The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 241

COURIER NEWS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2005 E-3 News of the day McNabb practices, show no HI effects Donovan McNabb had no pass rush to elude, no threats to his bruised chest. Philadelphia's five-time Pro Bowl quarterback on Thursday had all the time he needed to hit Terrell Owens on a nice sideline pattern and Greg Lewis on a deep route during a routine practice. McNabb practiced for the first time since he suffered a crushing hit from Atlanta's Chad Lavalais that sent him wincing to the sideline. McNabb, who looked fine running drills, said he felt a little sore but reiterated the injury won't keep him out against the 49ers. i 1 4 LC I I a mm Schedule favors Philly e's otner ivea Favr tote Hie Eagles, who lost their season opener to the Falcons on Monday, have a good shot to get back on track based on their schedule.

Easiest schedules for NFL teams (based on opponents' 2004 record): of Katrina tale kept rising with the tide as they were moved from the second shelf of the 8-foot trophy case in the hall, to the third shelf and finally to the top. In the span of 45 minutes, the water rose to 6 feet inside the house, and 16people were holding hands and praying in the attic. "I want to say we were there a good 5 or 6 hours," Bonita said. The water just stayed there. Normally, like with (Hurricane) Camille, it came in quick and went out quick.

This just kept rising, and then it stayed there." Asked her great "We figured be 3 or of water, kept on BONITA mother of there'd 4 inches but it just rising." FAVRE, Brett Favre est tear, she said, "Never seeing my family again. That's what I kept thinking." She also was thinking about her husband, Irvin, who died of a heart attack in December 2003. "I told the kids, The Lord knew what he was doing when he took Irvin before she said. "Irvin came over rough and tough but when something came up he'd tell me, "You handle it' And so Bonita did. Minutes before the water reached a claustrophobic 6 feet inside the house, By CHRIS HAVEL Gannett News Service One moment, Scott Favre was joking and telling his mother, Boni-ta, to look on the bright side because she probably would get the new floor she wanted.

The next moment, Hurricane Katrina's storm surge was flooding the Favre family homestead in Kiln, forcing 16 people, four dogs and a cat to flee to higher ground or risk drowning in the worst natural disaster in recent American history. In her first in-depth interview since Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana, Alabama and especially the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the mother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre on Wednesday night described her family's harrowing experience in detail. Other than some flying shingles and flattened pine trees, the Favre home withstood Katrina's 140 mph winds quite well. The water was another matter. "We were stuffing towels and rugs against the doors," Bonita Favre said.

"We figured there'd be 3 or 4 inches of water, but it just kept on rising." The Favre family photo albums Ten fined NEW YORK (AP) Ten players were fined for their roles in a fight before Monday night's game between the Eagles and Falcons, with Atlanta defensive tackle Chad Lavalais drawing the biggest fine $7,500 for a hit on Donovan McNabb during the game. Lavalais was fined for using his helmet on McNabb, who hurt his chest on the play. McNabb is questionable for Philadelphia's game Sunday against San Francisco because of the injury. "I'm not a fine guy, I don't go back and try to point fingers on what people did," McNabb said after he practiced Thursday. "If it didn't happen, it's not going to stop my preparation for San Francisco.

If nothing that's going to make me go out and buy a Wendy's Bonita's 87-year-old mother, Mee Maw; her 12-year-old nephew, Dylan; and three other children ranging in age from 7 years to 7 months, were lifted into the attic. Meantime, sons Scott and Jeff, as well as brother-in-law David, were executing a plan that likely saved their lives. In the brief calm while Katrina's eye wall passed over the house, they swam toaboatsuTl docked in nearby Rotten Bayou. The boat didn't start, but they grabbed the life jackets and seat cushions and swam back to the house. When the water receded to 3 feet, the family evacuated the Favre home in favor of their nearby pool house.

They swam to the spiral staircase and climbed up the final few rungs into a 12-foot high loft. It was there that they counted their blessings. "The boys and (David) did an excellent job," Bonita said. "Late Sunday night before the storm hit he was smart enough to move (his wife) Rhonda's truck to the end of the driveway, which was the highest land around. It was the too, for making a bad call.

