American Football: Giants, Patriots take emotional NFL wins to grab division leads

EAST RUTHERFORD, United States : Super Bowl champion New England welcomed back stroke-victim linebacker Tedy Bruschi with a comeback victory and the New York Giants said goodbye to co-owner Wellington Mara with an epic rout.

The Patriots celebrated Bruschi's return 8 1/2 months after he suffered a stroke by rallying to defeat Buffalo 21-16 and grab the AFC East division lead on a Sunday of emotion-laden NationalFootball League triumphs.

"This was a big game, not only to show I can play but for our team to win," Bruschi said. "I didn't just jump into this. I've been training for this for a long time. That helped. I know I can get better."

The Giants ripped Washington 36-0 just two days after Mara's funeral. Flags flew at half-staff to honour Mara, who first worked for the club as a ballboy in 1925 and had owned the team since 1930 when he was only 14. -NFL Football -

"We did what Mr. Mara would have wanted us to do, to carry on and play our best," New York Giants running back Tiki Barber said. "Sometimes history writes itself with what happens. We couldn't have written it any better."

Barber rushed for a career-high 206 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries as the Giants took their most lopsided triumph over the Redskins since a 53-0 romp in 1961 in a tribute game to Mara, who died Tuesday at age 89 of cancer.

Jay Feely kicked five field goals and Jeremy Shockey caught a touchdown pass as the Giants forced four turnovers and moved to 5-2 for the NFC East lead. The game ball was presented to Mara's eldest son John, a Giants vice president.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I expect that," John Mara said. "I'm still kind of numb from it. It is like a storybook. You just don't want it to end. I just wish he could've been here to see it. He would have been pretty pleased."

Bruschi suffered a mild stroke 8 1/2 months earlier but the 32-year-old linebacker started for the Patriots and brought an a emotional lift in their quest for a fourth Super Bowl crown in five years.

"I had to treat this like a Super Bowl," Bruschi said. "You have to contain yourself and not get too emotional before the game. In the locker room, those minutes were ticking awful slow.

"(The first hit), I didn't really realize it. I was (just happy to be) in the game. I was ready physically, mentally and emotionally. Sometimes you have just got to pick yourself up off the ground and lift yourself up emotionally.

"We've all gone through things in our lives. I had a stroke. There comes a point where you just can't feel sorry for yourself anymore. I did everything I could to make myself afootball player again. -NFL Football -

"It's just time to live my life the way I want to live it."

Bruschi made seven tackles and assisted on four others while participating in 64 of 77 defensive plays for the Patriots, who denied the Bills twice in the final minutes after trailing 3-0 following a lackluster first half.

"It was good to have him back out there," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He was holding up OK so we stuck with him. He was in good condition. He looked good on the sidelines.

"We can't just rely on him to show up and everything falls into place, but it's great to have him back." -NFL Football -

The Patriots improved to 4-3, a game ahead of Miami in the AFC East. The Bills slid to 3-5.

Chicago cornerback Charles Tillman returned an interception 22 yards for the winning touchdown 6:17 into overtime to give the visiting Bears a 19-13 triumph in a showdown for the NFC North division lead.

"My eyes didn't get big until I actually caught it and knew I was about to score," Tillman said.

The Bears improved to 4-3 with a third victory in a row and completed a season sweep over the Lions, 3-4, to seize a tie-breaker edge as well. -NFL Football -

"This is a tough loss," Lions coach Steve Mariucci said. "It's going to be tough to overcome."

Emotions also ran high in Louisiana as the storm-displaced New Orleans Saints returned to their home state, losing 21-6 to Miami as Olindo Mare kicked four field goals and Ricky Williams ran for 82 yards against his former team.

Hurricane Katrina forced the Saints to move their operations to San Antonio but reports they might try to shift there permanently helped inspire boos for the Saints from a crowd of 61,643 at a college stadium in Baton Rouge. -NFL Football -

"I can definitely feel their pain," Saints wide receiver Joe Horn said. "They should have booed us because we played horrible."

Miami coach Nick Saban went 48-16 in five years at Louisiana State University before taking over the Dolphins this season and he came out a winner in the first of four Saints' home games at LSU this season.

Jake Plummer threw three first-half touchdowns as the Denver Broncos raced to a 28-0 lead on the way to beating Philadelphia 49-21, improving to 6-1 with the home triumph in a matchup of division leaders. -NFL Football -

Kris Brown kicked four field goals and the Houston Texans denied visiting Cleveland in the final seconds for a 19-16 triumph, becoming the last NFL team to claim its first victory of the season.

