02/08/2007

Phillips is best bet for quick fix

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

Terrell Owens wants to be more involved in the Cowboys' offense in 2007.

Norv Turner would have been the comfortable choice as coach of the Cowboys, writes columnist Rick Gosselin. Instead, Jerry Jones is going with Wade Phillips, whose track record as a head coach is winning quickly.
• Sources: Cowboys to hire Phillips | Photos
• Tell Us: Thoughts on Phillips?
• Cowboys blog
CowboysPlus.com

02/05/2007

Colts defense wrapped up title

AP

Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown.

In the end, defense still wins championships in the NFL, writes NFL columnist Rick Gosselin. Surprisingly, it was the Indianapolis defense that delivered in the Super Bowl – not the Chicago defense.

02/04/2007

Deserving Dungy gets his due
Last winter, America cried tears of sorrow for Tony Dungy. This winter, they became tears of joy after his Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears, 29-17, writes NFL columnist Rick Gosselin.

02/03/2007

Super Bowl XLI: The perfect storm
What happens when the franchise quarterback plays for one Super Bowl team and the elite defense lines up for the other? Does defense still win championships? Or does the franchise quarterback rule?

02/02/2007

Easygoing does it for Dungy, Smith

GETTY IMAGES

Chicago's Lovie Smith (left) and Indianapolis' Tony Dungy don't fit the mold of fire-breathing, in-your-face coaches.

The television cameras love animated football coaches, Rick Gosselin writes. They're called fire-breathers. They get in a player's face. They get in an official's face. They stalk. They glare. They intimidate. But the head coaches in Super Bowl XLI - Indianapolis' Tony Dungy and Chicago's Lovie Smith - prove you don't need to breathe fire to win championships.

01/31/2007

Colts' Harrison a reluctant star
Art Monk was a man of many catches and few words.

01/29/2007

Colts happy their end wasn't finished
Five offensive starters on the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts have been selected to the Pro Bowl.

01/22/2007

Old school is out for next Cowboys coach
This is the fourth coaching search since Jerry Jones last hoisted a Lombardi Trophy in January 1996. None of his three most recent hires was able to win him a playoff game, much less another Super Bowl. With salary-cap limits, you must play youth. That means drafting well and playing them early on. Neither Joe Gibbs nor Bill Parcells grasped that.

Manning rallies Colts to AFC crown

AP

Joseph Addai's three-yard run with 1:00 left supplied the winning points.

The Super Bowl is now Peyton's Place, writes DMN pro football columnist Rick Gosselin. Peyton Manning finally left his football purgatory – the NFL postseason – with a heart-thumping performance Sunday night that carried his Indianapolis Colts to a 38-34 victory over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
• Tell Us: Who will win Super Bowl XLI?

01/20/2007

Manning minus A game? No worries

AP

Peyton Manning has used his legs to score four touchdowns this season.

Peyton Manning will play the biggest game of his career Sunday – again, writes DMN pro football columnist Rick Gosselin. This will be his second trip to the AFC Championship Game (5:30 p.m., Ch. 11) in search of his first trip to a Super Bowl.
• NFC: New Orleans at Chicago, 2 p.m., Ch. 4
• Who will win this weekend's games? AFC | NFC

01/17/2007

Expect Saints to make run at Bears

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN | AP

Deuce McAllister (left) and Reggie Bush helped the Saints rush for more than 200 yards against the Eagles.

The concern in Chicago this week is not Rex Grossman. One victory away from the Super Bowl, the Bears' new concern should be their run defense, Rick Gosselin writes. If need be, the Bears can hide Grossman behind their running game. But with the Saints' thunder-and-lightning tandem of Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush coming to town, there's no hiding a run defense that has softened considerably since December.

01/14/2007

Grossman, Gould come up big

AP

Robbie Gould (9) converts the winning field goal in OT from 49 yards out.

