Turner downplays speculation about expected ouster as Bolts coach

SAN DIEGO -- Norv Turner says he hasn't given much thought to what's expected to be his last week as coach of the San Diego Chargers.

Turner has heard all the speculation he'll be fired because the Chargers are out of the playoffs for the third straight year.

The coach says team president Dean Spanos hasn't told him anything about his future. Spanos has said he'll decide on Turner and general manager A.J. Smith's fates after the season. But Turner says he's aware it's been an ongoing evaluation.

Asked how he thinks it'll turn out, Turner said Monday: "I don't think it matters what I think."

The Chargers finish at home against the Raiders, who fired Turner after he coached them from 2004-05.

Turner also coached the Redskins from 1994 until being fired 13 games into the 2000 season.

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Monday Observations: Jets' Sparano among coordinators likely to go

It's been, all in all, a good year for NFL coaches.

In an era of limited-to-no-job security for them, not a single head coach was let go in-season, and only three coordinators were fired (Baltimore offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Tennessee offensive coordinator Chris Palmer and Philadelphia defensive coordinator Juan Castillo). Given just how awful some of these units have been to watch in 2012, that has to pass as restraint in this day and age.

But make no mistake, more changes are coming. And I'm not even talking about the inevitable carnage that comes when head coaches begin to get fired, which leads to their entire staffs being let go in most instances. From what I am hearing, it sounds like a half dozen are probably going to be let go during Black Monday, and another handful will trickle out throughout the following days and weeks

There are also several teams that will be inevitably making changes at coordinator regardless of whether the head coach goes. Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano might be the poster boy of this group. He has been shredded on national television with great regularity for the lack of direction in New York's offense, and indeed the Jets have seemed rudderless and devoid of an identity much of the season. Add in the Tim Tebow circus and Sparano's support for Mark Sanchez following Greg McElroy's win over Arizona, and there is no doubt that whatever happens to head coach Rex Ryan, and whatever happens to general manager Mike Tannenbaum -- who could very well be let go, sources say -- Sparano looks like a one-and-done in the Big Apple (Tannenbaum is his biggest supporter, sources said).

The wildcat has been the mildcat (though even that is probably over-stating its prowess), Sanchez has sunk to new lows and another season of that Jets defense being stout enough has been wasted. The Jets are stuck with Sanchez given his contract, but a second straight coordinator change on offense is imminent, and Sunday's offensive display was just another indictment of that side of the ball.

Sparano won't be alone. Here's a list of other coordinators likely to get pink slips.

Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray: The Titans have been a wreck all season and it was a toss-up to whether Gray or Palmer would be fired first. Sources said Gray's departure is certain to come at the end of the season, and league sources indicated that if former Titans coordinator Gregg Williams is reinstated from his suspension in short enough order, he could be an option there. The Titans have suffered against the run and pass, have been on the wrong end of blowouts, the latest a 55-7 drubbing from the Packers on Sunday. Even if head coach Mike Munchak survives, as expected, more staff changes are to come.

Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave: It's been a dream season for the Vikings, and running back Adrian Peterson, but Minnesota's offense has been tough to watch. Quarterback Christian Ponder has not made strides, and with such a powerful running game it's been shocking to see the lack of explosive plays or vertical play-action threats it should trigger. Head coach Leslie Frazier has been advised by some to find a new coordinator even if AP breaks the rushing record, and I'd be very surprised if Ponder does not have a different voice in his ear come 2013.

Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan: The yardage is still there for the Lions, but the touchdowns have dried up, Matt Stafford has taken steps backward and the running game remains an enigma. Much like with AP in Minnesota, even Calvin Johnson's record yardage for the Lions is not expected to be enough to stave off this change. Stafford's ability alone is enough to attract top candidates and when Browns head coach Pat Shurmur is let go by the Browns, league sources would not be surprised to see him get consideration in Detroit (Shurmur is a Detroit native and worked well with another former No. 1 draft pick, Sam Bradford, in St. Louis).

Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice: Chicago's offense has lacked vision and creativity, and essentially has been a one-man gang with receiver Brandon Marshall carrying the load. Lovie Smith likely needs to get in the playoffs to save his job, and even if he does there will be calls for another man taking charge of Jay Cutler. That could end up meaning nothing more than a promotion for Jeremy Bates, who is already on staff there. The lack of scoring from this unit has been staggering at times, and Tice has been unable to right Chicago's substantial personnel woes on the offensive line.

Arizona offensive coordinator Mike Miller: Last year, Arizona's ownership went to bat for Todd Haley, pushing coach Ken Whisenhunt to get him back on staff, preferably as the offensive play caller. Sunday was another game, another quarterback for the Cards in another defeat, with Brian Hoyer the latest victim. Scouts have pointed to the scheme, especially in terms of protections, as part of the problem, while the lack of an offensive line has hurt, too. Whisenhunt committed to Miller, but a year later, with the offense horrible and lacking any sort of production from quarterback, change is coming. The Cardinals prevented teams from talking to quarterback coach John McNulty a year ago, and he could end up as their coordinator this year whether Whisenhunt stays or goes (if Arizona does let him go, then Haley could return as head coach).

Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Knapp: Knapp has many friends in the coaching ranks, he is very well liked and he has been the ultimate survivor in the West Coast offense ... but this looks like the last stop as a coordinator. Oakland has been awful, Carson Palmer has probably played his way out of town (or at least into a greatly-reduced contract) and rookie head coach Dennis Allen is going to have to shake up his staff some. Sunday, with Carson Palmer leaving the game and Matt Leinart entering, was just another sign of impending doom.

Bills defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt: This was supposed to be a breakthrough year for this defense after owner Ralph Wilson went out of character and sunk tens of millions of dollars into that side of the ball, and it hasn't worked. Not close. They got all kinds of carved up by Reggie Bush in another loss Sunday. The Bills have been thoroughly dominated far too often and the bang for the buck has not been there. Things improved marginally at times, but this is yet another case where even if an embattled head coach (Chan Gailey) manages to keep his job, he is going to have to tinker with his staff.

If I am a Texans fan I am definitely disconcerted by what I watched Sunday. I had held off on the prevailing sentiment that the Texans were looking like paper tigers, and recent slip ups did not bode well for them.

And certainly they have not been clicking on either side of the ball the way they were early in the season. But until Sunday's pedestrian showing against the Vikings, I was still feeling pretty good about my summer Super Bowl prediction of Packers-Texans. I know the Texans didn't have much beyond the top seed on the line, but still I expected more in terms of fight and passion.

Matt Schaub isn't scaring anyone right now. The defense is not nearly as menacing as it appeared to be earlier in the season. In a league where being a hot team and carrying some momentum into the postseason has been so vital in recent years, this team has the look of one that might be vulnerable, and conversations with several AFC execs made it clear teams would prefer a route that goes through the Colts and then the Texans in the divisional round, rather than getting the Patriots or Broncos in that round.

With the Broncos surging, it seems like a good time to remind people of the superb drafts that former general manager Brian Xanders oversaw there before being unceremoniously let go before this season. That team that is surging now is doing so loaded with young talent brought in on his watch. And he managed to do so with very tight budgetary restraints. He was also had a hand in hiring John Fox, which looks genius now, and in helping put a strong staff together despite those financial constraints.

I'm not sure that Xanders will get a general manager gig this offseason, though he has a background in coaching, worked the business side of things and then also served in scouting and has general manager experience. If nothing else, he'd make a strong addition to a front office in a role as an assistant general manager. (Along those lines, I hear that Brian Heimerdinger, son of the late Mike Heimerdinger -- the longtime successful offensive coordinator -- is doing quality work for the Rams as a player personnel analyst and I have a feeling he works his way up the ranks).

• Eagles quarterback Nick Foles keeps showing something every week. There is enough to work with at least for this offseason, and it will be very interesting to see what the next coach in Philadelphia thinks of him. You could do a whole lot worse, seems to me, and I am not sure you are going to be able to do much better in what looks like a watered-down draft class and given the limited options in free agency. Get that offensive line improved (maybe Jason Peters is back at left tackle), stick with a more balanced offensive approach and give the kid a full 2013 to show what more he can do.

• Tampa Bay, as we noted a week ago, is now very much in line to finish back at the bottom of the NFC South, and all of their manic tendencies are embodied by the quarterback. Josh Freeman has to be one of the most wildly inconsistent quarterbacks in the NFL. After another multiple-pick game, it makes you doubt whether he can ever stay at the lofty level he frequently attains in spurts. It looks like he will end up pulling a Joe Flacco and playing out the finality of his rookie deal (which expires after the 2013 season) before either getting franchised or securing an extension.

• The Vikings' Kyle Rudolph isn't the liveliest tight end in the league and seems downright lumbering at times by today's standards, but he quietly has emerged as a legit red zone threat and could end up with double-digit touchdown receptions this season.

• Rams corner Janoris Jenkins gets my vote for defensive rookie of the year. He is a natural-born playmaker, he got in the end zone again yesterday (this time at Freeman's expense), and kudos to the Rams for having the guts to draft him as he was slipping down other draft boards due to off-field concerns. Just too much talent not to look at when you are the youngest team in the league and so starved for wins as St. Louis has been.

• I could not figure out what Mike Tomlin and Marvin Lewis were doing in the late stages of their game. Neither team could score nor move the ball and field position carried the day, yet both guys were trying 52-yard plus field goals in the final minutes and seemingly trying to hand the game back to the other guy. Lewis ended up getting bailed out by another Big Ben pick with the game on the line, but why he would hand the ball back to the Steelers around midfield in the first place with an attempt out of his kicker's range was baffling. Lewis's in-game decisions have been called into question before, but give the Bengals credit for rising above, finally finding a way to beat an AFC North big dog and getting back in the playoffs for a second straight year. Heady stuff for that franchise.

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Power Rankings: Manning has Broncos peaking at right time

Sitting on a bench, looking out at the Denver Broncos practice field on a crisp June day, Peyton Manning wasn't so sure where he was as a player.

"I really don't know and won't know until I play in games," he told me that day. "There are a lot of things that go into it. I am getting there. But there are still some things that I won't be able to do like I used to do."

Peyton, you were wrong. You can still do everything you used to do.

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Sunday Six: Carroll's vision is 20-20 for red-hot Seahawks

Week 16 demonstrated how Pete Carroll's vision of constant competition is working in Seattle. Just ask the 49ers. What else? The Jets backed themselves into a corner with their QB issues and Andy Reid deserves a shot -- one he likely won't get -- to develop some young Eagles.

Every city in the NFL considering a new stadium for the past 10 years should use the blueprint for Seattle's CenturyLink Field to build a great home field advantage. Not only is the stadium a stroke of genius but so is the construction of this franchise by Pete Carroll and his right hand man, John Schneider. I worked with Pete Carroll for six years and we've remained close friends over the past 22 years. At times I have been reluctant to write about him and his vision for a football team because of it. But after watching the 42-13 win over the 49ers, it's a good time to share what Pete looks for when building a football team.

