NFL Capsules - Playoffs: Brady's teammates praise his accomplishments
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady walks silently to the chair at his locker. He talks quietly with Deion Branch in the adjacent stall. Later, he puts on his jacket and heads for the exit.
No hearty backslaps or loud jokes with teammates. Nothing to call attention to himself. Just another routine practice day in the life of one of the most accomplished figures in sports.
"Tom thinks he's one of the boys," Branch said. "He can't be one of the boys. This guy's the face of the NFL."
Brady, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, could be the face of the championship game again if his New England Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday for the AFC title. He returned to practice on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday's session to rest his non-throwing, left shoulder. But he kept working.
"You don't lounge around or take a nap" while skipping practice, Brady said with a chuckle.
Fans see his effort on the field. Teammates see it all week in meeting rooms and film sessions.
"I have great appreciation for any professionals who take their jobs seriously. This is what we do for a living," right guard Brian Waters said. "Any time you see a guy as great as he is, with all the physical talents and mental preparation that has to go into it, and how he prepares, I am proud to play with him and it drives you that you don't want to disappoint him."
And if a player does disappoint Brady, he's not shy about telling him.
He did it to rookie Tiquan Underwood after an interception in the Patriots 34-27 win over the Washington Redskins — until offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien stepped in and yelled at Brady. And he's done it to Branch when he thought the 10-year veteran didn't run a route precisely enough. But that's what leaders do.
Branch played with Brady from 2002-05 and was traded to Seattle the day after the 2006 opener. He was reacquired after the Patriots fourth game in 2010, rejoining a quarterback who still seemed familiar.
"He's still the same guy, the same leader," Branch said, "still pushing guys in the meeting rooms, pushing us on the football field, a great competitor. This guy's a perfectionist who always tries to be the best and that's why he's at the top of the league."
Brady's had confidence even if NFL teams doubted his prospects coming out of college. Five rounds went by and he still was available in the 2000 draft.
Finally, after 198 other players had been chosen, the Patriots drafted him in the sixth round.
Club owner Robert Kraft recalls the night he was leaving the old Foxboro Stadium when he saw "this skinny beanpole" carrying a pizza.
"He comes up and says, 'Mr. Kraft, I'm Tom Brady.' I said, 'I know who you are, you're our sixth-round draft choice from Michigan.'
"And he looked me right in the eye and he said, 'and I'm the best decision this organization has ever made.' "
Since then, Brady has completed 3,847 passes for 44,749 yards and 336 touchdowns, counting the postseason. He set an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes in 2007. This season, he threw for 5,235 yards, second most in league history.
All that from a guy who running back Kevin Faulk describes as "scrawny" when he saw Brady in the locker room as a rookie.
"That was a long time ago," said Faulk, the only player who has been on the team longer than Brady. "The intensity clearly is still there. Leadership, it keeps improving every year."
Whether he's dealing with a veteran like the 35-year-old Faulk or a pair of spectacular 22-year-old tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, the guiding hand is firm.
"It's definitely a tough love relationship," Gronkowski said. "Just coming in at first and everything, you're just trying to learn."
Brady absorbs game plans so thoroughly that he can be considered a coach on the field.
"He's like an offensive coordinator out there," wide receiver Julian Edelman said.
That makes the job of coach Bill Belichick's staff a lot easier.
"He can direct our team as well as anticipate things that are going to happen on the other side of the ball. I think we all know how tough he is," Belichick said. "He's always there to compete and he competes at a very high level. I think he's earned everybody's respect and when he says something, we all listen."
A veteran of 20 postseason games, Brady knows the importance of staying calm amid all the excitement.
He "keeps everything even keeled for everybody throughout the course of this playoff run," said retired wide receiver Troy Brown, Brady's teammate from 2000-07. "That's really what he has to do as the head man out there on the football field."
And this from another former teammate, linebacker Tedy Bruschi:
"Offensively, the players in that huddle believe every word that comes out of his mouth."
Bruschi recalls an incident at the 2005 Pro Bowl that showed how competitive Brady was after the Patriots won their second straight Super Bowl. They still had confetti in their pockets from the celebration. Bruschi recalled that before introductions, Brady said, "Nobody has ever won three in a row."
"Come on, Tom," Bruschi said Thursday, "take a little bit of a break and enjoy it."
Brady has the attributes of a great quarterback — leadership, an accurate arm, an outstanding ability to read defenses, a poised pocket presence and a fiery competitive nature. Does any one stand out?
"To be considered one of the best, and if not the best quarterback, in the game, you have to have more than one thing that sticks out as outstanding," Hernandez said. "His all-around (game) sticks out as outstanding for him."
Good for the Patriots. Bad for Brady's privacy.
"He wants to be a regular guy, but it's hard," Branch said. "You can't walk outside your house. ... I know it's not good because I know there's times this guy wants to just be able to tale his kids to the park and relax.
"But, you know, he's got to thank God for things. He's been blessed. This guy has done some great things throughout his entire career."
Brady practices after missing Wednesday
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady is back practicing. Everyone associated with the New England Patriots is acting like he never missed a snap.
Brady returned to the field Thursday after being out the previous day resting his left, non-throwing shoulder. If it's a big deal to the football world that the Patriots' star quarterback briefly was sidelined four days before the AFC championship, his teammates and coach treated it as an inconsequential blip.
So did the two-time league MVP.