When no one believed in Rex Grossman this fall, the Chicago Bears stubbornly believed, writes DMN pro football columnist Rick Gosselin. Grossman rewarded the loyalty of his coaches and teammates Sunday with one of his best games of the season, leading the Bears to a thrilling 27-24 overtime win over the Seahawks.
• Tell Us: Who will win?
NFC | AFC

01/13/2007

NFL's youth movement contagious
The Green Bay Packers didn't just change head coaches when they hired Mike McCarthy in 2006. They changed philosophies – out with the old, in with the young.

Colts deal Baltimore more heartache

AP

Adam Vinatieri boots the first of his five field goals.

The Colts broke the city of Baltimore's heart once. They did it again Saturday. Saturday was going to be the day the city of Baltimore finally rid itself of the pain of losing the Colts to Indianapolis, writes DMN pro football columnist Rick Gosselin. The Colts were coming to town for an AFC semifinal. A loss would end their season. But it was not to be. Indianapolis prevailed in a game in which there were no touchdowns, 15-6.

Team-by-team NFL Draft grades
Grades for after the draft (April), and again after the season (January)

All-Rookie Team

2006 NFL Draft scoreboard
A look at the 2006 NFL draft .

Super 'D' of choice: 3-4

AP

Shawne Merriman (left) and Terrell Suggs made the Pro Bowl as 3-4 defenders.

The Cowboys have the right idea on defense. But the Chargers, Patriots and Ravens have the right players. Six NFL teams used a 3-4 scheme as their base defense in 2006 and half of them have reached the conference semifinals, writes DMN pro football columnist Rick Gosselin. The last three Super Bowl winners played the 3-4 defense.

01/10/2007

Irvin's HOF chances look good
The third time was magic for quarterbacks Joe Namath and Fran Tarkenton, tight end Kellen Winslow, middle linebackers Sam Huff, Willie Lanier and Joe Schmidt, and cornerbacks Herb Adderley and Mike Haynes.

01/08/2007

Westbrook keeps Eagles' run going
The arm of Donovan McNabb transformed the Philadelphia Eagles into a Super Bowl contender this decade. But it's the legs of Brian Westbrook that could finally make the Eagles a Super Bowl champion.

01/07/2007

Colts can't stop run? Check that
The worst fears of the Indianapolis Colts materialized in the opening round of the NFL playoffs.

Hard to feel safe in 2006
The NFL taught fans in 2006 to expect the unexpected.

Rick Gosselin's All-NFL team

01/05/2007

Undrafted doesn't mean untalented

AP

Ravens linebacker Bart Scott is tied for the lead in tackles on the NFL's best defense.

Baltimore linebacker Bart Scott is one of the best players on one of the best teams in the NFL. Scott always knew he could play. But he also knew that as an undrafted college free agent, he'd have to wait his turn. Scott is not alone, Rick Gosselin writes. Like Scott, Tony Romo waited 51 games for his first NFL start. And they are not alone. There are 10 undrafted players who have been invited to participate in the 2007 Pro Bowl.
• Test your knowledge: Can you name the free agent?
• Gosselin's All-Undrafted Team

All-Undrafted Team

01/02/2007

Seahawks need to take flight vs. Cowboys
When you have a healthy Shaun Alexander, you want to feed him the football. Alexander is healthy – but Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren must resist the urge to run the football Saturday when the Seahawks open the NFL playoffs against the Cowboys. No disrespect intended toward Alexander, who won an NFL rushing title in 2005, but Seattle's best chance of advancing to the second round is with the football in the air, writes DMN football columnist Rick Gosselin.

01/01/2007

NFC is super no longer
Remember the days when the NFC was king?

NFL rankings

12/30/2006

Most important? That'd be Brees
The NFL recognizes only one Most Valuable Player award, which is handed out each season by The Associated Press. There are no criteria for the award. Each of the writers who votes, and I'm one of them, must determine what the term "most valuable" means. Does MVP mean best player? Or most indispensable player?

Tenacious D
"Defense wins championships" is the oldest axiom in football's book. It also wins games.

Around the NFL

12/28/2006

Under Turner, it's a real rush
San Francisco offensive coordinator Norv Turner has a reputation as a quarterback maker, setting career paths that sent Troy Aikman to the Hall of Fame and Trent Green to the Pro Bowl.

