Packers give CB Williams reported $33M
November 30, 2010
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—The Green Bay Packers have agreed to a contract extensionwith cornerback Tramon Williams(notes).
Agent Rodney Williams confirms the deal, saying his client is happy to bestaying in Green Bay.
Williams, a fourth-year player out of Louisiana Tech, was regarded as areliable No. 3 cornerback before veteran Al Harris(notes) sustained a season-endingknee injury late last season. Williams became a full-time starter, and coachessay his coverage skills have come to rival those of fellow Packers cornerbackCharles Woodson(notes).
Williams’ agent did not disclose terms of the deal, which was reported onthe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s website earlier Tuesday. According to thatreport, the deal is worth $33.074 million and extends through 2014.
First-round tee times for Chevron World Challenge (PGATOUR.com)
November 30, 2010
First-round times. All times are local.
Chevron World Challenge Tee #1TimePlayers10:20 amLuke DonaldAnthony Kim10:30 amBubba WatsonDustin Johnson10:40 amIan PoulterPaul Casey10:50 amGraeme McDowellRory McIlroy11:00 amSean O’HairHunter Mahan11:10 amSteve StrickerTiger Woods11:20 amJim FurykCamilo Villegas11:30 amMatt KucharNick Watney11:40 amStewart CinkZach Johnson
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Pressure’s on Jets to pressure Brady
November 30, 2010
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP)—The New York Jets are out to make Tom Brady(notes) miserable.
Big hits, rushed throws and forced mistakes are all in the defense’s gameplan for the New England Patriots quarterback. Maybe even a few hard shoves tothe turf, too.
“It’s going to be very imperative,” linebacker Calvin Pace(notes) said, “that weget to him and kind of get in his head a little bit.”
With first place in the AFC East and the conference’s best record on theline at New England on Monday night, New York knows the pressure’s on to putpressure on Brady.
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“He’s a guy that’s going to the Hall of Fame, a guy that has all of thenumbers, has the rings, so it all starts with him,” defensive end Shaun Ellis(notes)said. “If we can make his job a lot harder, it’ll be more to our advantage.”
The Jets know that from experience, particularly their 28-14 win at home inWeek 2. New York sacked him only once, but constantly harassed and frustratedBrady. Two of his four interceptions this season came in that game.
“I’d sign up for that again,” coach Rex Ryan said.
Of course, but it certainly won’t be easy. The key again will be to get thepass rush, one of the so-called weak spots for the league’s No. 3 defense, goingearly. Brady has been protected well, though, having been sacked only twice inhis last three games, and three times in his last five.
“It’s not about sacking him because you’re not going to sack him,”defensive end Trevor Pryce(notes) said. “He’ll get rid of the ball. The best you cando is force him to make a throw maybe a second earlier than he wants to. That’sworth its weight in gold.”
Especially since Brady rarely makes mistakes on his own.
“There is no weakness in Brady’s game,” Ryan said.
Brady is certainly having another impressive season with his 105.8quarterback rating ranking second in the NFL to Philadelphia’s Michael Vick(notes)(106.0). His 23 touchdown passes are tied for the league lead.
“We’ve got to stop him, get some hits on him and maybe show him a fewthings he hasn’t seen,” Pace said. “We also have to go out there and createsome turnovers for our offense.”
The Jets pressured or hit Brady 23 times in last season’s victory over thePatriots at home. They disguised coverages and blitzes out of their 3-4 basedefense and gave Brady little time to make decisions.
In the meeting earlier this season, Jason Taylor(notes) sacked Brady and knockedthe ball out of his hands with just over 4 minutes left and Bryan Thomas(notes)recovered.
“It’s hard to pressure him,” said Taylor, whose 10 1/2 sacks of Brady are hismost against any quarterback. “You have to stay after it, and keep stayingafter it. He’s going to drop the ball down and let his playmakers make plays andnot put his team in a bad position.”
There’s no Randy Moss(notes) this time around, but it almost seems it doesn’tmatter with Brady. In the second meeting last season against the Jets, he foundWes Welker(notes) early and often, as the gutsy wide receiver set a career high with 15receptions in the Patriots’ 31-14 win at New England.