"It's not the first practice I have missed over the years," Brady said with a shrug of his shoulders — including the sore left one. "When coach feels its best that you do other things to get yourself ready, that's what you do, and you still use all that time very wisely. When your coach feels it is best to do other things to get yourself ready, that is what you do."
Coach Bill Belichick revealed little about Brady's absence on Wednesday, lumping it in with every other player in the NFL who gets nicked. Then again, Belichick doesn't give out much information or insight on anything injury-related. Ever.
New England hosts the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC championship on Sunday.
Brady missed one practice and was limited for two others during the final week of the regular season, but he played all but the final offensive series in a 49-21 win over Buffalo. Last Saturday, he played every New England offensive series in a 45-10 divisional playoff win over Denver after being on the injury list but practicing in full all week.
The quarterback stretched and ran a few drills Thursday during the 15 minutes the media were allowed access to the session. He ran with the ball in his left arm as backup quarterback Brian Hoyer half-heartedly attempted to knock it out. Brady showed no signs of being in pain.
The day before, Brady had to find ways to keep himself occupied during the missed session.
"You don't go lounging around taking naps or anything like that," he said with a chuckle. "You just try to do other things to get yourself ready to go. So catch up on your film work and get some extra treatments and so forth. It's just a matter of ultimately we're trying to be as prepared as we can for Sunday. I'm certainly going to be as prepared as I possibly can be.
"It's not the first practice that I've missed over the years. You come off a game Saturday or Sunday and you're just doing everything you can to be prepared. You're just putting in extra work and making sure you're getting prepared."
Then Brady promised to be out on the field, and a while later he was.
-- Barry Wilner
O'Brien's upcoming exit no problem for Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill O'Brien wore a cap with a Patriots logo as he prepared his players for Sunday's AFC championship game.
New England's offensive coordinator would like to keep wearing it for a couple of weeks — through the Super Bowl — before switching to a Penn State hat in his next job as head coach of the Nittany Lions.
For now, he's preparing his offense to face the dominant defense of the Baltimore Ravens.
"We're definitely all focused on the game with Baltimore and that's what our team is preparing for," coach Bill Belichick said Thursday. "He's done what we've asked him to do last week and this week and, hopefully, we'll be able to play well on Sunday."
On Jan. 8, shortly after the Denver Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in overtime to advance to the divisional game in Foxborough, the Patriots announced they had hired Josh McDaniels as an offensive assistant.
He was the Patriots' offensive coordinator from 2006-08, served as Denver's coach in 2009 and part of 2010, and was offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams this season.
"Josh has integrated very smoothly into everything that we do because he knows most everybody here," quarterback Tom Brady said. "He knows the offense. His input is greatly appreciated, whether it's tips for me or tips for other players. He sees some things and is very helpful. It's been good."
On Thursday, O'Brien talked with Brady and other players at practice while members of his new staff focused on recruiting. Seven of his Penn State assistants are on the road at one time and he makes recruiting calls himself.
National signing day is Feb. 1, four days before the Super Bowl.
"We're certainly making the best of it we possibly can," offensive line coach Mac McWorter said Thursday in a telephone interview. "You certainly have to commend coach O'Brien for finishing his obligations to New England. That says a lot about the way he does things."
On Jan. 6, Penn State announced it was hiring O'Brien to replace Joe Paterno, who was fired Nov. 9 after child sex abuse charges were filed against retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
O'Brien spent the next two days, the weekend of the Patriots bye week, in Happy Valley. That Saturday, he was formally introduced at a news conference on campus. On Sunday, he received a standing ovation after being introduced at a basketball game and later met with his new players.
Then it was back to Foxborough to prepare for Denver last Saturday night. The Patriots won 45-10, the most points they've scored in their 20 postseason games in Belichick's 12 years as coach.
At his introductory news conference at Penn State, O'Brien said, "There is no way that I can stand up in front of our football team and our recruits and talk about loyalty and commitment and then leave the Patriots in the middle of a playoff run or the start of a playoff run. I have committed to the New England Patriots to see them through that playoff run."
With Belichick's approach of having each player focus on his job and shut out potential distractions, O'Brien's juggling act doesn't seem to be a problem.
"It's about our focus on our game plan," wide receiver Deion Branch said of the key to each practice. "That's the entire thing we can be focused on (and not) what's going on outside of the game and (losing) sight of what our plan is to go into the game."
The morning after the win over the Broncos, O'Brien was back at Penn State. He spent about nine hours there, meeting with recruits and their families and then with his coaching staff. He also took part in a formal photo shoot — jackets and ties — with all his coaches for the university's website and publications.
O'Brien is in daily contact with his assistants by phone, primarily in the evenings. Since his hiring, he has met in person with his staff just once.
The success of the Patriots' high-powered offense hasn't hurt on the recruiting trail, either.
"You know the exposure we're getting," McWorter said, "by way of what (the Patriots) are doing. ... You can't buy that."
Charlie Weis had a similar challenge when he was hired as head coach of Notre Dame on Dec. 12, 2004, after serving as offensive coordinator in the Patriots 35-28 win over the Cincinnati Bengalis that afternoon. He stayed with New England through their third Super Bowl championship in four years.
"You had to make your mind up on how you were going to handle it," Weis, now head coach at Kansas, said Thursday. "I feel that if you're making a run at the Super Bowl, you really have an ethical responsibility to finish the job. I really do believe that. I hope that's how it turns out for the Patriots. I hope it turns out that way for Bill and Billy."
