Winds of change in Denver
KAPOLEI -- A new era is about to begin in Denver.
After the past 14 seasons under former head coach Mike Shanahan, first-time head coach and former New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was hired Jan 11.
Despite speaking out against the firing by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen last month, quarterback Jay Cutler is now looking forward to turning a new leaf.
"I haven't talked to (McDaniels) yet, but I'm kind of eager to see what we can do together," Cutler said. "The decision was made and it was made with the best interest of the team in mind so we just have to wait and see."
Said Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall: "It was shocking at first, but now I think that everybody is excited at the opportunity to be with some new guys that have some things that hopefully will work better for us."
Cutler, who will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance, is one of three Broncos on the AFC team. Marshall - Cutler's favorite target - and center Casey Wiegmann are also rookies to the all-star game.
In his third season out of Central Florida, Marshall played in 15 games and had 104 receptions, 1,265 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Despite putting up better numbers last season (1,325 yards and seven TDs), Marshall was left off the 2008 Pro Bowl roster.
"I've been telling people all week that I don't understand how he doesn't get more praise for the stuff he does on the field and more notoriety because I think he's right up there with the best in the league," Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "He's a difficult guy to cover and for me, he's a guy that I know I have to bring my A-game for every time."
Cutler had his best pro season after throwing for 4,526 yards (third most in the NFL) with 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He completed just over 62 percent of his passes.
"He's a great talent," Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said of Cutler. "We watch a lot of (Denver's) film and he can make all the throws. He can run, he's big and strong and I think he's getting better as the years go by."
Asomugha agreed: "I've always felt like Jay was the toughest quarterback for me to go against in the AFC. He's a real confident guy, throws a real nice ball and he's got some targets and he always seems to do well against us so I've got a lot of respect for him."
Wiegmann appreciated his first Pro Bowl invite and admitted to being a little wide-eyed in the AFC locker room at this week's practices.
"Being a first alternate for so long and finally getting the chance to come over here, it feels really good to be with these guys and be known as a Pro Bowler now," said Wiegmann, a 13-year veteran. "It's neat being around all the superstars of the NFL. Offensive linemen are offensive linemen, but when you start being around the skill (position) guys, who have the big names and have been around the league for a while, it's pretty cool."
But in the end, he hopes to find those old, familiar faces in the end zone come tomorrow.
Said Wiegmann: "The perfect game would end with me snapping it to Jay, Jay throwing it to Brandon and Brandon scoring a touchdown."
Steelers' Harrison not familiar with Francisco
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, had to be reminded who he got tangled up with during a much-talked about play in the Super Bowl.
Harrison drew a personal foul after he was shown hitting Arizona Cardinals safety Aaron Francisco, a Kahuku alum, during a punt late in the game.
Francisco called Harrison "a great player, just not a classy guy, as he showed the world on that cheap shot he took on me."
NBC announcer John Madden said Harrison should have been thrown out of the game. That night on a national radio talk show, host Jason Smith devoted a segment to the play, ripping Harrison and calling it the classless play of the season.
When Harrison was asked about the incident yesterday after the AFC team's practice, he responded: "Who is that? Who is Aaron Francisco?"
It wasn't until his all-star teammates Shaun Rogers, of Cleveland, and Brendon Ayanbadejo, of Baltimore, chimed in that Harrison remembered.
"That dude you mushed in the game," Ayanbadejo said.
"Oh! He tried to cut me. Yeah, that's business, you know, it ain't like I tried to kill him or something," Harrison said. "Everything I did was football related and legal, they just felt like I did a little bit too much."
Said Rogers of Francisco: "He do that to everybody. You must not have watched them play, he do that to everybody, but (what Harrison did) wasn't nothing personal."
Patriots' Welker, others high on Bess
New England wide receiver Wes Welker earned his first Pro Bowl invitation after notching 111 receptions, 1,165 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Welker, a five-year veteran, just completed his second season with the Patriots.
Last year, Welker had 112 catches and 1,175 receiving yards with seven touchdowns on the way to a Super Bowl XLII appearance.
"It's been a lot of fun out here this week. I've just been trying to take it all in, but relax a little, too," Welker said. "It's great to be here."
