Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 31

SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL Sunday, January 12, 2003 NFL NOTES Ji's official, TAms by smm Philadelphia's Reid chosen coach of yeai 1 1 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Andy Reid didn't flinch when his star quarterback was injured in November. And when the backup got hurt the next week, the Philadelphia Eagles' coach just turned to the third-stringer. The Eagles kept on winning, and Reid earned The Associated Press NFL ed from his team." While Reid made a brilliant, if unpopular, move when he chose Syracuse QB Donovan McNabb with the second overall pick of the '99 draft Philly's fans wanted Ricky Williams his work this season might overshadow that and everything else he's done. Faced with entering the stretch run without McNabb, who broke his right ankle Nov. 17, Reid simplyfbore straight ahead with Koy Detmer.

And when Detmer injured his elbow in his onlv start. No. 3 quarterback A.J. Fee- Coach of the Year award Saturday. In a truly unpredictable season, in which a half-dozen coaches did remarkable jobs, Reid was the steadiest.

He never let the Eagles deviate from their course, despite the injuries at the most critical REID ley led the team to four straight wins. "He's very upfront, very fair with everybody with the way he handles everything," Detmer said. "He's very straightforward. You know exactly what's expected of you. It's not always like that in the NFL.

A lot of times you are wondering about this, wondering about that. He pretty much lets everybody know where they are at. His strength is with leadership. He has the respect of the team, and guys follow him." Reid's NFL coaching guru is Seattle's Mike Holmgren. He spent seven seasons learning under Holmgren in Green Bay, and came to Philadelphia with a patient and meticulous plan for success.

Denver defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes resigned Saturday after the Broncos' second consecutive disappointing season. The Broncos hired Rhodes in 2001 in an effort to improve a defense that had been one of the worst in the league. Denver improved from 24th in the league to eighth last year and sixth this year, but it wasn't enough to keep the Broncos from missing the playoffs for the third time in four years since winning consecutive Super Bowls. To the surprise of few, New Orleans Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks will undergo arthroscopic surgery Jan. 17 to repair a tendon and muscle in the rotator cuff of his throwing shoulder.

offensive position. Philadelphia wound up 12-4, won the NFC East title and earned home-field advantage for the playoffs. "I'm a bit of a realist," said Reid, who received 35 votes from a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. "Without good players and good coaches, you can't sit in this chair and be successful. I'm very fortunate to have that and the support of the organization.

"It's not one guy, that's for sure." His players might disagree. They certainly credit Reid with turning around a franchise that was 3-13 when he took over after the 1998 season. A little-known offensive assistant from Green Bay, he was a surprising hire by owner Jeff Lurie, who obviously saw something special in Reid. The Eagles have gone 5-11, 11-5, 11-5 and 12-4 under Reid, including two division championships. "When Andy came in here, he wasn't like most new coaches who want to know who to get rid of," running back Duce Staley said.

"He wanted to know about the leadership. He wanted to know who had the character he want- field goal lift Tennessee into AFC title game THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tenn. Thanks to Joe Nedney, the Tennessee Titans are still kicking. "After a series of kicks some counted, some didn't Nedney made a 26-yard field goal 2:15 into overtime that gave the Titans a bruising 34-31 play-? off victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday. Officiating, in the headlines all week, once again 1 played a key role in the final outcome.

ISteelers coach Bill Cowher sprinted across the -field and shouted at referee Ron Blum after the i'-Sinning kick. As the Titans celebrated, Cowher Claimed he called a timeout before the kick. I jl-But the kick stood a kick that was the result upl a penalty on the previous play by cornerback i Cfewayne Washington. He drew a 5-yard flag for tunning into Nedney, giving him yet another chance, and he put the game-winner right down we middle. That gave the Titans the franchise's first victo- ry in four playoff games against Pittsburgh, and put them into the AFC championship game against the winner of today's game between the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets.

a game to be decided on that call is ludi-' crous," said Cowher, his jaw clenched in anger. ''A game can't be decided because a kicker takes two steps and we have someone slide into him. We had some chances to win but we had some taken away from us, too." That's exactly how the New York Giants felt after losing a playoff game against the 49ers last The next day, the NFL admitted officials botched the final play. Asked about the penalty he called, Blum mere-' ly explained the difference between running into the kicker and roughing. As for the timeout, he said: "I wasn't aware that they were, but one of my co-officials said that the request came after the ball was snapped." Tennessee took the opening kickoff in overtime and Steve McNair drove the Titans from their own 1 20 into field-goal range.

