London 2012 Olympics: putting the new Olympic track to the test

Today I ran on the London 2012 Olympic track – that sea of red rubber that will next year bear the weight of much faster, skilled and experienced champions such as Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay, Allison Felix and Sally Pearson.

On the start line of the 100m I was trying to channel them all. I had the obligatory chain around my neck (how do they race with jewellery swinging like a pendulum?) and  I attempted to concentrate, while being fitted with a video camera on my head: keep head down, power off the track, pump arms.

That was until the starters, Seb Coe and Hugh Robertson decided it would be a 400m race – actually 500m. So my moment on the track became a concerted jog all the way around to take in the atmosphere of an empty stadium that appeared anything but soul-less.

This Olympic Stadium is cosy, with the seating at ground level creating a feeling of intimacy other 80,000 capacity stadiums lack. All of the seats were covered with biodegradable seat covers to keep them pristine, but it had the impact of softening the black seats to grey – which looked classy. The infield was green, and throwing circles still filled with water to ensure levels.

Down the back straight there was a particularly robust headwind that had swirled around to a sidewind by the front straight. If the London Olympic organisers want world records at the stadium they may have to rethink the stadium wrap that currently features a bunting style twisted triangle look, rather than a solid wrap.

Yet a couple of stadium workers revealed that while it has been quite windy on most days over the past few months the prevailing direction has tended to be a tailwind for the 100m sprinters.

Earlier in the day Ato Boldon rightly pointed out to me that as a civilian I wouldn't know much about the hardness of the track or its technical abilities, but I did ask the experts, the Mondo company specialists who spent 75 days laying it down. And what they said Ato won't like. Instead of being rock hard for the sprinters so that they can notch up slick world records, the track has been made slightly softer to deal with the complaints of distance runners who previously found the Mondo track injury-inducing.

So how did it feel? Well through my joggers (no high heels or spikes allowed) the track felt much harder than I anticipated, less spongy than the tartan tracks I had experienced, but surprisingly it offered quite a bit of bounce. Mondo project manager Joe Hoekstra described the track nap as being manufactured to produce a rebound – almost like a rubber band being stretched.

He said while the endurance runners won't be disappointed, the sprinters will have finished their race before they even think about it. So while I puffed a bit more than I wanted, I got the chance to see more than I expected. This was one experience I didn't want to finish too soon.

Banning Tottenham supporters for abusive chanting is a waste of time

Abuse victim: Emmanuel Adebayor was singled out by some of Arsenal's supporters at White Hart Lane (GETTY IMAGES)

I am not condoning the horrible chants from Tottenham and Arsenal supporters during Sunday’s North London derby. Having to write that feels like an insult to our collective intelligence. No-one much likes torture, tragic deaths or Hitler, either. We are rarely forced to clarify those positions.

Of course it’s horrible for Arsène Wenger to be ludicrously, baselessly called a paedophile. Of course it’s inhuman to mock Emmanuel Adebayor for being the victim of a terrorist gun attack in Angola. But did small pockets of supporters singing songs about these things really overshadow Sunday’s game, as has been mooted?

There has been much easy use of the word “overshadowed” in coverage of the chanting, which feels like lip service to imagined offence caused. Of course, football as an abstract whole cannot be seen to tolerate such behaviour and it’s no surprise to read Harry Redknapp saying: "It was disgusting, yeah, disgusting.

“How do you chant something like that to someone? You can't be right mentally. You need help. There are kids up there as well. It's got no place anywhere in life, that sort of stuff."

That sort of everyman moralising from Redknapp will strike a chord with those swathes of the population that become outraged at the merest provocation.

Personally I resent that apparently agreed league table of “sickness” which makes one kind of cruelty fine and another “disgusting”. Many of us share an unspoken understanding of what constitutes “acceptable” abuse at a football match, but trying to enforce that line collectively, or chastising those that cross it, is extremely problematic.

The concept of abusive chanting is nebulous in itself. We will rightly stand behind the idea that racist abuse is out of order. But it’s apparently fine to tell Cardiff supporters that they enjoy congress with sheep. Homophobia is correctly frowned upon, but most wouldn’t bat an eyelid at a player exaggerating injury being slandered with a gay pejorative from the stands.

This unclear collective moral compass touches lots of crowd behaviour at football, and is riddled with inconsistencies. Home supporters will cheer when a visiting player pulls up in pain and hobbles off. They’ll applaud if he’s taken off on a stretcher. Who knows which of these injuries will prove most serious in the long run?

It’s extremely difficult to change this ingrained group behaviour but it does happen. When it does, the change in attitude usually comes from within, not as a result of condemnations from clubs or managers. When I started watching QPR in the early 90s I remember a man a few rows behind me spewing racist abuse at John Fashanu, unencumbered by stewards.

A few years ago a different bloke shouted something vile at a different black player. Before he’d even had chance to finish several people around him shouted at him to shut up.

Those incidents did not happen at particularly intense games, unlike Sunday’s at White Hart Lane. The beloved media narrative for any game like Spurs v Arsenal is all about bad blood, a heated rivalry, a lack of love lost. How can that coexist with impeccable behaviour from each side’s supporters?

We want that edge, that excitement. Football is not clean, genteel and sophisticated, and this is part of the attraction for many of its followers. Such shallow condemnation of abusive chanting achieves little and represents the thrust of sanitisation creeping into the Premier League product.

Demonising supporters, dismissing them with that patronising epithet “so-called fans” betrays a wilful ignorance of what football support is about. The uncomfortable and generally unmentioned truth is that those undesirably fervent supporters who sing horrible songs are often the backbone of a club, certainly they constitute a large part of any team’s travelling support.

There will always, always, be people that misbehave in heated situations. Spurs’ policy of “taking out one or two of the ring-leaders who are initiating the chants," sounds sensible, but why are the people that start the chants worse than those that join in?

The evidence is hardly watertight, either, as demonstrated by Ian Trow’s quashed conviction for chanting at Portsmouth in 2008.

Until Sky has HD cameras trained on each block of a ground, how can you expect to identify those that are guilty of singing a significantly abusive song? How much of it do you have to sing to be guilty?

I’ve never heard the majority of a stadium singing one of these top-tier offensive chants in 20 years of going to football. It’s very small pockets of support, and banning the perpetrators achieves nothing.

Everton fans still throw coins at Luis Suarez, nutters still send Neil Lennon letter bombs. There will always be new idiots ready to take up the mantle. But attitudes change. Eventually the sane will outnumber the fools and collectively shout them down.

In the meantime, when it comes abusing opponents there will be some who go over the top, because there will always be people in society that are not self-aware enough to realise how ridiculous they are. And people who just aren’t very nice.

Tokenistic banning of a few of these will not change that fact.

 

 

Ken Forsch, Gary Sutherland ousted from Angels front office

The housecleaning in the Angels front office will not end with Friday's resignation of General Manager Tony Reagins.

Ken Forsch, the team's assistant general manager for the last 14 years, and Gary Sutherland, a special assistant to the general manager for 12 years, have been dismissed, two major-league sources confirmed Monday. The team is expected to issue a news release on the matter this afternoon.