Welker spent three seasons (2004-06) with the Miami Dolphins, mostly as the team's third receiver and punt returner. It is the same role that former University of Hawai'i receiver Davone Bess played for Miami this season.
"He's done a good job, making a lot of plays and he's forcing them to keep him on the field right now the way he's playing," Welker said. "I haven't seem him drop a ball, he's got great hands."
Dolphins' fourth-year running back Ronnie Brown praised Bess' work ethic.
"He really worked hard all season," Brown said. "He just got after it and focused on improving in areas that he needed to and he became a real asset to us."
Buffalo running back Marshawn Lynch suggests another reason for Bess' steady play: "He's from Oakland," said Lynch, who along with Bess and Brown are from the Bay Area. Oakland's Asomugha finally gets his due
Oakland's Asomugha is also making his first Pro Bowl appearance after being considered one of the league's most underrated cornerbacks the past few seasons.
While his numbers weren't eye-popping this season (40 tackles, one interception, nine passes defended), there was a good reason for that: teams didn't throw his way.
"It is what it is," Asomugha laughed. "I try not to let it frustrate me, especially because I'm usually on their best receiver every week, so you can never let down."
Asomugha's best season was in 2006 when he recorded eight interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, and defended 11 passes with 50 tackles and a sack.
The sixth-year player out of California is a free agent this offseason, but expects to be back in the silver and black next year.
"It's a situation where it feels like there's a good chance that you'll get the (franchise) tag, so you just kind of have to go with it. When you're a free agent, you usually get the chance to look at other things and see what else is out there, but I think that if I don't get that opportunity then I'll deal with it and play ball."
Buccaneers' Smith making return trip
The most notable player here that went undrafted is undoubtedly Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison, but another rags-to-riches story is Tampa Bay running back Clifton Smith.
Smith, who made the trip as a return specialist, may be a familiar name to local fans. He played three seasons at Fresno State (2005-2007) and in 2007 ran for 105 yards against the Warriors at Aloha Stadium.
"Just a year ago I was playing in that stadium as a college kid, now coming back a year later, making it to the Pro Bowl, that's a great feeling," Smith said. "I never would've dreamed this in my first year."
Smith was the only player to return a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in the NFL this year.
"What he was able to do in about nine or 10 games was pretty amazing," said Bucs' defensive back Ronde Barber.
(c)COPYRIGHT 2009 The Honolulu Advertiser
Steelers 'D' should dominate Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII
It's been a nice story until this point, with the Arizona Cardinals stretching the concept of parity to the limit en route to a berth in Super Bowl XLIII.
The problem with a glass slipper is that it must be handled with care to avoid being pulverized, and that is what awaits Arizona today against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
When the Cardinals find it difficult to move the ball consistently and ultimately fall in convincing fashion at Raymond James Stadium, they'll be unfairly judged as a playoff fluke which crumbled on the grand stage.
Count me in as a skeptic from the start.
Arizona has been a trendy preseason pick in the NFC West for a few years now, and I never bought in. They were the Cardinals, after all, which is not unlike being the Cubs or the Clippers - doomed to the second division with only periodic flashes of competence.
When the Cardinals caved in down the stretch, including a crushing loss in Philadelphia and a "ooh, it's so cold" blowout defeat in New England, only to capture their weak division, it had the look of a postseason one and done.
Instead came stirring wins over Atlanta, Carolina and then a fourth-quarter gut check win over the Eagles which should remove all doubt as to their legitimacy as a conference champion.
As fate would have it, the Cardinals have finally earned the respect they desire, which won't get them anywhere against the Steelers. Bruce Springsteen is playing at halftime, but "The Boss" in this game is Dick LeBeau, the Steelers 71-year-old defensive coordinator.
Under LeBeau's watch, Pittsburgh is a dominant Super Bowl performance away from being included in bar room arguments against the likes of the 2002 Buccaneers and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.
I saw those teams up close, with impressive Raiders offenses having no answers against elite defenses that were too fast, too physical and too well-coached.
I've only seen the Steelers from afar, but get the same feeling watching them play.