Nedney, who missed from 48 yards on the final plaV of regulation, thought he'd blown it when i he missed from 31 yards. don't get second chances very often and I didn't expect another one," Nedney said. "Sorry if everybody gray hairs. I went from the worst kick of my life to a guy smacks me in the ankle and I get a second chance." 1 1 McNair was 27-of-44 for 338 yards and two touch- downs and ran for another in a game that was nearly as dramatic as the Music City Miracle against Buffalo three years ago. r- This one was a tense, hard-hitting game that sidelined stars Plaxico Burress (hip) and Kendrell Bell (ankle) of Pittsburgh and Eddie George (concussion) of Tennessee exactly the kind of game trie longtime rivals have played since the one-time Houston Oilers were the Steelers' biggest thorns in the late 1970s.

It was so close, each team had exactly 324 yards 1 at the 2-minute warning and so intense that Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox and Titans coach Jeff Fisher once began screaming at each other 1 and had to be separated. There were multiple injuries and multiple come- II baeks of course, since Maddox was involved. "This is very hard to swallow," Maddox said, Who rallied the Steelers from a double-digit deficit for the third time in three weeks. "It's frustrating, it's heartbreaking." Nedney kicked a tying 42-yarder with 5:40 remaining after Jeff Reed's 40-yarder put Pittsburgh up 31-28. The Steelers had rallied for the sec- -v.

XT t-u The Associated Press Titans kicker Joe Nedney (6) reacts to contact made by Pittsburgh's Dewayne Washington after he misses a field goal in OT. A roughing the kicker call gave Nedney another kick, which he made. Watching is holder Craig Hentrich. 'For a game to be decided on that call is ludicrous Steelers coach Bill Cowher ers touchdowns. The second fumble, following a helmet-to-helmet hit with Steelers lineman Casey Hampton on the first play of the second half, knocked George out of the game with a concussion and led to Amos Zere-oue's 31-yard touchdown run on the next play.

The Steelers had only 17 yards rushing in the first half. The Steelers, who trailed 14-0 early, suddenly were up 20-14 a much quicker comeback than a week ago, when they fell behind 24-7 to Cleveland and didn't go ahead until the final minute. Only this time, their opponents had a comeback in them, too. The Titans, stalling repeatedly after scoring on their first two possessions, went into the no-huddle spread offense that has repeatedly tormented the Steelers' defense. Within five minutes, the Titans got into the end zone twice on McNair touchdown passes to his tight ends 7 yards to Frank Wycheck and 2 to Erron Kinney.

Wycheck, virtually forgotten in the Tennessee offense with only nine catches in his last five games, made a career-high 10 receptions against a Steelers defense that gave up at least 30 points for the eighth time this season eight more times than last season. The Titans, looking rested, confident and relaxed following their two-week break, converted five key third downs a season-long problem for Pittsburgh's defense to open their 14-0 lead. ond time in the game, tying it at 28-all on Maddox's 21-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward and former quarterback Ward's 2-point conversion flip to Burress with just over 10 minutes remaining. In a season where the NFL set a record with 25 overtime games, the Titans got the ball first. A missed tackle by Washington gave Tennessee a big play, and the Titans were quickly in field goal position.

With the Steelers calling timeout, Nedney kicked a field goal that sent fireworks shooting over the stadium. But the kick did not count, and Nedney laughed as he lined up again. This time, Nedney missed but the penalty gave him another chance and left Cowher covering his face. On the next play, Nedney kicked it right down the middle to win the game. After the Steelers rallied from an early 14-0 deficit, it was close the rest of the way.

George hadn't fumbled in 240 carries, only to do it twice in less than a quarter to set up two Steel Johnson "had a great week. These last couple weeks we've really benefited, honestly, from the bye to get him re-acclimated to the speed and the feel of the offense. He's been very sharp," Gruden said. "The last six games he played prior to the injury, we were averaging 26 or 27 points per game, and we were making some yards and moving the ball. But the 49ers are different.

