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NFL Capsules - Playoffs: Texans eye Ravens while Phillips mulls interview
HOUSTON (AP) — Texans coach Gary Kubiak says his players won't be distracted by defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' upcoming job interview as they prepare for this weekend's playoff game in Baltimore.
Kubiak confirmed reports Monday that Phillips will meet with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday to discuss their head coaching position. The Bucs fired Raheem Morris a week ago after finishing 4-12.
Houston (11-6) plays at Baltimore (12-4) in an AFC divisional playoff on Sunday.
"There's obviously a window where they have to ask for permission to talk to your guys, and then you try to make it work within your normal schedule," Kubiak said. "There's nothing that will change about our schedule. We'll go through our normal week, and Wade will visit with them some time Friday evening, and so he'll still be working on Friday evening when everybody else is getting a little break.
"Nothing will change about what we do," Kubiak said, "I want everybody to understand that."
The 64-year-old Phillips talked last week about his credentials as a head coach, though he added he was content in his current position. He's still recovering from kidney and gall bladder surgery in mid-December, but still thinks he should be considered for a top NFL job. His record as a head coach is 82-59.
The Texans are in the playoffs for the first time, largely due to Phillips' revamping of the defense, which ranked as one of the league's worst in 2010. Fans called into Houston radio shows on Monday, criticizing the Buccaneers for courting Phillips while the team was still playing in the postseason.
But Kubiak said that the Buccaneers' interest in Phillips is a testament to the job done by Houston's players and the rest of the defensive staff, including linebackers coach Reggie Herring, secondary coach Vance Joseph and defensive line coach Bill Kollar.
"We're proud of any opportunity any one of our coaches would get," Kubiak said. "It will not be a distraction. It's a compliment, and we'll get ready to go."
The Texans have been coping with obstacles all season, most of them injury-related. For a change, they escaped Saturday's 31-10 win over Cincinnati without any players significantly hurt.
Right guard Mike Brisiel played "about three quarters" after missing three games with a broken right fibula, and tight end Owen Daniels hurt his right hand, but will be back at practice on Wednesday, Kubiak said.
Star receiver Andre Johnson looked like his old self against the Bengals, catching five passes for 90 yards, including a second-half touchdown. Johnson was on the field for about 40 plays, and Kubiak said he "came out of the game fine" after missing nine games in the regular season with injuries to both hamstrings.
One of the games Johnson sat out was Baltimore's 29-14 win in Week 6, in which Houston set season lows for points and total yards (293) that held up through the end of 2011. Matt Schaub was the quarterback in that game, not rookie T.J. Yates, and the Texans were playing for the first time without outside linebacker Mario Williams, who tore a chest muscle the previous week.
Houston still led 14-13 in the third quarter, before the Ravens pulled away in the fourth.
"Well, they closed and we didn't," Kubiak said. "We had opportunities offensively and didn't make them in the fourth quarter."
The Ravens held Arian Foster to 49 yards rushing in the first meeting, though Foster was also Houston's top receiver that day, with six catches for 52 yards.
If Baltimore can bottle up Foster again, the pressure will fall on Yates, the fifth-round draft pick thrust into a starting role after season-ending injuries to Schaub and backup Matt Leinart.
Yates is 1-1 two road starts, rallying the Texans past the Bengals in Cincinnati on Dec. 11, but then losing to Indianapolis 11 days later.
Kubiak has firsthand experience for what Yates can expect on Sunday. He was Denver's offensive coordinator in 2000, when the Broncos met the Ravens in Baltimore in an AFC wild-card game. The Ravens won 21-3 on their way to the Super Bowl.
"This will be probably the ultimate test from the standpoint of the noise and being there in a playoff game," Kubiak said. "But it's our job as coaches, too, to make sure that we're doing things that give him the best chance to get in and out of the huddle and go play and to give our guys up front the best chance. He's done his part, and I think he continues to get better and gain more confidence."
Rested, healthy Ravens relish benefit of bye week
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — As a reward for going 12-4 and winning the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens got to watch football over the weekend instead of playing it.
It was a luxury they did not take for granted.
In each of the previous three years, the Ravens reached the playoffs as a wild-card team and had to play on the road during the opening weekend of the postseason.
This season, Baltimore earned a bye during wild-card weekend by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 24-16 on Jan. 1 to earn the AFC North title in a tiebreaker over the Pittsburgh Steelers, who also went 12-4 but lost twice to the Ravens.
So, while the Steelers lost at Denver, the Ravens kicked back and watched the show. And now, Baltimore is rested and healthy heading into Sunday's matchup at home against the Houston Texans (11-6).
