Bills - Browns Try to Right Ship on MNF
Two reeling teams that were expected to contend for a playoff berth meet tonight in western New York. Banged-up Buffalo has lost three straight and four of five since a 4-and-0 start, while Cleveland has dropped two straight and sits at 3-and-6.
Brady Quinn will make his second start for the Browns and first on the road. After replacing an ineffective Derek Anderson atop the depth chart, the 2007 first-round draft pick completed 23 of 35 passes for 239 yards and a pair of TDs in Cleveland's 34-30 loss to visiting Denver on Nov. 6. The Bills, who are trying to end a franchise-record eight-year playoff drought, are coming off a 20-10 loss last week at New England. They enter tonight's outing 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Jets in the AFC East race. Buffalo is a half-game back of the Patriots and Miami Dolphins.
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Giants Beat Eagles to Take Control of NFC East
Last year, even when the New York Giants won the Super Bowl, most of the focus was on the Patriots and how they lost out on a perfect season. The Giants were merely thought of as a team that got hot at the right time, and weren't expected to repeat. Most of the focus in preseason was on the Cowboys and Packers in the NFC, instead of the Giants.
But now, in a season where most of the preseason favorites have fallen off, the Giants are now the de facto favorite in the NFC, if not the entire NFL. This was further proven when the Giants took command of the NFC East with a win over the Eagles Sunday night.
The Giants pretty much kept the Eagles offense off the field the entire first quarter to jump out to a lead, then withstood their own mistakes to hold on to a 36-31 win. In a game that went back and forth despite the Giants dominance, the Eagles could not take advantage enough for an upset.
An early Giants interception led to the Eagles first touchdown a minute into the game. For the next quarter and a half, the Giants held the football, ran right through the Eagles, and got enough big completions from Eli Manning. This is the formula that powered the Giants in their runs last year and this year. The Giants got 217 total running yards overall from Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw.
But the Giants shot themselves in the foot enough times to keep letting the Eagles back in. Two first half interceptions led to 14 Eagles points, and the Eagles even took the lead in the third quarter. However, at least two key replay decisions went the Giants way, leading to two more Giants touchdown.
Manning was ultimately ruled as not stepping over the line of scrimmage in a key third down pass in the red zone, while Jacobs was ruled as narrowly holding on the football while scoring the Giants final touchdown.
The Giants are now 8-1 and have won all three games against the Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys. With a two game lead in the toughest division in football, the Giants are now head and shoulders over the entire NFC. From now on, they are the hunted team that is no longer overlooked.
(c) 2008 Associated Content, Inc.
Jets' hard-hitting Ihedigbo ready to make impact
FLORHAM PARK, New Jersey: James Ihedigbo lives for the moment of impact in the NFL.
For him, nothing beats the loud pop of pads colliding and the thud of bodies hitting the gridiron after a big tackle.
"Football's all about being fast and physical, contact, and that's part of the game I love the most," the New York Jets safety said on Friday. "To be able to play violently, so to speak, and be a hands-on and aggressive guy. I mean, that's the name of the game. That's what football's all about to me."
That approach earned Ihedigbo (ee-HEAD-dee-BO) a spot on the Jets' active roster this week after waiting nearly 1 1/2 years for a chance. With starting safety Eric Smith out for New York's game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday with a head injury, Ihedigbo could make his NFL debut in the secondary and on special teams.
"Oh, I'm excited," he said with a big smile. "You have no idea how excited I am to have this opportunity to show the world basically what I can do as a football player."
Ihedigbo's parents came to the United States from Nigeria more than 30 years ago, earned doctorates from the University of Massachusetts and founded the Nigerian Agricultural Technical Community College in their home country.
His father, Apollos, died suddenly during a trip to Nigeria during James' last year of high school, but Ihedigbo intends to continue the work he started. He's starting an organization to fund schools in Africa and is planning a trip to Nigeria in February.
"That's something that's dear to me and something that I'm fully hands-on a part of," he said.
Ihedigbo's other passion, popping opponents on the field, began in high school, when his coach told him to be more aggressive.
"James came to me and said, 'Mom, the coach said to hit someone because that's the game,'" said Dr. Rose Ihedigbo, coincidentally a regional director for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. "I told him, 'Well, then you have to do what the coach tells you.'"
Ihedigbo hasn't stopped hitting since.
Ihedigbo and Rose share a special routine before each game he plays in. He calls her and asks her to pray for him and his protection, and they spend a few minutes praying with each other. If Ihedigbo is active on Sunday, it'll be the first time he makes that call before a regular-season NFL game.
"Not in a lifetime did I imagine this for him," Rose said of the youngest of her five children.
Ihedigbo was signed by the Jets as an undrafted free agent in May 2007 after a terrific career at the University of Massachusetts. He stuck with the team through training camp until he injured a hand and landed on injured reserve.