12/24/2006

Winning is everything to Bears
Coach Lovie Smith has spent all fall trying to extinguish a flickering quarterback controversy on his Chicago Bears. He fanned the flame unintentionally Sunday.

NFL rankings

12/23/2006

Chargers' secret ingredient: defense
Randall Godfrey has played 11 NFL seasons and never gone to a Pro Bowl. But where Godfrey goes, good defense follows.

Vick's fleet feat
You can debate whom the greatest quarterback in NFL history was. You can also debate whom the greatest passer was. But there is no debate whom the greatest running quarterback in NFL history was.

Around the NFL
Do you wonder why the Philadelphia Eagles have the third-best record of the decade with 72 victories? Try good drafting.

12/22/2006

Chargers won for losing Eli
After Herschel Walker, we all thought we'd seen the last of the mega-trades in the NFL.

12/18/2006

Hunt was a friend to all he met
The Kansas City Chiefs have played 726 regular-season and postseason games in franchise history. Sunday night was their first without Lamar Hunt.

NFL rankings

12/16/2006

Ravens won't snub youth again
The Baltimore Ravens will have a different look now and in the future because of two young players, one who got away and one who didn't.

Playing it safe
Philip Rivers is in his first season as a starting NFL quarterback and is already playing like a veteran, which is to say he's not committing those novice mistakes that can cost his team games.

Around the NFL
The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants play a showdown game in the NFC East, and Eagles coach Andy Reid is putting his trust in offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.

12/14/2006

Colts' cure: an early lead
The Indianapolis Colts have the worst run defense in the NFL. That could prevent them from winning an AFC championship.

Hunt saw talent, not color

AP

In 1963, Kansas City was the first team to use the top pick in the draft on a player from a small black college - Buck Buchanan (86).

Lamar Hunt has been enshrined in eight Halls of Fame. He should be in a ninth, Rick Gosselin writes. Hunt, who passed away Wednesday of complications due to cancer, should be in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame as well for his contribution to the integration of pro football. Hunt's AFL team was drafting players from SWAC schools Grambling, Jackson State, Prairie View and Southern long before the NFL realized or accepted their talents.
• Public service Saturday

12/13/2006

Greatness of Hunt – he always put his ego aside

SMILEY N. POOL / DMN

Lamar Hunt flips the coin at a Cowboys-Chiefs game in 2005. Hunt competed with the Cowboys for the Dallas market in the early '60s.

America has lost its last great sportsman. Lamar Hunt, the founder of the American Football League and a Hall of Famer in three sports, died Wednesday night from complications due to cancer. Hunt wasn't a rich guy who aspired to be a sportsman. He was a sportsman who happened to be rich, writes DMN pro football columnist Rick Gosselin.

12/12/2006

Make Vick throw ... but not to Crumpler
The Atlanta Falcons have the NFL's best rushing attack and worst passing attack.

12/10/2006

Colts victim of a hit and run
Run defense has been a problem for the Indianapolis Colts all season. It reached the crisis stage Sunday.

NFL rankings

12/09/2006

A winger, a winner: That's Young
The Houston/Tennessee NFL franchise has been blessed to have a great passer in Warren Moon and a great leader in Steve McNair. When you combine their talents, you have Vince Young.

In reach of 1,000
All eyes are on the hands this week. Marvin Harrison's hands.

Around the NFL
There are four teams in the NFC with 6-6 records, and two of them are sitting on wild-card playoff spots with a month to play.

12/07/2006

Free agency, cap doomed Bucs' 'D'

AP

Monte Kiffin's (right) defense has allowed 272 points – two fewer than they allowed all of last season.

Monte Kiffin can coach football with the best of them. He kept a Tampa Bay defense great this decade, even when it had no reason to be, Rick Gosselin writes. But the end of the era has arrived. In 2006, the Bucs' defense ranks 19th, and the arrow is pointing down. Kiffin's defense has been dismantled by age, free agency and the salary cap.

12/04/2006

Grossman's been hard to bear
How long can the Chicago Bears stick with Rex Grossman?