Forsch, a former major-league pitcher who had a 114-113 career record and 3.37 earned run average, spent four seasons (1994-97) as the Angels' director of player development before becoming assistant GM. He was mainly responsible for assisting Reagins with contract negotiations, player procurement and waiver-wire and rule compliance.

Sutherland, a former major-league infielder who has an extensive scouting background in his 40 years in professional baseball, was a key advisor to Reagins and former Angels General Manager Bill Stoneman and was responsible for coordinating the team's professional scouts.

Sutherland's brother, Dale, was an Angels scout for 19 years before being fired after the 2010 season.

RELATED:

Angels send message with resignation of Tony Reagins

Tony Reagins' hits and whiffs as Angels general manager

-- Mike DiGiovanna

DiSarcina, Hernandez could be in-house candidates for Angels GM job

The next Angels general manager probably will come from outside the organization, and the dismissal Monday of longtime assistant GM Ken Forsch and special assistant Gary Sutherland, whose contracts were not renewed, is an indication that owner Arte Moreno is looking for the kind of "fresh perspective" outgoing GM Tony Reagins said the team needs. 

But if the Angels do fill the position from within, the two leading candidates appear to be Gary DiSarcina, the former shortstop who is a special assistant to the GM, and Tory Hernandez, the team's manager of baseball operations.

"Would I be interested? Yes, if the Angels were interested in me, but we're not there yet," DiSarcina said. "Honestly, I'm interested in helping the organization whatever way I can."

DiSarcina, the Angels shortstop from 1992-2000, just completed his first year as a special assistant to Reagins. His primary job was to evaluate players and coaches throughout the organization, from the big league team down to the rookie league teams.

DiSarcina worked in the Boston Red Sox organization, managing the Class-A Lowell Spinners for three years (2007-2009) and serving as the club's minor league infield instruction coordinator in 2010 before returning to the Angels. He has no front-office experience but doesn't think that should preclude him from consideration.

"Are we ever ready for anything?" DiSarcina said. "You don't go to college to study to be a GM. If they're interested, I'd be interested. I will do what they want me to do. No one has said a word to me about it. It's kind of fluid right now."

Hernandez, 33, just completed his fourth season as manager of baseball operations after spending the previous three years (2005-2007) as the organization's player performance analyst. He is a creative thinker with a background in both scouting and the advanced statistical analysis preferred by many young GMs and assistants.

There should be no shortage of outside candidates for the job. Former Arizona GM Josh Byrnes, now senior vice president of baseball operations for the San Diego Padres, said he would be interested, as did Dan Evans, the former Dodgers GM who is working as an agent.

Oakland assistant GM David Forst and Chicago White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn both declined to comment, but both are believed to be very interested.

Among the other possible candidates are Arizona assistant GM Jerry Dipoto, Texas assistant GM Thad Levine, Detroit assistant GM Al Avila, Boston assistant GM Ben Cherrington and former Houston GM Gerry Hunsicker, now vice president of baseball operations in Tampa Bay.

If either of two big-name, established GMs--Boston's Theo Epstein and the New York Yankees' Brian Cashman--become available and express an interest in coming to Anaheim, they would have to be considered the front-runner.

--Mike DiGiovanna

Video: Time for Tebow

With the Denver Broncos struggling early in the season, William C. Rhoden has a message for coach John Fox: start Tim Tebow.

At Soldier Field, the Faithful Salute Payton

At Sunday’s Bears-Panthers game, there were “probably more fans wearing 34s on their backs at Soldier Field than at any point since the mid-80s,” wrote Dan Pompei of The Chicago Tribune. The faithful were making a show of support for Walter Payton, enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1993, dead of a rare liver disease in 1999 and described as a Vicodin-popping, laughing-gas-inhaling adulterer in a book excerpt published last week.

There’s little to put Chicagoans in a sourer mood than an attack on the running back known as “Sweetness,” considered as saintly as he was tenacious. People prefer the highlight reel with Carly Simon singing “Nobody Does it Better,” with Payton evading tacklers and not, as the piece in Sports Illustrated says, hustling morphine prescriptions from dentists.

The book is “Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton,” and its author, Jeff Pearlman, says if people would just read the full 460 pages of this “definitive” biography they’ll find it’s far more than a rip job.

But the excerpt contains the juicy stuff. Payton is portrayed as a frequently troubled man who found life after football boring and whose marriage to his wife Connie was “a union solely in name.” Sweetness was said to prefer the company of a New Jersey-based flight attendant whom Pearlman gives the pseudonym Lita Gonzalez. The author describes a zany few days where the running back, “terrified of the potential embarrassment,” tried to keep his lover hidden from his wife during the week of his Hall of Fame induction.

Connie Payton, in an interview with ABC7 in Chicago, said that at the time of the Hall ceremony she and her husband “had been separated for a long time.” She said Walter didn’t act like someone using drugs, “didn’t slur words and didn’t act crazy,” but admitted that he was sometimes suicidal.

“I truly didn’t understand it because I would look at Walter, I looked at him and said, ‘You’re healthy, You’ve had a wonderful career, you’ve got money in the bank, really you are an accomplished person, why, why are you so sad? Why are you depressed, why do you have these problems?” she said in the interview. Mrs. Payton did not speak at length with Pearlman.

Many in the Bears family consider the book the literary equivalent of a late hit. Writing in The Chicago Sun-Times, the team’s former public relations director Ken Valdiserri, called the book “a self-serving, profit-mongering effort to sensationalize meaningless details of a complex person.” Mike Ditka, who coached Payton, said if he ever saw Pearlman he’d “spit on him,” which is no mild threat from one of football’s greatest expectorators.

According to the book, Payton sometimes brought tanks of nitrous oxide to Bears practices. They were loaded into his RV, and at night and during breaks, players would fill balloons with the laughing gas and carry them around while getting high.

Presumably, Coach Ditka did not participate.

For Giants, the Long View Looks Challenging

For as much as players talk about “taking it one day at a time,” they are (generally) not robots. They know which games are when, same as the fans, and even if they don’t mark down the expected wins and losses on a pocket schedule, there is still an awareness of when the team is entering a critical stretch.

The Giants are in one now. Brandon Jacobs even admitted as much late Sunday night in Glendale, Ariz., when he said, “We have a lot of very tough games later on. We need to stay on a roll.”

The reason for early urgency is what lies ahead for the Giants:

November games with New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans; and December match-ups with Green Bay, Dallas (twice) and the Jets.

Given that slate, beating the Cardinals must be looked at as a critical springboard for the Giants, who will be home for the next month with games against Seattle, Buffalo and Miami sandwiched around their bye week.

The Giants made it to the quarter-pole of the season 3-1, a mark many observers likely predicted (though probably not with a win over the Eagles). They have weathered a slew of injuries, shown an ability to rally late and have found playmakers in unexpected places.

So is it reasonable to think the Giants can be 6-1 heading into a Week 9 game with the Patriots? What did you mark down on your pocket schedule?

And, more importantly, if you think they’re not 6-1, what does that say about their chances of ultimately surviving the winter gantlet and making the playoffs?

Galaxy leaves Donovan home with strained quadriceps

With a win Tuesday over the New York Red Bulls, the Galaxy will clinch home-field advantage throughout the MLS playoffs. But it will have to earn that without captain and leading scorer Landon Donovan, who didn't make the trip after sustaining what team officials are calling a "mild right quad strain" in Saturday's win over Real Salt Lake.

