Brett Favre leads the Pack over Arizona

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ROUNDUP
Green Bay runs all over Arizona
From the Associated Press

October 30, 2006

Green Bay had two 100-yard rushers and Brett Favre did his first "Lambeau Leap."

Ahman Green and backup running back Vernand Morency combined for 207 yards rushing and Green had two first-half touchdowns, and the Packers defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 31-14, on Sunday for their first home victory under first-year Coach Mike McCarthy.

"It's our first win at home," Favre said. "But in our situation right now, we'll take them any way we can get them."

The Cardinals (1-7) began the season with playoff expectations but haven't won since opening the season at their new stadium with a victory over San Francisco.

The Packers (3-4) sacked rookie Matt Leinart four times and held him to 61 yards passing in the first half. Leinart, the No. 10 overall pick in the draft, finished with 157 yards passing and a touchdown, but is 0-4 as an NFL starter.

Cornerback Charles Woodson intercepted a Leinart pass near the end of the game.

Edgerrin James had 84 yards in 24 carries for Arizona. James ran for a touchdown near the end of the first half, but the Cardinals trailed after two quarters, 21-7.

The Packers' first possession ended with a botched fake field-goal try, but they scored on their next three drives to take a 21-0 lead.

Favre threw a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end David Martin in the first quarter, and Green had touchdown runs of four and two yards in the second quarter.

Favre completed 17 of 25 passes for 180 yards, and had a touchdown run on the Packers' first possession of the third quarter — his first since Dec. 3, 2001, at Jacksonville.

Favre froze a defender with a pump fake and dived into the end zone, then did the traditional celebratory jump into the stands. He said it was the first time he'd done a Lambeau Leap, and it probably would be his last.

Green had 106 yards rushing and Morency had 101, the first time the Packers have had two 100-yard rushers in a game since a home victory over Tampa Bay on Dec. 1, 1985.

...

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NFL approves plan for games outside U.S.

All Pro Sports Football Series Four DVD Box Set
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AROUND THE LEAGUE
NFL approves plan for games outside U.S.
From the Associated Press

October 25, 2006

The NFL will play as many as two regular-season games a year outside the United States starting in 2007, with Mexico, Canada, England and Germany as possible sites.

The plan, first announced last month, was approved Tuesday at the recommendation of Commissioner Roger Goodell, who said the benefits of reaching an international audience outweighed the loss of some teams' home games.

"We are talking about a limited number of games that we think will have a tremendous impact," Goodell said.

Mark Waller, senior vice president of NFL International, said the league expected to schedule only one overseas game in 2007.

No specific sites were given for the games. However, Waller said the league hoped to announce the first site by this season's Super Bowl. The teams would be selected later.

"Germany has a large number of sites as it's just done the World Cup," Waller said, adding that the United Kingdom] has a "significant number of great sites. We know the sites in Mexico and Canada, so there's no shortage of venues that are interested in these games."

The plan would be set up so that teams would rotate over a 16-year period, with each team playing outside the country twice over that span, once as a visitor, the other as a home team. That means a team would lose one home team during that span.

Romeo Crennel had no choice. Maurice Carthon had to go. With Cleveland's season spiraling downward, Crennel accepted Carthon's resignation as offensive coordinator. The Browns (1-5) have the NFL's lowest-ranked offense. Jeff Davidson, the club's offensive line coach the last two seasons, will replace Carthon, who played fullback for the New York Giants.

Ben Roethlisberger's second concussion in slightly more than four months may not keep him out of the Pittsburgh Steelers' lineup Sunday or prevent him from practicing this week.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback is questionable for Sunday's game in Oakland, but Bill Cowher sounded like a coach who expects to have his starting quarterback ready to go this week.

"He had an MRI done on his brain and neck, and both of those came back normal," Cowher said.

Atlanta Falcons defensive end John Abraham will miss three to four weeks after surgery to repair a torn lower abdominal muscle. The Falcons did not release details on the procedure, but Coach Jim Mora said the torn muscle "is related to but not solely linked to" the groin injury that has limited the Abraham to two games this season.