NFL rankings

12/02/2006

'Next year' is toughest for champs
The Pittsburgh Steelers have always won their Super Bowls in pairs. Until now.

Off the charts
April is all about potential in the NFL. September is all about productivity. NFL teams draft measurables in April – but it's the football players who get on the field in September, regardless of what draft round they arrive in.

Around the NFL
Rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski will play in his hometown for the first time when his Buccaneers visit Pittsburgh today.

11/30/2006

Losman making Bills look good

AP

Bills quarterback J.P. Losman has led winning fourth-quarter drives in Buffalo's last two games.

There have been snickers in Dallas for almost two years now over a draft-day trade that sent quarterback J.P. Losman to the Buffalo Bills and Julius Jones to the Cowboys. But look who's developing into an NFL-caliber quarterback in his third season, Rick Gosselin writes. If the Bills have found their quarterback in Losman, that 2004 trade will not appear as lopsided in Buffalo as it does in Dallas.

11/29/2006

Indy rookie no ordinary Joe

AP

Joseph Addai waltzes in for one of his four touchdowns against the Eagles.

There were three running backs drafted in April before Indianapolis took Joseph Addai with the 30th pick of the first round. But that doesn't mean the Colts got the fourth-best back, writes Rick Gosselin in this week's From the 50. In fact, Addai and the Colts are a perfect match.
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11/27/2006

Brees keeps Vick, Falcons at arm's length

AP

Drew Brees and New Orleans kept a hold on the NFC South lead.

No quarterback has passed for more yards this season than Drew Brees, and no quarterback has run for more yards than Mike Vick. But quarterbacks historically win games with their arms, not their legs, and it was Brees who prevailed over Vick on Sunday, writes NFL columnist Rick Gosselin.

NFL rankings

11/25/2006

49ers putting the pieces together

AP

San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan has finally found the right combination for his defense.

San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan has discovered that putting together a defense is akin to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces are all there. The challenge is getting them to fit, writes columnist Rick Gosselin.

Down but not out
Since Sept. 27, 1992, the Green Bay Packers have posted the best record in the NFL at 143-88. That was the day Brett Favre made his first NFL start at quarterback – and Favre has started all 230 of the Packers' games since then.

Around the NFL

11/24/2006

Favre, Brady share gift
Brett Favre was talking the other day about all the different lead receivers he's played with in Green Bay: Sterling Sharpe, Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman, Javon Walker and Donald Driver.

11/21/2006

Cowboys, Bucs going different directions
The Cowboys are trying to mount a run at the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying to develop a young quarterback. So two different coaching worlds will be colliding at Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving Day.

11/20/2006

Patriots defense has a field day
Football is a game of matchups. The mismatches become glaring.

NFL rankings

11/18/2006

Want a good run? Mold that line
Offensive linemen are a faceless bunch in the middle of the football field. They become visible only when the stadium Jumbotron shows a replay of the left tackle getting beaten by a speed rusher for a sack, or when the referee identifies a jersey number in the 60s for a holding penalty or false start.

Body of evidence
There's something ailing the NFL as the season steams toward the Thanksgiving holiday. Something? Try nearly everything – nearly every bone, muscle and tendon in the body.

Around the NFL
Jacksonville has had only two head coaches. Both will be on the field Monday night when the New York Giants visit Jacksonville.

11/16/2006

Redskins to peek at future
Jason Campbell, you're up. Washington's quarterback of the future is now the quarterback of the present.

11/12/2006

McNabb brings Eagles back
The Philadelphia Eagles resurrected as a contender Sunday with a 27-3 thumping of the Washington Redskins, ending a three-game losing streak. That improved the Eagles to 5-4 and all but ended Washington's playoff hopes.

NFL rankings

11/11/2006

Axiom part of chemistry lesson
NFL coaches Jack Del Rio and Herman Edwards face dilemmas.

Around the NFL
The New York Giants have a series of injuries that could slow their bid for back-to-back NFC East titles.