Donovan was the focus of a physical Real Salt Lake defense, which repeatedly knocked him to the turf -- and eventually knocked him out of the game when Donovan had to be helped from the pitch in the final minute of regulation time.

Donovan, who helped set up the game-winning score in the Galaxy's 2-1 win, is tied for the Western Conference lead with 12 goals. Team officials said Monday he was left back in Los Angeles to have his leg treated and evaluated. After Tuesday, the Galaxy don't play again until Oct. 16.

The Galaxy will also be without midfielder Chris Birchall and forward Mike Magee, who also stayed home with injuries, while forward Robbie Keane reported to the Irish national team ahead of its upcoming international fixture.

Tuesday's match was originally scheduled for late August but was postponed by Hurricane Irene. As a result, the Galaxy will be playing its ninth match in 30 days -- a difficult schedule that may have played a role in Donovan's injury.  But it hasn't hurt the Galaxy much on the scoreboard since it hasn't lost an MLS match in more than two months.

With a win Tuesday the Galaxy will clinch the league's best record, winning the Supporter's Shield for the second consecutive season. That will also assure it of home-field advantage throughout the postseason --  a plum reward for the Galaxy, which has yet to lose at the Home Depot Center.

-- Kevin Baxter

Teemu Selanne, king of Finland

 

Ducks star Teemu Selanne is in Finland this week with the rest of the team in preparation for Friday's season opener against the Buffalo Sabres in Helsinki.

The Ducks expect hundreds of journalists from Finland to show up at the games and other team events, plus the thousands of fans who will want to get a glimpse of the Finnish native.

And id the above picture is any indication, Selanne won't find a lot of alone time while he's there.

--Houston Mitchell

Photo: Reporters surround Teemu Selanne. Credit: Ducks.

 

 

 

Who are the 10 greatest sports figures in L.A. history?

We have done this before, when we asked you to pick your 10 greatest Lakers and 10 greatest Dodgers. Now we turn our attention to all sports by asking all L.A. Times readers to contribute their list of the 10 greatest sports figures in L.A. history.

Anyone with ties to L.A. sports is eligible, so not only is Magic Johnson eligible, but so also is Chick Hearn. Sandy Koufax is eligible, along with Vin Scully. Any sport, any team. Marcel Dionne? Lisa Leslie? Pom Pom Mom? All eligible.

List your choices for the 10 greatest, in order, either in the comment field, or by emailing Fabulous Forum editor Houston Mitchell. Points will be assigned for each spot on the ballot, with first place getting 12 points, second place 10, third place 8, fourth 7, etc., down to one point for 10th place.

Voting will last for a week, with the top 10 to be unveiled beginning Oct. 10.

ALSO

The 10 greatest Dodgers of all time

The 10 greatest Lakers of all time

-- Houston Mitchell

Photos, from top: Dodgers immortal Sandy Koufax and Lakers great Magic Johnson were No. 1 in previous top 10 voting. Credit: Associated Press

 

Metro Puck: Ranking the Top Offensive Forwards Among the Rangers, Islanders and Devils

There are now nine elite scoring forwards among New York and New Jersey’s hockey teams. Two years ago, list-makers would find it challenging to nominate more than one each from the Rangers, Islanders and Devils. Now it’s an embarrassment of Richards and Tavares and Kovalchuk.

These gentlemen – no, really, they all play this nasty game fairly – are capable of scoring a minimum of 30 goals, averaging a point a game, or both. The oldest is 35 years of age, the youngest just 21. The relative youth among the nine means we should finally see more playoff hockey in Manhattan, Uniondale and Newark over the next few seasons.

A few words about the criteria for this one-man poll: the players are ranked not on potential, but simply on value to their teams for the 2011-12 season. While these humble hockey players may be honored just to be in each other’s company, you are invited to submit your own list (and other worthy candidates) in the comments space.

1. Brad Richards, Rangers: Richards has never scored 30 goals in his ten-year N.H.L. career; he established his high of 28 last season with Dallas. But the Rangers’ must-have free agent acquisition from this summer has eclipsed the 70-point plateau 7 times. In reuniting with his playmaking center on the 2004 Cup-winning squad in Tampa Bay, Coach John Tortorella is relying on Richards to set up Marian Gaborik all season long. An 80-point season for Richards is a reachable goal.

2. John Tavares, Islanders: Every Canadian junior league scout could tell you Tavares, 21, would be a masterful sniper in the N.H.L. within close range. What has surprised some league observers is his ability to make a pinpoint pass opponents do not see coming. Tavares had 24 goals and 54 points as a rookie and 29 goals and 67 points last season. The Islanders, who signed him to a six-year contract extension this summer, have reason to believe he can reach at least 35 goals and 75 points in year 3.

3. Zach Parise, Devils: The U.S.A. Olympian missed all but 13 games last season with a torn meniscus in his right knee, but looked in a preseason win on Saturday over the Flyers like he has made a complete recovery. Parise, who is on the last year of his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent next July 1, averaged 42 goals and 88 points over his two seasons before getting hurt. If he returns to the top of his game and matches those numbers, the 27-year-old will be in position to pick his team next summer. Count, as the Devils surely are, on Parise staying in New Jersey.

4. Ilya Kovalchuk, Devils: Inarguably the most explosive player in the region, the left wing from Russia has more to prove as a Devil. Last season he had 31 goals and 60 points – his lowest totals since his rookie year with Atlanta in 2002-03 – and was unable to lift his club when Parise was injured and players sulked under former coach John MacLean. The bar is higher for Kovachuk, and it’s not because of his 15-year, $100 million contract. Expectations are great because of his skill level.

5. Michael Grabner, Islanders: In a shocking waiver wire steal, the Islanders lifted Grabner from the Panthers after the Austrian struggled through a slow start in his first Florida training camp. Grabner, who won the Fastest Skater competition on N.H.L. All-Star weekend, scored 34 goals for the Islanders. If he can improve his ability to finish his innumerable breakaways, Grabner can become of the league’s top game-breakers.

6. Marian Gaborik, Rangers: There will be no excuses for Gaborik, a highly skilled sniper who scored just 22 goals last season. Richards has arrived and the pair is expected to elevate the Rangers from a fringe playoff team to a squad challenging for home-ice advantage in the first round.

7. Ryan Callahan, Rangers: New York’s newly-christened captain set career highs last season with 23 goals and 48 points in 60 games last season. Although he may never be a big goal scorer, Callahan is revered among his teammates and coaches for his physical play. He is viewed as one of the most effective second-line forwards in the game. His only downside: Callahan plays so hard – often selfishly giving up his 5-11, 195-pound body to block a shot – he could be prone to breaking a few bones, as he did last season in missing 22 games and the playoffs.

8. Matt Moulson, Islanders: Moulson scored 30 and 31 goals the last two seasons for the Islanders after never getting his big break in the farm system of the Los Angeles Kings. He averaged just 20 assists the last two seasons, which suggests Moulson is a finisher and not much of a passer. If he continues to pot at least 30 goals each season playing to the left of Tavares, no one with the Islanders is going to complain.

