Brett Favre could expect more Hasselbeck jokes in playoff return to Green Bay
KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- Matt Hasselbeck looked inside his mailbox at Packers headquarters a decade ago. He was thrilled. For the first time in his NFL career, the rookie quarterback on Green Bay's practice squad had fan mail.
"The first one that wasn't from my mom!" Hasselbeck thought excitedly.
The letter read: "I'd really appreciate it if you could get Brett Favre's autograph for me."
"It's really bad," a smirking Hasselbeck said of his welcome-to-the-NFL moment. He recently retold the story to the league's television network, which is running a fan-voting contest for a new Super Bowl commercial.
This week, the Seahawks' record-setting quarterback has been preparing for Saturday's NFC divisional playoff against Favre and the Packers.
He and his wife Sarah have been, that is. Hasselbeck explained that Sarah quizzes him on each week's playbook.
While they are in bed.
"It's very romantic," he said.
"Matt thinks he's Jay Leno," said Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, who rolls his eyes so much at what Hasselbeck says and does it's a wonder he doesn't spend half his days dizzy.
Holmgren's eyes still roll when he's reminded of that well-known overtime coin toss in Green Bay four years ago. Hasselbeck correctly called the flip and boldly announced "We want the ball and we're going to score!" He then threw the interception that Al Harris returned for a touchdown, ending the Seahawks' 2003 season.
Hasselbeck says now that he didn't intend for his brash joke to be broadcast throughout Lambeau Field and live on national television. But it was, thanks to the referee's microphone.
"I didn't know it was THAT kind of a microphone," he said this week.
Last weekend, immediately after threw for the go-ahead score that eventually beat Washington that advanced Seattle to this playoff rematch in Green Bay, Hasselbeck walked to a podium for his usual news conference. He leaned in and said, "We want the ball and we're going to score. Thank you."
Then he made a mock exit.
"I thought it was awesome," Favre said of the stunt, about which he has teased his former protege via text messages this week. "I thought it was funny. And it was typical Matt.
As for Hasselbeck's coin-toss shenanigans, Favre said, "I could see him doing it again. I could see him doing it this (weekend) to start the game."
Hasselbeck would drive the demanding Holmgren nuts if he wasn't so darn good at his day job, but the coach has only himself to blame. He traded with Green Bay in 2001 so Hasselbeck could be his starter in Seattle.
Hasselbeck's humor -- in meetings, in interviews, in teasing special-teams captain Niko Koutouvides for having "Halle Berry legs" during pre-practice stretching this week -- fuels his commanding leadership.
It also has helped slowly transform this sixth-round draft choice who wasn't even invited to the league scouting combine. Now, he's the most indispensable player for a Seattle franchise that is enjoying a golden age of five consecutive postseason appearances.
Because of injuries this season, he has had starting receivers Deion Branch and D.J. Hackett for just 2 1/2 games. And without a viable running game because Shaun Alexander is having a career-worst season, Hasselbeck's been taking more hits. He's had a strained oblique, a strained quadriceps, sore ribs, a sore throwing wrist and, this week, a bruised thigh.
Yet the bald bomber hasn't missed a game while setting team records for yards (3,966), completions (352) and attempts (562). He's going to his third Pro Bowl in five years.
"Is Matt Hasselbeck better than Brett Favre? Uhhh ... ," Holmgren said, pausing and then rattling off the names of the elite quarterbacks he's coached. "Montana, Young, let's throw them all into the pile. I've been very fortunate to coach a lot of great players at that position and they're all winners.
"I think Matt had a tougher road to go than Brett. Matt has worked very hard to become a very fine player for us. When it comes to natural ability, I think it would be hard to find anybody as talented as Brett, honest to goodness.
"I will say this: As important as Brett is to the Packers, that's how important Matt is to us."
Harris, still a Packers cornerback and on his way to his first Pro Bowl next month, simply says of Hasselbeck, "He's the best player on that team."
Hasselbeck says humor is an important ingredient in his success, one derived from his time with the fun-loving Favre and those winning Packers of 1998-2000.