11/09/2006

Amazing feet: Trio may produce run at 2,000 rushing yards

AP

San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (left) has 828 yards rushing in eight games.

Tiki Barber, LaDainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson are all within 14 yards of each other in the quest for an NFL rushing title. All are in the 800-yard range, which projects to 1,600-yard seasons. Don't be surprised, Rick Gosselin writes, if one doesn't make a bid for 2,000 yards, a mark that has been cracked only five times in NFL history.

11/07/2006

Colts have the horses if they can stop the run

AP

The Indianapolis Colts, here gang-tackling New England's Corey Dillon, rank last in the NFL in run defense.

At the midway point of the 2006 NFL season, there is only one question that remains to be answered – can the Indianapolis Colts stop the run? Indianapolis, 8-0, has shown its offensive firepower and resilience on a weekly basis, Rick Gosselin writes. But the Colts rank last in the NFL in run defense. No team has ever won a Super Bowl with a run defense ranked lower than 19th.
• Gosselin's NFL mid-season report

Rick Gosselin's NFL mid-season report

11/08/2006

Leinart's NFL career gets off to rough start
Matt Leinart rarely lost as a college quarterback. Now he's finding out how the other half lives. He's never won as an NFL quarterback.

11/06/2006

Jags help Young set career lows
Vince Young has never endured a Sunday like this one. You can throw in all those college Saturdays and high school Fridays as well.

NFL rankings

11/05/2006

No longer throwin' for a loss
Marty Schottenheimer is on the rise on the all-time coaching list. With his five victories this season, Schottenheimer is eighth on the all-time list with 196.

Rings or other things
In the 1980s, the question was Dan Marino or Joe Montana. In the 1990s, it was Steve Young or Troy Aikman. This decade, it's Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Who's the best quarterback in the NFL? What's your preference: rings or records?

Around the NFL
Kansas City halfback Larry Johnson brings a string of two 100-yard games into St. Louis.

11/02/2006

Vinatieri foots the bill

AP

Adam Vinatieri (4, center) is mobbed by teammates after kicking the winning field goal in the Colts' 34-31 victory Sunday over Denver.

Adam Vinatieri's glorious New England Patriots past will be forgotten Sunday night when he trots into Gillette Stadium as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, NFL columnist Rick Gosselin writes. The Patriots have been standing in the way of an Indianapolis AFC championship all decade. If adding Vinatieri - at a price of $12 million over five years - swings the balance of power into the Midwest, so be it. It's a price the Colts were willing to pay.

10/31/2006

Redskins need Portis to be The Man again
Running back Clinton Portis is the best player on the Washington Redskins.

10/29/2006

Colts play keep-away
The goal of the Indianapolis Colts wasn't to defeat Champ Bailey on Sunday. It was to defeat the Denver Broncos.

NFL rankings

10/28/2006

Rams are no longer erring it out
The St. Louis Rams were once the Greatest Show on Turf ... and also the most giving.

Passing phase
There is a sense of excitement – and fear – when an NFL team turns to a young quarterback.

Around the NFL
Philadelphia finds itself in second place in the NFC East with a 4-3 record, and all three of its losses have come on the final play of games.

10/26/2006

Young hopes to show Texans what they missed
Vince Young wanted to stay home.

10/25/2006

Don't expect Romo to save Cowboys' season
Struggling NFL teams occasionally bench starting quarterbacks into a season looking for a spark, as the Cowboys have done this week with Drew Bledsoe, writes NFL columnist Rick Gosselin. Seasons can be salvaged with a strategic change at quarterback, but usually that happens when an older, experienced quarterback replaces a younger one.

10/22/2006

Bitter? Keyshawn, Cowboys couldn't be better
Jerry Jones opened up his luxury box at the University of Arkansas to family and friends for this season's football opener against Southern California.

NFL rankings

10/21/2006

Line in sand is drawn at left tackle
Look for Kansas City to draft a left offensive tackle with its first-round pick next April.

Catch 'em if you can
Rookie wide receiver Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers has caught a pass in each of his first five NFL games.

Around the NFL
There is no natural rivalry between Seattle and Minnesota.

