JANUARY 11, 2009

UPDATED COLLEGE PLAYER RANKINGS FOR THE 2009 NFLDRAFT ... [Link]
UNLIKELY HERO: KERRY COLLINS STEADY PLAY HAS HELPED GUIDE THE TITANS
ALSO INSIDE
BEN ROETHLISBERGER
GIANTS OFFENSIVE LINE
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF PREVIEWS
On the prowl
On the prowl
Julius Peppers has bounced back from a subpar 2007
to bring more to the Panthers in 08 than ever before
Julius Peppers has bounced back from a subpar 2007
to bring more to the Panthers in 08 than ever before
Julius Peppers has bounced back from a subpar 2007
to bring more to the Panthers in 08 than ever before
Julius Peppers has bounced back from a subpar 2007
to bring more to the Panthers in 08 than ever before
Julius Peppers has bounced back from a subpar 2007
to bring more to the Panthers in 08 than ever before
QB Kerry Collins savvy was just what the Titans needed.
CREATORS & FOUNDERS
Arthur Arkush, Robert Drazkowski and Joel Buchsbaum
ADMINISTRATION
Publisher/Editor Hub Arkush
General manager Mike Waters
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-chief Keith Schleiden
Managing editor Mike Holbrook
Executive editors Dan Arkush
Neil Warner
Senior editors Nolan Nawrocki
Eric Edholm
Mike Wilkening
Associate editors Matt Sohn
Dan Parr
Michael Blunda
Production assistant Matt Quinnan
Editorial assistants Matt Feminis
Seth Gruen
COLUMNISTS
Ron Borges, Barry Jackson, Jerry Magee
AFC REPORTERS
Baltimore Ravens Jamison Hensley
Buffalo Bills Chuck Pollock
Cincinnati Bengals Mark Curnutte
Cleveland Browns Tony Grossi
Denver Broncos Frank Schwab
Houston Texans Megan Manfull
Indianapolis Colts Tom James
Jacksonville Jaguars Vito Stellino
Kansas City Chiefs Rick Dean
Miami Dolphins Harvey Fialkov
New England Patriots John Tomase
New York Jets Mark Cannizzaro
Oakland Raiders Michael Wagaman
Pittsburgh Steelers Jim Wexell
San Diego Chargers Chris Jenkins
Tennessee Titans Jim Wyatt
NFC REPORTERS
Arizona Cardinals Kent Somers
Atlanta Falcons D. Orlando Ledbetter
Carolina Panthers Charles Chandler
Chicago Bears Bob LeGere
Dallas Cowboys Mickey Spagnola
Detroit Lions Nicholas J. Cotsonika
Green Bay Packers Bob McGinn
Minnesota Vikings Sean Jensen
New Orleans Saints Mike Triplett
New York Giants Paul Schwartz
Philadelphia Eagles Dave Weinberg
St. Louis Rams Jim Thomas
San Francisco 49ers Kevin Lynch
Seattle Seahawks Clare Farnsworth
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roy Cummings
Washington Redskins John Keim
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Tom Danyluk, Art Edelstein,
Pat Fitzmaurice, Court E. Mann
STATISTICIAN
Rick Arkush
NEWMEDIA
Publisher Sue Nemitz
Web developer Tom OBrien
BUSINESS OFFICE
Business manager Christine Klimusko
Network support technician Bob Boklewski
Distribution manager Arthur Arkush
Subscription manager Kristine Carlsson
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CONTENTS
2 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
COVER STORY 12
Panthers DE Julius Peppers has rebounded in a big way from the worst
season of his pro career by resuming his place as one of the most
feared pass rushers in the league and emerging as a vocal team leader.
BIG HEADACHE 13
QB Ben Roethlisbergers up-and-down play has left the Steelers of-
fense searching for answers as it prepares for the postseason.
BACK IN THE SADDLE 14
The veteran experience and savvy of QB Kerry Collins arguably have
been the missing pieces to a Titans offense that helped produce a
league-best 13 victories in 2008.
PAVING THE WAY 16
The Giants offensive line has been an underrated key to the defending
champions success, protecting Eli Manning and guiding both Brandon
Jacobs and Derrick Ward to more than 1,000 rushing yards.
THE WAYWE SEE IT..................3
POWER RANKINGS ..................3
THE WAYWE HEAR IT ..............4
OPINION: Editorial, letters,
Publishers Pen ..........................18
COLUMNISTS:
Jerry Magee, Ron Borges,
Dan Arkushs A-bombs............19
FANTASY FOOTBALL:
2009 rankings, Fantasy Doctor..20
HANDICAPPERS CORNER:
Staff selections,
Stephen Nover column ..........22
DIVISIONAL-ROUND GAME PREVIEWS ....24
WILD-CARD GAME COVERAGE ....28
AFC INDIVIDUAL STATS LEADERS ..29
TEAM STATISTICS..................30
TEAM RANKINGS....................31
NFC INDIVIDUAL STATS LEADERS ..32
DRAFT FEATURE:
Baylor OT Jason Smith ............33
2009 NFL DRAFT NOTES ......34
AUDIBLES................................35
NFLIST: Which team with a
coaching vacancy will bounce
back best in 2009? ................35
ONLYAT [Link]
THE WAYWE HEAR IT The selling points in Denvers favor related to
their coaching search are obvious: a highly regarded owner willing to
spend money (Pat Bowlen), an up-and-coming Pro Bowl quarterback
(Jay Cutler) and arguably the most rabid fan base the NFL has to offer.
ROAD TO THE NFL DRAFT BLOG With the college season coming to
an end, PFWdetails the exploits of the players that are on NFL teams
radar screen heading into the 2009 draft and beyond.
Cover photo by AP
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
The longer Brett Favre hangs around the NFL, the more his legacy changes from ultimate warrior to sad man who couldnt say goodbye.
DRAFT ORDER
First-round NFL draft order as of Jan. 4.
* Draft position may change based on playoff results.
PICK TEAM/RECORD
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
Detroit Lions (0-16) So many needs,
but quarterback probably tops list.
St. Louis Rams (2-14) Could be look-
ing to replace Orlando Pace.
Kansas City Chiefs (2-14) If they
dont take a QB, upgrading pass rush a must.
Seattle Seahawks (4-12) Highest
pick since they took Rick Mirer No. 2 in 1993.
Cleveland Browns (4-12) Upgrading
the pass rush is a top order of business.
Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1) Have to
get stronger in the trenches on both sides.
Oakland Raiders (5-11) Needs could
change based on Asomugha situation.
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) Offen-
sive tackle more pressing than receiver.
Green Bay Packers (6-10) Twenty-
fifth-ranked pass rush needs help.
San Francisco 49ers (7-9) Mike
Singletary hasnt committed to Shaun Hill.
Buffalo Bills (7-9) Would love to find a
playmaking outside linebacker.
Denver Broncos (8-8) New coach
would love help on defensive side.
Washington Redskins (8-8) Need
to upgrade OL, DL and add more picks.
New Orleans Saints (8-8) Improv-
ing secondary is obvious place to start.
Houston Texans (8-8) Defense really
could use a ballhawking safety.
San Diego Chargers* (8-8) O-line
probably needs to be addressed.
New York Jets (9-7) Wont hesitate to
take a good cornerback in first round.
Chicago Bears (9-7) Defense under-
achieved, but receiver is still top void.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) De-
pends a lot on free-agent WR Antonio Bryant.
Detroit (from Dallas Cowboys,
9-7) Lions have to get bigger on defense.
Arizona Cardinals* (9-7) Front
seven still looking for difference makers.
Philadelphia Eagles* (9-6-1) Lots
of veterans to make big decisions on.
Minnesota Vikings (10-6) Still
havent found CB to pair with Winfield.
New England Patriots (11-5) Young
defenders sought, but an OT is a possibility.
Atlanta Falcons (11-5) Would love to
give Matt Ryan a tight end; safety an option.
Miami Dolphins (11-5) Free agency
will dictate needs at OT, ILB spots.
Baltimore Ravens* (11-5) Age is
starting to set in at cornerback.
Indianapolis Colts (12-4) Few ex-
pect Marvin Harrison to be back.
Philadelphia (from Carolina
Panthers*, 12-4) Dont rule out a RB.
New York Giants* (12-4) Could find
a young OT here to groom.
Pittsburgh Steelers* (12-4) Will
look to upgrade at offensive tackle.
Tennessee Titans* (13-3) Once
again, theyd love to find a young receiver.
Cardinals better off
playing Panthers
Even though they looked
very convincing in eliminating
Atlanta at home in the play-
offs first round, Arizona still
must be considered the
biggest long shot still stand-
ing. But the teams odds of
staying alive are much better
than they would have been
had it been forced to take on
the Giants this weekend. Not
only does the weather figure
to be a lot more forgiving in
Charlotte than in New Jersey,
but to a man the Cardinals
believe they played well
enough to beat Carolina on
the road in Week Eight.
Dan Arkush
Jets RB Thomas Jones has called him out, wondering aloud over
the airwaves how a player can stay in the game when hes offer-
ing up interceptions like theyre gestures of goodwill. GM Mike
Tannenbaum has implored him to take his time in making a de-
cision on his future (Read: Take 20, 30 years, and dont feel com-
pelled even then to give us an answer!) A jaded New York fan
base that gobbled up his replica jersey at a record pace just months
ago is now staging bonfires with Jets No. 4 jerseys serving as the
charcoal. And were supposed to act as if theres any chance of Brett
Favre returning to the Jets next season? Lets face some facts:
1) Favres 39 years old, has a biceps tear that needs to be sur-
gically repaired, and he doesnt want to repair it. (2) He, more than
fall guy Eric Mangini, is the reason the Jets are sitting out this post-
season. (3) The guy doesnt know when to say when.
Its because of reason No. 3 that the entire NFL community, which
owes Favre its eternal gratitude for the excitment and passion he
provided the game the past 18 years, needs to return the favor in
one final show of appreciation. Dont let him return. This goes for
every GM or coach nave enough to think the 39-year-old jalopy
has one final victory lap left in the tank. It doesnt. They wont just
be saving their franchise by not signing him, theyd save the in-
comparable Favre from another embarrassment. Matt Sohn
Nobody can allow Favre to come back, yet again
A PLEA FOR MERCY
DECENT BREAK
Issues on D must
be fixed by Falcons
Despite the first-round
loss, this season was a huge
success for the Falcons.
However, to become a true
title contender, Atlanta GM
Thomas Dimitroff must ad-
dress his teams glaring need
for more playmakers on D.
When Arizona kept DRE John
Abraham at bay, Atlantas de-
fense lost its singular pass-
rush threat, and things fell
apart. Dimitroff likely will part
ways with old hands Lawyer
Milloy and Keith Brooking in
the offseason, and hell have
to tweak the unit to surround
Abraham with more versatile
weapons. Dan Parr
EXPOSED
Scifres big day
lifts Chargers
For the past several years,
Chargers P Mike Scifres has
been very, very good at a
thankless job, and at his best,
he has been brilliant. But
never was he better than in
the Chargers win vs. Indi-
anapolis in the wild-card
round. Scifres pinned the
Colts inside the 20 on each of
his six punts. His last punt
a 52-yarder that stuck Indy
on its one-yard line was an
absolute masterpiece. The
Chargers won the field-posi-
tion battle because of
Scifres, and they would have
lost without him. He was that
good. Mike Wilkening
MAESTRO
Ravens have that
Super Bowl look
The Ravens have the for-
mula you want in January: a
world-class defense, a run-
ning game and outstanding
special teams. I dont want to
hear that Joe Flaccos rookie
status holds them back, be-
cause he has been terrific. I
think that if the Ravens can
avoid the Steelers, theyll
have an excellent chance to
get to Tampa. I like them to
beat a Titans team that ap-
pears vulnerable. In fact, any
team that doesnt have some
offensive firepower will strug-
gle against them. There are
few more dangerous teams.
Eric Edholm
ONE TO WATCH
Our weekly take on the hottest
topics from around the NFL.
THE WAY WE SEE IT
A
P
3 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
AFC EASTBy Matt Sohn
WHISPERS
Word out of South
Florida is that ORT
Vernon Carey might
as well be using his
playoff performance
as an audition for
clubs looking to sign
an offensive tackle
this offseason. Al-
though loaded with
talent, Carey hasnt
performed as consis-
tently as the Fins
would like, and they
are leaning toward
not re-signing the
free-agent-to-be. He
will, however, be in
line for a hefty con-
tract from somebody.
Although the Patri-
ots got some nice
production out of La-
Mont Jordan when
he was healthy, his in-
jury propensity and
the Patriots depth at
running back make it
unlikely theyll keep
the thumping free
agent around. On the
other hand, Lau-
rence Maroney will
get one more crack
to prove hes the
quality running back
the Patriots thought
they were getting
when they tabbed
him with their first-
round pick back in
2006.
Although the Jets
are batting around
the idea, we hear that
offensive coordinator
Brian Schotten-
heimer is a long shot
to be promoted to
head coach after the
dismissal of Eric
Mangini. Schotten-
heimers seemingly
illogical play-calling
for much of the sea-
son was at the root of
much of the Jets
problems, even more
so than Mangini.
Fringe players need
all the help they can
get to maintain roster
spots, and Bills C
Duke Preston cer-
tainly didnt do him-
self any favors when
he entangled himself
in a scuffle near the
end of the first half of
the Bills Week 17 loss
to the Patriots. He
was largely responsi-
ble for the Bills in-
ability to set up for a
field goal with no
timeouts remaining.
As it turns out, the Bills Week 16
victory over the Broncos played
significant roles in ending the
tenure of Broncos head coach
Mike Shanahan while simultane-
ously saving Dick Jaurons job on
the Buffalo sideline. As one Bills
source put it, that Denver game
was a big selling point, and was
perhaps the only selling point. Al-
though Jaurons affable, down-to-
earth temperament has made him
well-liked by his players, he has
done little to coax quality perform-
ances from his crew, which saw a
5-1 record to start 2008 dissolve
into a 7-9 disappointment. The
biggest reason why Jauron pilots
the Bills next season? Money.
When owner Ralph Wilson inked
Jauron to a three-year extension
following the 5-1 start, he unwit-
tingly handcuffed himself to what
has proven, in the short term, to be
an ill-advised investment. Addition-
ally, Jaurons entire staff should re-
main in their posts.
The Patriots refuted a recent re-
port that said Tom Brady is signif-
icantly behind in his rehabilitation
from knee surgery and in danger of
missing the 2009 season. How-
ever, if true, it puts a kink in the
teams plans for free-agent-to-be
Matt Cassel. Although theres al-
most zero chance Cassel, in line for
a lucrative deal, will sign a long-
term contract with the Pats, theres
a distinct possibility of the team
franchising him one report even
mentioned they will be doing so.
Ideally, the Pats hope to find defini-
tive information about Bradys sta-
tus by Feb. 27, the start of free
agency, at which time Cassel would
be free to test the open market.
The way we hear it, the Patriots
would have to be confident that
Brady will be unavailable in 09 for
them to tag Cassel. If its even a
50-50 scenario, expect to see Cas-
sel go elsewhere, with the Pats
ready to move on with second-year
QB Kevin OConnell, if necessary.
The Jets liked Bill Cowher, and
Cowher liked the Jets. The only
problem is Cowher wasnt ready to
return to the sideline just yet, stiff-
arming the Jets advances as he
did to the Browns. Yet the manner
in which the Jets approached
Cowher is telling. Cowher had said
that if there was any chance of his
returning to the sideline in 2009,
hed require that team brass agree
to his terms, including full control
over player personnel, or at least
handpicking the guy to run the
player personnel department. Even
though such a scenario wouldve
undermined GM Mike Tannen-
baum, he agreed to those stipula-
tions, willing to accept a demotion.
Its not so much that Tannenbaum
was smitten with Cowher, but that
he realizes owner Woody John-
son cut him a break by keeping
him, instead of canning him along
with head coach Eric Mangini.
Understandably, Tannenbaum is in
full self-preservation mode.
When executive VP of football
operations Bill Parcells hired
Tony Sparano to resurrect the
floundering Fish, he was putting
his faith in one of his top aides dur-
ing his days in Dallas, despite the
fact that few people outside Big
D had much of an idea who
Sparano was. The subsequent staff
that Sparano assembled looked to
be a hodgepodge of either similarly
obscure coaches or retreads.
Fast-forward to the present, and
Sparano who earned Coach of
the Year votes and his assem-
bled staff have made names for
themselves. So much so that
Sparano may find himself needing
to find some replacements at a few
spots if not now, then within the
next couple of seasons.
The No. 1 Dolphins assistant on
the radar of clubs looking for a new
skipper is DB coach Todd Bowles,
who has crafted a solid secondary
out of a cast of players once
deemed afterthoughts. Andr
Goodman has quietly emerged as
a major force over the second half
of the season, particularly in Week
17, when he picked off a pair of
Brett Favre passes. Bowles is a
candidate for the Lions opening,
and even if he doesnt earn that
spot, his name is likely to be batted
around for other openings.
What makes this troubling for
Sparano is the fact that Bowles,
who came with Sparano from Dal-
las, is being groomed as defensive
coordinator Paul Pasqualonis
eventual successor. Unless Dol-
phins owner-in-waiting Stephen
Ross sweetens a contract offer
enough to convince Bowles to stay,
Bowles wont be taking up perma-
nent residence in Miami.
Asimilar situation could be in
the works on the offensive side,
where WR coach Karl Dorrell has
helped restore his standing in the
football community after his for-
gettable tenure as UCLAs head
coach. Agood schemer and tacti-
cal coach whose drab persona
didnt translate well to the college
game, Dorrell was believed to have
been in line to take over for offen-
sive coordinator Dan Henning.
But the combination of Hennings
increased likelihood of sticking
around a few more years and Dor-
rells burgeoning reputation could
tempt Dorrell to jump ship.
QB coach David Lee, who
brought the Wildcat formation into
prominence in the NFL from his
days at Arkansas, is another poten-
tial NFL or college coordinator.
The status of Tom Bradys surgically repaired knee will influence how the Patriots deal with Matt Cassel.
A
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BUFFALO
BILLS
NEWENGLAND
PATRIOTS
NEWYORK
JETS
MIAMI
DOLPHINS
4 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
AFC NORTHBy Mike Wilkening
WHISPERS
Bengals RB Cedric
Bensons strong fin-
ish to the 2008 sea-
son, coupled with the
teams happiness
with his play and de-
velopment, makes
the prospect of both
sides striking a long-
term deal fairly good,
the way we hear it.
Benson had 130 total
yards or more in each
of his last three
starts. Also, a source
close to the club says
its unlikely that
Chris Perry, who
lost his starting job to
Benson, will be back
with the club in 09.
Pressed into the
starting lineup when
Fabian Washington
(toe) sat out the sea-
son finale vs. Jack-
sonville, Ravens CB
Frank Walker came
up with perhaps his
best game of the sea-
son. The timing for
Walker couldnt have
been better: He is
signed through 2010,
but he has had some-
thing of an up-and-
down season, with
one of the low points
being when he spit in
the face of Steelers P
Mitch Berger ac-
cidentally, Walker
claims. With Wash-
ington able to suit up
for the wild-card
game at Miami,
Walker returned to
the bench, but he had
an impact on the
Ravens 27-9 win
nonethless, blocking
Dolphins PK Dan
Carpenters extra-
point attempt early in
the fourth quarter.
Steelers FS Ryan
Clark (shoulder) is
expected to be back
for the divisional
round, the way we
hear it. If hes healthy,
he will start. Also, if
he plays, dont expect
extra playing time for
reserve S Tyrone
Carter, who inter-
cepted two passes
while filling in for
Clark in the season fi-
nale vs. Cleveland.
If the Ravens offensive line has
drawn a lot of attention this sea-
son, its been because of its occa-
sional unbalanced alignment,
where two, or sometimes three,
tackles line up on one side of the
line. Its an alignment that has
worked well at times for Baltimore,
which attempted more running
plays than any other team this sea-
son and has shown a knack for
playing power football. Looking
ahead, the question is whether op-
ponents will become more adept at
combating this strategy and
whether the Ravens may be forced
to curtail its use. Even if that were
to happen, though, the Ravens fig-
ure to be able to adjust. Balanced
or unbalanced, this could be a for-
midable O-line in the years to
come, especially if the club can re-
sign C Jason Brown, who some
believe merited Pro Bowl consider-
ation. OLG Ben Grubbs also had a
very good season, and potential-
laden OLT Jared Gaither is 22.
Asource close to the Bengals
suggests that its less than 50-
50 that the Bengals bring back
both halves of the WR tandem of
T.J. Houshmandzadeh and
Chad Ocho Cinco for next sea-
son. The Bengals will soon have to
decide whether to give Housh-
mandzadeh the franchise tag or
let him test unrestricted free
agency in the spring. The Bengals
have not ruled out designating
Houshmandzadeh as their fran-
chise player. If Houshmandzadeh
can be re-signed, a decision to try
to trade Ocho Cinco could be an
easier one to make. However,
Ocho Cinco, who is signed
through 2011, comes off one of
the worst seasons of his career,
and his market value likely has
fallen. Were either of the Bengals
top two receivers to depart, its
likely 2008 third-round pick WR
Andre Caldwell would have a
great shot at stepping into the
starting lineup.
Backup QB Byron Leftwich
has proven to be a valuable last-
minute acquisition for the Steelers.
Signed in August when Charlie
Batch suffered a broken collar-
bone, Leftwich has led the Steelers
to a pair of wins when Ben Roeth-
lisberger exited with injury, in-
cluding the season finale vs.
Cleveland, when Roethlisberger
departed with a concussion. The 6-
5, 250-pound Leftwich cannot buy
the time Roethlisberger can with
his feet, but he has a strong arm
and senses pass-rush pressure
well. The Steelers have not notice-
ably lost much when he has been
in the lineup. Leftwich is a free
agent at seasons end, and there is
no doubt the Steelers want him
back, but he likely has bolstered
his market value in a fairly deep
class of free-agent quarterbacks.
Batch, 34, is a free agent who
could be back if Leftwich isnt re-
signed. Rookie QB Dennis Dixon
also is signed through 2011.
The Browns have moved quickly
in their search to replace head
coach Romeo Crennel and gen-
eral manager Phil Savage. Heres
what we know:
Ex-Jets head coach Eric
Mangini reportedly had a great in-
terview with the Browns last week,
according to multiple media out-
lets. After appearing to be a long-
shot candidate at the beginning of
the process, Manginis stock ap-
pears to be on the rise. Mangini,
who was fired on Dec. 29, was 23-
25 in three seasons in New York.
He began his NFL career as a
Browns ballboy in 1994.
However, the great unanswered
question about Mangini is whether
he would be able to work with
Scott Pioli, the Patriots vice
president of player personnel and
Browns apparent top choice to re-
place Savage at presstime. The en-
mity between the Jets and Patriots,
especially after the Spygate con-
troversy of 2007, is considerable.
Pioli, 43, has earned a sterling
reputation for his ability to identify
talent, and the Patriots have won
three Super Bowl titles in his nine
seasons on the job. Pioli began his
NFL career as a pro personnel as-
sistant with the Browns, who later
moved to Baltimore. Pioli, who in-
terviewed with Cleveland on New
Years Eve, is also regarded as a top
candidate for the Chiefs GM va-
cancy, and he was expected to in-
terview with K.C. this week.
Were Mangini to be hired,
Ravens director of pro personnel
George Kokinis who, like Pioli
and Mangini, worked with the
Browns in the 1990s, would be the
favorite to become the Browns
general manager, [Link] re-
ported late last week.
Another name linked to the
Browns GM search is Falcons pres-
ident Rich McKay. McKay, 49,
was Atlantas GM and president
from 2004-07 before losing his
personnel decision-making powers
last offseason. He had not inter-
viewed as of presstime.
The Browns also had inter-
viewed player personnel director
T.J. McCreight for the GM va-
cancy.
In addition to Mangini, the
Browns have interviewed Patriots
offensive coordinator Josh Mc-
Daniels and Giants defensive co-
ordinator Steve Spagnuolo for
their head-coaching vacancy. They
have interviewed one in-house can-
didate: defensive coordinator Mel
Tucker.
The Bengals WR tandem of T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Ocho Cinco may not be together in 2009.
A
P
BALTIMORE
RAVENS
CINCINNATI
BENGALS
PITTSBURGH
STEELERS
CLEVELAND
BROWNS
5 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
AFC SOUTHBy Mike Wilkening and Matt Sohn
WHISPERS
Although his rookie
season was an unmit-
igated disaster,
Jaguars DE Derrick
Harvey at least
started to show
glimpses of his po-
tential late in the
year. His best game,
by far, came in the
Week 17 loss to the
Ravens, when he
sacked Ravens QB
Joe Flacco twice
and recorded seven
total tackles.
Colts associate
head coach Jim
Caldwells name has
been thrown around
in connection with
some of the coaching
vacancies throughout
the league. Just dont
expect Caldwell to
have the slightest in-
terest in any of them.
Already in line to be-
come the Colts new
skipper whenever
Tony Dungy decides
to retire, we hear that
Caldwell has every in-
tention and desire to
remain in Indianapo-
lis.
The way we hear it,
the feeling in Hous-
ton is that the Tex-
ans window to trade
QB Sage Rosenfels
likely has closed. The
Vikings reportedly
had interest in
Rosenfels last offsea-
son, but no deal
came together. With
Rosenfels entering
the final year of his
contract and com-
ing off a season in
which he threw 10 in-
terceptions in 174 at-
tempts there may
not be a robust mar-
ket for the streaky
quarterback. A
source close to the
club notes the Texans
might not have much
interest in trading
Rosenfels as it is,
what with starter
Matt Schaub failing
to play all 16 games in
each of his first two
seasons in Houston.
Head coach Gary Kubiak unex-
pectedly turned over the play-call-
ing duties to offensive coordinator
and QB coach Kyle Shanahan for
the entire season finale vs.
Chicago, something Kubiak could
begin to do more after the Texans
racked up 31 points and 455 yards
in Week 17. Kubiak chalked up a
(gut) feeling as to why he gave
Shanahan the chance to call the
entire game. And understand this,
he called a great deal of plays
throughout the season, Kubiak
pointed out at his end-of-season
press conference. And I felt com-
fortable with him in many games
where I would say, Go ahead. Take
it. Kubiak didnt say whether
Shanahan, whos only 29, would
take over the play-calling full-time
next season, but its clear that the
son of Mike Shanahan is pro-
gressing the way Kubiak wouldve
hoped as it pertains to understand-
ing what the Texans want in both
the running and passing games.
Some teams operate with firm
philosophies regarding roster
shaping. Some, such as the Dol-
phins under the direction of Bill
Parcells, subscribe to the inside-
out theory, which calls for bolster-
ing the offensive and defensive
lines first. The Colts take an oppo-
site approach. For as long as Pey-
ton Manning has been under
center, the Colts have had the
mindset that providing Manning
with game-breaking weapons
should be agenda No. 1. With WR
Marvin Harrison expected to be
released in the offseason given his
declining play, the Colts, we hear,
will be targeting a top-shelf wide
receiver in the coming months. But
dont expect them to enter the T.J.
Houshmandzadeh sweepstakes
or make plays for Terrell Owens
or Anquan Boldin two players
who could potentially be traded if
theyre not released as building
through the draft is a core principle
from which Indy rarely deviates.
In the aftermath of a thoroughly
disheartening 5-11 campaign,
coach Jack Del Rio has vowed to
take a decidedly different ap-
proach to the managerial compo-
nent of his job in trying to resurrect
his club in 2009. Speaking at his
season-ending press conference,
Del Rio stressed the importance of
a more disciplined, regimented ap-
proach to the offseason. In an ef-
fort to build unity and make sure
his players arent loafing in the off-
season, he said that everybody
who wants to be a Jaguar will be in
Jacksonville working out with the
[Link], because NFL bylaws
stipulate that all team activities are
optional until training camp, his
stance is more philosophy than
policy. As one club source said,
Hes trying to reinvent himself.
This stance may affect RB Fred
Taylor, who spends his offseasons
in Miami. Taylor has been weighing
his options, knowing hed have to
accept a pay cut to stay.
Survive and advance is a popu-
lar playoff motto, and it also can be
applied to the Titans strategy in
the season finale at Indianapolis.
The top-seeded Titans enter the
postseason in relatively good
health, and that was one of their
primary goals after resting starters
in the season finale vs. Indianapo-
lis. The result a 23-0 loss to the
Colts in easily the Titans weakest
performance of the regular season
was not one for the time cap-
sule, but head coach Jeff Fisher
was not concerned about the
score.
You rest guys, you go into the
playoffs, you win your game, and
youre a genius because you rested
the players, Fisher remarked. You
lose the game, you lost it because
you rested the players. It makes no
sense to me. These players are
professionals. Theyve taken care
of themselves, and theyll be ready
to play.
Fishers decision to sit starters
like RB Chris Johnson after
clinching the No. 1 seed may not
have sat well with some, but its
clear that there is no set formula
for deciding when to rest first-
stringers.
Youre right if you win; youre
wrong if you lose, said one person-
nel man, echoing Fishers senti-
ments and noting the Titans were
coming off a big win vs. second-
seeded Pittsburgh the previous
week.
Barring setbacks, the Titans
were expecting to have DRT Al-
bert Haynesworth (knee) and
DRE Kyle Vanden Bosch (groin)
back in the lineup in divisional-
round play. They missed the final
two games of the regular season.
Also likely to return are starting
LCB Nick Harper (groin), C Kevin
Mawae (elbow) and OLB David
Thornton (hip), as well as reserve
DE Dave Ball (back). All sat out
Week 17. Johnson, the teams lead-
ing rusher, and WR Justin Gage
were both inactive in the season fi-
nale after not appearing on the in-
jury report in the week leading up
to the Indianapolis game; they are
also expected to be back.
The Titans did suffer a key loss in
the season finale, as LB Josh
Stamer, a special-teams fixture,
was lost for the season to a groin
injury. The Titans signed FB-TE
Casey Cramer to replace him.
Cramer, who played nine games for
the Dolphins this season, played 20
games for Tennessee in 2006-07,
tallying 19 special-teams tackles.
It remains to be seen if Jack Del Rios attempt to reinvent himself works to resurrect the Jaguars.
A
P
HOUSTON
TEXANS
INDIANAPOLIS
COLTS
JACKSONVILLE
JAGUARS
TENNESSEE
TITANS
6 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
AFC WESTBy Dan Parr and Michael Blunda
WHISPERS
Word out of Oak-
land is that second-
year man Mario
Henderson appears
to have secured the
starting OLT spot
heading into next
season. After replac-
ing the much-ma-
ligned Kwame
Harris, Henderson
impressed interim
head coach Tom
Cable in a three-
game starting stint to
close the campaign.
Barring the drafting
of a tackle in the first
round or the signing
of a big-name free
agent, the job will be
Hendersons to lose.
Although the
Chargers pass de-
fense was the AFCs
worst, they appear to
have found a rising
star in FS Eric Wed-
dle. The second-year
player was third in
the league with 105
solo tackles, causing
coach Norv Turner
to rave about him for
much of the season.
Word is Weddles pro-
ductive play has ce-
mented his place in
the starting lineup.
Most of Mike
Shanahans assis-
tants will be dis-
missed, Broncos
owner Pat Bowlen
said in his press con-
ference to discuss
the decision to make
a change at head
coach. However, we
hear QB coach Je-
remy Bates is likely
to remain with the
club. He has a strong
relationship with QB
Jay Cutler and was
a big reason why
Denver had the third-
ranked passing of-
fense in 08. It was
Bates, not Shanahan,
calling the Broncos
plays this season.
Whether or not the
Chiefs bring back
head coach Herm
Edwards in 2009, we
hear that defensive
coordinator Gunther
Cunninghamand
much of his staff are
unlikely to be re-
tained. K.C. finished
31st in total defense,
allowing 27.5 points
per game and setting
an NFL record for
fewest sacks in a sea-
son with 10.
The Broncos next head coach
will have a golden opportunity, in-
heriting an offense with young, tal-
ented pieces like QB Jay Cutler,
WR Brandon Marshall, WR
Eddie Royal and OLT Ryan
Clady in place. On defense, how-
ever, major changes are needed to
fix the unit that Mike Shanahan
left behind when owner Pat
Bowlen fired him Dec. 30. Close
observers of the team say a defen-
sive lineman, whether at tackle or
end, is likely to be the clubs top
priority in the remodeling effort.
While the Broncos scaled back
their free-agent spending last year,
it wouldnt be surprising to see
them make a big splash on one of
the best D-linemen available, con-
sidering how desperate they are
for a playmaker up front. Sources
in Denver said cutting a big name
or two to clear cap space isnt out
of the question, either, with CB
Dr Bly being a veteran who could
go.
Although the outstanding play of
RB Darren Sproles in the seasons
final four weeks was key to the
Chargers reaching the playoffs, it
also might be the reason why hes
not a member of the club in 09.
Sproles, set to become an unre-
stricted free agent, sent his price
skyrocketing by scoring five TDs in
December not to mention his 328
total yards in the wild-card win over
the Colts and the Bolts may no
longer have the funds to re-sign
him. Given Sproles unique skill set
and questions about how much
time LaDainian Tomlinson has
left, the team has even more pres-
sure to bring back the 25-year-old
speedster, especially after watching
Michael Turner explode once he
left San Diego. Even if Sproles does
return to San Diego, the Chargers
still will be looking to add a runner in
the draft. With Tomlinsons produc-
tion appearing to have peaked,
theyd like to start developing a fu-
ture bell cow as soon as possible.
Sources say Tom Cables
chances of keeping his job into next
season have increased dramatically.
Cable, who appeared to be on his
way out after the Raiders posted a
2-8 record under his leadership
through Week 15, had his case bol-
stered by a two-game winning
streak to end the season. Word is,
he has won over the locker room by
keeping an even keel through
stormy times, and his relationship
with owner Al Davis appears to be
sound. With Davis pulling the
strings, however, nothing is certain.
Giants offensive coordinator Kevin
Gilbride has already met with team
officials, and Davis will have to inter-
view at least one minority candidate
for the job to adhere to the leagues
Rooney Rule. Reports indicate he
also wants to speak with Raiders
scout Paul Hackett and Stanford
head coach Jim Harbaugh about
filling the vacancy. Despite being the
leading candidate, Cable will have to
dangle in limbo for a while.
Once the 2-14 Chiefs get their
new general manager and possi-
bly their new head coach in
place, theyll have some major de-
cisions to make regarding a few of
their top veteran players.
The first man whose future they
will need to decide is RB Larry
Johnson. Johnsons tenure in
Kansas City has been marred by
numerous off-field incidents, lead-
ing him to openly express his de-
sire to leave K.C. following the
teams Week 17 loss. He said that
he feels hes a poor fit for the cur-
rent offense and thinks the city has
had just about enough of him. He
also added that the hiring of a new
coach wouldnt change his mind.
Although it may seem as though
parting ways with L.J. would be in
the clubs best interest, we hear
that doing so could be easier said
than done. The Chiefs likely would
have to absorb a large portion of
Johnsons monster contract if they
were to get rid of him, and theyd
also have to take a sizable cap hit.
Plus, given the 29-year-olds dimin-
ishing numbers over the past two
seasons, K.C. almost certainly
couldnt acquire a first-day draft
choice for him.
While Johnsons situation is
fairly complicated, those of a cou-
ple other Chiefs vets are a bit sim-
pler to figure out. We understand
that the age and health of LB Don-
nie Edwards make it unlikely that
hell return to the team next sea-
son. Edwards, wholl be 36 when
the 09 campaign kicks off, dealt
with various injuries this season,
limiting him to just seven games.
He may even opt to hang it up.
CB Patrick Surtain is another
old-timer who probably has played
his last game as a Chief. The cor-
ner will turn 33 this summer and
doesnt fit in with the franchises
youth movement, which became
obvious when fifth-round rookie
Brandon Carr took Surtains
starting spot early in the season.
Playing in eight games because of
injuries, Surtain finished with just
11 tackles and one interception.