Jake Delhomme completed 21-of-30 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns to lead Carolina past Minnesota 28-13. The Vikings, 2-5, also lost quarterback Daunte Culpepper to a right knee sprain.

In other games, St. Louis beat Jacksonville 24-21, Oakland downed Tennessee 34-25, San Diego defeated Kansas City 28-20, Dallas dumped Arizona 34-13, San Francisco beat Tampa bay 15-10 and Cincinnati beat Green Bay 21-14. -NFL Football -

Baltimore is at Pittsburgh on Monday night.

Copyright © 2005 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.

Colts aim for best start in Week 6 action

And on Monday Night Football, the NFL's lone unbeaten team, the Indianapolis Colts, will attempt to start a season 6-0 for the first time in 47 years, since the Weeb Ewbank-Johnny Unitas Colts of 1958. That team, of course, won the NFL championship in the first "sudden-death" overtime in NFL history in "The Greatest Game Ever Played."

The 2005 Colts are pleased to have matched their best starts ever (four times before), but don't think everything is perfect in Indy, even after a 25-point victory (28-3) in San Francisco.

"We're 5-0, which is good," says Colts wide receiver Brandon Stokley. "But we have to do a lot better than we did." - - - Football Gambling - - -

Never get too confident. That's the NFL way. Things can be going smoothly...and then you miss the playoffs.

In this decade alone, two "perfect" teams through five weeks missed the playoffs that year (2000 New York Jets, 4-0; 2003 Minnesota, 5-0). In fact, since 2000, a surprising 28 clubs reached the sixth week of the season with winning records (seven at at least 4-1), yet failed to make the playoffs. - - - Football Gambling - - -

On the reverse side, nine teams entered Week 6 with losing records, turned their seasons around and reached the playoffs, including six division winners: New Orleans (1-3) in 2000; New England (2-3/Super Bowl winner) in 2001; New York Jets (1-4), Pittsburgh (1-3) and Tennessee (1-4) in 2002; and 1-4 Green Bay last year.

"You never know what you're going to get from week to week in the NFL," says New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. - - - Football Gambling - - -

© 2005, NFL Enterprises LLC.

NFL courts fans across border

The NFL returns to Mexico City this Sunday to play its first regular-season game outside the United States.

BY CHRISTINA HOAG

Mexico City has been the site of the two biggest crowds in National Football League history -- more than 100,000 fans packed the Estadio Azteca for exhibition games in 1994 and 1998. And that's a fact league officials have never forgotten.

On Sunday, the National Football League returns south of the border to play its first regular-season game outside the United States. The San Francisco 49ers will take on the Arizona Cardinals.

''We have a great fan base there that's been growing in recent years,'' said NFL Chief Operating Officer Roger Goodell. ``Our sponsors and licensees [in Mexico] made it clear that it would be an interesting opportunity. We think we'll have a great crowd.''

The move marks a ramping up of the NFL's longtime strategy to popularize American-style football overseas. For decades, the league has taken teams abroad to play pre-season games, known as American Bowls, in an effort to build fan followings and find new markets to sell television rights and other licensing deals.

Goodell said that the time was ripe for a ''real'' game because fans have grown more sophisticated and want to see more than a show match.

''This is the next big step for the NFL,'' said Jim Riordan, director of Florida Atlantic University's sport management MBA program.

Mexico was chosen for the season game for several reasons, according to Goodell, not the least of which is that it dovetails with the football league's efforts to promote football to Hispanics who live stateside.

Mexico boasts the biggest fan base outside the United States, 20 million, according to the NFL, and almost all NFL games are televised there.

''It's one of our most rapidly growing markets,'' Goodell said, adding that the NFL is very popular with English-speaking U.S. Hispanic households.

Riordan also saw strategic Hispanic marketing at play in the selection of the teams, both from areas in the United States that boast large Latino populations mostly of Mexican descent.

''There's a lot of sentimental value there,'' he said.

Both teams were enthusiastic about playing in Mexico, Goodell said, even though it meant that the Cardinals had to give up a home game. The NFL will make up any lost revenue for the club, he said.

The NFL is expecting a sell-out crowd of 85,000 at the stadium with tickets ranging from $23 to $78.

The move is a no-lose proposition for the NFL, said Kathleen Davis, president and chief executive of Sport Management Research Institute in Weston.

Although attendees may go solely out of curiosity, some could turn into long-term fans and the Mexico City location should make a favorable impression on Hispanics in the United States. ''Exposure is what it's all about,'' she said.

