Gutsy call wins it for Chiefs
Chiefs vs. Raiders: Gambling Vermeil goes for the win instead of the tie against Oakland
By DOUG TUCKER
Associated Press
11/7/2005

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dick Vermeil was going to be the biggest fool or the shrewdest gambler in the NFL. With five seconds left, Kansas City trailed by three and had the ball on the Oakland 1 and Vermeil faced one of the toughest decisions of his long coaching career. --football gambling--

Have place-kicker Lawrence Tynes - who's on a 13-for-13 streak - kick a virtually automatic field goal and force overtime? Or roll the dice and go for the win? Vermeil went for the TD. Behind center Casey Wiegmann and 10-time Pro Bowl right guard Will Shields, Larry Johnson dived over the pile into the end zone for a 27-23 victory that brought a roar from the sellout crowd and left the emotional head coach in tears. --football gambling--

"Wow! I was scared. I just figured I'm too old to wait," said Vermeil, who recently turned 69. "If we had not made it, then you guys (reporters) would have had a lot of fun with that. It was not an impulsive thing. It was the right thing for us to do." --football gambling--

The sixth straight victory for the Chiefs (5-3) over the Raiders (3-5) kept them one game behind Denver in the AFC West and dealt Oakland a painful loss. Kansas City plays at Buffalo next Sunday. "This is about as bitter a defeat as you could have," said Oakland quarterback Kerry Collins, whose two fourth-quarter touchdown passes put the Raiders on top. "It's tough. You fight your way back in a rough game, and find a way to get ahead, and then it doesn't work out. That's about as tough as it gets." --football gambling--

Johnson and Trent Green made the sensational finish possible when Green hit the wide-open running back over the middle. He sped 36 yards before Nnamdi Asomugha and Stuart Schweigert ran him down at the 1. "Down in the red zone, he put the ball in my hands," said Johnson, who has publicly complained that Vermeil does not give him enough carries. "I'm glad they gave me the opportunity." --football gambling--

Randy Moss, who hadn't caught a pass all day, beat Dewayne Washington in the corner of the end zone for a 7-yard reception with 1:45 left that gave the Raiders the lead. Then Green, playing through the pain of his father's funeral just four days earlier, whipped the Chiefs 72 yards down the field. --football gambling--

Before going for it, Vermeil checked with his coaches and players. "He was asking questions of everybody to see what everybody thought, what everybody's attitude was," Green said. "No matter how that play ended up, that's where you have to send a message on a football team and I think that was great on his part to have the confidence in us." --football gambling--

The Chiefs were missing their best running back (Priest Holmes), best offensive lineman (Willie Roaf) and best cornerback (Patrick Surtain), as well as two top backups in the secondary. The Raiders were without two starters, defensive backs Charles Woodson and Derrick Gibson, and that could have made a difference in K.C.'s final drive. --football gambling--

Johnson, who had 107 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, scored on a 15-yard run for a 20-9 lead with 12:56 left. But then the Oakland offense, shut down most of the day, came alive. Collins hit Jerry Porter with a 4-yard TD pass and Moss, hobbled most of the week in practice, caught his first pass. A run by Jordan converted the two-point play and put the Raiders on top, 23-20. --football gambling--

"When we made the two-point conversion we went up by three. You thought at worst it would be overtime," Oakland coach Norv Turner said. Green tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Tony Richardson for a 13-9 lead at the end of third quarter and, two plays later, Greg Wesley intercepted Collins' poorly thrown pass. The Chiefs took over on the Oakland 35. Johnson broke Schweigert's attempted ankle tackle and went in from the 15. --football gambling--

Tynes and Sebastian Janikowski each kicked two field goals through a dull first half.--football gambling--

Droughns arrested on DUI charge

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- Cleveland Browns running back Reuben Droughns was arrested and charged with drunken driving early Tuesday. -NFL Football-

The State Highway Patrol said Droughns was pulled over at 1:09 a.m. after a trooper spotted the 27-year-old speeding and weaving in northbound traffic on U.S. 42 in suburban Cleveland. -NFL Football-