"I played at Boston College. We were real serious," he said of teams coached by Dan Henning and Tom O'Brien.
"We worked hard as anyone, maybe harder. We didn't really win any games. We weren't in bowl games. We weren't very good. I get to Green Bay and they're Super Bowl after Super Bowl. And the thing I noticed is they just had so much fun. It wasn't even like it was work. They're paying us. It was crazy.
"It was a blast. And that's the thing that I learned from not only (Favre) but the guys that were there, the LeRoy Butlers, the Reggie Whites, those guys. I tried to hold on to that."
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Receiver, running back working for Patriots game
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- If wide receiver Plaxico Burress and running back Brandon Jacobs are any indication, the New York Giants aren't resting anyone in their bid to end the New England Patriots' perfect season.
Burress practiced on a limited basis for only the third time this season and Jacobs worked out on a sprained ankle Wednesday as New York (10-5) got ready for the regular-season finale against the undefeated Patriots at Giants Stadium on Saturday night.
"No one in here is screaming 'Let's rest,' I can tell you that," Jacobs said. "Guys want to play. It's the last regular-season game and it's home. Guys won't want to sit down."
Having Jacobs on the field was somewhat of a surprise. The big running back sprained an ankle in the third quarter of Sunday's 38-21 playoff-clinching win over the Buffalo Bills, and it seemed that he would get some rest this weekend with the Giants looking forward to a wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 5 or 6.
However, Jacobs, who ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, was full go in practice.
"The ankle is feeling way better than I thought it was going to end up feeling," Jacobs said. "I feel good. I feel great, as far as the ankle is concerned."
If there were surprises, it was Burress and rookie running back Ahmad Bradshaw.
Bradshaw replaced Jacobs on Sunday and gained 151 yards on 17 carries, highlighted by a game-clinching 88-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Bradshaw did not practice Wednesday because of a calf injury. His status is day to day.
Coach Tom Coughlin caught everyone off guard when he announced that Burress would practice on a limited basis. It was his first workout since practicing in the week preceding the Dallas game on Nov. 11.
"I came in yesterday and told the coach I wanted to go out and get a few reps during the week," said Burress, who has battled a sprained ankle since early in training camp. "I'm starting to feel a little better. It had nothing to do with the game this week. I just want to get out and do what I can. We're approaching this game to go out and win."
Burress leads the Giants with 66 catches and 10 touchdowns, but his production has slipped in the second half of the season. Eight of his touchdowns came in the first six games. He has only had 14 receptions and one TD in the past four games.
It was assumed by many that he would be the one player that Coughlin would rest against the Patriots.
Burress doesn't want the rest.
"I don't think it's a benefit for us to take off," he said. "I think the more we play, the better we'll get. When you get into the playoffs, it's a different speed. The game is a little bit faster. Decisions have to be made a little bit quicker and I think that's the mode that we're trying to get ourselves into."
Quarterback Eli Manning was thrilled to be working with Burress.
"It was just good to get work with the guys that are going to be out there on Saturday, in this instance, but just to work on the routes that we don't get to always throw during practice or during pregame," Manning said. "You get some reps and just get the feel of the timing of what it should feel like during the game."
Coughlin again refused to say whether anyone would be rested against New England. His players shed no light on the situation.
"Coach Coughlin said we're going to play to win the game," Jacobs said. "Whatever we have to do to do that, that's what we're going to do. No matter what it is, we're going to do it."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Taylor suspect's attorney says he seeks plea deal, will cooperate
MIAMI (AP) -- The attorney for one of the four suspects charged with killing Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor said Friday he is talking with prosecutors about a plea agreement in which his client might testify against the other suspects.
Michael Hornung, who represents Venjah Hunte, said his client has maintained throughout that he was not aware that anyone had a weapon when they arrived at Taylor's Miami home or that violence would occur, and that he was not inside the home when Taylor was shot Nov. 26.
He has said from the very beginning that he wants to accept responsibility for his limited role," Hornung said. "He is willing to cooperate and to speak truthfully about that."