"We did what we had to do to get that first-week bye," Ravens defensive end Cory Redding said. "We came out of the backstretch 3-1, and that was our main focus. Guys were fighting on the field with big gashes down their legs, bruised ribs, messed up knees and toes and ankles and hands. Everyone got in that Cincinnati game and just played because we knew we were fighting for a week off.
"That was the biggest thing. We got that accomplished, we got control of the AFC North accomplished. Now it's time to recover and get ready for the second season and winning Game 1."
Coach John Harbaugh ran a short practice Monday after giving the team Friday, Saturday and Sunday off.
"From an injury perspective, we look good. I anticipate everybody playing in the game," Harbaugh said.
That includes wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who missed the final two games of the regular season with a knee injury.
"Anquan, he looks fine," Harbaugh said. "He's been running on it, so he should be 100 percent."
Getting a week off to heal was probably the most significant aspect of the bye, but the players did not take lightly the opportunity to be fans instead of participants.
"Physically and mentally, you get a little break, get a little time away to reset everything and come back rejuvenated," center Matt Birk said. "Watching the games (Sunday), you know, the last couple year we played in the first round. You're fighting for your life until the last week of the season to get in, and then you get in and you've got to scramble and play somewhere on the road somewhere.
"To take a step back and just watch and take it all in, you become a fan. It just gets you that much more excited to get back to work today."
Despite playing on the road in each of the past three years, the Ravens won at least one game. The visiting teams weren't nearly that fortunate last weekend, a development that did not escape Harbaugh's notice.
"It certainly hammered home how difficult it is to go on the road," he said "All four home teams obviously won, which hasn't always been the case. We managed to overcome that three times, which hammers home how difficult that is."
The Ravens and Texans last met on Oct. 16, a 29-14 Baltimore victory at home. The Texans have changed a bit since then, most notably at quarterback, where T.J. Yates has taken over for injured Matt Schaub.
"It's the same package that they ran earlier," Harbaugh said. "T.J. Yates kind of has his imprint on it, but he looks very similar to the other two guys running it. I think that's a credit to their coaches and the system they run. It's a great system. Obviously, it's been successful for a number of years, offensively."
Redding intends to be better this time than in the first meeting between the teams.
"I was just talking to some of our coaches, telling them how good I feel," he said. "I lost a few pounds working real hard. I reflected on myself, watching how I played, things I can correct from the last game to this game. Things that I messed up on, how I can correct my footwork, correct my hands, my eyes, and my technique so I can play that much better than I did in Week 6 when we saw them."
-- David Ginsburg
Patriots prepare for red-hot Tebow and Broncos
Even Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have a little bit of Tebowmania.
"I'm excited," the Patriots quarterback said Monday as New England began to prepare for their second-round playoff game against Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. "And I'm sure there's not a lot of guys on our team that slept great last night."
Tebow led the Broncos into the second round of the NFL playoffs when he connected with Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard score on the first play of overtime to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 on Sunday. Now the Broncos will have to face New England, which already beat them Dec. 18.
Denver came into that game at the peak of Tebow hype, riding a six-game winning streak since he was installed as the starting quarterback. Now the Broncos are riding another high, thanks to the quickest overtime score in NFL playoff history.
"That was a great win for them yesterday, a really impressive game," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday. "It didn't take long — one play. He made a great throw, Thomas made a good catch. ... Well-executed play by the Broncos, and it was decisive."
Tebow completed 10 of 21 passes for a season-high 316 yards for a passer rating of 125.6 that is the highest in Broncos postseason history. He 4-0 in his career in overtime and 1-0 as a starter in the playoffs.
That's one more postseason win than the Patriots have had since the 2007 season. In each of the last two playoffs, the Patriots have lost at home.
"It was a very different team last year," Brady said on WEEI. "The strengths of this team are different than they were last year. How it all plays out? It depends on how we play. There's nothing that happened last week or last year or five years ago or 10 years ago that can play into this game."
The Patriots had a bye last week, but that doesn't mean things were quiet in Foxborough, Mass. Offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien took the head coaching job at Penn State, inheriting the aftermath of the sexual abuse scandal that cost Joe Paterno his job.
O'Brien will remain with the Patriots through the end of their season and then be replaced by Josh McDaniels, who was the Patriots offensive coordinator before leaving to be the Broncos head coach in 2009.
Although he won't have the title, McDaniels will join the Patriots staff immediately — in time to help them prepare for the team that fired him in 2010.