Droughns failed a field sobriety test, and after agreeing to take a blood-alcohol test at the patrol's Medina post, he registered a .08 -- the state's legal limit. -NFL Football-

He was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence and driving 50 mph in a 35-mph zone. -NFL Football-

Droughns was released without bail and is scheduled to appear in Medina County Municipal Court on Friday. If convicted of the DUI charge, Droughns faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, , said Sgt. Lance Shearer said. -NFL Football-

The Browns acquired Droughns in a trade last March from Denver. He rushed for 1,240 yards and six touchdowns for the Broncos, who acquired defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban and defensive tackle Michael Myers. -NFL Football-

Droughns has rushed for 530 yards on 125 carries this season. -NFL Football-

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Steelers Will Honor Myron Cope

By MARKY BILLSON

At halftime of tonight's Monday Night Football Game the Steelers will honor Myron Cope, who retired as the team's radio color commentator after an NFL-record 35 seasons at the helm. -NFL Football-

Known for a broadcast persona as colorful as his distinctive voice and for inventing the Terrible Towel, the 76-year-old Cope has been bestowed with numerous awards in recent months, from the Pete Rozelle radio-TV award at the Pro Football Hall of Fame to the National Radio Hall of Fame to the Pennsylvania Legislature declaring today "Myron Cope Day'' throughout the Commonwealth. -NFL Football-

Though hospitalized last week, Cope is said to be working on his fifth book. Interestingly enough to West Virginians, one of Cope's most cherished pieces of writing was his early 1960s expose in True magazine on how John Kennedy won the 1960 Democratic Presidential Primary in Logan County. -NFL Football-

High School reunions -NFL Football-

Though safety/special teams ace Russell Stuvaints was re-signed in order to take the place of Mike Logan, who will likely miss the next month with a hamstring injury, the move does reunite the two McKeesport, Pa. High School graduates. -NFL Football-

The veteran safety and West Virginia product has been known to take Stuvaints under his wing around the UPMC locker room, though since Logan is six years older than his understudy, the two were not teammates for the high school located 10 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. -NFL Football-

However, fellow Steelers' defensive back Willie Williams actually does know what it is like to share the Pittsburgh secondary with a high school teammate. He and former safety Lethon Flowers not only won an AFC championship in 1995, but a state championship in 1988 at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C. -NFL Football-

Spring Valley is also the prep alma mater of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Peter Boulware. -NFL Football-

Pittsburgh loves

its Steelers

Last week's 27-13 Pittsburgh win over Cincinnati drew a most impressive 43.6 rating and 71 share in the Pittsburgh market, the highest rating in any market in the NFL. -NFL Football-

To put that in perspective, consider during the week of the Bengals-Steelers game the highest ranked television show in the country was CSI, which only drew a 17.7 rating and a 27 share across the nation. Or that the game's local rating was higher than what 23 Super Bowl telecasts received nationally. -NFL Football-

Big Ben Strikes one

Ben Roethlisberger came into this weekend as the leading passer in the NFL with a dazzling 120.7 rating, buoyed by his 9-1 touchdown pass to interception ratio and 10.1 yards per pass attempt average. -NFL Football-

No Steeler has ever led the NFL in passer rating since the statistic, which takes into account a quarterback's accuracy, yardage, touchdown passes and interceptions, was implemented in 1973. Terry Bradshaw led the AFC in passer rating with an 84.7 mark in 1978, but finished 0.2 points behind Roger Staubach for the league lead. -NFL Football-

Familiar faces

The game could be a battle of brother against brother, as Steelers' rookie guard Chris Kemoeatu's brother Maake is the Ravens' starting nose guard. -NFL Football-

Additionally, the Baltimore roster is littered with players who have some sort of Pittsburgh tie. Starting quarterback Anthony Wright, backup Kordell Stewart, and practice squad signal caller Brian St. Pierre all began their pro careers in Pittsburgh. Starting right guard Keydrick Vincent signed with the Ravens as a free agent after spending the four previous seasons with the Steelers, and while tight end Darnell Dinkins never played pro football in Pittsburgh, he was the semipro Pittsburgh Colts' starting quarterback in 2001. -NFL Football-