Carroll preaches competition 24/7. Coaches and players who can't handle that constant opportunity usually conclude his team isn't for them. For those who thrive in an environment that feels like there's a scoreboard on all the time, it becomes just what they were looking for -- a fair chance to excel. Russell Wilson is a perfect example of the true competition that goes on day in and day out at the Seahawks' complex.

Carroll's program is as transparent as an NFL system can be. While some coaches and front offices operate like they care for matters of national security, Carroll is an open book. Crowds at practice and media access are part of the deal. Example: while on last summer's training camp tour with Sirius Radio I stopped at one team facility that wouldn't let us watch practice. Up next was Seattle, where all the practice videos were made available so we would be prepared to watch practice. Not only that, we also were invited right out in the middle of the drills. Also, I had a camera crew from CBS which was given access to the practice field, weight room and any coach or player they wanted to interview. Coach Carroll sat down with the video crew for 30 minutes to talk about his football philosophy. If you haven't been to a Seahawks practice you haven't experienced the essence of Carroll's program. There is music blasting, the speed of the practice is a blur as players get in twice the reps of some other practices. Carroll also is obsessed with trends in the game -- leading to him collecting the biggest secondary in NFL history.

Carroll recognized receivers were getting bigger -- including more basketball players gravitating to high school football because of the growth of the shotgun spread packages. Pete told me he was looking for different types of secondary players to match up with receivers. Carroll has strong beliefs about man coverage skills, and procured big, athletic corners and safeties to pull it off. Now the Seahawks have a stable full of secondary players that can cover, mirror receivers, catch the ball, and most of all hit.

"We play man to man or Cover 3 -- not much more than that," Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor said. "It's not a secret."

At USC, Carroll learned that freshmen could play major college football if you got them to play fast and free of over-scheming. When he returned to the NFL in Seattle, Carroll stuck with the principle: Rookies and young players could perform if he followed the same formula. Right now there are more than a dozen Seahawks playing a lot who have three or fewer years of experience. This team is being built for the long haul and they are going to have significant salary cap space next year.

And Schneider is the perfect guy to run Carroll's draft and target veterans for trades and free agency. These two don't flinch when a deal is to be made.

On offense he found the perfect pilot in Wilson. The football world thought the 5-foot-10 QB was a late-round backup. Perfect! Pete took him in the third round, opened up a true QB competition and the rest is history. When you watch Carroll's offense you see commitment to the run game, which means running when the team is winning or losing. Run it against every defense he faces and that's why the Seahawks have the highest first-and-10 run-to-pass ratio in the NFL. The Seahawks run the ball 65 percent of the time on first down. Most coaches are trying to be 50-50 on first down. In fact, league-wide, teams are 52 percent run, 48 percent pass on first down.

On Sunday vs. San Francisco, the Seahawks ran the ball on seven of the first eight first downs for 49 yards and finished the first half with 10 runs to four passes on first down -- averaging 6.2 yards per carry. That is a commitment to the run that leads to play-action passes and bootleg plays that are big reasons the team has scored 150 points in the past three games.

The influence of the late Bill Walsh can't be underestimated, starting with the speed at which a Walsh team played and is very recognizable when watching the Seahawks. I will never forget the first time Pete and I faced a Bill Walsh team. As I once told former Walsh center Randy Cross, we weren't nearly ready to play a team that played that fast. Pete never forgot what a fast team can achieve.

The second Walsh influence -- Carroll learned to take deep shots in the passing game. Walsh may have made the West Coast offense famous but he also threw downfield plenty, and there was a significant number of deep post routes by the Seahawks on Sunday night.

Finally, I have been in many Carroll team meetings and they are always enhanced with videos to make a point, entertain, or reinforce a theme. There's very little time spent on negative reinforcement, yelling or threatening. If a player is mature and wants to stay in the Seahawks program, opportunity exists for guys who go 100 percent all the time.

The Jets have made a mess of their quarterback situation. They weren't satisfied with Mark Sanchez after two years in championship games (2009, 2010) followed by an off year in 2011.

Along came Tim Tebow, but it didn't take long for coaches to figure out he wasn't really competition for Sanchez. Soon after they traded away a fourth- and sixth-round picks for Tebow -- plus paying the Broncos a few million bucks for Tebow's services -- they extended Sanchez's contract.

That extension makes it virtually impossible to cut or trade Sanchez in 2013. Then there's Greg McElroy. He was quietly sitting on the roster in 2011 as a developmental prospect. At the end of last season he told the story of some of the chemistry issues in the Jets locker room. This year he made a short appearance in a game and the Jets won. After Sanchez struggled the next week he was benched. Tebow was activated Sunday, but McElroy was handed the start.

CBS analyst and friend Bill Cowher said the Jets never had a QB plan. Well, McElroy was sacked 11 times in 35 pass plays or roughly once every three pass plays and the Jets only lost by 10 points. Should the Jets go back to Sanchez? Should they let Tebow play a whole game? Should McElroy get another game? No matter what they do, it's clear the QB situation looks like a rudderless ship.

Some stats stand out each week.

• Cardinals QB Ryan Lindley threw another 30 passes this week, raising his total to 171 attempts without a TD pass. It may be time to move on.

• Six NFL teams managed to produce more than 400 yards of offense and lose. Detroit (522 yards), Kansas City (507 yards), Dallas (446 yards), Jacksonville (436 yards), Tampa Bay (429 yards) and Philadelphia (411 yards).

It's hard to imagine how these six teams moved the ball that way, yet managed only 18.5 points while going 0-6.

• Thirteen receivers have more than 100 receiving yards but only six running backs rushed for 100 yards.

The Philadelphia Eagles may be a game away from making a coaching change after 14 years of quality work by Andy Reid.

I think it's a big risk to take for a franchise that has a proven winner in Reid. So the Eagles have had a few poor seasons. But did you watch the game this weekend against the Redskins? There is a lot of promise on that roster right now as Reid and his staff develop a young group of new players.

Rookie QB Nick Foles threw for 345 yards. Run his numbers from his six games out for a whole season and he would be projected for 4,500 yards, 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. There's something to develop in Foles.

Also, Riley Cooper, Colt Anderson, Brandon Graham, Dennis Kelly, Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, Brandon Boykin and Bryce Brown are a very interesting group of young men who could be the core to rebuild this franchise.

It's going to be a shame if someone else gets the opportunity instead of Reid.

I have been tracking the class of 2012 quarterbacks all season and it has moved beyond impressive.

Russell Wilson led the Seahawks to a dominating win over the 49ers with four TD passes. The class of 2012 has thrown 102 touchdown passes with a week to go. Three of these young men are likely to all make the post season (Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Wilson). Picking the rookie of the year is getting harder to figure, and that's a great thing for the NFL.

Heading into this weekend's games I talked about how important sacks are to the Giants' success. New York spent their money on a group of elite pass rushers -- so this team goes as the pass rush goes.

Since 2009 the G-men are 23-5 when they record three or more sacks. When they get one or none, they are 5-15 after never getting to Joe Flacco in 36 pass plays.

Flacco took a lot of deep shots against the corners, including a number of double routes that should have given the Giants time to recover -- but they did not.

Last season, the Giants recorded a sack once in every 13.5 pass attempts. In the past three games they had two sacks in 94 pass plays.

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Exec: Sides making 'plenty of progress' in Bills lease negotiations

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Wednesday that progress is being made in lease negotiations between the county, state and Buffalo Bills to keep the team at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The talks, the latest of which took place Tuesday, have picked up in recent weeks, Poloncarz said, after slowing while state officials dealt with the preparation and aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, which devastated parts of the East Coast in October.

"We've made plenty of progress. It's a very complicated deal," Poloncarz said. He declined to discuss details or say when an agreement might be reached.

The Bills' current lease expires July 31.

The Bills and county officials earlier this year raised the idea of extending the current agreement by one year amid concerns about the pace of negotiations. Poloncarz initially said he hoped a deal in principal would be reached by the time the Bills opened training camp this past July.

"We are certainly talking about everything but I think we all agree it makes more sense to get a long-term deal done than negotiate a one-year deal and then in six months have to pick it back up again," he said by phone Wednesday.

Buffalo Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold declined to comment on the talks. Earlier Wednesday, Chief Executive Russ Brandon told WGR radio that "we're making progress."

The latest talks were first reported by the Buffalo News.

Though the franchise's future in Buffalo is uncertain once 94-year-old owner Ralph Wilson dies, team officials have maintained their commitment to staying in Buffalo and continuing to play at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park.

The biggest obstacle in negotiations has been determining how to divide up the costs for $200 million in renovations and upgrades the Bills are seeking to have done to the 39-year-old facility.

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McCoy to start Sunday for Eagles; Vick will be No. 3 QB vs. Skins

LeSean McCoy will be taking handoffs from Nick Foles when the Eagles face the Redskins on Sunday. (AP)

PHILADELPHIA -- LeSean McCoy will start at running back for the Philadelphia Eagles against Washington on Sunday in his first game back after missing four because of a concussion.

Rookie Bryce Brown filled in nicely for McCoy, running for 347 yards and four touchdowns in his first two career starts. But Brown had just 40 yards in the next two games and fumbled four times in four games.

Coach Andy Reid said Brown will rotate in with McCoy.

Michael Vick will be the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Nick Foles and Trent Edwards because of his extended layoff. Vick has missed five games with a concussion.

The Eagles (4-10) are trying to play spoiler against the Redskins (8-6), who are in a three-way tie for first in the NFC East.

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Peterson's record chase for Vikings brings MVP into play

Most people want to see if Adrian Peterson breaks Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record, but I'm more interested in his MVP chances. Once I thought Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were slam dunks as the first two choices.

But now I don't.

That's because I polled a significant portion of MVP voters, and while I still believe the award is a two-horse race, I don't believe it's between Manning and Brady. It's between Manning and Peterson, with Manning the front runner, Peterson closing on the outside and Brady third.

That Manning is ahead is no surprise. He has won a league-record four MVPs, has Denver on track to finish with the AFC's second-best record and is one of the NFL's top-ranked passers -- and all that after getting released by Indianapolis following four neck surgeries.

More important, he's a quarterback, and tell me the last time someone other than a quarterback won the award. It was 2006, with LaDainian Tomlinson.

Quarterbacks were named league MVP the past five seasons -- two by Manning -- and 37 times since the Associated Press first launched the award in 1957. Running backs are second at 17. Nevertheless, there's a strong case to be made for Peterson as he carries the Vikings, and voters apparently are listening.