After running off three consecutive victories to take over first place in the NFC East, the Giants are dealing with a number of injuries — including linebacker LaVar Arrington's season-ending torn Achilles' tendon. Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora has a hip injury and backup Justin Tuck injured his left foot. Cornerback Frank Walker pulled a hamstring in Monday night's victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Tennessee Titans linebacker Robert Reynolds and his estranged wife say Ohio authorities have agreed to withdraw an arrest warrant issued against him after a weekend incident led to misdemeanor domestic violence charges.

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Monday Night Football on ESPN Highest Cable Rating Ever

Roy Firestone
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http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nfltv25oct25,1,7743563.story?coll=la-headlines-sports
Bears-Giants moved under flex schedule
By Larry Stewart
Times Staff Writer

October 25, 2006

The NFL announced Tuesday that the start of the Nov. 12 game between the Chicago Bears and host New York Giants will be moved to 5:15 p.m. PT so that it can be televised by NBC.

This is the first time a kickoff has been moved as part of the league's new flexible schedule policy designed to ensure NBC gets attractive games from Week 9 through the end of the season.

The Times reported Oct. 18 that the Bears-Giants game was earmarked as a Sunday night telecast, and Tuesday's announcement made that a certainty.

NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol said Tuesday that the NFL is not required to announce what game is being moved to Sunday night until 12 days prior, except for Week 17, when the deadline is only six days before.

Ebersol said the announcement about the Bears-Giants game came a week before it was required because NBC notified the NFL that it definitely wanted that game and there was no reason to wait.

Of the "flex scheduling" process, Ebersol said, "The league put this policy into effect when they negotiated the television deals with CBS and Fox in the fall of 2004. Our deal wasn't made until April '05, so we inherited flex scheduling. We're able to say to the league, 'Here is a game we would like to have, and here are reasons why we think this is a compelling game.' And then the league's television department and the commissioner make the final decision."

The NFL moved another Nov. 12 game — New Orleans at Pittsburgh — to 1:15 p.m. PT.

The New York Giants' 36-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, televised by ESPN, attracted the largest television audience to watch a scheduled program on cable television.

Based on a 12.6 national cable rating, the game was being watched at any given time in an average of 11,807,000 homes by 16,028,000 viewers.

The previous record for a scheduled cable program was 11,742,000 homes for the 1993 NAFTA debate between Al Gore and Ross Perot. The estimated number of viewers for the debate are not available.

The 12.6 rating for Monday night's game is for the cable universe of approximately 90 million U.S. television households. The overall rating for all 110 million television households was a 10.6. The overall rating for the L.A. market was a 9.7.

It was the sixth consecutive week "Monday Night Football" earned better than a 10.0 national cable rating. ESPN showed a doubleheader in Week 1 and got national cable ratings of 9.9 and 8.5.

"Monday Night Football" now has seven of the top eight spots on the list of cable's largest audiences, excluding breaking news.

ESPN Monday night led all networks — cable or broadcast — as the most-viewed network in prime time.

larry.stewart@latimes.com

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Jerry Rice/NFL Record Holder

Jerry Rice
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Second to None Might Be the Way to Go
By Peter Yoon
Times Staff Writer

October 8, 2006

With Auburn's loss to Arkansas Saturday, the No. 2 spot in the Associated Press poll is up for grabs and No. 3 USC, No. 4 West Virginia, No. 5 Florida and No. 6 Michigan all have legitimate cases to fall in behind Ohio State.

The question is, do they really want to?

The No. 2 spot has been cursed this season, causing all who dare take it to suddenly become vulnerable.

Notre Dame started the season No. 2, but was less than impressive in a 14-10 victory over Georgia Tech in the season opener and dropped.

Texas took over, then promptly lost to Ohio State. Notre Dame moved back and was shellacked by Michigan, 47-21.

That's when Auburn took over.