"He obviously has some inside information on that team and those players, as he coached them," Brady said. "I think coach Belichick has a pretty good idea of what he's going to want Josh to do. ... He's a great coach and we're lucky to have him. I'm excited to get back to work with him. How that plays into this week, we'll see. We'll try to figure that out here in the next five or six days."
Belichick would not say how McDaniels would assist.
"He's ready to help us in any way that he can. I'm sure that he'll be an asset to our coaching staff and our team," Belichick said. "I'm not sure exactly how that will pan out. ... Right now, it's just a one-game season, so whatever we can do to help ourselves this week we'll do and then we'll worry about next week and next year later."
The Broncos weren't concerned.
"When you do this for a living, you've got a pretty good idea of most of the players. You may have coached them before. Guys just move cities," Broncos coach John Fox said, noting that Denver plays his former team, Carolina, next year. "I just stay in my lane. Other people make those rules."
McDaniels, 35, worked for New England from 2001-2008, including three seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He left to coach the Broncos but was fired with three games left in his second season.
He spent this year as the offensive coordinator with St. Louis Rams, who went 2-14. Coach Steve Spagnuolo was fired last week, and McDaniels was allowed to leave for New England.
"I don't really think too many guys are going to be thinking about that," receiver Eddie Royal said. "We've got to worry about stopping Tom Brady and scoring points on this defense. I don't think you can worry about who's coaching them."
-- Jimmy Golen
Another victory keeps Tebow in the spotlight
DENVER (AP) — He kneels in prayer at times when many players would be pounding their chest, and is winning with a style the experts insist cannot work for long.
Tim Tebow's formula for success and fame is not typical for the NFL. So, is it a football miracle? Or the perfect blend of luck, timing and big plays? That's the debate that makes the tale of the Denver Broncos quarterback one of the most compelling stories in America these days.
Hardly anyone stands on neutral ground when it comes to the purveyor of this unorthodox mix of throwing mechanics, big-time sports and devout religion, a 24-year-old Christian who is the subject of comedy skits on Saturday nights and serious sermons on Sunday mornings.
But what most people will agree on is that it's hard to take your eyes off Tebow these days — a man who unapologetically uses football to take his message beyond the field while also taking his team on an unexpected ride through the playoffs.
"I'm just very thankful for the platform that God has given me, and the opportunity to be a quarterback for the Denver Broncos — what a great organization," Tebow said after his latest shocker — an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime Sunday to beat Pittsburgh 29-23 in the wild-card playoffs.
The play, according to Twitter, spawned a record 9,420 tweets per second.
Not lost in that flurry was that Tebow threw for 316 yards and set an NFL playoff record by averaging 31.6 yards. That's "316," as in John 3:16, one of the most-often cited Bible passages for Christians, the most widely searched item on Google for much of Sunday night into Monday, and the message Tebow used to stencil into the eyeblack he wore when he played college ball at Florida.
Not that referencing the Bible or thanking God is anything new in sports. After NFL games for years, a small group of athletes gather around midfield, kneel, hold hands and pray. That devotion has been largely ignored or even criticized by media and fans.
"The thing with Tebow is that he seems more genuinely religious than most athletes, who seem to be religious to win games," said Clifford Putney, author of the book "Muscular Christianity: Manhood and Sports in Protestant America, 1880-1920."
That might help explain why Tebow's gestures are not being overlooked, but part of an ever-growing sensation. It started building when he won the Heisman Trophy and two national titles at Florida, though he was steeped in strong religion well before that — born in the Philippines to missionary parents.
More recently, he introduced mass culture to the art of "Tebowing" — kneeling on one knee, elbow perched on the other, fist to forehead — while chaos is erupting around him. The practice now has its own website, with pictures of people Tebowing in a research lab, in front of the Sydney Opera House, in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem, etc.
Entertaining as all that has been, it has made fans and the media rethink the way they judge and cover their sports stars. Reporting that a player was including the Lord in his postgame analysis has long been widely thought of as trite and inappropriate, something to simply skip over when typing in the quotes.
Tebow's five fourth-quarter comebacks and his four overtime victories — each more improbable than the last — and his steady, genuine, yet somehow unassuming insistence on bringing God into the conversation has forced an uncomfortable question upon those who want to make it only about what happens between the lines.
Does God really care about football?
"Not one whit," said Joe Price, a professor in the religious studies department at Whittier College. "But does God care about people who play football? You betcha."
In a sports season filled with unsavory stories — NFL and NBA labor wars, child sex abuse scandals at Penn State and Syracuse, and a baseball MVP accused of using steroids — Tebow is seen by many as a sports star who really could be a role model, contrary to what Charles Barkley or anyone else might say.