Most everyone knows he's within 293 yards of Dickerson's record, has 500 more yards rushing than No. 2 back Marshawn Lynch and 356 more yards from scrimmage than Detroit wideout Calvin Johnson. What you may not know is the guy has run for an astonishing 1,313 yards the past eight games, has accounted for 44 percent of the Vikings' offense and produced a third of their touchdowns.

The Vikings were 3-13 a year ago; they're 8-6 today. One reason: Adrian Peterson.

It's not quarterback Christian Ponder. He's the league's 25th-ranked quarterback with as almost many interceptions as touchdown passes. It's not star receiver Percy Harvin, either. He hasn't played since the Vikings' ninth game. And it's not defensive end Jared Allen, who last year had a league-leading 22 sacks. He has nine now, only 1.5 more than teammate Brian Robison.

Nope, it's one guy, and you're looking at him.

In terms of most valuable you can make the argument that Peterson is more qualified than Manning because Manning has a better supporting cast. You can also make the argument that Manning plays in a weak division where Denver's three partners are a combined 11-31. And you can even make the argument that Manning is doing what Tim Tebow did just last year ... namely, taking the Broncos to a division championship.

What you can't argue is that neither deserves the award.

Two weeks ago I polled Twitter followers on the subject, and the popular response was to split this year's MVP, and while that's rare it has happened twice -- in 1997 with Brett Favre and Barry Sanders; again in 2003 with Manning and Steve McNair.

I don't expect that to happen now. What I do expect is that Manning wins a fifth time. But Peterson isn't all that far behind with two more games to be played.

"For me," said one voter, "it's between Manning and Peterson. But if Peterson finished with two more strong games, I'm leaning toward him. Not taking anything away from Manning or Brady or any other quarterbacks, but with a running back to be having this kind of season ... with a quarterback as bad as Ponder ... and now with Harvin gone, too ... is something very special to me."

The key for Peterson making this a photo finish is two-fold. First, he probably has to break Dickerson's record. Second, the Vikings must reach the playoffs. The last MVP who was not part of a playoff team was O.J. Simpson in 1973, the year he set the then single-season rushing record -- and that's significant.

Because when Tomlinson won the award he set single-season records for touchdowns and rushing TDs. And when Seattle's Shaun Alexander won it the year before that, he set an NFL record for TDs and tied the record for rushing scores. Tomlinson led the Chargers to the NFL's best record in 2006. Alexander led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

I think you get the picture.

It's a quarterback-driven league, and if the vote is close between a quarterback and running back, the runner better bring something more to the table than gaudy numbers. Even then, there are no guarantees, and Dickerson knows. When he set the rushing record in 1984, he wasn't the league MVP; Dan Marino was, and consider that a lesson.

"If the Vikings make the playoffs it will be hard not to vote for [Peterson]," said one voter.

Agreed. And if they don't? Peyton Manning, come on down.

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League fines Redskins rookie QB Griffin $10K for wearing Adidas

Robert Griffin III wore an Adidas T-shirt and sweat jacket as he addressed reporters on Sunday. (Getty Images)

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has been fined $10,000 by the NFL for wearing Adidas at his postgame news conference Sunday.

The NFL on Wednesday confirmed the fine for "unauthorized apparel."

Griffin was inactive for the game because of a sprained knee, and he wore an Adidas T-shirt and sweat jacket when he addressed reporters afterward. Griffin has a sponsorship deal with Adidas, but the league has a deal with Nike.

It's the second time this season Griffin has been rebuked for his attire, but it's his first time he's been fined. He covered up the Nike swoosh on his official team warm-up shirt before the regular opener against the New Orleans Saints.

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Roethlisberger apologizes to OC Haley for criticizing Steelers offense

PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger doesn't think he and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley need to be best friends to co-exist.

The quarterback, however, also knows he can't start calling Haley out when things don't go as planned, no matter how bothered the Steelers captain may get by the play-calling.

It's why Roethlisberger apologized to Haley, coach Mike Tomlin and owner Art Rooney II after making pointed remarks about the direction of the offense following a 27-24 overtime loss to Dallas on Sunday.

"I let my frustrations jump out after a game, I don't usually do that," Roethlisberger said. "Usually, I keep it under control. I was just frustrated with myself and I'll be better at that."

Roethlisberger completed 24 of 40 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns against Dallas but also threw a critical interception on the second play of overtime that set up the game-winning field goal. Afterward he expressed disappointment in Haley's decision to stay away from the "no-huddle" offense. And he wondered why Haley didn't feature tight end Heath Miller, who had six receptions for 85 yards in the first half and just one catch for seven yards in the second.

Looking back, Roethlisberger -- who took full responsibility for the loss -- figures he probably should have just kept quiet.

"We do have a lot of talks behind closed doors about things, about plays, play calling," he said. "If I'm doing something that's not right on the field, we have talks about everything."

Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday his franchise quarterback and Haley are on the same page. Roethlisberger agreed but allowed that doesn't mean they're on the same sentence.

"There are going to be times when you just don't see eye-to-eye," he said. "There are times when I don't see eye-to-eye with Coach Tomlin. But that doesn't mean anything, I don't think."

There have been similar issues in the past with former offensive coordinators Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians, disagreements that were overshadowed by winning.

That's not happening this season. The Steelers (7-7) have dropped four of their last five and need to win their final two games against Cincinnati (8-6) and Cleveland (5-9) to reach the playoffs.

It's not exactly the position Pittsburgh expected to be in after a four-game winning streak pushed them to 6-3. Yet things haven't quite been the same since a 16-13 overtime win against Kansas City on Nov. 12. Roethlisberger went down with a sprained shoulder and dislocated rib that sidelined him for three weeks and he hasn't been quite the same player in his return.

Roethlisberger was completing nearly 70 percent of his passes going into the game against the Chiefs. Over his last 2? games, his completion percentage has dipped to just 55 percent (55 of 100) as defenses have become more aggressive at pressing Pittsburgh's fast but somewhat undersized wide receivers at the line of scrimmage hoping to upset Haley's short-passing game.

While Roethlisberger's yardage totals have been OK thanks to an uptick in throws down the field, the efficient rhythm the Steelers played with during the first half of the season has all but disappeared.

"I think maybe it started in Kansas City where they had a little bit of success, where they got in our face a little bit and disrupted the timing of our routes," Miller said. "We've seen that in some form or variation since then."

The Steelers will almost certainly see more of it on Sunday against Cincinnati's physical secondary led by cornerbacks Terence Newman, Leon Hall and Nate Clements.

Pittsburgh wide receiver Mike Wallace says the key is simply winning more battles at the line of scrimmage, though a running game with a bit of a pulse and a defense that gave the offense short fields would help.

Though the Steelers are first in the NFL in yards allowed, they're 27th in takeaways with 15. As a result, just seven of Pittsburgh's 58 scoring drives this season have started on the other side of midfield. Opponents, meanwhile, have started 14 of 56 scoring drives in Steelers territory.

The lack of turnovers and splash plays on special teams have led to some pretty long fields for Roethlisberger and company, fields that have gotten even longer as the running game has halted.

Running back Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 122 yards in a 24-17 win at Cincinnati on Oct. 21. He has 122 yards combined in Pittsburgh's last four games, three of which he served as the starter.

Dwyer is still listed as the starter and it appears unlikely the Steelers would turn to veteran Rashard Mendenhall, who returned to practice on Wednesday after serving a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.

Mendenhall declined to talk about why he failed to show up at Heinz Field for a game against San Diego two weeks ago after the Steelers decided to make him inactive, though Roethlisberger isn't quite ready to call Mendenhall's tenure over.

"He's a pretty darn good football player," Roethlisberger said. "If he can help this team win football games, we'll take it."

And the Steelers insist they're past the part of the season where style points matter. The offense is just 20th in the league in points scored (21.6) and is averaging 30 yards less per game than it was last year, leading the front office to not renew Arians' contract and hire the sometimes combustible Haley instead.

The promised fireworks have not ensued, though even if things were going smoothly, Wallace says it's not like the offense would suddenly start lighting up scoreboards anyway.

"We've never just won on a weekly basis, win by 30-40 points," Wallace said. "We win by a touchdown or a field goal (and) just made the plays when they count. I think this year we haven't been making as many critical plays when they count ... but we've still got a shot."

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Bills' Wood says he still feels playing home games in Toronto is 'a joke'

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Center Eric Wood wasn't laughing when referring to the Buffalo Bills playing so-called home games in Toronto as being "a joke."

That was the opinion Wood expressed during his weekly show on Buffalo's WGRF-Radio on Monday, a day after a 50-17 loss to Seattle at Toronto. And he stuck by his comments Wednesday, saying he believes the Bills are giving away their home-field edge by playing under a dome and in front of ambivalent crowds north of the border.

"Yeah, I did call it a joke," Wood said. "It stunk that we were up there. And I was heated when I said it was a joke. And I'm not going to sit here and retract all my statements because that's what I meant and what I felt."

Wood expressed his complaints despite not making the trip to Toronto. He stayed home because he's recovering from a sprained right knee. And yet, he saw enough on TV and also heard from teammates to appreciate how familiar the atmosphere was to the two games he's played in Toronto.

Wood was unhappy the Seahawks got the chance to play inside the Rogers Centre, as opposed to outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium, where the elements usually play a factor in December.

Wood cited the mixed support the Bills get in Toronto, noting there are sometimes as many fans cheering for the visiting team as for Buffalo. And he added, there are times when fans don't know when to cheer.

"Those non-Bills fans that go to the game are just cheering for plays as opposed to cheering for a team," he said. "And that kills you."

Defensive tackle Kyle Williams was in Toronto, and expressed similar sentiments.

"It's very similar to a road game, but also I understand the business side of things," Williams said. "I don't think you'd find a guy in here that wouldn't agree that they would much rather be in Ralph Wilson Stadium."

Wood understands how playing in Canada's financial capital and largest city benefits a small-market team such as the Bills by generating additional revenue and luring fans to attend the team's games at Orchard Park.

He emphasized he wasn't criticizing Toronto as a community, because he enjoys makes numerous trips there.

"I love the city of Toronto for eating and for pleasure," Wood said. "But the game just has a different feel. And it's not a whole lot of fun to play in at this point."

The Bills are 1-4 in regular season games at Toronto since the series began in 2008.

The five-year deal, in which Rogers Communications agreed to pay the Bills $78 million to play in Toronto, has now expired. The two sides have been in negotiations and are close to extending the series for what's expected to be another five years.

"I don't blame Russ for this," Wood said, referring to Bills CEO Russ Brandon. "I respect the decisions that he makes to keep us in this market and provide a good business plan. But from a playing standpoint, unless it improves, it's not a whole lot of fun to play there."

The latest complaints echoed those made by Bills veteran safety George Wilson last year.