The attorney's comments came after a brief hearing for the four suspects, who have already filed written pleas of not guilty to charges of first-degree felony murder and armed burglarly. Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy set an April 7 trial date, but indicated that might be delayed.
Murphy also expressed concern that too much investigative material was finding its way into the media, saying he is considering issuing a gag order on the lawyers in order to ensure a fair trial.
"Hopefully it won't get to that point," Murphy told the attorneys. "Hopefully my point was made today."
A hearing was set for Jan. 8 on a request by the lawyer for suspect Charles Wardlow to seal from the public statements made by the defendants to police. Normally most investigative material becomes public under Florida law once it is given to defense attorneys.
"There's a tremendous amount of information that's out there already," said David Brener, who represents Wardlow. "It's unfair."
Murphy also denied Brener's request that the four suspects be permitted to wear civilian clothes to court rather than bright red or burgundy jail jumpsuits.
Despite the judge's admonitions, Hornung was willing to discuss Hunte's statements in detail, including that the black handgun used in Taylor's killing was placed in a sock and thrown into the Everglades along Alligator Alley between Miami and the Fort Myers area where the four lived. The weapon has not been found.
Hornung said Eric Rivera Jr., Jason Mitchell, Wardlow and Hunte, left Fort Myers on Nov. 25, but had no plans when they arrived in the Miami area. When they saw the luxury cars parked at Taylor's home, one of the suspects said the football star kept $200,000 in a black bag in one of the bedrooms.
At least one of the men said he had stolen $5,000 from Taylor's home before, Hornung said.
The suspects thought that even though Taylor was injured that he was traveling with the team for a game against Tampa that Sunday. They didn't know he was home nursing a knee injury.
They climbed over a fence and broke into a bathroom near the pool with a crowbar. Rivera, 17, and Mitchell, 19, went inside. Minutes later Mitchell ran out claiming he heard a noise, Hornung said.
Rivera persuaded Mitchell to go back inside. A few minutes later, Hunte, 20, heard a gunshot and then a scream inside the house. Mitchell and Rivera came running out and the group left in the car, Hornung said.
Once in Fort Myers, Mitchell and Rivera burned their clothes and masks, the attorney said.
At least two of the defendants have confessed to taking part in the attempted burglary and a grand jury indictment identified Rivera as the one who shot Taylor.
Miami-Dade police declined to comment.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Dolphins rookies still awaiting their first NFL win
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- Courtney Bryan endured an 0-12 season at New Mexico State, and his team lost 21 consecutive games against Division I-A schools.
Lorenzo Booker's high school team went 42-0 during his career, and he never played on a losing team at any level -- until now.
As rookies with the Miami Dolphins, Booker and Bryan wonder when they'll win a game in the NFL.
"Hopefully it will be this season," Booker said.
Time's running out. The Dolphins are 0-13 and have only three more chances to avoid the league's first 0-16 finish, including Sunday against Baltimore.
Miami is losing in part because injuries and poor depth forced the team to rely heavily on young players. The roster includes 14 rookies, and four have started, all on offense: quarterback John Beck, receiver Ted Ginn Jr., center Samson Satele and fullback Reagan Mauia.
None knows what it feels like to win an NFL game.
"It is rough, especially coming into this league and trying to establish yourself," said Bryan, a safety who signed as an undrafted free agent and plays mostly on special teams.
Unfortunately for Bryan, he's accustomed to losing, because the Aggies were lousy when he played there. But defeat is different in the NFL because of the league's parity, he said.
"Here you have professionals, and the talent is a lot better," he said. "At New Mexico State we were overmatched against some teams, but it's not that way here -- no one is really overmatched in talent here. It's little things everywhere that build up to 0-13."
Nine of the Dolphins' 10 draft picks made the opening-day roster, the most in a decade. Eight are still active, and they're considered the foundation of a rebuilding effort that may take several years.
While the rookies want to win, they're also glad just to be in the NFL, and veterans may take the losing harder.