They present a lot of challenges, not only on offense, but defensively. This is a very good defensive club." Jeff Garcia threw for 331 yards and rushed for 60 in San Francisco's win over the Giants. Although Tampa Bay has done a good job of containing mobile quarterbacks like Michael Vick, Aaron Brooks and Donovan McNabb, Garcia presents a different challenge because of an ability to locate receivers when he's on the move. And the target often is Terrell Owens, who had nine catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns last week. Garcia has never faced Tampa Bay and its superb D.

A number of teams have tried to copy the Bucs' two-deep zone defense, but no one has the personnel to play it as well as Sapp, Brooks and Co. The Bucs had five defenders selected first- or second-team All-Pro and led the NFL with 31 interceptions. "It's not so much how they play as 49ers Continued from Page CI "I pride myself on being one of the cornerstones of this franchise, changing it from one of the worst to one of the best, and the only way we can signify being a great defense is to get a ring," Brooks said. "You're not going to hear people talk about the Eagles' defenses of the early '90s, with Jerome Brown and Seth Joyner. No.

They didn't win a championship. I want to be remembered like the '86 Bears and the 2000 Ravens. They won championships." By earning a first-round bye Tam-. pa Bay already has advanced further than it did the past two seasons. A victory over the 49ers would put the Bucs in the NFC championship game for the first time since 1999, when they lost to the St.

Louis Rams. "That seems like an eternity," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "I'll put It this way: Three backup quarterbacks have won a Super Bowl since then. That's how crazy this league has gotten since we played that game." An inability to get past the first round in 2000 and 2001 cost coach Tony Dungy his job. Jon Gruden replaced the most successful coach in Tampa Bay history, installed a new offense and has made a good team better.

The Bucs allowed a league-low 196 points, becoming just the seventh team to hold opponents to fewer than 200 in a 16-game schedule. The offense started slowly, but made significant strides before quarterback Brad Johnson missed the last two games because of a severe lower back bruise. Johnson will return against the NFC West champion 49ers, who rallied from a 24-point deficit to beat the New York Giants 39-38 in a wildcard game last week. wpmp www ipi ijii. wjwyivj Eagles advance to NFC title game individuals, but how they play as a team.

They are very solid defensively. They know their roles, they know their schemes, they don't make mistakes, they get after teams with their speed and smarts," Garcia said. "But I'm not going to change my style of play, or go into this game with a mind-set of try ing to avoid running the football, to not do the things I feel I do well. It's one of those games where if you don't put it all out there, you're not going to move on, so we need to put it all out there." loose." The Falcons, after falling behind 13-0, made a game of it until McNabb sealed the victory with 6:26 remaining. On fourth-and-1 at the Philadelphia 35, McNabb got some huge blocks up front to hold off the blitzing Falcons and threw to James Thrash, who spun away from Ray Buchanan and raced all the way to the end zone for the only offensive touchdown of the ight.

McNabb completed 20 of 30 for 247 yards. Vick, who made the Pro Bowl in his first year as a starter, was sacked three times and threw two interceptions one that was returned for Philadelphia' first touchdown. The 22-year-old quarterback finished 22 of 38 passing for 274 yards. He also ran for 30 yards on six carries. In the third, Vick turned on his afterburners and appeared to tie the game up for the Falcons on a 20-yard touchdown run.

A holding penalty against Travis Claridge negated the score; two plays later, Jay Feely missed a 37-yard field goal that seemed to sap some life out of the Falcons. "I'm still a little rusty according to everyone else," McNabb said. "I came out here and wanted to calm everyone down and play football again. Everyone talked about the mobility and the rust. I just wanted to play football." Vick got to the end zone once, but the 20-yard run which would have tied the game in the third quarter was called back by a holding penalty.

Otherwise, the Eagles defense ruled the day. "You need to have home games in the playoffs," Vick said. "It's tough to win on the road in the playoffs. The turf was tough, and they seemed to be getting the calls." McNabb, playing his first game since Nov. 17, did just enough on offense to earn the top-seeded Eagles at least another game.