The Tigers held the No. 2 ranking for three weeks, but led only 10-0 at halftime against Buffalo before rallying for a 38-7 victory, then needed a last-minute pass deflection to hold off South Carolina, 24-17.

The curse of No. 2 finally caught up with the Tigers, who lost, 27-10, Saturday, becoming this season's first top-10 team to lose to an unranked team.

"We almost didn't do it last week, and we surely didn't do it this week," Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We're disappointed."

USC is the logical choice to move up. It whacked Arkansas, 50-14, in Week 1. That's the same Arkansas that beat Auburn on Saturday.

But the Trojans have not impressed anyone the last two weeks in six-point victories over Washington State and Washington.

West Virginia has outscored opponents, 208-61, but hasn't played a ranked opponent.

Florida's biggest victory came Saturday over Louisiana State, but the Tigers now have two losses.

Michigan's victory over Notre Dame is perhaps the most impressive victory among No. 2 contenders, but can the Wolverines move past the others?

USC Coach Pete Carroll seems to think not.

During his postgame news conference Saturday, he asked reporters if Arkansas had defeated Auburn.

Told the Razorbacks won, he seemed confident it would mean the Trojans took the No. 2 spot.

"Good deal," he said.

Judging by the fate of the other No. 2's this season, however, it might not be.

A Fresh Start

Kansas State got a boost from two freshmen, each making his first start, in a 31-27 victory over Oklahoma State.

Josh Freeman, the first freshman to start at quarterback for Kansas State since Duane Howard in 1976, ran for a 21-yard touchdown with 1 minute 11 seconds to play for the winning score.

Running back Leon Patton rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown and returned a kickoff 95 yards for another touchdown.

First-Year Jitters

San Diego State lost, 47-17, to Brigham Young and fell to 0-5, matching the worst start in school history.

The last time the Aztecs started 0-5 was 2002, former coach Tom Craft's first season.

Craft was fired last December and replaced by Chuck Long.

Long apparently has no bad feelings toward his predecessor, however, because he started Kevin Craft, Tom's son, at quarterback against Brigham Young.

The younger Craft was 20-32 for 216 yards in his first career start.

Land, Air and Sea

Navy defeated Air Force, 24-17, giving the Midshipmen the inside track on winning their fourth consecutive Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, awarded to the best of the three service academies.

Navy (5-1) needs a victory over Army on Dec. 2 to give it the first senior class in school history to go 4-0 against both Air Force and Army.

Air Force struggled running Saturday, so the Falcons went to their passing game, throwing a season-high 19 passes.

The switch to an air attack caught Navy off guard and led to a second-quarter Air Force touchdown that tied the score, 7-7.

But if going to an air attack caught Navy off guard, imagine this:

How surprised would it have been had Air Force attacked from the sea?

Kickin' It

When Minnesota's Jason Giannini shanked an extra point attempt in overtime that led to a 28-27 loss against Penn State, Kevin Kelly went looking for him.

Kelly, Penn State's kicker, had been in Giannini's shoes before and wanted to console his kicking comrade.

Kelly missed two short field goals against Florida State last year in the Orange Bowl before regrouping to kick the winner in the third overtime.

"It's really frustrating when that happens, especially in overtime," Kelly said.

But he never found Giannini in Saturday's postgame scrum.

Dancing With the Stars

David Ball of New Hampshire caught his 51st career touchdown pass, breaking the Division I record previously shared by Jerry Rice and Troy Edwards.

He had gone two games without a touchdown reception since tying Rice's mark.

"I'm glad it's over with. It's been a fun experience but it's been haunting me for a while," Ball said.

Rice set the record playing for Mississippi Valley State from 1981 to 1984.

He went on to set NFL records of 1,549 receptions for 22,895 yards and 197 receiving touchdowns.

Edwards, who tied the record while at Louisiana Tech from 1996 to 1998, played seven seasons in the NFL and had 203 catches.

*

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

*



(INFOBOX BELOW)

Who's No. 2?

