Mike Holmgren helped turn Brett Favre into a star. Now he hopes to ruin the future Hall of Famer's renaissance season. A second playoff win in four years over his former mentor and the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field on Saturday will get Favre and the Packers back into the NFC championship game for the first time since Holmgren was their coach. "Mike Holmgren has meant a lot, obviously, to my career," Favre said. "And that will never change." While trying to prevent Seattle (11-6) from making its second trip to the conference title game in three years, Green Bay (13-3) looks to return for the first time since the 1997 season, when it reached a second consecutive Super Bowl. With a loss to Denver in that game and a first-round defeat the following year in what would be Holmgren's last as Packers coach, Favre has lost six of his last eight playoff games. The 38-year-old quarterback, however, goes into this postseason with possibly the best team Green Bay has fielded this decade, and he's coming off arguably his best regular season since Holmgren was still with the Packers. It seemed Favre's career was coming to a disappointing end following subpar seasons in 2005 and 2006 as Green Bay failed to post a winning record in either year. Instead, Favre proved he has plenty left, finishing among the league leaders this season in passing yards (4,155), touchdown passes (28) and completion percentage (66.5). "I would say at this stage of my career - as opposed to '95 and '96, where you could say, 'We'll get 'em next year' - a lot can change in a year," Favre said. "If you look at last year and the previous year, yeah, it is an opportunity that is right in front of us that hasn't presented itself in quite a while." This will be the 21st playoff game for Favre, breaking a tie with Steve Young for fifth-most all-time. Favre's 11-9 postseason record includes only one win in his last five appearances, but the victory came against Seattle at Lambeau Field. That 33-27 overtime win on Jan. 4, 2004, is remembered most for Matt Hasselbeck saying after the coin toss at the end of regulation, "We want the ball and we're going to score!" The Seahawks quarterback went on to throw an interception on the opening possession of overtime and Al Harris returned it 52 yards for the winning touchdown. That's the only playoff game in his last eight in which Favre has not thrown an interception. In his last five postseason appearances, Favre has a mediocre 69.3 passer rating, throwing nine touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. "I don't think it factors in how he's played this year and what he's been asked to do in this offense," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Those are situations that he can learn from as an individual, but I don't think it affects our football team." Favre won his first six playoff games at Lambeau before losing two of the last three, including a 31-17 defeat to Minnesota on Jan. 9, 2005, in Green Bay's most recent playoff game as he threw four interceptions. He should be well rested for this matchup, with the Packers coming off a bye and Favre having played only three possessions in what amounted to a meaningless regular season finale against Detroit. As Green Bay rested during the first round of the playoffs, the Seahawks beat Washington 35-14 last Sunday in a wild-card matchup behind another strong defensive performance. Seattle held the Redskins scoreless through the first three quarters, and defensive backs Marcus Trufant and Jordan Babineaux put away the game with interception returns for touchdowns in the final 6 minutes. "That's what the playoffs are all about. When it's time for you to come up big how are you going to show up?" said safety Deon Grant, who had three of the Seahawks' NFC-high 20 interceptions this season. Trufant had seven. Seattle was fourth in the NFL with 45 sacks - Patrick Kerney was second in the league with 14 1/2 - and had three more last week despite Kerney being constantly double- or triple-teamed. The Seahawks have 43 sacks in their 11 wins, compared to five in six losses. Favre, though, was only sacked 19 times in 16 games this season. "Brett, he can avoid a sack now," Seahawks All-Pro linebacker Lofa Tatupu said. "They aren't worried about keeping everyone in, because (releasing them) just gives him more options. He sees it all. I don't think he's looking at his receivers. He looks to see where the blitz is coming from, then he knows where he's going with the ball." Seattle likely needs Hasselbeck to at least match Favre's production because the Seahawks' running game has been inconsistent all season. Former league MVP Shaun Alexander had a mediocre year, rushing for 716 yards and 3.5 per