Miami Medics

All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis and strong safety Ed Reed will miss tonight's game with a strained hamstring and sprained ankle, respectively. -NFL Football-

The two players, both products of the University of Miami, are the past two NFL Defensive Players of the Year. Look for Chad Williams to replace Reed, while Boulware and Bart Scott are listed as the Ravens' backup linebackers. Defensive lineman Anthony Weaver also may miss the game, leaving the top-ranked defense in the NFL without three starters. -NFL Football-

Billick has stated the Ravens need to run more, but starting fullback Alan Ricard will also miss the game with a bad lower leg, something that also figures to be more of than just a mild concern as Brian Billick has emphasized the Ravens must run the ball more this season. -NFL Football-

To date, Baltimore ranks 12th in the conference with only 97 yards rushing a game, while the Steelers have the fourth-stingiest run defense in the conference, allowing only 90 yards per game. -NFL Football-

Quarterback Kyle Boller was also listed as doubtful with a hyper-extended toe suffered in the first game of the season. -NFL Football-

Howard, we hardly -NFL Football-

knew you

With the new NFL television contract in 2006 this is the last scheduled Monday Night Football game to be televised on ABC from Pittsburgh. -NFL Football-

At home the Steelers' are 19-5 lifetime on Monday Night, including 10 straight wins in Pittsburgh and a 2-0 record at Heinz Field. -NFL Football-

The Ravens, meanwhile, have played only four Monday Night Games in their entire history, the first being in 2001 as defending World Champions. They are 3-1 lifetime. -NFL Football-

The two teams have met three times on Sunday Night, however, with Pittsburgh holding a 2-1 advantage in those prime time games. -NFL Football-

Week Seven game previews

By PFW staff Oct. 20, 2005
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Indianapolis at Houston
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The Colts trounced the Rams 45-28 on Monday night, outscoring the Rams 45-11 in the final three quarters. Indianapolis is more balanced than it had been in recent seasons.--- nfl ---
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Using more of a ball-control offense this season, Peyton Manning’s numbers are way down, and the offense isn’t scoring at the rate that it did last season. Yet, the much-improved Indy “D” is leading the NFL in points allowed — it ranked 19th last season — and it now ranks 11th in total defense. --- nfl ---
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The Colts made slow adjustments against teams using the 3-4 defense last season, and the Texans stayed with Indianapolis until the fourth quarter of their second 2004 meeting, a 23-14 Colts win at Houston. --- nfl ---
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The last two games at Houston between these teams were decided by a total of 12 points, including a three-point Colts win in 2003. Houston’s punchless offense has scored 54 points in five games. With QB David Carr having been sacked an incredible 30 times in five games, the Texans shuffled their offensive line a week ago, with only mildly positive results (three sacks allowed). --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
Now they have lost starting ORG Zach Wiegert with an ankle injury, causing a further shake-up. RB Domanick Davis has been the offense’s only consistent performer, and he’ll have to be Houston’s meal ticket this week. --- nfl ---
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The Colts can be run on if you can move their defensive tackles. If Davis has success, it means the Texans will have slowed the pace of the game to a suitable level.--- nfl ---

LB Moore hurts knee against Buffalo

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (Oct. 9, 2005) -- Miami backup linebacker Eddie Moore hurt his knee against Buffalo and will have further tests this week to determine the extent of the injury.

It's not clear when Moore was hurt, but he was not able to finish Miami's 20-14 loss to Buffalo.

Coach Nick Saban said he would await the test results before commenting. - NFL Football -

Saban also did not provide an update on backup cornerback Eddie Jackson, who did not return after hurting his hamstring. - NFL Football -

Receiver David Boston was held out after his knee began swelling earlier this week. He had been listed as probable after being added to the injury report on Oct. 7. - NFL Football -

© 2005, NFL Enterprises LLC.

For Giants, it's finally all about football

DAVID PORTER
Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Four weeks into the season, the New York Giants are ready for some football. Period.