Kansas Citys most difficult
dilemma will be deciding what to
do with TE Tony Gonzalez, who is
coming off yet another terrific sea-
son. Odds are Gonzalez wont
waver on his desire to be traded,
but the offense would be losing its
most valuable asset if the Chiefs
deal him away. Moreover, the next
GM wouldnt exactly earn many
fans in K.C. if one of his first moves
was trading the beloved tight end.
RB Larry Johnsons huge contract could be a big hurdle to overcome if the Chiefs try to trade him.
A
P
DENVER
BRONCOS
SAN DIEGO
CHARGERS
OAKLAND
RAIDERS
KANSAS CITY
CHIEFS
7 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
NFC EASTBy Eric Edholm
WHISPERS
Theres still a
chance Shawn
Springs will return
to the Redskins. The
hot rumor starting to
brew out of D.C. is
that CB Carlos
Rogers might be
dangled in a trade
offer. The Redskins
are without their sec-
ond-, fourth- and sev-
enth-round picks in
the next draft and
want to add picks
Rogers could be their
bargaining chip for
CB-needy teams. In
that case, you might
see Springs come
back, although it
would have to be at a
renegotiated salary.
The Cowboys will
be in the market for a
strong safety. There
are strong indications
that SS Roy
Williams time in
Dallas has run out,
and his replacements
were unimpressive.
The team would like a
hitter like Williams
but wont sacrifice
coverage skills to find
one.
The Giants believe
that CB Aaron Ross
(concussion) should
come back this week,
but even if Week 17
had been a playoff
game, he most cer-
tainly would not have
played. Ross got his
bell rung pretty well
against Carolina the
week before and
would not have been
allowed to play. That
said, the outlook for
him going forward
appears fine.
The Eagles are qui-
etly concerned about
the health of DE Vic-
tor Abiamiri, who
had made his way
back into the DL rota-
tion but sat out last
Sundays game at
Minnesota. Abiamiri
kicks inside to play
tackle when the Ea-
gles go to their nickel
defense, and the guy
who would replace
him Juqua
Parker is not
nearly as effective in-
side.
In the final four regular-season
games, three of them losses, the
Giants have allowed runs of 30, 38,
23, 20 and 67 yards and pass plays
of 40, 32, 34, 35, 60, 41 and 54
yards. During that time, they have
only two offensive plays of their
own longer than 27 yards a 40-
yard reception and a 51-yard run,
both against the Panthers in the
one victory. This disturbing trend
has been lost amid the Giants
earning the No. 1 seed, but coach
Tom Coughlin knows that it cant
continue. Im not putting the
blame on anybody; Im just telling
you it has to stop, Coughlin said. I
realize where we are in the big-play
category with the past, but there
have been plays there to be made
and we have to make those plays.
So, when you get into the playoffs,
you are in a single-elimination tour-
nament; you have the opportunity
to make those plays. They are
going to be there for you, but you
have to take advantage of it.
For those who watched the Eagles
dominate in run defense, allowing
215 yards in the first four games, it
was shocking to watch the Redskins
run for 203 in Week Five. After a re-
turn to form in Weeks Eight and
Nine, it was unnerving in Week 10 to
see the Giants gash the Eagles for
219 rushing yards. At end of the reg-
ular season, the Eagles were mostly
excellent in this area, and even in
their two most generous games in
that time (110 yards to the Ravens
and 122 yards to the Redskins),
those opponents gained only 3.2
yards per carry. In the wild-card win,
the Eagles held the run-powerful
Vikings to 148 yards on the ground.
Part of the resurgence was because
of the insertion of WLB Akeem Jor-
dan into the starting lineup. Another
factor is that when the Eagles take
DTs Mike Patterson and Brodrick
Bunkley off the field in passing situ-
ations, their replacements two
ends, Darren Howard and Victor
Abiamiri are good run stoppers.
The Redskins could not have
asked much more from their 2004
free-agent class, which included
CB Shawn Springs, LB Marcus
Washington, DT Cornelius Grif-
fin and DE Phillip Daniels. Those
four played critical roles in helping
the team finish with a top-10 de-
fense in four of the five seasons
since then. But its almost guaran-
teed that one of those players, and
very likely more, will not return
next season. Joining the list of po-
tential salary-cap cuts would be DE
Jason Taylor, who had a disap-
pointing season. Cutting those five
players would save the team more
than $20 million in cap room, but
the D would take a massive hit in
productivity as a result. The team
stuck with veterans down the
stretch as few young players on de-
fense appear to have much upside
who are not already contributing.
And with only four draft picks, the
Skins might have trouble adding
more help to that side of the ball.
Head coach Wade Phillips ap-
parently will be back in 2009, but
he is promising changes to his ap-
proach and the way he handles his
team. It is not as clear, however, if
WR Terrell Owens will be among
the players he must account for.
After a frustrating season, Owens
who reached the 1,000-yard
mark and scored 10 TDs but did
not play to his 07 level could be
a salary-cap casualty.
There are drawbacks to the
move, including lacking a premier
option to replace him and the
money it would cost to cut him. But
if Phillips and the team are serious
about solving the obvious chem-
istry issues they acknowledged
after missing the playoffs, cutting
Owens could be a consideration.
He has three years left on his deal
and was paid a signing bonus of
$12.9 million this summer, but cut-
ting him wouldnt be terribly dam-
aging because hell count about $9
million against the 09 cap.
But cutting Owens would be
more than a cost-saving issue.
There are people at Valley Ranch
who believe that this one simple
move could alleviate some of the
problems that have swelled up and
bore out between QB Tony Romo,
TE Jason Witten and other offen-
sive players. Word of Owens jeal-
ousy of his role in the offense
spread like wildfire down the
stretch, and although Owens de-
nied those claims, he made com-
ments that were commensurate
and consistent with a player who is
insecure with his role on the team.
Beyond that, his weekly distrac-
tions were believed to divide cer-
tain groups of players and hinder
the teams offensive chemistry.
Replacing Owens would not be
easy. WR Roy E. Williams was a
disappointment since coming over
from Detroit and never appeared to
be in sync with Romo, although an
offseasons worth of work could al-
leviate that. The draft class could
have some intriguing talent at
wideout, but the Cowboys traded
their first-round pick (20th overall)
to the Lions in the Williams deal.
The most likely route, should
Owens depart, would be free
agency, where Bengals WR T.J.
Houshmandzadeh could be an
option. Another route could be a
trade. Cardinals WR Anquan
Boldin is said to be a favorite of
owner Jerry Jones, but he would
cost the Cowboys draft picks
and/or players they might not have
or be willing to give up.
Redskins DE Phillip Daniels is one of five veteran defenders who could be cap casualties this offseason.
A
P
NEWYORK
GIANTS
PHILADELPHIA
EAGLES
WASHINGTON
REDSKINS
DALLAS
COWBOYS
8 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
NFC NORTHBy Dan Arkush and Eric Edholm
WHISPERS
While Bears GM
Jerry Angelos ad-
mission in his sea-
son-ending press
conference that he
was not entirely sold
on Kyle Orton as
the starting quarter-
back raised more
than a few eyebrows,
what surprised team
insiders on the scene
was his glowing en-
dorsement of MLB
Brian Urlacher,
who, according to
one observer, is just
not a Pro Bowl guy
anymore.
Look for Eugene
Parker, the agent for
Packers WR Greg
Jennings, to quietly
and unobtrusively lay
the groundwork for a
new contract for his
client, using the six-
year, $42 million deal
($16 million guaran-
teed) that Bernard
Berrian received
from the Vikings as a
model.
While our Packers
sources would be
surprised if the team
had any serious
thoughts about re-
leasing 33-year-old
WR Donald Driver,
who they believe has
plenty of gas left in
the tank, they arent
as sure about 34-
year-old CB Al Har-
ris, who had a poor
outing in the final
game but an other-
wise solid season.
The Vikings have
been disappointed
with WR Sidney
Rice, who has been
slowed by injuries but
who also hasnt pro-
gressed since coming
off a solid rookie sea-
son. Rice will get a
chance to earn the
starting split end job
next season, but
dont be surprised if
he gets some compe-
tition at the position.
It appears that the
Lions will bring back
QB Daunte Culpep-
per for the second
year of his two-year
deal, and unless the
new coach isnt a fan
of his, Culpepper at
least should get a
crack at starting next
season.
After it was mutilated by Andre
Johnson in the season finale, it
was hardly a surprise that the
Bears secondary was the first area
addressed by the team at the start
of its offseason, beginning with the
firing of DB coach Steven Wilks.
According to team sources, more
major changes could occur in the
defensive backfield, with the likely
release of CB Nate Vasher, whose
play has declined significantly, at
the top of the list. Its also possible
the team might decide not to bring
back veteran S Mike Brown be-
cause of his age and injury history.
But, as one team insider put it, If
they knew they could get 15 games
out of him again next season, then
bringing him back should be a no-
brainer, considering how well he
plays the run and knows the sys-
[Link] also hear the team might
consider moving CB Charles Till-
man to free safety, provided they
could pick up a decent corner in
free agency.
We hear the Packers are plan-
ning on a more stable situation on
the offensive line next season, with
the same five starters from begin-
ning to end, health permitting. But
with competition expected in train-
ing camp at every position on the
line including left tackle, where
Chad Clifton had been en-
trenched, team insiders can only
speculate on who the five starters
will end up being. One player who
isnt expected to be part of the mix
is longtime ORT Mark Tauscher,
a free agent who we hear is unlikely
to return after suffering a season-
ending injury in early December.
According to our sources, the best
guess on probable starters are:
Clifton at left tackle, Daryn
Colledge at left guard, Mike
Wells at center, Jason Spitz at
right guard and Breno Giacomini
at right tackle. Giacomini didnt
play an offensive snap in his first
year, but word is the team really
likes his size and physicality.
Now that they have been elimi-
nated from the playoffs, the Vikings
must brace for the fact that defen-
sive coordinator Leslie Frazier ap-
pears to be a hot name in various
head-coaching searches around the
league. The Lions, Rams and Bron-
cos are believed to have requested
permission to speak to Frazier be-
fore the Vikings 26-14 playoff loss
to the Eagles, and theres a good
chance that Frazier could be offered
one of those positions, perhaps
even landing in the division. Frazier
has emerged as a head-coaching
candidate the past few seasons,
and his work in 2008 with improved
personnel was impressive. The pass
defense was markedly better than
in 07, and though part of that was
because of a stronger pass rush,
Frazier was willing to mix up his
coverages more, show different
looks and trust his reserves. The
Vikings might have to look for their
third different coordinator under
Brad Childress.
There was no surprise when head
coach Rod Marinelli was let go,
but the retaining and promotion of
CEO Tom Lewand and GM Martin
Mayhewhardly was met with glow-
ing support from Lions fans and
local columnists and other media.
They believed that the two men who
are now in charge of rebuilding the
Lions are just as much a part of
forming the club that became the
NFLs first 0-16 team. Its difficult to
spin this move in a positive, new di-
rection as both Lewand and May-
hew have been on board for the past
eight seasons during which the
team was 31-97.
The first orders of business are
finding a new head coach and staff
and also adding an assistant general
manager. Although both men were
very tight-lipped about the future of
the franchise, they did offer a few
clues. When asked what personnel
improvements needed to be made,
Mayhew tipped his hand a bit by in-
dicating that he would like to get
bigger on defense.
I believe (what) we need to be is
a physical football team, Mayhew
said. I think we have to be a faster
football team. Defensively, we have
to get bigger; were small were a
small football team. ... Were not big
enough and were not physical
enough. So thats going to be part of
our plan.
The team is believed to have inter-
viewed Giants defensive coordinator
Steve Spagnuolo, Titans defensive
coordinator Jim Schwartz, Dol-
phins secondary coach/assistant
head coach Todd Bowles and Red-
skins secondary coach Jerry Gray;
they have requested to talk with
Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie
Frazier, who is available talk with
the Vikings eliminated; and other po-
tential candidates include Ravens
defensive coordinator Rex Ryan,
Falcons offensive coordinator Mike
Mularkey and Patriots offensive
coordinator Josh McDaniels. Cow-
boys offensive coordinator Jason
Garrett took himself out of the run-
ning.
It wouldnt shock anyone if Spag-
nuolo and Schwartz top the list.
Spagnuolo has been a top head-
coaching candidate since the flour-
ish of the Giants defense late last
season, and Schwartz has been
considered an up-and-coming
coach for a few seasons, and he has
a background in scouting, which
wont hurt his cause in Detroit. Both
are considered innovative defensive
minds who could rebuild the NFLs
32nd-ranked unit.
Struggling CB Nate Vasher could be cut as the Bears try to upgrade their secondary this offseason.
A
P
CHICAGO
BEARS
GREEN BAY
PACKERS
MINNESOTA
VIKINGS
DETROIT
LIONS
9 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
NFC SOUTHBy Dan Parr
WHISPERS
Sources say P
Michael Koenen will
be a priority free
agent for the Falcons
this offseason. Koe-
nen, who will be an
unrestricted free
agent, and the punt-
coverage unit held op-
ponents to 49 return
yards in 2008, which
is an NFL record for
the fewest yards al-
lowed. Atlantas front
office worked on get-
ting an extension
done with Koenen
earlier this year but
was unable to reach
an agreement on it.
We hear the window
has closed on that
happening before free
agency begins.
Sources in Carolina
say it may be one-
year-and-done for
WR D.J. Hackett
with the Panthers.
Hackett was plagued
by injuries through-
out the season, ap-
pearing in nine
games and starting
two after he was
signed to compete
with Muhsin
Muhammad for the
No. 2 WR role. The
Panthers still have
high expectations for
Dwayne Jarrett, a
second-round pick in
2007, and Muham-
mad is expected to
again complement
Steve Smith, al-
though Moose will
be 36 in May. Hack-
ett, who signed a
two-year deal in
March, could end up
being the odd man
out in the WR corps.
Buccaneers RB
Cadillac Williams
was devastated after
injuring his left patel-
lar tendon in the sea-
son finale. Just six
weeks ago he re-
turned from a torn
right patellar tendon
that had sidelined
him for more than a
year. We hear this lat-
est injury is not as se-
rious as the first one,
and hes expected to
be back by training
camp. Word is the
Bucs will hold on to
him despite concerns
about his ability to
stay healthy, and that
the team was encour-
aged by what they
saw from him in 08.
For Saints TE Jeremy Shockey,
the transition to New Orleans was
a difficult one. After six successful,
albeit controversial, years with the
Giants, Shockey had career lows in
receiving yards (483) and touch-
downs (zero) in an injury-plagued
first campaign with his new team.
One positive to come out of a dis-
appointing year for both Shockey
and the Saints, we hear, is his vow
to participate in the teams offsea-
son workout program and work on
establishing a better relationship
with QB Drew Brees. For his en-
tire career, Shockey had worked
out separately in Miami, away from
his team, isolating himself after the
final game of the season was
played. Hes promising to show his
face much more in New Orleans
than he ever did with his Giants
teammates during the offseason.
Theres no guarantee that the re-
sults will be any different in 2009,
but this cant hurt Shockey moving
forward.
Falcons president Rich McKay
was granted permission to inter-
view with the Browns about filling
their vacant general manager po-
sition, a further signal that hes in-
tent on getting back into making
personnel decisions after having
been stripped of that authority by
owner Arthur Blank last offsea-
son. McKay was relegated to the
business side of the franchise
after a disastrous 2007 campaign
that saw the head coach he
helped choose, Bobby Petrino,
depart 13 games into his first year
on the job. Should McKay depart
Atlanta, sources say the Falcons
have people within the organiza-
tion to replace him. McKay has
been particularly helpful in negoti-
ating player contracts and manag-
ing the salary cap, but team
sources say director of football
administration Nick Polk also
handles similar duties and could
step into a greater role if neces-
sary.
The Bucs defensive collapse in
the final four games when it al-
lowed an average of nearly 31
points coincided with the news
that defensive coordinator Monte
Kiffin would be leaving for the Uni-
versity of Tennessee at the end of
the year. Kiffin said he regretted
making his plans public, but
sources in Tampa say his an-
nouncement isnt to blame for the
defenses deterioration. The real
issue that new coordinator Ra-
heem Morris, who was promoted
from secondary coach, must ad-
dress, we hear, is that the Bucs D
looked worn-down, old and not
athletic enough in the season-end-
ing loss to the Raiders. Kiffin had
received credit for weaving some
younger talent into a veteran-laden
defense over the past two seasons,
but a further injection of fresh legs,
particularly a pass-rushing defen-
sive end, will be essential this off-
season to get it turned in the right
direction.
Sources say the Panthers are
optimistic they will have their of-
fensive and defensive lines back in
order for the upcoming divisional-
round matchup. Carolina clinched
a first-round bye in Week 17 with a
win over the Saints, and the time
off it ensured was badly needed,
the way we hear it.
Injuries to key players along both
lines threatened to weaken the
teams core at a critical time.
Starting DT Maake
Kemoeatu, a top run stuffer,
missed the last two games with an
ankle injury and the Panthers
were gashed for 6.8 yards per
carry in his absence. The teams
other starter at defensive tackle,
Damione Lewis, missed Week 17
with a shoulder injury, leaving
Carolina stretched thin at the po-
sition. The Panthers were forced
to get by with Darwin Walker,
rookie Nick Hayden and
JVonne Parker, who was re-
cently claimed off the Falcons
practice squad, on the interior.
As for the O-line, which opened
holes for the leagues No. 3 rush-
ing attack and allowed QB Jake
Delhomme to be sacked just 20
times in the regular season, con-
cerns about its health grew in the
season finale. ORG Geoff
Hangartner, who was starting in
place of the injured Keydrick
Vincent, hurt his ankle in Week 17
and had to leave the game. ORT
Jeff Otah injured his toe later in
the same contest and was rele-
gated to the sideline, forcing the
Panthers to shuttle Jordan
Gross from left to right tackle,
which can be a difficult transition
to make mid-game, even for
Gross, who has played on both
sides. Backup Frank Omiyale
took over at left tackle, and Je-
remy Bridges filled the spot va-
cated by Hangartner.
We hear Kemoeatu is the closest
of the ailing group to being back at
full health, and theres little doubt
hell be ready to go after three full
weeks of rest.
The injuries suffered by Hangart-
ner, Otah and Lewis are more re-
cent and it may take longer than
the bye week to get those three
back to 100 percent. While the
word is everyone will suit up when
the time comes, the growing list of
banged-up linemen is a serious
concern for head coach John Fox
with the postseason set to begin. If
Carolina doesnt get well soon, a
deep playoff push is much less
likely.
DT Maake Kemoeatu is one of a handful of starters the Panthers hope to welcome back from injury.
A
P
NEW ORLEANS
SAINTS
ATLANTA
FALCONS
TAMPA BAY
BUCCANEERS
CAROLINA
PANTHERS
10 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
NFC WESTBy Dan Arkush
WHISPERS
Mark down the TE
position as a top off-
season priority for
the Cardinals. Its
telling that (waiver
pickup) Stephen
Spach finished the
season as the start-
ing tight end, said
one team insider. As
for Leonard Pope,
theyre just limited
with what they can
do with him because
of all his false starts
and missed assign-
ments.
While Niners head
coach Mike Single-
tary and departed
offensive coordinator
Mike Martz were
never on the same
page philosophically,
we hear the exact op-
posite is the case
with Singletary and
defensive coordina-
tor Greg Manusky.
Said one daily team
observer: They really
mesh, both being for-
mer pro linebackers.
They agreed to sim-
plify things, and the
results speak for
themselves.
The very intriguing
group of advisors
that Rams GM Billy
Devaney has en-
listed in his search for
a new head coach (a
list that includes for-
mer NFL heavyweight
GM Bobby Beat-
hard and former St.
Louis football stars
Marshall Faulk and
Dan Dierdorf) was
well received ex-
cept for senior advi-
sor John Shaw,
formerly the team
president, who ap-
parently will be sit-
ting in on the final
round of interviews.
Said one team
source: Why is he in-
volved at all after
being one of the guys
who made things
such a mess?
If the strong finish
to Seahawks WR
Deion Branchs
2008 season wasnt
enough reason for
optimism, we also
hear fellow WR Nate
Burleson appears to
be well ahead of
schedule in his recov-
ery from season-end-
ing knee surgery.
Dont read too much into the cu-
rious late-season re-emergence of
veteran RB Edgerrin James. The
situation with him has gone too far
to be rectified, said one team
source, who mentioned James
firm belief that, at age 30, he could
still be a dependable starting back
elsewhere. What James revival
does signal is the real possibility
that the Cardinals might make the
selection of a starting-caliber run-
ning back a top priority in the 2009
draft. Such is the case, with James
as good as gone, J.J. Arringtons
stock as an unrestricted free agent
improving and rookie Tim High-
tower proving to be a solid spot
performer but not an every-down
type. Ken Whisenhunts prefer-
ence continues to be for a more
balanced attack with a strong run
game similar to the one he coordi-
nated in Pittsburgh, and word is
the Cardinals might have a hard
time resisting a back in the mold of
Titans rookie Chris Johnson.
The 49ers decision to so quickly
announce that Mike Singletary
would be retained surprised no-
body. Same goes for the unveiling
of 27-year-old Jed York as the
teams president before kickoff of
the Niners season-ending victory
over the Redskins, considering that
he pretty much has been calling
the shots since training camp
with his parents blessings. What
has definitely raised some eye-
brows, however, is Singletarys ap-
parent reluctance to declare
Shaun Hill as the Niners starting
quarterback after Hill (7-3 as a
starter over the past two seasons)
was so instrumental in the teams
dramatic improvement the second
half of the season. Said one team
insider: Singletary really likes Hills
football mentality and the way he
comes across in the locker room,
but the fact is, there are just some
plays he just cant make. He
doesnt have that arm strength to
drill a 30-yard pass downfield.
Talk about contrast. Just after
listening to the always-quotable
Mike Holmgren spend more than
an hour covering a number of top-
ics in his final press conference as
the Seahawks head coach, team
sources were quick to acknowl-
edge the relative mystery in Seattle
surrounding Jim Mora, the teams
head coach-in-waiting. Were told
Mora was kept under wraps for the
most part this season, limiting his
exchanges with the media to
queries on the secondary that he
coached. Moras first official press
conference as head coach isnt ex-
pected until mid-January, but we
hear staff changes could start
coming at a rapid clip following his
first official staff meeting very early
next week. Whatever happens,
daily team observers know theyre
in for a dramatic change. Said one
longtime team insider: He (Holm-
gren) will be a real tough act to fol-
low as far as dealing with the
media. Weve been very lucky.
Does new Rams GM Billy De-
vaney have a sense of urgency in
overseeing the teams search for a
new head coach?
Absolutely. But, according to
sources on the scene, the earliest
the Rams can be expected to make
a final decision is probably a few
days after the wild-card round of
the playoffs has been completed.
The main reason is the belief
that two reportedly strong candi-
dates for the head-coaching job
in no particular order, Vikings de-
fensive coordinator Leslie Frazier
and Ravens defensive coordinator
Rex Ryan were unavailable for
interviews with their current teams
involved in first-round playoff ac-
tion last weekend.
At this writing, only one candi-
date had been slotted for an actual
interview Packers assistant
head coach/linebackers Winston
Moss, who would fulfill the Rooney
Rule minority requirement.
Devaney will take a close look at
both Frazier and Ryan, a team in-
sider told PFW. They were both in-
terviewed for the Falcons job last
year, and Devaney was involved in
that search.
Ahot name on the rumor mill, Ti-
tans defensive coordinator Jim
Schwartz, was eligible to be inter-
viewed last weekend with Tennessee
having a playoff bye. However, to the
surprise of team observers, it is be-
lieved that the Rams did not inter-
view Schwartz during the weekend.
As for interim head coach Jim
Haslett, we hear he still remains a
serious candidate. But the cry
from the teams fan base for a dra-
matic revamping has dropped the
odds of Haslett remaining in St.
Louis to 35-65.
If there ends up being a really
unattractive group of candidates,
Haslett could still get the job, the
insider said. Hes willing to live
with a short-term deal and is af-
fordable unlike possible candi-
dates (Giants defensive
coordinator) Steve Spagnuolo
and (Patriots offensive coordina-
tor) Josh McDaniels.
And it says something that so
many of his players who arent ex-
pected to be back still saw fit to
sign a petition to keep him.
Word is Haslett already has a
well-thought-out game plan in
place, should he be retained, that,
among other things, calls for two
new coordinators. We hear former
Rams head coach Mike Martz
may be on Hasletts radar screen
for the offensive coordinator job.
RB Edgerrin James does not look to be a part of the Cardinals revamped backfield in 2009.
A
P
ARIZONA
CARDINALS
SAN FRANCISCO
49ERS
SEATTLE
SEAHAWKS
ST. LOUIS
RAMS
11 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
COVER STORY
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Relentless.
Thats the one-word answer Panthers MLB Jon Beason
gives when hes asked about the regular-season perform-
ance of DE Julius Peppers.
Its a strong compliment coming from Beason, whos
known around the NFL for playing with extreme energy him-
self.
Hes fighting every play, Beason said of Peppers. If hes
not in on the play, hes chasing guys down.
Peppers natural athletic ability is legendary, but there have
been whispers and sometimes roars since his college
days at North Carolina that he takes plays off.
Thats not the case at all, Beason said of Peppers play
this season.
Peppers has been ultra-motivated all season coming off
the worst year of his career in 2007, when he had only 2
1
2
sacks, about eight below his previous career average.
Peppers spent the offseason in Arizona vigorously work-
ing out and reported to training camp stronger, faster and
in better shape than ever before.
I was looking at a tape of him this year and last year, and
(at) the difference in his body, said Panthers defensive co-
ordinator Mike Trgovac. Its significant.
Carolina OLT Jordan Gross, who regularly blocks Pep-
pers in practice, predicted during training camp that Pep-
pers would make a big comeback.
Ill say this with 100 percent confidence: I think hes go-
ing to have his best year ever, Gross said on a hot summer
day after he was bull-rushed backward by Peppers. Hes bet-
ter than Ive ever seen him.
Though Peppers has had some below-average perform-
ances this season, such as a Week 15 game against Denver
when he didnt have a tackle, its difficult to dispute that Gross
prediction came true.
Peppers finished the regular season with a career-high
14
1
2 sacks, which tied for fifth in the league and tied for sec-
ond most among defensive ends.
He also tied for fifth in the NFL with five forced fumbles
and was selected to his fourth Pro Bowl.
As Carolina gets ready for its playoff opener, Peppers play
and his newfound leadership role will be keys to the Pan-
thers bid to win the first Super Bowl title in franchise his-
tory.
Hes actually exceeded my expectations, Gross, who also
made the Pro Bowl, said recently. Hes stepped up a lot off
the field.
I feel like hes kind of embraced the role that all of us know
hes had on this team. Hes our main guy, him and (wide re-
ceiver) Steve (Smith), but hes a North Carolina guy his whole
life. I really feel like hes stepping into that role of the face
of the organization.
Long known as one of the quietest players on the team,
Peppers has been much more vocal this sea-
son during games and in the locker room.
If he says something, you should see the
way everybody listens, Gross said. I talk
all the time. People want to see if Im jok-
ing when I say something. But when he
stands to say something, people listen and
he gets things done.
The leadership role is one that owner Jer-
ry Richardson publicly challenged Peppers
to begin filling during the 07 training
camp, when veteran safety Mike Minter re-
tired.
Initially, Peppers seemed to withdraw
from that challenge. In an interview earli-
er this season, Peppers said he needed to
wait until fellow DE Mike Rucker retired,
which happened this past offseason.
Peppers described Rucker as the guy
who, when I first came here, I hung on to,
tried to learn from, respected as much as you
can respect anybody.
I cant really be myself around him and
try to take over, if you want to call it the Big
Dog role on the defense with him still here,
Peppers said. I respected him that much.
I dont want to step on his toes and try to
go over him.
But with Rucker gone this season, Pep-
pers underwent a transformation that has
been praised by teammates since the sea-
son began.
Its zero to 60, DT Damione Lewis said. Last year and
the year before last, he said absolutely nothing on the field.
This year hes been vocal throughout the whole season.
Its really strange, but at the same time its funny, and
we welcome it.
Peppers is still quiet in more public forums. He rarely
grants anything more than a group interview and in recent
weeks has talked to the press only after games.
His big season comes at an opportune time because hes
in the final year of his contract, giving him a strong bargain-
ing position with free agency looming.
Its considered a virtual lock that the Panthers will put
their franchise tag on Peppers to keep him away from oth-
er teams if they arent able to negotiate a long-term con-
tract extension before then with his agent, Carl Carey.
Franchising Peppers would cost the Panthers around $17
million for the 09 season. A long-term deal would be eas-
ier on their 09 cap but almost certainly would require them
to make him the highest paid defensive player in league his-
tory with a blockbuster deal averaging at least $13 million
per season.
Lewis, who plays next to Peppers on the defensive line,
said he thinks Peppers will be a Panther for life.
I dont think theyre going to let him leave, Lewis said.
You just dont let talent like that walk away, I wouldnt think.
Very few people get to be in the situation hes in. Its a
blessing for him. Hes earned it.
Some Carolina followers are nervous because the team
hasnt succeeded yet in negotiating a new contract with Pep-
pers, but Rucker said his friend isnt in a hurry.
I just know right now they are riding a wave, Rucker said.
I believe hes not focused on (his contract) and he wants
to keep the wave going because if something were to hap-
pen, it could be a distraction.
Heres the mystery of the whole thing: As a society every-
thing is about money and getting money fast but its dif-
ferent and rings alarm bells when someone isnt chasing
money. I really feel like he isnt chasing money.
Quarterbacks, however, should beware.
Charles Chandler covers the Panthers for the Charlotte
Observer.
12 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
REINVENTED
Coming off the worst year of his career,
Panthers DE Julius Peppers returned to
his old Pro Bowl form this season and
became a more vocal leader along the way.
By CHARLES CHANDLER
Julius Peppers, seen here bringing down Falcons QB Matt Ryan, had
a career-high 14
1
2 sacks this season. Hell become a free agent in the
offseason.
A
P
13 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
FEATURE STORY
F
unny thing about Pittsburgh,
where fans actually want to get
down and dirty and run the
football, but even during a
playoff bye week there are seeds of
discontent concerning the Steel-
ers offense. Thats why Bruce Arians
was called upon last week to answer
for its ineptness.
Its different in Pittsburgh, the
Steelers offensive coordinator ex-
plained. People believe if you run it
30 times, you automatically win. But when I was here (from
2004 to present), we didnt win any Super Bowls that way.
I know how we won them, and No. 7 won them for us of-
fensively.
That would be QB Ben Roethlisberger, the guy over on
the sideline under a hoodie all week after suffering a con-
cussion vs. the Browns in the Steelers regular-season fi-
nale. So Arians can be excused for mangling perceptions
because hes a bit defensive about his
offense these days.
Steelers fans dont quite trust this of-
fense, primarily because the lack of a
running game has made a physical
wreck of No. 7, the current-and-future
franchise quarterback. The Super
Bowl champion Steelers of 2005 al-
ready had established a proven run
game, giving No. 7 the element of sur-
prise in those playoffs. But there have
been no surprises this season. There
has been no play-action, no draws, no
screens, no fullback. Nothing but No.
7, and it has taken a toll.
Last week, Roethlisberger looked
more like The Dark Knight than his
old Superman self. Because of a con-
cussion, he watched practice under
cover, walking in and out of the lock-
er room without reporters even at-
tempting to talk to him. His team-
mates didnt try much, either, because
all of them understand that Roethlis-
berger relishes his role as the lone wolf.
The aloof quarterback, who put strin-
gent deadlines on teammates for
signing Christmas presents, even has
his own Bat Cave of an expanded lock-
er (replete with side entrances) for ex-
tended me-time. So the hoodie might
just be the perfect fit for Roethlisberg-
er, whos beginning to draw criticism
in Pittsburgh.
Seemingly half the talk-show callers
prefer that Byron Leftwich play the di-
visional playoff game, and, in fact,
linemen enjoy knowing where Left-
wich will be in the pocket, and re-
ceivers enjoy finding the ball where
its supposed to be, when its supposed
to be there.
But Arians made Roethlisberger
part of the game-planning process
when he became coordinator in 2007,
and the front office made Roethlis-
berger part of Steel City royalty by
dishing out a $102 million contract be-
fore the season, so a change at
this point is moot.
The Lone Wolf doesnt need to
answer to anyone anyhow, and
thus far the questions with a 12-
4 record, thanks to the best defense
in the world havent been asked
by what has been, for the most
part, an adoring media.
Run or throw?
Stay in the pocket or scramble?
Check down or check deep?
Lines fault or receivers fault?
Byron or Ben?
These questions arent asked because Roethlisberger is
the best quarterback to play in Pittsburgh since Terry Brad-
shaw. No one doubts that. And Roethlisberger still has mag-
ic, as his division-clinching (and bye-clinching), 92-yard
drive at Baltimore in the final minute attests.
That was his most impressive moment this season,
said Charlie Batch, the backup quar-
terback who has been on injured re-
serve this season but who still talks
to Roethlisberger on the sideline
during games.
I wouldnt call it a signature mo-
ment, Batch said, but it put a stamp
on the regular season because that was
our first goal, a division title. Now its
on to the postseason.
But its on to the postseason with the
worst-ranked offense (22nd) of all
playoff teams. Its on to the postseason
with the lowest-scoring playoff team
(21.7 ppg) north of Miami (21.6). Its
on to the postseason with an offense
that has allowed more sacks (49)
than every team but Cincinnati, De-
troit and San Francisco. And its on to
the postseason with an offense that has
turned the ball over 25 times.
For teams that dont have the type
of championship defense Steelers fans
enjoy, those numbers have meant on
to the offseason.
It could just be the offensive line.
That unit has been easy to blame all
season. Or it could be slow and in-
jured RB Willie Parker who has
caused these problems. Or it could be
an offensive scheme that has left the
quarterback so battered he barely
can peer into sunlight.
Roethlisberger has taken a pound-
ing this season, from the first sack by
Texans DE Mario Williams that man-
gled his shoulder to the last hit by
Browns OLB Willie McGinest that sent
him to the Bat Cave for a week.
But then again, its probably just
those foolish fans and their misguid-
ed perceptions about running the
football that have put the Steelers mar-
velous defense in peril of early exit.
Yeah, thats probably it.
Jim Wexell is the publisher of Steel-
[Link] and author of the
new book Steeler Nation. Ben Roethlisberger had a dismal 3-10 TD-to-interception ratio in the Steelers four losses in 2008.
LACKING
RHYTHM
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
and the Pittsburgh offense
have had an up-and-down season
By JIM WEXELL
A
P
FEATURE STORY
14 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
CHANGE
OF PLANS
CHANGE
OF PLANS
Titans QB Kerry Collins emergence was unexpected but wholly
necessary for Tennessee to capture the top seed in the AFC By CHIP CIRILLO
15 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Back in August, Kerry Collins was
a veteran who seemed destined to finish his career as a back-
up.
Now hes returned to a starting role at quarterback for
the team with the NFLs best record and is two wins from
the Super Bowl.
Collins will lead the Tennessee Titans (13-3) into an AFC
divisional playoff game at LP Field on Jan. 10.
Titans C Kevin Mawae said the 14-year veteran deserves
serious consideration for NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Hes a guy that everybody just kind of wrote off, Mawae
said. He was riding out his days as a backup and that kind
of thing. For him to come on like he has this year and be-
ing the guy and leading our team to the best record in the
NFL, hes definitely deserving of that title without a
doubt.
Being a backup must have felt strange to Collins after be-
ing a starter during most of his first 11 years in the league.
He broke in with Carolina in 1995 before moving on to New
Orleans, the New York Giants, Oakland and Tennessee.
He signed as a free agent with Tennessee during the 2006
preseason, four months after the Titans drafted QB Vince
Young with the third overall pick. Collins was brought in
to provide experience and leadership to the offense.
Early in his career, success came quickly for Collins, as
he led Carolina to the 1996 NFC championship during his
second year in the league and the Panthers second year of
existence.