Other sports, including basketball, are also actively trying to increase their fan bases outside the United States by taking games overseas and recruiting players from abroad.

But the NFL has done the most to spread its gospel. It has established a European league, NFL Europe, and has an office in Mexico City to oversee business affairs such as broadcasting and licensing, as well as fan development. Five exhibition games have been played in Mexico through the years.

''No one disputes the NFL is top-tier in branding and marketing,'' Davis said.

Goodell said London, Tokyo, and cities in Canada and China are also under consideration for future overseas regular-season games.

The Miami Herald

Storm-displaced Saints win emotional NFL opener

CHARLOTTE, United States (AFP) - An emotional New Orleans Saints squad reeling from Hurricane Katrina's destruction made a triumphant American football season debut with a dramatic 23-20 victory over Carolina.
ohn Carney kicked a 47-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give the Saints their victory margin on a day when the struggling survivors of the killer storm were on the mind of players and spectators alike.

"The evacuees we talked to communicated to us that the better we do, the better they will feel," Carney said, calling the kick one of the greatest in his 17-year career.

While they almost certainly will not play in New Orleans this season, the Saints made it clear they are playing for New Orleans and the entire coastal region that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

"The people that lost everything, they have to sit on cots to watch this team and hope we win for New Orleans," Saints receiver Joe Horn said. "Just to make those people happy, it's all worthwhile."

Another emotional opener was San Francisco's 28-25 home victory over St. Louis. The 49ers wore helmet stickers bearing the number of Thomas Herrion, the blocker who died of a heart ailment after a pre-season game at Denver.

The Saints dedicated the triumph to the people of the storm-ravaged region.

"We gave two game balls away," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "We gave one to Mayor (Ray) Nagin and the city of New Orleans. We gave the second one to keep in our trophy case. It's to all the people of the Gulf South."

The Saints, who have never reached the Super Bowl championship game that is often played in their town, evacuated the day before Katrina struck New Orleans and have moved their workout base to San Antonio, Texas.

"We were fired up all week. You could feel it," Haslett said. "You felt it on the bus. You could feel it last night. Hopefully, we can keep that sense or urgency all year."

Some players lost their homes. Most of the rich sportsmen have visited those who lost everything they owned and taken strength from their support.

"Our group is really resilient," Haslet t said. "I give a lot of credit to our players. With all the stuff they've gone through, and what they've seen on television, the families - guys that have lost homes - they just keep going.

"I think it is a great testament to the guys that they fought this hard."

Saints players have visited with evacuees of the flood-ravaged jazz mecca, bolstering those left homeless and in turn having their spirits lifted by those who cheer them on as a symbol of their devastated city in a troubled time.

"We knew what this game represented," Carney said. "You realize what this game means to people. I think this will give the people of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans a lift. I know there are people around the country pretty excited."

In many ways, the Saints have become "America's Team" - a tag not applied to an American football squad since the heyday of the Dallas Cowboys a decade ago.

"A lot of fans that have come on board after what happened and we're all for it," Horn said. "We love everyone in the world that has donated their time or shown their support. We'll carry the city and every city that was hampered by the storm."

A standing ovation from opposing supporters greeted the Saints as they took the field for their National Football League opener, the crowd waving signs of support that included "We love New Orleans" and "Let's all be Saints."

"It was tough for us," McAllister said. "We knew we would have to come out and be emotional."

The Saints did just that on their opening drive of the season, the offense marching 80 yards in 15 plays to score a touchdown on Deuce McAllister's four-yard run. The Saints had not scored on any opening drive last season.

New Orleans led 14-7 at half-time thanks to a two-yard McAllister touchdown run and Carney booted three second-half field goals to secure the victory.

"It was important for us to win to give the people something to be happy about," said Horn, who caught five passes for 66 yards.

The Saints play their first "home" game of the season on September 19 at East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the stadium of their foes, the New York Giants.

The Giants opened with a 42-19 rout of Arizona while Pittsburgh overpowered Tennessee 34-7, Miami ripped Denver 34-10, Jacksonville dumped Seattle 26-14, Detroit beat Green Bay 17-3 and Kansas City pounded the New York Jets 27-7.

Washington edged Chicago 9-7 and Dallas rallied from 14 points down to beat host San Diego 28-24. Buffalo beat Houston 22-7, Cincinnati downed Cleveland 27-13, Tampa Bay defeated Minnesota 24-13 and Indianapolis beat Baltimore 24-7.