Saying it's not a home game, Wilson described fan support in Toronto as being "a night-and-day difference" to Buffalo.

Last year, in a 23-0 win over Washington, the crowd was doing the wave, which led to the Bills offense jumping the snap on third down. On Sunday, there was little crowd noise drowning out Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson calling plays at the line on several third-down situations.

Customarily, home crowds remain quiet when their team's offense is on the field, and they grow louder to disrupt the opposing team's offense.

"That just doesn't happen at Ralph Wilson Stadium," Wood said. "There have been times when there's been 40,000 people in there, and they're still not doing a regular cadence on third down in the first quarter."

The announced crowd of 40,770 was well below the downtown stadium's capacity of 54,000. Many who stuck around for the second half started rooting for the Seahawks. By the fourth quarter, the fans who were left began chanting, "Let's Go Blue Jays!"

Organizers went so far in a bid to drum up support by having Korean pop star PSY perform his hit "Gangnam Style" at halftime.

Wood was so worked up that he was preparing to share his frustrations on his Twitter account, before remembering the NFL rule barring players from using social media while their team is playing.

"I wrote and deleted about three tweets during the game," Wood said. "That was probably best. Yeah, it kind of ticked me off."

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Ryan says Tebow move hasn't met expectations; QB 'disappointed'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- It all began as an intriguing idea, the thought of Tim Tebow running around as an exciting spark for the New York Jets' offense.

Then it all fizzled -- before it really even started.

Rex Ryan acknowledged Wednesday that he had higher expectations for the seldom-used Tebow in the Jets' wildcat-style offense. And, so did the NFL's most popular and maligned backup quarterback.

"For some reason, it hasn't panned out to my expectations and maybe Tim's, either," Ryan said. "Defenses have attacked us a little differently. Maybe that's a contributing factor to it."

Ryan would not go into detail about why he chose Greg McElroy over Tebow to replace the struggling Mark Sanchez as the team's starting quarterback with two games left in a lost season. He reiterated his comments from Tuesday that it was his decision -- and his alone -- saying it was a "gut" call.

It was one that, predictably, didn't sit well with Tebow.

"Obviously, I'm a little disappointed," he said. "You try to handle it the best you can."

Tebow paused for a second when asked if he felt passed over by Ryan choosing McElroy instead of him.

"All you can ask for and all you want is a chance," he said. "A chance to go out there and play the game you love, and help this team win football games. That's all I wanted."

Ryan didn't consult with any players before making the call - other than to tell Sanchez after the Jets' 14-10 loss to Tennessee on Monday night that he was out as the starter.

The fact McElroy leapfrogged Tebow appears to be a clear indicator that the Jets think very little of Tebow as a quarterback, the player they traded a fourth-round draft pick to Denver for in March despite having just signed Sanchez to a big contract extension.

"I think we had a vision of using Tim in different ways," Ryan said. "Obviously, we used him as a personal punt protector. I thought maybe we would use him in other ways or something."

As did Tebow. He has done his best to hide his frustration throughout the season, but it was clear Wednesday that he is unhappy. He spoke in a low tone, and the usually constant smiles were few and far between. He also shrugged his shoulders a few times at questions, almost struggling to say the right things without coming off as angry.

Tebow was also asked point-blank whether he pictures himself being a member of the Jets next season.

"I'll just wait until the end of the season," he said, "and look at everything then."

Tebow did say he has not asked to be traded after the season, but indicated that even he is a bit puzzled why the Jets brought him to New York.

"Umm, some things are hard to understand," he said. "They're trying to do the best they can, and I understand that."

General manager Mike Tannenbaum told the Associated Press during training camp that he and Ryan kicked around the idea of going after Tebow while sitting in an airport and seeing that Denver was about to acquire Peyton Manning.

Tannenbaum said the two jumped at that idea, and so did offensive coordinator Tony Sparano - and added that owner Woody Johnson was completely on board. For Johnson, it would be a publicity touchdown along with a chance to sell tickets, personal seat licenses and mountains of merchandise. For Ryan and Sparano, it would be adding a proven winner, an athlete who had his limitations as a passer, but added so much more in intangibles.

Ryan constantly called Tebow "a football player," someone whose role would go far beyond just being the No. 2 quarterback behind Sanchez. But as each week came and went, Tebow has had a limited role in the offense after it was expected he would provide a boost. Even in situations that seemed tailor-made for Tebow -- third-and-short, goal-line -- he mostly remained on the sideline as a mere spectator.

"We're kind of ignoring the fact that he had two cracked ribs," Ryan said.

Sure, he was injured on Nov. 11 at Seattle, played three offensive snaps the next week at St. Louis and not at all in the next two games. But, it was clear that Tebow had gone from a key piece to a spare part for the Jets long before that. The wildcat offense that had been so anticipated and cloaked in secrecy during training camp became little more than what many considered an ineffective distraction.

"Did I expect to have a little more success running the wildcat? Maybe I did," Ryan said. "I'm sure I did."

Tebow's numbers are far from special: He has rushed for 102 yards on 32 carries and is 6 of 8 for 39 yards. And perhaps the most disturbing stat of all: zero touchdowns. Tebow hadn't been given a series on offense all season until Monday night, when he came in following two solid drives by Sanchez. It started with an 11-yard run by Joe McKnight, followed by a 12-yard rumble by Tebow. And then, nothing. The Jets were forced to punt a few plays later and Tebow's night was done.

Now, Tebow is left wondering what his role will be the last two games of the season because No. 2 on the depth chart isn't guaranteed. That could be Sanchez, meaning Tebow could be inactive. Or, as Ryan suggested, all three could be in uniform.

"Has it been a perfect situation? I'd say we're 6-8," Ryan said. "There are probably things I never anticipated, and I'm the guy ultimately responsible."

Whether Sanchez takes another snap for the Jets this season - or ever - remains to be seen. His confidence has taken a huge hit, and that process might have started from the day New York brought in Tebow. The fifth pick in the 2009 draft has 50 turnovers since the start of last season, an awful amount of mistakes from a player once considered the face of the franchise who drew comparisons to Joe Namath just two years ago when he led the Jets to a second straight AFC title game appearance.

Either way, it appears Tebow is not a part of the Jets' future. And, Sanchez might not be, either. McElroy is getting the opportunity to show if he could be, but Ryan insists he's only thinking about the last two opponents: the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills.

"Any long-term discussion," Ryan said, "will probably be better served after that [final] game."

For Tebow, he's trying not to think about the "what-ifs" or the disappointments of his first, and possibly only, season in New York.

"I don't have regrets," Tebow said. "I believe everything happens for a reason, and it's a learning opportunity for me and there's a lot I've learned, good and bad.

"I still appreciate the opportunity to come be a Jet."

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After Further Review: Fleet Falcons excel at confusing elite QBs

In three games at the Georgia Dome, the Atlanta Falcons have picked off Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Eli Manning a combined 10 times in three victories.

The secret?

"Third down," veteran Falcons linebacker Mike Peterson said. "We do a great job of confusing with all the looks we use."

Falcons' first-year coordinator Mike Nolan brought with him a more exotic-looking defense. The past couple of years, the Falcons would line up in a four-man front and usually rush four. Now they bring seven and eight guys into the box before the snap, which makes it hard to identify who is coming and who is dropping.

That makes it especially tough on third down for opposing quarterbacks, even the brightest in the league. How do they make the quick decisions on who is coming and who is dropping? It helps that the Falcons have a fast defense, which allows a lot of movement just before the snap and yet they can still get into position.

Their pre-snap looks often evolve into something else just before the snap as players move quickly to new spots, changing what might look like zero coverage into something else.

The Falcons have received a ton of praise for their offense this season, but the defense is fourth in points allowed. They have given up some yards, but they have done a great job of taking away the football.

Atlanta has 18 interceptions, third best in the NFL. It also has 27 total takeaways, which is ranked eighth in the league.

In the three victories over the two Manning brothers and Brees at the Georgia Dome, the Broncos, Saints and Giants were a combined 15 of 36 on third down, which is 41.6 percent. For the season, the Falcons are getting teams off the field at 40.6 percent. So even against three top-level quarterbacks, the Falcons did a nice job against them at home on third down.

With one more victory, it would mean Atlanta will be playing any playoff games at home, which is a big advantage for its speed defense. You can't let playoff veterans like Eli Manning or Aaron Rodgers just sit back and pick you apart. And if the Falcons face young passers like Colin Kaepernick or Russell Wilson or Robert Griffin III, they can throw a ton of looks at them to get their heads spinning.

In studying some of the things the Falcons have done against those three elite passers at home, it's impressive to watch their pre-snap movements to create different looks, almost making three of the best QBs look confused at times. If you can do that to Peyton Manning and Brees, arguably the two best pre-snap quarterbacks in the game, you are doing something.

Here is a look at some of the things they've done, starting with the Denver game in Week 2.

This is Manning's first of three interceptions in that game. It comes on the Broncos' first series. Denver has a third-and-12 at its own 12-yard line. Manning has two receivers to his right, the strong side of the formation, and clearly wants to go that way. The Falcons show eight men in the box, but safety William Moore (yellow circle), is lined up with the linebackers just off the line. Before the snap, he starts to backpedal. Manning thinks he has Jacob Tamme (red circle) open in the middle. But Moore comes underneath the route and picks Manning off for a big play that sets up the game's first touchdown. Manning never sees him.

Here is one of the interceptions the Falcons got against Brees. Again, it is Moore making the play. The Saints have a second-and-5 at their own 48. They show two receivers to the right and one to the left. The Falcons look to be in a two-deep zone at the snap, but Moore (yellow circles) instead plays "robber" coverage. The corners and safety Thomas DeCoud (red circles) rotate to a three-deep coverage, which allows Moore to slip underneath and pick off Brees' pass intended for Devery Henderson (black circle) on a cross from the left side of the formation. Brees throws across his body and never sees Moore, who steps in front of Henderson.

Here's a look at a third-and-10 play for the Giants against the Atlanta defense. The Falcons have eight guys up near the line of scrimmage. But at the snap, two of them drop, while six rushed the quarterback. The two drop out on the weak side into zone coverage, leaving three defenders on two to Manning's left. He goes to his right with pressure in his face and hits Victor Cruz. But the Falcons react to the football and made a tackle short of the first down. Manning has the middle of the field wide open at the snap, but the dropping out of the two defenders helps take that away. It's a great design, aimed at forcing the ball out fast and running to tackle the receiver short of the first down.

The Falcons aren't a big defense, which is why these looks are so important. They are not the type of defense that can just line up and overpower teams. It helps when they have the lead, too.

Outside pass rusher John Abraham is still an effective outside rusher. They stand him up at times and he will rush from both sides. Outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who I will highlight down lower in the film study, is a special player. He has speed and he can play the run or blitz. He is the defensive joker. It also helps that DeCoud and Moore are having career seasons.