That was certainly a big accomplishment for us, having
only been in the league for two years, Collins said. I think
we really surprised a lot of people by making it as far as we
did.
Collins made his first and only Pro Bowl appearance that
year after passing for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns with
just nine interceptions.
But things got rocky for Collins after that as he dealt with
alcohol problems that included a DUI arrest while with New
Orleans in 1998 and alcohol rehabilitation after that season.
He overcame his off-field troubles and led the Giants to
the Super Bowl after the 2000 season. Collins enjoyed one
of his best games ever in the NFC championship win vs. Min-
nesota as he passed for 381 yards and five touchdowns.
But Baltimores punishing defense intercepted him four
times in Super Bowl XXXV as the Giants fell 34-7 in Tam-
pa, the site of this years Super Bowl.
Collins, 36, threw for more than 3,400 yards in 2004 and
2005 with Oakland, but the Raiders finished last in the AFC
West Division during both seasons.
When he arrived in Nashville, it was starting to look like
the aging quarterback would spend the rest of his career
backing up Young, but Collins never gave up hope of return-
ing to a starting role. He got his chance when Young injured
his knee in the 2008 opener against Jacksonville.
You dont ever wish for the guy ahead of you to get hurt,
but it does happen to you in the NFL, Collins said. I just
thought if I did get an opportunity that I would try to take
advantage of it.
Collins did just that, completing two big passes on the
game-clinching drive in the fourth quarter of a 17-10 win
vs. Jacksonville.
The former Penn State star led the Titans to a 10-0 start,
the best in the 49-year history of the franchise. Not bad for
an old man, as he likes to call himself.
Hes doing a lot more than managing the game, Titans
head coach Jeff Fisher said. Hes winning games for us be-
cause of his experience. Were doing a good job of protect-
ing him and were running the football, and he knows what
to do with the football.
Collins has only been sacked eight times, the lowest to-
tal of any NFL starter. He showed his appreciation by buy-
ing each of his linemen an ATV.
Hes seen everything, and nothing fazes him, said Ti-
tans OLT Michael Roos, who earned his first Pro Bowl berth.
If he throws a pick, he comes back in the huddle next se-
ries and (says), Lets go get seven.
Collins has thrown only seven interceptions, one of the
lowest totals for a starter in the league. Keeping the
turnovers low has kept the win total high.
His touchdown passes (12) and passing yards (2,676) are
relatively low, but a strong running game and an even bet-
ter defense compensate for that. Wins and losses are the only
stats he cares about.
In my opinion, hes our MVP, Titans WR Justin Mc-
Careins said. Hes such a solid leader and comes to work
the same way every day. Just an unselfish guy and a heck
of a player. Hes so even-tempered, and hes the perfect fit
for what we needed right now, and were lucky to have him.
The Titans cooled off in the last six games as they went
3-3, but a 31-14 win vs. Pittsburgh on Dec. 21 secured home-
field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
The victory over the Steelers was a snapshot of why Collins
has been so successful with Tennessee this year. He passed
for 215 yards and one touchdown against the NFLs top-rat-
ed defense while Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger made four
turnovers that led to 21 points.
Titans TE Alge Crumpler said Collins reminds him of his
former teammate, Chris Chandler, who passed for 28,484 ca-
reer yards and 170 TDs before retiring after the 2004 season.
They both played a long time, are very savvy guys, re-
ally smart, understand what we want to do offensively and
really interject what they want to do, Crumpler said. Ker-
ry has come in a situation where he was behind Vince, but
he prepared professionally, and when he came into the game,
all he could do was be Kerry Collins. And hes done that ex-
ceptionally well.
Collins ranks 11th all-time in career completions (3,160)
and 14th in passing yards (37,393). All those reps have paid
big dividends this season.
Hes a guy thats seen all the coverages, hes seen all the
blitzes, hes seen everything and hes learned from them,
Titans WR Justin Gage said. It tells on the film now. He
sees a lot of things that we dont actually see until we watch
a play three or four times. Hell see it before it actually hap-
pens, and thats just a special trait he has.
Collins hasnt had to do too much, thanks to a balanced
attack that includes RBs LenDale White and Chris John-
son Smash and Dash. Johnson ranked third in the AFC
as a rookie with 1,228 rushing yards and White led all AFC
running backs with 15 rushing touchdowns.
Johnson was only 9 years old when Collins was named
a finalist for the Heisman Trophy at Penn State in 1994, but
he has learned a lot from the veteran.
He was sitting behind VY and never complained, John-
son said. He just waited for his opportunity, and then when
his opportunity came, he was ready to play. That just shows
a lot of players who arent playing or are sitting behind some-
body how to prepare and how to be ready when their num-
ber is called.
Collins, who will be a free agent after the season ends, says
he would like to return to the team but wants to consider
his options. Fisher and owner Bud Adams said the Titans
are interested in re-signing him, but its hard to predict how
it will play out.
Count Titans DE Kyle Vanden Bosch among those who
are glad Collins will be at the helm when Tennessee sails
into postseason play.
Theres no denying the impact hes had on the team this
year, Vanden Bosch said. Hes been leading this ship, and
this teams play has been a direct result of his play.
Back in August, it looked like Collins would be watching
from the sideline if Tennessee made the playoffs. But a lot
has changed since then, and the old man cant wait to take
the field in the postseason.
Im excited to see what happens with this team, Collins
said. We put together a good regular season and put our-
selves in a good position. Now we just need to continue the
run in the playoffs.
Chip Cirillo writes for The Tennessean.
Kerry Collins has added the savvy and experience that Vince Young lacks to a much-improved Titans offense.
A
P
ROCK
STEADY
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Nobody knew his way
around a collapsing pocket like David Carr, who in five sea-
sons with the Texans was sacked 249 times, including a
ghastly 76 times as a rookie in 2002.
When it comes to lousy offensive lines, Carr qualifies as
an expert. When he signed with the Giants this season to
serve as the backup quarterback to Eli Manning, Carr wit-
nessed life on the other side, surrounded every day by a five-
man unit heralded as the best in the NFL.
The biggest thing for them is they play with the same
guys every week and they work so well together, Carr ob-
served. A lot of guys probably have as much talent, but they
dont play as well together.
That was not all Carr noticed. His indoctrination to this
group was not exactly the embodiment of political correct-
ness.
At first it was a lot of teasing, a lot of things going back
and forth, but thats how they show their love, said Carr,
the first overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft. Now Ive start-
ed to fire back, so I think they like me a little bit more.
Indeed, the Giants offensive linemen went at Carr with
nearly as much force as they reserve for game-day assaults
on the opposition. ORG Chris Snee immediately questioned
Carr upon his arrival, alluding to Mannings lofty draft sta-
tus when wondering, I didnt know if there was room for
two No. 1s around here. If you come to the Giants, you are
in the line of fire.
After camp and the first couple of weeks of the season,
he was starting to get involved with all the pranks, Snee
said. Hes fit in well.
Carr can breathe a sigh of relief. He has been accepted
by the O-line, a unit that is so tightly knit that after games
they often reconvene in the Giants Stadium parking lot along
with their families for a late-night barbeque, sort of a
postgame tailgate party. The line revels in its no-name sta-
tus, surging through a remarkable 2007 playoff run, cul-
minated with the stunning upset of the Patriots in Super
Bowl XLII, without a single member of the line having been
selected to the Pro Bowl.
Prior to this season, not one of them ever garnered enough
votes to make it, but with the Giants the defending cham-
pions and rolling to an 11-1 record, the word was out. Snee
and C Shaun OHara were chosen to the Pro Bowl, and Man-
ning was so grateful to the entire line that he has decided
to pay the bill for the three other starting linemen and their
wives to accompany him to Honolulu. And so, OLT David
Diehl, OLG Rich Seubert and ORT Kareem McKenzie will
make the trip, hoping they are coming off a second straight
Super Bowl triumph.
That the Giants are in the running for a repeat is testa-
ment to many factors coming together, not the least of which
is the superb cohesiveness and camaraderie of the offen-
sive line. This group has been blessed with health and sprin-
kled with toughness. The line paved the way for the Giants
to lead the league in rushing and for the first time in fran-
chise history (and only the fourth time in NFL history) have
two running backs Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward
who surpassed 1,000 rushing yards. Manning was
sacked only 27 times, and he doesnt operate out of a quick-
throw West Coast offense, either.
As much as Manning appreciates the protection, he nev-
er allows the line to get away with much of anything. A clos-
et prankster, Manning often plots against the big guys up
front. This past summer, Seubert found the windshield of
his SUV smeared in Vaseline. I know it was Eli, Seubert
said.
The line is merciless on each other, too, filling their OL
meeting room with insults and snide remarks. In addition
to thick muscles, thick skin is also required.
All five starters are accommodating, down-to-earth
athletes. OHara, a local product who played at Rutgers, is
the media darling of the group. Snee was taken in the sec-
ond round out of Boston College in the same draft that Man-
ning came from. He is the son-in-law of Tom Coughlin but
was accepted by his teammates because of his obvious skill
level and commitment. He also is the most dominant play-
er. McKenzie is the largest man, with a shaved head and goat-
ee, quiet and studious and reportedly has the most vora-
cious appetite. Seubert is the grinder, on the scene since 2001
only Amani Toomer has a longer tenure with the Giants
who recovered from a hideous fractured right leg in 2003
FEATURE STORY
ROCK
STEADY
16 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
The New York Giants
workmanlike O-line
has helped pave
the way for two
1,000-yard runners
and has kept
Eli Manning mostly
clean this season
but they manage
to get their shots
in on teammates
and each other, too
By PAUL SCHWARTZ
A
P
to bring a nasty disposition to the field and a goofy friend-
liness off it.
Diehl is the iron man, having started every game since he
was taken in the fifth round out of Illinois in 2003. Hes the
Cal Ripken of the Giants. Not only has Diehl not missed a
game, when sore ribs forced him to sit out a practice on Aug.
12, it was the first one he had missed in 10 years of college
and pro football. He is the only one of the 262 players tak-
en in the 2003 NFL draft to start every game since he en-
tered the league.
Thats our mentality, Snee said. If somebody misses prac-
tice, we are going to harp on them and just pick on them
until they come back. As a team, we all get along well, but
as an offensive line were close. You dont want to be that guy
who stops the play from being successful.
Its a group borne of humble beginnings and the only start-
ing line in the NFC East without a first-round draft pick.
They can dish it out and they also can take it. There is a con-
sensus on who is usually in the middle of the antics.
Richie is the instigator, OHara said. In turn, he ends up
being the brunt of a lot.
Snee said Seubert might be the grumpiest human being
Ive ever met. I dont think Ive seen anyone who finds some-
thing new each day to complain about.
Seubert pleads innocent, to no avail.
I think we all do our own little things, Seubert said. Chris
is the guy that everybody thinks isnt doing anything, but
he does a lot of the stuff. Shaun is looked at as the proper
one, but he does as much as I do. Diehl likes to poke fun,
but he doesnt like to get caught up in the prank stuff be-
cause he doesnt like pranks done to him. Kareem is fun-
ny; he does some things. People dont realize it, but Kareem
does it. I just get blamed for a lot of stuff.
Let them play the blame game all they want. The Giants
know where credit is due, and their offensive line is at the
head of the line.
Paul Schwartz cover the Giants for the New York Post.
17 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
HEDGECOCK
PUTS THE SOCK
IN BLOCKING
I
t is a good thing that FB Madison Hedgecock doesnt
have to update his rsum anytime soon. If he did, he
might cause a few blank stares for anyone wanting to
take a look at what he does for a living.
Someone said to me one day, Describe your job, and I
said, I block, I catch the ball sometimes, and I run the ball
in my dreams, Hedgecock said.
There is nothing dreamy about what the Giants full-
back is asked to do on the field. He is a lead blocker and,
at 6-3 and 266 pounds, packs quite a wallop when he
plunges his body into the line of scrimmage, often seek-
ing out a charging linebacker to hit. The force of the mas-
sive Hedgecock paving the way for 264-pound RB
Brandon Jacobs creates the sort of forward movement
that allows the Giants to dominate up front and create
the production that made the Giants the leagues top-
rated rushing team and set a franchise record with 2,518
yards.
He plays with reckless abandon, DE Justin Tuck said
admiringly of Hedgecock. His tolerance for pain is just
phenomenal from what Ive seen. I dont want to play full-
back.
Its a position that is not for the faint of heart or for any-
one seeking much recognition. Hedgecock this season
had one rushing attempt for no gain and caught
eight passes for 52 yards and his first career touchdown.
It is his work without the ball that is so vital to how the Gi-
ants operate on offense, as hes a de facto member of the
offensive line as far as the openings he provides, yet he
receives even less fanfare than the linemen do.
Madison is all over the place,Jacobs said. He makes
good blocks all the time, and thats what we need from
him, to come out and do your job, and he does it really
well.
Hedgecock isnt alone. TE Michael Matthews role is to
block on the line of scrimmage and on occasion as a
move tight end. Kevin Boss, in his second NFL season,
has developed into a big-play receiving target, and his
blocking improved greatly. Jacobs and Derrick Ward be-
came only the fourth RB duo to each rush for 1,000 yards
in the same NFL season, and they did not do it alone.
It is a credit to everyone, it really is, head coach Tom
Coughlin said. It is a credit to the coaching staff. It is a
credit to the offensive line, certainly the tight ends, the re-
ceivers, the fullback who does an outstanding job as a
lead blocker in front of our ballcarrier on so many differ-
ent occasions, and then also to our ballcarriers. And I
think that it is a great thing. Paul Schwartz
Eli Manning (middle, with ball) is thankful for his good protection even if his O-line is prone to pranking him.
A
P
Giants FB Madison Hedgecock (39) favors slob-
ber-knocking blocks over fame and glory.
OPINION
PUBLISHERS PEN Hub Arkush, publisher/editor
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A
s of this writing there will be at least
eight new head coaches in San
Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Detroit,
New York, Cleveland, Oakland and Den-
ver to start the 2009 NFL season.
Were still not sure about Herm Edwards
fate in Kansas City, whether Tony Dungy
will retire or return, and, in spite of his
assurances to the contrary, whether or
not Jerry Jones will be able to resist the
allure of Mike Shanahan or some other
big name to replace Wade Phillips.
If theyre back in 09, Phillips and Ed-
wards will start the season precariously
on the bubble, as will Washingtons Jim
Zorn and Buffalos Dick Jauron. And
pressure will build very quickly on
Philadelphias Andy Reid, Chicagos Lovie
Smith, Minnesotas Brad Childress,
Cincinnatis Marvin Lewis, Houstons
Gary Kubiak, Jacksonvilles Jack Del Rio
and San Diegos Norv Turner if their
clubs dont get off to fast starts. Head-
coaching jobs in the NFL never have been
more difficult to keep or, for that matter,
more difficult to fill successfully.
There was little doubt coming into this
season that Rod Marinelli, Scott Linehan,
Lane Kiffin and Mike Nolan were dead
men walking, and we knew that Mike
Holmgren in Seattle had decided it was
time to take some time off. But Romeo
Crennel had just gotten his contract ex-
tended for leading the Browns to a 10-6
record in 2007, Eric Mangini was given
more than $140 million of new talent to
work with and his Jets club looked like a
Super Bowl contender at 8-3 just a few
weeks ago, and Shanahan was believed to
be Pat Bowlens coach for life in Denver.
Its extremely difficult to argue that any
of the seven head coaches fired to date
deserved better. In the cases of Nolan,
Linehan, Marinelli and Kiffin, they just
didnt win enough football games, period.
I am quite frankly stunned that the
University of Tennessee has elected to
hand its program over to Kiffin, and I
dont expect any of the other three to be
head coaches again for a long, long time,
if at all.
Crennel had to go, considering the
complete collapse of his team this season
after last years success, but at least his
07 season gave him a valuable note on
his rsum. Manginis 23 wins in three
seasons actually would be considered
good for some first-time head coaches,
but the unmet expectations created by his
10-6 rookie campaign and the number of
players who didnt want to play for him
anymore forced Jets owner Woody John-
son to make a move. Shanahan will have
his pick of jobs when hes ready, but it was
time to leave Denver.
Its fair to speculate that the dramatic
success of three rookie head coaches this
year Tony Sparano, John Harbaugh
and Mike Smith and the outstanding
job that Mike Tomlin has done in two
seasons in Pittsburgh encouraged all of
these owners to make changes.
But a closer look suggests that line of
thinking truly could be fools gold. The 12
NFL coaches who have led at least three
of their teams to the playoffs over the past
seven seasons are Dungy, Bill Belichick,
Holmgren, Reid, Jeff Fisher, Tom Cough-
lin, Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, John Fox,
Edwards, Shanahan and former Packers
head coach Mike Sherman.
It makes absolutely no sense to me,
based on his problems in New York, that
Mangini could be owner Randy Lerners
first choice in Cleveland. But the fact that
Dungys, Belichicks, Coughlins and
Shanahans greatest successes came in
their second head-coaching stints might
explain it. While assistants like Rex Ryan,
Steve Spagnuolo, Josh McDaniels, Jason
Garrett, Ron Rivera and others looking
for their first top jobs certainly have
earned their shots, it also clearly explains
why the first choices of so many of these
owners now looking for new line bosses
are Cowher, Shanahan, Marty Schotten-
heimer and, yes, even Bill Parcells, if the
owners can just talk one of them into
coming back onto the field.
S
trengthening its grip on the sports
broadcast world, ESPN recently won
the rights to the four BCS bowl
games including the championship
game now aired on Fox.
ESPN will pay about $125 million a
year starting in 2011 for the rights to the
Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls through
2014, and the BCS title game through
2013.
Fox pays $80 million a year now and
reportedly offered about $100 million an-
nually to keep the games. The Rose Bowl,
already on ABC as part of a separate deal
that runs through 2014, also is expected
to move to ESPN starting in 2011.
We agree with BCS coordinator John
Swofford when he says that fewer and
fewer viewers make a distinction between
ESPN and traditional broadcast net-
works.
Still, we cant help but be a little trou-
bled that college footballs showcase
games are moving to a network thats not
available in 16 million U.S. households.
Thats why we were pleased to hear NFL
commissioner Roger Goodell say recently
that he doesnt foresee the Super Bowl
moving off free TV.
The one thing thats been pointed out
repeatedly in all the media reports (on
the BCS deal) is that the NFL is the only
league that continues to be successful on
free television. And were proud of that,
Goodell said after the ESPN deal was an-
nounced. We anticipate that going for-
ward. I dont see any significant restruc-
turing from that standpoint.
Cable networks such as ESPN have an
advantage when bidding for broadcast
rights because, unlike over-the-air net-
works, they get revenue from subscriber
fees as well as advertising. ESPN gets
about $4 per subscriber per month from
cable and satellite operators.
Playoff games in the NBA, NHL and
major-league baseball already are broad-
cast on cable, and the NFL broadcasts reg-
ular-season games on both ESPN and its
own cable network. And every time a cable
network such as ESPN buys the rights to
another major sporting event, it strength-
ens its bargaining position when it negoti-
ates future subscription fees. Which means
that this trend isnt going to change.
The BCS deal was significant, though,
in that it marks the first time that the de-
cisive game in a major U.S. sport will air
on cable. That, we hope, isnt the start of
a trend.
ESPN is available in 86 percent of all
households with televisions, and Swof-
ford expects that number to grow by
2011. Still, that doesnt mean we have to
like the idea that people who arent able
to shell out $50 a month or more for TV
wont be able to enjoy the nations top
sporting events from the comfort of their
own homes.
Coaching carousel wont stop turning
BCS TV switch an ominous signal?
Pats should franchise Cassel
The common theme around the NFL is
that Matt Cassel made millions in his one-
season audition with the Patriots. I
couldnt agree more; however, I also be-
lieve that Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli,
who collectively are as smart as I am
collectively, of course would hate to
see a player that theyve developed walk
away and get nothing in return.
That is why I think, and hope, that the
Patriots put the franchise tag on Cassel
(dont laugh until youve read my entire
theory) and work out a pre-draft deal with
a QB-deficient team (there are several). It
has been done before. The Packers did it
this last year with DL Corey Williams and
got a second-round pick from the Browns
in return.
Surely theres a team desperate
enough to offer a second-round pick for a
starting QB, if not a first-rounder.
I would be surprised, shocked and dis-
appointed if Belichick and Pioli let him
walk. Theyre actually much smarter than
me collectively, of course.
Kevin Coursey, Orange Park, Fla.
Curb your enthusiasm
Enough! No, I do not think the NFL
brain trust is out of line for penalizing cel-
ebratory behavior on the field. Indeed,
not enough is done to penalize the more
notorious offenders. Most notably, Terrell
Owens and Ocho Choo Choo, or whatever
his name is this year.
What most fans would like is to see pro
players set examples of courtesy and
good sportsmanship. What we see in-
stead are self-centered attitudes and ego-
centric celebrations.
Two solutions: The first is that any
player who scores a touchdown should
hand the ball to the nearest official. The
second is that for any player who dances
after a sack, he must walk over to the op-
posing bench and curtsy.
R.M. DiVincenzo, Medford, N.J.
Skins need to bolster O
I am a die-hard Redskins fan and Ive
got some suggestions for the GM get
rid of all the old high-salary players and
head cases. Start with Clinton Portis. Try
to trade him to Arizona for Anquan
Boldin. Then use the first-round pick on a
stud RB Knowshon Moreno, Shonn
Greene, etc. Try to shore up the offensive
line wth middle-round picks plus free
agents.
Re-sign DeAngelo Hall and the D is
solid. Its the offense thats the problem!
Mike Nelson, Maryland
18 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
OPINION
WHISTLE BLOWERS Ron Borges
S
ometimes you have to know when to
swallow your whistle. Referee Ron
Winters officiating crew did not last
weekend.
Winters crew committed the cardinal
sin of officiating by overly affecting what
was a thrilling AFC wild-card game in
San Diego between the Chargers and the
Colts by making three calls in overtime
that gave San Diego three first downs.
The calls propelled them nearly as readily
as the remarkable Darren Sproles in a 23-
17 victory and advanced them to the play-
offs second round.
Law enforcement is necessary in all
walks of life, most especially in the vio-
lent world of the NFL, but when the law
takes things into its own hands, nothing
good can come of it. Winters crew did
just that with an OT postseason game.
Such a game should be decided by the
players, not by overzealous part-time em-
ployees with whistles in their mouths but
no judgment in their heads. Of the three
calls, two seemed borderline, but the
most egregious was when they flagged
the CB Tim Jennings for defensive hold-
ing on a ball Philip Rivers lobbed up that
was uncatchable on a 3rd-and-8. Instead
of being forced to punt and then play de-
fense, the Chargers got a first down that
kept the game-winning drive alive.
That was the second of three pivotal
penalty calls by Winters crew that gave
the Chargers first downs. The third, a 15-
yard facemask penalty on Clint Session,
was the only one clearly justified.
Winters crew called more penalties
than any other officiating crew this sea-
son, so perhaps this should have been ex-
pected. Colts coach Tony Dungy told TV
broadcasters the night before the game
that this was a crew whose reputation his
players needed to be aware of. Yet even
so, Winters group should have been far
more circumspect in overtime of a playoff
game than it proved to be. This doesnt
mean anything goes. It just means dont
influence the outcome with a borderline
call like the one on Jennings.
Games like that one, between two well-
matched teams who had struggled for
more than three hours to attain an edge
on the other, should never be impacted by
as shaky a call as that defensive holding
penalty. Having said that, not even the
shoddy performance of Winters crew
could take away from the play of the 5-
foot-6 Sproles, who came in for the in-
jured LaDainian Tomlinson and pro-
duced the third-most all-purpose yards in
playoff history (328). Fittingly, he scored
the winning touchdown, a 22-yard bolt
around the left end that showcased his
remarkable quickness.
He finished his day with 105 yards
rushing, 45 receiving and 178 in kickoff
and punt returns as well as two rushing
touchdowns. It was a performance that
led Rivers to say after the game, He
earns every bit of credit he receives and
he deserves a lot tonight.
Indeed he did, just as Winter and his
crew of overzealous whistle blowers did
for impacting a playoff game far more
than was warranted or desired. The
Chargers, as well as the Colts, deserved
better. San Diego was the better team
much of the night and deserved the victo-
ry. In the end, they didnt need a whistle
blower to help them out.
Ron Borges is a columnist for the Boston
Herald.
Shame on refs for affecting outcome
LITTLE BIG MAN Jerry Magee
Q
uick, the flit! A lightning bug
named Darren Sproles is buzzing
about the NFL playoffs, zipping this
way and that and leaving the impression
that he and the San Diego Chargers are
going to be difficult to squash.
The Chargers are a much more potent
assembly with the 5-foot-6 Sproles at tail-
back than they were when they were
aligning a worn LaDainian Tomlinson at
the position. Sproles lends the Southern
Californians dimensions that L.T. no
longer possesses, nor shall he ever again.
Yeah, Sproles is vertically challenged,
but coach Norv Turner considers him one
of the strongest persons on his squad,
and he has a degree of quickness that is
unparalleled. Blink and hes gone, as he
was when he fled 22 yards in overtime to
seal the Chargers 23-17 conquest of the
Colts in the most compelling of the four
wild-card games.
Sproles sprint wasnt the evenings
most meaningful moment. That, to me,
was the coin flip preceding the extra ses-
sion. The Colts called heads, the coin
came up tails and the hosts, taking the
football, did not relinquish it.
That shouldnt have happened. Coin
flips are for guys hanging out on corners.
Let football games be decided by blocking
and tackling.
Records state that there have been 25
OT postseason games since 1958. In 21 of
them, both teams had at least one posses-
sion. I say that if there had been only one
game in which a team had been denied a
possession, it would have been too many.
But I am here to speak flatteringly of
Sproles, who by his deeds has given every
little guy aspiring to play in the greatest
of all leagues hope that his ambitions can
be realized. This also is on my mind:
The year 2009 is the 50th year since
Lamar Hunt got some men together and
founded the American Football League.
As this years tournament field was made
up, only two of the AFLs eight founding
franchises were part of it, the Chargers
and the Titans, who began as the Hous-
ton Oilers. I dont think it would be
wrong of me to wish that the 09 Super
Bowl champion be an AFL original.
Lamar, what you wrought isnt forgot-
ten.
Sproles, meanwhile, has become the
playoffs Little Big Man. On the field, he
is here, and then he isnt. He ghosted
through the Colts for 328 all-purpose
yards, the third highest playoff total.
The record: Ed Podolaks 350 yards for
the Chiefs against the Dolphins on Dec.
25, 1971. I was there for that one. Podolak
had an advantage. The game, the longest
ever, lasted 82 minutes and 40 seconds.
I can remember being in Kansas Citys
Municipal Stadium on Brooklyn Avenue
and becoming aware of somebody hold-
ing up a sign that announced, My
Grandmother Can Run Faster Than Ed
Podolak. Not that day she couldnt.
I also was there for the second-highest
all-purpose playoff performance when
Keith Lincolns deeds for the Chargers
added up to 329 yards in an AFL champi-
onship game against the Boston Patriots
in 1963. The Chargers won 51-10, their
last championship.
Perhaps title No. 2 will come this year.
With Sproles, anything seems possible.
Jerry Magee covered pro football for the
San Diego Union-Tribune from 1961-2008
and for PFW since its inception in 1967.
Sproles making believers of us all
A-BOMBS
Mixed QB signals
It didnt take long after the regular sea-
son for two QB situations in particular to
pique my interest. Lets start with the
very curious announcement by new
49ers head coach Mike Singletary, who
has previously received nothing but the
highest praise in this corner, that the QB
position was considered one of his teams
top priorities moving forward, despite the
fact that QB Shaun Hill couldnt have
looked more impressive in directing the
Niners offense after Singletary made him
the starter over the struggling J.T. OSul-
livan. Put simply, Hill is getting a raw deal
from Singletary, whose offense figures to
have enough problems adjusting to its
seventh different coordinator in seven
seasons with Mike Martz sent packing
after only one year. Granted, Hills arm
strength is average at best, and he
doesnt muster a lot of style points. But I
believe his intangibles, toughness, deci-
sion making and leadership ability are off
the charts, and in what is expected to be
a more conventional run-oriented power
offense under Singletary, it would seem
Hill has more than enough tools to get the
job done. Why he didnt get a whole-
hearted endorsement from his head
coach is beyond me. Meanwhile, Bears
GM Jerry Angelo spiced up his season-
ending press conference by declaring
that Kyle Orton hadnt done enough to
be considered the undisputed starter
next season and was not sufficiently wor-
thy of a long-term contract extension be-
fore his current deal expires at the end of
next season. Considering the obvious de-
cline in Ortons play after hurting his
ankle, as well as the subpar efforts of a
host of Bears players who have greatly
underachieved after being rewarded with
sweet new deals before their contracts
expired (Tommie Harris and Nate
Vasher, to name two), I dont blame An-
gelo at all for being cautious.
Tuna hard to tune out
Watching him solemnly survey the
scene from the press box while the Dol-
phins were being dismantled by Balti-
mores ravenous defense in the AFCs
wild-card capper, I couldnt help picturing
Miamis executive vice president of foot-
ball operations Bill Parcells sitting in an-
other teams press box in 2009. Armed
with an out in his current contract with
the Dolphins once the sale of a majority
share of the team to billionaire real-estate
developer Stephen Ross officially is fi-
nalized, Parcells wouldnt surprise any-
body if he decided to join Mike
Holmgren and Mike Shanahan, among
others, and become the latest NFLrock
star available for hire. Apublished report
out of South Florida just before presstime
indicated the Tuna would stay put, but I
still cant help wondering about his well-
documented wanderlust.
Dan Arkush un-
leashes his latest
NFL reflections.
19 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
By Michael Blunda
Associate editor
We may have just ended anoth-
er terrific fantasy football season,
but that doesnt mean its too soon
to look ahead to 2009. With the
NFL having relevance year-round,
there really is no offseason anymore
for the countless fantasy owners
worldwide. That said, here is your
first look at next seasons rankings,
broken down by position. Use
them to evaluate keeper-league
choices, to begin formulating a
draft strategy or just to keep your
mind on football in the upcoming
months.
QUARTERBACKS
1. Drew Brees / Saints
2. Tony Romo / Cowboys
3. Tom Brady / Patriots
4. Jay Cutler / Broncos
5. Peyton Manning / Colts
6. Kurt Warner / Cardinals
7. Philip Rivers / Chargers
8. Aaron Rodgers / Packers
9. Matt Schaub / Texans
10. Donovan McNabb / Eagles
11. Carson Palmer / Bengals
12. Chad Pennington / Dolphins
13. Eli Manning / Giants
14. Matt Cassel / Patriots
15. David Garrard / Jaguars
16. Matt Ryan / Falcons
17. Jake Delhomme / Panthers
18. Ben Roethlisberger / Steelers
19. Shaun Hill / 49ers
20. Brady Quinn / Browns
21. Tyler Thigpen / Chiefs
22. Jeff Garcia / Buccaneers
23. Matt Hasselbeck / Seahawks
24. Jason Campbell / Redskins
25. Brett Favre / Jets
26. Joe Flacco / Ravens
27. Kyle Orton / Bears
28. Trent Edwards / Bills
29. Marc Bulger / Rams
30. Tarvaris Jackson / Vikings
31. JaMarcus Russell / Raiders
32. Kerry Collins / Titans
33. Sage Rosenfels / Texans
34. Kellen Clemens / Jets
35. Seneca Wallace / Seahawks
36. Derek Anderson / Browns
37. Kevin Kolb / Eagles
38. Matt Leinart / Cardinals
39. Daunte Culpepper / Lions
40. Vince Young / Titans
RUNNING BACKS
1. Adrian Peterson / Vikings
2. Michael Turner / Falcons
3. DeAngelo Williams / Panthers
4. Matt Fort / Bears
5. Brian Westbrook / Eagles
6. Maurice Jones-Drew / Jaguars
7. LaDainian Tomlinson / Chargers
8. Clinton Portis / Redskins
9. Thomas Jones / Jets
10. Steven Jackson / Rams
11. Frank Gore / 49ers
12. Brandon Jacobs / Giants
13. Chris Johnson / Titans
14. Steve Slaton / Texans
15. Marion Barber / Cowboys
16. Marshawn Lynch / Bills
17. Kevin Smith / Lions
18. Ronnie Brown / Dolphins
19. Joseph Addai / Colts
20. Pierre Thomas / Saints
21. Ryan Grant / Packers
22. Reggie Bush / Saints
23. Larry Johnson / Chiefs
24. Jonathan Stewart / Panthers
25. LenDale White / Titans
26. Willie Parker / Steelers
27. Darren McFadden / Raiders
28. LeRon McClain / Ravens
29. Jamal Lewis / Browns
30. Cedric Benson / Bengals
31. Tim Hightower / Cardinals
32. Earnest Graham / Buccaneers
33. Derrick Ward / Giants
34. Sammy Morris / Patriots
35. Ricky Williams / Dolphins
36. Willis McGahee / Ravens
37. Leon Washington / Jets
38. Felix Jones / Cowboys
39. Chester Taylor / Vikings
40. Julius Jones / Seahawks
41. Darren Sproles / Chargers
42. Dominic Rhodes / Colts
43. Jerious Norwood / Falcons
44. Ryan Torain / Broncos
45. Cadillac Williams / Buccaneers
46. Ray Rice / Ravens
47. Justin Fargas / Raiders
48. Fred Jackson / Bills
49. Tashard Choice / Cowboys
50. Edgerrin James / Cardinals
51. Correll Buckhalter / Eagles
52. Kevin Faulk / Patriots
53. Rashard Mendenhall / Steelers
54. Michael Bush / Raiders
55. Jamaal Charles / Chiefs
WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Larry Fitzgerald / Cardinals
2. Randy Moss / Patriots
3. Andre Johnson / Texans
4. Steve Smith / Panthers
5. Greg Jennings / Packers
6. Brandon Marshall / Broncos
7. Roddy White / Falcons
8. Calvin Johnson / Lions
9. Anquan Boldin / Cardinals
10. Reggie Wayne / Colts
11. Terrell Owens / Cowboys
12. Wes Welker / Patriots
13. T.J. Houshmandzadeh / Bengals
14. Marques Colston / Saints
15. Antonio Bryant / Buccaneers
16. Braylon Edwards / Browns
17. Dwayne Bowe / Chiefs
18. Santana Moss / Redskins
19. Vincent Jackson / Chargers
20. Eddie Royal / Broncos
21. Hines Ward / Steelers
22. Bernard Berrian / Vikings
23. Lee Evans / Bills
24. Chad Ocho Cinco / Bengals
25. Donald Driver / Packers
26. Santonio Holmes / Steelers
27. Lance Moore / Saints
28. Derrick Mason / Ravens
29. Kevin Walter / Texans
30. Jerricho Cotchery / Jets
31. Anthony Gonzalez / Colts
32. DeSean Jackson / Eagles
33. Laveranues Coles / Jets
34. Steve Breaston / Cardinals
35. Deion Branch / Seahawks
36. Donnie Avery / Rams
37. Isaac Bruce / 49ers
38. Matt Jones / Jaguars
39. Muhsin Muhammad / Panthers
40. Roy Williams / Cowboys
41. Ted Ginn Jr. / Dolphins
42. Chris Chambers / Chargers
43. Torry Holt / Rams
44. Domenik Hixon / Giants
45. Nate Burleson / Seahawks
46. Michael Jenkins / Falcons
47. Kevin Curtis / Eagles
48. Devin Hester / Bears
49. Devery Henderson / Saints
50. Marvin Harrison / Colts
51. Greg Camarillo / Dolphins
52. Mark Clayton / Ravens
53. Justin Gage / Titans
54. Bryant Johnson / 49ers
55. Mark Bradley / Chiefs
56. Sidney Rice / Vikings
57. Jabar Gaffney / Patriots
58. Amani Toomer / Giants
59. Antwaan Randle El / Redskins
60. Plaxico Burress / Giants
61. Jerry Porter / Jaguars
62. Dont Stallworth / Browns
63. Nate Washington / Steelers
64. Josh Morgan / 49ers
65. Patrick Crayton / Cowboys
66. Javon Walker / Raiders
67. Bobby Wade / Vikings
68. Jordy Nelson / Packers
69. Malcom Floyd / Chargers
70. Brandon Stokley / Broncos
71. James Hardy / Bills
72. Shaun McDonald / Lions
73. Devin Thomas / Redskins
74. Hank Baskett / Eagles
75. Davone Bess / Dolphins
TIGHT ENDS
1. Tony Gonzalez / Chiefs
2. Jason Witten / Cowboys
3. Antonio Gates / Chargers
4. Dallas Clark / Colts
5. Chris Cooley / Redskins
6. Owen Daniels / Texans
7. Kellen Winslow / Browns
8. John Carlson / Seahawks
9. Zach Miller / Raiders
10. Greg Olsen / Bears
11. Tony Scheffler / Broncos
12. Dustin Keller / Jets
13. Heath Miller / Steelers
14. Anthony Fasano / Dolphins
15. Visanthe Shiancoe / Vikings
16. Kevin Boss / Giants
17. Jeremy Shockey / Saints
18. Vernon Davis / 49ers
19. Donald Lee / Packers
20. Todd Heap / Ravens
21. Bo Scaife / Titans
22. Ben Watson / Patriots
23. Marcedes Lewis / Jaguars
24. Billy Miller / Saints
25. L.J. Smith / Eagles
26. Randy McMichael / Rams
27. David Martin / Dolphins
28. Martellus Bennett / Cowboys
29. Daniel Graham / Broncos
30. Jerramy Stevens / Buccaneers
PLACEKICKERS
1. Stephen Gostkowski / Patriots
2. Rob Bironas / Titans
3. Kris Brown / Texans
4. David Akers / Eagles
5. Josh Brown / Rams
6. Ryan Longwell / Vikings
7. Mason Crosby / Packers
8. John Kasay / Panthers
9. Jason Elam / Falcons
10. Nick Folk / Cowboys
First look: 2009 fantasy draft board
Adrian Peterson
Larry Fitzgerald Drew Brees
Stephen Gostkowski Tony Gonzalez
A
P
P
H
O
T
O
S
FANTASY FOOTBALL
20 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
FANTASY FOOTBALL
FANTASY DOCTOR Michael Blunda
F
or all the hardcore fantasy footballers out
there, here is a little something to tide
you over as we prepare to enter the
dreaded offseason: an early look at the
2009 fantasy rankings.