9. Patrik Elias, Devils: Check out the Czech’s point totals since 2006-07: 69, 55, 78, 48 and 62 last season. While the ups and downs may have been affected in part by the quality of his linemates, the 35-year-old Elias must have a 30-goal, 30-assist campaign to help the Devils qualify for the playoffs. Elias is a proud competitor. Don’t bet against him.

Close: Brandon Dubinsky, Rangers; Kyle Okposo, Islanders

Developing: Mattias Tedenby and Jacob Josefson, Devils; Nino Niederreiter, Islanders

UFC: Dominick Cruz takes the best of Demetrius Johnson in shut-out maul

It was not as if they were 5 lop-sided rounds, but Dominick Cruz showed two levels of proof on Saturday night at the Verizon Center, Washington DC, in defending the UFC bantamweight title. That he has the resilience demanded of him to get through at a faster pace than he normally sets himself; and that Demetrius Johnson can be manhandled by a powerful bantamweight and is likely to excel at flyweight when the division is inked into the Ultimate Fighting Championship, most likely some time in 2012. For now, Johnson says he will stay in the division. But he will move down in time.

Cruz, accustomed to being the will-o'-the-wisp dancer on his toes in the Octagon, was clearly bemused in the early moments of the fight by Johnson's fleetness of foot. The pace of the fight was exhausting, but once Cruz realised he could outmuscle the challenger once he had hands on him, he wrestled his way to retaining his belt comfortably.

Cruz retained his title 50-45, twice, and 49-46 on the judges' cards. There was a case for Johnson earning the second round. Cruz was better in every department, save leg kicks. Johnson needed more than his trademark ruthless, relentless aggression and athleticism against the champion.

But make no mistake, Johnson forced his work-rate for all twenty five championship minutes. Cruz told me leading into this fight that he will not rest until he is at the head of the mythical pound-for-pound rankings.

Cruz looks to have all the tools to be able to dominate the 135lb division in the way that Anderson Silva, GSP and Jon Jones is beginning to do at 205lbs. Elusive, and with a style of his own. Indeed, individual, unorthodox styles appear to heave longevity upon the bearer. Cruz is a damn fine individual too, and will excel within the corporate demands on the mixed martial arts athlete as demanded by the UFC.

PAUL SASS CONTINUES SUBMISSION SEQUENCE

Liverpool mixed martial artist Paul Sass, in his second fight for the UFC following his debut at UFC 120 in November last year, submitted Michael Johnson in the first round by heel hook, after shipping a few heavy shots from the American striker in the opening minute of the fight. Sass is now unbeaten in 12 fights.

USC football: Matt Barkley is Pac-12 offensive player of week

USC quarterback Matt Barkley, who established school single-game records for passing yardage and total offense in USC's victory over Arizona, has been selected Pacific 12 Conference offensive player of the week.

Barkley, a junior, passed for 468 yards and amassed 470 yards of total offense Saturday in the Trojans' 48-41 win over Arizona, which improved USC's record to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play.

Barkley completed 32 of 39 passes, threw for four touchdowns and rushed for one. Receiver Robert Woods took a short Barkley pass and turned it into an 82-yard touchdown, USC's longest touchdown pass play since 2001, when Carson Palmer and Kareem Kelly connected on a 93-yard play.

Barkley has completed 71% of his passes this season. He has 14 touchdowns, with four interceptions.

Washington State linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis and Arizona State kick returner Jamal Miles were selected defensive and special teams players of the week, respectively.

--Gary Klein

Aaron Rodgers: Suddenly a double threat for the Green Bay Packers?

Aaron Rodgers put up career passing numbers Sunday, but the Green Bay quarterback might have been more excited about his two rushing touchdowns during the Packers' 49-23 victory over the Denver Broncos.

He scored from 11 yards out in the second quarter and eight yards out in the third.

“I enjoy those times, to try to make it look semi-athletic,” said Rodgers, who hadn't scored on the ground previously this season and now has 15 rushing touchdowns in his six NFL seasons.

Still, nobody can be blamed for choosing to focus more on what Rodgers is doing with his arm. Against the Broncos, he threw for a regular-season high 408 yards and tied a career record with four touchdowns before being removed late in the fourth quarter of the blowout game.

Rodgers leads the NFL with a passer rating of 124.6, is second in touchdown passes (12) and fourth in overall yardage (1,325).

“Aaron Rodgers obviously is playing extremely well,” Green Bay Coach Mike McCarthy said. “I can't say enough. He is a special player.”

At 4-0, the defending Super Bowl champion Packers and the Detroit Lions are the only two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL.

ALSO:

NFL Week 4 two-minute drill

Andre Johnson has hamstring injury, Houston Texans say

Calvin Johnson makes history -- and a fool of Cowboys' Rob Ryan

-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers scoots into the end zone past the Denver Broncos' Rahim Moore, left, and Brian Dawkins. Credit: Matt Ludtke / Getty Images

Chris Dufresne discusses the week in college football [Video]

The Times' Chris Dufresne talks about Andrew Luck's under-the-radar season, Ohio State and the Red River Rivalry.

NFL: How far will the Detroit Lions go this season?

Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss the surprising Detroit Lions, who have gone from an 0-16 season in 2008 to a 4-0 start this year. Check back throughout the day for more responses and weigh in by voting in the poll and leaving a comment of your own.

Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune

The Lions are legitimate, no question. They have a dynamic quarterback-receiver combination in Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. Their defensive line may be the best in football. They come to play well prepared and fired up.

Their biggest problem is they play in the same neighborhood as the world champions, and as of now the Packers still are carrying a bigger stick. The Lions are not flawless. There remain questions about their running game and secondary. As time goes on, it’s more likely that some of their shortcomings will be exposed. 

But if they can keep Stafford healthy they are going to be a playoff team, and they probably will be a playoff team that no one wants to go up against. Couldn’t you envision an NFC Championship game in Green Bay between the two division rivals? It could happen.

ALSO:

NFL Week 4 two-minute drill

Andre Johnson has hamstring injury, Texans say

Calvin Johnson makes history -- and a fool of Cowboys' Rob Ryan

Photo: Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford leaves the field after a 34-30 victory over Dallas on Sunday. Credit: Paul Moseley / Fort Worth Star-Telegram

College football polls: LSU tops AP, but coaches love Oklahoma

LSU holds on to the top spot in the Associated Press college football poll this week, while Alabama jumps over Oklahoma to land at No. 2.

Apparently the voters weren't that impressed with the Sooners' 62-6 victory over Ball State. Or perhaps they were more impressed with the Crimson Tide's 38-10 win over then-No. 12 Florida.

LSU, which jumped over Oklahoma into the No. 1 spot last week, got 40 first-place votes and 1,473 points. Alabama received 12 first-place votes and 1,435 points.

This is the 10th time in the last four seasons that the top two teams in the country come from the Southeastern Conference. But its the first time since 2000 that Nos. 1 and 2 are in the same division. The SEC West rivals will face off Nov. 5 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Oklahoma, which started the season ranked No. 1, got seven first-place votes. Wisconsin moved up three spots to No. 4 after a 48-17 win over then-No. 8 Nebraska. Boise State, which had one first-place vote, slipped a spot to No. 5.

Don't feel too bad for the Sooners though -- they remain at No. 1 in the coaches' poll, with 27 first-place votes and 1,421 points. LSU is at No. 2 with 21 first-place votes and 1,410 points, followed by Alabama (10, 1,408), Stanford (1,237) and Wisconsin (1,236).

