With Sunday’s divisional playoff game against the New York Giants to prepare
for—and a Super Bowl repeat to strive for—real life has knocked the Packers
back.

Philbin wasn’t with the team Wednesday, and will be away indefinitely as he
and his family deal with the loss of Michael, whose body was recovered from an
icy Wisconsin river on Monday.

McCarthy said he and the rest of his offensive assistant coaches are
dividing up Philbin’s responsibilities and will continue to do so as long as
they need to. McCarthy says Philbin is with his family, “where he’s supposed to
be.”

Article source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nfl/SIG=11s1bcs19/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-packers-philbin

Following a 10-6 regular season, Atlanta lost at the New York Giants on
Sunday, 24-2. The lopsided loss left the Falcons 0-3 in the playoffs in four
seasons with general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith.

Since the loss, the Falcons have lost both coordinators. Defensive
coordinator Brian VanGorder left to head Auburn’s defense, and offensive
coordinator Mike Mularkey was hired as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ coach.

Blank said the team didn’t want to lose VanGorder and Mularkey.

The owner said Dimitroff and Smith should be “excited about bringing in
some folks that will be able to give us maybe some new perspective, not only on
scheme questions but on player issues they may have as well.”

The Falcons’ offense was led by quarterback Matt Ryan, who set a team record
with 4,177 yards rush, running back Michael Turner, who finished third in the
league with 1,340 yards rushing, and receiver Roddy White, who finished second
in the league with 100 catches. Rookie Julio Jones tied for 11th in the league
with eight TD catches.

Ryan, Turner, White and the offense was shut out by the Giants as Atlanta’s
only points came on a safety.

“I would say in 2011 we took a step back instead of forward,” Blank said.
“That doesn’t mean we haven’t taken a lot of steps forward in the last four
years. We have, but that being said, we’re not where we need to be.

“We have not performed well during the postseason. We have not been
competitive at that time. I know there’s a tremendous amount of disappointment
with our fans, our sponsors and everybody connected with the organization.”

Smith and Dimitroff joined Blank in the news conference at the owner’s
offices. It was an unusual setting for a season-review session with reporters.

“One of the reasons we feel necessary to talk with you today, we wanted to
share with you our own disappointment,” Blank said.

Blank said he remains confident in Smith and Dimitroff, who have brought
four straight winning seasons to a franchise which had never before managed to
deliver two straight winning records.

“I still feel blessed and I have great confidence, as great confidence as
I’ve ever had, because of the intellectual honesty both of these gentlemen
have,” Blank said. “They’re not defensive by nature. They don’t need me to
flog them. They’ve done plenty of flogging to themselves.

“They are self-critical, they will be honest in their evaluations of their
own performance, of the coaches’ performance and the personnel department’s
performance and the decisions we’ve made. They will do anything and everything
they can in their power to move us to the next level, and I have complete faith
and confidence in their abilities to do so.”

Smith said he hoped to begin interviews with candidates to replace VanGorder
and Mularkey “as quickly as possible.”

Blank added that the input from new coordinators should help the offseason
evaluations.

“Sometimes after a long period of time with a player, or an organization or
a scheme, you tend to fall in love with them,” he said. “Sometimes it’s
healthy to have somebody from the outside look at it as well and confirm your
thinking or maybe ask some questions you were not asking. I think that will be
healthy for us this year.”

The Falcons have 17 unrestricted free agents, including four key starters on
defense: end John Abraham, cornerback Brent Grimes, linebacker Curtis Lofton and
safety Thomas DeCoud.

Dimitroff said more is needed than “a minor tweak here or there.” But he
said he doesn’t want to start over.

“There’s a foundation here in place,” Dimitroff said. “I’m not suggesting
at all we are going to blow anything up.”

Dimitroff said he is “scrutinizing the entire team” and must make some
difficult decisions on free agents. He suggested some popular players may not be
back in 2012.

“We will analyze our roster,” Dimitroff said before adding “There are no
sacred cows.”

Blank quickly added: “There may be some sacrificial cows, but no sacred
cows.”

Note: White was named Wednesday as a Pro Bowl injury replacement for
Detroit’s Calvin Johnson. White will join tight end Tony Gonzalez as Falcons on
the NFC Pro Bowl team.

Article source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nfl/SIG=11qj1ai4p/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-falcons-blank

It’s official. The Green Bay Packers have defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to earn the right to call themselves the 2011 Super Bowl champions.

SB Nation has full coverage of Super Bowl XLV, including commercials, scores, highlights and more. Check it out.

It what turned out to be a great game, after initially being a rout by the Packers, Green Bay’s offense was simply too much in the end for Pittsburgh to overcome. The Steelers’ three turnovers were the real dagger in their heart.

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers, your Super Bowl 45 Champions.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Imagine this scenario: Sunday’s Super Bowl goes to
overtime, and the team that wins the coin toss gets the ball, drives down the
field and makes a field goal.

Game over, right? Nope. Not anymore.