Off-field distractions marked the first three weeks, from the anniversary of Sept. 11 to the New Orleans Saints' home-away-from-home game at Giants Stadium to quarterback Eli Manning's first visit to San Diego since jilting the Chargers on draft day last year. - NFL Football -

Football will be the sole focus on Sunday when the Giants face the St. Louis Rams in a matchup of 2-1 teams trying to forge an identity in the young season.

"It's always about football, no matter what. But this is the first game back to a normal preparation," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. "So hopefully we get ourselves focused in on this particular week." - NFL Football -

The Giants are eager to erase the memory of a 45-23 drubbing at the hands of San Diego last Sunday night, a game in which their defense looked confused and out of sync. The Rams, meanwhile, are coming off close victories against Arizona and Tennessee after a 28-25 opening loss to a San Francisco team that has been outscored 76-34 in two games since.

The lone positive for the Giants last week was Manning's best performance as a pro (24-for-41, 352 yards, two touchdowns), accomplished in a stadium full of screaming fans calling for his scalp. He also demonstrated calm in the face of repeated blitzing, though he said he expects a different type of challenge from the Rams. - NFL Football -

"Their front four is fast and they get good pressure on the quarterback without doing a whole lot of blitzing," Manning said. "They drop a lot of people in coverage where there are not a whole lot of lanes. So we have to have a good plan to protect the front and block them up and get the ball out quick."

The Giants' defense was dealt a blow when starting cornerback William Peterson was diagnosed with a lower back injury that could force him to miss the rest of the season. Other changes were anticipated in the starting lineup after the unit allowed 485 yards in the San Diego game.

"The Rams have a great offense. It's going to be a great test for us," said linebacker Carlos Emmons. "We definitely need this win, especially after a week like last week, to get this thing rolling in the right direction." - NFL Football -

Whoever lines up on Sunday will be tested by the Rams' passing attack, led by the combination of Marc Bulger to Torry Holt that has already produced 23 receptions for a league-best 358 yards and two touchdowns. Isaac Bruce, theNFL 's all-time active leader in yards receiving with 11,889, hyperextended his left big toe last week against Tennessee and is doubtful for Sunday. Third-year pro Kevin Curtis is second behind Holt with 14 receptions for 148 yards.

On the negative side, the Rams have had difficulty protecting Bulger this season and have allowed 15 sacks in three games.

"It's a combination of a lot of things," said Bulger. "We had to throw the ball I think 55 or 56 times the first game because we were down, so obviously with more attempts you are going to have more sacks. Obviously we throw the ball down the field far. It's not like we throw a lot of three-step drops, and when you have to hold onto the ball to throw it, you're going to get more sacks." - NFL Football -

Part of the problem could stem from an unsettled situation at right tackle, where Rex Tucker injured his right calf in the opener and was replaced by Blaine Saipaia. Rookie Alex Barron, the Rams' first-round draft pick out of Florida State, is scheduled to replace Saipaia on Sunday.

Barron's first assignment: block Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, the NFL's all-time sacks leader among active players. Last week, Strahan and the rest of the Giants were held without a sack against San Diego's Drew Brees.

"That's not a good matchup for him this week to have his first start against Strahan, obviously," said Rams coach Mike Martz. "So we'll have to do something to help him or we are just going to play the game and do what we can."

In contrast to when the teams last met in 2003, a 23-13 Giants win, the Rams now alternate the May-December pairing of second-year pro Steven Jackson and Marshall Faulk in the backfield instead of relying exclusively on Faulk, who came into the season ranked 12th inNFL rushing (11,987 yards). - NFL Football -

The 6-foot-2, 231-pound Jackson has gotten the bulk of the carries this season and leads the team with 201 yards. Jackson is questionable with a chest injury.

Faulk has rushed only 12 times for 77 yards, but still possesses the speed and slashing ability that made him one of the NFL's best backs in his prime, according to Martz.

"The main issue is durability for him at his age now," said Martz. "Speed is not the issue, his weight is down, he's playing as well as he's ever played, but he's got some wear and tear on those knees. To ask him to carry the load, he knows it's not going to be good for him physically. This will allow us to use both of them most effectively and hopefully, potentially, extend his career."