So don't get all caught up in the idea the Falcons are just an offensive team. The defensive numbers aren't great, but their three games against elite quarterbacks inside the Georgia Dome serves notice for the playoffs.

1. One of the most-improved players the past couple of weeks has to be Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham. I loved the kid coming out of college three years ago, but he battled injuries early in his career and some started to think he might be a bust. But the Eagles released Jason Babin a few weeks ago in large part because they wanted to get Graham on the field more. He showed why against the Bengals, getting two sacks against Andre Smith, a tackle who was playing at a high level before last week's game. Graham beat him with an effort sack, lunging to trip up Andy Dalton, and then whipped him with a speed move to force a fumble by Dalton and a turnover. But his best play wasn't even a sack. It came when he chased down Dalton for a 2-yard gain on the other side of the field, showing off his speed. What made the play so impressive was that Graham was lined up at left end over tackle Dennis Roland, who was in as an extra tight end. Roland chipped him, then went out in the pattern and Smith then blocked him, and Graham came off that and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis took a shot. He stayed with the play and ran Dalton down. That play showed me this kid wants it.

Here's a look at that play. You can see Graham (yellow circle) across from Roland. All three of the red blocks get a piece of Graham. But he stayed with the play as Dalton ran to his left and then chased him down near the sideline. That is relentless play.

2. I mentioned Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon above. He has the speed and size to be one of the special linebackers in the league. He showed that off against the Giants. On a two-play sequence, Weatherspoon, who runs as well as any linebacker in the league, showed off his ability to play the run with force too. The Giants faced a third-and-2 and a fourth-and-1, and both times Weatherspoon came up with big plays.

The first pictures below show his third-down stop. The Giants are in a one-back, shotgun look so the Falcons are spread out. New York tries to run inside to Kregg Lumpkin. Giants center David Bass, usually a reliable run blocker, tries to get out on Weatherspoon, but Weatherspoon sheds him to make the tackle for no gain. As you can see from the pictures below, Lumpkin would have had a big gain if Weatherspoon doesn't make the play.

Here's the fourth-down play. With the Giants in a more traditional run set, with an offset fullback to the left, the Falcons have three linebackers. Weatherspoon is in the yellow circle. It's up to Giants fullback Henry Hynoski to take on Weatherspoon. Normally, Hynoski is one of the best blocking fullbacks, but Weatherspoon blows him up to make the stop and give Atlanta the ball.

3. I studied the Browns-Redskins game, and came away impressed with Kirk Cousins. It's only one start, but he did some really nice things. What I liked about him is that he wasn't afraid to make the tougher throw, rather than taking the easier check down. That was the case on his first touchdown pass, a 54-yard chuck to Leonard Hankerson. On that play, Cousins faked a handoff and bootlegged to his right. As he did, tight end Logan Paulsen was open for an easy throw that would have gained about 10-12 yards. But Cousins took the chance at the big throw to Hankerson, who came from the left side deep into the middle. There were three Browns in the area, but Cousins dropped the ball perfectly into Hankerson's hands for the score. Cousins did throw a bad interception early in the game to safety T.J. Ward when he tried to force a ball into a covered receiver. Later in the game, Cousins passed on what should have been a big play down the field and instead threw short and incomplete to Pierre Garcon. That's being a bit nitpicky. The Redskins did a great job using play-action to help get the receivers open. On those plays, Cousins did a great job of extending the ball to make it look like run, then pulled it back to set up the pass. He also turned his back to the defense on some of those plays, which can make it tough on a quarterback, but he did a nice job of getting his head snapped back around to make a play. It was a heck of a first start for the rookie.

4. It's time people started giving Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo some love. He is playing some of the best football of his career. The Cowboys have won five of six games and Romo has thrown 12 touchdown passes and three interceptions in those games. He is coming off a 341-yard, two-touchdown game against the Steelers last week. Romo is playing with a lot of confidence. His touchdown pass to Dez Bryant was a confident throw. He threw to a spot, knowing Bryant would get there. Romo released the ball as Bryant was step-for-step with corner Kendrick Lewis, but Romo threw to the pylon and Bryant made the touchdown look easy. Romo has completed at least 70 percent of his passes in four of the past six games. That's impressive. And he hasn't had a ton of help, especially up front on the line.

5. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who missed much of the season with a groin injury, looks heavy and heavy-legged. He just doesn't seem to be the same player he once was. Polamalu has never been great in coverage -- always a gambler -- but you could count on his tackling. Not anymore. He whiffed on a long run by DeMarco Murray and also missed on a tackle on receiver Dwayne Harris. Polamalu isn't taking the right angles because he looks heavy-legged and it's showing up. On one blitz, he got put on his butt by tight end John Phillip last week against the Cowboys. Another Steelers player who isn't the same is outside linebacker James Harrison. He just doesn't put fear in opposing offenses anymore. He was handled for most of last week's game. He also dropped into coverage more than usual.

6. I love the anatomy of a big play. Adrian Peterson's 82-yard touchdown run last week against the Rams was a combination of a great effort by him, but also the perfect play call against the Rams' blitz. St. Louis lined up with a single-high safety with the corners in man coverage. That meant safety Quintin Mikell was in the box as the extra defender. He was lined on the right side of the defense, and both Mikell and linebacker Rocky McIntosh blitzed from that side. But the Vikings had a delay handoff to Peterson called to the right side. He got a great kick-out block from right tackle Phil Loadholt, and guard Geoff Schwartz blocked down on Kendall Langford who was actually dropping off as a zone blitzer, creating a natural cavity in the middle. Fullback Jerome Felton had the lead block on linebacker James Laurinaitis and Peterson made a jump to his left off that block, and he was gone. Safety Craig Dahl got sucked too far inside and couldn't make the play. It was the perfect call against that defense, but Peterson made it special with that jump cut.

7. I keep hearing people asking what's wrong with San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers. Put the tape in from last week's San Diego-Carolina game and you will see. His line is horrible. And his receivers don't win outside. Carolina had a good pass rush from the outside. But they are not known for their secondary play. Yet almost every time Rivers went back to throw, he had few options available down the field. I also noticed this: Several times in the second half some of those receivers seemed to be jogging their routes. That's what you call quitting. Rivers is fine. He just needs more help -- a lot more.

8. One of the players who stood out in that San Diego-Carolina tape was Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy. He had three sacks in the game. He is a big, physical defensive end who lines up on the right side. When Hardy was a sophomore at Mississippi, there was some talk he would be a high first-round pick. But he had some injury issues and he reportedly clashed with the coaching staff. That led to his dropping to the sixth round. In his first season with the Panthers in 2010, he had three sacks. Then he had a motorcycle accident before the 2011 season that limited him in the preseason. He has four sacks. This season, he has 11. He is a strong end who can overpower tackles, which he did to San Diego's Mike Harris on one of his sacks last week. On another, he was coming around the edge and knocked the ball free from Rivers. With Charles Johnson on the other side with 10? sacks, the Panthers have a nice pass-rush combo. With Cam Newton improving on the other side as a passer, the Panthers have the ingredients needed to win in this league now: A quality passer and the guys to knock the other team's passer down. Now they need to get a premier corner and some help inside on defense.

9. When you look at the Seattle receivers, it's natural to want to play man coverage against them. They don't have a real burner to fear down the field. But that is dumb considering the way they play offense. Quarterback Russell Wilson is good running with the football when teams play man coverage. That's because the defensive backs have their backs turned to him. Wilson's 25-yard touchdown run last week against the Bills, one of three scoring runs for him, is a perfect example. On the third-and-10 play, Seattle sent five receivers into the route, all against man coverage. When Wilson felt pressure and moved out of the pocket to his left, he had a wide-open field. What should have been a shorter gain turned into a touchdown because all of the defensive backs had their backs to him and safety Jarius Bryd hesitated in the middle of the field. You could see the frustration of Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus after the score on the tape when he angrily stomps up and down. It might be wise to play more zone against Wilson on third-and-long. He is dangerous when defensive backs have their backs turned.

10. The Bills have to draft a quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not the answer. Some of the throws he made against the Seahawks were horrible. His two interceptions were horrible decisions. The first came when he was trying to throw inside to tight end Scott Chandler. He stared him down as Chandler ran across the field, but he never saw Seattle linebacker K.J. Wright waiting for him to throw it. Wright picked off the pass and set up a Seattle touchdown. That's an elementary read. Later, Fitzpatrick tried to hit Brad Smith deep on the left sideline. Chandler was well covered by corner Jeremy Lane but Fitzpatrick threw it anyway with pressure in his face. Safety Earl Thomas came over and picked off the pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown. Now we know why Buddy Nix wants a new quarterback.

1. Texans DE J.J. Watt: He had three sacks and owned the line of scrimmage against the Colts.

2. Browns S T.J. Ward: Not only did he have an interception but he also did a nice job tackling in the run game.

3. Raiders DT Tommy Kelly: He was impressive against the Chiefs. Why doesn't he do it more often?

4. Cardinals CB Greg Toler: He was good in coverage, but the big play was his 102-yard interception return for a touchdown.

5. Titans S Michael Griffin: After being torched a bunch this year, he had two picks against the Jets and actually showed off some range.

1. Jets QB Mark Sanchez: You hate to pile on, but he was horrible against the Titans. Horrible.

2. Bills LT Cordy Glenn: He had a rough time with Seattle defensive end Chris Clemons.

3. Bucs QB Josh Freeman: He was way off last week in getting picked four times by the Saints.

4. Rams S Craig Dahl: He was a whiffing machine against the Vikings.

5. Lions QB Matt Stafford: He looked lost at times, throwing to picks for scores.

Three reasons why Adrian Peterson won't be the MVP

1. Quarterbacks are 70-percent of the game now.

2. Peyton Manning.

3. Tom Brady.

Three guys I would hire to be my GM

1. Arizona Cardinals director of player personnel Steve Keim. This former football player has a presence about him, kind of like Colts GM Ryan Grigson.

2. Baltimore Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta -- teams have tried to lure him away, but he's stayed loyal to the Ravens. The right job just might do the trick.

3. Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross -- I have the utmost respect for Giants general manager Jerry Reese and this guy has worked under him for five years. I hear good things about this former Princeton receiver.

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Jets put WR Hill on IR, promote DB Fletcher from practice squad

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets have placed rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill on injured reserve, ending his season because of a knee injury.

Hill, the Jets' second-round pick in April out of Georgia Tech, sprained the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee in the team's game at Jacksonville on Dec. 9. He did not travel with the Jets for their game at Tennessee Monday night.

Hill started his season off strong with five catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener against Buffalo, but struggled with a strained right hamstring and didn't record another reception until five weeks later. He finished with 21 catches for 252 yards and three scores.