But the Tebow angst still exists, in large part because there is seemingly no way to analyze what he does on a football field without religion seeping into at least some part of that analysis.
Opine about his unorthodox throwing motion — widely derided by scouts and coaches and seemingly more suited for tossing a boomerang than a football — and the quick assumption becomes that you might not like him because of his religious beliefs.
Defend him as a winner who cares less about conventionality and depends more on moxie than mechanics — well, then you must be drinking the Kool-Aid, a Tebow fan because you're in line with his Christian beliefs.
"I still have doubts about him as a long-term answer, as I think most reasonable people do," said radio host Sandy Clough, who has been manning Denver's sports talk shows for more than 30 years. "Does one game, if he plays well, not only invalidate his play from the other (bad) games but anything anyone's ever said about it? Well, no it doesn't. It's all part of the mix. It's a fascinating mix. He's the toughest player I've ever had to analyze, because there are all these extraneous factors you have to bring in."
Sensing the excitement and loving his message, Tebow is also being courted by Republican presidential candidates. The quarterback recently told The Associated Press he's been asked by more than one of the contenders for his support. He wouldn't name names, but did say he'd declined the offer.
"I think you have to have so much trust in who you support, just from product endorsements to endorsing a candidate because if that person or company does something (bad), it reflects on you," said Tebow, who's a pitchman for Nike, Jockey and FRS energy drink.
Tebow has, however, placed himself in the political realm before — two Super Bowls ago when he starred in a Focus on the Family commercial with his mother sharing the story of how she gave birth to him in the Philippines in 1987 after spurning a doctor's advice to have an abortion for medical reasons. After being criticized for that ad, he didn't do an encore and instead tries to toe the line of showing his religion without shoving it down people's throats.
That hasn't stopped people from mocking him — and worse.
After Tebow was particularly bad in an ugly loss to Buffalo on Dec. 24, comedian and talk show host Bill Maher sent out a tweet that basked in the QB's misfortune, blaming Jesus for the loss. "And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler 'Hey, Buffalo's killing them,'" Maher tweeted.
Maher, in turn, was roundly ripped for the post.
Less toxic was the recent skit on "Saturday Night Live," where "Jesus" materializes in the locker room with an actor portraying Tebow, admits he is pulling some strings during these Bronco games, then after being told the New England Patriots are next on the schedule, suggests Tebow substitute his playbook, "the holy Bible," for one with some Xs and Os.
The "SNL" Jesus also concedes that he, personally, prays to the Broncos place-kicker, Matt Prater, whose excellence has defined what the Tebow sensation has been about for most of this season: a bunch of teammates, motivated by a less-than-perfect leader who never gives up, coming together and picking each other up when the going gets tough.
A great story line that has held most of the year.
The twist on Sunday, though, was that for the first time this season, it could reasonably be argued that Tebow was a one-man show. In the win over Pittsburgh, he completed five passes of 30 yards or more. And with his defense struggling, he threw a perfect strike for the game-winner to receiver Demaryius Thomas, who didn't have to change his stride and, thus, ran untouched into the end zone.
"He was the same Tim, calm and collected," Thomas said. "He took it one play at a time and was in the huddle and said, 'It's either we win or we go home.'"
-- Eddie Pells
Commentary: Tebow is still giving NFL whiplash
Tim Tebow is still giving the NFL whiplash.
Over the course of the regular season, he went from bad to good to occasionally spectacular, then back to being a bust. Such a bust, that all but one of the defensive coordinators preparing for the playoffs had already moved their game plans on the Broncos' quirky QB from an email folder marked "active" to the "curiosities" file.
They hardly expected to see him again.
All those self-appointed experts who said Tebow couldn't keep winning in the pros playing quarterback as if he were still in college were girding for the last laugh. That was supposed to come Sunday, when the Pittsburgh Steelers arrived with a banged-up, but still-No.1-rated defense in tow. Instead, it's New England's turn.
"And I'm sure," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said, "there's not a lot of guys on our team that slept great last night."
Small wonder. The book on Tebow was supposed to be closed after he and the Broncos, winners of six straight at one point, lost their last three and looked clueless in the last two of those. Patriots coach Bill Belichick pulled it out when New England trounced the Broncos a month ago and it read something like this: Stack up defenders close to the line of scrimmage to stop the run; have a linebacker shadow Tebow, then move the corners and safeties around at the last second to disguise the thin pass coverage; dare him to throw the ball.
Denver coach John Fox faced similar schemes more times than he cares to count, but for the first quarter against the Steelers, the Broncos failed to complete even one pass. Pittsburgh safeties Troy Polamalu and Ryan Mundy kept creeping close to the line with almost every snap, leaving wide-open spaces behind them.