Now, the key word here is early. Its only
January, so obviously much is going to
change before the 09 campaign kicks off.
Since we cant anticipate every move thats
going to happen over the next few months,
we used the stats from this season as the
main factor in compiling these rankings.
Thats not to say that past performance and
future expectations werent considered, but
the concrete numbers from 2008 are the
fairest barometer for predicting what will
happen next season.
In some cases, however, 08 stats dont
mean much. Take Tom Brady, for instance.
After he went down with a serious knee in-
jury in Week One, this past season was a lost
one for the Patriots QB. That means the
most recent set of numbers we have for him
are from 2007, when he tossed a record 50
TD passes. But can we really expect him to
be that prolific again with so many questions
about his ongoing recovery? All these un-
knowns make Brady one of the toughest
players to rank.
Then there is the situation of someone like
Bradys backup, Matt Cassel. Coming off a
surprisingly huge campaign, the free-agent-
to-be Cassel might wind up finding a new
home this offseason. Since the talent qual-
ity of a potentially new club will vastly af-
fect his fantasy value, its difficult to deter-
mine his place among the QBs right now.
Clearly, though, were ranking him as if hell
be a starter somewhere next season.
And what about the other guys that are set
to hit free agency? Kurt Warner, Brandon
Jacobs and T.J. Houshmandzadeh are three
major fantasy players about to become un-
restricted free agents. Warner is ranked as
if hell still be playing with his awesome re-
ceiving duo in Arizona; his value definite-
ly would fall if he moved elsewhere. Jacobs
currently runs behind one of the leagues best
O-lines in New York; a new club might not
give him as much room to roam. And with
Houshmandzadeh, his spot in the rankings
is liable to go either up or down if he opts
to leave Cincinnati.
While its not easy to rank players who
might change teams this offseason, its just
as hard to figure out some who are proba-
bly staying put. Shaun Hill finished the year
posting very solid stats in San Francisco, but
coach Mike Singletary will not yet commit
to starting him next season. Tyler Thigpen
is in a similar situation in Kansas City, where
the quarterbacks value would greatly dimin-
ish if the Chiefs choose to scrap the spread
offense. And we all know that Calvin John-
son is a phenomenal receiver, but wholl be
throwing him the ball next season? It very
well may be a rookie QB.
Speaking of rookies, theyre not included
in these rankings for obvious reasons, but
theyll undoubtedly make an impact on the
NFL next season. Just look at how many of
them were huge fantasy contributors in
2008. While the number might not be as
high in 09, you can bet that quite a few
draftees will enter the fantasy rankings
come this summer, meaning many of the
players presently on our board will drop out.
Last but not least are the relative un-
knowns that were certain will play major
roles next season but dont know much
about. For example, where do you slot
somebody like Brady Quinn? We saw a small
sampling of the Cleveland signalcaller this
year, but it was somewhat of a mixed bag.
While Quinn looked very good at times, there
also were moments when his inexperience
really showed. Since he appears likely to be
the Browns starter going forward, hes go-
ing to have some fantasy value, but we can
only guess how much it ll be.
So there you have it, our early 2009 fan-
tasy rankings and a little bit of the thinking
that went into crafting them. Remember, lots
of players will shift up and down in the
months to follow, but this should at least give
you a rough idea of how your fantasy draft
will play out next season. Just keep in
mind that if Plaxico Burress gets thrown in
jail, he probably wont quite make the cut
on our draft board.
Making sense of our early 09 fantasy rankings
To have your questions answered by the Fantasy Doctor,
send your inquiries to Fantasydoctor@[Link].
21 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
Here is some of the content youll find on [Link]:
Insights into the upcoming free-agency period and the 2009 NFL draft.
The PFW spin on several of the days most noteworthy events, plus late-breaking news.
NFLinks feature, directing you to NFL-related articles in other media around the country.
Around the NFL blog featuring Eric Edholms candid commentary.
Staff selections, handicapping blog and the plays of the week.
Team pages, with insider information, features and transactions.
PFW Online, our print edition delivered electronically.
Amazing statistics, current and historical, plus rosters.
[Link] analysis for every aspect of the NFL,
whether its breaking news or rumors, fantasy football, player ratings,
handicapping or the NFL draft.
IF YOU WANT
ANALYSIS
IF YOU WANT
ANALYSIS
HANDICAPPERS CORNER
PFW
consensus
DIVISIONAL ROUND Early pointspreads as of Sunday, Jan. 4
Hub
Arkush
Publisher/
editor
Keith
Schleiden
Editor-
in-chief
Mike
Holbrook
Managing
editor
Dan
Arkush
Executive
editor
Eric
Edholm
Senior
editor
Mike
Wilkening
Senior
editor
Matt
Sohn
Associate
editor
Dan
Parr
Associate
editor
Michael
Blunda
Associate
editor
PFW STAFF
SELECTIONS
EARLY LAS VEGAS LINE Home team in caps. Asterisk (*) denotes team will cover pointspread but lose game. Boldface selection indicates best bet. Some over-unders not available at presstime.
TENNESSEE -3 vs. Baltimore(35) Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore
CAROLINA-10 vs. Arizona (48) Arizona* Arizona* Carolina Arizona* Carolina Carolina Arizona* Arizona* Arizona* Arizona*
N.Y. GIANTS -4 vs. Philadelphia(40
1
2) Philadelphia N.Y. Giants Philadelphia* N.Y. Giants Philadelphia Philadelphia* Philadelphia N.Y. Giants Philadelphia* Philadelphia*
PITTSBURGH -6 vs. San Diego (39
1
2) San Diego* Pittsburgh San Diego* San Diego* San Diego* San Diego* San Diego* Pittsburgh San Diego* San Diego*
Last week vs. spread 2-2 1-3 3-1 4-0 2-2 3-1 3-1 2-2 3-1 2-2
Season to date vs. spread 128-126-6 119-135-6 128-126-6 125-129-6 118-136-6 129-125-6 131-123-6 132-122-6 118-136-6 127-127-6
Season to date best bets 26-24-1 23-28 23-26-2 25-24-1 25-26 27-22-2 27-22-2 26-25 26-23-2 35-31-2
Last week straight-up 2-2 1-3 3-1 4-0 2-2 3-1 3-1 2-2 3-1 2-2
Season to date straight-up 170-89-1 159-100-1 166-93-1 165-94-1 159-100-1 168-91-1 167-92-1 164-95-1 161-98-1 169-90-1
DIVISIONAL ROUND OPPONENTS VS. SPREAD H home, A away, N neutral, followed by teams score; number in parentheses is number of points by
which that team was favored to win; E game was rated as even; W beat the pointspread; * team beat the pointspread in both regular-season meetings that year; T
neither beat the pointspread; P playoff game; OT overtime.
10-YEAR SERIES RECORDS
BALTIMORE at Tennessee 7-6 (4-3) (5-2)
Arizona at CAROLINA 4-2 (1-2) (1-2)
Philadelphia at N.Y. GIANTS 13-9 (7-4) (6-5)
San Diego at PITTSBURGH 3-1 (1-0) (1-0)
Series leader is listed in CAPS with its record below. Series
leaders record at this weeks game site is listed in paren-
theses, followed by series leaders record vs. pointspread at
this weeks site. This years games not included.
MATCHUP 2008 2007
Tennessee A-13(-1)W Did not play
at Baltimore H-10
Arizona A-23W H-10(-5
1
2)
at Carolina H-27(-5) A-25W
MATCHUP 2008 2007
Philadelphia A-20W H-31(-3) H-13(-3) A-3(-3)
at N.Y. Giants H-14(-7) A-36W A-16W* H-16W
San Diego A-10W Did not play
at Pittsburgh H-11(-4
1
2)
22 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
LAS VEGAS CALLING Stephen Nover
A look back at Vegas
preseason projections
W
ho did the best coaching job this sea-
son in the NFL? Judging by Las Ve-
gas betting standards, Baltimores
John Harbaugh deserves the honor. The
Ravens tied for the best pointspread record
at 12-4 with the Giants and Titans. New Or-
leans was next at 11-4-1.
Before the season, oddsmakers set Balti-
mores over/under regular-season win total
at six victories. The Ravens won nearly twice
that total. The Titans had a win total of eight.
They exceeded that mark by five games. The
Giants victory total was 8
1
2, something they
bettered by 3
1
2 wins.
Not surprisingly, Atlanta and Miami
showed the biggest improvement in back of
Baltimore. The Falcons regular-season win
total was just 4
1
2. Atlanta passed that figure
by 6
1
2 games, going 11-5. The Dolphins
over/under win total was set at 5
1
2. They dou-
bled that by achieving 11 victories.
The Dolphins are one team many Neva-
da bookmakers didnt want to see get far into
the postseason. Thats because some hotels
opened Miami as high as 250-1 to win the
Super Bowl.
The biggest disappointment was Jack-
sonville. Linesmakers projected the Jaguars
to win 10 games. They fell five games short,
finishing 5-11. Yet Jack Del Rio managed to
keep his coaching job despite his under-
achieving team having maybe the worst
chemistry in the league. The Jaguars also had
the worst pointspread mark at 4-12.
Other head coaches werent as lucky as
Del Rio. Clevelands Romeo Crennel, De-
troits Rod Marinelli, the New York Jets
Eric Mangini and Denvers Mike Shanahan
all were fired shortly after the regular
season ended. Were all of these firings jus-
tified?
In the case of Crennel and Marinelli, the
answer clearly is yes. The winless Lions
over/under was 6
1
2 victories. Luckys, a
chain of sportsbooks in Nevada, had to pay
out after hanging a yes/no proposition wa-
ger that Detroit wouldnt win a game.
Nearly all the early money came on the Li-
ons to finish winless. Those wagering on the
Lions to go winless initially got plus $2.60
(win $260 for $100).
Jimmy Vaccaro, director of operations for
Luckys, said his joints broke even on the
prop. The last couple of weeks we got peo-
ple who bet they wouldnt go winless, he
said. That evened things up.
As for the Browns, it could be a long time
before they appear on national television five
times like they did this past season.
Oddsmakers never swallowed the presea-
son hype on the Browns. They set Cleve-
lands over/under at eight. The Browns fin-
ished 4-12.
Manginis Jets concluded what everyone
thought was a disappointing 9-7 season.
Oddsmakers, however, were more realistic
about Brett Favre. They set New Yorks win
total at 7
1
2. So Mangini actually exceeded ex-
pectations by 1
1
2 games. He might have set
the bar too high after leading the Jets to
back-to-back road victories against Ten-
nessee and New England. A loss to Seattle
in which his conservative decisions came
back to haunt him may have done him in.
Luckys made money on a yes/no prop on
if the Jets would make the playoffs. We
needed the Jets not to make the playoffs,
Vaccaro said. That was a big winner for us.
The Seahawks finished 4
1
2 games below
the expectations oddsmakers set for them.
Seattle went 4-12. Linesmakers had the Sea-
hawks over/under at 8
1
2.
Shanahans Broncos went 8-8 despite
suffering excessive injuries on defense and
at running back. Oddsmakers actually had
Denvers win total at 7
1
2. Based on that, one
could argue that Shanahans squad didnt un-
derachieve. Certainly, professional bettors
respected Shanahan more than Crennel,
Marinelli and Mangini. The Broncos did
have the second-worst spread record,
though, covering just five of their 16 games.
St. Louis and Minnesota had the next-
worst pointspread records, each posting 6-
10 marks against the number.
Some would consider the Cowboys to be
the most disappointing team in the NFL, not
even making the playoffs despite a galaxy of
stars. Dallas finished 9-7, and its pointspread
mark was 7-9. Oddsmakers set the Cowboys
over/under at 10
1
2.
The Cowboys implosion didnt fool some
sharp bettors at Luckys sportsbooks. These
gamblers bet that Dallas would not make the
postseason. The Cowboys appeared to be the
best team in football in September after
opening with consecutive victories against
Cleveland, Philadelphia and Green Bay.
The Cowboys not making the playoffs was
our biggest prop loser, Vaccaro said. We had
some people who were smarter than us.
Arizona was the No. 1 over-the-total
team. The Cardinals went over in 11 of their
16 regular-season contests. Houston and
New Orleans were the next top over teams,
each going 10-5-1 above the total.
Washington was the No. 1 under team,
with a 3-12-1 record below the total. Cleve-
land was next, going 5-10-1 to the under.
Writer, analyst and handicapper Stephen
Nover has been covering the Las Vegas
sports betting scene since 1984. He is the au-
thor of three books, Las Vegas Sportsbeat,
Sports Gamingbeat and Winning Fantasy
Football.
23 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
TRANSACTIONS
(As reported, Dec. 29-Jan. 3)
AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
BALTIMORE Dec. 30: Reserve/injured: WR Marcus
Maxwell (hip). Roster addition: LB Robert McCune (released
by Ravens 8/30, 11/18).
BUFFALO Dec. 30: Roster additions for 2009: OT
Chris Denman; WR C.J. Hawthorne.
CINCINNATI Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009: OT
James Blair; CB Marcus Brown; C Digger Bujnoch; DE Victor
DeGrate; WR Maurice Purify; FB J.D. Runnels; WR Mario Urru-
tia.
CLEVELAND Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009: P
Mike Dragosavich; LB David Holloway. Dec. 30: Roster ad-
ditions for 2009: DE Melila Purcell; PK Jason Reda; TE
Aaron Walker. Dec. 31: Roster addition for 2009: WR De-
vale Ellis.
DENVER Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009: DT
Matthias Askew; OG Mitch Erickson; WR Jayson Foster; DE
Ryan McBean; CB Rashod Moulton; WR Matt Willis. Dec. 31:
Roster addition for 2009: OT Clint Oldenburg.
HOUSTON Dec. 31: Roster additions for 2009: TE
Courtney Anderson; QB Alex Brink; CB A.J. Davis; WR Glenn
Martinez; WR Mark Simmons; OT Adam Stenavich; OT Cliff
Washburn. Jan. 2: Activated: LS Bryan Pittman (from re-
serve/suspended by commissioner).
INDIANAPOLIS Dec. 29: Practice-squad addition: LB
Rufus Alexander (released by Vikings 8/30, 10/21, from
Vikings practice squad 12/2, by Colts 12/26). Jan. 2: Roster
addition: OT Michael Toudouze (from Colts practice squad).
Placed on waivers: RB Najeh Davenport.
JACKSONVILLE Dec. 30: Roster additions for 2009:
CB Isaiah Gardner; LB Lamar Myles; DJuan Woods. Dec. 31:
Roster addition for 2009: TE Charles Davis. Jan. 2: Acti-
vated: WR Matt Jones (from reserve/suspended by commis-
sioner).
KANSAS CITY Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009:
OG Brian De La Puente; OG Edwin Harrison; DTT.J. Jackson;
RB Dantrell Savage.
NEWENGLAND Dec. 30: Roster addition for 2009:
DE Titus Adams; DE Craig Angelo; P Tom Malone; LB Darrell
Robertson; C Ryan Wendell.
N.Y. JETS Dec. 30: Roster additions for 2009: DE Ka-
reem Brown; RB Jehuu Caulcrick; LB Kenwin Cummings; OG
Stanley Daniels; WR Marcus Henry; DT Ropati Pitoitua; LB
Brandon Renkart; DTBrian Schaefering. Dec. 31: Roster ad-
dition for 2009: RB Marcus Mason; WR Huey Whittaker.
OAKLAND Dec. 30: Roster additions for 2009: DE
Derrick Gray; P Ricky Schmitt.
TENNESSEE Dec. 29: Activated: DT Kevin Vickerson
(from reserve/suspended by commissioner). Dec. 31: Re-
serve/injured: LB Josh Stamer (groin). Roster addition: FB
Casey Cramer (released by Titans 8/30, Dolphins 12/20).
NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
ARIZONA Dec. 30: Roster additions for 2009: QB
Tyler Palko; P Waylon Prather. Jan. 2: Roster addition for
2009: FB Justin Green.
CHICAGO Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009: OT
Cody Balogh; WR John Broussard; WR Rudy Burgess; DE Joe
Clermond; TE Fontel Mines; OG Tyler Reed; LB Marcus Riley.
DALLAS Dec. 30: Roster additions for 2009: DE Mar-
cus Dixon; OT Ryan Gibbons. Dec. 31: Roster addition for
2009: WR Travis Wilson.
DETROIT Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009: S
Dowayne Davis; RB Allen Ervin; WR Eric Fowler; Rudolph
Hardie; TE Jake Nordin.
GREEN BAY Dec. 30: Roster additions for 2009: RB
Josh Abrams; WR Jake Allen; DT Fred Bledsoe; P Durant
Brooks; C Brennen Carvalho; WR Sam Lorne; WR Brett Swain.
MINNESOTA Dec. 29: Roster addition for 2009: LB
Kenny Onatolu. Dec. 30: Roster addition for 2009: PKTay-
lor Mehlhaff.
NEWORLEANS Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009:
FB Darian Barnes; TE Kolo Kapanui. Dec. 30: Roster addi-
tion for 2009: DE Josh Savage.
N.Y. GIANTS Dec. 29: Suspension lifted by club: WR
Plaxico Burress (reverts to reserve/non-football injury). Dec.
30: Reserve/injured: CB Sam Madison (ankle). Roster ad-
ditions: CB Rashad Barksdale (from Giants practice squad);
LB Rich Scanlon (not tendered as UFAby Titans 6/2). Placed
on waivers: LB Edmond Miles. Dec. 31: Practice-squad ad-
dition: WR Paul Raymond (released by Jets 8/30, from Jets
practice squad 9/16, 9/27, from Lions practice squad 12/23).
ST. LOUIS Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009: WR
Travis Brown; WR Joel Filani; WR Nate Jones; NT Willie
Williams.
SAN FRANCISCO Dec. 30: Roster additions for
2009: WRMark Bradford; TEJoeJon Finley; LBJustin Roland;
OTJoe Toledo.
SEATTLE Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009: DT
Kevin Brown; WR Michael Bumpus; CB Marquis Floyd; TE Joe
Newton. Dec. 31: Roster additions for 2009: LS Ryan
Senser; TE John Tereshinski.
TAMPA BAY Dec. 30: Roster additions for 2009: OT
Anthony Alabi; CB Kyle Arrington; CB Greg Fassitt; S Jamall
Johnson; DTDre Moore; TE Jake Pociask. Dec. 31: Roster ad-
dition for 2009: OT Julius Wilson. Jan. 2: Roster addition
for 2009: PK Shane Andrus.
WASHINGTON Dec. 29: Roster additions for 2009:
CB Michael Grant; WR Marques Hagans; OT Rueben Riley.
Dec. 31: Roster addition for 2009: FB Jeremy Cain.
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF PREVIEW
FS Ed Reed sets the standard
at his position.
RB Chris Johnson has had a
spectacular rookie season.
RAVENS
AT
TITANS
When the Ravens
have the ball
Watching both teams battle at the
line of scrimmage makes this game
worth the price of admission.
Baltimores offensive line is best in the
running game. It is a strong, powerful
group adept at wearing down opposing
defenses over four quarters. The Ravens
routinely use an unbalanced line, with
two or more tackles lining up next to each
other, which can be a potent formation
when they want to employ their power
running game, which is the key to the of-
fense. FB LeRon McClain, the teams fea-
tured runner, is a strong straight-ahead
runner who has held his own vs. top com-
petition this season. Willis McGahee, who
broke a 48-yard run that helped ice the
wild-card win at Miami, is a starter-cal-
iber reserve tailback.
The Titans defensive line is deep and
laden with star power. Tennessee is ex-
pected to have quick, powerful DRT Al-
bert Haynesworth and high-energy DRE
Kyle Vanden Bosch back in the lineup af-
ter both missed time in December with
injuries. The Titans also have gotten
important contributions from DTs Tony
Brown and Jason Jones, as well as DEs
Jevon Kearse, Dave Ball and Jacob Ford.
The Titans are stout vs. the run, but
they are strongest vs. the pass, thanks to
the pressure generated by the D-line and
the coverage provided by CBs Cortland
Finnegan and Nick Harper and the out-
standing safety duo of Michael Griffin and
Chris Hope. Ravens QB Joe Flacco, who
was error-free in his first postseason start
but who threw two picks in the first
matchup vs. the Titans, has a big arm and
plenty of poise. However, his accuracy can
be an issue. Ex-Titans WR Derrick Ma-
son is as dependable as they come.
When the Titans
have the ball
The Ravens shut down the Titans
running game when the teams met back
in October, holding RB Chris Johnson to
only 44 yards on 18 carries, and it looked
like that was going to be the key to a nar-
row Ravens win before Kerry Collins
came to the rescue late. Collins (17-of-32,
163 yards, two INTs) struggled for much
of the game but was at his best on the
game-winning drive, completing a pair
of third-down throws before throwing the
TD pass to TE Alge Crumpler.
Getting more out of the running game
figures to be a top priority for the Titans,
but that will be a tall order. The Ravens,
boasting one of the games most ferocious
front sevens, shut down the Dolphins
ground game last week, holding Dolphins
RB Ronnie Brown to 19 yards on 12 car-
ries. However, with two weeks to prepare,
it will not be a surprise if Titans offensive
coordinator Mike Heimerdinger has
dug deep in the playbook for new looks
to show the Ravens in the running game.
Getting Johnson the ball in space, where
his rare speed makes him so tough to stop,
is a must. The Titans also may feature
bruising RB LenDale White more than
they did in the first matchup, if only to
try to soften up the Ravens defense.
The Ravens are tough vs. the pass, but
they can have trouble vs. teams that ef-
fectively throw vertically. Also, as the Ti-
tans proved and as the Steelers showed
in their big win at Baltimore in Week 15
the Ravens secondary can have prob-
lems vs. clubs that can pick up the pass
rush and hit the open receiver. Although
the Ravens dont have a lockdown corner-
back, they have the games top center
fielder in FS Ed Reed, who has 10 picks
in his last seven games.
RAVENS SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to Baltimore
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Cincinnati (+2) 17-10
Sept. 14 BYE
Sept. 21 Cleveland (-2.5) 28-10
Sept. 29 At Pittsburgh (+6) 20-23*
Oct. 5 Tennessee (+1) 10-13
Oct. 12 At Indianapolis (+4) 3-31
Oct. 19 At Miami (+3) 27-13
Oct. 26 Oakland (-8) 29-10
Nov. 2 At Cleveland (+3) 37-27
Nov. 9 At Houston (+2) 41-13
Nov. 16 At N.Y. Giants (+7) 10-30
Nov. 23 Philadelphia (-1.5) 36-7
Nov. 30 At Cincinnati (-7) 34-3
Dec. 7 Washington (-6) 24-10
Dec. 14 Pittsburgh (-3) 9-13
Dec. 20 At Dallas (+5.5) 33-24
Dec. 28 Jacksonville (-11) 27-7
Jan. 4 At Miami (-3.5) 27-9
Jan. 10 At Tennessee
* Overtime
TITANS SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to Tennessee
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Jacksonville (+3) 17-10
Sept. 14 At Cincinnati (0) 24-7
Sept. 21 Houston (-5) 31-12
Sept. 28 Minnesota (-3.5) 30-17
Oct. 5 At Baltimore (-1) 13-10
Oct. 12 BYE
Oct. 19 At Kansas City (-8.5) 34-10
Oct. 27 Indianapolis (-4) 31-21
Nov. 2 Green Bay (-3.5) 19-16*
Nov. 9 At Chicago (-3) 21-14
Nov. 16 At Jacksonville (-2.5) 24-14
Nov. 23 New York Jets (-5.5) 13-34
Nov. 27 At Detroit (-11) 47-10
Dec. 7 Cleveland (-13.5) 28-9
Dec. 14 At Houston (-3) 12-13
Dec. 21 Pittsburgh (+3) 31-14
Dec. 28 At Indianapolis (-3) 0-23
Jan. 10 Tennessee
* Overtime
A
P
A
P
THE MATCHUPS
Saturday, Jan. 10, 4:30 p.m. ET
LOCATIONLP Field TURF Grass MEETING OF THE YEAR Second

QB
RB
WR
OL
DL
LB
DB
ST
Coach
OVERVIEW
These teams met back in Week Five,
with Tennessee rallying for a 13-10 victory
in Baltimore. The Titans put together an 11-
play, 80-yard fourth-quarter drive aided by
a questionable unnecessary-roughness
penalty on Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs and
culminating in the game-winning 11-yard TD
pass from QB Kerry Collins to TE Alge
Crumpler. The win was one of 10 straight to
start the season for the AFCs top seed.
The sixth-seeded Ravens are fresh off dust-
ing the AFC East-champion Dolphins in Mi-
ami. Baltimore intercepted Dolphins QB
Chad Pennington four times, with Pro
Bowl FS Ed Reed returning one of his two
picks for a 64-yard touchdown.
This is the third time these teams have met
in the playoffs since the franchises moved
in the 1990s. The most memorable matchup
was Baltimores upset of Tennessee in the
2000 divisional playoffs, highlighted by
Ray Lewis interception return for a TD.
12-5-0 Season record 13-3-0
13-4-0 Season record vs. spread 12-4-0
6-3-0 Home/road record 7-1-0
7-2-0 Home/road record vs. spread 6-2-0
4-1-0 Record on grass 10-2-0
5-0-0 Record on grass vs. spread 9-3-0
BALTIMORE RAVENS Advantage TENNESSEE TITANS
TITANS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 19 McCareins / 87 Hawkins* / 17 C. Davis
OLT 71 Roos / 70 Loper / 66 Otto
OLG 54 Amano / 64 Harris / 70 Loper
C 68 Mawae / 64 Harris / 54 Amano
ORG 73 Scott / 64 Harris / 70 Loper
ORT 76 Stewart / 70 Loper / 66 Otto
TE 83 Crumpler / 80 Scaife / 88 Stevens*
WR 12 Gage / 81 B. Jones / 11 P. Williams
QB 5 Collins / 10 Young / 8 Simms
RB 28 C. Johnson* / 25 White / 42 Henry / 35 Ganther
FB 45 Hall / 48 Cramer
DEFENSE
DLE 90 Kearse / 78 Ford / 95 Hayes*
DLT 97 Brown / 91 J. Jones*
DRT 92 Haynesworth / 91 J. Jones*
DRE 93 Vanden Bosch / 98 Ball / 91 J. Jones*
SLB 53 Bulluck / 56 Allred / 59 Keglar*
MLB 55 Tulloch / 52 Fowler
WLB 50 Thornton / 58 Amato
LCB 20 Harper / 29 Carr / 41 C. Williams*
RCB 31 Finnegan / 38 Poole / 41 C. Williams*
SS 24 Hope / 23 Nickey / 29 Carr
FS 33 Griffin / 22 Fuller / 26 T. Harris
SPECIALISTS
P 15 Hentrich
PK 2 Bironas
H 15 Hentrich
PR 29 Carr / 17 Davis / 81 Jones
KR 29 Carr / 28 C. Johnson* / 87 Hawkins*
LS 58 Amato / 68 Mawae
* Rookie
RAVENS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 89 Clayton / 15 Copper / 17 Maxwell
OLT 71 Gaither / 78 Terry / 64 Cousins*
OLG 66 Grubbs / 65 Chester / 76 Hale*
C 60 Brown / 65 Chester
ORG 65 Chester / 78 Terry / 64 Cousins*
ORT 79 Anderson / 78 Terry / 69 Slaughter
TE 86 Heap / 83 Wilcox / 84 Jones
WR 85 Mason / 16 Figurs / 81 Ma. Smith*
QB 5 Flacco* / 10 T. Smith / 2 Bouman
RB 23 McGahee / 33 L. McClain / 27 Rice* / 38 Parmele*
FB 33 L. McClain / 42 Neal
DEFENSE
DRT 90 Pryce / 91 Douglas
NT 92 Ngata / 68 McKinney
DLT 94 Bannan / 91 Douglas
LOLB 95 Johnson / 53 J. McClain*
LILB 52 Lewis / 59 Greisen
RILB 57 Scott / 51 Ayanbadejo
ROLB 55 Suggs / 50 Barnes
LCB 31 Washington / 41 Walker
RCB 22 Rolle / 35 Ivy / 25 Oglesby
SS 36 Leonhard / 28 Zbikowski*
FS 20 Reed / 43 Nakamura / 39 Stone
SPECIALISTS
P 4 Koch
PK 3 Stover / 6 Hauschka*
H 4 Koch / 2 Bouman
PR 36 Leonhard /16 Figurs / 20 Reed
KR 28 Zbikowski* / 16 Figurs / 27 Rice* / 36 Leonhard
LS 70 Katula
* Rookie
24 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF PREVIEW
Including the playoffs, Larry
Fitzgerald has 13 TDs in 08.
DeAngelo Williams scored 15
TDs the past eight games.
CARDINALS
AT
PANTHERS
When the Cardinals
have the ball
If last weeks game is any indication, the
Panthers 20th-ranked run defense,
which surrendered a whopping 301
yards to the Giants two games ago, will
have to keep Cardinals rejuvenated RB
Edgerrin James from gathering the same
head of steam that set the table for Ari-
zonas offense against the Falcons.
James, operating behind a pile-driving
offensive line that had arguably its best
game of the season, opened up the door
for Arizonas high-octane passing game
as the middleman in a 42-yard flea-flick-
er TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald, who
had an outstanding game. Fitzgerald
also made his presence felt in Week
Eight with seven catches for 115 yards.
A key factor for Arizona will be the con-
dition of Anquan Boldin, who limped off
the field last week with a strained ham-
string after his 71-yard score. Boldin was
also a major dual-threat weapon in
Week Eight, catching nine passes for 63
yards and a pair of scores, in addition to
gaining 30 yards on a reverse.
Arizonas offensive line will be in good
shape if it can stop Panthers Pro Bowl DE
Julius Peppers the same way it did At-
lantas normally dangerous DE John
Abraham, who shifted around frequent-
ly but managed only two tackles and zero
sacks matched up against Cardinals OTs
Mike Gandy and Levi Brown.
Carolinas LB corps, featuring the ac-
tive Jon Beason in the middle, must keep
close tabs on fleet-footed RB J.J. Arring-
ton in spread formations and TE Steven
Spach, who had three catches in the sec-
ond half against Atlanta, including a 23-
yard reception in the middle of the field
on a 3rd-and-16 play on the Cardinals fi-
nal possession that sealed the verdict.
When the Panthers
have the ball
Jake Delhomme is a different quarter-
back come playoff time, owning a 5-2
postseason record and a playoff passer rat-
ing of 95.0 that was better than any of the
other 11 quarterbacks entering this years
second season.
Arizonas defense led by WLB Kar-
los Dansby (eight tackles, including three
for loss vs. Atlanta), SS Adrian Wilson and
DT-DE Darnell Dockett could cause
problems for a Carolina offensive line that
was banged up down the stretch.
A key matchup in the trenches pits the
right side of Carolinas line OT Jeff
Otah and OG Geoff Hangartner, who suf-
fered toe and ankle injuries, respective-
ly, in the regular-season finale vs. Car-
dinals DLE Antonio Smith, who had a
safety vs. Atlanta, and Wilson, who was
a consistent menace playing up in the box
last week.
Dockett, whose penetration into the
backfield created the fumble-return TD
by Antrel Rolle that was the turning point
of last weeks game, also could cause prob-
lems up front for the Panthers.
Cardinals DRE Bertrand Berry, whose
effort playing the backside was instru-
mental in stopping Turner, will need to
keep it up against DeAngelo Williams,
who finished third in the league in rush-
ing with a team-record 1,515 yards (in-
cluding 108 yards and a TD in Week
Eight), and Jonathan Stewart.
Steve Smith, who has a knack for ex-
celling in the playoffs, figures to be a ma-
jor challenge for Cardinals CBs Do-
minique Rodgers-Cromartie, who did a
respectable job against Atlantas Roddy
White last week, Rod Hood and nickel CB
Ralph Brown (two interceptions the last
two games).
CARDINALS SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to Arizona
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At San Francisco (-2.5) 23-13
Sept. 14 Miami (-6.5) 31-10
Sept. 21 At Washington (+3) 17-24
Sept. 28 At New York Jets (+1) 35-56
Oct. 5 Buffalo (-2.5) 41-17
Oct. 12 Dallas (+5) 30-24*
Oct. 19 BYE
Oct. 26 At Carolina (+5) 23-27
Nov. 2 At St. Louis (-3) 34-13
Nov. 10 San Francisco (-10) 29-24
Nov. 16 At Seattle (-3) 26-20
Nov. 23 New York Giants (+3) 29-37
Nov. 27 At Philadelphia (+3) 20-48
Dec. 7 St. Louis (-15) 34-10
Dec. 14 Minnesota (-4) 14-35
Dec. 21 At New England (+8) 7-47
Dec. 28 Seattle (-7) 34-21
Jan. 3 Atlanta (-1.5) 30-24
Jan. 10 At Carolina
* Overtime
PANTHERS SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to Carolina
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At San Diego (+9) 26-24
Sept. 14 Chicago (-3) 20-17
Sept. 21 At Minnesota (+3) 10-20
Sept. 28 Atlanta (-7) 24-9
Oct. 5 Kansas City (-9.5) 34-0
Oct. 12 At Tampa Bay (+2) 3-27
Oct. 19 New Orleans (-3) 30-7
Oct. 26 Arizona (-5) 27-23
Nov. 2 BYE
Nov. 9 At Oakland (-10) 17-6
Nov. 16 Detroit (-14) 31-22
Nov. 23 At Atlanta (0) 28-45
Nov. 30 At Green Bay (+3) 35-31
Dec. 8 Tampa Bay (-3.5) 38-23
Dec. 14 Denver (-7.5) 30-10
Dec. 21 At N.Y. Giants (+4) 28-34*
Dec. 28 At New Orleans (-2.5) 33-31
Jan. 10 Arizona
* Overtime
A
P
A
P
THE MATCHUPS
Saturday, Jan. 10, 8:15 p.m. ET
LOCATIONBank of America Stadium TURF Grass MEETING OF THE YEAR Second

QB
RB
WR
OL
DL
LB
DB
ST
Coach
OVERVIEW
A second straight shootout against an NFC
South opponent could be in the offing for the
Cardinals, who held off the Falcons 30-24
at home in the first round, thanks to a bal-
anced offense highlighted by quick-strike TD
passes to WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan
Boldin and a surprisingly strong defense that
limited Falcons RB Michael Turner to 42
rushing yards on 18 carries.