He spent all of last season recovering and taking advantage of the classroom work, learning anything he could use once he got back on the field.
"During the time where he was injured, he was very much part of the team," coach Eric Mangini said. "He was asked questions, he was studying each day, not just during the meetings, but post-practice. That type of diligent work allowed him to put himself in the position he's in right now."
Ihedigbo came to training camp this summer healthy and had eight tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in the preseason. He was among the Jets' final cuts, but was signed to the practice squad the next day.
"Some guys, when they get on the practice squad, they fade into the background," Mangini said. "Other guys keep showing up each day and they don't give you a chance to forget them. That's what James did."
Not bad for a guy whose father wanted him to be a football player.
"I told him I wanted to play (American) football and he got real upset with me," Ihedigbo said. "He came to one of my games in high school and he was blown away."
Copyright (c) 2008 the International Herald Tribune All rights reserved
Saints explain football to curious Londoners
WATFORD, England (AP) - Ambassadors for the NFL, the New Orleans Saints couldn't have expected to explain the basic rules of the game in London.
But there was jet-lagged Saints coach Sean Payton on Monday, outlining to a British reporter just what the American version of football is about.
"I think the basic premise is trying to advance the football into the opponent's end zone," Payton patiently described. "You only get three downs, or four downs to do it, to make 10 yards. And if you can't get it to the end zone, you have the option of kicking it through the uprights."
When the reporter asked what a "down" was, Payton sighed.
"You're tough," he said with a laugh. "I'm going to send you a book."
More pressing for New Orleans is finding a way to regroup from its worst defeat of the season, the loss of running back Reggie Bush and an irate outburst from tight end Jeremy Shockey.
"I don't know if it's good morning or afternoon or what not," Payton said after the team arrived in a rainy England to start preparing for Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers at Wembley Stadium. "We have to lick our wounds here in a short time, and get ready to have a good week of practice."
That means putting the London sightseeing on hold, instead staying in a five-star country estate northwest of the city to make sure they have what Payton called "a normal work week."
"This is a good location, in regards to eliminating some of the distractions, rather than downtown, which would be more difficult," Payton said. "But I think we have a pretty mature group of guys. I think they understand the importance of this game."
The players get Tuesday off before resuming practice on Wednesday, but linebacker Jonathan Vilma said the team was more interested in resting than seeing the sights.
"I just want to get out of the hotel for a little bit and have a look around," he said.
The Saints (3-4) are still reeling from Sunday's 30-7 drubbing by the Carolina Panthers, which was made worse by Bush leaving with a knee injury that forced him to miss the England trip.
"We haven't had a lot of time to digest what happened yesterday," quarterback Drew Brees said. "Our three previous losses were all games that we had opportunities to win at the end. This was the first one that we were beaten decisively. ... That was more disappointing than anything."
And it made for a very long trans-Atlantic flight.
"I watched the film (of the game), I popped an Ambien and then sat there and thought about it for 30 minutes until I fell asleep," Brees said. "And then I've just been thinking about it all morning. ... That's not the kind of loss that we're accustomed to and that we ever want to get used to."
After the game, Shockey lashed out at the team over how his hernia injury had been treated, saying he may have come back too soon from having surgery.
Payton defended the tight end Monday, saying the complaint was just an expression of frustration.
"We're talking about a player who is used to excelling at a certain level and I've seen that, and certainly he knows what that level is," Payton said. "We discussed this a little bit last night even on the flight of how difficult it is when you expect to play at a certain level and this injury is keeping him from being 100 percent."
Shockey was not available to media on Monday, but Payton said he expected him to play against the Chargers.
"I do think he's moving forward, I do think he's getting better," Payton said. "But he's an emotional guy and that's one of the things I like about him. I like the fact that it's so important to him."
Punter Ben Graham joined the team in London after being signed as a replacement to Steve Weatherford, who was waived after Sunday's game.
"It's always difficult to cut a player that you've had for a while and to release a player like Steve," Payton said. "But I just think that in the end it became a challenge with consistency. We just felt like it hadn't gotten any better and it had actually dropped off."
Bush's absence is a loss both for the Saints and the NFL, as it robs the British crowd the chance to see one of the headline stars for the game. But for all of the Saints' woes, Payton said it was not a bad time to go on an ambassadorial trip.
"We're all excited, I know the players are excited," he said. "All of us are honored to represent the league and come over here and play, and we look forward to it."
Copyright (c) 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Hixon has come a long way since joining Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Replacing Plaxico Burress in the New York Giants' lineup this past weekend looked rather easy for Domenik Hixon.
Getting to that point was just a matter of hard work and getting inspiration from former Buffalo Bills player Kevin Everett.
"Kevin has been an inspiration to me," Hixon said Thursday. "All the hard work he has been through. He is an inspiration to me every day."