The novelty of the "read-option" offense the Broncos adapted from the college game for Tebow's sake appeared to have the shelf life of a carton of raspberries. Then the second quarter rolled in and Tebow looked like Steve Young, completing four passes of 30 yards or better, something that hasn't been done in the NFL in 50 years. A day later, Fox struggled again to explain the transformation.
"You know, football is football," he said.
But the fact that his offense worked so well at some times and so poorly at others still seemed a mystery. Fox finds himself defending the scheme as often as opponents do.
"They played that kind of football at a pretty high level in college, you know, and there have been some very successful, productive offenses in this type of offense. But it's a little unique for the National Football League," he conceded.
That's because once the novelty of the "read-option" wears off, once the league's defensive brain trusts have enough game film to study it, they should be able to shut down the run component. Also, Tebow has yet to prove he can win a game playing like a conventional NFL passer. There's also the danger of exposing a running quarterback to frequent collisions with NFL-caliber safeties, who run like deer and deliver hits like compact SUVs. That last thought may have crossed Fox's mind.
"Having that guy as a run threat is not the first time that's ever happened. We competed against Michael Vick for years there in Atlanta and it presents problems," he said. Conveniently, Fox didn't recall how all that running also presented Vick with problems. He was hit and hurt so often that he was forced to become a pocket passer. Either way, Fox wasn't making immediate plans to change Tebow's style in time for next weekend's trip to New England.
"So you know, we've had different approaches. Our opponent this week, we played earlier in the season. They had their approach and obviously the Steelers had a different approach, like everybody does. It presents problems," he added, "but it's unique to whoever is calling the defenses."
On paper, it looks like a mismatch: Tebow against Belichick, who's been successfully scheming how to ruin a quarterback's life long before Tebow was born. Then again, the same could have been said about Dick LeBeau, who called the shots for Pittsburgh's defense and learned a new trick to his everlasting regret on the first play of Sunday's overtime period. Just as the Broncos had on 21 of 22 previous first-down attempts, they came out in a run formation and put a wide receiver in motion. And just as they had on all the previous attempts, Polamalu and Mundy started sneaking up to the line. And then Tebow confounded everyone but his own coaches — at least this once — by standing in the pocket and throwing a simple slant — the way every other starter and backup in the NFL has to do just to survive training camp.
Then again, no one expected Tebow to make it out of there, either.
No wonder he smiled mischievously when he said afterward, "We keep believing."
Even if few others do.
Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@ap.org.
Thomas a rising star after many injuries
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — For such a slow starter, Demaryius Thomas sure dashed right into history. Betrayed by his body, it took the Denver Broncos' newest star until the end of his second NFL season to validate his status as the first wide receiver selected in the 2010 draft, ahead of Dallas' Dez Bryant.
Now he's a household name, despite playing in Denver's read-option offense, where wide receivers serve more as blockers and decoys than pass-catchers.
Thomas ended the quickest overtime in NFL history — 11 seconds — with the longest winning touchdown in any playoff game ever. His electrifying 80-yard catch Sunday from Tim Tebow sent the Broncos to a 29-23 win over Pittsburgh.
He put "The Dash" right up there with "The Drive" and "The Fumble" in Broncos playoff lore.
Dogged by a broken foot, sprained ankle, concussion, torn Achilles and fractured finger since turning pro, Thomas said Monday he never doubted he'd regain his health and prove he was a worthy first-rounder.
"It was just the freak accidents that were just happening," Thomas said. "I knew once I got back on the field and got healthy, I can make some plays and help my team."
Thomas had a rough rookie year after leaving Georgia Tech following his junior season. In training camp, he aggravated a surgically repaired left foot that he had broken in pre-draft workouts, then sustained a concussion and high ankle sprain during the season and only played sparingly.
Then in February, Thomas was doing lateral footwork and conditioning drills at his alma mater when he felt pain in his right heel. Surgeons had to repair his torn Achilles tendon, and they told him he might miss the entire 2011 season.
"I didn't know it was that serious because I walked off and I went home. I went to the doctor the next day. He told me it was ruptured," Thomas said. "He said it was like 8-12 months before I get back and I asked him, what's the fastest somebody's ever been back? And he was like, 'Five months.'
"It maybe took me six months to get back to running."
Impressed by his speedy recovery, the Broncos elected to keep him on their 53-man roster when the season started rather than placing him on the PUP list. But in his first padded practice two days later, he got hurt again when cornerback Champ Bailey broke up a pass that struck Thomas square on his left pinkie.