-- Howard Ulman
Lewis, Reed star on built-to-last Ravens defense
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have spent 11 seasons together with the Baltimore Ravens, making one big play after another for a defense that is perennially among the best in the NFL.
Although it's difficult to imagine the Ravens without Lewis in the middle of the huddle and Reed as the last line of defense, the unit has plenty of young players eager to make an imprint after the two aging veterans finally walk away from the game.
Baltimore's defense, which ranked third in the NFL this season, is the main reason the Ravens (13-4) are in the AFC championship game and stand a decent chance of defeating the high-powered New England Patriots (14-3) for a berth in the Super Bowl.
Lewis and Reed are the most recognizable stars, but they're getting help from 29-year-old Terrell Suggs, 27-year-old Haloti Ngata, 23-year-old Terrence Cody and rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith, who was 8 when Lewis played his first game with the Ravens in 1996.
"You need that veteran presence and you need enough young people to run around and make the plays," Smith said. "I think it's a great mix on this team."
It is quite by design. Lewis was drafted in the first round of the NFL in 1996, the Ravens' first season after making the move from Cleveland. Since that time, general manager Ozzie Newsome has worked to surround his sensational middle linebacker with enough talent to keep the defense operating at an extremely high level.
Reed was plucked from the University of Miami in the first round of the 2002 draft, Suggs was the 10th overall pick in 2003 and Ngata came aboard as a No. 1 pick in 2006. Pass-rusher Paul Kruger (2009) and Cody (2010) were second-round selections, and Smith was taken in the first round last April.
"Sixteen years I've been in this business," Lewis said. "Do you know how many men I have seen come walk in and out of this door?"
When Lewis went to the Super Bowl during the 2000 season, Tony Siragusa was one of the defensive tackles. One year ago, Kelly Gregg was playing in front of Lewis. Now it's Cody, and there's been no drop off in production.
The Ravens have been ranked in the top 10 in total defense in each of the last nine years. The cast has changed around Lewis and Reed, but the blend remains the same.
"We've got veteran experience, guys that have been around a long time, and young, raw talent. When you mix those together, it's a great combination," linebacker Jarret Johnson said. "Ozzie deserves a lot of credit. You've got your veteran guys that do things right, good guys that are also good football players. Then you bring in good talent and they watch and learn, then pretty soon those guys are the old veteran players and they're bringing in a new batch of young guys."
Baltimore is the only NFL team to reach the postseason in each of the past four years. Much of the credit goes to Lewis, Reed, and a defense that has withstood the test of time.
"Old? I call it experienced," Smith said. "You've got two of the best at key spots. Their experience is what guides us, and it's helped us get to the position we're in now."
Defensive end Cory Redding, a 10-year pro, said, "This is what you want to have. The veterans set the tone for the young guys on how things are run, how we jell together, how we hold each other accountable. So when they get to five, six, seven years in the league, they can say, 'OK, I've learned from Haloti Ngata, Cory Redding, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. I know how to conduct myself. I know how to lead, because I saw them do it.'"
John Harbaugh has been in the AFC title game twice in his four seasons as Baltimore's coach. Under his guidance, young players such as Kruger, cornerback Lardarius Webb and former sixth-round pick Haruki Nakamura, a solid safety and special teams ace, have matured into key contributors.
"It's always good not to be a bunch of young guys or a bunch of old guys, or whatever," Harbaugh said. "It's good to have a nice mix of experience. Some guys can train some younger guys into a certain way of doing things. It begins to permeate everything that you are. And then those young guys, in turn, teach others. It just becomes a perpetuating type of situation."
Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch said, "Ray and Ed and Suggs and Ngata have strung along those younger guys and they've picked up the speed. So it looks like regardless of who they have out there, a second- or third-year guy looks as if he's been playing there for eight, nine years with those guys. So you're playing with the best."
At the center of it all are Lewis and Reed, who endlessly preach the importance of film study and dedication to the game. The Patriots are certainly aware of the overall ability of the Baltimore defense, but New England's game plan starts and ends with accounting for those two playmakers.
"They're great players," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. "I've played against both those guys quite a few times. You always enjoy going up against the best because you can really measure where you're at. You can't take plays off against those guys. You can't take things for granted when you're out there against them. You have to see where they're at on every play because they're guys who change the game."
Reed has eight interceptions in 10 playoff games, including a key pick in last week's 20-13 win over Houston.
"Ed Reed is the best weak safety I have seen since I have been in the NFL in my career," Patriots coach Bill Belichick declared. "He's outstanding on everything, including blocking punts, returning then for touchdowns, returning interceptions for touchdowns. Pretty much anything he is out there for."
Lewis and Reed won't be around forever, but it might a while before the Ravens' defense drops from the top 10. When Lewis missed four games this season with a right toe injury, Baltimore went 4-0 with 26-year-old Dannell Ellerbe and rookie Albert McClellan in the middle.
"In my opinion, we're built to last a long time," said Kruger, who contributed 5½ sacks. "I think next year we'll be just as effective."
-- David Ginsburg
NFC
Giants' Manning, 49ers' Smith overcome scrutiny
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The Giants' Eli Manning has been forced to escape the shadow of superstar big brother, Peyton. San Francisco's Alex Smith? He only has a pair of Hall of Famers in Joe Montana and Steve Young hanging over him in 49ers lore.