"It's a little different for us," Booker said. "We're still happy to be here, and happy to say we're involved with an NFL team. We're still trying to prove we belong here and that we'll be here for a while.
"For us it's still a dream. I don't think the 0-13 affects us as much as a guy who has been in the league for four, five or six years."
Among Miami's rookies, Samson has had the best season and is expected to be Miami's center for years to come. Top draft pick Ginn has shown only occasional flashes of the big-play ability that made him a star at Ohio State, and Beck was benched last week after failing to lead the offense to a touchdown in four starts.
But despite the losing, the rookies are gaining valuable experience, Beck said.
"For a lot of us, we've got a special opportunity to get out and play," he said. "We've had four rookies at one time or another start. Most teams aren't going to have that many rookies get that kind of experience.
"It's tough for us to be in this situation. We all want the team to succeed. But it's a unique opportunity for us rookies to get these opportunities at game time, and the next time we take the field, that's experience we have in our pocket to draw from."
Another rookie is Cam Cameron, who is in his first year as an NFL head coach. He's halfway to former Tampa Bay coach John McKay's league record of 26 consecutive losses to start an NFL career.
Despite the possibility of Miami going 0-for-'07, Cameron said his rookie players can benefit from this season.
"Those guys, they're growing," he said. "We all see it. But you've got to get them focusing on their preparation and make sure they continue to believe in themselves, no matter how difficult the situation."
And perhaps before the season is over, the rookies will find themselves celebrating their first NFL victory.
"We'll probably dance on our logo or jump into the stands with the fans," Bryan said. "It will take a big monkey off everybody's back."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
Bills RB Lynch questionable
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK (TICKER) -- Buffalo Bills rookie running back Marshawn Lynch practiced on a limited basis Friday and is questionable for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.
Lynch has not played since suffering a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of a 13-10 victory over the Dolphins on November 11.
Lynch also practiced Thursday and may be able to return to the field for the first time in three games.
He practiced about like he did yesterday," Bills coach Dick Jauron said. "So we're a lot more optimistic.
"We've got him in that 50-50 category. Again we'll monitor him (Saturday) and see how he feels. Going into the game, we'll check him out and see how he's feeling on game day, but I feel good about him."
The 12th overall pick in April's draft, Lynch ranks 15th in the NFL with 751 yards rushing and leads the Bills with six touchdowns.
"It's just steadily improving," Lynch said. "I feel good about it."
Lynch's return would be a big boost for Buffalo (6-6), which is fighting for a wild card berth and had to turn to third-string tailback Fred Jackson last week.
Jackson was pressed into duty because backup Anthony Thomas is out with a torn calf muscle. Jackson carried 16 times for 82 yards in Sunday's 17-16 win over the Washington Redskins.
Jackson would get the start once again should Lynch be unable to go.
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Browns faced with good, tough decision at quarterback
BEREA, Ohio (AP) -- There's not a quarterback controversy in Cleveland. It's more like a conundrum.
Derek Anderson's emergence as a quality starter, which has left rookie Brady Quinn on the bench, has the Browns faced with an interesting dilemma once their so-far surprising season ends.
Anderson will be a restricted free agent, and the Browns will be able to match any offer by another team.
If the club offers him the highest contract tender of $2.56 million, and he signs elsewhere, the Browns would receive a first- and third-round draft pick as compensation. In that scenario, Anderson could become an unrestricted free agent in 2009, so it's possible the Browns may want to sign him to a long-term deal.
And then where does that leave Quinn, the first-round pick assumed to be the franchise's quarterback of the future?
General manager Phil Savage has some tough decisions ahead. He'd like to put them off as long as possible.
"Right now, we're letting the season play itself out," Savage said Wednesday. "I think that we're trying to keep some of that talk out of the focus of him (Anderson) and the team because it can become a distraction.
"The NFL is full of distractions and I think right now we just want to focus on our next game and then go from there."
For the first time, Savage acknowledged that Anderson, who began the season as Charlie Frye's backup and had made just three career starts, has far exceeded his expectations. He also didn't rule out the potential of working out a long-term deal for Anderson with his agent, David Dunn.