He showed right away that his right ankle was OK. On Philadelphia's second offensive play, McNabb scrambled to his right, raced past Keith Brooking and scooted out of bounds with a 19-yard run. "Getting on the sideline, I wanted to continue warming it up," McNabb said. "In weather like this, you want to continue to keep your body THE AfSOCIATED PRESS PHILADELPHIA For anyone who was wondering, Donovan McN-abb is doing just fine. i And Michael Vick still has a few lessons to learn.

1 McNabb made a triumphant returrj from a broken ankle to lead Philadelphia past Vick's Atlanta Falcons 20-6 Saturday night, putting the within a victory of their first Super Bowl in 22 years. Bobby Taylor returned in an interception 39 yards for an early touchdown that put the Eagles ahead, and Vick Co. never caught up. The game was billed as a matchup between two of the game's shining stars: McNabb, the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, against the guy he once showed around the Syracuse campus. i Vick's eye-popping speed and prodigious arm may one day carry him to heights higher than McNabb, but not on this frigid night at the "Concrete Jungle." Crusty ol' Veterans Stadium, occupied by 66,452 tpwel-waving fans, will hang around for one more game, the NFC championship next Sunday against either Tampa Bay or San Francisco.

i Raiders Continued from Page CI Abtos Little IcQQUG 2003 Tryout Schedule letatien Jitnier High Infirmitlon 831-427-8116 BATE IMTVEARJ UST NAME TIXE PIVItlON INITIAL 1 The Associated Press Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb looks for an open receiver while scrambling from the pocket In the first quarter. M-Z VtMIJUl' Riliml( KlMf Niftn It won't be as historic as Oakland's 14-7 victory Oct. 9, 1989, when Art Shell, the first black head coach San. Jan 11 m-z i Mmmi Kifirl AM A-l fUpn M-Z York Titans in 1962. "For me and for our team, going to Oakland, we had been there so many times, it almost feels like a home away from home," Chad Pennington said.

"We really enjoy playing in that atmosphere. I think our team feeds off that crowd. And we love that hostile atmosphere. If you don't, you're beaten before you even step out on the field." By far, these franchises' two most storied games came in 1968. On Nov.

17 that year, the Jets held a 32-29 lead at Oakland with under a minute left when NBC, which then had the AFL television rights, went to a commercial and didn't come back to the game. Instead, the children's film "Heidi," scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. EST, went on, and nearly all of the country had no idea that the Raiders rallied for a 43-32 win. Even though NBC's president wanted to stick with football, the network employee in charge of making the switch was never told. "I didn't do anything wrong," said Dick Cline, the man who switched the network to the movie.

"I'm not guilty here. I did what I was supposed to do. In fact, NBC promoted me the following month." And, the following month, at frigid Shea Stadium, the Raiders faced the Jets for the AFL title. The Jets, in their first playoff game ever, won 27-23, helped greatly when Daryle Lamonica's lateral to Charles Smith was left uncovered by the Raiders. Jets linebacker Ralph Baker pounced on it, clinching New York's victory.

Two weeks later, the Jets stunned the Colts to spark the Super Bowl's popularity. So what might be in store Sunday, with the winner advancing to the AFC championship game against Tennessee, which beat Pittsburgh 34-31 in overtime Saturday? The Raiders hope expect their recent domination of the series to continue. And they don't care how dramatically It occurs. "This time of the year, it's the part of the game that you really love," Jerry Rice said. "Everything is on the line, and If you don't play well, your season Is over.

I think my wife she's not ready for me to be at home every day and I'm not ready for that, either." in modern NFL history, made his debut with the Raiders. I It might be as entertaining as last month's game, a 26-20 win for the Raiders that went down to the final play H- and included a prolonged midgame ceremony (for Tim Brown's career catch) that still irks the Jets. I Oakland leads the series 20-13-2, including victories in four of the last five games all played in Oakland. The most significant of those was a 38-24 win in the first round of last season's playoffs. 1 A week before that, in the season finale, John Hall Sicked the Jets into the postseason with a 53-yard eld goal for the Jets' first regular-season win in Qakland.

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