Plan Might Help Pave the Way for an NFL Stadium

The City Council will consider a proposal that would allow property taxes to be used to fund street improvements near the Coliseum.

By Patrick McGreevy, Times Staff Writer

Although city officials have promised not to use public funds to build a professional football stadium in Los Angeles, the City Council will meet next week to consider a plan that would allow the use of property taxes to construct a parking garage and improve streets that could serve a stadium.

The council will hold a public hearing with the city redevelopment commission Friday to consider extending the life of the Hoover Redevelopment Project for another 12 years.

The proposal would also extend the Community Redevelopment Agency's powers of eminent domain for the area, and increase the amount of property tax dollars collected and bonds issued to finance projects, including infrastructure for a stadium. - NFL Football -

Backers say the proposed improvements would not just benefit a potential NFL team but the surrounding community, including the museums around Exposition Park and nearby residential areas. And they said the revitalization is justified even if the NFL does not come to the area.

But taxpayer advocates on Friday criticized the proposal to spend up to $25 million in property tax funds on what the city describes as "infrastructure" improvements. The critics call the proposal an end run around the promise not to subsidize an NFL franchise in Los Angeles.

"They are talking out of both sides of their mouth," said Jean Heinl, president of Californians United for Redevelopment Education. "The private sector should pay for anything to do with the stadium."

City officials confirmed Friday that there has been talk of using redevelopment funds to improve streets, sidewalks and lighting, and to build parking facilities to serve a stadium that would be erected inside the shell of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. But officials added that the ideas have not been turned into formal proposals.

"Those are potential projects," said Councilman Bernard Parks. "But no one has defined any specific project." - NFL Football -

Taxpayer advocates, including Jonathan Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., are watching the proposal closely because the stadium proposal has been identified in legal documents by the agency as a key reason for extending the redevelopment plan.

"Specifically, the changes to the redevelopment plan will facilitate, but not ensure, the installation of a National Football League franchise in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum by enabling the agency's financing of infrastructure improvements within Exposition Park and the community which surrounds it," said an official notice sent to surrounding property owners.

State legislation approved last October would allow the City Council to extend the Hoover project without having to determine that the area is blighted — a usual requirement for such action.

Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles), who wrote the legislation, said the extension of redevelopment powers would be a big step in the city's long quest for a pro football team. - NFL Football -

"It significantly enhances the chance of getting it done," Ridley-Thomas said.

Parks, whose district includes the Coliseum, and redevelopment board member Madeline Janis-Aparicio prefer to describe extending redevelopment powers in Exposition Park as taking advantage of the NFL's potential interest in the area to improve the surrounding community rather than to benefit a pro team.

The NFL is considering whether to invest $400 million in building a new stadium. Redevelopment law allows the property taxes generated by any new construction to go to the agency to promote redevelopment. - NFL Football -

Parks said he envisions using the tax money to create commercial and residential development in the area around the Coliseum, similar to the new development around Staples Center. Improving the area would also make it more attractive to the NFL, Parks said.

"I think it's critical in the sense of giving a clear indication that, although the city is not going to invest in their stadium and is not going to invest in their team, it is going to invest in the area around the stadium," Parks said.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has also vowed that no public funds will be used to build a stadium, also sees the redevelopment plan as in keeping with that promise.

"It is not inconsistent," said Janelle Erickson, a spokeswoman for Villaraigosa. "The redevelopment funds will support the museums, Expo Park, the senior center, as well as the Coliseum." - NFL Football -

But critics take the opposite view.

"It is not consistent with what they promised," said Ralph Shaffer, a retired history professor who chaired a Los Angeles County Grand Jury's critical report on redevelopment in 1994.

Others question whether new parking facilities and other public improvements would be built unless the NFL comes to town. - NFL Football -

Parks said better parking facilities and other improvements would be justified even if the NFL does not return.

To justify the need for parking, he cited a charity walk sponsored by Revlon that brought 60,000 people into the area, as well as soccer games that attract more than 70,000 to the Coliseum.

Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times