Two No. 1 pick quarterbacks a draft apart, Manning and Smith meet Sunday in the NFC championship game with a shot at the Super Bowl after each has faced immense scrutiny over the years while playing on opposite coasts.
Manning made his mark by winning the 2008 Super Bowl. Smith took a significant step toward finally silencing the skeptics — for the time being, anyway — by leading last week's thrilling, last-second 36-32 victory over Drew Brees and the favored Saints in a spectacular playoff debut.
Early on, there were the questions about whether Manning would ever become an elite NFL quarterback like the other big-time QBs in the family, including father, Archie.
It calmed down for a time once he won a title. Then, the criticism returned last season, when Manning threw 25 interceptions. That's when he boldly let it be known he should be in the same conversation as Patriots star Tom Brady and the rest of the NFL's best lining up under center.
"I consider myself in that class," Manning said in August.
Smith, drafted No. 1 from Utah in 2005 one year after Manning was the top pick out of Ole Miss, won't begin to compare his situation out West to what Manning has endured.
"His is a little different. To be Peyton's little brother, No. 1 pick, you go to New York with the Giants, obviously that's a lot of pressure," Smith said. "I don't think anyone has been in the situation he has. Those are pretty unique circumstances. Your older brother is arguably the greatest quarterback ever and a lot of expectations on you and then you go to the big city like New York. I didn't have to face those things."
Smith got booed by his home fans at some point in nearly every game at Candlestick Park in recent seasons before leading a remarkable turnaround this year under first-year NFL coach Jim Harbaugh. He's been benched and belittled by more than one of his coaches along the way.
"I was saying this a few years ago and got laughed at, but Alex was a guy that had about 60 percent of his ability, his potential brought out in him because of all kinds of circumstances," said Trent Dilfer, ESPN analyst and Smith's former teammate. "What he was really relying upon to survive in the NFL was his mental and emotional strength, toughness, giftedness, whatever you want to call it. He is so mentally strong, so resilient, refuses to let the demons affect him negatively. ... I knew once somebody came here and was able to develop him and train him like he started to get trained with Norv (Turner) in 2006 that you would start to see some of the physical stuff come out. I'm just so happy for him because he found a guy in Jim Harbaugh who coached him the way he needed to be coached."
Sunday's game will mark the second time two former No. 1 pick QBs will square off in the conference championship. Vinny Testaverde and John Elway met in the 1998 AFC championship game.
Manning and Smith have their teams on a roll. Each led five fourth-quarter comebacks during the season, then Smith had another in last Saturday's thriller in which he hit Vernon Davis from 14 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 9 seconds left.
There was the near miss for Manning at Candlestick back on Nov. 13, a 27-20 loss to the 49ers when he had a chance to win it in the closing minute but had a fourth-down pass batted by defensive tackle Justin Smith.
That gives Manning some added incentive as he arrives again in the Bay Area.
"This is where you want to be. We always talk about finishing and playing your best football at the end of the season. That's what we're doing now," Manning said. "We're playing great football on both sides of the ball. We have to continue to do that. We're playing smart. We can't turn the ball over."
Manning threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns to stun the defending champion Packers last weekend at Lambeau Field.
49ers linebacker Patrick Willis has known Manning's potential for years — since their one-year stint as college teammates in 2003, the last time Willis had a winning season.
"As a freshman, I thought he was the greatest quarterback ever," Willis said. "That was the best season I'd ever had in football. To see the things that he's done, he's won a Super Bowl. That's the biggest accomplishment that we all try to go for, to win that. He's done that. He led his team back to being one game closer to that."
The 49ers forced five turnovers in beating the Saints, then watched Alex Smith shine at the end. On top of his game in the biggest of moments, at last. This is the Alex Smith the 49ers drafted over Aaron Rodgers nearly seven years ago.
"I always had confidence in Alex. He'll make plays, he will," Davis said. "And since Harbaugh stepped in, he didn't do anything but help Alex, help Alex get better. And to me, Alex is still growing. He still has a lot of room to get better."
Smith became one of five quarterbacks in playoff history to throw three touchdown passes without an interception and run for another, and he helped the 49ers become the first team in the NFL to score two lead-changing touchdowns in the final 3 minutes to win a playoff game, according to STATS LLC.
What a comeback road it's been considering he has played for seven offensive coordinators in as many seasons, dealt with a shoulder injury that sidelined him and faced two head coaches questioning both his talent and toughness.
"You have to have thick skin," said Young, who visited with Smith this week. "The guy has been through hell as far as quarterbacking. He's been through quarterbacking hell where you have a different coordinator, different language. He was trying to describe it like learning French and then learning Spanish and learning Japanese and just learning every weird, new language and having to be held accountable without the support.
"And this year, all of a sudden, he gets all of the support and he feels like: 'Geez, I feel like I'm doing less. I feel like it's easier.' But yet, now he's doing remarkable things."
Smith was ready to walk away after last season, a year that began with promise only to deteriorate in a hurry with an 0-5 start. The Niners fired offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye early, wound up 6-10 and fired coach Mike Singletary with one game left. The playoff drought reached eight years.
Even this season, Smith had his share of doubters — even after ex-NFL quarterback Harbaugh came aboard as the new coach ready to guide him.