“They did their homework and scouted us,” Ellis said. “It’s definitelygoing to be one of those games where it’s going to be a little chess match.Hopefully, we just go out and jump on them out of the gate.”
The Jets have 24 sacks, ranking them in the middle of the pack—a positionthey need to improve upon to be considered truly an elite defense. There wereencouraging signs last Thursday, when New York sacked Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer(notes)three times, including Pryce’s victory-sealing safety late in the fourthquarter.
“It was more of a confirmation of how we know how to play,” defensivetackle Sione Pouha(notes) said. “We knew it was there and we knew we had the tools todo it, and it was just a confirmation of our confidence and abilities.”
The Jets were able to get a pass rush going late against the Bengals inlarge part because they had a big lead, allowing New York to send four men afterthe quarterback.
“It’s just a matter of us building off of last week,” Ellis said. “Forthe weeks prior, we kind of made up for it and hopefully we can continue thattrend into this Monday.”
It would also make quite the setting for Vernon Gholston(notes), the team’s topdraft pick in 2008, to get his first NFL sack. The former sixth overallselection has taken lots of criticism for his inability to get to thequarterback, but has gotten oh-so-close the last few games.
“Obviously, me getting out there and getting the chance to get that closeis great for me,” Gholston said. “The biggest thing is, it’ll come.”
Pryce would love for sack No. 1 to come soon.
“I’m doing my best to get him one before I leave here,” said Pryce, fourthon the active sacks list. “If there comes a time when they put me and him onthe field together, I’ll do all of the dirty work and (he) can run and clean up.When that light goes off on him—it took me three years—but when it clicks,people are in trouble.”
And trouble is exactly what the Jets hope to cause for Brady on Mondaynight.
“You understand the type of defense that we have to play in November andDecember,” linebacker Bart Scott(notes) said. “It’s time to tighten the bolts down,time to be playing as good a football as you can because that’s what’s going tobe needed.”
Harrison fined $25K, season total $125K
November 30, 2010
PITTSBURGH (AP)—Steelers linebacker James Harrison(notes) was fined $25,000 onTuesday for his penalized hit on Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes).
Harrison has four fines this season totaling $125,000.
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Harrison drew a roughing-the-passer penalty for hitting Fitzpatrickhelmet-first during Pittsburgh’s 19-16 overtime victory Sunday.
“James Harrison was fined $25,000 for roughing the passer, specifically hemade helmet contact to the chest of the Buffalo quarterback, who was in adefenseless position at the time the contact was made,” the NFL said in ane-mail Tuesday to The Associated Press.
After the game, the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker said the play didn’twarrant a fine. He compared it to his Nov. 21 roughing-the-passer penaltyagainst Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell(notes) that did not draw a fine.
“I’m not expecting a fine,” Harrison said. “It’s the exact thing as lastweek. It was the same exact hit. I hit him (Fitzpatrick) the same way I did thequarterback from Oakland and I got the same flag but I didn’t get a fine. …I’m expecting the same thing on this.”
Harrison previously was fined $75,000 for a helmet hit on Browns widereceiver Mohamed Massaquoi(notes), $20,000 for a helmet-to-the-back hit on Saintsquarterback Drew Brees(notes) and $5,000 for a hit on Titans quarterback Vince Young(notes).
On Monday, the league rejected Harrison’s appeals of the $75,000 and $20,000fines, although the Steelers supported Harrison’s appeal.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin declined Tuesday to debate whether Harrisonshould have been fined for the Fitzpatrick play. But Tomlin suggested Harrisonneeds to alter his tackling style to conform to the NFL’s stricter enforcementof dangerous hits—a toughened stance that was prompted, in part, by theMassaquoi hit.
“Obviously he does because the league doesn’t agree with him,” Tomlinsaid. “My opinion doesn’t matter.”
Tomlin also was asked if it’s fair that the league keeps singling outHarrison for large fines.
“Man, life isn’t fair,” Tomlin said. “I’m not concerned about fairness.I’m really not. I’m concerned about preparing for the Baltimore Ravens” onSunday.
