to a source thought he could have put off surgery until after the season and played this year, had been practicing with a harness on his right shoulder. But McCarthy said Monday he didn’t think Tauscher would have been able to play with that brace.

Given that Tauscher is scheduled to earn $4.1 million next season, it’s unlikely the Packers will bring him back at that price, meaning his Packers’ career, like Harris’, could be over. Linebacker Nick Barnett, 29, and in his eighth NFL season was in a similar position as Tauscher. He had a wrist injury he initially wanted to play through, but was convinced going on injured reserve would be the best for him in the future. But it’s worth wondering whether that future will be with the Packers.

Whatever the reasons, there’s a dearth of veteran leadership available to guide the Packers, who are 6-3 and tied with the Chicago Bears atop the NFC North, down the stretch.

“It’s part of the game,” McCarthy said Monday. “I had an opportunity to talk to Al today. Al Harris has played over 100-plus games. Mark has had a tremendous career here. They bring so much experience, both to the field and to the locker room. Yes, that’s part of it, but it’s also the path of our season. Injuries do occur, decisions are made, and we’re always going to operate and do what is in the best interests of the Green Bay Packers from the chairs that we sit in. But Al Harris and Mark Tauscher have been excellent Packers, and we appreciate that. But at some point, careers do come to an end, and you move on, and you appreciate what they have done. Mark will continue to do so and be a part of our football team.”

At least one player, safety Atari Bigby, who was one of Harris’ closest friends on the team, has a theory on why Thompson seems to prefer younger players.

“Younger players tend to have more energy, they’re more excited and they tend to accept their roles a little bit easier than veterans,” said Bigby, who is 29 and in his fifth NFL season. “I think that’s why. I don’t know. I’m not Ted. I’m not in his head.”

When asked whether Harris would have had a hard time accepting a backup role and therefore been a locker-room distraction had he been activated off PUP, Bigby said: “No. I’ve never seen Al as somebody like that, but Ted makes that decision, and that’s what he went with. At the end of the day, he’s the leader, and we have to follow his direction.”

Leadership is difficult to quantify, but the 26-year-old Rodgers will be looked upon to provide some of it simply because of the nature of the position he plays. Between him and the other natural locker-room leaders — Charles Woodson (age 34, in his 13th NFL season), Chad Clifton (34, 11th season), Ryan Pickett (31, 10th season) and Donald Driver (35, 12th season) — Rodgers believes there’s enough veteran leadership.

“I’m not worried about the leadership on this team,” Rodgers said. “Those are decisions that I’m not part of. We play with the guys we have, and I’m excited about the guys we’ve got. Bryan’s done a great job at right tackle in Mark’s absence. Obviously, putting Mark down is tough. He’s a good friend. He’s had an incredible career here. It’s just tough to see him get injured.”

Pickett, who said he didn’t know what went into the decision to release Harris but added he will be missed, believed it was a misnomer that Thompson dislikes veteran players. He pointed out Thompson signed both himself and Woodson at late stages of their careers.

Though Thompson has added his share of young players, such as activating rookie running back James Starks off PUP a day after Harris was waived, he made what could be a key veteran acquisition in claiming nose tackle Howard Green (31 and in his sixth NFL season) to help solidify the defensive line.

“There’s not many of us, but there are some of us that’s been down this road,” Pickett said. “A lot of us were on the team, well a few of us were here when we got to the (2007 NFC) championship game and lost, so that’s good. But we’re not worried about how young the team is. Sometimes that’s good. They’re just playing ball, and that’s what the young fellas are doing right now.”

rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com

SEC Week 2 in Review

By Rafael Garcia-Football Reporters Online

Sr. Contributing Writer Southeast Region

(Photo-Greg McElroy changes the play Vs. The Vols Last season-Via Wikimedia Commons)

Oregon 48 Tennessee 13

It was the first big game of the Derek Dooley era. The real test would come against a ranked opponent to see how they would fare. This is a team that lacks depth and experience. They looked good last week but that was against an overmatched opponent. Now it was time to face the Ducks.