"I thought it was a jammed finger, so I kept on practicing," said Thomas, who realized it was more serious when another ball hit him on his fractured finger.
Another setback. Another operation. Another round of rehab.
Thomas finally returned to practice in early October on the same day the Broncos traded Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Lloyd to St. Louis. In his first game, Thomas caught a late touchdown pass from Tebow in a comeback at Miami that sparked Denver's improbable playoff run.
He really found his stride down the stretch.
Since Dec. 1, the burly receiver who packs 230 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame has been one of the most dominating players in football.
His 29 catches for 652 yards — a league-best 22.5 yards per catch — four touchdowns and 108.7-yard receiving average are second only to Detroit's Calvin "Megatron" Johnson.
For much of the season, he was frustrated playing in an offense that affords wide receivers few chances to strut their stuff.
"It's been tough," Thomas said. "We don't pass the ball a lot, as you know."
Thomas should be used to it; he played in Paul Johnson's triple-option offense at Georgia Tech, a system that was considered ill-suited for the NFL until the Broncos brought back the read-option at midseason following Tebow's promotion.
"We did pass it more in college," Thomas said. "It's frustrating, but once you're winning, when we went through the little six-game winning streak, it's fine. Once you're losing, it bothers you a little. I feel like what helped me out is just being patient and taking advantage of the chances I got."
On Sunday, that meant hauling in 51- and 58-yard passes to set up second-quarter touchdowns, then grabbing the overtime bullet from Tebow over the middle, stiff-arming cornerback Ike Taylor and outracing safety Ryan Mundy to the end zone.
His teammates were jubilant over the Broncos' first playoff win in six seasons but were especially glad for Thomas.
"He's been through a lot in his short career," Eddie Royal said. "I'm just happy for the guy because I know the hard work he puts in."
Royal said the Broncos see Thomas shine every day "making amazing catches and running past people" in practice. "But that game showed what he can do game in and game out."
The play-action fake worked to perfection because the Broncos had run on 21 of their 22 first downs to that point, and all 11 defenders were within 4 yards of the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped.
"I knew walking up to the line and I saw the safety come down, I was like, 'This is going to be a big play,'" Thomas said. "The middle of the field was wide open and all I had to do was beat the corner. And once I beat him, it was like, nothing but green grass. And I knew I was going to score."
Thomas' 58-yarder might have gone for a 73-yard score had he kept racing across the field in similar fashion but Taylor caught him when he slowed to cut back.
"I tried cutting it back to the sideline and Coach was like, 'Use your speed,'" Thomas recounted.
So, in overtime he never slowed down, running right through the end zone and up the tunnel while Sports Authority Field shook.
Thomas, however, was confused about the playoff overtime rules that allow both teams to get the ball unless one of them scores a touchdown first. He also was thinking back to college, where both teams get the ball in overtime.
"I thought the defense had to go on the field," Thomas said. "I actually didn't know. I saw Champ run up the tunnel with me. I was like, 'What's going on?' And then I looked out, I saw everybody on the field, so I assumed the game was over with."
That's when he realized he had produced one of the greatest playoff endings in NFL history, finishing with a career-high 204 yards on just four receptions.
It was the shortest overtime ever and the longest touchdown ever to win a playoff game.
Carolina's Steve Smith set the previous record for the longest overtime TD, a 69-yarder from Jake Delhomme to beat St. Louis 29-23 on the first play of the second overtime on Jan. 10, 2004.
Broncos coach John Fox was in charge in Carolina back then, but he wasn't having any flashbacks Sunday.
"This was a big play and that's the one I was focused on," Fox said with a smile.
Notes: Fox said WR Eric Decker's left knee injury was "just a sprain, so he'll be day-to-day, so that was actually good news." ... Tebow's 31.6-yard average per completion Sunday was the second-best ever by a QB with at least 10 completions, topped only by Joe Namath's 33.1 average for the Jets against Baltimore on Sept. 24, 1972.
-- Arnie Stapleton
NFC
Giants defense getting its wish, the Packers again
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants' defense wanted another shot at Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers after a last-second loss last month. They got their wish.
And this time it might be a fair fight.
The last time the Giants (10-7) faced the Packers, Rodgers shredded the defense for 449 yards and four touchdowns, winning the game with a 68-yard drive in the final minute to set up a 31-yard field goal in a 38-35 decision.
That's ancient history. The Giants' defense has come light years in five weeks. The front four is dominating, led by All-Pro Jason Pierre-Paul, with Justin Tuck finally healthy, and Osi Umenyiora recovered from an ankle injury.