Earlier this season, Tomlin and Steelers President Art Rooney II defendedHarrison, and Tomlin told his players he doesn’t want the league’s stance toaffect the way they play. Rooney also said the league was wrong for discipliningplayers for what he felt were legal hits, including the Harrison hit onMassaquoi.
Niners place RB Gore on injured reserve
November 30, 2010
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP)—Frank Gore’s(notes) season is over—and what a hit for theSan Francisco offense.
The 49ers placed their star running back on season-ending injured reserveTuesday. Gore fractured his right hip during the Niners’ 27-6 win at Arizona onMonday night and was scheduled to undergo further tests to determine theseverity of the injury. The team made the announcement less than two hours afterMike Singletary’s weekly news conference, then released a statement from thecoach.
“It is unfortunate that we had to place Frank on IR,” Singletary said.“He is not only a great football player, but a tremendous leader. He plays withsuch passion and desire, two traits that will serve him well as he recovers fromthe injury.”
San Francisco 49ers ' Bria… AP – Nov 29, 10:41 pm EST San Francisco 49ers running ba… AP – Nov 29, 10:26 pm EST
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Singletary said he wasn’t sure when Gore got hurt. The two-time Pro Bowler,in his sixth NFL season, ran for 853 yards and three touchdowns this season andalso caught a team-leading 46 passes for 452 yards and two TDs. Gore’s 24100-yard rushing games are the most in 49ers franchise history.
Losing him is a big blow for San Francisco, which at 4-7 is only a game outin the NFC West despite an 0-5 start.
The 49ers actually hid Gore’s helmet from him on the sideline because hewanted to stay in the game.
San Francisco also placed wide receiver Dominique Zeigler(notes) on IR with a tornanterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
For now, Brian Westbrook(notes) and rookie Anthony Dixon(notes) will be called upon tocarry a bigger load as the 49ers make a quick turnaround to play at Green Bay onSunday. Westbrook had all of 10 touches this season before carrying 23 times for136 yards Monday, though Singletary wants to be cautious not to overworkWestbrook and risk injury.
“Frank is a big part of what we do—heart, soul, everything he brings iswhat you want,” Singletary said. “But thankfully, Brian Westbrook is a mature,experienced leader and we just have to be careful about how we use him and howmuch exposure we allow him to see. I think there will be a good mixture betweenBrian Westbrook and Dixon. We’ll just have to see how we do that.”
Westbrook, who sustained two concussions last season, had the most yards andcarries—in fact the fourth-most rushes of his career—against the Cardinalssince Dec. 7, 2008, when he had 33 carries for 131 yards against the Giants.
“I saw him a couple of times on the sideline, and he gave me a couple ofideas of different things to do,” Westbrook said of Gore’s influence. “Frankis a competitor. He wants to be out there.”
So does Westbrook, who came to San Francisco for a fresh start.
The 31-year-old Westbrook was released by the Philadelphia Eagles inFebruary after an injury-filled 2009 season. He wound up with the 49ers aftertalking to several coaches from various franchises.
Westbrook led the NFL with 2,104 yards from scrimmage in 2007, but missedeight games last season with a pair of concussions and an ankle injury whilescoring only two touchdowns.
Singletary said 23 carries could be too much of a load for Westbrook at thisstage of the season even considering he hasn’t had much time on the field sofar.
Westbrook began this season having rushed for 5,995 yards and 37 touchdownson 1,308 carries in eight NFL seasons, all with the Eagles, and also caught 426passes for 3,790 yards and 29 TDs.
“I used to choose the Eagles whenever I played Madden Football, just so Icould be Brian Westbrook,” rookie offensive lineman Anthony Davis said afterMonday’s game.
Also Tuesday, Singletary declared kicker Joe Nedney(notes) healthy and ready toreturn from a right knee strain and bone bruise. San Francisco waived histwo-week fill-in, Shane Andrus(notes).
The 49ers promoted safety Chris Maragos(notes) and running back DeShawn Wynn(notes) fromthe practice squad and released tackle Xavier Fulton(notes) from the practice squad.
Newton required to be available to media
November 30, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. (AP)—The Southeastern Conference could fine Auburn if quarterbackCam Newton isn’t available for postgame interviews following the leaguechampionship game.