Smith passed for a career-best 3,144 yards and 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions.
He seems unfazed with that not-so-complimentary "game manager" tag everybody put on him this season. Until his career-defining moments last weekend, Smith was known for doing just enough, nothing flashy.
"Well, he's been doing that all year, the way he's been leading this team, the way he's been playing, it's confidence," defensive tackle Justin Smith said. "It rubs off on everybody. With what he's been through here and the way he's handled himself, it's a good example for all the guys here in how to do it. Hopefully, he's got his game-manager label or whatever that label is off of him. Just put baller on there."
-- Janie McCauley
Manning returns to practice after one-day bug
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tough luck, Frisco fans. Eli Manning's tummy is just fine.
The New York Giants quarterback was back at practice Thursday after missing part of the previous day's workout with "a stomach bug."
"I'm 100 percent," Manning said after practicing for Sunday's NFC title game against the 49ers in San Francisco. "I had a full practice today, did everything, took every rep. I feel good."
Manning felt sick after waking up Wednesday. He "toughed it out" and attended team meetings and took part in the walk-through portions of practice before letting backup David Carr handle the live snaps.
"It wasn't going well so I tried to be smart," said Manning, who received intravenous fluids after leaving practice Wednesday. "It was fortunate it happened on a Wednesday and not later in the week."
Manning texted coach Tom Coughlin late Wednesday evening and told him he was feeling better.
"When he got to work today, he had a nice breakfast and seemed to do fine," Coughlin said. "He is not quite himself, but almost."
There was almost no chance Manning would miss the game because of a stomach virus. After all, his streak of 128 straight starts, including playoffs, is tops in the NFL.
A shoulder injury in 2007 didn't sideline him and a foot injury two years later couldn't keep him off the field.
Manning took over as the active leader in consecutive quarterback starts at the beginning of the season when his brother, Peyton, was sidelined after neck surgery.
Manning downplayed his illness and the fuss it created. It marked the first time this season that he was listed on the team's injury report.
"I didn't watch too much TV so I didn't see the attention it was getting," he said. "You know, when you get into big games like this any little thing that pops up people make a big deal about. We can put it behind us now and focus on the game."
Kevin Gilbride said that Manning took great offense when the offensive coordinator told him he looked pale before practice Thursday.
Manning shot back that's the way he always looks in the winter.
"We did everything with him," Gilbride said. "Maybe we slowed down a couple of the drills between our work sessions, where the defense is up and we normally do a lot of drills. We did a couple, not quite as many. For the most part. He participated in everything and did everything we normally do."
For much of the season, Manning has carried the Giants. He threw for a career-best 4,933 yards. His 29 touchdown passes and 92.9 percent quarterback rating were the second highest in his eight NFL seasons. Six of the Giants' nine wins in the regular season came in games in which he engineered fourth-quarter drives.
Tackle David Diehl said there has been a little bug going around.
"We're just glad he's back out here, and ready to go," Diehl said. "We're not surprised. We're sure he was sitting there breaking down film while resting and getting ready for today. We know that he is going to do everything he can to be prepared for this one."
Manning took every snap for the Giants this season. He also has taken most of the snaps in practice, while Carr directs the scout team during the defensive portions of practice.
Carr said that Manning's absence was not a big deal since he knows the offense as well as anyone on the team.
Mario Manningham, took it a step further, saying since there was nothing wrong with Manning's hands or arm, everything was fine.
"I'm sure his wife took good care of him," Diehl added.
Notes: RB Ahmad Bradshaw missed practice for the second straight day with a foot injury, which is not surprising. He has practiced only one day a week since returning in early December from the injury. ... LB Mark Herzlich (ankle), DE Justin Tuck (shoulder), DE Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee) and CB Corey Webster (hamstring) were limited at practice. ... Former 49ers great Jerry Rice referred to RB Brandon Jacobs as "soft" recently. Jacobs responded Thursday, saying he grew up a Niners fans and loved Rice. "If he feels that way, he feels that way," Jacobs said. "I bet you he won't tackle me."
-- Tom Canavan
Secondary has buckled down after a season of busts
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — There were times this season when the New York Giants' secondary looked like baffled Little League outfielders who let a popup fall between them.
"I thought you had it."
"No! It was yours all the way."
The miscommunication often resulted in scoring plays or ones that led to points.
The problem was persistent and looked likely to be one of the major reasons the Giants would miss the playoffs for the third straight year.
But a strange thing happened with two games left in the regular season. Players got healthy, communication improved and the secondary is suddenly blanketing receivers and shutting down some of the best quarterbacks in the game, a formula that has thrust the Giants (11-7) into the NFC title game against the 49ers in San Francisco (14-3) on Sunday.
Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell insists he didn't press the magic button to make everything right.
Defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck finally got healthy and joined Jason Pierre-Paul in giving the Giants one of the most feared pass rushes in the game. Weakside linebacker Michael Boley recovered from a hamstring injury, while the late signing of veteran middle linebacker Chase Blackburn solidified the middle. The secondary of cornerbacks Corey Webster and Aaron Ross and safeties Antrel Rolle, Kenny Phillips and Deon Grant also finally got on the same page.
"Our coverage is based on feel and knowing where people are and trust," Fewell said. "We've been able to feel and trust each other now because we've played together as a unit. Defensive line, linebackers, and secondary. The parts have all come together. I don't have to substitute a guy in and change the coverage and say this guy has a weakness so I have to do something different. We've come together and we've been able to play together."