Copyright © 2005 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AFP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Agence France Presse.

Football moves to middle school
By Amy Houston

After one season at the new Valley Center High School football stadium, the Hornets are moving back to the field where they used to play. - Football Gambling -

The varsity football team will open its season at 7:30 p.m. Friday, when it will host Great Bend at the Valley Center Middle School field. The poor condition of the high school field caused school officials to consider playing at another venue such as Wichita State University, another school district site or the middle school.

Superintendent Mike Meier said varsity coach Shane Harden talked to the seniors on the football team about where they wanted to play, and the group chose to return to the middle school. Meier said Valley Center will rent 12 sets of bleachers from the Kansas Coliseum, and four or five sets will be moved from other locations in the school district. - Football Gambling -

“And then if we need more, the rec has about three that we can use,” Meier added.

The additional bleachers will be placed on the home side at the game. Meier said an area will be assigned for student fans, and the band will sit on folding chairs on the high-jump pit at the south end of the field.

Parents and fans packed the last Valley Center school board meeting to express their concerns about the high school football field. Jack Fry, a professor of horticulture at Kansas State University who has advised the district on the field, brought a colleague and visited again Friday, said Meier. District workers have followed the instructions of their turf experts, he continued.

“We went in over the last couple days,” Meier said Tuesday. “We’ve already cut the field, planted rye all over the field and put down fertilizer. They finished that today.”

He explained that irrigation is under way to help the grass grow. Rye has been used to fill in areas at the high school and middle school field.

Increased use at the middle school field has caused concern about its condition. The varsity, junior varsity and freshman football teams were practicing there, but Meier said some practices have been moved to the shotput and discus area while others have been moved to the outfield of the softball diamond. - Football Gambling -

The freshman and junior varsity squads will host Bishop Carroll today (Thursday) at the middle school field. The middle school football teams have practiced west of the softball diamond for two years, but their first home game on the field is Sept. 8 against Maize South.

The Sideliners approached the school district about helping maintain the middle school field due to increased wear and tear. That group includes Brian Kaiser, who received his bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Kansas State University with an emphasis on turf management.

“We’re assisting the school district in maintaining the field as far as fertilizing and seeding, things like that,” said Kaiser. “Sideliners asked me if I would assist them, use my knowledge base to help them in any way we could on the field.” - Football Gambling -

Kaiser said Sideliners would work with personnel from the Valley Center Recreation Commission. He said they would spend time on the field immediately after Friday games or on weekends.

“They’re coming in on Fridays after the game and do some top dressing and put some rye grass down and then turn the water back on so it’ll be ready for the next game,” Meier explained.

A site has not been determined for the second varsity football game at home, which is set for Sept. 23 against Goddard. - Football Gambling -

“I may be the only one, but I’m still hopeful we can play there (at the high school) on the 23rd,” said Meier. “But we’ll have to see how it goes.”

Kaiser said that goal is a possibility, but it depends largely on weather because warm temperatures help bermuda grass spread. A combination of rye and fescue has been used on the middle school field, he said. - Football Gambling -

“That’s been completed on the middle school field,” Kaiser continued. “We’ll continue to do some of that throughout the fall season also.”