The Jets promoted defensive back Donnie Fletcher from the practice squad Wednesday to take Hill's roster spot.

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Skins' Shanahan says RG3 will start Sunday if doctors give OK

Robert Griffin III was inactive for the Redskins' victory over the Browns on Sunday. (AP)

ASHBURN, Va. -- Robert Griffin III had a full practice and looked pretty good. Kirk Cousins had a full haircut that looked so bad he had to apologize for it.

The Washington Redskins quarterbacks were back to their regular pecking order Wednesday. Griffin went through a regular full practice with first-team receivers for the first time since spraining his right knee, while Cousins was an affable undercard whose hilariously hairy moment was more interesting than anything he had to say about football.

Griffin said he ran plays at full speed, hoping to persuade doctors to clear him for this week's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He has made known his unhappiness over sitting out Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns, and he's clearly frustrated that the final say is out of his control.

"I'm ready to play whenever they want me to play," Griffin said. "So if it's this week, next week, next couple of weeks. Whatever they say goes, so I'll be ready."

Coach Mike Shanahan said doctors will see how Griffin's knee responds to the practice, particularly as to whether there's any swelling when the rookie shows up at work Thursday.

"Hopefully they'll look at it tomorrow and tell us it is full-go," Shanahan said.

Still, the signs are much more positive for Griffin than last week, when the Redskins sent out mixed signals in an effort to keep the Browns guessing. Griffin moved relatively well during the portions of practice open to reporters throughout the week, but then Cousins would take the first-team snaps once the session was closed.

Wednesday didn't have the same smoke-screen feel. After playing decoy for a week, Griffin talked about throwing passes to receiver Pierre Garcon with an arm that was "a little bit more juiced up and ready to go."

Griffin said his relationship with Shanahan hasn't been strained by having to sit out a game -- and that it was important not to let personal emotions bring down the team.

"You don't take those things to the field and try to become a cancer or a distraction to the team," Griffin said. "You support the team. ... You can be unhappy about something, but you've still got to learn, and that's what I did. I was upset, but I never let that show on the field and just watched and was able to see it from a different perspective."

Griffin, the No. 2 overall draft pick and No. 2 in the league in passer rating, was hurt late in the fourth quarter of the win over the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 9. Fellow rookie Cousins led the Redskins to victory in relief, then threw for 329 yards in the 38-21 victory over the Browns.

The win (8-6) put the Redskins in control of their playoff fate. Their five-game winning streak has them tied with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants atop the NFC East, and Washington holds the tiebreaker over both clubs.

The victory also gave Cousins a chance to bask in the glow of being a winning starting NFL quarterback. His run of fame continued Wednesday when he showed up for a session with reporters with his mop of hair gone, replaced by a close-cut 'do that -- from the eyebrows up --- made him look at least 45 years old.

"I have to apologize to my family and friends back home," he said. "I think I'm embarrassing them. I try to represent them well, and my haircut's not doing it."

He then explained that when he went to get a haircut on Monday, he had a "communication breakdown" with a female barber whose English wasn't the best. She also took off his glasses, so he couldn't see what she was doing.

"She wheels me back around," Cousins said. "I look at the mirror and I realized I had a Mohawk. So I tell her, 'Just shave it off. I don't know what to tell you.' So she just buzzed it off, and I have to live with this for the next couple of weeks until it grows back. ... The tough thing was that I didn't realize until that moment that I do have a receding hairline. That was tough to take. My dad is more-or-less completely bald, and I was hoping I wasn't going to get his genes."

Cousins' remarks were televised live on national television, and soon he was trending on Twitter. Griffin called the haircut "bad." Shortly afterward, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles was looking at a photo of the haircut on the Internet and discussing it on the phone with Redskins writers.

"Wow," Foles said. "I'm going to have to do that to mine -- cut it all off."

Notes

The injury news was good all-around for the Redskins. In addition to Griffin, C Will Montgomery (Grade 2 sprain of left MCL) took part in the full practice, while RT Tyler Polumbus (concussion) was able to participate in the walk-through and said he expects to be cleared to play. DE Stephen Bowen was limited with an upper biceps tear, but Shanahan said it won't keep Bowen from playing. LB Lorenzo Alexander wore a non-contact jersey at practice because of a shoulder injury. The Redskins signed LB Vic So'oto to the active roster from the Green Bay Packers practice squad. Washington also signed G Pat Boyle to the practice squad and released LB Kourtnei Brown from the practice squad.

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Colts hoping Pagano returns to sideline for season finale vs. Texans

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts hope head coach Chuck Pagano will be back on the sideline next week.

While no official announcement has been made by the team, interim coach Bruce Arians and others have pegged the Dec. 30 regular-season finale against Houston as Pagano's possible return date. He has not been on the sideline since late September after starting the first of three rounds of chemotherapy in his battle against leukemia.

Players, assistant coaches and team officials are eagerly anticipating Pagano's return, which could come as early as Monday.

Arians said this week that Pagano "felt great" and "looked good" and his white blood-cell counts were good -- all indications he could be return next week. On Wednesday, he referred to Pagano's possible return as a nice "Christmas present."

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Ten-Point Stance: Kaepernick makes Niners' Harbaugh look good

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh loves to toy with the media. Loves being the smart ass. The junior Bill Belichick. Now you get the feeling Harbaugh's quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, is enjoying doing some of the same.

His responses after another excellent performance, this time against New England, were wonderfully one-sentenced, just the way Harbaugh likes it.

Michael Crabtree is consistently your most targeted receiver, is there a reason for that? Kaepernick was asked after a career-changing victory over the Patriots on Sunday.

"He's open."

And this is how his Patriots postgame press conference went. It was actually kind of funny. Then came two answers to questions that give some nice insight into how Kaepernick thinks, why this 4-1 run of his isn't a fluke, could be a huge reason why the 49ers reach the Super Bowl and why Harbaugh's faith in Kaepernick was right.

Kaepernick was asked if he ever stops and pinches himself. "It is a little bit crazy, a little bit surreal," he said, "but I'm trying to keep my head down and trying to keep it going as long as I can."

That answer showed maturity.

Then Kaepernick was asked if he was ever flustered. "This is my 17th year of football," he said. "I've been playing since I was 8 years old. So to me, I am going to go out there and throw to the guy who is open. You try to keep football simple so your mind can be clear when you are on the field."

That answer showed confidence.

The main reason the 49ers are good is because of their explosive defense. What Harbaugh wanted was an equally explosive component on offense. All of the great offenses in football have that -- the Patriots, the Packers, the Giants (at times), the Saints.

Kaepernick gives the 49ers that. Also, Harbaugh didn't think it was as big a risk replacing Alex Smith with Kaepernick as others did -- and still do.

Harbaugh: "... He had a great understanding of the offense from the very first time he went out and took a snap this season and then from the time he took his first start until now. Definitely the game experience, the playing play after play, exposes you to different situations. That's good for you, it's going to lead to improvement. I wouldn't call it dramatic improvement. I think he's been at a pretty high level."

This is the point many missed when Harbaugh made the switch: Kaepernick, in the opinion of the coaches, was already at the level of the man he replaced. A few starts in, he passed Smith. Five games later, Smith is clearly in his rearview mirror.

Harbaugh rightly explained that Kaepernick has already seen "all kinds of scenarios -- backed up, coming off your own half-yard line. He's seen those situations and every time our offense has been backed up inside the 10-yard line, we've moved it out for at least one first down. Red-zone situations, come back after a turnover, come back after an interception, come back after having success with a quick scoring drive, a long scoring drive. He's been in a lot of situations -- two minute before the half, two minute at the end of the game. All those things ... he's experienced in only four starts."

Kaepernick threw four touchdown passes against the Patriots. Smith has never thrown four TD passes in a game. That's the explosiveness Harbaugh was looking for. Smith was a plodder and there are great benefits to being a plodder, but plodders don't beat Tom Brady. Thoroughbreds do.

Kaepernick allows the 49ers to do something no one believed possible until now: get into a shootout with any team in football, and win.

And this is the truly scary part: Kaepernick will only get better and only further prove Harbaugh made the right choice.

2. Not sure how Jets owner Woody Johnson can look at his team, after that putrid performance against a putrid Tennessee team, one of many foul, smelly Jets performances, and not make massive changes this offseason no matter how much money it will cost him. Keep this in mind: Mark Sanchez has a combined 109 interceptions and fumbles in four years and 50 turnovers in his past two.

3. Jets player on Sanchez: "I've never seen a guy lose his confidence to this level. It's gone. He's playing scared."

4. It's good to see the Cowboys come to their senses and keep Josh Brent off the Dallas sidelines. Brent is of course accused of driving drunk and crashing his car. Teammate Jerry Brown died in the crash.

It's fine that teammates want to support Brent, but having a guy who is accused of killing a man after reportedly having a blood alcohol content more than double the legal limit on the sideline, well, what message does it send to have someone who is essentially an accused killer on the sideline?

How did it happen? After speaking with several league sources it's clear teammates got Brent on the sideline without clearing it through the team. Despite publicly saying they support Brent being there during the game, the Cowboys were actually very uncomfortable with it. You're talking about an owner that likes to be (and appear to be) in control of every aspect of the team, so when Brent appeared without the permission of Jerry Jones, it did not go over well, despite Jones saying publicly he was fine with it. Considering that, and the public criticism that ensued, it was no surprise the Cowboys reversed course.

5a. Champ of the week: All of the NFL teams and players that honored the victims of the Sandy Hook shootings.

5b. Chump of the week: The Jets. The entire franchise. Except the equipment person. That person is exempt. And maybe the ticket manager. Cheerleaders, too. But everyone else is in chump territory

5c. Tweet of the week: Ignorant fan tweets this to Jets safety LaRon Landry: "you are a f------ loser. Always will be. Not a coincidence what's happening in DC with you gone. You'll never play for a winner." Landry's response: "thanks for following." Love that response for two reasons. One, I like it when athletes show the ignorance they face from some foul-mouthed trolls. Two, Landry handled it the right way, with humor and sarcasm.

6. Nick Saban on NFL rumors and that he's content with staying in college: "No matter what I say, nobody ever believes me." Well, there was this.

7. Jordan Black, lineman for the Washington Redskins, is serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy for performance-enhancing drugs. Black has blamed everyone for his suspension: the NFL, the NFL's lawyers, websites, Santa, the Mayans, bunnies, bubble gum, sunshine and furry gophers. He has blamed everyone but himself. This continues to be a tactic of accused drug cheats. Didn't do it. Nope. Not me, bra'. That needle in my ass? Not mine. Didn't do it. Seriously, think about it, when is the last time someone suspended for PED use said: "Yeah, you know, that two-gallon jug of HGH you found in the front seat of my car was indeed mine, and my spiked HGH levels that were so high I grew ovaries, yeah, dude, all on me."