carry in 13 games, and Seattle has not had a 100-yard rusher since Week 3. Green Bay has not allowed one at Lambeau Field this season, holding opponents to 87.6 rushing yards per game and 3.4 per carry. That could put more pressure on a banged-up Hasselbeck, who says he will be ready to go Saturday despite suffering a bruised thigh last week. He also has been bothered this year by bruised ribs, a strained oblique muscle, a strained quadriceps and a sore wrist. "I don't even like to go in the training room anymore," Holmgren said after seeing Hasselbeck getting treatment Monday. "He's in this thing that you would swear ... I didn't even know it was him. His arm came out and (he said), 'I'm going to be OK. Don't worry.'" "There was always the belief that the weather you get, that we will get probably, can affect the passing game more than the running game," said Holmgren, whose Seahawks went 3-5 on the road. "Yeah, we understand all this passing business, but when it comes down to December and January, you've got to be able to bang it around a little bit.' "I understand that. And there is some truth to that." The Packers have developed a much more reliable running game thanks to the surprising Ryan Grant. He didn't take a snap his first two years in the league and did not take over as the Packers' top running back until the seventh game of the season, but he had 11 runs of 20 yards or more to tie for third-most in the NFL. Grant had five 100-yard efforts over his final 10 games and finished with 956 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. "We've talked about the difference between the regular season and the playoffs," Packers running backs coach Edgar Bennett said, "and I think this is when he can become even more 'Ryan Grant' and make a name for himself." That's something Favre did during his days playing under Holmgren, and his legacy can only grow if he gets within one win of another Super Bowl appearance by beating Seattle. "They're a good football team. It'll be a tough matchup," Favre said. "I'm glad we play them here, but that's not a shoo-in, either." |
A very rare perfect regular season has brought the New England Patriots individual awards, NFL records and a place in history. Despite those remarkable accomplishments, raising the Vince Lombardi Trophy is the only way their season will be deemed a success. The Patriots hope to take the first step toward a fourth championship in seven seasons Saturday night when they meet the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium. If becoming the first NFL team to go 16-0 in the regular season wasn't impressive enough, the Patriots also set a handful of records along the way. Their 589 points scored and 79 touchdowns are NFL records, as was league MVP Tom Brady's 50 touchdown passes and Randy Moss' 23 TD receptions. New England is trying join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to win the Super Bowl after an undefeated regular season. Compared to that Miami team throughout their run to 16-0, the Patriots need three more wins to leave no argument as to which is the greatest team in NFL history. The players spent most of this season deflecting talk about a perfect season, instead focusing solely on the next game. That attitude clearly is a product of playing for tight-lipped coach Bill Belichick, but it also comes from veteran leaders Tedy Bruschi, Richard Seymour and Brady, all of whom played on New England's three previous championship teams. "To see what we've accomplished this far is great. But, as coach put it, there's another mountain to climb," Brady said. "We're in the same position as Jacksonville, which is in the same position as Indy, which is in the same position as San Diego." Besides all the accolades going 16-0 brought, all it did for the Patriots was get them a bye in the first round and the promise of two potential home playoff games. If any team in league history had reason to be overconfident heading into the postseason, it would be the Patriots. Belichick, however, is not one to ever let his players get comfortable, making the team practice in full pads throughout their off week. "When you get to this point in the season, everyone deserves to be here. This just happens to be probably one of the better ones that's out there," fullback Heath Evans said. "Bill preached for the last week that it was going to be a team that's good, that deserved to be here, and they've got the same record that we do in this tournament." Jacksonville (12-5) presents a different kind of challenge for the Patriots. The Jaguars are one of the league's most physical teams and have the personnel - particularly running backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew - to pound New England's