The secondary is covering receivers and opponents are being stuffed on the run. It's shutdown football, as was evident on Sunday in a 24-2 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC wild-card game at MetLife Stadium.
That set up the rematch with the Packers (15-1) at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
"We wanted to see them again, but we realized in seeing them again it would be in a playoff game like this, so obviously we wanted to see them again," Tuck said Monday. "But yeah, we felt like we let one slip through our hands. I am sure Green Bay is saying to themselves, 'We didn't play our best game.' All of that is in the past. We'll get our opportunity to settle all those question marks on Sunday."
The Giants have played five games since facing the Packers on Dec. 4 and the defense seemingly has gotten better each week. After giving up 34 points in a three-point win over Dallas on Dec. 11, New York has given up 53 points in the last four games.
There is a theory that by playing well against the-then undefeated Packers, the Giants gained confidence.
"''We didn't need that game to understand that," safety Antrel Rolle said. "I think that's all within ourselves. We understand that we are a great team, we just have been complacent all year long. Right now, we are peaking and we are jelling, and we are playing great team football."
When the Giants played the Packers, weak side linebacker Michael Boley was coming off a hamstring injury and middle linebacker Chase Blackburn had just been signed in the wake of an ankle injury to rookie Mark Herzlich. Umenyiora was out of the lineup with a high ankle sprain and Tuck, bothered by shoulder and groin injuries earlier, was dealing with an ankle problem.
While the line was able to sack Rodgers twice, there was never consistent pressure and it allowed the All-Pro quarterback to pick and choose his receivers on a day he was 28 of 45 and connected with eight targets.
The Giants' line has been creating havoc for opponents in recent weeks. New York had 11 sacks in closing the season with wins over the Jets and Cowboys, and Matt Ryan of the Falcons looked very tentative on Sunday despite being sacked only twice.
Backup defensive lineman Dave Tollefson said the defense's confidence is high, especially after limiting the Falcons to 247 yards, including 64 rushing.
"It's just a matter of everything going well," Tollefson said "Communication is a big part of the defense. Offenses, these days, are always changing the play at the line of scrimmage. Something is always getting changed. Defensively, you have to get on the same page. You leave one guy off the page you get dinged for an 80-yard run. I think the communication has been great and I think it will only continue to get better as we play."
Boley noted the small mental errors that were hurting the team at times have been either reduced or eliminated.
That said, the Giants realize they need one of their best defensive games to win. And even that might not be enough with Rodgers running the Packers
"I think we played better than OK," Rolle said of the last meeting. "A lot of it is the quarterback. He is going to make his plays. It was just little things we can change in the game that can take away 21 points easily. We're aware of that and they probably have the same mindset."
Veteran defensive tackle Chris Canty said the Giants came close to being perfect against Atlanta. Watching the videotape on Monday, he said the interior of the line missed their gaps at times, had their pad level too high and needed better technique.
The linebackers and defensive backs also saw imperfections, but not many.
"I am excited how good this football team can be," Canty said. "We haven't played our best football yet. I keep saying that and it seems nobody believes me, but we haven't played our best football yet. We can close. When it clicks, it is going to be a special moment. I am excited about the opportunity for that to happen."
The Giants had one of those performances in Green Bay in the NFC title game in January 2008.
"It will be intriguing to see how we come out and play the game," Tuck said. "The last couple of games have been at home in the friendly confines of MetLife Stadium, and we have played well. Now we can channel some of our recent history as road warriors going back to Lambeau Field. The one thing I would like to pick up from '07 is that road warrior mentality. Going against a team on the road, it seemed like we didn't miss a beat. Hopefully that can be the same for this year, too."
NOTES: CB Aaron Ross and RB D.J. Ware were having concussion protocols performed Monday. There was no immediate word on their condition. They were hurt Sunday. ..Coach Tom Coughlin said the other injuries were the usual game dings. ...Every player on the Giants got a game ball, Coughlin said.
-- Tom Canavan
Thomas emerging for Saints in playoffs
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — One of Pierre Thomas' teammates referred to him as "an animal" after the Saints' playoff opening triumph over Detroit.
Thomas is just happy to be healthy and able to help New Orleans in another playoff run.
The fifth-year running back was a key player in the Saints' lone championship two seasons ago, turning screen passes into long touchdowns in both the NFC championship game and the Super Bowl. In 2010, however, he struggled with a left ankle injury for much of the regular season and was on injured reserve by the time the Saints were bounced from the playoffs in a first-round loss at Seattle.
