Raiders: Veteran defensive end Carter to be active against Falcons

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders defensive end Andre Carter was always taught to do everything on the field at full speed. Recovering from a torn quadriceps injury required a bit more patience.

Nearly 10 months after being carted off the field in Denver, Carter plans to take the restraints off again in his 2012 regular-season debut. Oakland coach Dennis Allen said Friday that Carter will be active for Oakland's game this week against the undefeated Atlanta Falcons.

Carter was signed on Sept. 26 to help a pass rush that has produced just three sacks in four games. The 33-year-old has 76 career sacks, including 10 last year with New England before he suffered the season-ending leg injury.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Texans' Watt follows Long, Strahan as next great NFL defensive linemen

J.J. Watt gave Peyton Manning and the Broncos a hard time Sunday. (AP)

J.J. Watt, a star on the rise, maybe the best defensive player in football right now, was asked about the Texans' decision to let Mario Williams go to Buffalo.

"He's a special player," said Watt of Williams. "A player like that will always be missed. My only point is there are still some great players in here."

Watt pointed at a Texans locker room that is 3-0 and the best team in football. Yet he could have easily pointed that finger at himself because, right now, there is no defensive lineman, and maybe no defensive player in football, who is dominating the sport the way Watt is.

There are some who are comparing Watt to Hall of Famer Howie Long for obvious and superficial reasons. Watt is actually more reminiscent of a young Michael Strahan. I watched Strahan slowly grow into a dominating, Hall of Fame presence, who was skilled against the run in addition to rushing the quarterback, and Watt's rapid ascension looks eerily similar.

It's early and we've seen young stars burn bright and then burn out, but that won't happen with Watt. We're seeing something special, right before our eyes, with the best comparison being the rapid rise of the Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul.

Watt represents another link in the evolutionary chain of a rapidly changing defensive end position. The gold standards remain Reggie White or Deacon Jones, who used power and speed, to dominate. As offenses got more athletic, so to have the defensive linemen. Strahan was one of the players that represented another generation after White, and Watt is the generation now: taller, lanky, lean, quicker and a stone, cold athlete. In college, he was a tight end, who turned into a devastating pass rusher while at Wisconsin.

What I saw Watt do to the Broncos' offensive line was somewhat stunning. It was like something from Gulliver's Travels; the only thing missing were puny cannons and tiny little battleships. Watt went around lineman, jumped over them, bull-rushed past them and batted down passes. He had 2? sacks on the game but it was almost solely Watt who stifled the Denver offense and allowed the Texans to build a huge lead.

What Watt is doing is simply a continuation of last season. In Houston's playoff win against Cincinnati, Watt returned an interception for a touchdown, again demonstrating hops and athletic ability. He had 2? sacks the following week against Baltimore.

His 5? sacks is second in the NFL -- he has 9 sacks total in the past five games -- but a truer sign of Watt's athleticism is that he's ninth in the league in passes defended; there is no other lineman in the top 20. Give Watt a basketball, and he's Karl Malone.

"He's an outstanding player," said Broncos coach John Fox. "I think up front they're as disruptive as most teams. I'm not saying they're right up there with the Giants quite yet, but they're moving up. He's an outstanding player."

I spoke to six current players about Watt who had a great many interesting things to say about him. The main theme: he's vastly underrated and if he played for a team like the Giants or Philly or another huge East Coast media market, he'd be a household name. But because Houston is a young franchise out of the East Coast shipping lanes, he doesn't get the recognition he deserves.

It's likely more a case of the media and others wanting a larger body of work, but in many ways, he's the defensive equivalent of a young offensive star like Cincinnati's A.J. Green. Careers can change in an instant in the violent turbulence that is professional football, but like Green, there is stardom written all over Watt.

The scene during Peyton Manning's press conference after the Broncos had lost to Houston and Watt had pushed them around was almost hilarious. Manning was asked about Watt: "I don't see the numbers of the defensive linemen as much -- you know you're looking downfield -- so I'm probably the wrong guy to ask as to how he played. I could probably tell after the film."

Oh, Manning knew exactly who that was putting him on his butt.

It was the next, great defensive star.

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Steelers defensive stars Polamalu, Harrison questionable for Jets visit

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison did not practice on Friday and are questionable for Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

Neither Polamalu, who is nursing a strained right calf, and Harrison, who is recovering from a minor procedure on his left knee, practiced this week. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin typically does not let players who did not participate during the week play in the ensuing game.

Harrison, who hasn't suited up for a game since a playoff loss to Denver last January, said he "felt great" but allowed there's a risk in coming back too quickly. The knee has been bothering Harrison since minicamp and he underwent arthroscopic surgery on Aug. 15.

"What it comes down to is that there's no need to hurry up and rush yourself back and end up doing more damage so you have to deal with the injury for the rest of the season, instead of saying that you'll sit out a few weeks and get it back healthy rather than to go play a game, re-injure it," Harrison said.