ALSO:

The week ahead in college football

Q&A with football coach Mike Leach

Stanford is the best team no one seems to care about

-- Chuck Schilken

Photo: LSU's Tyrann Mathieu celebrates in the end zone returning a fumble for a touchdown against Kentucky on Saturday. Credit: Leslie Westbrook / Associated Press / The Lafayette Daily Advertiser

Calvin Johnson makes history -- and a fool of Cowboys’ Rob Ryan

Calvin Johnson would be the third best wide receiver on the team if he played for Dallas? Wonder whether Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan wants to take back that comment he made last week,  after the fourth quarter of the Dallas' 34-30 loss to Johnson's Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Johnson caught a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Matthew Stafford to help spark the Lions to their second straight dramatic comeback victory. He joined Cris Carter as the only players in NFL history with two touchdown catches in four straight games -- and is the only player to do it in the first four games of a season.

The Lions trailed 27-3 early in the third quarter and 30-17 going into the fourth. Johnson reached over three defenders for a 23-yard touchdown at the 13:37 mark to trim the deficit to 30-24 and made the game-winning catch from two yards out -- against tight coverage with 12 Cowboys defenders on the field -- with 1:39 remaining.

"He got a lot of respect for him for not being the best receiver on their team," Stafford said of Johnson. Ryan "throws a couple of guys on him here and there."

A week earlier, the Lions turned a 20-point halftime deficit into a 26-23 overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Both comeback victories have come on the road for the Lions, who now have a club-record five-game road winning streak. They also have won eight straight regular-season games, best in the NFL right now, and are one of only two remaining undefeated teams.

Still, Johnson knows the Lions are playing with fire by depending on late rallies to win games. "We still have a lot of stuff to clean up," said Johnson, who finished with eight catches for 96 yards against Dallas. "The way we've started the last two weeks, that's really unacceptable."

In fairness to Ryan, a handful of Cowboys had good receiving numbers as well. Dez Bryant had three catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns, Jason Witten made eight catches for 94 yards and one touchdown, and Laurent Robinson had seven catches for 116 yards.

But Johnson appeared to be second to none when it mattered the most.

ALSO:

NFL Week 4 two-minute drill

NFL is a league that must deal with trust issues

Mark Sanchez, Jets give one away to the Ravens

-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Calvin Johnson scores a touchdown with a catch over Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman late in the fourth quarter. Credit: Khampha Bouaphanh / Fort Worth Star-Telegram / MCT

Andre Johnson has hamstring injury, Houston Texans say

Andre Johnson is expected to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of an injury he suffered Sunday, which the Houston Texans are calling a strained right hamstring.

That doesn't sound like a season-ending injury -- great news for Texans fans, who must have been fearing the absolute worst when they saw their star receiver crash to the ground without being touched after making a catch in the second quarter of a 17-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"The way he went down was deflating because it was like he just got shot, and that scares the heck out of you," Texans Coach Gary Kubiak said. "It's very difficult. He's the leader of our team and has been the leader of this franchise for a long time."

Johnson was on the sideline in street clothes for the second half and did not speak to the media after the game. He had four catches for 36 yards and leads the Texans with 25 receptions for 352 yards and two touchdowns.

ALSO:

NFL Week 4 two-minute drill

NFL is a league that must deal with trust issues

Mark Sanchez, Jets give one away to the Ravens

-- Chuck Schilken

Photo: Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson was injured in Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Credit: Brett Davis / US Presswire

Can Mangold Get the Jets Back on Track?

How will the Jets recover from another beating heading into a crucial game in New England?

Above all, their priority is stabilizing the offensive line. The easiest – and most obvious – solution involves someone who didn’t even take a snap Sunday night: Nick Mangold. If he can come back after a two-game absence, as Rex Ryan expects, the Jets would regain the best center in football, the man in charge of making checks and calls at the line.

Mangold’s absence was felt in Oakland, but much more so Sunday night, when the Jets struggled to protect Mark Sanchez, who committed four turnovers and was hit 10 times. Mangold’s replacement, Colin Baxter, fired a snap too hard off Sanchez’s hands that was recovered by Baltimore, and was benched for a time when the Jets, in a move that could be construed as reactionary, rotated Matt Slauson to center and inserted Vlad Ducasse at guard.

It is no guarantee that Mangold would rejuvenate the Jets’ running game, but at this point, it can’t get much worse. Through Sunday’s games, the Jets have rushed for 284 yards, 28th in the N.F.L., and their average of 3.1 yards per carry is better than only Detroit (3.0) and Tennessee (2.8).

“This football team cannot be successful when we’re rushing for 38 yards,” Ryan said. “There’s no chance.”

Monday Matchup: Colts at Bucs

Colts (0-3) at Buccaneers (2-1), 8:30 p.m. Eastern, ESPN
Line: Buccaneers by 10

The sad spectacle of the Colts’ effort to replace Peyton Manning with the aged and the unprepared has overshadowed the fact that their special teams are much worse than their offense.

Punt returner Blair White has one return, for 2 yards, and three fair catches. The Colts’ punt coverage unit, meanwhile, has allowed a 79-yard touchdown, and 43- and 37-yard returns. The kickoff and kick coverage units are almost as inept. Even the normally reliable Adam Vinatieri missed a 37-yard field goal in the season opener; the kick may not have mattered much in the 34-7 loss to the Texans, but the Colts could have used the morale boost.

The Colts’ special teams have been bad for years, but it rarely mattered because Manning executed 80-yard drives as easily as he executed 70-yard drives, and allowing long returns is no big deal when your offense can score at any time. Now that the Colts must scratch out wins, every 43-yard return is a major problem.

Special-teams problems are easier to solve than quarterback problems, but the Colts have not done much to address them, perhaps because they are too busy trying to assemble a game plan that Curtis Painter can execute without self-injury.

The Buccaneers are not great offensively, defensively, or on special teams, but they are just good enough to turn a field position edge into a margin of victory. Pick: Buccaneers 

Smedley-Massa radio message much ado about nothing

I have to say I was not much bothered by the radio message from Felipe Massa's race engineer Rob Smedley in Singapore, which was released in the official race edit on www.formula1.com over the weekend and has been doing the rounds since.

In the clip, which takes place at some indeterminate point during the race, Smedley is heard to say to Massa: "Hold Hamilton as much as we can. Destroy his race as much as we can. Come on, boy…"

As we all know, the pair collided on lap 12 when Hamilton appeared to misjudge his turn-in, clipping the back of Massa and damaging his front wing as well as giving the Ferrari a puncture. Hamilton received a drive-through penalty for his trouble and finished fifth, while Massa finished ninth before clashing with the Briton in the interview pen afterwards.

Although this 'revelation' is bound to stoke up the bad feeling that currently exists between them, I'd like to believe that Smedley was only trying to encourage his driver, quite naturally, to stay in front of what was patently a faster car for as long as possible rather than anything more sinister. He said it on an open radio channel after all.

The use of the word 'destroy' was probably ill-advised though. In the wake of 'Crashgate' in 2008, when it failed to ban Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds as it wanted to, the FIA brought in a 'staff licence' which commits six key members of the team – "including the Team Principal, Sporting Director, Team Manager, Technical Director and two race engineers" - to a new FIA Code of Good Standing.