There is the occasional exception, but dominant defenses come up huge in the Super Bowl. The last time the Raiders won the Super Bowl a quarter-century ago, their defense crushed a Washington offense that had scored 541 points.
Raiders 38, Redskins 9.
The most impressive Super Bowl the 49ers ever played came a year later at Stanford, when San Francisco listened to tales of the unstoppable Miami Dolphins offense for a week and then left 5,000-yard passer Dan Marino under a pile of rubble.
Forty Niners 38, Dolphins 16.
The '83 Redskins and the '84 Dolphins were both 14-2 and considered unstoppable. Their demise has nothing to do with Arizona-Pittsburgh except to illustrate the point that dominant, championship-level defense is still the surest route to a Lombardi Trophy.
The Cardinals come in with a one-dimensional offense fueled by the right arm of Kurt Warner, one of the most accurate passers in NFL history.
Arizona struggles to run the ball even against mediocre defenses, so Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower won't be a factor.
That leaves the Steelers free to attack Warner at will out of LeBeau's 3-4 defense. When named the Steelers head coach two years ago at age 34, Mike Tomlin showed his maturity by keeping the Pittsburgh defensive system intact rather than import his own Tampa 2 background.
The continuity in the system has Pittsburgh operating in much the same way the Bucs did in 2002 and the Ravens in 2000. The Steelers win at the point of attack, they operate in concert and cover for each other in the event of a rare mistake.
As good as wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is, and he's having a postseason run (23 receptions, 419 yards, 5 touchdowns) that would make Jerry Rice envious, it's going to be tough to make a huge impact when his quarterback is throwing out of a well.
Warner won't have enough time to go deep, and when he throws short, Pittsburgh will punish Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston.
Through endless replays, chips and dip and the miracle of HD television, we'll all become acquainted with the likes of James Harrison, James Farrior, Lemarr Woodley and Troy Polamalu.
Pittsburgh's offense, meanwhile, won't have to take nearly as many risks. The Steelers can be patient, punt the ball when necessary, let the defense do all the heavy lifting and put a stranglehold on the game.
Ben Roethlisberger was awful as a Super Bowl starter in Super Bowl XL, which didn't prevent Pittsburgh from beating Seattle 21-10 — a Seahawks team which was better than the Cardinals the Steelers face today.
Even with a rib injury, Roethlisberger should be better this time around, and frankly, even if he couldn't play, Pittsburgh could win this game with Byron Leftwich at quarterback.
Final score: Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 13.
And it won't seem that close.
(c) Bay Area News Group
NFL draft prospects putting the final pieces in place
The Senior Bowl All-Star game is the centerpiece of all post-season all-star events for college players entering the NFL. A great showing at the Senior Bowl could sky rocket a player's draft stock, but a top all-star game is just a part of what most teams look at when grading the top college players.
"I have always felt that the Senior Bowl or the East-West Shrine game were better indications on a player's talent to enter the NFL than the combine workouts, and I would say 99.9 percent of the scouting people agree with that," said former New Orleans Saints scout and current WWL-870 radio color analyst Hokie Gajan.
"When you scout players at the Senior Bowl, or any other all-star game, it is live action, a lot of one-on-one drills, especially with the offensive and defensive linemen, and you get to gauge players participating against other top college players," Gajan said. "For the most part, the combine workouts are done in shorts and it is more of a speed, strength and agility workout than a football workout. Just look at last year. Guys like defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, quarterback Joe Flacco and wide receiver Eddie Royal helped their cause by practicing well at the Senior Bowl. After that game everyone put those players much higher on their draft board. It is another piece of the puzzle to workout well at the combine, but these bowl games take on much more significance because you are looking at them in football drills and not in short pants. The Combine workouts only mean something if you can play football."
While most of the information on prospects are in the draft books, the final chapters are written by showings at the all-star game and in combine and individual workouts. Former NFL linebacker Marc Lillibridge, now a sports agent, says that players have to understand that what they did in college is over, and they have to concentrate on maximizing their pro skills in speed and conditioning camps across America.