The statistics against the pass in the Giants' four-game winning streak against Mark Sanchez of the Jets, Tony Romo of the Cowboys, Matt Ryan of the Falcons and Aaron Rodgers of the Packers are impressive.
The quartet has combined for 1,010 yards passing, five touchdowns, four interceptions and been sacked 17 times. That's roughly an average of 252 yards passing. New York did not allow a pass of more than 34 yards in those games and no tight end has caught a touchdown, worth noting given that Vernon Davis is the Niners' biggest weapon.
"The key is we're not giving them anything easy," Grant said of opposing offenses. "We're taking away the first read and making them look to places where we have the advantage."
The Giants also are doing a good job of disguising their coverages the past month. Opponents will come to the line of scrimmage and see two deep coverages with the safeties. Just before the play, a safety will drop down to the line of scrimmage and cause confusion.
It's worked the other way, too.
The indecision means quarterbacks need more time to throw and that is a problem the way the defensive line is playing.
"We have three or four defensive ends who can change the complexion of the ballgame on any given play," Fewell said. "A lot of teams I've been associated with in the past, you have one, possibly two. If you had two, you felt like you were great up front. If you have three or four, at any point in time, one of those guys can make a game-changing play like Osi did last week. That's why it's very unusual."
In their 27-20 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco on Nov. 13, the Giants limited Alex Smith and the 49ers to 305 total yards and held the ball for almost 35 minutes. San Francisco made big plays though. Davis caught a 31-yard TD pass and Kendall Hunter scored on a 17-yard run after Frank Gore left the game.
Rolle said playing the Niners against isn't important.
"I think it was just more of a mindset that we had and the preparation that we've been going through throughout the week," he said. "Ever since the (Jets) game we've been all on deck, guys have been in tune with what's going on here, what's at stake. That had the most to do with anything."
Webster also believes there is chemistry in the secondary. It developed over the season as the defensive backs held weekly meetings at different players' homes to go over the problems. It united the group.
"When guys are pointing fingers in different directions, things could fall apart, but we never did that and I think that shows the character of the team," Webster said. "It is a close group and whatever our mistakes are that we made in the past, we want to correct them. Like everything else, if there is a mistake not learned from, another one could happen. We have done a great job of learning from those mistakes so we can eliminate those mental mistakes that we had that gave up big plays and big yardage and that is why the yardage and stuff is down now."
-- Tom Canavan
Niners' Walker hopes to return for NFC title game
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco tight end Delanie Walker has returned to practice for the first time since breaking his left jaw in two places late in the regular season and hopes to be healthy enough to play in the NFC championship game.
Walker had the wires removed on Monday and took part in practice on a limited basis with no contact on Wednesday. He was out there again during the open media portion on Thursday.
"I didn't do too much, so I won't say I was rusty," Walker said before Thursday's practice. "I feel like I was good. Everybody said I looked faster and that I looked like I was over-hyper. Because you get back on the field, you try to do everything full speed."
Coach Jim Harbaugh said Thursday that Walker's status is up to team doctors and Walker said he will push to get on the field on Sunday against the New York Giants.
"If they leave it up to me, of course I'm going to play," Walker said. "I want to help my team out, and this is a big game, and I feel like if I'm out there maybe I can help out with the offense."
Walker broke his jaw in two places when he took a knee to the face from Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill in the first quarter Dec. 24.
Walker is a key part of San Francisco's offense as the 49ers used at least two tight ends on the field more than any other team in the regular season.
The 49ers ran 43 percent of their plays this season with two or more tight ends, compared to a league average of 26 percent, according to STATS LLC.
Walker was tied for fourth on the team in the regular season with 19 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Justin Peelle, the third string tight end, had just one catch in the regular season.
"Delanie is a very key cog in what we do," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "He's talented physically. He's talented with what he can handle in terms of game planning. The load we put on him is very unique to what most players get in the NFL, or anywhere for that matter. He brings speed, playmaking ability, the ability to block in a variety of ways — in space, in the box. He's just a dynamic tight end."
Walker had his most productive game of the season against the Giants in November, when he caught six passes for 69 yards in a 27-20 victory. Roman said he is putting together separate game plans for if Walker is ready to play or if he has to sit out.
With Walker sidelined last week, Vernon Davis set an NFL postseason record for tight ends with 180 yards receiving in a 36-32 win over the New Orleans Saints.
He caught seven passes and scored two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 9 seconds remaining.
Walker is testing out a new helmet this week with a bigger facemask and wider area around the jaw to see if he can play with that on Sunday.
Walker said doctors told him that left jaw is now as strong as the right side and there is little chance of re-breaking it in the same places.
''But it's possible it can happen," he said. "This is football, and they warned me of that. But I feel confident in myself in my doctors feel confident in me to let me go out there with a helmet and do a little bit, so I'm confident that I can do whatever I can to be out there."
-- Josh Dubow
Relentless Smith leads Niners' stellar D
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Justin Smith bull-rushed Jermon Bushrod, driving the 315-pound NFL offensive lineman into the backfield as if he were a rag doll, reached over his shoulder and dragged quarterback Drew Brees to the ground to force an incomplete pass.