Ferrari may be concerned that some will accuse them of unsportsmanlike conduct. I don't see that.

Did Officials Get the Victor Cruz Call Right?

Rule 7, Section 2, Article 1(e) An official shall declare the ball dead and the down ended when a runner is out of bounds, or declares himself down by falling to the ground, or kneeling, and making no effort to advance.

Sometimes all that matters is the call. The football is mere window dressing.

Had the officials ruled that Giants receiver Victor Cruz fumbled late in the fourth quarter at Arizona on Sunday, the Cardinals almost certainly would have won the game. But Cruz was ruled to have gone down of his own volition, for the purpose of stopping play.

The former league supervisor of officials, Mike Pereira, now a Fox analyst, likened the call to a crucial one in Week 1 last season, a decision that sent the Lions in the wrong direction and the Bears in the right one.

He wrote on Fox Sports:

This Cruz ruling is one similar to the magnitude of the Calvin Johnson decision from last year. It can really affect the outcome of a season for a team, both in a positive and negative way. With the win, the Giants improved to 3-1, while the Cardinals fell to 1-3.

In my opinion, Cruz slipped and stumbled and didn’t fall to the ground to give himself up. I think it should have been ruled a fumble. I just don’t see this as the normal way a player would give himself up.

He was clearly moving forward and gaining yardage when he went to the ground. I don’t think the rule was meant to protect him in this situation.

Pereira gave two examples:

I remember the play years ago when Plaxico Burress was with the Steelers, when he got up off the ground after a catch and spiked the ball backwards. He was not down by contact and the ball was awarded to the defense.

I also remember the play involving the Chargers and the Raiders, when a Chargers player got up off the ground and spiked the ball forward. Since it was beyond the neutral zone, it became an illegal forward pass.

Eli Manning seemed to have no doubt that it was a fumble:

“We got a break on that one, I think. I thought it was going to be ruled a fumble. I saw it pretty clear, but I don’t know what the call was or why. They couldn’t review it. I tried to get to the ball and snap it really quick.
“He just has to learn. I’ve made that same mistake one or two times before myself. Everything else was good about the play, but a good lesson learned.”

Fittingly for a mixed-up play, Cruz gave some mixed responses after the game.
Sam Borden’s article in The Times:

Cruz said later that he wanted to give himself up, that he “just wanted to get down” so the Giants could go on to the next play.

Ralph Vacchiano’s article in The Daily News:

After first being tripped by Cards cornerback Michael Adams, Cruz took a few more steps before he fell. He got up and left the ball behind because, he said, “I thought I was touched.”

In his Monday Morning QB, Peter King of Sports Illustrated said the officials got it right:

The way I saw it, Cruz did stop trying to advance the ball, and he was on the ground, and he lay the ball down and began returning to the huddle, which falls under the tenets of this rule. I can’t see how, if replay had been allowed, the referee would have overturned the call anyway.

Extra point Which way did you see it?

Can Jets Handle Pressure of Being a Targeted Team?

“You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse”– Joe Paterno

One of the realities the 2-2 Jets are adapting to this season, their third with Rex Ryan as coach, is that they are no longer the hunters.

For two seasons, the Jets roamed the N.F.L. landscape with success, searching for and accumulating pelts to put on their wall. Three victories over New England, two over Indianapolis and single victories over San Diego and the Steelers while  going to back-to-back A.F.C. championship games had helped give the Jets the attention and respect they sought.

What has it all added up to?

Now it is the Jets who are the hunted.

Let’s start with two weeks ago, when Raiders Coach Hue Jackson made a point of saying he wanted his team to punch the Jets in the mouth and beat them at their own game. Jackson succeeded, and the Raider star is now shining a little brighter in the national spotlight.

On Sunday night, Baltimore put another hurting on the Jets and their already wounded pride. The Ravens shut down Rex Ryan’s ground-and-pound running game while scoring three defensive touchdowns.

Do you think New England might have something in store on Sunday in Foxborough, the site of the Jets’ division-round playoff victory over the Patriots last season, the game that Tom Brady described as one “he will never get over”? Anyone want to guess whether Brady has had this game circled on the schedule on his refrigerator door?

The bottom line is that the days of  sneaking up on teams is over. Do the Jets have what it takes to withstand the rigors of being a targeted team on a weekly basis?

It won’t matter whether the Jets can handle the pressure if they can’t pick up the quality of their play.

Let’s take a quick look at their problems, with some possible solutions:

1) The Jets can’t run the ball. Does this problem all fall on Shonn Greene? On the offensive line? On the play calling? The answer is probably a mix of all three.

As powerful a runner as Greene is, it’s possible he isn’t suited for the feature back role. It may not be fair to make that prognosis so early, especially since center Nick Mangold has been out for the better part of three of the Jets’ first four games. But the argument could be made that the Jets need a more elusive runner early in games to help create some momentum for the running game. If LaDainian Tomlinson is not the answer this season, as he was early last season, does that mean Joe McKnight deserves a chance to see what he can do? Maybe so.

2) The Jets can’t protect Mark Sanchez. This problem has been evident in every game this season. Against the Ravens,  Sanchez seldom seemed to have more than “one Mississippi” to get rid of the ball. If the Jets have room to maneuver under the salary cap, it is clear they need to look to improve their talent and production on the offensive line. Does anyone have Flozell Adams’s phone number?

3) The defense has underperformed. Yes, they finished strong against the Ravens, and Joe Flacco’s final numbers were terrible (10 for 31; 163 yards; INT). But the defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed for the better part of two quarters before it figured out how to disrupt Flacco. The Jets are going to face a very hungry, fast and feisty Patriots offense next week. Will they be able to turn back the clock and figure out how to get inside Tom Brady’s head again?

Extra point I’ll leave it to Fifth Down readers to break down any  other issues. What do the Jets need to do to get back to playing winning football?

London 2012 Olympics: Government and Boris should lobby IOC for more British media passes

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has taken umbrage at the lack of local newspaper journalists with accreditation for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

This week, when the International Olympic Committee is in London for its penultimate inspection of the Olympic planning process, Johnson will, hopefully, lobby the Lausanne-based mandarins for more media access.

At the moment the numbers of British print journalists and photographers given accreditation to cover the London Olympics is 530.  That number includes the 90 journalists and photographers from the Press Association, which is committed to providing all of the regional and local newspapers with  extensive coverage.

If we break it down further, the number of  journalists for the whole of  Britain's newspaper industry with "E" accreditations  (unlimited access) is just 270 .

Now let's see. Pick another country, say China. How many journalist and photographer accreditations do they have?  It's 500. Roughly the same.  So for a country with limited media freedom the numbers of accreditations are in line with Britain, which has the most robust competitive media market in the world.

The IOC will say that they have slashed the numbers of accreditations for China, as well as other countries like the USA and Australia compared with the Beijing Olympics. This in order to boost the numbers for Britain, who's total is about double the norm for an away Games. But the numbers are still pitifully low.

Locog and the IOC repeatedly say there are 27,000 journalists covering the London 2012 Olympics. But most of these are broadcast technicians, working behind the scenes ensuring the global television coverage reaches the four billion viewers. The total number of newspaper journalists and photographers from across the world is capped at just 5,500 because this is the total number London organisers factor in their provision of media services.