"There is a second season and that season is the workout season," Lillibridge said. "You want your players to participate in these bowl games if they get invited, barring any sort of injury, but you really want them to gear up for the one-on-one sessions you have with team officials and the individual workouts given at their respective schools. For the middle-range or lower-ranked prospect, the bowl game gives them an opportunity to showcase their individual skills, and many times this is when someone really jumps up the draft charts. The juniors who declare early don't get that shot, so the workouts in Indianapolis and in the individual workouts take on much more value. My feeling is that you have to play in the all-star games if you are invited and are healthy, but if not, then you have to pass on that because the combine is also a health and medical session like you have never been through."
Here is a quick look at the players that helped their draft stock with good showings all week long in Mobile, Ala., at the Senior Bowl.
1. B.J. Raji, defensive tackle, Boston College
Like Sedrick Ellis a year ago, Raji was the most dominant defensive player in Mobile. He consistently beat his man in one-on-one drills and got outstanding penetration from the inside in each and every practice session. It appears Raji has moved himself into a top-12 pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
2. Peria Jerry, defensive tackle, Ole Miss
Jerry wasn't quite as dominant in drills as Raji, but he displayed excellent foot speed and quickness for such a large inside player and he showed some excellent pass rush moves.
Jerry looks like a sure-fire mid-1st round selection in April.
3. Alex Mack, offensive center, California
Mack was locked in a dead-heat with Oregon's Max Unger for the top center spot in the draft, but he put on quite a show in Mobile. Mack has excellent size, a wide base and he is a nasty, very tough guy out on the field. He also is a very experienced pass protector and a very smooth technician.
4. Alphonso Smith, cornerback, Wake Forest
Smith lacks great size, but he is super quick, very instinctive and he finds the football quickly in flight. The coaches at the Senior Bowl raved about his football intelligence and his ability to adjust to more man-to-man coverage situations than he had played in college, since he played mainly in zone coverage schemes.
5.Shawn Nelson, tight end, Southern Mississippi
Nelson, the cousin of former LSU and current Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, wowed the scouts with his sure hands and his ability to get separation from defenders downfield. Nelson is a solid at best blocker, but he gives good effort and the young man can certainly stretch the middle of the field.
6. Brandon Pettigrew, tight end, Oklahoma State
The speedy receiving target is the best tight end prospect for the 2009 NFL draft, and he proved it in Mobile. Pettigrew caught the ball well in traffic, and he can motor after the catch. He caught the eyes of the scouts with his improved in-line blocking skills.
7. Rey Maualuga, Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing, USC
This trio of Trojans' linebackers will all go in Round 1. That's easy to see after scouting their play in college and practice sessions in Mobile.
8. Larry English, defensive end, Northern Illinois
English is a bit undersized, but he is not a sleeper-type player anymore. He has a terrific initial step off the snap, and he has excellent closing speed to the quarterback. English has really upgraded his ability to use his hands correctly to free himself up from would-be blockers.
9. Coye Francies, cornerback, San Jose State
Coye has some off-the-field issues he must address to the NFL brass, but he has an excellent combination of match-up size ability, excellent recovery speed and first-rate ball skills. Francies is also a dangerous return man.
Copyright (c) 2009 HoumaToday.com
No love lost in the Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers game
PITTSBURGH -- Surrounded by boundless excitement and limitless hate for the Baltimore Ravens in frigid western Pennsylvania, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had to remind everyone Friday exactly what his team would -- and wouldn't -- be playing for tonight.
He was asked about the similarities between ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher and current coach Mike Tomlin, with a reporter noting that Roethlisberger won a Super Bowl alongside Cowher and was moving toward another title with Tomlin.
"Well, we are not going for a Super Bowl yet," Roethlisberger said. "We have a big game this week that is more important right now. It's the most important game this week."
But tonight's AFC championship game at Heinz Field between the Ravens and Steelers might as well be the Super Bowl for many AFC North fans and players -- including Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley, who acknowledged earlier this week that he expects tonight's winner to be crowned Super Bowl champion on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
Inside a desert dome across the country, two rather shocking teams with seasons full of inconsistencies behind them will play for the NFC title. In Pittsburgh in the bitter cold, the AFC's two toughest teams and the NFL's two top-ranked defenses will play for the AFC title, in a game that could be one of the most physical in league history.