Here's one important point for Black. He is blaming the failed test on a legal prescription drug for a medical issue. He has said this on the record, but won't say what the drug is. It's convenient to say that prescription drug caused the failure but not say what the drug is.

The NFL screws up. We know this, and maybe Black is innocent, but let's hope for a day when a player says: My bad. I did it.

8. One name that has been forgotten in the MVP race but shouldn't be: Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are starting to get healthier and scarier and Rodgers kept the team competitive during some brutal moments this season for Green Bay.

9. Scout: "Adrian Peterson is the 21st century Bo Jackson." Interesting, and Bo Jackson was Jim Brown 2.0.

10. The Dolphins are making a huge push to get Super Bowl L in 2016. The Palm Beach Post reports the team will use three ex-players to garner community support: Dan Marino, Bob Griese and Jason Taylor. The names don't get much bigger than that in the Miami area.

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Richardson: I'd be shocked if Saban joins Browns

BEREA, Ohio -- Trent Richardson would be surprised if Nick Saban followed him from Alabama to the Cleveland Browns.

Saban, who will lead the Crimson Tide against Notre Dame in the BCS national championship game in Miami on Jan. 7, has been mentioned as returning to the NFL, perhaps with the Browns if second-year coach Pat Shurmur is fired at season's end.

"I can't see him coming to the NFL," Richardson said Wednesday. "I would be very shocked."

And Richardson knows the coach quite well. After all, he was a standout running back for Saban at Alabama before being selected in the first round by Cleveland in April. Richardson ran for 1,679 yards last season for the Crimson Tide.

"How can you get tired of winning," Richardson asked. "He's got so much going there. He has no reason to leave. He gets what he needs and he treats his program like the NFL (anyway). He makes sure his players are prepared for the game and prepared for the next level when the time comes."

Any exit to the NFL wouldn't be foreign to Saban, who led Alabama to national titles in 2009 and 2011. He left his post at LSU, in fact, to become coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2005. After going 15-17 in two seasons there, he went back to the SEC, this time in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

"I can see him staying at Alabama," Richardson said, "and retiring at Alabama."

Saban, who played and coached at Kent State, has Cleveland roots, as well. He was the Browns defensive coordinator from 1991-94, which has helped to spark the speculation.

"I don't believe it," Richardson said. "Rumors are rumors. I don't buy into it and that's one thing he taught me to do - not buy into rumors."

Richardson is more concerned with playing the playoff-bound Denver Broncos (11-3) on Sunday. The No. 3 overall pick is 46 yards shy of surpassing Hall of Fame standout Jim Brown's 55-year-old team rookie rushing record of 942 yards for the Browns (5-9).

"I'm ready for a big day," Richardson said. "Anytime Jim Brown's name is mentioned, it is big for me. Huge."

Richardson, who missed all of training camp after having minor surgery on his left knee in July, has already set a new franchise rookie mark with 11 rushing touchdowns. Overall, he has 258 carries for 897 yards.

"I'm good to go," he said. "No issues with the knee. None. With the ribs, I am not going to stop playing ball. I am going to keep on going no matter what."

All that said, he did reveal for the first time that he occasionally had trouble breathing in his first few games with the injury. He has adjusted his mindset to ignore the pain. He doesn't anticipate difficulty in Denver's mile-high thin air.

"I've never played there, but I'll be OK," he said. "If I need oxygen, I'll take it and go play."

Shurmur has not considered resting Richardson, either.

"He'll play," he said. "None of us are 100 percent right now. I think that's fair to say at this time of year. Guys are playing through things."

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Week 16 Game Rankings: Niners-Seahawks best gift for fans

If the Seahawks can beat the 49ers, they clinch a playoff berth. (US Presswire)

Did you guys know there isn't a Monday Night game this week? How did I miss that memo? What's my malfunction?

I had no clue until I started preparing this here column. Wow. I figured I'd be up until 1 a.m. or so wrapping presents with the wife, sipping (slugging back?) some vino with the game as my accompaniment. Damn. Now it's going to be four hours of Christmas tunes -- not that I don't love Christmas tunes. It's just that it's been nothing but Christmas tunes in my car since the day after Thanksgiving. Literally.

Oh, shoot, this is a football column, right? My bad.

OK, so I am over the momentary blow of no Christmas Eve game, but still intrigued by a lot that we have going on in the penultimate weekend of the regular season. We still have a few divisional races undecided and a little bit of seed jockeying still going on. We have some surging teams, like the Redskins and Cowboys, that would seem to be looking at favorable matchups, and at least two divisional heavyweight battles -- one of which we're lucky enough to have for you guys on CBS.

So, without further ado ...

San Francisco at Seattle
Sunday, Dec. 23, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

Why To Watch: This is what flex scheduling is all about. We get a battle of two of the hottest teams in the NFL, who just happen to be in the same division. It would have been more of an NFC West battle royal had the 49ers not held off the Pats last week, but as it stands, this still looks like the game of the week. San Francisco is trying to secure the division and the Seahawks trying to clinch a playoff spot, at home, where they have the best home-field advantage in football. Factor in that Seattle has posted more than 100 points over the last two games, and the 49ers have a dominant defense, and all of the ingredients are there for a classic showdown. It's also a battle of two of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the league in Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson.

What To Watch For: Watch the legs of both of these kid passers -- they accelerate as quickly as anyone in the league and anticipate lanes opening ... Outstanding prime-time opportunity for Wilson to make his case for Rookie of the Year, and he is incredibly deserving of such recognition ... Justin Smith looks like he will be back for this, but how hobbled will he be? The 49ers defense utterly fell apart without him Sunday night, and Tom Brady suddenly had all kinds of time to pass ... Marshawn Lynch and Frank Gore are not afraid to run people over. One of the best running back matchups of the season ... No love lost between Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh, and Carroll is in rare form, calling fake punts when up 30 points and rolling up huge scoring totals. Handshake, anyone?

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: The Ravens are beyond wounded and vulnerable and the winner of this game will still have a chance to snatch the AFC North from Baltimore. What more motivation could you want at this stage of the season? Pittsburgh has pretty much fallen apart the last five weeks -- with the lone bright spot a Charlie Batch-driving victory against the Ravens, if you can believe that -- and successive losses to Dallas and San Diego since then have them reeling. They continue to turn the ball over in odd ways at bad times, while the Bengals haven't looked like world beaters the past month or so, but compared to the rest of their languishing division they probably qualify as the best thing going. The Bengals get to host those slumping Ravens in Week 17, so a victory here could alter their season.

What To Watch For: The inevitable Bengals letdown. Could be some bizarre decision to challenge a play with no real hope of winning, or burning a timeout, or a personal foul at the worst time possible. But this is the kind of game they generally lose, and the inability to beat Baltimore or Pittsburgh the past two years has defined their seasons despite all the progress ... Troy Polamalu looks like he can be picked on these days. Not the same guy ... With so many Steelers corners ailing, there is no reason for Andy Dalton to avoid feeding A.J. Green all afternoon ... How many touches for Rashard Mendenhall after being a healthy scratch in two games and suspended for a third? I suspect it's plenty ... What strange way will Emmanuel Sanders find to cough the ball up this week?

Minnesota at Houston
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: OK, this might not really be a footlong by definition (and don't ask me to define it), but given this slate of games it qualifies. Minnesota would be in the playoffs if they started today despite its significant offensive limitations, and the Texans are trying to nail down the first overall seed in the AFC, which they might well need if they are in fact going to make it to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. Any time you have Arian Foster and Adrian Peterson on the same field, you'd best tune in, and especially with AP having a legitimate shot to best the all-time single-season rushing record while coming off major knee surgery.

What To Watch For: Can the Vikings compete if the Texans get off to a fast start? Christian Ponder is among the most limited passers in the NFL. The Vikings have no intermediate passing game, much less a true vertical option ... No one is ripping off more 50-yard runs than Peterson ... J.J. Watt is trying to keep pace with Aldon Smith for the NFL's sack lead, with the single-season record within reach ... Jared Allen, who nearly broke Michael Strahan's mark last year, goes up against what might be the best offensive line in the NFL, and stud left tackle Duane Brown ... Any chance of a letdown here by the Texans with this game sandwiched between big divisional games with the Colts? ... Peterson seems even more driven and unstoppable since Percy Harvin, Minnesota's only other real offensive weapon, has been out.

N.Y. Giants at Baltimore
Sunday, Dec. 23, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: It's hard to discern which of these teams was knocked around more last week. The Giants were embarrassed and shut out in Atlanta, and the Ravens were humbled at home by the Broncos in a game that wasn't as close as the lopsided score would indicate. Joe Flacco, playing his worst football in years, and with little support from a slumping offensive line, provided a salient image by falling flat on his face after trying to chase down a crushing pick-6 last week. He needs to rally to avoid a torrent of boo birds. The Giants, meanwhile, need to keep pace with the Cowboys and Redskins to earn the right to get a chance to defend their Super Bowl title in the postseason.

What To Watch For: Eli Manning has to be liking what he saw from his brother against the Ravens last week, and, I'm sure, what he will hear from his big brother as they compare notes ahead of this contest. The Ravens better hope ailing corner Jimmy Smith looks closer to 100 percent this week, given all of Manning's weapons ... Is either team getting healthy? Injuries are mounting on both sides, but Ahmad Bradshaw is pretty adamant about returning for New York, for one. Ray Lewis is pushing to come back for the Ravens. Whichever inactive list looks the least star-studded could carry the day ... Watching Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed try to play with essentially one arm each isn't pretty. I can't think they start feeling better now ... The Ravens' new offensive coordinator, Jim Caldwell, was not sharp in his debut as a play caller last week. I wonder if he uses Ray Rice more in screens to try to slow down another talented pass rush this week?

New Orleans at Dallas
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: It's the Sean Payton Bowl! He's going to end up in Dallas, remember? Um, except that the former Dallas assistant and current Saints' suspended head coach isn't. The Saints, who would go bonkers if Payton is ruled a free agent and given the opportunity to even flirt with the Cowboys, can, however, deliver a crushing blow to Jerry Jones here with the NFC East totally up for grabs. Dallas needs to keep pace with New York and Washington. Who can remember the last time that, come Christmas, Dallas is being talked about as among the gutsiest, most-cohesive teams in the NFL? But they are overcoming grief and emotional turmoil and finding ways to win games they frankly gave away in the past.