I have been on a committee for the British Olympic Association (along with other representatives from national, regional and photographic media) to try to decide how the accreditations are distributed. It hasn't been easy.

Over 4,000 applications were received, meaning just one in eight was successful. Essentially, priority was given to publications which face constant deadlines.  Some of the weekly newspapers and specialist magazines have a more intimate relationship with the athletes and don't need such immediate access to interviews after a race. Johnson is lobbying for these titles, and rightly so.

Perhaps the Olympics Minister,  Hugh Robertson, should be in there too, lobbying for far greater access for all of the print media in this country.

Week 4 Quick Hits: In Defense of Tony Romo

The Falcons are still searching for an offensive identity. Did Bill Belichick find a defensive identity? And the Bills were reaquainted with a little reality. Here’s a quick look at every game of Week 4:

Lions 34, Cowboys 30

This season Tony Romo has gone from goat to G.O.A.T. back to goat. Not that the Romo haters will care, but two of Romo’s second-half interceptions on Sunday are explainable, perhaps even understandable. The first (to Bobby Carpenter) was simply a bad play. But the second was more about great defense than bad offense. Cornerback Chris Houston – who had trouble much of the afternoon against Laurent Robinson, a talented but injury-prone former second-round pick who looks something like a stretched version of Miles Austin – made an excellent jump on Robinson’s slant route. On the third pick, Romo correctly read no safety help over the top against Jason Witten. Problem was, with Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh in his face, he underthrew the ball. Good read, poor execution.

The turnovers overshadow the fact that Dallas’s offensive line outplayed Detroit’s outstanding front four most of the afternoon. The Cowboy defense also stymied Matthew Stafford. Detroit’s saving grace on offense was that Calvin Johnson remained the most unguardable receiver in the game.

Bears 34, Panthers 29

Ahh….now that’s nice: A classic Chicago Bears game, as we’ve come to know. Against Carolina, Chicago’s offense was actually its defense and special teams. Defensive back D.J. Moore had a pick-six off a tipped pass (poor decision by Cam Newton to rifle a ball to unreliable Legedu Naanee against tight bracket coverage on the play). Matt Forte’s second-quarter touchdown run was set up by a 73-yard kick return from Devin Hester. The next time Hester touched the ball, he went 69 yards and somersaulted for his record-setting 11th career punt return score.

Jay Cutler finished with just 17 pass attempts, while Forte posted a career-high 205 yards on the ground. Maybe this will get the Panther fans talking about their own team’s run game. The one-two punch of Jonathan Stewart and $21 million man DeAngelo Williams combined for just 18 carries. The duo has combined for 20 carries or fewer in all four games this season, and the Panthers are now 0-3 when their wunderkind quarterback throws for more than 370 yards.

Bengals 23, Bills 20

Maybe the Bills can take solace in being good enough to fall for a trap game. They have experienced weekly trap games the past nine years, but never as the trapee. They have no choice but to shake this one off and move on. Doing so could be tough, particularly for the coaching staff. Buffalo’s coaches are the ones who know just how vulnerable their team is defensively. With a lackluster pass-rush and a struggling secondary (cornerback Leodis McKelvin has been especially shaky filling in for injured Terrence McGee), the Bills are not as good as their .750 record suggests.

As for the Bengals, the rookie wideout A.J. Green was an acrobat downfield Sunday, and Cedric Benson was a bell cow (19 carries, 104 yards). That’s their main formula, and it got them to 2-2.

Titans 31, Browns 13

Those who follow the Titans closely are saying FINALLY! Jared Cook breaks out! The 6-5, 246-pound ex-Gator is perhaps the most athletic young tight end in the A.F.C. But he has struggled to harness his gifts while sorting through the mental demands of playing in the N.F.L. With increased playing time this season, Cook appears to be thinking less and reacting more. We saw this on his 80-yard touchdown catch against the Browns. When Kenny Britt was sidelined, Cook became Tennessee’s best chance at creating mismatches through the air. Look for him to get more split-out opportunities as the season progresses.

Chiefs 22, Vikings 17

At least the Vikings did not blow a hearty halftime lead in this one.  Minnesota is on track for a pair of quarterback controversies: in 2011, Donovan McNabb or Christian Ponder? In 2012, Christian Ponder or Andrew Luck?

Redskins 17, Rams 10

Playing at home against what we’re realizing is a really good Redskins defense, Sam Bradford averaged 3.8 yards per pass attempt while completing less than 50 percent and taking seven sacks. Without having yet watched the film, it’s difficult to say whether this was a product of a great Redskin defense or an awful Ram offense. Like most things, it’s probably a combination of both.

The Rams limp into their bye week with an 0-4 record. It’s possible – in fact, probable – that four weeks from now, they’ll be 0-7. Their next three games are: at Green Bay, at Dallas and home vs. New Orleans. 0-7 might seem catastrophic, but in the N.F.C. West, it’s considered striking position. Six of the Rams’ last nine games are against feeble division opponents.

49ers 24, Eagles 23

You might say not all N.F.C. West teams are feeble;  the 49ers improved to 3-1. Considering the Niners just put together a come-from-behind win on the road against an alleged Dream Team (is it too predictable to call the Eagles a Bad-Dream Team?), all cries about the 49ers’ legitimacy will be received with respect for the next 48 hours. But Niner apologists beware: that’s still Alex Smith you’re vouching for.

As for the Eagles, they can look forward to a week of hyperventilation and  criticism over their fourth-quarter struggles. They’ve been outscored, 36-0, in their current three-game losing streak. In two of the losses, they were moving for a potential game-winning drive late only to have wideout Jeremy Maclin literally drop the ball. Maclin, who has otherwise played well this season, dropped a fourth-down catch with 1:45 remaining against Atlanta and carelessly fumbled with 2:15 left against San Francisco.

Saints 23, Jaguars 10

This from STATS Inc.: “The Saints (on Sunday) became the first team from the N.F.C. South to win in Jacksonville. New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Carolina and Atlanta had been a combined 0-8 in the River City.”

Who knew Jacksonville was called the River City? And who knew it was possible for a team to gain 30 first downs and 503 yards of total offense but manage only 23 points? Good productive day for the Saints. Road wins are always welcomed.

Texans 17, Steelers 10

The Texans opened the game with a 19-play touchdown drive that took 10:55 off the clock. It was the longest drive the league has seen since the Saints went for 10:59 against the Raiders on Oct. 12, 2008.

Houston’s drive was a work of art, with Arian Foster rushing for 45 of his 155 yards and Matt Schaub completing five passes to either a back or a tight end. It wasn’t the first time this season that Pittsburgh’s front seven fell back on its heels in run and short pass defense.

But here’s the thing about long drives: they’re not nearly as productive as explosive plays. When you eat up so much clock, you’re not just limiting your opponents’ possessions – you’re limiting your possessions. This, by nature, helps keep a game close.

That’s partly why the Texans found themselves leaning on their defense to make a stand and win the game late in the fourth quarter after surrendering 10 points in a pair of third-quarter Steeler drives that totaled more than 13 minutes. Fortunately for the Texans, their defense responded. Pass-rushers Connor Barwin, Mario Williams and Antonio Smith were fantastic all afternoon. They sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times and constantly forced him to relocate his pocket. The Texans finished with five team sacks and eight quarterback hits and hounded Big Ben into two interceptions on the final drive (the first was called back by a roughing-the-passer penalty).