That’s the way things used to work. This season, though, the NFL changed the
postseason OT system to eliminate that sort of one-possession, one-kick
scenario. So the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers need to figure out
how to prepare and adjust, just in case their big game at Cowboys Stadium winds
up being the first game in the history of the league to get to overtime under
the new rules.

None of the previous 44 Super Bowls went to OT. But Steelers-Packers is
widely expected to be close; the Packers were favored by 2 points in the opening
line, and the margin at kickoff hasn’t been this low since 1982.

If these teams wind up tied at the end of the fourth quarter, this will be a
brand-new experience for everyone.

“There are a lot of questions still that haven’t been answered, because
nobody’s gotten into the situation yet,” Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce
Arians said. “I’d like the rule had we had it … all year. Then we’d know what
to do before we get to the Super Bowl.”

Not everyone who’ll be on the field Sunday was even aware of the changes.
Here’s what Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley said when asked if he knew about
it:

“No. I haven’t really paid attention to it,” he said, laughing and shaking
his head. “It doesn’t even really matter to me.”

Other players acknowledged they weren’t sure what would happen. Pittsburgh
rookie receiver Antonio Brown pretended to know, until his bluff was called and
he was prodded to recite the new rule—and couldn’t.

Presumably, all of the coaches and NFL officials are familiar with it. But
there is certainly confusion elsewhere. Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana
said he was talking about the OT setup with friends during breakfast Friday,
“trying to figure out the whole thing.”

Here’s a little primer:

It used to be that the first team to score in the extra period won the game,
no matter what.

Now, if Team A wins the coin toss, gets the opening kickoff and scores a
touchdown, it wins the game. But if Team A kicks a field goal, Team B gets a
possession. If Team B also kicks a field goal, tying the score, the game
continues, and the next points scored by either team earns a victory; if Team B
scores a touchdown, it wins; and if Team B doesn’t score on its first
possession, Team A wins.

A safety at any point ends things.

So does everyone like it?

“I’m a traditionalist,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

His teammate, safety Charlie Peprah was able to explain the rule from
memory. While he understands the idea of wanting to give each team “equal
opportunity” because the old way allowed for what he called “kind of a cheap
way to win,” he also is “a big fan of: ‘You’ve got to stop them.”’

The tweak was made in March 2010, two months after the New Orleans Saints
beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime in the NFC championship game. The
Saints won the OT coin toss and drove to Garrett Hartley’s 40-yard kick on the
opening possession.

As of now, the change is only for the playoffs, although NFL owners
eventually could add it to the regular season, too. Because none of this year’s
playoff games went to an extra period, no one knows exactly what would be in
store if the Steelers and Packers need OT to determine who wins the Vince
Lombardi Trophy.

“I hope it doesn’t come down in this game, but it’s going to be
different,” Pittsburgh’s Arians said. “It has made you sit down and think and
have another game plan, so to speak, for overtime.”

During “game management” meetings this week, both coaching staffs
discussed the factors that could come into play:

— Do you kick away the ball even if you win the coin toss?

— Do you make an extra effort to score a touchdown instead of a field goal,
including perhaps going for it on fourth-and-short to extend a drive?

— Do you change your defensive strategy?

“There are a lot of things you can talk about in advance,” Packers
offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said, “but you also have to be able to
adjust.”

Both kickers—Pittsburgh’s Shaun Suisham and Green Bay’s Mason Crosby
insist they’re not bothered a bit by the way their roles could be affected if
Sunday’s game winds up needing more than 60 minutes of action.

“If we get the ball first, I’ve still got to make that kick. But you hope
the offense scores a touchdown,” Crosby said. “Then it’ll be over. Right?”

Yes, Mason, that’s right.

DALLAS (AP)—The NFL and its players’ union are holding their first formal
bargaining session in more than two months.

Saturday’s meeting at a Dallas hotel came one day before the Super Bowl at
Cowboys Stadium and was not expected to last more than a couple of hours. The
full negotiating teams last sat down face-to-face on Nov. 22.

Two more sessions are scheduled for next week.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the day
March 3, and the union expects owners to lock out players if a new deal isn’t
reached by then.

The major issues are how to divide about $9 billion in annual revenues; the
owners’ push to expand the regular season to 18 games and reduce the preseason

by two games; a rookie wage scale; and benefits for retired players.

Earn it all back by using the Full Tilt referral code for 2011 and then clean up at the poker tables.

.

Top Performers

Passing: M. Sanchez (NYJ) – 233 YDS, 2 TD

Rushing: R. Mendenhall (PIT) – 27 CAR, 121 YDS, 1 TD

Receiving: D. Keller (NYJ) – 8 REC, 64 YDS

Top Performers

Passing: A. Rodgers (GB) – 244 YDS, 2 INT

Rushing: J. Starks (GB) – 22 CAR, 74 YDS, 1 TD

Receiving: G. Jennings (GB) – 8 REC, 130 YDS

For Australian readers, check out Luxbet, who offer some of the best odds on NFL betting.