What To Watch For: Dez Bryant is playing through considerable pain and he made plays despite his busted finger last week, but he had difficulty grasping the ball when Tony Romo really unleashed his fastball ... Anthony Spencer has probably been the Cowboys' best performer in their front seven, which is saying something when DeMarcus Ware is on your team. He's going to end up with a fat contract ... Cam Jordan will make things happen against Dallas' battered offensive line ... Teams are taking their chances challenging Dallas corner Brandon Carr lately despite his strong season … DeMarco Murray will see a ton of the ball despite his untimely red zone fumble last week ... Have a feeling Drew Brees has another 400-plus yard game in him before the year is over.

Cleveland at Denver
Sunday, Dec. 23, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Have the Broncos lost for the final time in 2012? Are they the team of destiny that just keeps winning until they hoist the Lombardi? It's hard to find too many clubs playing better football right now. They systematically took apart the Ravens on both sides of the ball last week in Baltimore, and barring them losing that mental edge, I don't see them slowing down. And does anyone really think Peyton Manning will let them slip up? Looks like a mismatch on paper, for sure, but man, just watching the Broncos these days is pretty entertaining regardless of the opponent.

What To Watch For: Manning's making a run at MVP and Comeback Player of the Year and probably a few other things I can't think of right now. He and Eric Decker particularly seem to be in sync. I will be interested to see where the Browns deploy corner Joe Haden ... Brandon Weeden continues to struggle and looks less likely each week that he will have a tight hold on that starting job in 2013 … Knowshon Moreno is finally starting to blossom in the Broncos' backfield, gaining trust by the week and primed to be a big part of their postseason push.

Atlanta at Detroit
Saturday, Dec. 22, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Why To Watch: Two of the young guns of recent quarterback classes meet going in entirely different directions, as do these franchises. With the way Matt Stafford is throwing the ball up for grabs, Asante Samuel -- king of jumping routes -- could have himself a field day. Matt Ryan, though no longer in the MVP race, has a chance to continue to make himself big-time bucks in his next contract. Calvin Johnson continues to take aim at Jerry Rice's single-season receiving yardage record, but otherwise the Lions are a train wreck these days. Still, what would you rather be doing on a Saturday night than watching the NFL?

What To Watch For: Might the Lions be good for a sideline meltdown or two? Seems frustration is getting pretty high there ... Expect to hear a pretty vocal Lions crowd come down pretty hard on their team after falling from grace. And Detroit fans know how to vent. They've had plenty of practice over the years ... Do you have a strong desire to see what Atlanta's second team offense and defense would look like in a regular season game? Enjoy!

Oakland at Carolina
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Cam Newton is the truth again, people, and has been for about six weeks now. There aren't too many players more exciting than him right now, this side of Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson. He hasn't turned the ball over in forever and he's reconnecting with Steve Smith on vertical stuff, and, don't look now, but Carolina might actually climb out of the cellar of the NFC South and is coming off its best game of the season by far. And, hell, the Raiders actually won last week, too, ugly as it may have been, and how often can we say that?

What To Watch For: Darren McFadden had some explosiveness back in his legs last week ... Expect to see more Terrelle Pryor here, as the Raiders don't travel well and this one could get out of hand ... Luke Kuechly's legs never seem to stop. The Panthers rookie linebacker is a tackling machine and is making a case as the NFL's best defensive rookie ... Could be another big day for Carolina sack-master Charles Johnson.

Indianapolis at Kansas City
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: The Colts need a win to ensure they are postseason bound, to cap their improbable turnaround. There's no better opponent to face in order to wrap that up. Those really paying attention know Andrew Luck is not the Rookie of the Year, but as the first overall pick, he still gets plenty of hype and the Colts' turnaround helps as well. But if he wants to pad his stats and enhance his case, this is a great week to do so.

What To Watch For: So the Chiefs haven't ruled out the possibility that Ricky Stanzi plays this week, eh? Really? Wow. I can only imagine how the Arrowhead faithful would respond to that with this franchise reaching another nadir ... The Colts have been adopting more of a power running approach as the season has gone on, and this is a team they could overpower ... Indy needs to show something on the road, even if it's against an opponent as weak as this.

Washington at Philadelphia
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: Doesn't matter who is under center for the Redskins, things will be exciting. The Redskins, perennial NFC East bottom-feeders, can clinch the division with consecutive wins (which could also ensure seven straight wins to close the regular season). Robert Griffin III is still nursing a knee sprain, and Washington's staff has no trepidation about fellow rookie Kirk Cousins, who was simply brilliant last week after a 1-for-6 start. And Eagles rookie starter Nick Foles has done nothing but get better by the week himself, overcoming a decimated offensive line to do so.

What To Watch For: At what point does Bryce Brown's chronic fumbling keep him on the bench? And how much will fellow Eagles running back LeSean McCoy play even though he is essentially cleared from his concussion? ... I'm not sure the Eagles will have an answer for Skins rookie RB Alfred Morris ... Washington's lack of options at right tackle could make this a game. Philly has some edge rushing options, especially with Brandon Graham finally looking the part ... Pierre Garcon should have his way with anyone in this secondary ... I would like to think the Eagles fans would show their respect to Andy Reid with his time there about to end, especially with his family situation this season, but you never know. He deserves a standing ovation for his 14-year run in Philadelphia.

St. Louis at Tampa Bay
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: Who is the real Josh Freeman? Why is he so prone to extremes? And are the young Bucs already tuning out the message of disciplinarian rookie head coach Greg Schiano, who has suddenly lost four straight games and comes into this one off a 41-0 pasting at New Orleans? We may find some answers the last two weeks here. Flirting with a .500 season, meantime, is a tremendous accomplishment for Jeff Fisher in his first year with the Rams, and they may smell some blood here.

What To Watch For: Sam Bradford, hampered by a brutal line and precious few receiving options, is starting to look like a battered quarterback. He needs to bounce back from a bad outing last week ... Freeman is in a freefall, throwing four picks last week and Vincent Jackson has been much more quiet the past few weeks ... Doug Martin should like what he saw from the long runs Adrian Peterson ripped off against the Rams, usually stout against the run ... Expect a flurry of receptions down the stretch from Rams WR Danny Amendola, Bradford's security blanket who is a potential unrestricted free agent at season's end.

Chicago at Arizona
Sunday, Dec. 23, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

Why To Watch: Both of the coaches in this game are feeling the crunch, and one if not both could be out at the end of the season. It's getting particularly uncomfortable in Chicago, where linebacker Brian Urlacher is ripping the fans and the media and rushing to the aid of Lovie Smith. Yet the star can't manage to implore his teammates to actually win a game. The Bears could be looking at an organizational crossroads this offseason if they can't rally, with Jay Cutler's contract an issue, and the age and contracts of guys like Urlacher and other stalwarts on defense a concern as well. Suddenly the Cardinals have won a game and a Bears loss here could serve as an indictment on the coaching staff.

What To Watch For: Do the Bears come out and start fast and play with fire, following Urlacher's statements? With the defense no longer producing turnovers in droves, Chicago's offense is even less equipped to play from behind ... Cutler needs to watch the way the Cards secondary exploited Matt Stafford last week and be very wary of forcing balls in his own red zone ... Can either of these offensive lines keep a quarterback from getting bulldozed? ... How does Darnell Dockett finish the season after getting slapped with a $200,000 fine from the Cardinals? ... Chicago came out running the heck out of the football last week at Green Bay. We could see a conservative approach here, too ... Brandon Marshall vs. Patrick Peterson won't disappoint.

Buffalo at Miami
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Both of these front offices have to be engaging in some collective fingernail biting. The Bills in particular better not go out with a whimper after owner Ralph Wilson went all Jerry Jones in the offseason and out-spent pretty much everyone in the league. A 5-11 record gets people fired -- as most coaches and execs who have worked for the Bills in the past 15 years or so could attest to. So if you are in some kind of general manager dead pool, then by all means, tune in and stay for all four quarters.

What To Watch For: Ryan Tannehill looked as comfortable in the second half last week as he has all year. Of course, playing the Jags, with their middle-school pass rush, probably had a lot to do with that ... Will Chan Gailey ever just succumb to logic and feed C.J. Spiller? It's almost as if the ol' play-caller has no self-preservation gene, which many Bills fans might view as a good thing at this point in his regime ... How will the Bills fare without a live performance of Gangnam Style at halftime this week? It didn't seem to rally them nearly as much as one might have expected in Week 15.

New England at Jacksonville
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Has an NFL team ever gone all Wilt Chamberlain on someone? No one has ever gone for triple digits, right? Because if Bill Belichick gets real ornery here and leaves the starters in all game and tries to set some kind of quirky point-differential record no one had ever paid attention to before, we just might see it here. Tom Brady able to count to nine Mississippi before he has to pick out one of the three targets he is likely to have open on any given offensive play? Smells like dinner.

What To Watch For: Could Deion Branch win your fantasy title for you? I figure if Belichick does call off the dogs, Brady could just keep pumping the ball his way ... Assuming Maurice Jones-Drew is in sweatpants on the sidelines again, do the Jags fans serenade him now for all he has done for the franchise? Better safe than sorry, because this could be the end of his career in Jacksonville, injuries or not.

San Diego at N.Y. Jets
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Is there any team in the NFL with a more misguided offensive approach than the Jets? Sticking with Tim Tebow now for a series or two on end, when he's capable of nothing and he is fooling no one, then pushing Mark Sanchez back into the game to promptly throw a pick? How's that working out for them? Tune in for the opportunity to see a Jets offensive lineman clothesline a quarterback with his backside, if nothing else. Oh, and Philip Rivers is distinctly qualified to match Sanchez turnover for turnover this season.

What To Watch For: There should be all kinds of creative signs and sounds in the stands with both GM Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan under fire ... Jets corner Antonio Cromartie gets a crack at his former team in what has been his best season ... Even when Antonio Gates makes a pretty touchdown catch he looks like a shell of his former self ... Ryan Mathews will be shuffled back to the locker room at least twice, er, oh, yeah, he's out for the season.

Tennessee at Green Bay
Sunday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Why To Watch: Cheeseheads are everywhere. You have to admire their spunk. They won't take an opponent too lightly, even one as suspect as the Titans as they push for another Super Bowl. Green Bay still can play for a higher seed and Aaron Rodgers can enhance his MVP credentials and there's still time for the Pack to get Ryan Grant going or find some back they can depend on. And Charles Woodson might be the latest top-notch injured Green Bay veteran to return to action.

What To Watch For: Rodgers could throw for 300 yards in the first half without breaking a sweat ... Conversely, how many balls does Jake Locker air mail to the sidelines or right down the middle of the field? ... The Titans' lack of a pass rush should doom them early and often ... If Donald Driver is active, look for the classy Pack to showcase him with his days in Green Bay fleeting ... I'm surprised we don't see more screen passes to Chris Johnson, especially with the Titans offensive line so beat up ... There aren't too many players wasting more talent than Kenny Britt these days. Does he even make a case for the Titans to keep him around, even with their need at receiver?

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