Giants 31, Cardinals 27

Every year we get a game that’s defined by a blown call at the end. Sometimes, as with the 2008 Broncos-Chargers game in which Ed Hochuli pre-emptively blew the play dead on a Jay Cutler fumble that he deemed an incomplete pass, it helps lead to rule changes (the N.F.L. became more lenient in continuing action on plays involving fumbles).

What will the reaction be to the erroneous ruling that Victor Cruz gave himself up before setting what should have been a live ball on the turf late in the fourth quarter at Arizona? Normally, a team in Arizona’s position can point to its own many mistakes as the real reason it lost. The game is always bigger than any single play. That remains true in this case – after all, the Cruz play was just one of 135  plays on the afternoon, and it directly provided zero of the Giants’ 31 points. But it could be extra difficult for the Cardinals to admit this given that they outrushed the ground-and-pound Giants, 156 to 54.

Falcons 30, Seahawks 28

We continue to monitor the Falcons’ search for an offensive identity. As stated in previous posts, the Falcons are built to pound the ball. But the huge price they paid for the first-round rookie Julio Jones could persuade them to attack more through the sky. That was the case in Week 3 at Tampa, and it appears to have been the case in Week 4 at Seattle. Jones was targeted 17 times (he had 11 catches). Those targets, however, could have been a reaction to his drastic mismatch against Seattle’s so-so right corner, Brandon Browner. We can’t pinpoint the Falcons’ identity until we get a little more data on them. But it’s looking like change is in the air…

Whether this sort of change would be wise remains debatable.

Packers 49, Broncos 23

Bronco fans, had you not been so rudely clamoring for Tim Tebow right out of the gate, John Fox probably would have given the Almighty Ex-Gator a chance in the fourth quarter. But Fox knew that a change under center, even in garbage time, would be viewed as an indictment of Kyle Orton. Probably not wanting that distraction, he kept Orton on the field and watched him throw his third interception late in the fourth quarter.

Orton wasn’t the culprit for this loss, though. Denver’s defense was…sort of. The D struggled mightily, but given the brilliance of Aaron Rodgers – career highs 408 yards passing and two touchdowns running – criticizing it feels almost like blaming Bryon Russell for Jordan’s final jump shot as a Bull.

Patriots 31, Raiders 19

Bill Belichick’s best feature is his ability to remold his defense in a way that compromises the opponent’s greatest strength. Pinpointing Oakland’s greatest strength isn’t hard. Needing to stop Darren McFadden in order to stop the Raiders, the Patriots opened the game in bear defensive looks, which, in essence, meant five-man defensive lines. Aside from a 40-yard McFadden scamper, the approach worked. The Raiders got just 35 yards out of McFadden’s other 10 carries and had to retrofit their gameplan around Jason Campbell. Campbell threw the ball well but had two costly (and terrible) interceptions, including one directly to Patrick Chung in the end zone.

Chargers 26, Dolphins 16

Typical Chargers game: nice weather, mediocre opponent, solid but not jaw-dropping performance and Dan Fouts calling the action for CBS.

Ravens 34, Jets 17

This game would have made more sense if they’d just let the two defenses line up and fist-fight each other for 60 minutes. The Jets should have major concerns about facing  Vince Wilfork and the Patriots without Nick Mangold next week. The Ravens can be concerned about Joe Flacco if they want, but some simple run-pass balance in the play-calling would go a long ways toward ironing things out.

Andy Benoit is an NFL analyst for CBSSports.com and founder of NFLTouchdown.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLTouchdown.com or @Andy_Benoit.

Offensive Line Leaves Jets Vulnerable

A quick recap of the Jets’ 34-17 loss at Baltimore:

KEY PERFORMANCE

Committing turnovers week after week is bound to have repercussions. Mark Sanchez committed four more Sunday night, running his total to nine. The Ravens scored 24 points off turnovers. Sanchez has big hands, and the Jets have worked with him on ball security. But he struggled to handle two snaps, which did not appear to be the fault of the backup center, Colin Baxter, who again started in place of Nick Mangold.

NOTABLE NUMBER

It took one play for the Ravens to establish their superiority over the Jets’ offensive line. When Ed Reed broke free and forced Sanchez to fumble, it set the tone for a night of dominance. Try as they might, the Jets could not find the suitable combinations to protect Sanchez and keep Baltimore’s imposing front seven from breaching the line.

TALKING POINT

What can the Jets do to recover from another beating as they head into a crucial game at New England?

Umenyiora Returns With a Flourish

A quick look back at the Giants’ 31-27 victory over Arizona:

KEY PERFORMANCE

With Justin Tuck’s health an issue, Osi Umenyiora’s return from arthroscopic knee surgery could not have come at a better time. Umenyiora, who had 11.5 sacks in 2010, recorded two (one which forced a fumble) in his 2011 debut. “I love to play,” he said. “This is what I live for and I was happy to go out there and get this win.”

NOTABLE NUMBER
The Giants had 3 rushing yards in the fourth quarter (on 12 attempts), leaving Eli Manning to carry the offensive load through the air. He delivered, completing 14 of 17 fourth-quarter passes for 180 yards, with 2 touchdowns.

TALKING POINT

With the Eagles and Cowboys struggling, can the Giants take advantage of three straight home games to put an early stranglehold on the N.F.C. East?

Wait, Which Way Are the Jaguars Headed?

To the growing list of problems currently dogging the Jaguars (1-3) — poor play, a rookie quarterback, questionable roster moves and the specter of relocation — we can now add a new one: ridicule. But at least this time it was not Coach Jack Del Rio’s fault.

The grounds crew preparing EverBank Field for Sunday’s game against the Saints managed to get an F in Field Painting 101: half of the arrows beside the markers on the Jaguars’ side of the field inexplicably pointed to the wrong end zone. (If you’re new to this, the arrows always point to the nearest end zone, kind of a road map for guys as they crash into one another for three hours.)

So remember that as you settle into work this morning: no matter how bad your Monday goes, it can’t be worse than the Sunday the Jags’ operations staff just experienced. Not only did they discover the mistake while surrounded by 62,000 witnesses, they couldn’t do a thing about fixing the field until the Saints and the Jaguars were finished using it.

An hour after the game, workers painted over the offending numbers. But that didn’t stop others from having a little fun first.

Dan Hanzus of NFL.com:

Call us cynics, but we don’t believe this was some accident by a bumbling grounds-crew intern. Something Machiavellian was at play in Jacksonville.

We can only hope stadium personnel alerted the home team before kickoff. With only one touchdown in their last 11 quarters entering Sunday, the Jaguars didn’t need any more challenges finding the end zone.

David Whitley of Fanhouse:

As soon as the game ended, workers scrambled out and painted over the wrong-way signs.

The only question now is whether the head of the grounds crew will outlast Del Rio. My guess is he won’t, mainly because the grounds crew guy isn’t making $5 million a year guaranteed.

But leave it to a Deadspin commenter to stick the knife in and twist:

If you look closely it reads “<— LA 2,417 miles.