New York Jets (13-5 SU, 11-7 ATS) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4 SU, 11-6-0 ATS), AFC Championship Game, 6:30 p.m. EST, Sunday, January 23, 2011, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pa., TV: CBS
by Badger of Predictem.com

Betting Odds: NYJ +3.5/PIT -3.5
Over/Under Total: 38.5

The road to Super Bowl 45 that everyone thought would go through Foxborough will instead be going through Pittsburgh this weekend, when the New York Jets hit the road one more time for a trip to Heinz Field for a showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game Sunday on CBS.

The Jets and their head coach Rex Ryan sure talked a lot of talk last week, but then they went out and walked it with a huge, 28-21, upset of the top-seeded New England Patriots Sunday in Foxborough. Quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for three scores and protected the ball, and the Jets defense swarmed Tom Brady and never let the Patriots offense get any rhythm to help the Jets knock off the mighty Peyton Manning and Brady in back-to-back weeks.

Pittsburgh survived a third battle against the rival Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, 31-24, then they watched like everyone else as the Jets took down the Patriots to give the Steelers another AFC playoff game in front of the home fans at Heinz Field. Home field helped fuel the Steelers 24-to-3-point second-half rally to topple the Ravens in the Divisional round, so getting a second chance to play at home for the right to move on to Dallas is a huge bonus they hope to not let slip through their fingers.

The problem for the Steelers is that the Jets certainly won’t be intimidated by having to play at Pittsburgh. Not only have the Jets gotten the job done on the road thus far in the playoffs in hostile surroundings, but they beat the Steelers, 22-17, in week 15 of the regular season on December 19th.

Oddsmakers opened the AFC title game with the Steelers as the standard 3-point favorites at home in Heinz Field. The little bit of money that has trickled in to the betting window in the first 12 hours since the number was released has been coming in on Pittsburgh, causing a few offshore sportsbooks to move their point spread up to 3.5-points. All of the sportsbooks in Las Vegas also list the number at 3.5 on their boards, so the early steam is on Pittsburgh right now.

The over/under total opened at 38.5 at most sportsbooks on the Web, but it’s already been moved up to 39 at most of the bigger ones on the Internet (SportsInteraction, 5Dimes, BetUS). However, you can still find plenty of 38.5s if you still want the hook to take the push out of play on your total wager.

A Jets-Steelers AFC title game offers some interesting angles on offense because both teams are very similar in scheme, trying to possess the ball in long stretches with a potent ground game and then play-action pass over the top of it for big plays.

The Steelers are a little bit more of a threat for the big play with Ben Roethlisberger and his deep threat Mike Wallace able to strike so quickly, but the Jets are probably the only team in the league able to negate that threat with the corner tandem of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

The Steelers would love to lean on running back Rashard Mendenhall more this week, but he hasn’t had a 100-yard week since week 10 versus Buffalo and injuries along the offensive line’s right side (tackle Flozell Adams and backup Chris Scott both listed as questionable) could limit the play selection to the left side of the field. The good news is that Mendenhall did have 99 yards rushing against the Jets in their week 15 matchup, and a 5.8 yard per carry average which should serve as inspiration for the Steelers to keep pounding away at the Jets on the ground.

The Jets offense will be facing it’s toughest test in the playoffs thus far and the Steelers defensive line just doesn’t allow teams to run the ball against them with much success, so it will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer game plans for Sunday. Sanchez and his ability to pick up blitzes at the line of scrimmage will determine whether or not the Jets will convert enough third-downs to keep the Jets defense fresh and off the field.

In the week 15 matchup the Jets only had 276 yards of total offense, but they also only gave up one sack and didn’t commit a single turnover, so staying as close to that type of performance will be crucial for Sanchez and the Jets offense.

The week 15 matchup ultimately was decided by special teams (Brad Smith returned the opening kickoff for a TD) and defense (a late Jets safety), so the punting of Steve Weatherford and clutch kicking of Nick Folk gives the Jets a sizeable advantage over the Steelers tandem of Jeremy Kapinos (a mid-season FA pickup) and journeyman kicker Shaun Suisham.

There are some solid betting trends in this game if you like to bet along those lines, but the problem is that like most trends they go both ways.

The Jets are road warriors (12-4 ATS last 16 road games) and are a solid 4-1 ATS in their last five visits to Pittsburgh, including this season (as 3.5-point underdogs) and their 20-17 overtime loss to the Steelers in the 2005 playoffs (as 9.5-point dogs).

However, Pittsburgh just doesn’t lose in the playoffs going 5-0 ATS in their last five home playoff games and 8-1 ATS in their last nine playoff games overall.

On paper you would imagine that the under is a great wager with these two defenses, and it has turned out that way in five of the last seven head-to-head meetings (under is 5-2). But that runs completely contrary to the way these teams have performed in the playoffs, with the over going 14-2 in Pittsburgh last 16 playoff games. The over is also 10-1 in the Jets last 11 road games overall and 5-2 in their last seven road playoff games.

I believe that this will be a very close game throughout. I see the Steelers winning straight up here but the Jets getting the cover, losing by 3 points or less. Take the J-E-T-S to get the money this weekend.