The lives of Hixon and Everett came together about 13 months ago when Everett made a special teams tackle on Hixon in a game between the Bills and Hixon's Denver Broncos.
It was one of the hardest hits Hixon ever took, but it also left Everett partially paralyzed from the neck down with a life-threatening spinal cord injury.
Everett has regained his ability to walk over the past year, but the incident had lingering effects on Hixon. His play declined and he was cut less than a month later by Denver and eventually signed by the Giants.
"At the time I didn't feel like I was affected by the incident," Hixon said. "But looking back on the tapes I noticed I was not going full speed like I should have been, like what I'm doing now."
While he played well for the Giants on special teams, Hixon said that talking with family and friends in the offseason renewed the love of football he had somewhat lost after Everett was injured.
"It's a blessing to play the game, to have the opportunity again," Hixon said. "I just decided to be consistent and compete every day. I might not catch every ball or run the right route, but I am going to compete and be accountable and to have goals for myself and try to reach those goals to the best of my ability."
Always a good punt and kickoff returner, Hixon turned himself into a reliable receiver in the offseason.
He recalled spending hours catching passes with Rich Enochs, his former quarterback at Whitehall-Yearling High School in Columbus, Ohio, and running gassers with his father, Marvin, timing them.
"They say champions are made in the offseason," Hixon said. "Last year they talked about how tough the offseason program was and I had to be ready for it. I worked hard everyday."
Hixon also had Everett for motivation.
"Someone mentioned to me last year the better that Kevin was getting the better I was doing," Hixon said. "I was playing every day for him and hoping everything went well for him."
By the time the Giants reported to training camp, Hixon had already opened eyes with his participation in the offseason training program and the veteran minicamp.
And with Burress limited by an ankle injury in the offseason and training camp, Hixon got to work out with the first team almost every day.
"We know he is an exceptional special teams player," coach Tom Coughlin said. "But as a receiver, in the spring he really had a good spring and then had a good fall camp. He had a lot of opportunities. He had an opportunity to really accelerate his communication with the quarterback and Eli was feeling good about him. So are we surprised? No, no not really."
When Burress was suspended for last weekend's game against Seattle for missing a team meeting, Manning felt comfortable with Hixon in the lineup against the Seahawks.
Manning and Hixon connected on a 32-yard touchdown pass on the opening series and combined on a 41-yard to set up a field goal later in the quarter. Hixon finished with four receptions for 102 yards before being forced the leave the game with a concussion in the second quarter of the 44-6 win.
"He has obviously proven that he can play and deserves to be out there on the field and given some more shots to make some plays," Manning said.
Hixon was limited in practice on Thursday because of the concussion but he expects to play on Monday night in Cleveland against the Browns. He understands he will again back up Burress, who leads the team with 18 catches.
"This is great," said Hixon, who has 10 catches with a 19.1-yard average. "All I try to do is contribute to a win. That's all you want to do."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Right from start, Flacco shows he's a player
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- It's time for Joe Flacco to say "I told you so."
That would be out of character for the soft-spoken rookie, but there's no question the Baltimore Ravens' top draft pick was on target when he insisted that the best way for him to start his career as an NFL quarterback was on the field.
"How are you going to learn when you're sitting?" Flacco said at the end of the preseason when someone suggested it might be wise for him to watch as an understudy on the sideline.
Three games into his first pro season, Flacco already has the look of a veteran. After guiding the Ravens to two wins in his first two starts, he threw a touchdown pass and deftly directed a 76-yard scoring drive to force overtime last Monday in a 23-20 defeat at Pittsburgh.
Flacco got the starting job because Kyle Boller and Troy Smith weren't healthy enough to play, but he has performed well enough to prove the point he emphatically made in the preseason.
So Joe, how about telling the Ravens you were right all along?
"There's no 'I told you so," Flacco said Wednesday. "I'm just happy to be playing and helping the team out. I think that's all that matters."
He did, however, make it emphatically clear that his education has been helped along by being the first-string quarterback.
"Anytime you're able to get three NFL games under your belt and all the practice time, I can't even guesstimate how much better I've become because of it. It's huge for the learning curve to experience it yourself," he said. "You can get better sitting and watching, but I don't think you'll get better as quickly, and that's what I've been about since day one."
When they drafted Flacco with the 18th overall pick, the Ravens designated him as their quarterback of the future. A shoulder injury to Boller and Smith's infected tonsils pushed the future into now, and the former Delaware star has proven to be as comfortable passing against NFL foes as he was in dominating the Colonial Athletic Association.
"The No. 1 thing for me is that he's maintained who he is. He's the guy that we thought he was," Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. "Sometimes you evaluate a guy before the draft and they're not what you thought. The most pleasing thing about Joe is that this is who he was in college. He hasn't changed how he acts. If he continues to be true to himself, he's not going to do anything but get better and better."