The first quarter got under way and the Vols struck quickly. A seven-play 50-yard drive opened the scoring when Daniel Lincoln hit a field goal from 48 yards out. The offense looked sharp and appeared to have the Ducks off balance. Tauren Poole had 35 yards rushing on the first drive. On the ensuing kickoff the Ducks fumbled and Tennessee took over at the Oregon 43. On first down Da’Rick Rogers ran for 21 yards and Lincoln kicked a 35-yarder four plays later. It was 6-0 Volunteers and the crowd of over 102,000 was in a frenzy. Then came the lightning and rain. The game would be on hold for over an hour. When play resumed, the Ducks would get a field goal of their own to make it 6-3 but momentum still favored the Vols.

In the second quarter Oregon appeared to start catching on to the Vols offense. Before that though, Poole would rip off another huge run for 39 yards, a 14-yard burst and followed that play with a 23-yard gain to the Ducks 32. He would later score from the one to make it 13-3 Tennessee. The game was supposed to be all Ducks by now but somebody forget to tell the Volunteers.

By the half it was tied at 13 and Vols fans were happy with the effort so far. Ah, but this is football and always remember that you have to play for 60 minutes. Somebody forgot to tell the Vols that too. All they took to the locker room appeared to have stayed there as Oregon ripped them for 35 second half unanswered points.  At 10:27 of the third Oregon took over at their own 28. LaMicheal James took the handoff and 72 yards later the rout was on. The Ducks pushed the Vols around the entire second half. You could see the fight leave Tennessee minute by minute. The inexperience showed but players looked like they gave up.

Now they must get up for Florida and that will not be easy. How will they respond to such a beating knowing they have to face one of their most hated rivals next?  The running game looked good as Poole finished with 162 yards on 23 carries. Matt Simms is limited at quarterback but is the best option this team has right now. This team has a long way to go but they must understand that giving up is not an option. They were embarrassed at every turn and on every play in the second half. If they have even the slightest chance to beat Florida they must get over this loss fast.

LSU 27 Vanderbilt 3

Every year players at Vandy must wonder if this is the year they will beat the Tigers. Before Saturday they had lost six in a row dating back to the last win in 1990. It was the first conference game for Robbie Caldwell and it did not go well.

The defense did its part for as long as they could. It was scoreless after a six punt first quarter. LSU had three and out on nine plays for a total of 12 yards. Vandy had three and outs that added up to 11 plays for 14 yards. So much for offense to start the game.

In the second, the Tigers went to work. Russell Shepard ran in from 30 to make it 7-0. By the end of the quarter it was 10-0 and about to get worse. Vanderbilt punted four more times in the quarter and that was about the only way the could move the ball. The offensive line was not blocking for Larry Smith all that well to this point.

The second half was more of the same. The offense showed no ability to move the ball. The only points for Vandy came after a six-play 59-yard drive that ended in a Ryan Fowler 23-yard field goal. They were able to hold LSU scoreless for the period but it did not seem that would last too long.

The fourth quarter was all Tigers as they scored 17 points to close out the scoring. Vanderbilt finished with 135 yards of total offense and punted 10 times in the game. Smith was sacked six times and Vandy averaged less than three yards per play. The offensive line will need to protect Smith better and open bigger holes for their backs. The defense was doing fine but seemed to wilt by the fourth. There is much work to do nut lucky for all involved the season is still long.

Alabama 24 Penn State 3

One of the most anticipated games of the early season did not live up to the hype. The Tide showed why it is defending champion by shutting down Penn State freshman QB Rob Bolden. Bolden was forced into several key mistakes that killed a few drives. The Tide would win this one going away with no problems.