aging defense for four quarters. "It will be history," Jaguars linebacker Justin Durant said. "You will either be on the losing side or the winning side. You will be known as the team that was part of their undefeated season or the team that stopped it. That is a big challenge." Taylor, a 10-year veteran, and Jones-Drew, in his second season, combined to rush for 1,970 yards, the second-best tandem behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. "They both have different qualities," Seymour said. "Jones-Drew is a little short, bowling-ball type guy that runs hard, and Fred Taylor, he's shifty in the hole and brings a lot of power. He has the speed to give that home run hit." While Taylor is the one headed to the Pro Bowl, it was Jones-Drew that had the better performance in last Saturday's thrilling 31-29 wild-card victory at Pittsburgh. Jones-Drew scored on a 43-yard swing pass and a 10-yard run, and also had a 96-yard kickoff return to set up Taylor's 1-yard TD run on Jacksonville's opening possession. Taylor rushed for at least 104 yards in each of his last five regular-season games and finished with 1,202. He averaged a career-best 5.4 yards per carry - better than fellow Pro Bowl selections LaDainian Tomlinson, Joseph Addai and Willie Parker. "I think (Taylor's) playing the best type of football he has in his career," Bruschi said. The Patriots run defense looked vulnerable late in the season, allowing an average of 124.8 rushing yards and 4.9 per carry in five December games. Jones-Drew ran for 113 yards against New England in a 24-21 loss on Dec. 24, 2006 in the most recent meeting. Taylor missed that game with a hamstring injury. Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio decided to go with David Garrard as his starting quarterback this season over veteran Byron Leftwich, and it's turned out to be the right choice. Keeping Taylor and Jones-Drew in check would put more pressure on Garrard, who only completed nine passes and threw two interceptions in the win over the Steelers. Garrard, though, came up with the game's biggest play with 1:56 left and the Jaguars trailing 29-28, running for 32 yards on fourth-and-2 to set up Josh Scobee's 25-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining. Regardless of Jacksonville's performance on offense, finding a way to keep New England's explosive offense off the field should be its most likely path to an upset. Not only did the Patriots go 6-0 against playoff teams, they averaged 39 points a game against them. Brady is in the midst of arguably the greatest season by a quarterback in league history. Not only did he set the record for touchdown passes, he also set a career low for interceptions (eight) and led the NFL in passing yards (4,806) and passer rating (117.2). Brady has already won the MVP - the first by a Patriot - and was named Offensive Player of the Year on Tuesday. "Individual awards haven't been as important to me as the team goals, and I've said that for a long time," Brady said. "While I'm very flattered to be honored in that way, I understand that my greatest satisfaction comes from winning games and being the leader of this football team. I take that job very seriously and I hope that translates into a win this week." Brady was among the game's best quarterbacks before the Patriots' busy offseason brought him Moss along with fellow receivers Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth. Moss had an instant chemistry with Brady, catching 98 passes for 1,493 yards - second in the NFL behind Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne. If opposing defenses double team the 6-foot-4 Moss, then Brady looks for Welker, who tied for the league lead with 112 receptions for 1,175 yards and eight touchdowns. New England completely abandoned its running game at times this season, but Laurence Maroney's late-season resurgence proved he is still capable of contributing. Maroney rushed for more than 100 yards in two of his last three games, but will be facing a Jacksonville defense that limited Pittsburgh to 43 yards on 26 carries. After playing without starting offensive linemen Nick Kaczur (foot) and Stephen Neal (shoulder) in the regular-season finale against the New York Giants, the Patriots hope to have both available Saturday. Jacksonville knows it will be without linebacker Mike Peterson, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcus Stroud and safety Gerald Sensabaugh on Saturday. Peterson will miss his eighth straight game with a broken right hand while Stroud and Sensabaugh are on injured reserve. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle John Henderson strained a hamstring in the first quarter against Pittsburgh and played sparingly the rest of the game. Jaguars safety Reggie Nelson injured his thigh in practice last week, but played Saturday. This will be the fourth playoff meeting between these teams. New England beat Jacksonville in the 1997 AFC championship game and in a wild-card matchup in 2006. The Jaguars posted a 25-10 win over the Patriots in a wild-card home game in 1999. |