Now that would be something, because Flacco is already pretty darn good. He has thrown two interceptions and lost a fumble, but that is offset by his 55.7 completion percentage, his poise in the pocket and that Baltimore is scoring 22 points per game.
"Joe is a very smart quarterback. He understands the game a lot better than a lot of young quarterbacks would," Ravens receiver Derrick Mason said.
Flacco had not faced adversity until Monday night, his first road game in the NFL. He excelled in the first half, throwing a touchdown pass to Daniel Wilcox for a 13-3 lead. But he lost a fumble during a third-quarter sack, and Pittsburgh scored on the play to go up 17-13.
After the Steelers made it 20-13, Flacco went 3-for-3 for 60 yards in a fourth-quarter drive that took the game into overtime.
"I didn't learn anything new about Joe that I didn't already know. The guy is a competitor. Mentally he's tough," Mason said. "He's maturing the more he's out there on the field. It was evident this last game. When we needed a score to put it into overtime, Joe did it. He was cool out there, and that's what you've got to have from your quarterback."
Flacco next will be tested Sunday by the unbeaten Tennessee Titans, who own the league's fifth-ranked defense. But Titans coach Jeff Fisher wondered aloud if his team will be the one being challenged.
"He's very poised," Fisher said of Flacco. "He has those instincts in the pocket that you can't teach, where you can move around and feel the rush and still keeps your eyes downfield. That says a lot. He's going to be a very good quarterback."
The Ravens will be without three injured defensive starters Sunday: Cornerback Samari Rolle (neck and shoulder), strong safety Dawan Landry (neck) and nose guard Kelly Gregg (left knee). Rolle and Landry will miss a second straight game, and Gregg has not played this season.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Steelers rookie RB calm even as Ravens await
PITTSBURGH -- Rashard Mendenhall probably has a thousand reasons why he should be nervous and hesitant about making his first NFL start Monday night against Baltimore.
Three of them are the fumbles he had during the Pittsburgh Steelers' final two exhibition games -- the fumbles that prompted his teammates to make him carry a ball everywhere he went the following week.
"It is not a secret," Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said Wednesday. "He has fumbled the ball a couple of times, so that would be our focus. I think we would be approaching the game wrong if that were not our focus."
That Ravens defense can offer up 21 more reasons for the Steelers' first-round draft pick to be apprehensive about filling in for Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker, who has a sprained knee. The Ravens (2-0) haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 21 games, the NFL's longest current streak.
Also, the Steelers managed only 136 yards rushing in two games against Baltimore last season. The Ravens have allowed the fewest yards of any NFL defense this season, though their opponents were winless Cleveland and Cincinnati.
"That's a daunting task, getting your first opportunity for significant playing time versus that defense," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Everybody knows what they're capable of."
Then there's the Steelers' blocking problems, which showed up repeatedly during their 15-6 loss Sunday at Philadelphia. Not only did the Steelers (2-1) allow nine sacks, they ran for 33 yards on 19 carries, an abnormally low total for a team that runs the ball as consistently as Pittsburgh does.
So why does Mendenhall look so relaxed to his teammates, walking around the Steelers' practice complex this week as if he's readying for another game at Illinois?
"It's just regular nerves like I have for any game," said Mendenhall, whose only 10 NFL carries came during a one-sided win against Houston on Sept. 7. "You prepare for every game the same. I'll just be out there a little more. It's more excitement."
Another reason, he said, is he has been practicing since May and feels comfortable in the offense. He ran for 158 yards in the final two preseason games, but that production was overshadowed by his fumbling.
"I had a lot of experience in the preseason and early in the season, so I'm just looking forward to going in there," Mendenhall said. "You have to make sure you have your assignments down and have an idea what they're going to do so, come gametime, you've seen it all before."
Right tackle Willie Colon thinks he knows why Mendenhall appears so calm. To Colon, any back with the talent Mendenhall possesses would naturally be confident, regardless of his lack of experience.
"Just how he carries himself around here, I'm pretty sure he's going to be able to handle the pressure," Colon said. "I think he'll do fine. I think he's a mature kid. He's an intense kid. It's going to be his first intense game. It's the big time, a big stage, but that's why he's our first-rounder."
The Steelers' inability to run the ball when Parker got hurt last season -- they had only 92 yards on 38 carries in two games after he broke his right leg Dec. 20 -- was a major reason they used their first-round draft pick on him. Running back already was a position of strength for the Steelers, with Parker coming off three successive 1,000-yard seasons, yet they wanted to make it stronger.
"He's not Willie Parker and he doesn't need to go out and try to be Willie Parker," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said of Mendenhall. "He needs to go out and be the best Rashard he can be and we've got confidence he can get it done."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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