The play in last week's playoff win over New Orleans showcased the skills that have made Smith the leader on the San Francisco defense that has led the 49ers to the NFC championship game against the New York Giants on Sunday.
There is the brute strength that allows him to overpower opponents, the athleticism that leads to his big plays and an unmatched intensity and relentlessness that has made Smith one of the most unheralded stars in the game.
Coach Jim Harbaugh called Smith the "toughest player" he has ever been around in his long career as a player and a coach.
"You talk about 10 out of 10. You can't get any better, can't be any better than 10 out of 10," Harbaugh said. "Then, he finds a way to take it up another notch on the ladder when you didn't think there was another notch to go. ... The play where he's hurrying Drew Brees while he's being locked out by their left tackle. Legs off the ground and he's holding on to Drew and pulling him down. Is there an 11 out of 10? Is there such a thing? Is there a 12 out of 10? He just keeps finding another rung."
Smith has been doing that all year.
There was the play where he chased down the speedy Jeremy Maclin from behind to force the fumble in the closing minutes to seal a 24-23 victory at Philadelphia in Week 4.
There was the fourth-down pass he batted down from Eli Manning in the final minute of a 27-20 victory in November when the Giants were 10 yards away from the potential tying score.
Then there are the litany of other plays he made on a weekly basis to help lead San Francisco to a 13-3 regular-season record.
"I knew he was a good player," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. "He's even better than my impression was. And I think what a lot of people forget about Justin is they fall in love with his tenacity, his effort, his toughness, which is all justified, but he's got talent. He's a talented player. So, when you combine the intangibles that we spoke about with his talent, we get what we see this year."
Smith played in just one playoff game in his first 10 seasons, losing to Pittsburgh with Cincinnati in the 2005 season. That led Fangio to put him on the cover of the defensive playbook, with the tag: "0-1."
Fangio wanted to motivate the unit to get Smith his first career postseason win and he got it last week with a 36-32 victory over New Orleans. Now Smith is one win from a long-awaited Super Bowl trip.
"The opportunities are far and few between sometimes, and you got to make the most of it," he said. "We're here right now and, as a team, we just have that mindset of, let's make the most of it, go out and try to take it."
Overlooked for much of his career, Smith got some just due this season. He was picked earlier this month as a first-team All-Pro at defensive tackle and a second-teamer at defensive end — the first player ever picked at two defensive positions in one season.
With most attention on defensive linemen who pile up quarterback sacks, Smith makes his contributions by doing a little bit of everything, whether it's being stout against the run, collapsing the pocket from the inside to create sacks for teammates or making his own big plays.
Smith had 7.5 sacks this season but did much more. He added 18.5 quarterback knockdowns, seven hurries and drew so many double teams that rookie Aldon Smith got 14 sacks of his own.
"He's just a bulldog," former All Pro defensive end and Fox analyst Michael Strahan said. "I love watching him play because he's just tough. He's not a guy who will run around you and dance around you and look pretty. He doesn't care about that. He's just going to beat you up. That's always the best kind of guy to play with and the worst kind of guy to play against."
Strahan said he and Hall of Famer Howie Long spent a lot of Sundays this season in the Fox studio marveling at Smith's play and talking about how he might be the defensive player of the year.
Strahan is happy to see more praise go to an all-around lineman as opposed to a speed rusher worried only about getting to the quarterback.
"It kind of gets old to talk about a guy who doesn't really want touch the ground or run into anybody or be physical but just get sacks by running around all the time," Strahan said. "Those are the guys who get attention as far as the defensive linemen are concerned. It's good to see him get that attention. Maybe all the focus will go to someone who's an all-around player and not somebody who is one-dimensional. He deserves it."
Smith's teammates in San Francisco need no convincing. Smith has been the leader of what has been perhaps the league's top defense this season. He organized the defensive portion of offseason workouts during the lockout, sets the tone each day with his work ethic.
"He gets those guys going up front each and every day in practice, during preparation," safety Donte Whitner said. "It's his 11th year in the National Football League, and he looks like he's getting stronger and stronger."
Smith has started 171 consecutive games, the third longest active streak among current players and almost never leaves the field. He played all 80 defensive snaps last week and even got on the field early as an extra blocker.
He finished that game with three tackles, a sack, five quarterback hits and showed no signs of ever getting tired. His impressive bull-rush came in the fourth quarter.
"That's how I always played," he said. "I always played that much and I've always been on the field. I don't know how to do it any other way."
-- Josh Dubow
Commentary: 'It brings the taste of vomit back.'
Trey Junkin spent nearly every minute of his 19 years in the NFL trying to be invisible, and might have succeeded, if not for his very last snap.
That came at the end of a 2003 NFC playoff game, when a New York Giants team he had joined only four days earlier botched a last-gasp field goal to complete an epic meltdown against the 49ers — and left Junkin to shoulder the blame. Nine years later, he is still toting up the costs and wondering whether even one of those teammates will come forward and share the burden.
"I owned up to it that day and every day since, I've owned every bit of it," Junkin said. "It's how I was brought up. But I think about that ... snap still. Not every day or every night anymore, but every now and then I get jerked out of my sleep and re-live that feeling the second the ball left my hands. And it brings the taste of vomit to the back of my mouth."