At the time, Norv Turner seemed an odd choice to take over a San Diego Chargers team that had struggled in the playoffs. Tony Dungy's credentials were once questioned too, but hiring him has worked out brilliantly for the Indianapolis Colts. A year after debunking his reputation as a coach who couldn't win big games, Dungy and the defending champion Colts begin postseason play against Turner and the Chargers in the AFC divisional playoffs Sunday. Dungy was fired by Tampa Bay after three straight playoff losses, including a defeat in the 2000 NFC championship game, but was given another chance to be a head coach by Indianapolis in 2002. He rewarded the Colts by guiding them to a Super Bowl title last season. Now three wins away from a repeat, AFC South champion Indianapolis (13-3) comes off a first-round bye to face a team that made an offseason coaching change, one that seemed to have been based purely on poor postseason performance. San Diego replaced Marty Schottenheimer - one of the most maligned playoff coaches in NFL history - with Turner, who was 24 games under .500 in two previous stints as a head coach. Turner, though, seems to have turned the corner this season. He led San Diego (12-5) to its first playoff win in 13 years, 17-6 over Tennessee in the wild-card round last Sunday for its seventh straight victory. That win snapped a four-game playoff losing streak for the Chargers that dated to the 1994 season. Two of those defeats occurred under Schottenheimer during the previous three seasons, including last year's 24-21 loss to New England in the divisional round. The Chargers came into that game as the top seed in the AFC and riding a 10-game winning streak. The defeat to the Patriots, though, was Schottenheimer's sixth in a row in the playoffs. "That first one's the hardest one," said Turner, who improved to 2-1 in the postseason. "Just like when you start a game sometimes, that first score is the hardest one to get and then you get going. Hopefully this jump-starts all of us." When the Chargers started 1-3, Turner's critics seemed justified. But AFC West champion San Diego has gone 11-2 since, including a 23-21 win over Indianapolis at Qualcomm Stadium on Nov. 11 - a game the Colts would like to forget. Peyton Manning threw a franchise-record six interceptions and Adam Vinatieri - who won two Super Bowls for New England with last-second field goals - missed a 29-yard attempt with 1:31 left. The Chargers also won in Indianapolis in 2005 to deal the Colts their first loss of the season in their 14th game. "I think they've definitely had our number the last couple of times we played them, but I don't think that will be the case Sunday," Indianapolis middle linebacker Gary Brackett said. The Colts were missing several starters due to injury in this season's meeting with the Chargers, including receivers Marvin Harrison and Anthony Gonzalez, tight end Dallas Clark, left tackle Tony Ugoh and linebackers Freddy Keiaho and Tyjuan Hagler. Indianapolis also lost three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney and right tackle Ryan Diem during the game because of injuries. Freeney is on injured reserve after having foot surgery, but the rest of those players are expected to play Sunday. Harrison's return will be particularly welcome after he hurt his left knee against Denver on Sept. 30 and missed all but one game since. Indianapolis' offense has had another outstanding season despite Harrison's absence, ranking third in the NFL with 28.1 points per game. Manning recorded his eighth 4,000-yard passing season, and Reggie Wayne has been the main beneficiary, putting together a career year with 104 receptions for 1,510 yards and 10 touchdowns. Manning and the passing offense have been complemented by a ground game led by Joseph Addai, who's rushed for 1,072 yards and 12 TDs. The Colts, though, will face a defensive scheme that has given them problems. Indianapolis' track record against 3-4 defenses, including two losses to San Diego, is subpar. Pittsburgh eliminated the Colts from the playoffs in the 2005 season, and New England did the same in 2003 and '04. Indianapolis averaged 12.6 points in those contests. The Colts have lost 10 of their last 11 against the Steelers, and are 3-5 versus the Patriots since Dungy was hired. "I don't know that we've had trouble with the 3-4, we've had trouble with teams that play the 3-4 who have good players and can have four guys come in at any time without having to blitz and still be in man coverage," Dungy said. "There are a lot of variations of it, and it can cause you problems." San Diego got two stellar individual defensive efforts in its last two wins over Indianapolis. Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie, making his first NFL start, had three of his NFL-high 10 interceptions in November's matchup with the Colts. That performance helped the second-year pro earn a spot on The Associated Press 2007 NFL All-Pro team Wednesday. In San Diego's 26-17 win over Indianapolis on Dec. 18, 2005, Chargers linebacker Shawn Merriman - then a rookie - sacked Manning twice and forced a crucial intentional grounding penalty. "I think they're going to take a different approach this game, we're going to take a different approach and go out there and see what happens," said Merriman, a Pro Bowler who has 39 1/2 sacks in 42 games. "We're going to get their best shot and they're going to get ours and I think it's going to be a great game." Cromartie and Merriman are two cornerstones of a San Diego defense that ranked fifth in the NFL in scoring defense during regular season, allowing 17.8 points per game. Indianapolis, though, had the NFL's top-ranked scoring defense, yielding 16.4 points per game following last postseason's surprisingly strong defensive effort. Despite missing one of the NFL's best pass rushers in Freeney, the Colts have held five of their last seven opponents under 20 points. They're led by safety Bob Sanders, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Sanders set career-highs in tackles (132), sacks (3 1/2) and interceptions (two). With him anchoring the secondary, no quarterback has thrown for more than 260 yards against Indianapolis this season. The Colts held league MVP Tom Brady to 255 yards in a loss to New England on Nov. 4, and Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was 13-of-24 for 104 yards with two interceptions the following week. "We're no longer the no-name Colts defense. He's a game-changer," Brackett said of Sanders. "But his presence gives us a comfort level, knowing he's going to be back there to clean up for us." Sanders is a do-it-all safety, versatile enough to cover receivers deep and be a force against the run. Sanders' assignments Sunday should be varied against a dynamic Chargers offense that features unanimous All-Pro pick LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson led the league with 1,474 yards and 15 TDs on the ground, while finishing second on San Diego with 60 receptions for 475 yards. Chargers fullback Lorenzo Neal, who clears many of Tomlinson's running lanes, was also named to the All-Pro team. Neal hasn't played since breaking his lower left leg in an overtime win at Tennessee on Dec. 9, but Turner said he will practice this week and should be able to play Sunday. San Diego's biggest injury concern is three-time All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates, who injured his left big toe in last week's victory and is uncertain for this game. Gates said Sunday that the toe was dislocated, but San Diego insists it's sprained. He led the Chargers in the regular season with 75 receptions for 984 yards and nine touchdowns, although he was held to three catches for 26 yards against the Colts in November. This will be the second playoff meeting between Indianapolis and San Diego. The Colts beat the Chargers 35-20 on Dec. 31, 1995 in a wild-card game. |
After a week off to relax and heal, the Dallas Cowboys will be lining up against a familiar foe in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. The Cowboys will be trying for their first playoff win in more than a decade Sunday when they host the New York Giants in the third meeting between the teams this season. Dallas (13-3) has not won a playoff game since beating Minnesota 40-15 in the wild-card round of the 1996 season - a year after winning the Super Bowl. The drought is the longest in team history, but first-year coach Wade Phillips - 0-3 as a head coach in the playoffs with Denver and Buffalo - isn't worried about it. "They say, 'They haven't won a playoff game in 10 years,' but you've only been in four (since that season)," Phillips said. "It's not like you've been 10 years in a row and haven't won one. Part of it is getting in there. If you get in there enough, you're going to win your share." The Cowboys did make the playoffs last season, but lost 21-20 to Seattle in dramatic fashion. Quarterback Tony Romo botched the hold on a 19-yard field-goal attempt with 1:19 left and was stopped 2 yards from the end zone and 1 from a first down when he tried to run the ball. "For it to end like that, and