Like Atlanta, Carolina has a potent
ground game, spearheaded by the dynam-
ic duo of DeAngelo Williams and rookie
Jonathan Stewart, and an often vulnerable
defense that has given up 65 points in its past
two games.
In Week Eight in Carolina, the Panthers
rallied from a 17-3 deficit to sneak past the
Cardinals 27-23, as Jake Delhomme outdu-
eled Kurt Warner, delivering the go-ahead
65-yard score to WR Steve Smith, who
had five catches for 117 yards and a pair of
touchdowns.
10-7-0 Season record 12-4-0
10-7-0 Season record vs. spread 8-7-1
3-5-0 Home/road record 8-0-0
4-4-0 Home/road record vs. spread 5-2-1
8-5-0 Record on natural turf 11-1-0
8-5-0 Record on natural turf vs. spread 8-3-1
ARIZONA CARDINALS Advantage CAROLINA PANTHERS
PANTHERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 89 Smith / 80 Jarrett
OLT 69 Gross / 76 Omiyale
OLG 70 Wharton / 73 Bridges
C 67 Kalil / 63 Hangartner
ORG 63 Hangartner / 73 Bridges
ORT 79 Otah* / 76 Omiyale
TE 47 King / 88 Rosario / 82 Barnidge*
WR 87 Muhammad / 18 Hackett
QB 17 Delhomme / 12 McCown / 3 Moore
RB 34 Williams / 28 Stewart*
FB 45 Hoover / 37 Goings
DEFENSE
DLE 96 Brayton / 95 Johnson
DLT 99 Kemoeatu / 78 Hayden* / 98 Parker
DRT 92 Lewis / 93 Walker
DRE 90 Peppers / 66 Taylor*
SLB 53 Diggs / 54 Johnson / 55 Curry
MLB 52 Beason / 59 Seward
WLB 58 Davis / 50 Anderson
LCB 20 Gamble / 31 Marshall
RCB 21 Lucas / 23 Wesley / 27 Wilson
SS 43 Harris / 26 Teal
FS 30 Godfrey* / 25 Salley
SPECIALISTS
P 7 Baker
PK 4 Kasay / 5 Lloyd
H 7 Baker
PR 84 Jones
KR 84 Jones / 28 Stewart *
LS 56 Kyle
* Rookie
CARDINALS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 11 Fitzgerald / 85 Urban / 87 Morey
OLT 69 Gandy / 72 Keith*
OLG 74 Wells / 61 E. Brown
C 63 Sendlein / 70 Ross
ORG 76 Lutui / 61 E. Brown
ORT 75 L. Brown / 68 Vallejo
TE 83 Spach / 82 Pope / 89 Patrick
WR 81 Boldin / 15 Breaston / 80 Doucet*
QB 13 Warner / 7 Leinart / 2 St. Pierre
RB 32 James / 28 Arrington / 34 Hightower*
FB 45 T. Smith / 46 Castille
DEFENSE
DLE 94 A. Smith / 91 Iwebema*
NT 97 B. Robinson / 98 Watson / 78 Branch
DT 90 Dockett / 93 Campbell*
DRE 55 LaBoy / 92 Berry
SLB 56 Okeafor / 52 Beisel / 57 Hobson
MLB 54 Hayes / 52 Beisel
WLB 58 Dansby / 51 Togafau
LCB 26 Hood / 20 R. Brown / 27 Adams
RCB 29 Rodgers-Cromartie* / 25 Green
SS 24 Wilson / 47 Francisco
FS 21 Rolle / 22 Ware
SPECIALISTS
P 5 Graham
PK 1 Rackers
H 5 Graham / 87 Morey
PR 15 Breaston / 21 Rolle / 26 Hood
KR 28 Arrington / 15 Breaston / 87 Morey
LS 48 Hodel / 84 Tuman
* Rookie
25 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF PREVIEW
Noted ball thief Asante Samuel
was up to his old tricks again.
Eli Manning likely will see
plenty of man-to-man looks.
EAGLES
AT
GIANTS
When the Eagles
have the ball
Most people who have watched the Ea-
gles this season know that as Brian
Westbrook goes, so goes the offense. So
it should be no surprise that in the first
game, a Giants win, he was held to 59
yards on 16 touches and that in the sec-
ond game, an Eagles win, he busted
free for 203 yards and two long TDs on
39 touches.
The running hasnt always been easy
for Westbrook, who has battled through
injuries this season, but he is a threat to
break a play at any time. The Vikings had
held him to 30 yards on his first 16 touch-
es last week, but he broke a screen for a
game-changing 71-yard TD.
The Giants are more likely to worry
about Westbrook than the Eagles outside
threats or tight ends. In the two
matchups, Eagles wide receivers have
caught a total of only 17 passes and
have only two plays longer than 20 yards
two 32-yard catches by DeSean Jack-
son and Kevin Curtis, one in each game.
QB Donovan McNabb might not have
favorable matchups outside with Giants
CBs Aaron Ross (assuming hes cleared
following a concussion) and Corey Web-
ster covering Curtis and Jackson. But Mc-
Nabb showed good faith in looking for
lesser-used targets, WR Jason Avant
and TE Brent Celek, against the Vikings.
Another solution could be to move Jack-
son around as they did in the first
matchup, putting him under center and
using him on end-arounds.
The Giants pass rush has been spot-
ty of late, and they didnt sack McNabb
in 66 dropbacks this season. Defensive
coordinator Steve Spagnuolo isnt afraid
to play coverage, but he wants his front
four to collapse the pocket, too.
When the Giants
have the ball
In the first matchup, the Giants ran the
ball with authority against a good Eagles
front to the tune of 45 carries for 219
yards and two TDs. The Giants long run
in that game was only 23 yards, but they
had 19 rushes of six yards or longer, phys-
ically dominating the smaller Eagles
defensive line.
The Eagles adjusted in the rematch,
and with WLB Akeem Jordan in the
starting lineup and a few personnel
package changes on the line, they were
able to contain Brandon Jacobs, Derrick
Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw to only
100 yards on 23 carries, with 12 of those
carries going for three or fewer yards.
Since WR Plaxico Burress left the Gi-
ants, defenses have not been as concerned
with covering the outside receivers with
help as often. As a result, teams can af-
ford to move a safety into the box to stop
the run. Before Burress left the lineup, the
Giants averaged 172.7 rushing yards;
after that point, they have averaged
131.8, and that included a 301-yard
game against the Panthers.
Expect the Eagles to move S Brian
Dawkins near the line, either in run
support or on blitzes. QB Eli Manning
generally has made good decisions against
pressure, but he also has been over-
whelmed at times against good pressure
teams such as the Cowboys and Panthers.
It will be up to WRs Domenik Hixon,
Amani Toomer and Steve Smith to move
the chains and consistently get open
against the Eagles DBs in the singled-up
looks they should get with pressure. CB
Asante Samuel, one of the best ballhawks
of this generation, added another pick-
six last week, but CB Sheldon Brown can
be vulnerable to quickness and speed.
EAGLES SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to Philadelphia
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 St. Louis (-8.5) 38-3
Sept. 15 At Dallas (+6.5) 37-41
Sept. 21 Pittsburgh (-3.5) 15-6
Sept. 28 At Chicago (-3) 20-24
Oct. 5 Washington (-6.5) 17-23
Oct. 12 At San Francisco (-5) 40-26
Oct. 19 BYE
Oct. 26 Atlanta (-9.5) 27-14
Nov. 2 At Seattle (-7) 26-7
Nov. 9 New York Giants (-3) 31-36
Nov. 16 At Cincinnati (-9) 13-13*
Nov. 23 At Baltimore (+1.5) 7-36
Nov. 27 Arizona (-3) 48-20
Dec. 7 At N.Y. Giants (+7) 20-14
Dec. 15 Cleveland (-15.5) 30-10
Dec. 21 At Washington (-5.5) 3-10
Dec. 28 Dallas (-2) 44-6
Jan. 4 At Minnesota (-3) 26-14
Jan. 11 At N.Y. Giants
* Overtime
GIANTS SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to New York
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 4 Washington (-5) 16-7
Sept. 14 At St. Louis (-8.5) 41-13
Sept. 21 Cincinnati (-13) 26-23*
Sept. 28 BYE
Oct. 5 Seattle (-7) 44-6
Oct. 13 At Cleveland (-8) 14-35
Oct. 19 San Francisco (-10.5) 29-17
Oct. 26 At Pittsburgh (+2.5) 21-14
Nov. 2 Dallas (-8.5) 35-14
Nov. 9 At Philadelphia (+3) 36-31
Nov. 16 Baltimore (-7) 30-10
Nov. 23 At Arizona (-3) 37-29
Nov. 30 At Washington (-4) 23-7
Dec. 7 Philadelphia (-7) 14-20
Dec. 14 At Dallas (+3) 8-20
Dec. 21 Carolina (-4) 34-28*
Dec. 28 At Minnesota (+7) 19-20
Jan. 11 Philadelphia
* Overtime
A
P
A
P
THE MATCHUPS
Sunday, Jan. 11, 1 p.m. ET
LOCATIONGiants Stadium TURF FieldTurf MEETING OF THE YEAR Third

QB
RB
WR
OL
DL
LB
DB
ST
Coach
OVERVIEW
If the first two matchups are any indica-
tion, Giants-Eagles III should be a tremen-
dously entertaining battle.
I think the Eagles are the hottest team in
the NFL right now, Giants DE Justin Tuck
said. They may be the sixth seed, but they
sure arent playing like it. We know them
well, which is a good thing, but they know
us well, too.
The Giants took the first matchup 36-31
in Philadelphia in Week 10, when they
snuffed out 3rd-and-3 and 4th-and-1 plays
with less than two minutes left.
In the rematch in New York in Week 14,
the Eagles got revenge with a 20-14 win that
featured RB Brian Westbrook gaining 203
yards from scrimmage and two TDs.
The Eagles have won five of their past six
games, including last weeks win over the
Vikings in Minnesota. The Giants havent
played a game that really mattered since the
Week 16 home win over Carolina.
10-6-1 Season record 12-4-0
11-6-0 Season record vs. spread 12-4-0
4-4-1 Home/road record 7-1-0
5-4-0 Home/road record vs. spread 6-2-0
3-2-1 Record on artificial turf 8-3-0
4-2-0 Record on artificial turf vs. spread 8-3-0
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Advantage NEWYORK GIANTS
GIANTS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 87 Hixon / 82 Manningham* / 80 Hagen
OLT 66 Diehl
OLG 69 Seubert / 65 Ruegamer
C 60 OHara / 65 Ruegamer
ORG 76 Snee / 77 Boothe
ORT 67 McKenzie / 61 Koets
TE 89 Boss / 88 Matthews / 84 D. Johnson
WR 81 Toomer / 12 Smith / 83 Moss
QB 10 E. Manning / 8 Carr
RB 27 Jacobs / 34 Ward / 44 Bradshaw / 28 Ware
FB 39 Hedgecock
DEFENSE
DLE 91 Tuck / 99 Wynn / 95 McDougle
NT 96 Cofield / 73 J. Clark
DT 98 Robbins / 93 Alford / 78 Douzable
DRE 97 Kiwanuka / 71 Tollefson
SLB 55 D. Clark / 51 DeOssie
MLB 58 Pierce / Scanlon
WLB 57 Blackburn / 53 Kehl* / 59 Wilkinson
LCB 31 Ross / 35 Dockery / 30 Thomas*
RCB 23 Webster / 25 McQuarters / 33 Barksdale
SS 37 Butler
FS 20 M. Johnson / 21 Phillips*
SPECIALISTS
P 18 Feagles
PK 5 Carney / 9 Tynes
H 18 Feagles
PR 87 Hixon / 25 McQuarters / 44 Bradshaw
KR 44 Bradshaw / 87 Hixon / 34 Ward
LS 51 DeOssie / 93 Alford
* Rookie
EAGLES DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 80 Curtis / 81 Avant / 84 Baskett
OLT 72 T. Thomas / 64 Patrick
OLG 79 Herremans / 68 McGlynn*
C 67 J. Jackson
ORG 59 N. Cole / 73 Andrews
ORT 69 Runyan / 74 Justice
TE 82 L.J. Smith / 87 Celek / 89 Schobel
WR 10 D. Jackson* / 83 G. Lewis / 86 R. Brown
QB 5 McNabb / 4 Kolb / 14 Feeley
RB 36 Westbrook / 28 Buckhalter / 25 Booker
FB 49 Klecko / 32 Eckel
DEFENSE
DLE 75 Parker / 78 Abiamiri / 91 Clemons
DLT 98 Patterson / 93 Laws
DRT 97 Bunkley
DRE 58 T. Cole / 90 Howard / 63 B. Smith*
SLB 57 Gocong / 50 Daniels
MLB 55 Bradley / 51 Mays*
WLB 56 Jordan / 96 Gaither / 54 White
LCB 22 Samuel / 21 Hanson
RCB 24 S. Brown / 26 Sheppard
SS 27 Mikell / 37 Considine
FS 20 Dawkins / 39 Demps*
SPECIALISTS
P 6 Rocca
PK 2 Akers
H 6 Rocca / 4 Kolb / 14 Feeley
PR 10 D. Jackson* / 39 Demps*
KR 39 Demps* / 28 Buckhalter
LS 46 Dorenbos
* Rookie
26 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF PREVIEW
Shaun Phillips could batter
Ben Roethlisberger.
James Harrison has been a
beast off the edge.
CHARGERS
AT
STEELERS
When the Chargers
have the ball
The potential loss of RB LaDainian
Tomlinson isnt as crippling to the Charg-
ers chances considering the presence of
pint-sized dynamo Darren Sproles, who
has done his best to dispel the notion that
a 5-foot-6, 181-pound man cant be a fea-
tured back. Also the Bolts primary kick-
off and punt returner, Sproles had 105
yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries,
added 45 yards on five receptions and to-
taled 178 return yards last week.
Because the Steelers defensive front is
so dominant vs. the run, Sproles receiv-
ing skills might take on a more critical role
than his rushing prowess. It starts with
lane-clogging NT Casey Hampton, who
owns a decided advantage over try-hard
C Nick Hardwick, and works its way out
with underrated stalwart DE Aaron
Smith. Consequently, the burden of mov-
ing the ball falls onto QB Philip Rivers
shoulders. In his finest pro season, Rivers
consistently has displayed the arm
strength, accuracy and decision making
to get the job done. His favorite targets are
TE Antonio Gates and WR Vincent Jack-
son, who were held to a combined 4-35 re-
ceiving against the Steelers in Week 11.
San Diegos passing plans could be
thwarted if its offensive line doesnt pro-
vide Rivers (15-of-26, 164 yards, two INTs
in Week 11) with better protection. Thats
mainly because of the tremendous job
that Steelers defensive coordinator Dick
LeBeau does in generating pressure. Al-
though OLBs James Harrison (16 sacks)
and LaMarr Woodley (11
1
2 sacks) receive
most of the credit, the Steelers can rack
up the sacks on all levels. SS Troy Pola-
malu is deployed in various roles but may
be needed to keep track of Sproles,
which could keep Polamalu back deep.
When the Steelers
have the ball
The concussion that QB Ben Roethlis-
berger suffered in the regular-season
finale isnt expected to keep him out, but
ensuring he remains healthy is a job that
falls equally onto the shoulders of his of-
fensive line and himself. The line has been
shaky, particularly on the edges, which
looms ominously considering how well
Chargers OLBs Shaun Phillips and Jyles
Tucker (13 combined sacks in 08) are
pressuring the passer. But Roethlisberg-
er doesnt make things easy on himself by
holding on to the ball too long, a trait that
leads to as many sacks as big plays.
Still, the Bolts season-long difficulty
defending the pass means the Steelers will
want their QB taking his fair share of
dropbacks, especially after he complet-
ed 31-of-41 passes for 308 yards in the
teams first meeting. The Steelers have re-
placed a fullback with an extra tight end
or receiver for the majority of their sets,
and the different strengths of their wide-
outs Hines Ward is a tough, strong
presence who can work at flanker or split
end, Santonio Holmes has terrific body
control and quickness that enables him
to pick up yards after the catch, and Nate
Washingtons a home-run threat have
serious potential against a Chargers sec-
ondary that regressed badly from 07.
Loosening up the defense will make it
easier on RB Willie Parker (25-115 rush-
ing in Week 11), who should be healthy
after battling injuries much of the season,
to create in the running game. Without
a lead blocker or road-grading offensive
line, Parker needs help from the aerial at-
tack to be a major rushing weapon.
Space-eating NT Jamal Williams con-
trols the middle in San Diegos 3-4 base,
and the ends are strong in the trenches.
CHARGERS SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to San Diego
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Carolina (-9) 24-26
Sept. 14 At Denver (+1) 38-39
Sept. 22 New York Jets (-8) 48-29
Sept. 28 At Oakland (-8.5) 28-18
Oct. 5 At Miami (-6) 10-17
Oct. 12 New England (-6) 30-10
Oct. 19 At Buffalo (0) 14-23
Oct. 26 At New Orleans (-3) 32-37
Nov. 2 BYE
Nov. 9 Kansas City (-15) 20-19
Nov. 16 At Pittsburgh (+4.5) 10-11
Nov. 23 Indianapolis (-3) 20-23
Nov. 30 Atlanta (-6) 16-22
Dec. 4 Oakland (-9) 34-7
Dec. 14 At Kansas City (-5.5) 22-21
Dec. 21 At Tampa Bay (+4) 41-24
Dec. 28 Denver (-7) 52-21
Jan. 3 Indianapolis (+2) 23-17*
Jan. 11 At Pittsburgh
* Overtime
STEELERS SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to Pittsburgh
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Houston (-6.5) 38-17
Sept. 14 At Cleveland (-7) 10-6
Sept. 21 At Philadelphia (+3.5) 6-15
Sept. 29 Baltimore (-6) 23-20*
Oct. 5 At Jacksonville (+5.5) 26-21
Oct. 12 BYE
Oct. 19 At Cincinnati (-8.5) 38-10
Oct. 26 New York Giants (-2.5) 14-21
Nov. 3 At Washington (+2.5) 23-6
Nov. 9 Indianapolis (-3.5) 20-24
Nov. 16 San Diego (-4.5) 11-10
Nov. 20 Cincinnati (-12) 27-10
Nov. 30 At New England (+2) 33-10
Dec. 7 Dallas (-3.5) 20-13
Dec. 14 At Baltimore (+3) 13-9
Dec. 21 At Tennessee (-3) 14-31
Dec. 28 Cleveland (-11.5) 31-0
Jan. 11 San Diego
* Overtime
A
P
A
P
THE MATCHUPS
Sunday, Jan. 11, 4:45 p.m. ET
LOCATIONHeinz Field TURF Grass MEETING OF THE YEAR Second

QB
RB
WR
OL
DL
LB
DB
ST
Coach
OVERVIEW
For the second straight season, it has been
the same story for the Chargers: stumble ear-
ly on, roll into the postseason with momen-
tum, and slay the Colts in a playoff thriller.
Only difference is this time the Bolts must
contend with another club after topping the
Colts en route to the AFC championship
game. Knowing that they might be march-
ing into Pittsburgh without the services of
RB LaDainian Tomlinson, who aggravated
a groin injury vs. Indy, makes the task all the
more difficult. Pittsburgh, led by the leagues
stingiest defense, is a tough matchup for even
the healthiest of offenses. The Steelers 11-
10 victory over these Chargers in Week 11 not
only featured a controversial ending with a
last-second TD disallowed, but it jumpstart-
ed a late run that saw them win six of their
final seven to earn the AFCs No. 2 seed and
a first-round bye. Pittsburgh looks to avoid
another postseason home upset after the
Jaguars bested them last season, 31-29.
9-8-0 Season record 12-4-0
8-8-1 Season record vs. spread 9-7-0
3-5-0 Home/road record 6-2-0
3-4-1 Home/road record vs. spread 4-4-0
9-7-0 Record on natural turf 9-4-0
8-7-1 Record on natural turf vs. spread 6-7-0
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Advantage PITTSBURGH STEELERS
STEELERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
SE 86 Ward / 85 Washington
OLT 78 Starks / 79 Essex / 66 Hills* / 65 Parquet / 77 M. Smith
OLG 68 Kemoeatu / 79 Essex
C 62 Hartwig / 72 Stapleton
ORG 72 Stapleton / 79 Essex
ORT 74 Colon / 78 Starks / 79 Essex / 65 Parquet
TE 83 Miller / 89 Spaeth / 49 McHugh
FL 10 Holmes / 14 Sweed*
QB 7 Roethlisberger / 4 Leftwich / 2 Dixon*
RB 39 Parker / 21 Moore / 33 Russell
FB 38 Davis
DEFENSE
DLE 91 Aa. Smith / 90 Kirschke / 96 Roye
NT 98 Hampton / 76 Hoke / 71 Paxson
DRE 99 Keisel / 90 Kirschke / 93 Eason
LOLB 56 Woodley / 53 Davis* / 55 Bailey*
LILB 51 Farrior / 57 Fox
RILB 50 Foote / 94 Timmons
ROLB 92 Harrison / 54 Frazier
LCB 24 Taylor / 22 Gay / 37 Madison
RCB 20 McFadden / 26 Townsend / 31 Bryant
SS 43 Polamalu / 23 Carter
FS 25 Clark / 27 An. Smith
SPECIALISTS
P 17 Berger
PK 3 Reed
H 17 Berger
PR 10 Holmes
KR 38 C. Davis / 33 Russell / 21 Moore
LS 61 Retkofsky
* Rookie
CHARGERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 89 Chambers / 80 Floyd
OLT 73 McNeill / 70 Shelton
OLG 68 Dielman / 63 Mruczkowski / 67 Forney
C 61 Hardwick / 62 Newberry
ORG 79 Goff / 63 Mruczkowski
ORT 66 Clary / 70 Shelton / 75 Clark*
TE 85 Gates / 86 Manumaleuna / 88 Wilson
WR 83 Jackson / 11 Naanee / 81 Osgood
QB 17 Rivers / 7 Volek / 6 Whitehurst
RB 21 Tomlinson / 43 Sproles / 29 Bennett
FB 22 Hester* / 35 Tolbert* / 34 Latsko
DEFENSE
DLE 99 Olshansky / 97 Bingham
NT 76 Williams / 97 Bingham / 98 Scott
DRE 93 Castillo / 74 Cesaire
OLB 95 Phillips / 92 Harris / 90 Applewhite
ILB 54 Cooper / 53 Waters
ILB 51 Dobbins / 57 Wilhelm / 59 Siler
OLB 94 Tucker / 92 Harris / 90 Applewhite
LCB 23 Jammer / 24 Gordon
RCB 31 Cromartie / 20 Cason*
SS 42 Hart / 28 Gregory
FS 32 Weddle / 27 Oliver
SPECIALISTS
P 5 Scifres
PK 10 Kaeding
H 5 Scifres
PR 43 Sproles / 31 Cromartie
KR 43 Sproles / 31 Cromartie
LS 50 Binn
* Rookie
27 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
WILD-CARD GAME COVERAGE
28 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
A
P
Larry Fitzgerald leaps to grab a 42-yard TD
pass from Kurt Warner in Arizonas win.
CARDINALS 30,
FALCONS 24
SUMMARY Trailing 17-14 at halftime, the
Cardinals rallied in the second half, scoring
16 unanswered points on their way to a 30-
24 victory. It was the Cardinals first home
playoff win in 61 years. Arizonas fourth-
ranked offense led the team throughout the
regular season, but it was the defense that
stepped up against the Falcons, holding At-
lanta to a season-low 60 rushing yards. The
D harassed rookie QB Matt Ryan all after-
noon, picking him off twice and sacking him
three times, once in the endzone for a
safety. It also forced a fumble on a botched
handoff from Ryan to RB Michael Turner,
which was recovered by S Antrel Rolle and
returned for a touchdown, putting the Cardi-
nals ahead for good 52 seconds into the
second half. QB Kurt Warner got things
going for Arizona in the first half, connecting
with WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan
Boldin on TD passes of 42 and 71 yards, re-
spectively. RB Edgerrin James kept the
chains moving, rushing 16 times for 73
yards, and backfield mate Tim Hightower
had a four-yard TD run. Arizonas offensive
line kept DE John Abraham, who finished
third in the league this season with 16
1
2
sacks, at bay. In fact, the Falcons were held
without a sack as a team.
PLAYER OF THE GAME For his sensational
first-quarter grab in the endzone, in which
he left his feet falling backwards to reel in
the ball with two Falcons defenders sur-
rounding him, Fitzgerald gets the nod. He
finished with six grabs for 101 yards to go
along with the TD. Atlantas secondary had
no answer for him, and his success helped
open things up for James to have one of his
best games of the season.
QUOTABLE Alot of people coming into this
game said we were the worst playoff team
ever to get in, Cardinals head coach Ken
Whisenhunt told reporters after the game.
I think we rallied around that. We
made some strides as a team as the year
went on, said Falcons QB Matt Ryan, who
set a rookie postseason record by complet-
ing 26 passes. But you have to use this as
motivation. You dont want to be here.
A
P
Darren Sproles rose to the occasion after he
replaced the injured LaDainian Tomlinson.
CHARGERS 23,
COLTS 17 (OT)
SUMMARY For the second straight Janu-
ary, the Chargers sent Peyton Manning
packing, finishing off the Colts in a see-saw
battle. Indianapolis committed three penal-
ties on the final drive of the game, including
a holding call against CB Tim Jennings on
3rd-and-8 and a personal foul on OLB Clint
Session for a facemask, setting up RB Dar-
ren Sproles 22-yard scamper to the end-
zone, leading San Diego to a 23-17
overtime win. The Chargers led 14-10 at
halftime but had to play the entire second
half without RB LaDainian Tomlinson, who
was sidelined by a groin injury after run-
ning five times for 25 yards and a touch-
down in the first half. Sproles answered the
call with Tomlinson out, overcoming a
third-quarter fumble on the Colts 2-yard-
line to gain 328 all-purpose yards, the
third-most in playoff history. San Diego ILB
Tim Dobbins came up with a key sack, tak-
ing Manning down at the Colts 1-yard-line
and forcing Indy to punt from its own end-
zone with two minutes left in the fourth
quarter. The Chargers started with good
field position, beginning from the Colts 38,
and drove 30 yards before PK Nate Kaed-
ing tied the game at 17 with 33 seconds left
in regulation. The Chargers won the coin
toss before overtime and scored on the
opening possession.
PLAYER OF THE GAME The shifty, speedy
Sproles, who had been relegated mainly to
special teams and change-of-pace duty out
of the backfield during his four-year career,
willed the Chargers into the divisional round.
He shredded Indianapolis defense, rushing
23 times for 105 yards and two TDs. He also
caught five passes for 45 yards, had 106
yards on four kickoff returns and 72 yards
on three punt returns.
QUOTABLE I dont know if you can dream
a game like this, said Chargers P Mike
Scifres, who landed all six of his punts in-
side of the 20-yard-line. Its disappoint-
ing to lose a playoff game, said Manning.
We certainly had some chances to win, but
give them credit. We had chances to put the
game away, but we just didnt do it.
A
P
Ravens S Ed Reed set an NFLrecord, notching
his 10th pick in the last seven games.
RAVENS 27,
DOLPHINS 9
SUMMARY The Ravens defense knocked
Miami out of the rhythm that had carried it
to an AFC East title, rattling QB Chad Pen-
nington on the way to defeating the Dol-
phins 27-9. Miami, which had an NFL-record
low 13 turnovers this season, gave the ball
away five times to Baltimores D, which had
an NFL-high 34 takeaways. Pennington, who
had thrown just seven interceptions in the
regular season, was picked off four times.
The Ravens scored 14 points off the Dol-
phins giveaways. The two teams kept things
close early. Miami actually struck first, going
ahead 3-0 before Ravens PK Matt Stover
connected on a 23-yard field goal and FS Ed
Reed stepped into Penningtons passing
lane, returning an interception 64 yards for a
touchdown with 2:30 remaining in the first
half, which was enough to put Miami away.
The Dolphins were limited to just five first
downs in the first half and trailed 13-3 at the
break after another Stover field goal. Balti-
mores defense played to its usual standard,
as did the offense. RBs LeRon McClain and
Willis McGahee pounded away for 137 yards
on 26 carries. McClain scored on an eight-
yard run. QB Joe Flacco was just 9-of-23
through the air, but he did not commit a
turnover and wasnt sacked. Flacco ran five
yards for the final score of the game with
3:53 to play.
PLAYER OF THE GAME Reed continued his
dominance, picking off Pennington twice for
76 yards, including the 64-yarder for a TD.
While it came early on, Reeds score put the
Ravens ahead 10-3 and turned out to be the
game-winner. He has recorded 10 picks in
the last seven games, which is an NFL
record since the stat was first tracked in
1991.
QUOTABLE (The defense has) been doing
it all year, said Flacco. Youre sitting on the
sidelines and thats what you expect. You
get used to it, and youre asking for it every
play. Today, they did it on every play. It
has been a special year; thats why it hurts
so much, said Pennington. You want to
keep it going and see how far you can take
it.
A
P
Brian Westbrooks 71-yard TD on a screen
pass put the Eagles ahead 23-14.
EAGLES 26,
VIKINGS 14
SUMMARY Just over one week ago, the Ea-
gles were playoff longshots, needing the
dominoes to fall their way just to get a shot
at a berth. After thrashing the Cowboys in
Week 17 and beating the Vikings in the post-
season opener, Philadelphia has the look of a
contender as it prepares for a second-round
meeting with the defending Super Bowl
champion Giants. Philadelphia dashed Min-
nesotas hopes in its first home playoff game
in eight years, fueled by big plays on both
sides of the ball. The Vikings slowed down
RB Brian Westbrook in the ground game,
holding him to 38 yards on 20 carries, but he
broke loose with 6:37 left in the fourth quar-
ter, taking a screen pass 71 yards for a touch-
down, which put the Eagles ahead 23-14.
Eagles QB Donovan McNabb completed 23-
of-34 passes for 300 yards, including the TD
toss to Westbrook and an interception. The
Vikings had their chances, taking over at
their own 15-yard-line with 3:41 left in the
game, but after driving to midfield, a bad
snap bounced off the foot of QB Tarvaris
Jackson and was recovered by Eagles DE
Juqua Parker. It was Minnesotas second
turnover of the game, and it set up David
Akers fourth field goal, putting the contest
well out of reach.
PLAYER OF THE GAME Playing through
pain with an injured hip, Eagles CB Asante
Samuel picked off Jackson and returned it
44 yards for a TD, giving Philly a 16-7 lead
with 6:34 to go in the first half. His TD scam-
per broke the game open for the first time,
although the Vikings did trim the margin to
two again before halftime.
QUOTABLE Ive seen this team have confi-
dence in each other and try to have one an-
others back, McNabb told reporters. What
youre seeing is a team playing with a lot of
energy, playing with emotion and just having
fun. Donovan did a great job today lead-
ing this team, said Westbrook. (He basi-
cally put) the team on his back. We really
didnt have too much of a running game, but
he put this team on his back threw the ball
down the field And thats what you expect
from a superstar quarterback like Donovan.