10/19/2006

Chiefs vs. Chargers is Martyball in stereo
Kansas City Chiefs fans came to both love and loathe Martyball.

10/17/2006

Barber helps Giants turn season around

10/16/2006

In the NFL, it's hip to be bare
NFL cornerbacks hate playing against Hines Ward.

Hasselbeck at helm keeps seas calm
The last time Matt Hasselbeck took the field, nothing went his way.

NFL rankings

10/14/2006

Teams reining in workhorse backs
Edgerrin James led the NFL in rushing in each of his first two seasons with Indianapolis.

Glad sack for Strahan
After Michael Strahan sacked Washington quarterback Mark Brunell during the first half last Sunday, the perennial Pro Bowl pass rusher jumped to his feet and mimicked a fadeaway jump shot.

Around the NFL
Atlanta ranked 26th in run defense last season but has vaulted to second this season.

10/12/2006

Bears perfect, but are they Super?
The Chicago Bears are off to a 5-0 start and again resemble the Monsters of the Midway. They rank in the top 5 in the NFL in offense and defense and appear to be the best team in football.

10/10/2006

Texans' receivers will test Cowboys' defense
The Cowboys believe they have a trio of cornerbacks, who can cover any receivers, anywhere on any given Sunday.

10/09/2006

Giants use bye to reinvent wheels
The New York Giants spent September building an identity as a passing team – and losing their identity as a playoff contender.

NFL rankings

10/07/2006

Deck stacked against college aces
Rookie quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Bruce Gradkowski make their NFL starting debuts today. History says the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers can officially write off their seasons now.

Unbeaten Baltimore feasting on winning formula
Ozzie Newsome learned an instant lesson as a player for Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama.

Around the NFL
Atlanta has its bye this week, which gives Pro Bowl pass rusher John Abraham another week to heal.

10/05/2006

Practice vs. T.O. a perfect confidence builder for Eagle CBs
Maybe Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb have few good words to say about Terrell Owens. That's understandable. His me-first attitude helped sink an NFC championship team in 2005.

10/03/2006

Expect Cowboys to test Eagles' secondary
The Philadelphia defense's strength has long been its secondary.

10/02/2006

Ravens save best punch for last
The San Diego Chargers showed the ferocious fight of former boxing champion Thomas Hearns on Sunday.

NFL rankings

09/30/2006

Well running dry in the desert
Edgerrin James doesn't go three consecutive games without rushing for 100 yards very often.

For Favre, it's pick your poison
Brett Favre threw six touchdown passes in September, putting him in some very select company in NFL annals.

Around the NFL
The bulk of the highlights in the brief history of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars has come with Mark Brunell taking the snaps at quarterback.

09/29/2006

T.O. circus should not surprise Cowboys
The Philadelphia Eagles, his old team, were guarded in any comments on Terrell Owens this week. So were the Baltimore Ravens, who once traded for Owens. They wanted no part of this story. No one in the NFL did.

09/28/2006

Falcon can't get off ground
Supporters of Mike Vick say his ability to run the football more than offsets any deficiency he may have throwing the ball. Well, the Atlanta Falcons saw the down side of having Vick as their quarterback last Monday night.

09/26/2006

No rest for defense as Titans go nowhere
The Tennessee Titans have talent on defense. What they don't have is a chance. Not with this offense. Which is why the Titans are 0-3 and spinning their wheels in the rebuilding process.

09/24/2006

Bengals' Palmer bruised but not beaten
The Steelers knocked Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer out the last time they faced him, in January. This time, they just beat him up. Six times the Steelers sacked Palmer, a career-worst. He fumbled three times Sunday and also threw two interceptions. Oh, by the way, Palmer threw four touchdown passes in a 28-20 upset in Pittsburgh, writes NFL columnist Rick Gosselin.

Gosselin's NFL rankings

09/23/2006

Playing with building blocks
Saying you're a young football team is one thing. Playing that youth is another.

Witnessing a resurrection
The longest road trip in NFL history comes to an end Monday night when the New Orleans Saints host the Atlanta Falcons in their first home game in almost 13 months, covering 23 games.