There should be some disciplinary actions for the refs." Two Falcons were fined $2,500 for entering a fight area, which made them active participants: safety Keion Carpenter and cor-nerback-kick returner Allen Rossum. Safety Kevin McCadam got a $1,000 fine. Along with Trotter, the three Eagles fined for entering a fight area were linebackers Keith Adams, Jason Short and Mike Labinjo. Mathis out for season This week can't end soon enough for Mathis. While working in a one-on-one drill Monday night Mathis landed, awkwardly on his left knee and tore his anterior cruciate and medial Source: NFL Jaguars have big statement By DAVE GOLDBERG The Associated Press For a legitimate playoff contender, the Jacksonville Jaguars attract little notice.

If they can do Sunday what they did last season, they might draw some headlines. That's because they go to Indianapolis, where they beat the Colts 27-24 last Oct. 24. It didn't stop the Colts from winning the AFC South and it didn't prevent the Jaguars from missing the postseason despite a 9-7 record that would have made it in the NFC, but it sent a message to Indy. "They're a dangerous team," coach Tony Dungy said.

The Jaguars' defense was pretty successful against the Colts last season, holding a team that averaged almost 33 points a game to 24 in each meeting. But the Colts' defense, which has let them down in the past, seems much better this season. Last week, it shut down Baltimore in a 24-7 win and seems to have gotten a physical and psychological lift with the late signing of Corey Simon, one of the NFL's better defensive tackles. Simon was in for about 30 plays against the Ravens but already has helped others. Larry Tripplett, the other defensive tackle, had two for Monday night fisticuffs .445 .449 1.453 .457 Adrienne Lewis, USA TODAY shot to make against Colts sacks after having just one in his previous three NFL seasons.

"Clearly he made a difference and I think the Ravens thought he did, too," linebacker David Thornton said. "He's a big body in the middle who allows linebackers to scrape a little more freely." Jacksonville had a good win, too, beating Seattle 26-14 as Byron Leftwich threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns to 36-year-old Jimmy Smith, who had seven catches for 130 yards. Ex-quarterback Matt Jones, the team's first-round pick, became the NFL's latest "slash," running twice for 28 yards, completing a 6-yard pass and catching two for 22 yards. Eagles will get back on track Things that will change quickly: Philadelphia's last-place standing in the NFC East; it was the only team in the division to lose its opener. If out of first for the first time in 24 weeks, or since the 1 1th week of the 2003 season, but almost surely will be back soon enough.

San Francisco's standing atop the NFC West; it was the only team in the division to winits opener. The 49ers' 28-25 upset of the Rams in Mike Nolan's first game as a head coach got them halfway to last season's victory total. They might get beyond that, but not by a lot. "I've known him since middle school, probably before," Daniels said. "I told him he should play.

He had special abilities. Willie's got heart. He's 5-9, 165, but he plays like he's 6-3, 220." While Rutgers fans will remember Daniels as a receiver, Foster likely will be remembered as a kick return man. "You do what you gotta do. I think our team knows that, 'Hey, we got a guy who can really go, and if he doesn't score, he can still get us in real good That good optimism for a team," Foster offers.

"I think returners set a tone for a game. You can always give momentum. "I love football," he added. "It's like, I can't stop playing it. Even if I leam to hate it, I still can't hate it.

It's always on my mind. I even dream about football." only vehicle we had. The other eight plus the tractors, were submerged. They're ruined." In his first post-Katrina news conference last week, Brett said he didn't know whether his mother ever would be the same. "I have bad days, and today was one of them," she said.

"I was doing great for about a month before the storm. I was dieting and working out and doing something for me. Then (Katrina) hit Til get back to working out if my gym ever opens again." She saved most of the family photo albums, portraits and trophies. She also saved the game ball she received from Packers coach Mike Sherman that honored Irvin after the team's 41-7 win at Oakland in December 2003. Irvin had died the day before.

"I'm lucky because so many people lost their lives or loved ones or everything they owned," she said. "But then I'll think of something stupid like the dress I wore when I was the (Mardi Gras) queen a few years back and 111 lose it" Bonita said she has come to grips with the realization that life can change forever in the blink of an eye. "Like I said, Irvin would tell me, You handle it' I am and I will." collateral ligaments. The ninth-year veteran also sustained damage to another part of his knee and hamstring. Mathis found out Thursday that those injuries will cause him to miss the remainder of the season.