RUSHING
Player Team Att Yds Avg Lg TD
Jones N.Y.J. 290 1,312 4.5 59 13
Slaton Hou. 268 1,282 4.8 71 9
Johnson Ten. 251 1,228 4.9 66 9
Tomlinson S.D. 292 1,110 3.8 45 11
Lynch Buff. 250 1,036 4.1 50 8
J. Lewis Clev. 279 1,002 3.6 29 4
Brown Mia. 214 916 4.3 62 10
L. McClain Balt. 232 902 3.9 82 10
L. Johnson K.C. 193 874 4.5 65 5
Fargas Oak. 218 853 3.9 42 1
Jones-Drew Jax. 197 824 4.2 46 12
Parker Pitt. 210 791 3.8 34 5
White Ten. 200 773 3.9 80 15
Benson Cin. 214 747 3.5 46 2
Morris N.E. 156 727 4.7 35 7
McGahee Balt. 170 671 3.9 77 7
Williams Mia. 160 659 4.1 51 4
Moore Pitt. 140 588 4.2 32 5
Jackson Buff. 130 571 4.4 32 3
Taylor Jax. 143 556 3.9 34 1
Addai Ind. 155 544 3.5 23 5
Rhodes Ind. 152 538 3.5 38 6
Faulk N.E. 83 507 6.1 41 3
McFadden Oak. 113 499 4.4 50 4
Rice Balt. 107 454 4.2 60 0
L. Washington N.Y.J. 76 448 5.9 61 6
Bush Oak. 95 421 4.4 67 3
Thigpen K.C. 62 386 6.2 32 3
Jordan N.E. 80 363 4.5 49 4
Charles K.C. 67 357 5.3 30 0
Hillis Den. 68 343 5.0 19 5
Sproles S.D. 61 330 5.4 37 1
Garrard Jax. 73 322 4.4 24 2
Pittman Den. 76 320 4.2 20 4
Fitzpatrick Cin. 60 304 5.1 22 2
Young Den. 61 303 5.0 49 1
Green Hou. 74 294 4.0 14 3
Green-Ellis N.E. 74 275 3.7 15 5
Cassel N.E. 73 270 3.7 19 2
C. Perry Cin. 104 269 2.6 25 2
T. Bell Den. 44 249 5.7 37 2
Harrison Clev. 34 246 7.2 72 1
Cutler Den. 57 200 3.5 18 2
Flacco Balt. 52 180 3.5 38 2
Cribbs Clev. 29 167 5.8 27 1
Hall Den. 35 144 4.1 16 0
Pope Den. 17 130 7.6 24 0
Russell Oak. 17 127 7.5 24 1
Edwards Buff. 36 117 3.3 15 3
B. Smith N.Y.J. 12 113 9.4 36 0
Royal Den. 11 109 9.9 71 0
Roethlisberger Pitt. 34 101 3.0 17 2
Ko. Smith K.C. 35 100 2.9 19 1
Hester S.D. 19 95 5.0 28 1
Moats Hou. 26 94 3.6 12 1
Maroney N.E. 28 93 3.3 17 0
Cobbs Mia. 12 88 7.3 44 1
Rivers S.D. 31 84 2.7 11 0
Ball Ind. 13 83 6.4 23 0
Polite Mia. 22 82 3.7 14 0
Clayton Balt. 6 81 13.5 42 1
Russell Pitt. 28 77 2.8 15 3
Ginn Mia. 5 73 14.6 40 2
Losman Buff. 12 70 5.8 17 2
Jackson S.D. 4 69 17.3 31 0
Torain Den. 15 69 4.6 19 1
Schaub Hou. 31 68 2.2 10 2
Richardson N.Y.J. 10 65 6.5 16 0
RECEIVING
Player Team No Yds Avg Lg TD
A. Johnson Hou. 115 1,575 13.7 65 7
Welker N.E. 111 1,165 10.5 64 3
Marshall Den. 104 1,265 12.2 47 6
Gonzalez K.C. 96 1,058 11.0 35 10
Houshmandzadeh Cin. 92 904 9.8 46 4
Royal Den. 91 980 10.8 93 5
Bowe K.C. 86 1,022 11.9 36 7
Wayne Ind. 82 1,145 14.0 65 6
Ward Pitt. 81 1,043 12.9 49 7
Mason Balt. 80 1,037 13.0 54 5
Clark Ind. 77 848 11.0 33 6
Cotchery N.Y.J. 71 858 12.1 56 5
Daniels Hou. 70 862 12.3 35 2
Coles N.Y.J. 70 850 12.1 54 7
Moss N.E. 69 1,008 14.6 76 11
M. Jones Jax. 65 761 11.7 35 2
Evans Buff. 63 1,017 16.1 87 3
Jones-Drew Jax. 62 565 9.1 26 2
Walter Hou. 60 899 15.0 61 8
Gates S.D. 60 704 11.7 34 8
Harrison Ind. 60 636 10.6 67 5
Jackson S.D. 59 1,098 18.6 60 7
Scaife Ten. 58 561 9.7 44 1
Faulk N.E. 58 486 8.4 22 3
Gonzalez Ind. 57 664 11.6 58 4
Ginn Mia. 56 790 14.1 64 2
Z. Miller Oak. 56 778 13.9 63 1
Reed Buff. 56 597 10.7 24 1
Edwards Clev. 55 873 15.9 70 3
Holmes Pitt. 55 821 14.9 48 5
Camarillo Mia. 55 613 11.1 33 2
Bess Mia. 54 554 10.3 37 1
Ocho Cinco Cin. 53 540 10.2 26 4
Tomlinson S.D. 52 426 8.2 32 1
Slaton Hou. 50 377 7.5 46 1
Stokley Den. 49 528 10.8 36 3
Keller N.Y.J. 48 535 11.1 54 3
Miller Pitt. 48 514 10.7 22 3
L. WashingtonN.Y.J. 47 355 7.6 40 2
Lynch Buff. 47 300 6.4 42 1
Rhodes Ind. 45 302 6.7 29 3
Northcutt Jax. 44 545 12.4 41 2
Winslow Clev. 43 428 10.0 30 3
Johnson Ten. 43 260 6.0 25 1
Clayton Balt. 41 695 17.0 70 3
Lewis Jax. 41 489 11.9 30 2
B. Jones Ten. 41 449 11.0 40 1
Scheffler Den. 40 645 16.1 72 3
Washington Pitt. 40 631 15.8 65 3
Moore Pitt. 40 320 8.0 54 1
Gaffney N.E. 38 468 12.3 37 1
R. Williams Jax. 37 364 9.8 32 3
Jackson Buff. 37 317 8.6 65 0
Jones N.Y.J. 36 207 5.8 19 2
Heap Balt. 35 403 11.5 30 3
Gage Ten. 34 651 19.1 56 6
Fasano Mia. 34 454 13.4 24 7
Chambers S.D. 33 462 14.0 48 5
Royal Buff. 33 351 10.6 30 1
Rice Balt. 33 273 8.3 22 0
Brown Mia. 33 254 7.7 39 0
Graham Den. 32 389 12.2 28 4
Stuckey N.Y.J. 32 359 11.2 31 3
D. Martin Mia. 31 450 14.5 61 3
Kelly Cin. 31 207 6.7 31 0
McCareins Ten. 30 412 13.7 37 0
Bradley K.C. 30 380 12.7 56 3
Sproles S.D. 29 342 11.8 66 5
McFadden Oak. 29 285 9.8 27 0
Williams Mia. 29 219 7.6 47 1
Floyd S.D. 27 465 17.2 49 4
Charles K.C. 27 272 10.1 75 1
Addai Ind. 25 206 8.2 55 2
Crumpler Ten. 24 257 10.7 28 1
Parrish Buff. 24 232 9.7 22 1
McGahee Balt. 24 173 7.2 35 0
Heiden Clev. 23 249 10.8 51 0
J. Lewis Clev. 23 178 7.7 18 0
Higgins Oak. 22 366 16.6 84 4
Watson N.E. 22 209 9.5 29 2
J. Wright Clev. 22 156 7.1 17 1
Chatman Cin. 21 194 9.2 25 0
Baker N.Y.J. 21 194 9.2 29 0
Benson Cin. 20 185 9.3 79 0
C. Perry Cin. 20 71 3.6 12 0
Cobbs Mia. 19 275 14.5 80 2
D. Anderson Hou. 19 241 12.7 65 2
Henry Cin. 19 220 11.6 22 2
Steptoe Clev. 19 182 9.6 53 0
Curry Oak. 19 181 9.5 16 2
Robinson Ind. 19 166 8.7 23 0
Bush Oak. 19 162 8.5 25 0
L. McClain Balt. 19 123 6.5 25 1
Darling K.C. 17 247 14.5 68 1
Stallworth Clev. 17 170 10.0 19 1
Morris N.E. 17 161 9.5 42 0
Spaeth Pitt. 17 136 8.0 13 0
Walker Jax. 16 217 13.6 32 0
Utecht Cin. 16 123 7.7 14 0
Taylor Jax. 16 98 6.1 17 0
Schilens Oak. 15 226 15.1 60 2
Walker Oak. 15 196 13.1 29 1
Schouman Buff. 15 153 10.2 21 1
ManumaleunaS.D. 15 127 8.5 17 2
Hillis Den. 14 179 12.8 47 1
Davis Hou. 13 213 16.4 49 0
Williams Balt. 13 180 13.8 70 1
Tolbert S.D. 13 171 13.2 67 1
Hall Ten. 13 138 10.6 54 2
G. Jones Jax. 13 116 8.9 22 1
D. Jackson Den. 12 190 15.8 48 1
Harrison Clev. 12 116 9.7 23 1
Leach Hou. 12 103 8.6 22 0
Hester S.D. 12 91 7.6 16 1
L. Johnson K.C. 12 74 6.2 20 0
B. Smith N.Y.J. 12 64 5.3 18 0
Lelie Oak. 11 197 17.9 51 2
Porter Jax. 11 181 16.5 33 1
N. Jackson Den. 11 84 7.6 19 1
Stewart Oak. 11 81 7.4 17 1
Caldwell Cin. 11 78 7.1 15 0
Dreessen Hou. 11 77 7.0 13 0
Green Hou. 11 32 2.9 8 0
SCORING
Player Team TD XP/att FG/att 2XP Pts
Gostkowski N.E. 0 40/40 36/40 0 148
Bironas Ten. 0 40/40 29/33 0 127
Kaeding S.D. 0 46/46 27/32 0 127
K. Brown Hou. 0 37/37 29/33 0 124
Lindell Buff. 0 34/34 30/38 0 124
Stover Balt. 0 41/41 27/33 0 122
Reed Pitt. 0 36/37 27/31 0 117
Prater Den. 0 39/40 25/34 0 114
Feely N.Y.J. 0 39/39 24/28 0 111
Dawson Clev. 0 18/18 30/36 0 108
Carpenter Mia. 0 40/40 21/25 0 103
Vinatieri Ind. 0 43/43 20/25 0 103
Janikowski Oak. 0 25/26 24/30 0 97
Jones N.Y.J. 15 0/0 0/0 0 90
Scobee Jax. 0 33/33 19/25 0 90
White Ten. 15 0/0 0/0 0 90
Jones-Drew Jax. 14 0/0 0/0 0 84
Graham Cin. 0 15/15 21/24 0 78
Tomlinson S.D. 12 0/0 0/0 0 72
L. McClain Balt. 11 0/0 0/0 0 66
Moss N.E. 11 0/0 0/0 0 66
Brown Mia. 10 0/0 0/0 0 60
Gonzalez K.C. 10 0/0 0/0 0 60
Johnson Ten. 10 0/0 0/0 0 60
Slaton Hou. 10 0/0 0/0 0 60
Rhodes Ind. 9 0/0 0/0 1 56
L. WashingtonN.Y.J. 9 0/0 0/0 1 56
Barth K.C. 0 24/24 10/12 0 54
Lynch Buff. 9 0/0 0/0 0 54
Gates S.D. 8 0/0 0/0 0 48
Walter Hou. 8 0/0 0/0 0 48
A. Johnson Hou. 7 0/0 0/0 1 44
Sproles S.D. 7 0/0 0/0 1 44
Addai Ind. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Bowe K.C. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Coles N.Y.J. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Fasano Mia. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Higgins Oak. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Jackson S.D. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
McGahee Balt. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Morris N.E. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Ward Pitt. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Wayne Ind. 6 0/0 0/0 1 38
Clark Ind. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Faulk N.E. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Gage Ten. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Hillis Den. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Marshall Den. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Moore Pitt. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Cotchery N.Y.J. 5 0/0 0/0 1 32
Mason Balt. 5 0/0 0/0 1 32
Royal Den. 5 0/0 0/0 1 32
Chambers S.D. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Green-Ellis N.E. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Harrison Ind. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Holmes Pitt. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
L. Johnson K.C. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Parker Pitt. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Williams Mia. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Novak K.C. 0 7/7 6/10 0 25
Clayton Balt. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Floyd S.D. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Ginn Mia. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Gonzalez Ind. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Graham Den. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Houshmandzadeh Cin. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Jordan N.E. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
J. Lewis Clev. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
McFadden Oak. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Ocho Cinco Cin. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Pittman Den. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Thigpen K.C. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Edwards Clev. 3 0/0 0/0 2 22
Evans Buff. 3 0/0 0/0 1 20
Welker N.E. 3 0/0 0/0 1 20
Bradley K.C. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Bush Oak. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Cobbs Mia. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Cribbs Clev. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Edwards Buff. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Green Hou. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Heap Balt. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Jackson Buff. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Keller N.Y.J. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
D. Martin Mia. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Miller Pitt. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
M. Owens Jax. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Reed Balt. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Russell Pitt. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Scheffler Den. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Stokley Den. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Stuckey N.Y.J. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Washington Pitt. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
R. Williams Jax. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Winslow Clev. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Cutler Den. 2 0/0 0/0 1 14
Hall Ten. 2 0/0 0/0 1 14
AFC INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
FINAL
PUNT RETURNS
Player Team No FC Yds Avg Lg TD
Parrish Buff. 21 10 322 15.3 63 1
Higgins Oak. 44 12 570 13.0 93 3
Jones Hou. 32 17 386 12.1 73 2
Leonhard Balt. 20 9 232 11.6 46 0
Sproles S.D. 22 12 249 11.3 43 0
Bess Mia. 21 10 231 11.0 27 0
L. Washington N.Y.J. 29 9 303 10.4 37 0
Carr Ten. 32 20 323 10.1 44 0
Welker N.E. 24 6 237 9.9 44 0
Cribbs Clev. 28 7 228 8.1 32 0
Chatman Cin. 21 5 158 7.5 34 0
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player Team No Yds Avg Lg TD
Hobbs N.E. 45 1,281 28.5 95 1
McKelvin Buff. 52 1,468 28.2 98 1
Carr Ten. 35 984 28.1 52 0
Royal Den. 23 600 26.1 95 0
Sproles S.D. 53 1,376 26.0 103 1
L. WashingtonN.Y.J. 48 1,231 25.6 94 1
Cribbs Clev. 44 1,110 25.2 92 1
J. Miller Oak. 33 816 24.7 92 2
Savage K.C. 26 633 24.3 59 0
Holt Cin. 46 1,110 24.1 60 0
Witherspoon Jax. 52 1,250 24.0 51 0
Player Team No Yds Lg TD
Reed Balt. 9 264 107 2
Griffin Ten. 7 172 83 1
Polamalu Pitt. 7 59 23 0
McDonald Clev. 5 146 98 1
Finnegan Ten. 5 100 99 1
Goodman Mia. 5 53 55 0
Revis N.Y.J. 5 38 32 1
Mathis Jax. 4 151 72 2
Reeves Hou. 4 108 44 1
Hope Ten. 4 53 39 0
Sensabaugh Jax. 4 38 23 0
Jones Clev. 4 27 20 0
Meriweather N.E. 4 25 19 0
Cooper S.D. 4 11 10 0
Bullitt Ind. 4 7 3 0
Page K.C. 4 2 2 0
Hayden Ind. 3 135 85 1
E. Wright Clev. 3 131 94 1
Hall Cin. 3 87 50 1
C. Johnson Oak. 3 68 44 0
Carter Pitt. 3 64 32 1
W. Allen Mia. 3 62 32 1
ONeal N.E. 3 49 47 0
Pool Clev. 3 45 24 0
R. Lewis Balt. 3 43 29 0
McGee Buff. 3 36 36 0
Hill Mia. 3 34 17 0
Jackson Clev. 3 29 16 0
McAlister Balt. 3 28 16 0
Baker Oak. 3 8 8 0
Rolle Balt. 3 5 3 0
Hobbs N.E. 3 0 4 0
PASSING
Comp TD Int Avg
Player Team Att Comp Pct Yds TD Pct Lg Int Pct Gain Rating
Rivers S.D. 478 312 65.3 4,009 34 7.1 67 11 2.3 8.39 105.5
Pennington Mia. 476 321 67.4 3,653 19 4.0 80 7 1.5 7.67 97.4
Manning Ind. 555 371 66.8 4,002 27 4.9 75 12 2.2 7.21 95.0
Schaub Hou. 380 251 66.1 3,043 15 3.9 65 10 2.6 8.01 92.7
Cassel N.E. 516 327 63.4 3,693 21 4.1 76 11 2.1 7.16 89.4
Cutler Den. 616 384 62.3 4,526 25 4.1 93 18 2.9 7.35 86.0
Edwards Buff. 374 245 65.5 2,699 11 2.9 65 10 2.7 7.22 85.4
Garrard Jax. 535 335 62.6 3,620 15 2.8 41 13 2.4 6.77 81.7
Favre N.Y.J. 522 343 65.7 3,472 22 4.2 56 22 4.2 6.65 81.0
Flacco Balt. 428 257 60.0 2,971 14 3.3 70 12 2.8 6.94 80.3
Collins Ten. 415 242 58.3 2,676 12 2.9 56 7 1.7 6.45 80.2
Roethlisberger Pitt. 469 281 59.9 3,301 17 3.6 65 15 3.2 7.04 80.1
Russell Oak. 368 198 53.8 2,423 13 3.5 84 8 2.2 6.58 77.1
Thigpen K.C. 420 230 54.8 2,608 18 4.3 75 12 2.9 6.21 76.0
Fitzpatrick Cin. 372 221 59.4 1,905 8 2.2 79 9 2.4 5.12 70.0
Anderson Clev. 283 142 50.2 1,615 9 3.2 70 8 2.8 5.71 66.5
NON-QUALIFIERS
Rosenfels Hou. 174 116 66.7 1,431 6 3.4 61 10 5.7 8.22 79.5
Palmer Cin. 129 75 58.1 731 3 2.3 36 4 3.1 5.67 69.0
Quinn Clev. 89 45 50.6 518 2 2.2 42 2 2.2 5.82 66.6
Huard K.C. 81 50 61.7 477 2 2.5 68 4 4.9 5.89 65.7
Losman Buff. 104 63 60.6 584 2 1.9 87 5 4.8 5.62 62.3
Dorsey Clev. 91 43 47.3 370 0 0.0 28 7 7.7 4.07 26.4
PUNTING
Gross Ins Ret Net
Player Team No Yds Lg Avg TB 20 Blk Ret Yds Avg
Lechler Oak. 90 4,391 70 48.8 13 33 0 43 425 41.2
Scifres S.D. 51 2,332 67 45.7 5 19 0 23 146 40.9
Koch Balt. 84 3,777 74 45.0 9 34 0 38 245 39.9
Zastudil Clev. 75 3,410 65 45.5 11 23 0 32 235 39.4
Colquitt K.C. 70 3,110 73 44.4 8 27 0 28 209 39.2
Moorman Buff. 58 2,557 63 44.1 5 23 0 18 187 39.1
H. Smith Ind. 53 2,345 64 44.2 2 23 0 27 249 38.8
Kern Den. 46 2,150 64 46.7 4 13 0 28 330 37.8
Podlesh Jax. 46 1,989 60 43.2 5 12 0 24 206 36.6
Berger Pitt. 66 2,728 61 41.3 4 19 0 38 235 36.6
Hentrich Ten. 87 3,725 75 42.8 13 27 0 32 290 36.5
Hanson N.E. 49 2,143 70 43.7 10 19 0 11 158 36.4
Hodges N.Y.J. 44 1,884 61 42.8 5 14 1 20 187 35.5
Fields Mia. 74 3,249 71 43.9 7 24 0 37 485 35.5
Turk Hou. 53 2,240 59 42.3 7 17 0 21 235 35.2
Larson Cin. 100 3,946 57 39.5 3 28 1 48 436 34.2
Weatherford Jax. 59 2,521 61 42.7 10 8 0 26 307 34.1
FIELD-GOAL ACCURACY
Avg Avg Avg
1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50 or Yds Yds Yds
Player Team Yds Yds Yds Yds Longer Total Att Made Miss Lg
Gostkowski N.E. 0-0 10-12 16-16 9-11 1-1 36-40 34.8 34.4 37.5 50
.000 .833 1.000 .818 1.000 .900
Bironas Ten. 0-0 6-6 7-7 15-19 1-1 29-33 39.2 38.1 46.8 51
.000 1.000 1.000 .789 1.000 .879
K. Brown Hou. 0-0 9-10 10-10 8-10 2-3 29-33 35.6 34.6 43.0 53
.000 .900 1.000 .800 .667 .879
Graham Cin. 1-1 5-5 6-7 9-11 0-0 21-24 34.9 33.6 44.0 45
1.000 1.000 .857 .818 .000 .875
Reed Pitt. 1-1 9-9 8-9 8-10 1-2 27-31 34.7 33.6 42.3 53
1.000 1.000 .889 .800 .500 .871
Feely N.Y.J. 0-0 9-9 9-12 4-5 2-2 24-28 33.0 32.4 37.0 55
.000 1.000 .750 .800 1.000 .857
Kaeding S.D. 0-0 13-13 10-10 3-8 1-1 27-32 34.1 32.3 44.0 57
.000 1.000 1.000 .375 1.000 .844
Carpenter Mia. 0-0 4-4 7-7 9-13 1-1 21-25 39.5 38.2 46.3 50
.000 1.000 1.000 .692 1.000 .840
Dawson Clev. 0-0 10-10 12-14 5-6 3-6 30-36 36.4 34.6 45.8 56
.000 1.000 .857 .833 .500 .833
Stover Balt. 0-0 11-11 11-12 5-9 0-1 27-33 34.6 32.3 45.0 47
.000 1.000 .917 .556 .000 .818
Janikowski Oak. 0-0 11-11 8-8 2-4 3-7 24-30 37.6 33.0 56.0 57
.000 1.000 1.000 .500 .429 .800
Vinatieri Ind. 0-0 3-3 11-13 4-7 2-2 20-25 37.5 36.9 40.0 52
.000 1.000 .846 .571 1.000 .800
Lindell Buff. 1-1 7-8 11-11 10-15 1-3 30-38 37.9 36.5 43.4 53
1.000 .875 1.000 .667 .333 .790
Scobee Jax. 0-0 7-7 3-6 5-7 4-5 19-25 38.7 37.6 42.2 53
.000 1.000 .500 .714 .800 .760
Prater Den. 0-0 7-8 8-9 5-11 5-6 25-34 38.8 36.6 44.8 56
.000 .875 .889 .455 .833 .735
Player Tm Sks
Porter Mia. 17.5
J. Harrison Pitt. 16.0
M. Williams Hou. 12.0
Mathis Ind. 11.5
Woodley Pitt. 11.5
Freeney Ind. 10.5
Haynesworth Ten. 8.5
Ellis N.Y.J. 8.0
Seymour N.E. 8.0
Suggs Balt. 8.0
Phillips S.D. 7.5
Ford Ten. 7.0
Pace N.Y.J. 7.0
Aa. Smith Pitt. 5.5
Thomas N.Y.J. 5.5
Tucker S.D. 5.5
Dumervil Den. 5.0
K. Edwards Oak. 5.0
Ekuban Den. 5.0
J. Johnson Balt. 5.0
J. Jones Ten. 5.0
Roth Mia. 5.0
Scott Oak. 5.0
A. Thomas N.E. 5.0
Timmons Pitt. 5.0
Ball Ten. 4.5
Hayward Jax. 4.5
Kelly Oak. 4.5
Pryce Balt. 4.5
Rogers Clev. 4.5
Vanden BoschTen. 4.5
Bowens N.Y.J. 4.0
T. Brown Ten. 4.0
Bulman Hou. 4.0
Denney Buff. 4.0
Mitchell Buff. 4.0
Vrabel N.E. 4.0
Warren Oak. 4.0
Wimbley Clev. 4.0
Brock Ind. 3.5
Burgess Oak. 3.5
Farrior Pitt. 3.5
Harvey Jax. 3.5
Holliday Mia. 3.5
Jenkins N.Y.J. 3.5
Kearse Ten. 3.5
R. Lewis Balt. 3.5
Spicer Jax. 3.5
Hali K.C. 3.0
Hall Clev. 3.0
N. Jones Mia. 3.0
Ndukwe Cin. 3.0
Odom Cin. 3.0
Peterson Den. 3.0
Richardson Oak. 3.0
Starks Mia. 3.0
Thornton Cin. 3.0
Geathers Cin. 2.5
Groves Jax. 2.5
Harris S.D. 2.5
Ivy Balt. 2.5
J. McClain Balt. 2.5
Moss Den. 2.5
D. Smith Jax. 2.5
Stroud Buff. 2.5
D.J. Williams Den. 2.5
Wright N.E. 2.5
Babin K.C. 2.0
Cesaire S.D. 2.0
Cochran Hou. 2.0
Elam N.Y.J. 2.0
Green N.E. 2.0
Henderson Jax. 2.0
Ingram Jax. 2.0
Jackson Clev. 2.0
S. Johnson Buff. 2.0
Kelsay Buff. 2.0
Kirschke Pitt. 2.0
Landri Jax. 2.0
Langford Mia. 2.0
Meier Jax. 2.0
Meriweather N.E. 2.0
Olshansky S.D. 2.0
Da. Reid Ind. 2.0
Sands Oak. 2.0
Warren N.E. 2.0
Webster Den. 2.0
Wilfork N.E. 2.0
K. Williams Buff. 2.0
SACKS
INTERCEPTIONS
29 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
NFL TEAM STATISTICS
FINAL
11-5-0 7-9-0 4-11-1 4-12-0 8-8-0 8-8-0 12-4-0 5-11-0 2-14-0 11-5-0 11-5-0 9-7-0 5-11-0 12-4-0 8-8-0 13-3-0
300 287 245 233 354 340 321 312 273 308 356 308 225 290 301 268
132 107 80 84 103 106 80 107 94 111 145 94 87 93 92 108
147 167 145 127 223 210 220 183 161 184 186 186 123 179 191 143
21 13 20 22 28 24 21 22 18 13 25 28 15 18 18 17
5184 4882 3926 3985 6333 6113 5368 5106 4939 5529 5847 5307 4356 4991 5584 5018
324.0 305.1 245.4 249.1 395.8 382.1 335.5 319.1 308.7 345.6 365.4 331.7 272.3 311.9 349.0 313.6
2376 1842 1520 1605 1862 1846 1274 1774 1810 1897 2278 2004 1987 1690 1726 2199
148.5 115.1 95.0 100.3 116.4 115.4 79.6 110.9 113.1 118.6 142.4 125.3 124.2 105.6 107.9 137.4
2808 3040 2406 2380 4471 4267 4094 3332 3129 3632 3569 3303 2369 3301 3858 2819
175.5 190.0 150.4 148.8 279.4 266.7 255.9 208.3 195.6 227.0 223.1 206.4 148.1 206.3 241.1 176.2
592 439 420 409 387 432 370 426 379 448 513 422 459 460 421 508
4.0 4.2 3.6 3.9 4.8 4.3 3.4 4.2 4.8 4.2 4.4 4.7 4.3 3.7 4.1 4.3
433 479 513 488 620 555 585 537 541 491 534 529 421 506 478 453
261 309 303 238 386 367 393 335 310 330 339 347 222 303 312 265
60.3 64.5 59.1 48.8 62.3 66.1 67.2 62.4 57.3 67.2 63.5 65.6 52.7 59.9 65.3 58.5
33 38 51 24 12 32 14 42 37 26 48 30 39 49 25 12
277 262 271 157 74 207 86 288 229 129 221 213 270 306 151 83
12 15 15 20 18 20 12 13 16 7 11 23 11 15 11 9
104 169 279 381 153 221 294 181 323 130 186 351 163 234 189 88
1 1 2 5 2 1 3 1 2 2 0 4 0 2 1 0
84 58 101 76 46 53 53 67 82 74 50 59 90 78 51 87
45.0 44.1 39.1 45.3 46.7 42.3 44.2 43.3 44.2 43.9 44.0 42.2 48.8 39.8 45.7 42.8
9 5 3 11 4 7 2 8 12 7 10 5 13 4 5 13
39.9 39.1 34.2 39.3 37.8 35.2 38.8 36.9 37.5 35.5 36.8 35.6 41.2 35.7 40.9 36.5
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
44 30 32 30 20 32 22 29 26 28 36 29 44 41 26 34
8.6 15.5 7.9 8.4 9.8 12.1 6.0 9.5 6.5 10.2 10.3 10.4 13.0 6.0 10.3 9.7
0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
50 75 67 58 71 72 63 74 80 60 62 61 78 50 62 52
20.1 24.2 23.1 22.6 21.8 21.5 20.8 22.7 21.5 20.2 25.2 23.1 22.8 20.3 24.0 25.4
0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 0
103 71 75 100 77 80 86 104 78 81 57 77 109 95 95 108
785 538 591 669 739 664 619 813 645 669 501 569 823 812 748 855
28 33 27 17 18 28 13 23 20 18 17 22 28 28 18 18
9 15 11 6 12 12 5 11 8 6 10 8 12 10 9 8
21 21 20 19 15 19 24 15 30 27 17 37 21 22 18 28
8 12 12 8 7 10 11 4 16 12 8 16 8 9 9 11
232 203 236 212 200 197 201 213 214 192 222 197 214 224 194 216
95 81 82 72 95 83 101 87 82 71 96 81 61 92 89 78
40.9 39.9 34.7 34.0 47.5 42.1 50.2 40.8 38.3 37.0 43.2 41.1 28.5 41.1 45.9 36.1
11 16 14 14 10 23 16 24 18 15 22 16 21 12 10 11
7 7 7 6 4 14 11 14 7 10 17 9 9 3 7 5
63.6 43.8 50.0 42.9 40.0 60.9 68.8 58.3 38.9 66.7 77.3 56.3 42.9 25.0 70.0 45.5
33:10 30:03 28:34 27:32 28:43 31:57 28:38 31:22 27:55 31:03 32:12 30:25 28:08 31:30 28:52 29:09
42 35 20 20 42 40 45 35 35 40 43 48 27 38 51 41
20 16 6 6 15 16 13 17 9 18 21 20 9 16 13 24
16 14 11 11 25 21 27 15 23 20 21 22 13 19 34 13
6 5 3 3 2 3 5 3 3 2 1 6 5 3 4 4
41/41 34/34 18/18 18/18 39/40 37/37 43/43 33/33 31/31 40/40 40/40 41/41 25/26 36/37 46/46 40/40
1/1 1/1 0/2 2/2 2/2 1/3 2/2 0/2 1/4 0/0 2/3 2/7 0/1 0/1 2/5 1/1
28/35 30/38 22/25 30/36 25/34 29/33 20/25 19/25 16/22 21/25 36/40 24/29 24/30 27/31 27/32 29/33
385 336 204 232 370 366 377 302 291 345 410 405 263 347 439 375
244 342 364 350 448 394 298 367 440 317 309 356 388 223 347 234
228 293 296 315 327 300 305 289 344 296 268 315 325 240 339 276
58 113 106 125 122 114 119 98 133 96 78 86 129 73 98 81
152 167 169 176 186 167 165 166 195 173 176 209 166 149 213 166
18 13 21 14 19 19 21 25 16 27 14 20 30 18 28 29
4177 5217 5208 5704 5993 5385 4975 5295 6291 5264 4944 5270 5775 3795 5599 4698
261.1 326.1 325.5 356.5 374.6 336.6 310.9 330.9 393.2 329.0 309.0 329.4 360.9 237.2 349.9 293.6
1302 1946 1921 2431 2337 1962 1966 1709 2543 1620 1722 1518 2555 1284 1641 1502
81.4 121.6 120.1 151.9 146.1 122.6 122.9 106.8 158.9 101.3 107.6 94.9 159.7 80.3 102.6 93.9
2875 3271 3287 3273 3656 3423 3009 3586 3748 3644 3222 3752 3220 2511 3958 3196
179.7 204.4 205.4 204.6 228.5 213.9 188.1 224.1 234.3 227.8 201.4 234.5 201.3 156.9 247.4 199.8
366 455 490 541 469 439 472 428 509 388 415 407 542 390 408 403
3.6 4.3 3.9 4.5 5.0 4.5 4.2 4.0 5.0 4.2 4.1 3.7 4.7 3.3 4.0 3.7
528 492 506 446 495 471 481 465 522 551 474 572 471 533 605 575
276 301 315 286 333 294 329 297 348 320 288 368 266 301 411 342
52.3 61.2 62.3 64.1 67.3 62.4 68.4 63.9 66.7 58.1 60.8 64.3 56.5 56.5 67.9 59.5
34 24 17 17 26 25 30 29 10 40 31 41 32 51 28 44
257 170 122 90 141 175 200 191 62 218 239 253 188 350 132 262
26 10 12 23 6 12 15 13 13 18 14 14 16 20 15 20
477 217 236 406 63 178 204 220 275 214 104 282 145 290 167 351
5 3 1 2 0 1 2 2 2 2 0 3 0 2 2 3
92 64 79 59 52 67 53 67 50 61 75 69 74 91 60 87
42.8 45.6 43.6 40.7 46.4 44.4 44.9 43.0 43.9 46.7 43.0 43.4 43.2 42.5 43.9 42.3
8 5 11 7 8 5 9 7 8 7 7 9 5 6 2 10
37.0 36.8 37.6 34.1 39.6 37.2 39.0 36.8 37.3 39.7 36.2 36.4 34.2 38.5 38.7 36.2
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1
38 18 48 32 28 21 27 31 33 37 11 29 43 40 23 32
6.4 10.4 9.1 7.3 11.8 11.2 9.2 8.7 9.3 13.1 14.4 9.9 9.9 6.0 6.3 9.1
76 63 47 53 63 73 70 51 62 68 75 73 44 71 86 61
22.6 19.8 22.5 23.2 24.7 22.3 24.3 19.9 23.6 24.3 22.3 21.5 24.4 19.1 22.6 25.0
114 72 102 95 83 81 68 80 81 86 81 93 74 91 78 93
792 540 772 770 738 659 543 691 588 615 636 663 633 801 708 750
212 202 218 207 202 188 211 200 211 209 205 210 232 226 207 226
71 73 93 95 89 74 100 82 100 79 91 81 103 71 84 79
33.5 36.1 42.7 45.9 44.1 39.4 47.4 41.0 47.4 37.8 44.4 38.6 44.4 31.4 40.6 35.0
16 16 11 17 18 13 7 11 14 19 10 18 13 21 24 18
3 8 5 11 10 10 3 5 6 11 2 13 9 10 13 8
18.8 50.0 45.5 64.7 55.6 76.9 42.9 45.5 42.9 57.9 20.0 72.2 69.2 47.6 54.2 44.4
26 34 43 42 50 45 28 41 49 33 37 40 45 21 39 25
4 18 15 16 26 18 18 14 25 11 8 10 23 7 11 12
17 14 23 19 20 24 6 25 21 18 27 23 20 12 25 12
5 2 5 7 4 3 4 2 3 4 2 7 2 2 3 1
25/25 34/34 40/40 41/41 48/48 43/43 25/25 40/40 45/45 28/28 34/35 37/37 43/43 21/21 31/33 24/24
0/1 0/0 0/3 0/1 1/2 2/2 2/3 0/1 1/4 1/5 1/2 2/3 2/2 0/0 2/6 0/1
21/22 34/41 22/23 19/28 32/35 25/29 33/38 27/30 33/36 29/32 17/21 25/28 23/31 24/27 24/31 20/30
9-7-0 11-5-0 12-4-0 9-7-0 9-7-0 0-16-0 6-10-0 10-6-0 8-8-0 12-4-0 9-6-1 7-9-0 4-12-0 2-14-0 9-7-0 8-8-0
328 313 287 264 291 234 299 292 354 338 318 287 265 249 298 295 294.8
72 131 118 98 102 70 99 119 103 130 94 83 104 95 100 109 101.6
231 157 152 153 171 143 182 150 232 176 204 176 142 140 184 165 172.9
25 25 17 13 18 21 18 23 19 32 20 28 19 14 14 21 20.3
5852 5779 5595 4734 5512 4292 5618 5288 6571 5695 5608 4978 4385 4596 5456 5120 5235.8
365.8 361.2 349.7 295.9 344.5 268.3 351.1 330.5 410.7 355.9 350.5 311.1 274.1 287.3 341.0 320.0 327.2
1178 2443 2437 1673 1723 1332 1805 2332 1594 2518 1697 1599 1768 1649 1837 2095 1855.3
73.6 152.7 152.3 104.6 107.7 83.3 112.8 145.8 99.6 157.4 106.1 99.9 110.5 103.1 114.8 130.9 116.0
4674 3336 3158 3061 3789 2960 3813 2956 4977 3177 3911 3379 2617 2947 3619 3025 3380.5
292.1 208.5 197.4 191.3 236.8 185.0 238.3 184.8 311.1 198.6 244.4 211.2 163.6 184.2 226.2 189.1 211.3
340 560 504 434 401 352 437 519 398 502 427 397 417 417 451 478 441.2
3.5 4.4 4.8 3.9 4.3 3.8 4.1 4.5 4.0 5.0 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.0 4.1 4.4 4.2
630 434 414 528 547 509 541 452 636 491 606 509 474 520 562 510 516.4
418 265 246 304 328 281 343 267 413 298 362 309 262 292 355 318 315.0
66.3 61.1 59.4 57.6 60.0 55.2 63.4 59.1 64.9 60.7 59.7 60.7 55.3 56.2 63.2 62.4 61.0
28 17 20 29 31 52 34 43 13 28 23 55 36 45 32 38 32.4
201 104 130 168 199 339 231 261 92 176 149 345 214 321 169 266 205.9
15 11 12 14 20 19 13 17 18 10 16 19 15 19 13 6 14.5
276 74 167 219 349 364 70 329 270 189 434 358 233 452 233 23 233.9
1 0 0 1 1 5 0 2 2 2 2 2 1 4 2 0 1.6
60 65 76 96 78 90 65 74 53 64 78 67 90 83 77 82 72.1
41.8 39.5 42.3 41.2 43.4 43.9 41.4 46.9 44.6 44.0 42.7 47.1 44.5 49.6 44.5 40.5 43.7
4 4 5 5 8 6 6 13 5 5 4 9 12 7 7 10 7.1
34.1 37.5 37.4 38.1 36.4 38.0 35.7 35.0 35.9 40.2 37.9 39.0 36.9 40.8 37.6 33.4 37.3
0 2 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0.4
33 43 42 39 37 21 37 34 26 39 52 29 35 29 47 45 34.1
7.2 8.8 10.8 6.7 6.2 8.0 10.8 8.0 11.9 8.6 8.6 10.3 10.1 8.4 9.4 8.4 9.2
0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0.5
75 59 60 77 70 83 69 61 62 55 60 76 77 80 60 55 66.1
21.7 23.9 22.9 24.9 22.2 21.8 20.1 22.4 24.1 23.3 23.5 23.3 25.3 22.0 24.8 25.1 22.8
1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0.4
107 71 94 78 119 88 110 90 86 102 74 98 79 97 95 83 89.6
781 591 637 610 952 729 984 692 797 821 635 732 601 718 834 644 712.4
27 18 12 19 29 31 25 31 18 18 16 36 20 18 21 20 22.3
15 10 7 13 13 10 8 14 8 3 10 16 12 12 13 12 10.3
26 18 25 17 28 31 20 34 16 22 26 16 26 24 16 16 22.3
17 8 13 10 14 16 6 13 7 5 14 6 11 14 8 5 10.3
198 219 197 219 212 205 224 218 200 204 225 198 198 216 229 216 210.8
83 95 78 78 91 59 99 86 97 88 93 75 62 69 88 76 83.2
41.9 43.4 39.6 35.6 42.9 28.8 44.2 39.4 48.5 43.1 41.3 37.9 31.3 31.9 38.4 35.2 39.5
16 13 8 14 12 20 18 18 18 11 9 11 12 23 18 16 15.3
8 6 3 6 7 10 8 9 10 5 4 5 10 11 10 10 8.1
50.0 46.2 37.5 42.9 58.3 50.0 44.4 50.0 55.6 45.5 44.4 45.5 83.3 47.8 55.6 62.5 52.9
30:08 30:49 29:20 28:04 29:58 26:59 31:19 31:18 30:22 32:56 31:01 29:21 26:29 29:32 31:27 31:30 30:00
51 43 47 42 43 29 48 41 57 45 45 36 32 20 38 27 38.9
14 23 30 15 12 10 11 15 20 19 15 10 10 8 13 12 14.9
31 16 15 20 29 18 28 22 34 23 23 21 18 11 18 14 20.2
6 4 2 7 2 1 9 4 3 3 7 5 4 1 7 1 3.9
44/44 42/42 46/46 41/41 42/42 24/25 46/46 40/40 53/54 41/41 45/45 34/34 30/30 19/19 35/36 25/25 36.5/36.7
1/6 1/1 1/1 1/1 0/1 2/3 2/2 0/1 0/3 1/3 0/0 1/2 0/2 0/1 1/2 0/2 0.9/2.1
25/28 29/31 28/31 26/29 20/22 21/22 27/34 29/34 22/27 36/39 33/40 29/33 24/27 31/36 32/38 26/36 26.4/31.3
427 391 414 375 362 268 419 379 463 427 416 339 294 232 361 265 352.5
426 325 329 350 365 517 380 333 393 294 289 381 392 465 323 296 352.5
312 309 296 314 276 350 295 255 299 268 248 293 324 320 259 259 294.8
117 108 100 93 85 147 121 72 100 78 79 104 98 146 87 86 101.6
172 189 178 208 163 188 141 163 180 165 144 170 207 158 153 159 172.9
23 12 18 13 28 15 33 20 19 25 25 19 19 16 19 14 20.3
5304 5566 5299 5355 4709 6470 5349 4679 5432 4672 4389 5216 6048 5950 4898 4621 5235.8
331.5 347.9 331.2 334.7 294.3 404.4 334.3 292.4 339.5 292.0 274.3 326.0 378.0 371.9 306.1 288.8 327.2
1764 2040 1912 1496 1706 2754 2105 1230 1885 1533 1476 1709 1899 2475 1901 1526 1855.3
110.3 127.5 119.5 93.5 106.6 172.1 131.6 76.9 117.8 95.8 92.3 106.8 118.7 154.7 118.8 95.4 116.0
3540 3526 3387 3859 3003 3716 3244 3449 3547 3139 2913 3507 4149 3475 2997 3095 3380.5
221.3 220.4 211.7 241.2 187.7 232.3 202.8 215.6 221.7 196.2 182.1 219.2 259.3 217.2 187.3 193.4 211.3
445 415 432 437 402 536 458 371 445 386 421 452 457 501 441 398 441.2
4.0 4.9 4.4 3.4 4.2 5.1 4.6 3.3 4.2 4.0 3.5 3.8 4.2 4.9 4.3 3.8 4.2
517 549 557 622 508 443 518 530 526 503 525 545 566 444 475 511 516.4
323 325 333 383 308 303 287 324 299 296 284 331 366 278 276 290 315.0
62.5 59.2 59.8 61.6 60.6 68.4 55.4 61.1 56.8 58.8 54.1 60.7 64.7 62.6 58.1 56.8 61.0
31 34 37 28 59 30 27 45 28 42 48 30 35 30 29 24 32.4
191 245 230 217 374 191 140 304 161 288 312 161 193 201 190 141 205.9
13 10 12 22 8 4 22 12 15 17 15 12 9 12 22 13 14.5
293 233 192 312 36 16 685 56 188 339 279 139 217 162 396 114 233.9
2 2 0 1 1 0 6 0 0 2 2 1 2 0 3 0 1.6
61 76 80 83 74 59 76 80 66 76 101 72 68 67 81 87 72.1
45.5 45.5 45.9 42.5 44.3 43.6 44.3 43.5 41.1 43.4 42.5 42.4 44.3 45.2 43.6 42.8 43.7
5 5 10 8 8 7 6 4 4 9 8 9 3 11 11 6 7.1
40.0 39.2 37.7 37.4 39.1 38.4 37.4 39.1 35.2 36.6 36.5 35.8 38.2 38.3 35.4 37.0 37.3
1 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0.4
29 20 41 36 37 51 33 42 34 24 41 39 44 57 39 33 34.1
13.1 2.5 6.7 5.6 10.5 8.1 7.5 14.9 10.7 5.8 7.2 9.3 10.1 10.4 10.1 11.7 9.2
69 71 59 68 71 57 72 78 76 85 75 65 47 56 74 55 66.1
25.0 21.6 21.9 24.4 21.3 23.4 23.4 23.5 24.0 22.5 22.6 23.3 25.6 26.2 20.8 20.1 22.8
98 109 88 100 87 91 89 109 84 111 80 111 81 89 88 80 89.6
816 854 736 827 601 753 721 1002 637 866 593 869 671 654 660 639 712.4
207 208 219 232 216 197 210 203 206 204 227 219 222 187 214 208 210.8
92 79 87 81 77 90 80 68 82 83 73 83 94 74 81 74 83.2
44.4 38.0 39.7 34.9 35.6 45.7 38.1 33.5 39.8 40.7 32.2 37.9 42.3 39.6 37.9 35.6 39.5
17 19 20 21 14 10 23 13 14 16 14 19 13 6 13 12 15.3
13 9 9 10 8 6 17 5 8 5 5 12 8 4 5 8 8.1
76.5 47.4 45.0 47.6 57.1 60.0 73.9 38.5 57.1 31.3 35.7 63.2 61.5 66.7 38.5 66.7 52.9
52 38 37 39 36 63 43 36 41 34 31 39 40 53 34 32 38.9
13 17 14 16 11 31 20 10 14 14 7 14 13 26 8 12 14.9
36 20 19 21 19 25 22 15 21 17 19 22 25 20 23 16 20.2
3 1 4 2 6 7 1 11 6 3 5 3 2 7 3 4 3.9
49/49 35/35 31/32 38/39 33/33 62/62 38/38 35/35 37/37 31/31 29/29 38/38 39/39 52/52 33/33 30/31 36.5/36.7
1/3 1/3 2/4 0/0 0/2 0/1 1/4 1/1 3/4 1/3 0/2 0/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 0.9/2.1
21/27 20/25 24/28 26/33 38/44 25/29 25/30 26/36 34/39 19/26 24/28 35/42 37/41 31/32 28/30 24/28 26.4/31.3
AZ ATL CAR CHI DAL DET GB MIN NO NYG PHI SF SEA STL TB WAS NFL
AVG
GAMES (W-L-T)
FIRST DOWNS
Rushing
Passing
Penalty
TOTALYARDS GAINED
Average Per Game
RUSHING (NET)
Average Per Game
PASSING (NET)
Average Per Game
RUSHES
Average Yards
PASSES ATTEMPTED
Completed
Percent Completed
Sacked
Yards Lost
Had Intercepted
Yards Opp. Ret.