Polamalu declined to speculate on his status but added while he could "do mental repetitions on the sideline" while watching the defense, it "would be better to be on the field."

The All-Pro has made 18 straight regular-season starts dating back to 2010.

Running back Rashard Mendenhall, who is recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in the 2011 regular-season finale against Cleveland, practiced all week but has been listed as doubtful while linebacker Stevenson Sylvester is out with a left knee injury.

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Jets-Steelers gives Rex chance to back up boast of best defensive coach

Darrelle Revis is out, leaving Rex Ryan without one of his best defensive players Sunday. (US Presswire)

When the New York Jets meet the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, we're supposed to find out which is the better team ... and we will. But we should find out something else, and it has nothing to do with Mark Sanchez or Tim Tebow and everything to do with their head coach.

Yep, that's Rex Ryan I'm talking about, and it's Rex who earlier this summer said he thought of himself as "the best defensive coach in football."

That statement gained a lot of attention nationally, and I guarantee it got a lot of play in Pittsburgh. Because the Steelers have Dick LeBeau as their coordinator, and when people think of the top defensive minds in today's game his name is usually first off the board.

Sure, Rex Ryan is in there. So is brother Rob. And Wade Phillips, Bill Belichick, Vic Fangio and Mike Zimmer. All are considered among the game's best and brightest defensive architects, but only one singled himself out.

And we're talking to him.

"I don't think I'd be in this chair if I didn't believe it," Ryan said when we talked about it last month. "I think that's part of our strength. Players believe it.

"I also said this: It's not just based on my abilities, which I know are good, but it's also based on the players I've coached and the guys who coach with me. People can criticize it, but you know something? Do a study and take your thing. I've been a head coach and coordinator for eight, 10 years and see who is better than that.

"Those are facts. And my thing is: I know I'm pretty good. Ask any coach I've coached with or anybody I've ever coached, and they'll tell you the same thing."

Ryan is right. He has the r?sum? to support his claim. Since taking over the Baltimore Ravens' defense in 2005, his units in Baltimore and with the Jets have been among the best in the NFL. In fact, crunch the numbers, and you'll discover that over those eight years his defenses are second overall, third in points allowed, first vs. the pass, fourth vs. the run, third in takeaways and first in third-down percentage.

That's impressive.

But so is this: LeBeau's defenses are first overall, first in points allowed, first vs. the run and second vs. the pass. No, they're not among the top five in takeaways or third-down percentage, but tell me which defense last year ranked ahead of Pittsburgh in yards or points. Plus, there's this: Dating back to 2005, LeBeau has been to three Super Bowls, with two victories. Ryan has been to none.

So the debate is on, and the floor belongs to Ryan. He made his case this summer in the papers; now he has a chance for his team to make it on the field.

"Look, I know I'm just an average person, OK?" Ryan said. "Throughout my background, growing up the son of Buddy Ryan, that's probably a huge, huge plus, obviously. The guys I've worked around have helped me get to where I am, and when I see this it's a compliment to those people.

"But you know what? It also tells you that if I didn't believe in myself ... I'm dyslexic, ADHD and all that kind of thing ... I've overcome a lot, and I'm still here. And I've been successful.

"I know I haven't won a Super Bowl. I got that. But if you want someone to stop somebody, maybe my name is not at the very top. But I think it is. And if it isn't, it ought to be right there with them."

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Former Patriots defensive line star Antwine dies at 72

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Houston Antwine, one of the Patriots' top defensive players in their early years, and his wife, Evelyn, have died, the team said Tuesday.

Antwine, 72, died Monday in Memphis, Tenn., of heart failure, and his wife died Tuesday of lung cancer, the team said.

A member of the Patriots' 50th Anniversary Team, Antwine played from 1961-71 with the franchise before spending the 1972 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 142 regular-season games for the Patriots, he had 39 sacks, leading the team in that category during the 1967, 1968, and 1969 seasons, although sacks were not an official statistic then.

"For those of us who grew up watching the Boston Patriots, this is a really sad day," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. "In the 1960s, the defensive tackle tandem of 'Twine' and Jim Lee Hunt were as good as any in the league and helped propel the Patriots to the franchise's first division championship in 1963.

"I loved hearing Houston's stories about those early days in Boston. It was such a thrill for me, personally, to spend time with the players from that era.

"I am saddened to learn of the deaths of both Houston and Evelyn and want to express my deepest sympathies to the Antwine's daughter, Regina, and all who mourn her losses. Let us all cherish life and remind loved ones how we feel about them daily."

Antwine attended Southern Illinois, where he became a multiple sport athlete, a defensive tackle and an NAIA wrestling champion.

At 6-foot, 270 pounds, he was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round (64th overall) in 1961, then traded to the Patriots before ever playing a game for the Oilers. Antwine became a defensive catalyst for the Patriots, making the all-star team from 1963-1968.

In addition to making the Patriots 1960s All-Decade team, he was chosen to the all-time All-AFL team.

Services and burial information were not yet available.

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