The question for Alabama coming into the season was how they would fare without their Heisman trophy winner RB Mark Ingram. Insert Trent Richardson and not a beat was missed. Richardson ran for 144 yards and a touchdown and the Nittany Lions were held without a touchdown for the first time since 2006 at Wisconsin.

Alabama QB Greg McElroy had a pretty good game going 16-24 for 229 yards and two touchdown passes. He was able to hit receivers at ease while Richardson ran all over the place. Next up for the Tide will be a visit to Duke. With a win they go to 3-0 and put the pressure on the rest of the West.

Other scores:

Auburn 17 Mississippi St. 14 (Thurs.)

South Carolina 17 Georgia 6

Florida 38 South Florida 14

Arkansas 31 La. Monroe 7

Kentucky 63 Western Kentucky 28

Ole Miss 27 Tulane 13

Singletary Doesn’t Play Around

By J [The Gambler] Gamble For Football Reporters Online

(photo:© BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons)

Mike Singletary doesn’t care what the critics say about his brash tactics. He knows what it takes to win and he plans on embarrassing his team to victory, if he has to.

The Hall of Fame linebacker and ferocious leader of  the 85’ Bears – widely recognized as the NFL’s best modern day defense –took over for Mike Nolan in 08’. Nolan was known for defending his player’s shortcomings. He was also infamous for his 18-37 record in four and a half seasons as 49er’s head coach. Nolan’s tolerance of: losing, juvenile tactics and immature, selfish behavior, wore thin on fans and management.

Singletary’s approach couldn’t be more different. He asserted his leadership and control in unprecedented fashion, publicly berating and then banishing star Vernon Davis to the locker room following a 15-yard penalty for tapping an opposing player’s helmet.

Generally, players are never openly reprimanded on the side lines, so for Singletary to tell Davis to take the long walk into the locker room in front of thousands of fans was shocking. It also showed Singletary was willing to do anything to get SanFran back on the winning track. I mean, he hit the ground running. In his inaugural game as head coach, Singletary dropped his pants and pointed to his buttocks during halftime of a 34-13 loss to the Seahawks. He was uninspired with his team’s play and graphically let them know. He was blasted in the media for that as well. The most genius part is how he continued to berate them for several minutes with his pants around his ankles. It was surely a sight imprinted in the mind of his players forever.

If Singletary can also imprint his championship pedigree, then these stories will become that of legend. It has been a while since the NFL had an animated coach like a Jerry Glanville, Bill Parcells, Bum Phillips or Buddy Ryan. Singletary’s “man-to man”, iron-fist approach is a refreshing change from the modern–day coaches who allow individual players to run amuck of the rules and team philosophy.

With his team steadily improving, building an identity, and coming off a 24-9 thrashing of first-place Arizona, Singletary has eased on the shock value. The passion and animated aggression remains. His intelligence, even as a player, has always been his greatest asset.   The 49er defense displayed all of these traits on Sunday, sacking Kurt Warner four times and picking him twice.

The pundits, who called Singletary’s actions inappropriate, have to be rethinking things. Others said the rich, sensitive athletes of today wouldn’t take well to his coaching style, and strict code of accountability. Singletary knew he couldn’t change his team’s current losing culture, unprofessional antics, and lazy work ethic, without getting everyone’s attention. And boy did he ever.

With the verdict still out on Alex Smith, The 49er’s lack a big-time quarterback. They have relied on aggressive defense, shrewd play-calling and the feet of Frank Gore, to show growth at 6-7 with slight playoff hopes. It seems the old warrior knows what he is doing. Why wouldn’t he? During his illustrious career he won Division titles, Pro Bowls and a championship. He was a hands-on defensive signal caller and relentless ball hawk. The rebirth of every franchise begins with a money quarterback, smothering defense and a process of devotion to excellence. The 49ers have two of the three, and a perfect head dude in Singletary.