Opp. TDs On Int.
PUNTS
Gross Average
Touchbacks
Net Average
Blocked
PUNT RETURNS
Average Return
Return For TD
KICKOFF RETURNS
Average Return
Returns For TD
PENALTIES
Yards
FUMBLES
Fumbles Lost
Opponent Fumbles
Opponent Fumbles Rec.
3RD-DOWNATTEMPTS
Conv. to 1st Down
3rd Down Efficiency
4TH-DOWNATTEMPTS
Conv. to 1st Down
4th-Down Efficiency
Time of Possession
TOUCHDOWNS
Rushing
Passing
Returns
1-PT. PAT/ATTEMPTS
2-PT. PAT/ATTEMPTS
FG/FGA
Total Points
OPP. POINTS
OPP. 1ST DOWNS
Rushing
Passing
Penalty
OPP. YDS. GAINED
Avg. Per Game
RUSHING (NET)
Avg. Per Game
PASSING (NET)
Avg. Per Game
OPP. RUSHES
Avg. Yards
OPP. PASSES
Completed
Pct. Comp.
Sacked
Yards Lost
Intercepted By
Yards Ret.
Ret. for TD
OPP. PUNTS
Gross Avg.
Touchbacks
Net Avg.
Blocked
OPP. PUNT RET.
Avg. Ret.
OPP. KICKOFF RET.
Avg. Ret.
OPP. PENALTIES
Yards
OPP. 3RD-DOWNATT.
Conv. To 1st Down
3rd Down Efficiency
OPP. 4TH-DOWNATT.
Conv. To 1st Down
4th-Down Efficiency
OPP. TOUCHDOWNS
Rushing
Passing
Returns
1-PT. PAT/ATTEMPTS
2-PT. PAT/ATTEMPTS
OPP. FG/FGA
BAL BUF CIN CLE DEN HOU IND JAX KC MIA NE NYJ OAK PIT SD TEN OFFENSE
AZ ATL CAR CHI DAL DET GB MIN NO NYG PHI SF SEA STL TB WAS NFL
AVG
BAL BUF CIN CLE DEN HOU IND JAX KC MIA NE NYJ OAK PIT SD TEN DEFENSE
30 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
NFL TEAM RANKINGS
FINAL
Total Yards/Game
Rushing Yards/Game
Avg. Gain/Rush
Passing Yards/Game
Avg. Gain/Pass Play
Pct. Had Intercepted
Pct. QB Sacks Allowed
First Downs/Game
Avg. Gain/Off. Play
3rd Down Efficiency
4th Down Efficiency
Punt Return Avg.
Kickoff Return Avg.
Gross Punting Avg.
Net Punting Avg.
Points/Game
Extra Point Pct.
Field Goal Pct.
Opp. Yards/Game
Opp. Rush Yds./Game
Avg. Gain/Rush
Opp. Pass Yds./Game
Avg. Gain/Pass Play
Pct. Intercepted By
QB Sack Pct.
Opp. 1st Downs/Game
Avg. Gain/Def. Play
3rd Down Efficiency
4th Down Efficiency
Opp. Punt Return Avg.
Opp. Kickoff Ret. Avg.
Opp. Gross Punt Avg.
Opp. Net Punt Avg.
Opp. Points/Game
Opp. Field Goal Pct.
Point Differential
Turnover Edge
Penalty Yards Edge
Punt Ret. Differential
KO Return Differential
Time of Possession
18 25 32 31 2 3 15 20 24 12 5 16 29 22 11 21
4 14 29 26 12 13 31 18 16 11 6 9 10 23 20 7
22 16 30 26 3 13 32 17 4 15 7 5 10 29 19 11
28 22 30 31 3 4 5 15 20 10 12 16 32 17 7 27
17 22 32 31 7 5 9 23 26 8 13 21 29 20 1 16
16 23 20 31 19 25 5 11 21 2 6 32 13 22 7 3
22 24 30 9 1 17 3 23 19 11 26 14 27 29 10 4
14 21t 29 31 2t 4 7 10 24 11t 1 11t 32 20 13 25
25 21 32 31 2 4 12 22 19 7 14 13 27 24 3 20
15 17 27 28 3 10 1 16 21 23 7 13 32 14 4 24
6 25 14t 26t 29 8 4 9t 30 5 2 11 26t 32 3 20t
19 1 26 23 13 3 32 15 29 11 9 7 2 31 8 14
31 7 14 19 23 26 28 18 27 30 3 15 17 29 9 1
8 14 32 7 5 24 12 20 13 18 15 25 2 30 6 21
5 7 31 6 12 27 8 16 14 26 17 28 1 24 2 19
11 23 32 30t 16 17 13 24 26 21 8 9 29 20 2 14t
1t 1t 1t 1t 28 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 31 29 1t 1t
24t 28 10 20 30 11t 24t 29 31 19 6 21 24t 14 17 11t
2 14 12 26 29 22 11 17 31 15 10 16 27 1 25 7
3 22 21 28 27 23 24 13t 30 10 15 7 31 2 11 6
5 21 10 25 30 24 17 13 31 18 15 7 27 1 14 6
2 13 15 14 26 17 6 24 28 25 11 29 10 1 31 9
3 20 19 29 27 25 9 30 28 17 21 16 22 1 18 4
2 27 23 1 31 17 11 15 20 10 12 22 8 5 21 7
14 26 31 30 24 23 15 16 32 7 13 8 9 2 28 6
1 12t 15t 24t 29 19 20 11 31 15t 7t 24t 28 2 30 9t
3 18 12 25 30 28 10 27 29 20 19 14 23 1 21 4
3 9 24 30 25 16 31t 22 31t 10 26 15 27 1 20 6
1 16 11t 25 18 32 7t 11t 7t 21 2 29 28 14t 17 9
6 23 14 9 28 26 15 12 16 29 31 19 18 4 5 13
15 2 13 17 28 11 24 3 22 25 10 7 27 1 14 29
9 29 17 1 31 24 25 10 20 32 11 13 12 6 19 3
11 14 19 2 32 16 28 13 17 29 7 8 1 21 27 6
3 14 19 16t 30 27 7 21 29 9 8 18 24 1 15 2
30 11 31 2 27 17t 20 24 28 26 10 23 5 22 6 1
1t 20 30 27 25 21 9 24 29 16 6 12 28 5 7 1t
3 27 20 8t 31t 29 4t 25t 8t 1 15t 19 15t 11t 11t 2
14 15 4 7 16 17t 25 27 23 22 6 9 30 19 20 26
8 2 22 12 24 14 27 15 25 26 29 17 6 18 4 16
26 2 14 20 27 21 30 5 25 31 4 7 24 9 8 16
1 17 26 30 24 4 25 8 29 11 3 14 27 6 23 22
BAL BUF CIN CLE DEN HOU IND JAX KC MIA NE NYJ OAK PIT SD TEN OFFENSE
4 6 10 26 13 30 8 17 1 7 9 23 28 27 14 19
32 2 3 24 21 30 17 5 28 1 22 27 19 25 15 8
31 9 2 27 12 28 18 6 23 1 24 21 14 25 20 8
2 14 19 21 9 24 8 25 1 18 6 13 29 26 11 23
6 3 4 25 11 27 10 19 2 14 12 18 30 28 15 24
9 12 18 15 27 28t 10 30 17 4 14 28t 24 26 8 1
7 6 8 12 13 31 18 28 2 16 5 32 21 25 15 20
6 9 21t 27 19 30 15 18 2t 5 8 21t 26 28 16 17
6 8 5 26 9 29 11 17 1 10 15 18 28 30 16 23
11 6 18 25 9 31 5 19 2 8 12 22 30 29 20 26
14t 19 31 26t 9t 14t 23t 14t 12t 20t 23t 20t 1 18 12t 7
27 17 5 28 30 25 6 24 4 18 20 10 12 21 16 22
25 10 16 5 21 24 32 20 8 12 11 13 2 22 6 4
26 31 23 28 19 17 27 4 9 16 22 3 10 1 11 29
30 20 21 10 22 11 25 29 23 4 15 9 18 3 13 32
3t 10 7 14t 18 27 5 12 1 3t 6 22 25 30t 19 28
1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 32 1t 1t 27 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 30 1t
8 2 5 7 4 1 27 16 23 3 22 11t 9 15 18 32
19 24 18 21 8 32 20 6 23 5 3 13 30 28 9 4
16 25 20 5 12 32 26 1 17 9 4 13t 18 29 19 8
11 28 23 3 20 32 26 2 19 12 4 8 16 29 22 9
22 21 16 30 5 27 12 18 23 8 3 20 32 19 4 7
24 14 6 10 5 32 12 13 23 7 2 15 26 31 11 8
19 28 26 6 30 32 4 24 14 9 13 25 29 16 3 18
20 17 12 29 1 10 25 4 22 5 3 21 18 11 19 27
22 21 15t 23 9t 32 14 4 18 7t 3 12t 27 26 5t 5t
17 24 13 6 5 32 16 7 22 9 2 11 26 31 15 8
28 13 18 5 8 29 14 4 19 21 2 12 23 17 11 7
31 13 10 14t 19t 22 30 5t 19t 3 4 24 23 26t 5t 26t
30 1 7 2 24 11 10 32 25 3 8 17 21 22 20 27
30 8 9 26 6 19 20 21 23 12 16 18 31 32 5 4
28 27 30 5 23 18 22 15 2 14 7 4 21 26 16 8
31 26 20 10 25 24 18 30 4 12 9 5 22 23 3 15
28 11 12 16t 20 32 22 13 26 5 4 23 25 31 10 6
7 9 14t 8 19 17t 12t 3 21 4 14t 12t 25 32 29 14t
18 11 8 17 19 32 14 13 10 3 4 23 26 31 15 22
17t 21 7 8t 30 28 6 24 22 4t 14 31t 25t 23 11t 17t
12 2 8 3 32 13 31 1 28 11 21 5 10 24 29 17t
31 1 3 11 30 20 5 32 10 7 9 13 19 23 21 28
28 6 10 15 11 23 29 22 17 13 12 18 19 32 3 1
16 13 21 28 18 31 9 10 15 2 12 20 32 19 7 5
AZ ATL CAR CHI DAL DET GB MIN NO NYG PHI SF SEA STL TB WAS
BAL BUF CIN CLE DEN HOU IND JAX KC MIA NE NYJ OAK PIT SD TEN DEFENSE AZ ATL CAR CHI DAL DET GB MIN NO NYG PHI SF SEA STL TB WAS
BAL BUF CIN CLE DEN HOU IND JAX KC MIA NE NYJ OAK PIT SD TEN MISCELLANEOUS AZ ATL CAR CHI DAL DET GB MIN NO NYG PHI SF SEA STL TB WAS
AFC NFC
MIA. 1 0 1 6 7 13 1 3 4 12 18 30 +17
TEN. 0 0 0 8 9 17 0 0 0 11 20 31 +14
BALT. 0 0 0 9 12 21 2 2 4 8 26 34 +13
IND. 0 0 0 5 12 17 0 0 0 11 15 26 +9
N.Y.G. 0 0 0 3 10 13 0 1 1 5 17 22 +9
G.B. 1 0 1 8 13 21 0 2 2 6 22 28 +7
CAR. 0 0 0 7 12 19 1 1 2 13 12 25 +6
CHI. 1 0 1 13 14 27 1 0 1 10 22 32 +5
CLEV. 0 2 2 6 20 26 0 1 1 8 23 31 +5
K.C. 1 0 1 8 16 24 0 0 0 16 13 29 +5
PITT. 0 1 1 10 15 25 0 2 2 9 20 29 +4
S.D. 0 0 0 9 11 20 0 2 2 9 15 24 +4
T.B. 0 1 1 13 13 26 0 1 1 8 22 30 +4
PHIL. 1 0 1 10 16 26 4 1 5 14 15 29 +3
N.E. 0 0 0 10 11 21 1 0 1 8 14 22 +1
OAK. 0 1 1 12 11 23 0 1 1 8 16 24 +1
ARIZ. 1 1 2 15 15 30 1 2 3 17 13 30 +0
WASH. 1 0 1 12 6 18 0 1 1 5 13 18 +0
N.Y.J. 1 3 4 8 23 31 1 0 1 16 14 30 -1
CIN. 0 0 0 11 15 26 1 0 1 12 12 24 -2
ATL. 1 2 3 10 11 21 0 0 0 8 10 18 -3
N.O. 1 1 2 8 18 26 0 0 0 7 15 22 -4
ST.L. 0 0 0 12 19 31 1 2 3 14 12 26 -5
MINN. 0 1 1 14 17 31 0 0 0 13 12 25 -6
JAX. 2 2 4 11 13 24 0 0 0 4 13 17 -7
SEA. 1 2 3 12 15 27 1 1 2 11 9 20 -7
BUFF. 1 0 1 15 15 30 0 0 0 12 10 22 -8
DET. 0 2 2 10 19 29 1 0 1 16 4 20 -9
HOU. 1 0 1 12 20 32 1 0 1 10 12 22 -10
DALL. 4 1 5 13 20 33 1 0 1 14 8 22 -11
DEN. 0 2 2 12 18 30 0 0 0 7 6 13 -17
S.F. 0 1 1 16 19 35 1 0 1 6 12 18 -17
GAME SEASON GAME SEASON DIF
Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot
1. N.O. 1047 4.01 7.67 6.28
2. DEN. 1019 4.81 7.07 6.21
3. S.D. 924 4.10 7.67 6.04
4. HOU. 1019 4.27 7.27 6.00
5. CAR. 938 4.84 7.28 5.96
6. ARIZ. 998 3.46 7.10 5.86
7. MIA. 965 4.23 7.03 5.73
8. ATL. 1011 4.36 7.40 5.72
9. DALL. 979 4.30 6.56 5.63
10. N.Y.G. 1021 5.02 6.12 5.58
11. G.B. 1012 4.13 6.63 5.55
12. IND. 969 3.44 6.83 5.54
13. N.Y.J. 981 4.75 5.91 5.41
14. N.E. 1095 4.44 6.13 5.34
15. PHIL. 1056 3.97 6.22 5.31
16. T.B. 1045 4.07 6.09 5.22
17. MINN. 1014 4.49 5.97 5.22
18. S.F. 961 4.03 5.99 5.18
19. K.C. 957 4.78 5.41 5.16
20. TEN. 973 4.33 6.06 5.16
21. BUFF. 956 4.20 5.88 5.11
22. JAX. 1005 4.16 5.75 5.08
23. WASH. 1026 4.38 5.52 4.99
24. PITT. 1015 3.67 5.95 4.92
25. BALT. 1058 4.01 6.03 4.90
26. CHI. 991 3.85 5.50 4.78
27. OAK. 919 4.33 5.15 4.74
28. SEA. 927 4.24 5.13 4.73
29. DET. 913 3.78 5.28 4.70
30. ST.L. 982 3.95 5.22 4.68
31. CLEV. 921 3.92 4.65 4.33
32. CIN. 984 3.62 4.27 3.99
1. PITT. 974 3.29 4.30 3.90
2. PHIL. 994 3.51 5.08 4.42
3. BALT. 928 3.56 5.12 4.50
4. TEN. 1022 3.73 5.16 4.60
5. DALL. 969 4.24 5.30 4.86
6. CHI. 1087 3.42 5.94 4.93
7. MINN. 946 3.32 6.00 4.95
8. WASH. 933 3.83 5.79 4.95
9. N.Y.G. 931 3.97 5.76 5.02
10. IND. 983 4.17 5.89 5.06
11. S.F. 1027 3.78 6.10 5.08
12. CIN. 1013 3.92 6.28 5.14
13. CAR. 1026 4.43 5.70 5.16
14. N.Y.J. 1020 3.73 6.12 5.17
15. T.B. 945 4.31 5.95 5.18
16. G.B. 1003 4.60 5.95 5.33
17. ARIZ. 993 3.96 6.46 5.34
18. BUFF. 971 4.28 6.34 5.37
19. N.E. 920 4.15 6.38 5.37
20. MIA. 979 4.18 6.17 5.38
21. S.D. 1041 4.02 6.25 5.38
22. N.O. 999 4.24 6.40 5.44
23. OAK. 1045 4.71 6.40 5.53
24. ATL. 998 4.92 6.05 5.58
25. CLEV. 1004 4.49 7.07 5.68
26. SEA. 1058 4.16 6.90 5.72
27. JAX. 922 3.99 7.26 5.74
28. HOU. 935 4.47 6.90 5.76
29. K.C. 1041 5.00 7.05 6.04
30. DEN. 990 4.98 7.02 6.05
31. ST.L. 975 4.94 7.33 6.10
32. DET. 1009 5.14 7.86 6.41
OFF RUSH PASS OFF
OFFENSE PLAYS AVG AVG AVG
DEF RUSH PASS DEF
DEFENSE PLAYS AVG AVG AVG
OFF TOT TOT SCOR TD
OFFENSE POSS TD FG % %
OFF TOT TOT SCOR TD
DEFENSE POSS TD FG % %
1. IND. 50 34 11 .900 .680
2. CAR. 49 32 14 .939 .653
3. TEN. 45 28 14 .933 .622
4. N.O. 62 38 15 .855 .613
5. DET. 31 19 7 .839 .613
6. G.B. 48 29 16 .938 .604
7. MIA. 45 27 11 .844 .600
8. DALL. 44 26 8 .773 .591
9. ARIZ. 65 38 16 .831 .585
10. K.C. 45 26 13 .867 .578
11. S.D. 65 37 23 .923 .569
12. CHI. 50 28 17 .900 .560
13. JAX. 45 25 9 .756 .556
14. ATL. 56 31 17 .857 .554
15. PITT. 49 27 17 .898 .551
16. DEN. 55 30 14 .800 .545
17. N.Y.J. 62 33 18 .823 .532
18. S.F. 52 27 17 .846 .519
19. N.E. 65 33 25 .892 .508
20. N.Y.G. 69 35 28 .913 .507
21. SEA. 42 21 17 .905 .500
22. PHIL. 63 31 22 .841 .492
23. BUFF. 52 25 17 .808 .481
24. WASH. 48 23 15 .792 .479
25. BALT. 51 24 20 .863 .471
26. HOU. 61 28 20 .787 .459
27. CIN. 33 15 12 .818 .455
28. MINN. 44 19 17 .818 .432
29. OAK. 37 15 18 .892 .405
30. T.B. 56 22 26 .857 .393
31. CLEV. 38 14 20 .895 .368
32. ST.L. 29 10 14 .828 .345
1. PITT. 42 14 19 .786 .333
2. BALT. 39 14 16 .769 .359
3. IND. 47 19 21 .851 .404
4. BUFF. 55 23 22 .818 .418
5. MINN. 47 20 15 .745 .426
6. DALL. 56 26 26 .929 .464
7. TEN. 43 20 13 .767 .465
8. S.F. 52 25 17 .808 .481
9. N.O. 60 29 26 .917 .483
10. N.Y.G. 35 17 11 .800 .486
11. MIA. 47 23 19 .894 .489
12. CLEV. 54 27 14 .759 .500
13. N.Y.J. 57 29 17 .807 .509
14. ATL. 52 27 16 .827 .519
15. S.D. 53 28 12 .755 .528
16. PHIL. 36 19 12 .861 .528
17. SEA. 51 27 21 .941 .529
18. CAR. 49 26 16 .857 .531
19. K.C. 67 36 20 .836 .537
20. CHI. 55 30 17 .855 .545
21. WASH. 42 23 16 .929 .548
22. T.B. 36 20 16 1.000 .556
23. G.B. 51 29 15 .863 .569
24. OAK. 54 31 15 .852 .574
25. JAX. 53 31 16 .887 .585
26. CIN. 49 29 17 .939 .592
27. DEN. 60 36 19 .917 .600
28. ARIZ. 55 35 12 .855 .636
29. HOU. 47 30 13 .915 .638
30. ST.L. 53 34 14 .906 .642
31. N.E. 45 30 12 .933 .667
32. DET. 64 43 13 .875 .672
TURNOVERS TAKEAWAYS TEAM EFFICIENCY INSIDE THE RED ZONE
31 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
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PASSES DROPPED THROWN-TO DATA RED-ZONE RECEPTIONS SECOND-HALF YARDS PER CARRY RED-ZONE COMPLETIONS
FOURTH-QUARTER PASSING FIRST-DOWN PASSING CONVERSIONS ON THIRD DOWN
RUSHING
Player Team Att Yds Avg Lg TD
Peterson Minn. 363 1,760 4.8 67 10
Turner Atl. 376 1,699 4.5 70 17
D. Williams Car. 273 1,515 5.5 69 18
Portis Wash.342 1,487 4.3 31 9
Forte Chi. 316 1,238 3.9 50 8
Grant G.B. 312 1,203 3.9 57 4
Jacobs N.Y.G. 219 1,089 5.0 44 15
Jackson St.L. 253 1,042 4.1 56 7
Gore S.F. 240 1,036 4.3 41 6
Ward N.Y.G. 182 1,025 5.6 51 2
Kev. Smith Det. 238 976 4.1 50 8
Westbrook Phil. 233 936 4.0 39 9
Barber Dall. 238 885 3.7 35 7
Stewart Car. 184 836 4.5 43 10
Dunn T.B. 186 786 4.2 40 2
J. Jones Sea. 158 698 4.4 33 2
P. Thomas N.O. 129 625 4.8 42 9
Morris Sea. 132 574 4.3 45 0
Graham T.B. 132 563 4.3 68 4
James Ariz. 133 514 3.9 35 3
Norwood Atl. 95 489 5.1 45 4
Choice Dall. 92 472 5.1 38 2
McAllister N.O. 107 418 3.9 19 5
Bush N.O. 106 404 3.8 43 2
Taylor Minn. 101 399 4.0 21 4
Hightower Ariz. 143 399 2.8 30 10
Buckhalter Phil. 76 369 4.9 33 2
Bradshaw N.Y.G. 67 355 5.3 77 1
Pittman St.L. 79 296 3.7 24 0
F. Jones Dall. 30 266 8.9 60 3
J. Campbell Wash. 47 258 5.5 23 1
Jackson G.B. 45 248 5.5 32 1
R. Johnson Det. 76 237 3.1 27 1
Foster S.F. 76 234 3.1 18 1
C. Williams T.B. 63 233 3.7 28 4
Rodgers G.B. 56 207 3.7 21 4
Betts Wash. 61 206 3.4 14 1
Arrington Ariz. 31 187 6.0 30 1
Duckett Sea. 62 172 2.8 29 8
Garcia T.B. 35 148 4.2 20 1
McNabb Phil. 39 147 3.8 17 2
OSullivan S.F. 30 145 4.8 18 0
Darby St.L. 32 140 4.4 14 0
T. Jackson Minn. 26 139 5.3 29 0
Weaver Sea. 30 130 4.3 15 0
S. Hill S.F. 24 115 4.8 24 2
Wynn G.B. 8 110 13.8 73 1
Jones Chi. 34 109 3.2 16 0
Ryan Atl. 55 104 1.9 17 1
Peterson Chi. 20 100 5.0 16 0
RECEIVING
Player Team No Yds Avg Lg TD
Fitzgerald Ariz. 96 1,431 14.9 78 12
Boldin Ariz. 89 1,038 11.7 79 11
White Atl. 88 1,382 15.7 70 7
A. Bryant T.B. 83 1,248 15.0 71 7
Cooley Wash. 83 849 10.2 28 1
Witten Dall. 81 952 11.8 42 4
Jennings G.B. 80 1,292 16.2 63 9
Moss Wash. 79 1,044 13.2 67 6
L. Moore N.O. 79 928 11.7 70 10
Smith Car. 78 1,421 18.2 65 6
C. Johnson Det. 78 1,331 17.1 96 12
Breaston Ariz. 77 1,006 13.1 58 3
Driver G.B. 74 1,012 13.7 71 5
Owens Dall. 69 1,052 15.2 75 10
Muhammad Car. 65 923 14.2 60 5
Holt St.L. 64 796 12.4 45 3
Forte Chi. 63 477 7.6 19 4
D. Jackson Phil. 62 912 14.7 60 2
Bruce S.F. 61 835 13.7 63 7
Smith N.Y.G. 57 574 10.1 30 1
Carlson Sea. 55 627 11.4 33 5
Olsen Chi. 54 574 10.6 52 5
Westbrook Phil. 54 402 7.4 47 5
Avery St.L. 53 674 12.7 69 3
Wade Minn. 53 645 12.2 59 2
Randle El Wash. 53 593 11.2 31 4
Bush N.O. 52 440 8.5 42 4
Barber Dall. 52 417 8.0 70 2
Hester Chi. 51 665 13.0 65 3
Jenkins Atl. 50 777 15.5 62 3
Shockey N.O. 50 483 9.7 26 0
Berrian Minn. 48 964 20.1 99 7
Toomer N.Y.G. 48 580 12.1 40 4
Colston N.O. 47 760 16.2 70 5
Engram Sea. 47 489 10.4 37 0
Hilliard T.B. 47 424 9.0 36 4
Dunn T.B. 47 330 7.0 36 0
Miller N.O. 45 579 12.9 41 1
Johnson S.F. 45 546 12.1 42 3
Taylor Minn. 45 399 8.9 47 2
Hixon N.Y.G. 43 596 13.9 41 2
Gore S.F. 43 373 8.7 26 2
Shiancoe Minn. 42 596 14.2 40 7
Ward N.Y.G. 41 384 9.4 48 0
Clark Chi. 41 367 9.0 35 1
Jackson St.L. 40 379 9.5 53 1
Crayton Dall. 39 550 14.1 55 4
D. Lee G.B. 39 303 7.8 26 5
Kev. Smith Det. 39 286 7.3 27 0
Clayton T.B. 38 484 12.7 58 1
L.J. Smith Phil. 37 298 8.1 25 2
Roy E. Williams Dall. 36 430 11.9 38 2
Stevens T.B. 36 397 11.0 31 2
Norwood Atl. 36 338 9.4 67 2
Burress N.Y.G. 35 454 13.0 33 4
R. Davis Chi. 35 445 12.7 36 2
McDonald Det. 35 332 9.5 26 1
Urban Ariz. 34 448 13.2 56 4
Hightower Ariz. 34 237 7.0 26 0
Baskett Phil. 33 440 13.3 90 3
Curtis Phil. 33 390 11.8 32 2
Boss N.Y.G. 33 384 11.6 28 6
Nelson G.B. 33 366 11.1 29 2
Henderson N.O. 32 793 24.8 84 3
Avant Phil. 32 377 11.8 31 2
Davis S.F. 31 358 11.5 57 2
P. Thomas N.O. 31 284 9.2 24 3
Branch Sea. 30 412 13.7 63 4
J. Hill S.F. 30 317 10.6 33 2
Jackson G.B. 30 185 6.2 18 0
Arrington Ariz. 29 255 8.8 35 1
K. Robinson Sea. 28 362 12.9 90 2
Portis Wash. 28 218 7.8 29 0
Celek Phil. 27 318 11.8 44 1
Lloyd Chi. 26 364 14.0 32 2
Buckhalter Phil. 26 324 12.5 59 2
Battle S.F. 24 318 13.3 36 0
Douglas Atl. 23 320 13.9 69 1
Looker St.L. 23 271 11.8 30 2
Gaines Det. 23 260 11.3 33 1
Graham T.B. 23 174 7.6 24 0
Betts Wash. 22 200 9.1 27 0
D. Williams Car. 22 121 5.5 25 2
A. Smith T.B. 21 250 11.9 34 3
King Car. 21 195 9.3 31 1
Choice Dall. 21 185 8.8 50 0
Finneran Atl. 21 169 8.0 14 1
Peterson Minn. 21 125 6.0 16 0
Morgan S.F. 20 319 16.0 48 3
Bennett Dall. 20 283 14.2 34 4
Jones G.B. 20 274 13.7 46 1
Weaver Sea. 20 222 11.1 62 2
G. Lewis Phil. 19 247 13.0 52 1
Darby St.L. 19 183 9.6 30 0
Morris Sea. 19 136 7.2 13 2
R. Brown Phil. 18 252 14.0 40 1
Rosario Car. 18 209 11.6 24 1
Furrey Det. 18 181 10.1 25 0
Pittman St.L. 18 132 7.3 27 0
McAllister N.O. 18 128 7.1 20 1
Grant G.B. 18 116 6.4 17 1
Robinson S.F. 17 202 11.9 36 0
Foster S.F. 16 133 8.3 31 1
Tahi Minn. 16 37 2.3 7 0
Standeford Det. 15 244 16.3 36 0
Peelle Atl. 15 159 10.6 18 2
R. Martin G.B. 15 149 9.9 17 1
Gilmore T.B. 15 147 9.8 36 1
Rice Minn. 15 141 9.4 23 4
[Link] Wash. 15 120 8.0 18 0
M. Booker Chi. 14 211 15.1 51 2
Doucet Ariz. 14 90 6.4 12 0
J. Jones Sea. 14 66 4.7 17 0
Austin Dall. 13 278 21.4 63 3
Hackett Car. 13 181 13.9 37 0
K. Burton St.L. 13 172 13.2 30 1
Galloway T.B. 13 138 10.6 22 0
Askew T.B. 13 66 5.1 18 0
Meachem N.O. 12 289 24.1 74 3
Moss N.Y.G. 12 153 12.8 27 2
Campbell N.O. 12 121 10.1 29 2
Colbert Det. 12 116 9.7 28 1
D. Hall St.L. 12 105 8.8 20 0
Sellers Wash. 12 98 8.2 20 1
R. Johnson Det. 12 88 7.3 34 1
FitzSimmons Det. 12 85 7.1 16 1
James Ariz. 12 85 7.1 16 0
SCORING
Player Team TD XP/att FG/att 2XP Pts
Akers Phil. 0 45/45 33/40 0 144
Carney N.Y.G. 0 38/38 35/38 0 143
M. Bryant T.B. 0 35/36 32/38 0 131
Kasay Car. 0 46/46 28/31 0 130
Elam Atl. 0 42/42 29/31 0 129
Crosby G.B. 0 46/46 27/34 0 127
Longwell Minn. 0 40/40 29/34 0 127
D. Williams Car. 20 0/0 0/0 1 122
Nedney S.F. 0 34/34 29/33 0 121
Gould Chi. 0 41/41 26/29 0 119
Rackers Ariz. 0 44/44 25/28 0 119
J. Brown St.L. 0 19/19 31/36 0 112
Suisham Wash. 0 25/25 26/36 0 103
Folk Dall. 0 42/42 20/22 0 102
Mare Sea. 0 30/30 24/27 0 102
Turner Atl. 17 0/0 0/0 0 102
Jacobs N.Y.G. 15 0/0 0/0 0 90
Hanson Det. 0 24/25 21/22 0 87
Westbrook Phil. 14 0/0 0/0 0 84
C. Johnson Det. 12 0/0 0/0 1 74
Fitzgerald Ariz. 12 0/0 0/0 0 72
Forte Chi. 12 0/0 0/0 0 72
P. Thomas N.O. 12 0/0 0/0 0 72
Hartley N.O. 0 28/28 13/13 0 67
Boldin Ariz. 11 0/0 0/0 0 66
Hightower Ariz. 10 0/0 0/0 0 60
L. Moore N.O. 10 0/0 0/0 0 60
Owens Dall. 10 0/0 0/0 0 60
Peterson Minn. 10 0/0 0/0 0 60
Stewart Car. 10 0/0 0/0 0 60
Jennings G.B. 9 0/0 0/0 1 56
Barber Dall. 9 0/0 0/0 0 54
Bush N.O. 9 0/0 0/0 0 54
Portis Wash. 9 0/0 0/0 0 54
Gore S.F. 8 0/0 0/0 1 50
Berrian Minn. 8 0/0 0/0 0 48
Duckett Sea. 8 0/0 0/0 0 48
Jackson St.L. 8 0/0 0/0 0 48
Kev. Smith Det. 8 0/0 0/0 0 48
Bruce S.F. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
A. Bryant T.B. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Moss Wash. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Shiancoe Minn. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
White Atl. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Boss N.Y.G. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
McAllister N.O. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Norwood Atl. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Smith Car. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Taylor Minn. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Gramatica N.O. 0 16/16 6/10 0 34
Carlson Sea. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Colston N.O. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Driver G.B. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Grant G.B. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
D. Lee G.B. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Muhammad Car. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Olsen Chi. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Avery St.L. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Bennett Dall. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Branch Sea. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Buckhalter Phil. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Burress N.Y.G. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Crayton Dall. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Graham T.B. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Hilliard T.B. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
D. Jackson Phil. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
F. Jones Dall. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Meachem N.O. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Randle El Wash. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Rice Minn. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Rodgers G.B. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Toomer N.Y.G. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Urban Ariz. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
C. Williams T.B. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Witten Dall. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
James Ariz. 3 0/0 0/0 1 20
Jenkins Atl. 3 0/0 0/0 1 20
Lloyd Chi. 3 0/0 0/0 1 20
A. Smith T.B. 3 0/0 0/0 1 20
Arrington Ariz. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Austin Dall. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Baskett Phil. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Breaston Ariz. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Collins G.B. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
R. Davis Chi. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Douglas Atl. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Henderson N.O. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Hester Chi. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Holt St.L. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Johnson S.F. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Kuhn G.B. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
McKie Chi. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Mehlhaff N.O. 0 9/10 3/4 0 18
Morgan S.F. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Orton Chi. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Hixon N.Y.G. 2 0/0 0/0 1 14
NFC INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
FINAL
PUNT RETURNS
Player Team No FC Yds Avg Lg TD
C. Smith T.B. 23 4 324 14.1 70 1
Bush N.O. 20 3 270 13.5 71 3
Jones Car. 39 20 443 11.4 55 0
Blackmon G.B. 36 11 398 11.1 76 2
Hixon N.Y.G. 24 9 242 10.1 50 0
Forsett Sea. 27 10 263 9.7 29 0
D. Jackson Phil. 50 16 440 8.8 68 1
Breaston Ariz. 33 10 237 7.2 25 0
Randle El Wash. 39 21 254 6.5 36 0
A. Jennings Det. 24 6 151 6.3 37 0
Hester Chi. 32 14 198 6.2 25 0
D. Jackson T.B. 20 0 97 4.9 19 0
A. Jones Dall. 21 0 95 4.5 18 0
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player Team No Yds Avg Lg TD
D. Manning Chi. 36 1,070 29.7 83 1
C. Smith T.B. 36 992 27.6 97 1
Rossum S.F. 47 1,259 26.8 104 1
Norwood Atl. 51 1,311 25.7 92 0
Arrington Ariz. 36 923 25.6 93 1
Cartwright Wash. 51 1,307 25.6 87 0
P. Thomas N.O. 31 793 25.6 88 0
Wilson Sea. 69 1,753 25.4 61 0
Demps Phil. 52 1,314 25.3 100 1
Stanley St.L. 25 620 24.8 75 0
Jones Car. 40 958 24.0 59 0
Roby N.O. 24 573 23.9 62 0
M. Hicks Minn. 29 690 23.8 38 0
Cason Det. 32 746 23.3 46 0
Bradshaw N.Y.G. 39 867 22.2 58 0
Middleton Det. 39 864 22.2 42 0
Hester Chi. 31 679 21.9 51 0
Player Team No Yds Lg TD
Collins G.B. 7 295 62 3
Woodson G.B. 7 169 62 2
Atogwe St.L. 5 91 43 0
David N.O. 5 83 42 0
T. Williams G.B. 5 78 39 0
Hall Wash. 5 37 21 0
Payne Chi. 4 147 50 0
Wilson Sea. 4 135 75 1
Rodgers-Cromartie Ariz. 4 129 99 1
Barber T.B. 4 69 65 1
Samuel Phil. 4 64 50 1
Talib T.B. 4 32 19 0
Newman Dall. 4 2 2 0
Phillips T.B. 3 72 58 0
Webster N.Y.G. 3 65 57 0
Butler N.Y.G. 3 62 47 0
Ross N.Y.G. 3 58 50 1
Mikell Phil. 3 53 41 0
Tillman Chi. 3 52 26 1
Beason Car. 3 52 44 0
E. Coleman Atl. 3 48 32 0
Bartell St.L. 3 29 24 0
W. Harris S.F. 3 25 1 0
Gamble Car. 3 23 19 0
Spikes S.F. 3 14 13 0
Horton Wash. 3 13 10 0
Briggs Chi. 3 12 9 0
PASSING
Comp TD Int Avg
Player Team Att Comp Pct Yds TD Pct Lg Int Pct Gain Rating
Warner Ariz. 598 401 67.1 4,583 30 5.0 79 14 2.3 7.66 96.9
Brees N.O. 635 413 65.0 5,069 34 5.4 84 17 2.7 7.98 96.2
Rodgers G.B. 536 341 63.6 4,038 28 5.2 71 13 2.4 7.53 93.8
Romo Dall. 450 276 61.3 3,448 26 5.8 75 14 3.1 7.66 91.4
Garcia T.B. 376 244 64.9 2,712 12 3.2 71 6 1.6 7.21 90.2
Ryan Atl. 434 265 61.1 3,440 16 3.7 70 11 2.5 7.93 87.7
S. Hill S.F. 288 181 62.8 2,046 13 4.5 48 8 2.8 7.10 87.5
S. Wallace Sea. 242 141 58.3 1,532 11 4.5 90 3 1.2 6.33 87.0
Manning N.Y.G. 479 289 60.3 3,238 21 4.4 48 10 2.1 6.76 86.4
McNabb Phil. 571 345 60.4 3,916 23 4.0 90 11 1.9 6.86 86.4
Delhomme Car. 414 246 59.4 3,288 15 3.6 65 12 2.9 7.94 84.7
J. Campbell Wash. 506 315 62.3 3,245 13 2.6 67 6 1.2 6.41 84.3
Orton Chi. 465 272 58.5 2,972 18 3.9 65 12 2.6 6.39 79.6
Frerotte Minn. 301 178 59.1 2,157 12 4.0 99 15 5.0 7.17 73.7
Orlovsky Det. 255 143 56.1 1,616 8 3.1 96 8 3.1 6.34 72.6
Bulger St.L. 440 251 57.0 2,720 11 2.5 80 13 3.0 6.18 71.4
NON-QUALIFIERS
T. Jackson Minn. 149 88 59.1 1,056 9 6.0 59 2 1.3 7.09 95.4
OSullivan S.F. 220 128 58.2 1,678 8 3.6 63 11 5.0 7.63 73.6
Kitna Det. 120 68 56.7 758 5 4.2 47 5 4.2 6.32 72.2
Griese T.B. 184 110 59.8 1,073 5 2.7 38 7 3.8 5.83 69.4
Culpepper Det. 115 60 52.2 786 4 3.5 70 6 5.2 6.83 63.9
Grossman Chi. 62 32 51.6 257 2 3.2 29 2 3.2 4.15 59.7
Hasselbeck Sea. 209 109 52.2 1,216 5 2.4 34 10 4.8 5.82 57.8
Br. Johnson Dall. 78 41 52.6 427 2 2.6 36 5 6.4 5.47 50.5
Green St.L. 72 38 52.8 525 0 0.0 53 6 8.3 7.29 41.7
PUNTING
Gross Ins Ret Net