"There's always a possibility out there," Savage said. "Dave and I have a good relationship. Dave's had a number of our players, we talk to him and I've known him for a long time. I wouldn't say that is out of the realm, without a doubt.
"He seems to find my e-mail address and texts me after every game, particularly when it's a win or when Derek plays well. I'm sure there will be some communication at some point."
Anderson has 22 touchdown passes, thrown for 2,758 yards and is leading a multifaceted Cleveland offense averaging nearly 30 points. He's having a career season, just in time to cash in.
His future couldn't be brighter, but Anderson doesn't want to talk about contracts.
"I'm not going to go there," said the laid-back 24-year-old from Scappoose, Ore. "I'm not going to talk about it. That stuff will take care of itself when the season is over."
Savage, who drafted Anderson in Baltimore and then swept in and signed him when the Ravens waived him in 2005, has been impressed with the young quarterback's composure and growth in a season few expected him to have.
"He's done an excellent job overall," Savage said. "There have been some wobbly moments and some times where you wonder, 'What's happening here? He's missing a few passes.' But at the end of the games, with no timeouts, backs against the wall, a do-or-die situation, he has hit the key passes.
"I think that is something you can't really coach. Some of it is instinctual and some of it is just his personality. It's a good trait to have at that position."
The Browns spent years looking for one good quarterback, and may now have two. They traded a 2008 first-round pick to get into the first round in April's draft to get Quinn, who has yet to make his NFL debut and may not for some time.
Savage insists the Browns are pleased with Quinn's progress and he could start if the club needed him to.
"We're comfortable with what Brady's shown us," he said. "He's getting some pretty quality reps during the week. During the preseason people were ready to put him out there and now that he's sat on the bench for a while, everybody's like, 'have you seen enough?' You can't have it both ways."
Quinn's upside will be unknown until he's in a game, but his readiness to take over as Cleveland's quarterback will be something Savage must take into account in the coming months. Along with No. 3 quarterback Ken Dorsey, the Browns have depth at a premium position and Savage would like to keep it.
"I'd love to see us go forward with all three and hold on to the depth we have for a while," he said.
But for now, Savage is trying to savor moments from a season that began with a 34-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 9, which was followed by him trading Frye two days later.
"If somebody were to have said on that Tuesday, what was that September 11th or 12th, that Derek would have thrown 22 touchdowns, and the team is 7-4 and swept the Ravens, I would have said, 'I'll sign up. Where does that line form?"'
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Seahawks' Alexander misses another practice, so he will miss another game
KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) -- Shaun Alexander spent Wednesday watching as his teammates practiced without him yet again.
So on Sunday, the 2005 league MVP will miss his third consecutive game when NFC West-leading Seattle (6-4) goes to St. Louis (2-8). Alexander is out because of a sprained knee he injured in a Nov. 9 loss at Cleveland.
Coach Mike Holmgren has said Alexander will not return to a game until he practices consecutively on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
After saying before practice that he didn't expect Alexander to take part in drills, Holmgren was asked if that meant he was sticking by his statements last week that no practice means no playing time for a star who is quickly becoming forgotten in Seattle.
"Have you been in attendance in my press conferences?" Holmgren asked.
So Maurice Morris will again start for Alexander. Morris has rushed for 89 and 87 yards in his first two starts.
Alexander, who played seven games with a cast on his broken wrist until his knee injury, has gained just 139 yards total in his past four games. His lack of production prompted Holmgren to ditch much of the rushing game in favor of a more wide-open offense that emphasizes the throwing of Matt Hasselbeck, who is having one of his best seasons.
Hasselbeck also missed practice to rest sore ribs. Seneca Wallace ran the offense through drills. The coach again said Hasselbeck will likely miss drills Thursday and Friday, too, but will start against the Rams.
"He has a pretty good grasp of things. ... He is in a little better position to handle it because he knows our stuff and he has been with the same coaches for a while," Holmgren said.
"It is not the ideal. I'd like him to practice but he can't."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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