Ohio State has been No. 1 in the Associated Press poll since the first week of the season, but the No. 2 spot has been a merry-go round. A look at who has been No. 2, how they fared and where they ended up the next week:



•  Week 1: Notre Dame. Defeated Georgia Tech, 14-10, dropped to No. 4.

•  Week 2: Texas.

Lost to Ohio State, 24-7, dropped to No. 8.

•  Week 3: Notre Dame.

Lost to Michigan, 47-21, dropped to No. 12.

•  Week 4: Auburn.

Defeated Buffalo, 38-7, remained No. 2.

•  Week 5: Auburn.

Defeated South Carolina, 24-17, remained No. 2.

•  Week 6: Auburn.

Lost to Arkansas, 27-10.

Los Angeles Times



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Favre still hurting but plans to play

Brett Favre
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Thursday, October 5, 2006 - 12:00 AM
Permission to reprint or copy this article or photo, other than personal use, must be obtained from The Seattle Times. Call 206-464-3113 or e-mail resale@seattletimes.com with your request.

JIM MCISAAC / GETTY IMAGES
Packers quarterback Brett Favre is checked out by a trainer on the sideline near the end of Monday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Favre still hurting but plans to play

By Seattle Times news services
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Andy Reid figured something must have been wrong if old pal Brett Favre didn't say hello to him on the field after their game Monday night.
So the Philadelphia Eagles coach called Favre on Tuesday to make sure he was OK.
"I said, 'Yeah, one of your guys cheap-shotted me,' which is not true," Favre said. "But he said, 'Yeah, he hit you pretty good.' "
Favre is still feeling the effects of the pinched nerve and possible slight concussion he suffered after he was hit hard in the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Favre sat out most of practice Wednesday but figures he'll be able to play against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
"A little sore, but I'll be fine," said Favre, who has started an NFL-quarterback-record 245 straight games, including the playoffs.
Favre left the game after taking a hard hit from Eagles defensive lineman Juqua Thomas. Favre doesn't remember much about the play.
Favre had a headache after the game and still had soreness in his neck and shoulder Wednesday. And it still hurt when he turned his head a certain way.
He is listed as probable on the injury report.
"I know turning my head to the right, I can only go so far," Favre said. "But fortunately, I'm looking that way when I throw most of the time. So we'll see."
Favre said he might have had a slight concussion, but isn't certain.
"It's hard for me to diagnose that," Favre said.
Notes
• The NFL Players Association will not appeal Albert Haynesworth's five-game suspension for stomping on the head of Dallas center Andre Gurode. The unprecedented suspension is more than twice the previous longest, a two-game suspension for Green Bay's Charles Martin in 1986.
• The Indianapolis Colts could play without three Pro Bowlers on Sunday, but might get kicker Adam Vinatieri (groin) back. The Colts waived kicker Martin Gramatica. Defensive end Dwight Freeney (buttocks), center Jeff Saturday (lower back) and safety Bob Sanders (knee) sat out practice and are listed as questionable. Former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Corey Simon (knee) was ruled out.
• Tennessee Titans wide receiver David Givens (thumb) will miss Sunday's game with the Colts.
• Tampa Bay offensive tackle Kenyatta Walker was placed on injured reserve one day after having season-ending surgery on his troublesome right knee. Jeremy Trueblood, a second-round draft pick from Boston College, will move into Walker's spot.
• Carolina Panthers tight end Mike Seidman has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will likely miss the rest of the season.
• Atlanta Falcons defensive end John Abraham (groin), who hasn't played since he won NFC defensive player of the week honors in his first game with Atlanta, returned to practice.
• New England signed cornerback Chidi Iwuoma to provide depth in the injury-riddled secondary.
• St. Louis Rams fullback Paul Smith (concussion) is out this week and probably next week. The Rams signed linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski, the Seahawks' special-teams captain until being released Saturday, and released safety Dwaine Carpenter.
• Buffalo Bills right guard Chris Villarrial (ankle) did not practice and is expected to miss Sunday's game at Chicago.
• Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Marcus Stroud (ankle, groin), a three-time Pro Bowl selection, missed practice and was listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Jets.
• Chargers safety Terrence Kiel, facing five felony drug charges, went through his first full practice since being arrested last week at team headquarters. Free on $160,000 bond, Kiel could return to the starting lineup Sunday against Pittsburgh.
• Former NFL running back Dave Meggett resigned from his post as the recreation and parks director in Robersonville, N.C., a month after he was charged with raping his former girlfriend. Meggett, 40, who is still jailed at the Pitt County Detention Center, is scheduled to appear in court on a second-degree rape charge in early November.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