After serving his country, former Marine focusing on family, football

Winchester native Jasper Perkins doesn't dwell on the dangers of being a Kentucky State Police officer, but a photo of his family remains wedged inside his gray police hat in case it were to be the last image he sees, a tradition he's followed since his military days.A husband and father of three, Perkins said it was family that brought him back to Winchester in December 1999 after 12 years of traveling the country and the world with the U.S. Marines.
"I'm just glad to have a stable place where I can come home to my wife and my kids," Perkins said. He added that it was the advice of his brother Mike Perkins, an officer at the Winchester Police Department, and Winchester Police Chief William "Marty" Jackson II that helped him make the decision to become a police officer.Before moving back to Winchester, Perkins lived in California, where he met his wife, Michelle. He also has lived in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and served in Operation Desert Storm.Perkins was a Marine drill instructor at Parris Island, S.C., from 1995 to 1997 and played football for the Marines' semi-pro league. He credits his success as a Marine, and now as a police officer assigned to Kentucky State Police Post 8, to the lessons he learned on Cardinal Field as a football player for George Rogers Clark High School from 1984 to 1987."If it wasn't for the football program, I don't think I'd be where I am at today," he said. "The camaraderie and the team work that's involved in football will be with you for the rest of your life."Once a linebacker and tight end, Perkins now trains the football team's linebackers as an assistant coach. This year he will watch his son, Tyler, walk onto the field as a freshman tight end and defensive end."I don't think words could express how I feel about coaching my son," Perkins said, adding the chance to see his son play on the same field he did in high school was one reason he moved his family to Winchester.Perkins said it also has been rewarding to work with head coach Paul Columbia, who was an assistant coach when he played for the team."To me, it's a very humbling, proud experience," he said of coaching with Columbia. "He inspired me a lot when I was a player."Perkins said this is the first year Columbia, who's affectionately been given the nickname "Big Daddy," will have coached both a father and son."Coaching out there is like a big family," Perkins said. "We're all out there because we love Clark County football."Perkins said he doesn't want his son to follow the same path he did into the Marines, but would rather watch him continue to play football in college."I wouldn't want him to see some of the things I saw," said Perkins, who was in combat arms his entire military career. He added, however, if his son did choose the Marines he would be proud.Now that he's back in Winchester, Perkins said he isn't going anywhere.His plans are to raise his children, Tyler and his daughters, Jade, 7, and Tori, 2, here with his wife. He said he also would like to continue coaching the football team as long as he is able.When he left for the Marines after high school, Perkins said he "was just a country boy from Winchester" who had never seen the ocean or ridden in a plane.But now after having been in 46 countries - one of his his favorite being Argentina, where the rolling hills reminded him of Kentucky - he's glad to be back where he started."There's no place like Winchester," Perkins said. "It's good to be home."

TRACY HANEY/Sun Summer Intern

Fantasy football: Forget about T.O. and draft Johnson

Well, well, well. What a week to talk wide receivers, huh?For the record, I haven't drafted Terrell Owens in any of my various "expert" leagues, and I certainly won't now. To me, fantasy football is all about value, and Owens isn't a value. Cincinnati's Chad Johnson - also represented by Drew Rosenhaus but not pining for a new deal even though he deserves one - could be better than T.O. for fantasy this year. He's a value. - Football Gambling -

I have many more values at this position on my site, FantasyGuru.com, but here are some of my favorites as we enter the first big week of preseason game action. Undervalued:Nate Burleson (Min) - There is some trepidation on fantasy owners' part with Burleson because he's not a prototypical No. 1 NFL receiver and he won't have Randy Moss on the other side. But Burleson is too smooth, too smart and too reliable not to get it done as the No. 1 guy here, so I think he's a value.Deion Branch (NE) - He is an injury risk, but if he can stay healthy he will be the top receiver and playmaker for this team and could put up big numbers. As a player you can likely get in the seventh or eighth round, he has the potential to produce like a fourth- or fifth-rounder. - Football Gambling -

Trust me on this one: If he plays 14-15 games you'll want him on your side. Ashley Lelie (Den) - Lelie is a player who disappointed me in some ways last year, but his final numbers (1,084 yards and 7 TDs), despite just 54 receptions, were quite revealing in that you can see his potential this year if he can catch even 10-12 more passes. He needs to be a more complete receiver, but even if he improves only slightly in terms of catching the ball over the middle and on intermediate routes, he could easily go down as a major value this year. - Football Gambling -

That's the call here. Jimmy Smith (Jac) - Smith is getting up there in years, but he's still playing at a high level, and there are many reasons to believe he'll do better than expected. His team's running game is on shaky ground, his QB is ready to bust out, and his team's schedule against the pass looks great. Additionally the new offense in Jacksonville is very WR-friendly and will look to get the ball to Smith downfield more. It all adds up to Smith being a really nice option as a No. 3 fantasy wideout. Sleepers:Travis Taylor (Min) - While rookie No. 1 pick Troy Williamson has enticing upside, the veteran Taylor, a former No. 1 pick, is a better choice to be a sleeper this year. Taylor has looked like a valuable asset capable of playing any of the team's three receiver spots. - Football Gambling -
So far, Taylor's doing a pretty good job at blowing his cover, lighting it up in Viking camp. Antwaan Randle El (Pit) - I'm thinking that Randle El is under too many people's radar this summer. He's a dynamic playmaker and a special athlete, and he's going into a contract year at the perfect time, what with Plaxico Burress gone. They will need to replace Burress' speed and downfield ability in the offense, and Randle El is the best bet to fill that role. Tyrone Calico (Ten) - If he's healthy, he has all the tools - tremendous size, speed, and athletic ability - to someday dominate, and the Titans are counting on a breakout season this year. If he's healthy and keeps his drops to a minimum, he has exciting upside. - Football Gambling -

JOHN HANSEN
The Press