And the Steelers and Ravens also are fierce rivals.
"The games are extremely close," said Tomlin, whose team narrowly came out on top in the last two meetings. "The teams are close in personality, geographically. We are in the same division. (They) are the former Cleveland Browns.
"I think that there are a lot of things that make it special, but more than anything, no doubt it is the players. It is the passion with which they play the game. It is the personalities, whether it's Ray Lewis or Jerome Bettis or Joey Porter or James Farrior or Hines Ward, Bart Scott. You just continue to add names to the list. All of them play the game the same. They put everything they have into it."
Pittsburgh and Baltimore are unique NFL cities, with so many of the local superstars and even MVP candidates coming from the defenses -- Lewis and safety Ed Reed in Baltimore, linebacker James Harrison (the Defensive Player of the Year) and safety Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh, just to name some.
The Steelers finished the regular season with the top-ranked defense in the NFL, allowing 237.2 yards per game. The Ravens were second, with 261.1, but they enter this game with many injuries to worry about -- starting cornerback Samari Rolle (thigh) is doubtful, three defensive players are questionable, and Lewis and Reed are probable.
Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco has been called a younger version of 26-year-old Roethlisberger. Their passer ratings virtually were identical during the regular season, with Flacco at 80.3 and Roethlisberger at 80.1. In the playoffs, Flacco has established himself as one of the big, tough quarterbacks who makes just enough plays and minimal mistakes in helping his team into championship situations.
"I remember watching Ben as a rookie," said Flacco, who began his college career at Pittsburgh before transferring to Delaware. "I think he got (to) the AFC championship game, and in his second year they won the Super Bowl. It was fun to watch those guys during that run, and now it's our turn to go down to Pittsburgh and go play for the Super Bowl. Like I said, we think we have the team. . . . We're a bunch of confident guys going into Pittsburgh. They've got us twice this year, but it's going to be about how we play. We can't wait to be on the field on Sunday."
The Ravens had the fourth-best running game in the league during the regular season, with 148.5 yards per game.
(c)2009 nola.com
Coach Dungy: Will he stay or will he bolt from Colts?
Tony Dungy's future as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts should be determined early this week, perhaps as soon as Monday.
Dungy, who has been contemplating whether to retire or return for an eighth season with the team, could not be reached for comment today.
Dungy, 53, has discussed retirement with his wife, Lauren, and family at the end of the past several seasons, but always has opted to return.
He is the winningest coach in Colts history with an overall record of 92-33, and has taken the team to the postseason in each of his seven seasons as head coach.
The Colts' latest playoff aspirations were snuffed out Jan. 3 in a 23-17 overtime loss at San Diego. Including his stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dungy is the only coach since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger to direct a team into the playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons.
If Dungy returns, it will be business as usual for the Colts. They'll begin evaluating the roster and preparing for veteran free agency, the NFL scouting combine and the April draft. If he decides to walk away, owner Jim Irsay will turn to associate head coach Jim Caldwell.
Caldwell, 53, has been on Dungy's staff in Indy since 2002, serving as quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach before being promoted to associate head coach 12 months ago. Irsay gave Caldwell a contract that called for him to succeed Dungy whenever he chose to retire.
Copyright (c)2009 IndyStar.com
The Second Season Kicks Off Today!
Well, this is it, folks. . .the moment that we've been waiting for since 2005 (or 2001, if you're talking strictly about home playoff games). The Beloved Purple will be taking the field in January for the first time in the Daily Norseman era to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, who many experts have already pegged to move on to next week's divisional playoffs.
Surprisingly, on a personal level, I'm way, WAY less nervous about the Vikings this weekend than I was last weekend. That doesn't mean that I'm expecting them to go out and just roll the Eagles this afternoon (though I am picking them, naturally), but I'm much more optimistic now that they're in the post-season than I was when their January fate was still in doubt.
That said, I expect today's game to be quite a nail-biter. The Eagles are a good, if fairly inconsistent, football team. I don't think they're as good as they looked in their 44-6 pasting of the Cowboys last weekend, but I don't think they're as bad as they looked in their 10-3 loss at Washington the previous week, either. They fall somewhere in between. . .much like the Vikings do.