Player Team No Yds Lg Avg TB 20 Blk Ret Yds Avg
Jones St.L. 82 4,100 68 50.0 7 20 0 57 590 41.1
Feagles N.Y.G. 64 2,814 61 44.0 5 23 0 24 140 40.2
Lee S.F. 66 3,155 82 47.8 9 13 1 39 364 39.0
Maynard Chi. 96 3,957 67 41.2 5 40 0 36 203 38.1
N. Harris Det. 90 3,952 66 43.9 6 24 0 51 414 38.0
Rocca Phil. 77 3,334 65 43.3 4 24 1 41 296 37.9
Ryan Sea. 78 3,557 63 45.6 12 22 1 38 324 37.9
Bidwell T.B. 77 3,426 64 44.5 7 27 0 39 392 37.6
Koenen Atl. 63 2,566 60 40.7 4 25 2 20 49 37.5
Baker Car. 73 3,217 63 44.1 5 30 3 41 276 37.4
Frost G.B. 48 2,021 65 42.1 5 8 0 24 189 36.1
Paulescu Dall. 53 2,213 70 41.8 5 14 0 21 246 35.2
Johnson Ariz. 40 1,670 59 41.8 4 13 0 19 182 35.2
Kluwe Minn. 73 3,473 62 47.6 13 23 1 42 624 35.0
Plackemeier Wash. 66 2,741 62 41.5 10 17 1 27 310 33.3
FIELD-GOAL ACCURACY
Avg Avg Avg
1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50 or Yds Yds Yds
Player Team Yds Yds Yds Yds Longer Total Att Made Miss Lg
Hanson Det. 0-0 3-3 4-5 6-6 8-8 21-22 42.4 42.9 33.0 56
.000 1.000 .800 1.000 1.000 .955
Elam Atl. 0-0 11-11 7-8 10-10 1-2 29-31 35.2 34.8 42.0 50
.000 1.000 .875 1.000 .500 .936
Carney N.Y.G. 0-0 15-15 14-15 5-7 1-1 35-38 33.3 32.4 43.3 51
.000 1.000 .933 .714 1.000 .921
Folk Dall. 0-0 1-1 7-8 10-11 2-2 20-22 40.8 40.8 41.5 52
.000 1.000 .875 .909 1.000 .909
Kasay Car. 0-0 7-7 9-9 11-12 1-3 28-31 37.5 36.4 48.3 50
.000 1.000 1.000 .917 .333 .903
Gould Chi. 0-0 6-6 12-12 8-11 0-0 26-29 36.6 35.5 46.3 48
.000 1.000 1.000 .727 .000 .897
Rackers Ariz. 0-0 9-9 9-11 6-6 1-2 25-28 35.0 33.6 46.7 54
.000 1.000 .818 1.000 .500 .893
Mare Sea. 0-0 7-7 9-10 5-6 3-4 24-27 37.5 36.7 44.3 51
.000 1.000 .900 .833 .750 .889
Nedney S.F. 0-0 9-9 10-10 8-11 2-3 29-33 37.0 35.7 46.3 53
.000 1.000 1.000 .727 .667 .879
J. Brown St.L. 0-0 8-8 7-7 10-13 6-8 31-36 40.1 39.0 47.0 54
.000 1.000 1.000 .769 .750 .861
Longwell Minn. 0-0 10-10 7-9 6-9 6-6 29-34 38.0 37.1 43.0 54
.000 1.000 .778 .667 1.000 .853
M. Bryant T.B. 0-0 12-12 15-15 5-8 0-3 32-38 35.6 33.2 48.0 49
.000 1.000 1.000 .625 .000 .842
Akers Phil. 2-2 11-11 11-13 7-9 2-5 33-40 34.7 32.8 43.9 51
1.000 1.000 .846 .778 .400 .825
Crosby G.B. 1-1 8-8 10-13 5-6 3-6 27-34 37.5 35.1 46.7 53
1.000 1.000 .769 .833 .500 .794
Suisham Wash. 0-0 7-7 7-9 11-16 1-4 26-36 38.6 36.1 45.0 50
.000 1.000 .778 .688 .250 .722
Player Tm Sks
Ware Dall. 20.0
Abraham Atl. 16.5
Allen Minn. 14.5
Peppers Car. 14.5
Tuck N.Y.G. 12.0
Howard Phil. 10.0
Kampman G.B. 9.5
T. Cole Phil. 9.0
K. Williams Minn. 8.5
Ellis Dall. 8.0
Haralson S.F. 8.0
James Dall. 8.0
Kiwanuka N.Y.G. 8.0
Ratliff Dall. 7.5
J. Smith S.F. 7.0
Adams T.B. 6.5
J. Hall St.L. 6.5
White Det. 6.5
A. Brown Chi. 6.0
C. Johnson Car. 6.0
Little St.L. 6.0
McCray N.O. 6.0
Greenway Minn. 5.5
Mebane Sea. 5.5
Robbins N.Y.G. 5.5
Tapp Sea. 5.5
Avril Det. 5.0
Berry Ariz. 5.0
Edwards Minn. 5.0
T. Harris Chi. 5.0
Kerney Sea. 5.0
Ogunleye Chi. 5.0
Parker Phil. 5.0
Peterson Sea. 5.0
White T.B. 5.0
Wilkerson T.B. 5.0
Brayton Car. 4.5
Okeafor Ariz. 4.5
Bernard Sea. 4.0
Carter Wash. 4.0
Carter T.B. 4.0
C. Clemons Phil. 4.0
Dansby Ariz. 4.0
Davis Atl. 4.0
Dockett Ariz. 4.0
Ellis N.O. 4.0
LaBoy Ariz. 4.0
Long St.L. 4.0
Babineaux Atl. 3.5
T. Davis Car. 3.5
Evans Wash. 3.5
R. Green S.F. 3.5
Idonije Chi. 3.5
Lewis Car. 3.5
Smith Ariz. 3.5
Taylor Wash. 3.5
Tollefson N.Y.G. 3.5
Canty Dall. 3.0
Charleston N.O. 3.0
Cofield N.Y.G. 3.0
Craft St.L. 3.0
Dawkins Phil. 3.0
Grant N.O. 3.0
Hawk G.B. 3.0
Lawson S.F. 3.0
Redding Det. 3.0
Ruud T.B. 3.0
Smith N.O. 3.0
C. Smith Det. 3.0
Tinoisamoa St.L. 3.0
Woodson G.B. 3.0
Alford N.Y.G. 2.5
Gaither Phil. 2.5
Jenkins G.B. 2.5
Montgomery G.B. 2.5
Robison Minn. 2.5
Wilson Ariz. 2.5
Wyms Minn. 2.5
SACKS
INTERCEPTIONS
32 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
By Seth Gruen
Every year, football players sustain career-changing, and
sometimes career-ending, injuries. Players often believe
themselves to be invincible until they are forced to deal with
an injury that prevents them from playing.
Baylor senior Jason Smith acknowledges that he wasnt
always grounded in the life-affirming philosophy that has
made him a sure-fire first-round pick and possibly the
best available offensive tackle in the 2009 draft until he
experienced an injury-plagued junior season.
There wasnt any reason to think otherwise prior to his
07 junior season, considering his a career has been unblem-
ished by injuries up to that point.
But all that changed for Smith in the opening game of
the 2007 season, when Baylor traveled to Fort Worth, Texas,
for a game against TCU. Smith was just playing when two
Horned Frogs defenders fell on the 6-5, 305-pound left tack-
les right knee. He couldnt get up, and although he only
strained his medial collateral ligament, he had to miss three
games. Upon returning to action, the same injury occurred,
forcing him to the sideline for two more games. In all, he
played in just seven games his junior year, starting all of
them.
It was funny how those things happened to me back-to-
back and I was really (asking myself ), Whats going on?
Smith recalled. What are you trying to tell me? And thats
when I really humbled myself about football. I truly believe
that youre only promised the first snap if you make it to the
game.
For the 22-year-old Smith though, humility wasnt
about wins and losses or modesty in the face of national at-
tention. The unanimous first-team All-Big 12 performer and
2008 Football Writers Association of America All-Amer-
ican was all about taking advantage of his opportunities in
the weight room and on the field.
A converted tight end he started eight games there as
a redshirt freshman in 2005, catching six passes for 70 yards
and a touchdown Smith was not afforded an NFL-cal-
iber mentor at the offensive tackle position while at Bay-
lor who could show him the technique he needed to
quickly learn his new position by the start of the 06 sea-
son.
While many tight ends have had success moving to tack-
le, the transition was not easy for Smith.
Everybody always has something to tell you, but they
never wanted to show you, Smith said of initially learn-
ing his position. That was the hardest part for me when
I was young, but as I got older, I realized that Im going to
show you and tell you. Thats what helped me over the years,
actually telling and showing other guys, because when I
started to show them and tell them, I started to get bet-
ter at it.
He started all 12 games at right tackle for the Bears dur-
ing the 06 season before moving to the left side in 2007.
Smith plays with a mean streak and has shown an abil-
ity to get to the second level of a defense and block, all of
which cater to playing the offensive lines most glamorous
position.
Despite lacking lower-body strength and having relied
heavily upon his upper body in Baylors option offense, hes
projected to continue playing left tackle in the NFL.
His lack of anchor strength could cause Smith to initial-
ly struggle against more powerful pass rushers, when
he ll have to absorb contact at the line. Yet his hard work
in the weight room is readily apparent when watching his
game tape, and he possesses the type of athleticism that could
make him a career starter in the NFL.
Ive been around two or three really good practice play-
ers. Wes Welker, when I was at (Texas) Tech, was a great
practice player, and I had two guys at (University of Hous-
ton) that were in Donnie Avery and Kevin Kolb, Baylor head
coach Art Briles said. If (Jasons) not better than them, hes
certainly right there with them. He may be as good a prac-
tice player as I have been around. To me that speaks vol-
umes about a person.
As a result, Smith has shown consistent improvement since
moving to tackle and is expected to improve with coach-
ing at the next level.
I was always told no matter how athletic you are,
youre going to meet your match one day, Smith said. You
have to have a big sack of technique, but on game day, I have
to know how to use it.
At the most scrutinized position on the offensive line,
Smith will be charged with protecting the quarterbacks blind
side.
Concerns about starting arent forefront on Smiths
mind.
You have to be at one with yourself, Smith said. You cant
worry about the world and you cant worry about the oth-
er guys at the position. You have to have a true balance of
life and then you can go out and worry about being a starter
in the NFL.
Smith is confident that he will bring more than his in-
herent skills to whichever team selects him.
I really grew up here being at Baylor, Smith said. Im
not that little boy anymore. Im not just some guy or some
offensive tackle. I consider myself a first-class man.
Skys limit for Baylor OT Smith
NFL DRAFT 2009
33 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
HERES WHATS INSIDE:
Draft prospects ranked by position
Scouting reports on over 350 players
Draft analyses for all 32 NFL teams
An early mock draft
Updated heights, weights, 40-times
and stats
and much, much more!
Four-color magazine.
COMING IN MARCH!
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Pro Football Weeklys 2009 Draft Guide gives you
an early look at the upcoming NFL draft.
ITS NEVER TOO EARLYTO GET STARTED!
COMING IN MARCH!
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Pro Football Weeklys 2009 Draft Guide gives you
an early look at the upcoming NFL draft.
ITS NEVER TOO EARLYTO GET STARTED!
OLT Jason Smith is the first non-special teams player from
Baylor to earn All-America honors since 1995 and is the
schools first All-America offensive lineman since 1980.
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By Nolan Nawrocki
Senior editor
The Senior Bowl a weeklong event culminating in the Jan. 24
game annually features more talent than any other all-star game,
having produced a record number of first-rounders in recent years.
This years rosters look typically strong.
Few scouts will be excited about the offensive skill talent, with
the QB and RB positions perhaps not featuring a first-day draft pick
among them. However, scouts are eager to evaluate how two small-
school quarterbacks Sam Houston States Rhett Bomar and Cen-
tral Arkansas Nathan Brown fare against better competition.
Clemsons James Davis and Michigan States Javon Ringer
headline the weak senior RB crop, with Libertys Rashad Jennings
expected to receive extra scrutiny from the small-school ranks.
The receiving group features more talent, with Penn States Der-
rick Williams and Oklahomas
Juaquin Iglesias two slot re-
ceivers with return ability most
likely to draw interest. But it is 6-
6, 220-pound Cal Poly WR Ramses
Barden, whom scouts have called a
poor mans James Hardy, who could
open the most eyes with his rare size
and great wingspan. Oklahoma
States Brandon Pettigrew, a sure-
fire first-round pick and an excep-
tional blocker, leads a battered
senior TE crop.
This years OT class, one of the
strengths of the draft, is expected
to be very well represented. Barring a last-minute change of plans,
which periodically happens after agents are selected and advise play-
ers not to participate, all three first-round offensive tackles are ex-
pected to be on display in Mobile, Ala., including Baylors Jason
Smith, Virginias Eugene Monroe and Mississippis Michael Oher.
With all three contending to be the first blind-side protector draft-
ed, the OL crop is sure to draw a big crowd of evaluators.
Oregon State OLT Andy Levitres lack of length makes him proj-
ect inside in the pros, and he will get to show evaluators how well
he can man the inside. Cals Alex Mack will need to prove he is ath-
letic enough to stay off the ground at the center position.
Defensively, the game could feature three potential first-
rounders Texas Brian Orakpo, LSUs Tyson Jackson and Geor-
gia Techs Michael Johnson, with Johnsons passion for the game
likely to come under heavy scrutiny in the interview process. Orakpo,
Northern Illinois Larry English and USCs Clay Matthews should
all get opportunities to drop and show they can handle the extra
coverage responsibilities asked of 30-front outside linebackers.
The other group likely to draw a heavy crowd, along with the OT
position, is this years LB crop, with Wake Forests Aaron Curry, USCs
Brian Cushing and Ohio States James Laurinaitis all expected to
be in attendance. Laurinaitis is the biggest headliner and has the
most to prove, with scouts questioning his take-on ability.
The DB class lacks superstar quality but should give a pair of big
small-school corners San Jose States Coye Francies and Jack-
son States Domonique Johnson the platform to ascend.
DRAFT AUDIBLES
(Georgia junior QB) Matthew
Stafford did not look good (in the Capi-
tal One Bowl.) Hes not ready. Hes very
inconsistent with his reads.
(San Jose State DT Jarron) Gilbert
was not overly productive. Hes a classic
underachiever, but he finished the season
strong. He came out of his shell against
Boise (State).
(Mississippi DT) Peria Jerry got after
Texas Tech. He was all over the field (in
the Cotton Bowl). Hes a first-rounder for
me.
(Illinois junior CB Vontae Davis) does
not work at his craft. Hes one of the best
athletes youll ever see, but hes a mar-
ginal football player, and hell drive you
nuts.
(Utah junior CB) Sean Smith is a big,
good-looking corner. He moves around
well for as big as he is. I think he might
wind up being a safety in the league.
(Georgia Tech DE) Michael Johnson
does not make any plays. I saw three
games and saw little production. There
are no dominating (senior) defensive
ends, so hell go high (in the draft).
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
Alabama head coach Nick Saban sus-
pended standout junior OLT Andre
Smith for the Allstate Sugar Bowl for im-
proper dealings with an agent. With Smith
out of the lineup, junior OLG Mike John-
son kicked outside like he did earlier in
the season to fill in for Smith when he was
battling through injury, but when John-
sons foot was rolled up on in the first
quarter, the Tide had trouble handling
Utahs consistent pressure in a surprising
31-17 loss. Following the game, Smith an-
nounced through the Alabama law firm of
Thomas, Means, Gillis & Seay that he
would forgo his senior season and enter
the NFL draft.
The way we hear it, Smiths character is
a big concern to NFL teams. Widely ex-
pected to be a top-10 draft pick after step-
ping into the starting lineup from Day One
and being a staple for the Tide the past
three years, Smith could wind up being
surprised on Draft Day. He has excep-
tional feet for a big man, but he has bat-
tled weight issues, is not a worker and has
questions about his overall character that
easily could drop him 10-15 spots. He is
not expected to slip out of the first round,
but similar to Eagles 2004 16th overall se-
lection Shawn Andrews, he could wind
up playing inside in the NFL and has not
shown the type of consistency to make
decision makers comfortable with the
idea of investing heavily in him.
Top seniors descend on Mobile
Penn States Derrick Williams ability to work as a slot receiver as
well as his return-game proclivity will draw interest in Mobile.
Missouri squeezed out an overtime victory
over Northwestern in the Valero Alamo Bowl,
but the win was bittersweet for senior TE
Chase Coffman, who broke the fifth
metatarsal bone in his left foot on the Tigers
final offensive play, when third-year sopho-
more Jeremy Maclin made the game-win-
ning TD catch. The injury, commonly referred
to as a Jones fracture, is in the same foot
that Coffman suffered a turf toe injury mid-
way through the season. Coffman is ex-
pected to have a screw inserted into the
bone to expedite the recovery process and is
expected to be ready for spring workouts.
Four Maryland starters were among the
seven players benched for the start of the
Roadys Humanitarian Bowl after missing
curfew. Among them were senior LBs Moise
Fokou and Trey Covington. Fokou has im-
proved his draft status as a senior and could
warrant late-round consideration.
Vanderbilt CB D.J. Moore had his left
ankle taped midway through the second
quarter of the Gaylord Hotels Music City
Bowl against Boston College after spraining
it following a pass breakup that was inter-
cepted by junior safety Ryan Hamilton. He
attempted to return but was shut down in
the third quarter after noticeably hobbling.
He announced after the game that he would
declare for the NFL draft.
With the bowl season coming to an end,
the list of underclassmen declaring for the
draft has begun to take shape. Following Illi-
nois CB Vontae Davis and Auburn DT
SenDerrick Marks, who both declared
after bowl-less seasons, a growing number
of underclassmen have entered the fray.
Kansas State QB Josh Freeman, despite
the continued plea of returning KSU head
coach Bill Snyder, announced he will turn
pro. South Carolina CB Captain Munner-
lyn and DE Eric Norwood join SS Emanuel
Cook, who did not play in the bowl game be-
cause of academic reasons, as early entries.
Iowa RB Shonn Greene, who will be a 24-
year-old rookie, and Connecticuts Donald
Brown, declared after finishing 2-1 in the na-
tion in rushing. Brown finished the season
with 2,083 yards after a herculean 261-yard
effort in the International Bowl vs. Buffalo.
Rutgers WR Kenny Britt and LSU DT Ricky
Jean-Francois, following a disappointing,
injury-plagued season, also entered the fray.
COLLEGE NOTES
A
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NFL DRAFT 2009
34 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
WEB
EXCLUSIVE
For a list of underclassmen
who have declared for the draft,
visit [Link].
READ IT ONLY ON:
P r o F o o t b a l l We e k l y . c o m
AUDIBLES NFList
(Oklahoma head coach) Bob Stoops has no chance in the NFL. Im surprised an owner
as smart as (the Broncos) Pat Bowlen could not figure that out. Stoops is a descendant
of Steve Spurrier. He does not work at it. You have to grind it in the NFL. He will be
chewed up and spit out. I hope more of these college coaches get jobs in the NFL. It just
makes my job easier. They dont know what they dont know. Its a different game.
Ive seen so much garbage and untruths
written about the Cleveland Browns. You
can blame Phil Savage for mishandling
Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow,
and I was surprised he was that dumb,
nave, ignorant or whatever the right word
is, sending out nasty e-mails to fans but
hes got a great passion for scouting. And I
dont care what anyone says about Phil mi-
cromanaging anyone in his situation
would have had to get involved. The bottom
line is (Romeo) Crennel had four years to
turn the defense around and it never got
better. His (coaching) staff was a disaster.
He fired guys with no plan for the future. He
did not have anyone else in mind. He was
very disorganized. He had no plan for the
organization. Hes the antithesis of (Bill)
Belichick. The worst decision Savage
made was extending (Crennel) a year ago
when he should have been out the door. It
would not have been the popular move, but
it was the right move at the time.
Too many owners did not make their
money in football and do not understand
the game. Thats a major problem. They fol-
low the buzz. More teams need to bring in
guys like Ernie Accorsi and Ron Wolf or
Bill Parcells and let them ask the right
questions in the interview process.
Bobby Petrino brought in all his
cronies from (Louisville) to coach in the
NFL. Thats where he failed. If you are or-
ganized and know your Xs and Os, you can
(make the transition from college to) coach
in the NFL. There are a lot of pro coaches
that are horrible they cant adjust. Wade
Phillips hes a coordinator. Hes not a
head coach. The same with (Giants offen-
sive coordinator Kevin) Gilbride. The
problem with too many college coaches is
they get to the NFL and they want power.
Butch Davis was like that. Jim Haslett is
like that. Sean Payton is a control freak. I
can go down the list of NFL coaches that
failed because they made a lot of money,
became close-minded and couldnt re-
member what got them there. But look at
whos coaching in the NFL Jim Zorn is a
head coach. What has he done? Too many
coaches they get caught up with the Xs
and Os and whats on paper and they dont
teach technique and how to play the
game.
Why arent the old guys getting any feel-
ers? The Charley Casserlys and Floyd
Reeses and the Mueller brothers. I guess
its great to be young in this league the
rest of us are holding on.
San Francisco just needs to get better
on defense. They need to do whatever it
takes to get better up front. They are not
far off.
Rod Marinelli will land on his feet. He
never should have been a head coach. Hes
not cut out for it. But, boy, can he coach
the defensive line. (As a position coach)
hell get every last drop out of his players.
Hes a helluva coach.
The Buccaneers defense is going to im-
plode without Monte Kiffin. This will be
Jon Grudens last year. You have to respect
what he has done with the cheap owner-
ship there. They do not spend any money
on players, and he is still winning. Owner-
ship has a helluva deal.
Near-misses in 08, Broncos,
Jets could bounce back in 09
By Mike Wilkening
Senior editor
For this weeks NFList, we asked a panel
comprised of evaluators as well as PFWedi-
tors to rank the teams without a permanent
head coach in place for 2009 in order from
best-positioned to succeed next season to
worst-positioned to succeed. Heres how
they ranked them. All comments in quota-
tions were made by the evaluators, and all
comments were made on the condition of
anonymity:
1. Denver Broncos Whoever replaces
Mike Shanahan has the advantage of work-
ing with QB Jay Cutler and a potent offense;
those elements, plus a patient owner with
deep pockets and the relative weakness of
the AFC West compared to other divisions,
make this an attractive opening. However,
Shanahans replacement has the task of get-
ting more out of a defense that struggled for
much of 2008 and fell apart in the season fi-
nale at San Diego. The Broncos had an 8-8
record, but they were outscored 448-370.
2. New York Jets The positives of tak-
ing the Jets job: They were 9-7 in 2008, and
they were very impressive in wins at Ten-
nessee and at New England. Ownership has
not been afraid to spend big money to fix
glaring problems. The negatives: They fal-
tered down the stretch, and its unclear
whether QB Brett Favre will be back for a
second season with the club. They need to
figure out what is going on with the QB, one
evaluator said.
3. Cleveland Browns The Browns may
have finished 4-12 in 2008, but several evalu-
ators believe the Browns easily could turn
things around next season. If I would (pick)
one team, it would be Cleveland, one per-
sonnel man said. They have some offensive
skill around (Brady Quinn). I think Cleveland
can get it going. Said another panelist:
(WR) Braylon Edwards and (TE) Kellen
Winslow are still difference makers; the of-
fensive line is good enough. The defense
played a little better as the year went on, but
by that time, the injuries at QB had halted
the offenses ability to score. If they can fig-
ure out a way to improve their pass rush in
the offseason, that could really turn this de-
fense around.
4. Oakland Raiders If you study them
personnel-wise, they have some players ca-
pable of making plays, one personnel man
said of the Raiders, who won their final two
games of the season to finish 5-11. Theyve
got some big offensive linemen. Oakland is a
decent situation in terms of personnel. They
have some structure they can build upon.
Added an NFC scout: Oakland, on talent
alone, can step up, but I dont know what is
going on in that organization. Interim head
coach Tom Cable, who had both good and
bad moments after taking over for Lane Kif-
fin, is believed to be a candidate for the per-
manent job.
5. St. Louis Rams Interim head coach
Jim Haslett led the Rams to both of their wins
in 08, and he is in the mix to keep the job in
2009. But whoever takes the job could have a
tall task competing, even in the feeble NFC
West. They are talented enough on offense,
but they still need more help at receiver, and
they could benefit from some offensive line
help, an evaluator said. Their defense is
killing them; they cant stop anyone.
6. Detroit Lions Interestingly enough,
none of our panelists would say the Lions,
the only team to go winless since the NFL
adopted a 16-game-schedule, had no chance
of competing in 2009. Looking at teams like
Miami, anything is possible, said one scout,
referring to the Dolphins going from a one-
win team in 07 to an 11-game winner in 08.
However, the scout noted, Their defense
needs a total [Link], the offense
lacks star power (with the exception of ex-
ceptional WR Calvin Johnson) and lacks a
clear-cut starting quarterback entering 09.
A
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Broncos QB Jay Cutler threw for a career-high 4,526 yards in 2008. Cutler, who will be 26
years old in April, is one of the major reasons Denvers head-coaching vacancy is attractive.
The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking
on the condition of anonymity.
35 Pro Football Weekly January 11, 2009
A
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