Junkin is back home in Winnfield, La., pop. 5,800, helping out with the high school football team on occasion and watching dozens of NFL games every season with a notepad in his lap — always — charting special-teams play. He'll be back in front of TV set Sunday when the Giants and 49ers meet again in the NFC championship, wondering if the game Junkin loved all his life will ever welcome him back.
"I still feel bad for all 53 guys on that team. And the last thing I want," he said, "is people to feel sorry for me. I've got a wonderful wife, two great kids and my parents are still alive. Football gave me the means to enjoy all of it.
"Do I want to get back in? Absolutely. I'd love to be a special-teams coach. I did it for a year in Canada (with Calgary) and loved every minute. I played every facet of special teams and still study it to this day. Interestingly enough, though, I can't get an interview. Everybody knows me, but nobody returns my calls? I mean, c'mon," Junkin said, then paused and drew in a sharp breath.
"I don't want to lay it on that snap," he continued, "but I don't know what it is. I wish I did."
When that fateful January call came from New York, Junkin was 41 and had filed his NFL retirement papers two months earlier after playing for seven different teams as a long snapper and sometimes special-teams player. By his own count, he had messed up five or six snaps in 281 previous games. The Giants, meanwhile, had already lost three other long snappers during a season that began with low expectations, but thanks to a late surge, began to take on a championship feel. They built a 24-point lead at San Francisco and still led 38-22 beginning the final quarter when everything fell apart. Their last shot at redemption came on third down, trailing 39-38 with six seconds left, as kicker Matt Bryant stepped onto the field to attempt a 40-yard field goal.
What happened next remains a point of contention. All these years later, though, Junkin still is the only guy to take responsibility for his part. But if you made a list of those who blew assignments on the play, he might not even make the top 10.
For one, there's Giants holder Matt Allen, who could have fallen on the ball and called timeout, leaving enough time for another try. Or, Allen could have run outside the tackle box — which he did — and thrown the ball out of bounds, stopping the clock with a few ticks left. Instead, he panicked and heaved an incomplete pass at teammate Rich Seubert.
Next would be the seven NFL officials on the field, backed by a quartet in the instant replay booth. They mistakenly believed Seubert — normally an offensive lineman — was an ineligible receiver and so refused to call pass interference when San Francisco's Chike Okeafor pulled Seubert down from behind on the play. Okeafor practically boasted about his handiwork after the game — "I wasn't going to let him catch it, score and be over then," he said. But it wasn't until Monday that the league got around to acknowledging its role in the fiasco. Though another Giants lineman was downfield on the same play, Seubert was indeed eligible. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue later called it the worst officiating blunder of his tenure. At the least, offsetting penalties should have been called and the down replayed.
Then there's the offense, which fizzled after building the big lead, and the defense, which gave it away, and finally, then-coach Jim Fassel, who could have been a little more assertive about the missed call and a lot less conservative in his play-calling.
"It's still kind of amazing," Fassel told the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger earlier this week. "The referee announced over the PA system that 'No. 69 is eligible.' So there were 90,000 people who knew Seubert was eligible. The only one who didn't know it was the back judge. We should have had a rekick."
Instead, Junkin stood dutifully in front of his locker as wave after wave of reporters asked questions.
"I'd give everything in the world, except my family, to have stayed retired so these guys could have had a chance," he said at the time, then watched a replay and good as his word, promptly re-retired on the spot.
"You can't fault Trey," said Fassel, who lost his own job soon after. "I remember he said it cost us the Super Bowl, but I don't want him to feel that way. To let a team come from behind like that, they get a lot of help. And the referee was clearly wrong, so that part was hard to swallow."
Yet Junkin repeated his version of events a day later in New York after cleaning out his locker. Among all his teammates, only Michael Strahan and Jeremy Shockey went out of their way to cushion the blow.
"Strahan said, 'It wasn't your fault. You didn't play defense. You didn't have a hand in giving back 24 points,'" Junkin recalled. "Shockey said something similar. And I talked to Kerry Collins about hunting, I think, but that was pretty much it. I talked to Jim a week later. He apologized, and said the same things Strahan and Shockey did. ... I think I drank three nights straight after the game. I can only remember one of them.
"I was such a perfectionist. I thought if I did my job right, no one outside the game would even know who I was. And everybody that knows me was worried for a little bit after that because they know how neurotic I am — or was — about snapping. I had to know where every snap was caught by the punter or holder. I needed to know where the laces were, stuff like that, because those were the things I could control.
"But another thing I learned playing the game that long? That you win or lose based on how you play," and here Junkin dragged out the words for emphasis, "as a team."
"And if I had a wish, it's that when this whole thing gets hashed over, people who remember that snap remember it's one play out of an entire game," he said.
Junkin plans to watch it — without a notepad this once — in the bar at a nearby resort casino. He and his wife made reservations to celebrate his 51st birthday over the weekend.
"I'm curious how many times they show my face. I never played football to have my name known. You can be pretty anonymous with a helmet on and I wanted to keep it that way. The funny thing is that was the only time I ever walked out of the tunnel and down the middle of the field. Taking it all in and thinking, 'This is pretty damn cool.' I'd never really appreciated where I was and what I was doing before then. Football was just a job to me.
"Look," he added, "I hated talking about it then. I hate talking about it now. The snap was mine. I got over the fact of it, but the feeling of it I'll never get over.
"The rest of it? I won't name names or throw anybody under the bus, like some guys did to me on TV and radio. But somebody else needs to stand up."
Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@ap.org.