The injuries are considered career-threatening. Atlanta placed Mathis on the season-ending injured reserve list and signed Christian Morton off Washington's practice squad. Coach Jim Mora said Matrus will undergo reconstructive surgery early next week. When the Falcons (1-0) visit Seattle (0-1) this weekend, Allen Rossum is the top candidate to take Mathis' spot as the No. 3 corner-back and work in nickel and dime situations.

He also returns punts. That's a far cry from catching TD passes against Miami Northwest or Carol City High School. Foster's rise to a Division I football player might not be typical, but with 4.4 speed, any dream eventually can be run down. While he also is a threat at wide receiver Foster has two catches for 25 yards and last year caught a TD pass special teams is his specialty. And that's pretty ironic, considering he never returned a kick or punt in high school.

"We had a guy, Regis Richardson, who was amazing at kick returns. They tried me there, but I kept getting hurt," Foster said. "So I never thought about playing the position." He arrived on campus three years ago at 5-9, 147 pounds. He's near 170, but it's his speed that keeps him out of emergency rooms. cud S1 Speedy Foster catching on with Scarlet Knights rm yyH I ift) It (1M6' triple-stacked cheeseburger.

I'm not going to buy them any flowers or take somebody from the league out to eat." For the pregame fight, which re-sulted in Falcons cornerback Kevin Mathis and Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter being ejected before kickoff, both players got $5,000 fines. Also receiving a $5,000 hit was cornerback DeAngelo Hall for unsportsmanlike conduct for grabbing an opponent's facemask and then throwing the opponent's helmet. Trotter said the NFL should discipline the referees who tossed him out of the game. They should have fined the referee," he said. "That's who they should have fined for that bad call.

I do think referees should get fined, ZONE By PAUL FRANKLIN Gannett New Jersey PISCATAWAY Willie Foster remembers going out for football tryouts as a freshman at Miami Central High School. He was maybe 5-foot-7, 130-something pounds. "I looked at some of the players and they were huge," he says now. "I said, 'I'm not I went back to Pop Warner. I stiff qualified with my weight" Sophomore year, he didn't play at all.

"My friends tried to talk me into playing, but I just didn't want to. My grades began to drop. Then, in the summer before my junior year, I got everything together. I played football and my grades went up," he said. "And in my first game I caught a touchdown pass." His football career never slowed.

This week, the Rutgers junior was named the Big East Conference's Special Teams Player of the Week. His 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last Saturday sparked Rutgers to a 38-6 victory over Villanova. "Eleven guys are all coming at you, full speed, all wanting a shot at you," Foster said, explaining his dilemma as a return man. "1 had to learn how to catch a kick. It's pretty hard.

It comes at you differendy than a pass. I fumbled one last year against New Hampshire." The flip side is returning one all the way. He did that once last year, too, against Connecticut "The first one was more of a rush," he admitted. "But this one felt pretty good, too." Recruiters visited from the University of Miami, Florida and North Carolina State. Coming out of a high school that produced nine Division I prospects, he and teammate Marcus Daniels chose New Jersey.

Daniels also is a backup wide receiver. His first touchdown this season came on a pass play against Illinois. Through: Cost i pi mm 'J a Injury athletes 12 training athletes on to increase and agility. at the What to female 1. Approximately ligament, or turning, or imbalance 2.

Serious knee more frequently athletes. 3. In sports fieldhockey.volleyball, knee injuries GANNETT NEW JERSEY PHOTO BY JASON TOWLEN Rutgers' Willie Foster beats Villanova place-kicker Joe Marcoux on his way to a 93-yard kickoff return on the opening play of last Saturday's 38-6 victory over Villanova at Rutgers Stadium. Get In The Football Spirit! To Advertise Your Business In This Directory, Please Call Jaime 908-707-3048 Sportsmetrics prevention program for female years and older. This sports program is designed to educate injury prevention as well as muscle strength, flexibility Testing will be performed beginning and end of training.

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