The SEC requires all coaches and student athletes to be made available toreporters after the title game. League spokesman Charles Bloom said TuesdayCommissioner Mike Slive can fine a school for violating that policy, but hasnever had to do so. Bloom said the amount is at the commissioner’s discretion.
The second-ranked Tigers meet No. 18 South Carolina Saturday.
Newton hasn’t spoken to the media since Nov. 9. The NCAA is investigatinghis recruitment after allegations that Newton’s father wanted $180,000 to signwith Mississippi State.
Coach Gene Chizik declined to answer Tuesday when asked if Auburn wouldabide by SEC rules.
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Tiger Woods gets last chance for a win this year
November 30, 2010
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP)—Tiger Woods attributes his first year without a winto turmoil at home and on the golf course.
Woods has one last chance, even though it wouldn’t count as official on thePGA Tour. He is the tournament host of the Chevron World Challenge, which startsThursday with an 18-man field of players inside the top 50 in the world.
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Woods has not lost at this event since 2005, although he didn’t play thelast two years. He missed in 2008 while recovering from knee surgery, and lastyear’s tournament was a week after his Thanksgiving night accident that led torevelations of infidelity.
Despite not winning and no longer being No. 1, Woods says he has learned alot on the golf course this year. He says he has learned even more off thecourse, having gone through a divorce.
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Pack lose LB Chillar, TE Havner for year
November 30, 2010
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—The Green Bay Packers have placed linebacker BrandonChillar(notes) and tight end Spencer Havner(notes) on season-ending injured reserve.
Chillar, considered the team’s best linebacker in pass coverage, hurt hisshoulder in Sunday’s loss at Atlanta. He played in eight games with one startthis season, posting 18 tackles, a sack and an interception.
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Havner, who played for the Packers in 2008 and 2009, began this season withDetroit but was cut and re-signed with the Packers on Nov. 12. He injured hishamstring Sunday.
The Packers now have 13 players on injured reserve.
Rogers to talk Newton with state office
November 30, 2010
Former Mississippi State player Kenny Rogers is scheduled to meet withofficials from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office Dec. 9 to discuss therecruitment of Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.
Rogers, who has worked with a sports agent, has said Newton’s father, Cecil,asked two Mississippi State coaches for up to $180,000 at a hotel in Starkville,Miss., to secure his son’s commitment to the Bulldogs. Rogers says the coachesdeclined the request, and MSU has said all of its employees acted properly.
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Cecil Newton has denied any wrongdoing.
Rogers’ attorney, Doug Zeit, said his client will meet with officials fromthe secretary’s office and has been interviewed by the NCAA.
Secretary of State spokeswoman Pamela Weaver said Tuesday the office wouldnot comment on “current, pending or potential investigations.”
The Secretary of State’s office enforces regulations under the UniformAthlete Agent Act, which governs sports agents in Mississippi. Violators can besentenced to a maximum of two years in prison and pay up to a $10,000 fine alongwith additional civil penalties.
Rogers has a company called Elite Football Preparation, which holds camps inAlabama, Chicago and Mississippi, and matches football prospects with colleges.
Rogers has also come under scrutiny from the NFL Players Association.
The NFLPA issued a disciplinary complaint earlier this month againstcontract adviser Ian Greengross, and spokesman George Atallah said the unionwould be looking into Rogers’ involvement with players as well. THE NFLPAidentified Rogers as a recruiter for Greengross.
Greengross was cited for “violating numerous provisions of the NFLPA’sagent regulations while recruiting and representing players,” and, according tothe union, is responsible for the actions of his recruiters, employees andassociates.
Cam Newton remains eligible at Auburn. The Heisman candidate andsecond-ranked Tigers will play No. 18 South Carolina in the SEC championshipgame on Saturday.
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Spurrier back in SEC championship game
November 30, 2010
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)—Steve Spurrier seemed to be a shell of himself his firstfew years at South Carolina, unable to rekindle the kind of success he had atFlorida.
This year looked like it might be another tease when the Gamecocks againfollowed a big win against Alabama with a disappointing loss to Kentucky.Spurrier was shaken, but not down.
At 65, the South Carolina head ball coach is back in the SoutheasternConference title game.