Around the NFL
Count Joe Gibbs among coaches disappointed with his team's 0-2 start. It's the first 0-2 start in Washington for Gibbs since 1989.

09/21/2006

New Orleans still on his mind
Make no mistake – Donte Stallworth is ecstatic to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

09/17/2006

Calm Eli makes Manning magic
Peyton Manning showed in the season opener why he's the best quarterback in the family. But Eli Manning showed in the second game that Peyton isn't the only elite quarterback in the family.

NFL rankings

Brad Johnson can't win, but does
The Minnesota Vikings traded up in the second round of the 2006 draft to select Tarvaris Jackson, thus anointing him as their quarterback of the future.

Starting fresh
When Mike McCarthy was hired as head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 2006, he knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

Around the NFL
Philadelphia's collapse last season can be traced, in part, to its inability to win in the division.

09/14/2006

NFL stars still in preseason mode
Because of the salary cap, coaches don't risk injury to elite players such as Shaun Alexander, Chad Johnson and Donovan McNabb in exhibition games. So they play them sparingly in August. As a result, they don't get into game condition. Little wonder defense is always ahead of the offense in September.

09/11/2006

Early home date cool for Cardinals
After 18 seasons, the Arizona Cardinals finally have a home-field advantage. After 18 seasons, the Cardinals finally have a chance.

NFL rankings

09/09/2006

There's Harrison and Rice, then everyone else
Terrell Owens has a new team, a new book, his own Web site and a rap song that makes the claim, "When it comes to this game, I'm the best in the field."

09/07/2006

NFL teams passing on third passer

AP

The Steelers, who started Charlie Batch on Thursday against Miami, have already used their No. 2 quarterback.

A new school is replacing an old school of thought. Third quarterbacks, once a staple, are evolving into luxury items. In an era of specialization, some NFL teams would rather carry a kickoff specialist, a fourth tight end or an eighth defensive back instead of that third quarterback, writes NFL columnist Rick Gosselin.

09/06/2006

Colts need defensive stand
One game each season stands between the Indianapolis Colts and the Super Bowl, writes DMN pro football columnist Rick Gosselin. Their final game.

Quick Take: Bledsoe to see Jags come up the middle
The book on Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe is to rush him up the gut. Let him see the pressure coming. Force Bledsoe to concentrate on what's coming at him – not what's developing down the field in the pass routes.

09/02/2006

Putting the T(eeth) back in Titans
The Titans are now titans.

08/31/2006

Titans see signs of Young's progress

AP

Quarterback Vince Young (right) and offensive coordinator Norm Chow are in their first year with the Titans.

Vince Young is going to play quarterback as a rookie for the Tennessee Titans. How much and how soon will depend on his ability to pick up the intricacies of an NFL offense. Watching Young in minicamps, the off-season program and finally training camp persuaded the Titans to speed up the process, writes NFL columnist Rick Gosselin.
• Gosselin's NFL blog: From the 50

08/26/2006

Have Vikings found a new Holmes?
When the Kansas City Chiefs signed Priest Holmes in free agency in 2001, it wasn't a headline story. And it was barely a note in Baltimore, where Holmes labored for four seasons in the shadows of Jamal Lewis.

Quarterback$
Tom Brady has delivered the New England Patriots three Super Bowl wins. He's worth every dollar the team pays him – and it's quite a stash. Brady has the highest salary-cap figure of any quarterback this season at $13.830 million.

08/19/2006

Pieces back in place for Browns
Romeo Crennel arrived in Cleveland with high hopes in 2005. But his hopes have been dashed by reality.

Vikings' defense loaded with prime-choice talent
The Minnesota Vikings are searching for a defensive scheme to win an NFC North championship. The Vikings already know they have the talent.

Around the NFL
Sean Payton sees old boss Bill Parcells on Monday night when the Saints play the Cowboys.

NFL rankings

08/16/2006

KC's offense grounded
The Kansas City Chiefs have led the NFL in offense each of the last two seasons. Don't look for a three-peat in 2006.