for me to be the cause, is very tough to swallow right now," Romo said. Romo, who spent the bye week with his starlet girlfriend Jessica Simpson in Mexico along with teammate Jason Witten and his wife, is hoping his favorite receiver will be back for Sunday's game. Terrell Owens, who leads the NFC with 15 receiving touchdowns and ranks second with 90.3 receiving yards per game, missed Dallas' season-ending 27-6 loss at Washington with a sprained left ankle. Owens, who injured the ankle a week earlier at Carolina, was still limping Monday and his status for this weekend is uncertain. "If he were able to practice Wednesday or Thursday, Friday maybe, it'd clarify things a little easier," Phillips said. "If he can't (practice), that's why I said it'd have to be a game-time decision." Owens' teammates, though, are confident he'll be on the field. "Absolutely, we're all counting on him playing," Witten said. "He's a tough guy. Nobody wants it more than he wants it himself to get out there and play. He's a quick healer, and he looked good out there, I thought." In order to end their playoff drought, the Cowboys will have to pull off a franchise first by beating the Giants (10-6) for the third time this season. Dallas has never completed a three-game season sweep of a team, but had a chance once, losing 20-7 to Arizona in a 1998 wild-card game in the most recent postseason game at Texas Stadium. However, the 17 teams who have had the chance to beat a team three times in one season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger have gone 11-6. "I'm thinking about beating them one time. I'm not worried about what we did in the past," safety Ken Hamlin said. Dallas defeated the Giants 45-35 at home in its season opener Sept. 9 and 31-20 at Giants Stadium on Nov. 11. "We've got (confidence), but they don't want to go out a third time," receiver Patrick Crayton said. "They are 1-0 in the playoffs, we are 0-0. This is a whole new season. Whatever went on in the regular season doesn't matter. This is win or go home." The Giants' season-opening loss in Dallas was their last on the road. Since then, New York has reeled off eight straight road victories, including a 24-14 win at Tampa Bay in the wild-card round Sunday. "I think as a team we seem to perform better on the road," Giants defensive end Michael Strahan said. "I didn't know we won eight in a row. That's a great thing, because when it's the playoffs, if we're going to go as far as we want, we have to win every game on the road." Eli Manning won for the first time in three postseason games last week, completing 20 of 27 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Manning, who threw 23 TD passes and 20 interceptions during the regular season, has been criticized for his inconsistent play since being taken with the top pick in the 2004 draft, but quieted his critics Sunday - at least for one game. "You can't be satisfied with what you're doing," he said. "It's about the bigger picture and keeping this thing going." Manning threw for four touchdowns and one interception in Dallas on Sept. 9, but was picked off twice while throwing just one TD pass in the rematch in November. "Eli showed that no matter what, he's going to hang in there. He's going to figure out a way to get it done," said Strahan, who had nine tackles and one sack against the Buccaneers. Center Shaun O'Hara (left knee) and cornerback Sam Madison (stomach) were inactive last week after getting injured in New York's season-ending 38-35 loss to New England, and Coughlin is unsure whether they can play against the Cowboys. However, Grey Ruegamer, who filled in for O'Hara, and Corey Webster, who played for Madison, both had strong games against Tampa Bay. Webster had an interception, recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half and limited Joey Galloway, the Bucs' 1,000-yard receiver, to one catch for 9 yards. The top-seeded Cowboys, meanwhile, took advantage of the bye week to rest their injured players. Receiver Terry Glenn, who made his season debut in the season finale but came out after taking some hard hits, figures to get more playing time Sunday. Dallas is also hopeful that center Andre Gurode, who's nursing a knee injury, can return. The Cowboys, however, don't have much momentum heading into the playoffs. Despite matching the best record in team history, Dallas went 2-2 in December and failed to score a touchdown in either loss. "With 16 games, it's tough to be really good in every game," Phillips said. "(In some recent games) it wasn't like, `Man, we've got to win this game!' Now, we're in a big game, so we'll see how we play. But I think we'll play fine." The NFC East rivals will be meeting in the playoffs for the first time. |