His No. 18 Gamecocks take on second-ranked Auburn Saturday.
South Carolina 's Marcus L… AP – Nov 27, 11:55 pm EST South Carolina head coach Stev… AP – Nov 27, 11:45 pm EST
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After five largely so-so seasons, Spurrier can bring a winner to SouthCarolina in the game he loves the most. It’s a second-act few thought Spurrierwould pull off with the also-ran Gamecocks.
“The important thing is that our players really set some lofty goals thisyear,” he said. “They set some goals that a lot of people maybe would’velaughed at at the beginning of the season.”
Plenty of people around college football laughed six years ago when Spurrier— citing the Boston Red Sox slogan “Why not us?”— said his goal was to win anSEC crown at South Carolina
No one, not even Spurrier, critics said, could move South Carolina ahead ofthe East’s divisional power trio of Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
“I was a little surprised because I thought there were better options wherehe could be more immediately successful,” said Chris Doering, a receiver onthree SEC champions from 1993-95 for Spurrier at Florida.
But after several false starts, Spurrier’s got the Gamecocks (9-3) set toruin the league’s chance at a fifth straight national title.
“Oh, we don’t worry about that,” Spurrier said Tuesday. “We worry aboutSouth Carolina, our school, our state, our team. And we’re trying to win ourfirst conference championship.”
Not that Eastern Division success came easily.
The Gamecocks were the talk of the nation in October when they toppledthen-No. 1 Alabama, 35-21. Then South Carolina’s old ways kicked in with asecond-half collapse, turning a 28-10 lead against Kentucky into a 31-28 loss. Alopsided 41-20 defeat at home against Arkansas three weeks later looked like itwould doom their chances as South Carolina headed for showdown at The Swamp forthe title.
Behind freshman runner Marcus Lattimore and a defense that rattled theGators, South Carolina broke its 0 for 12 mark in Gainesville with a 36-14victory and the Gamecocks were off to Atlanta.
“Steve Spurrier is the same coach that he’s been the last four, five, sixyears,” said Lou Holtz, an ESPN analyst and Spurrier’s Gamecocks predecessor.“He has some wonderful assistants and finally got the players he needed tocompete.”
Spurrier was nearly done in by his own expectations. He won six SEC crownsand the 1996 national championship at Florida, his “Fun-‘n’-Gun” offensesetting a standard for the game from 1990-2001.
But Spurrier struggled early on to attract the same caliber players to SouthCarolina.
Each time the Gamecocks appeared ready to rise, they ended with a thud. Theywent 6-1 and were No. 6 in 2007 yet lost their final five game that season.There were similar crash-landings in 2008 and 2009 when bowl losses—31-10 toIowa at the Outback Bowl two years ago and 20-7 to Connecticut at thePapajohns.com Bowl last January—left Spurrier questioning if he could achieveleague success at South Carolina.
“I think this is a business where you’re only as good as your last week,”said Gamecocks assistant Shane Beamer, the son of Virginia Tech coach FrankBeamer. “As good a run as we’ve had the last few weeks, we need to play well onSaturday.”
Auburn coach Gene Chizik says it’s an amazing achievement to coach twoschools to the SEC’s ultimate game. “It certainly says a great deal about himas a football coach,” he said.
Win or lose Saturday, Spurrier could have the Gamecocks prepped for year-inand year-out success.
South Carolina returns 1,000-yard rusher Lattimore and single-seasonreceiving yards record-setter Alshon Jeffery back next year. Quarterback StephenGarcia, who Spurrier has regularly praised after several years of harshcomments, will be a polished senior.
The defense, under the steady hand longtime SEC coordinator Ellis Johnson,held Alabama’s running duo of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson to 64 yards andlimited the Gators to 226 yards.
Doering, the ex-Florida receiver, says that success is what drives Spurrier,not other’s opinions. “I don’t think he cares about proving people wrong or anyof that stuff,” he said.
Indeed, Spurrier talks about the Gamecocks instead of himself. He is alsonot ready for a victory lap just yet.
“We’re in about as good a shape as we can expect to be,” he said. “We’rethrilled with the opportunity to go compete for the SEC championship.”
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