NFC South Week 2

By Rafael Garcia

Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online

Southeast Region

Atlanta 28 Carolina 20

This was another one of those divisional games that would set the tone for the rest of the season. Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme had to regain his confidence and the Falcons were trying to start 2-0 for just the seventh time in team history. Falcon QB Matt Ryan got his team off to a good start and took his team into the locker room with a 21-13 lead at the half. He showed that he is maturing with each game and is starting to take control of the offense as opposed to managing it. He finished 21-27 for 220 yards three touchdowns and one pick. At one point he was so in the zone he completed 13 consecutive passes. It was also the first time in his young career that he threw for three scores in the first half. The Panthers were determined to stop running back Michael Turner but he still managed to get 105 yards on 28 carries. Meanwhile Delhomme got his groove back as he went 25-41 for 308 yards and one touchdown. His big mistake came with just over two minutes left in the game. Chris Houston intercepted his pass that was intended for Steve Smith and then with one last chance his hail mary was knocked away with time running out. So now the Falcons take their show to New England and a chance to put the Pats at 1-2. It will be a homecoming of sorts for Ryan who played his college ball at Boston College.

New Orleans 48 Philadelphia 22

Well so much for containing Saints quarterback Drew Brees. After throwing for six touchdowns last week Brees came back with another three. It resulted in another 40-point game for the Saints and another big win. He finished 25-34 for 311 yards with a pick. Brees showed that at this point he is the most prolific passer in the game right now. It was as if he could do whatever he wanted when he wanted to. He hit receivers across the middle and hit them long. The game was close enough in the first half as the Saints held a 17-13 lead. In the third quarter things opened up for the Saints when Ellis Hobbs fumbled the kickoff and Chris Reis recovered it at the Eagle 22. Two plays later it was 24-13 New Orleans. Scott Shanie picked off Philly quarterback Kevin Kolb on the next possession and that led to another score. Now it was 31 -13 just like that and the air was taken out of the Eagles. The questions about backup Kolb were answered for at least one Sunday as he went 31-51 for 391 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. With McNabb out again head coach Andy Reid will once again turn to Kolb to start next week. So the Saints take their highflying act to Buffalo next week and they do not look like they will be slowed down. Brees is hitting receivers on short passes and they are turning them into big gains. He is hitting his long passes with receivers in stride. The running game is working as well. Now the defense needs to step it up as they have shown that they can give up the big play too. If the “D” can pick it up this Saints team could go deep into the playoffs this year.

Buffalo 33 Tampa Bay 20

When the two teams took the field Sunday they looked evenly matched. By the end of the first quarter the Bucs appeared to be overmatched in this one. They allowed Bills running back Fred Jackson to scorch them for 163 yards on 28 carries as their front seven were consistently shoved back by the Bills offensive line. They let them get into a rhythm that produced 220 yards passing and 218 rushing. A balance they cannot allow if they wish to compete with the rest of the NFC South. Yet there was some good production by some in a losing effort. Quarterback Byron Leftwich wasn’t too bad in going 26-50 for 296 yards and three touchdowns. He did make mistakes as well throwing an interception to Donte Whitner who ran it back 76 yards for the score. He was forced to play catch up all day after his team fell behind 17-0 after just one quarter. The running game, that was so successful thus far, produced little to nothing. Cadillac Williams was held to nine yards and the team as a whole managed just 57 in a game dictated by the passing game. The defense gave up 438 yards of offense to Buffalo as Trent Edwards went down field more often than usual. With the game still in hand the Bucs let Terrell Owens get open for a 43-yard touchdown that sealed the win for Buffalo. Now the Bucs fall to 0-2 and find themselves in hole early in the year. Their defense must make their adjustments and Williams must get the running game in gear. Leftwich needs to look down the field a little more and not rely on the short pass as much.  Being in the same division as New Orleans and Atlanta does not give them a lot time to fix things. Next week they have the huge task of trying to stop the New York Giants run machine. A 0-3 hole looks likely if they cannot right this ship during the week.