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Favre: Offense Needs To Gain Identity, Finish Drives

Brett Favre
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www.packers.com

Original URL:
www.packers.com/news/stories/2006/10/04/3/

Favre: Offense Needs To Gain Identity, Finish Drives

by Mike Spofford, Packers.com
posted 10/04/2006

Like he said during the preseason, quarterback Brett Favre reiterated on Wednesday that the offense is still struggling to find its identity.

But the Packers' leader believes once that identity defines itself, the offense will become more consistent at finishing drives.

The Packers had a frustrating time on Monday night in Philadelphia getting points on the board despite moving the ball fairly consistently. Green Bay gained 35 yards or more on seven possessions yet came away with just three field goals. The other four substantial drives ended in a missed field goal, a punt, an interception, and a turnover on downs at the goal line.

Factoring into that inconsistency is that the Packers haven't fully established what it is they do best on offense, Favre said, and finding something to rely on can help them take better advantage of their opportunities to score.

"What do we go to in certain situations?" Favre asked. "If we're up can we pound the ball at people, are we good in third-and-1, are we a good third-and-long team? Red zone, we're questionable right now.

"There's plays to be made. There are some good execution things that are happening, but we're not closing the deal."

Favre said the offense's identity has changed with the different head coaches he has played for, so in that respect it's not entirely surprising Head Coach Mike McCarthy's offense isn't fully defined after just four games.

"Under Mike Sherman, we developed a style of running like we had never had before," Favre said. "With Mike Holmgren it was more three- and five-step drops, movement passes, use the pass almost to open up the run, screen passes.

"I think with Mike (McCarthy) now we're trying to find that. I think we're trying to do a little bit of both."

McCarthy emphasized he's trying to forge an identity with the ground attack, but the passing attack has been on display perhaps more than expected because of game situations and the game plans.

"Our identity as far as our starting point is running the football, and all the positive things that come off of running the football," McCarthy said. "That's something that needs to be a constant in your offense.

"Statistically, we've thrown the ball more than I would have liked, but you're going to have games like that, and you have to do whatever you need to do to win the game."

Favre, who has emphasized himself many times the need to run the ball well, suggested that more plays to move the pocket, as well as more screen passes, might be the way to go as far as the passing game is concerned. He said he and McCarthy frequently discuss different ideas for the offense, but drawing things up is much easier than implementing them on the spot.

What they'd like to arrive at is a package of run and pass plays, executed from one or two formations or personnel groupings, that the offense truly masters. But it simply takes time to discover all the strengths of the different individuals and how to maximize on them, particularly with the number of young players starting on offense.

"You look at some of more productive offenses in the league, like Indianapolis, you know how they're going to line up, either two tight ends or three wides and one running back, and they just go from there," Favre said. "They're more good at what they do, and they're not worried about other teams knowing what they do.

"Keeping it simple is overlooked so many times, but it's so important to success, and I think that's what we're trying to do."

Favre admitted he's a bit impatient, but he sees the potential with the slow but steady improvements in the running game, the continued development of rookie wide receiver Greg Jennings, and the new downfield dimension Koren Robinson could bring through the air.

Now, it's just getting that progress to be reflected on the scoreboard, not just with certain drives on the stat sheet.

"I really feel like we're progressing," Favre said. "I know we didn't score a lot of points the other night, but I felt like we moved the ball and gave ourselves some opportunities. Now I give them credit for stopping us, but we have to find a way to get down there and make it count, not just (kick) field goals."

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