The Vikings have two very obvious keys in this game, one on offense and one on defense. Offensively, Adrian Peterson needs to hold on to the damn football, and Tarvaris Jackson has to not make costly decisions in the face of the blitzes he's going to be seeing from Philly this afternoon. If the Vikings can go through this game with no more than one turnover, they should be able to win. The Eagles thrive on turnovers and pressure, and the Vikings really need to consider throwing in some screens and swing passes early in the proceedings in order to negate that a bit.
The defensive key is even more simple. . .contain Brian Westbrook. The Eagles' receivers are, for the most part, not particularly scary, but Westbrook's versatility makes him a real monster and the one guy that the Vikings really need to key on. Note how the key is not stopping Westbrook, because it's very rare for him to be completely stopped, but containing him and/or slowing him down is something that this Vikings' defense is capable of doing, in my opinion.
We're about 3 1/2 hours away from game time, ladies and gentlemen. Sit back, relax, grab your beverage of choice, check out the early game, and discuss all the playoff action right here.
SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!
Copyright 2008 Sportsblogs, Inc
Birds facing QB conundrum - McNabb or Kolb
On the night that the Eagles drafted him, Kevin Kolb knew where he stood: He was Donovan McNabb’s understudy.
"As long as he's producing, that's their franchise guy at this point," Kolb said on a conference call on April 28, 2007. "Obviously, we don't know how it's going to turn out."
Nothing about the Eagles' quarterback situation has been so certain since. McNabb has been inconsistent over these last two seasons. Kolb, in the minimal playing time he has received, has done next to nothing to suggest that he is fit to be considered a future franchise quarterback. The Eagles are likely to miss the playoffs for the second straight year and for the third time in four years. And everything is murky.
Based on McNabb's comments to reporters last week, it seems clear that he wants a new contract - from either the Eagles or, should he be traded or released, another team. Beyond the money and security that McNabb seeks, the Eagles have to weigh whether a team that still relies heavily on aging veterans (McNabb, Jon Runyan, Tra Thomas, Brian Dawkins) and has the third-ranked defense in the NFL is either capable of competing for a championship with a few changes or ripe for rebuilding.
Finally, there's the question of whether Andy Reid will adjust the way he directs the Eagles' offense, which only makes the Eagles' quarterback situation more complex.
Give Reid this: In general, he has controlled his infuriating addiction to throwing the football whenever McNabb has been out of the lineup, and if the Eagles were to hand the reins of the team to Kolb, Reid might - might - give the callow QB a fighting chance by running the ball more. Of course, the Eagles' recent three-game winning streak over the Cardinals, Giants and Browns showed that McNabb can still be effective when he is not asked to be the alpha and omega of the Eagles' offense.
But Reid surrendered to his compulsion last week against Washington, illustrating the Catch-22 that might be inherent here. If the Eagles recommit to McNabb, Reid might never change his pass-happy philosophy. If McNabb leaves, Reid might rely more on the running game to ease Kolb into being the starter, but the long-awaited change in Reid's play-calling will be irrelevant if Kolb simply can't play.
That possibility, based on the available evidence, is real. Unfortunately for the Eagles, these are the conundrums that a team creates for itself when it ties the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Sixers, after a Lou Williams-to-Marreese Speights alley-oop, held a one-point lead with 17.7 seconds left in regulation Friday night against the Denver Nuggets. Then, these events happened in succession:
As the Sixers' defense double-teamed Chauncey Billups, Samuel Dalembert failed to rotate over to cover Kenyon Martin, allowing Martin an easy slam dunk with nine seconds to go.
Andre Iguodala, still without a go-to move in one-on-one situations, was called for traveling.
After the Sixers fouled Chucky Atkins to stop the clock, Andre Miller committed a technical foul by trying to distract Atkins before he shot his free throws. Billups made the technical. Atkins made his foul shots. The Sixers lost, 105-101.
Guys, does the phrase "veteran savvy" mean anything?
(c)2008 Copyright Calkins Media Incorporated
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