Thomas made his postseason return against the Lions in Saturday night's first-round game, slipping numerous tackles and bouncing off some heavy hits on his way to 121 combined yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
"It was very sweet. I'm blessed to continue my career after my injury," Thomas said. "I just keep fighting. I've been pushing and my teammates have my back. I don't even think about the injury. I just go out and keep playing. After last year, this win was great not only for me, but the whole team."
Thomas has been effective all season long, but has been overshadowed both by the Saints' record-breaking passing game and by being part of a deep running back corps that has shared work all season, contributing to mediocre numbers in some of the statistics by which running backs are judged.
Thomas was second on the team in rushing with 562 yards and five touchdowns, but carried the ball only 110 times all season, meaning he averaged a respectable 5.1 yards per carry. He also caught 50 passes for 425 yards and a score.
Thomas' total of 160 plays with the ball were relatively low when compared to other versatile running backs such as Chicago's Matt Forte, who either carried or caught the ball 255 times in 12 games before missing the last four games of the season with an injury.
That means Thomas is fresh for the postseason, and he looked like it in the Saints' 45-28 victory over Detroit.
On third-and-10 during the Saints' second offensive series, Thomas made one tackler miss, bounced off a second and dragged a third just far enough to get the first down. Later on that drive, Thomas ripped through a defensive lineman's arms and broke Louis Delmas' attempted tackle 8 yards beyond the line of scrimmage while scampering for a gain of 31.
Those plays sustained a scoring drive that tied the game at 7.
On a subsequent series, Thomas caught a screen pass, juked one tackler, split two more while spinning and stumbling forward, planted his hand on the turf to keep his balance and briefly regained his stride for a gain of 14 before three tacklers brought him down.
"I couldn't believe he stayed up," offensive guard Carl Nicks marveled. "I mean, that guy's an animal, right?"
Thomas added an 18-yard run during a scoring drive in the second half and also bounced away from a head-on hit by linebacker Jason Durant during a 9-yard gain that set up another score.
"I always tell myself to not let the first guy take me down," Thomas said. "I try to break as many tackles as I can and get in that end zone. Everyone tells me that I have freaky balance, but it's the gift that God gave me."
Thomas capped his performance with a 1-yard touchdown that iced the game late in the fourth quarter, but which also lowered his yards per carry to a still impressive 8.3.
"We're just a different team when that guy's healthy, I'll tell you that much," Nicks said.
Nicks just might be on to something. The Saints are now 5-2 in the postseason since coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees combined to give New Orleans one of the league's best offenses in 2006. However, the Saints are 4-0 in the playoffs when Thomas has been in the lineup.
Brees has always spoken highly of Thomas, mentioning how he respects the running back's rise in the NFL after making the Saints' roster as an undrafted rookie out of Illinois in 2007.
The star quarterback could only gush about Thomas' latest outing.
"I've never played with a guy who's tougher, smarter or more versatile. He's everything you'd want in a teammate, and he has been a huge part of that backfield for the last five years," Brees said. "Rarely do I get the chance to sit back and watch because I'm always thinking about the next play or the next series or whatever the situation might be, but I could not help but notice the way he ran (Saturday night), shedding tacklers one after another, getting the tough yards. It was phenomenal."
Notes: The Saints scheduled Monday as a day off, although they were not discouraged from coming in on their own to study film and work out. ... The club resumes practice Tuesday through Thursday, and will fly to San Francisco on Thursday evening. They will then walk through the game plan at Candlestick Park on Friday to get adjusted to the field and the time zone change in advance of Saturday afternoon's game.
-- Brett Martel
49ers show plenty of growth over past five months
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The offense was stagnant, Alex Smith was ineffective and the offensive line was completely overmatched.
Few would have thought that the San Francisco 49ers team that opened the Jim Harbaugh era with an exhibition dud at New Orleans would be playing the Saints five months later with a spot in the NFC championship on the line.
"It's not even the same team," left tackle Joe Staley said. "There's so much more confidence. We're so much more sure of ourselves and the schemes and what we're doing."
There were few signs of the remarkable turnaround Harbaugh has engineered in San Francisco in that 24-3 loss at the Superdome as the 49ers were completely overwhelmed by New Orleans' heavy blitz package.
With no offseason because of the lockout and just two weeks of practice to implement a new system, San Francisco failed to get a first down on its first four drives as the first-team offense never got started. In the first half, the Niners allowed six sacks and completed four passes while collecting as many penalties (five) as first downs. Smith went 2-for-7 for 10 yards and Harbaugh even said after the game that rookie Colin Kaepernick would get a shot to compete for a starting job.
That seems a lot longer than five months ago now.
Smith had by far his best season as a professional. He set career highs in completion percentage (61.4), yards passing (3,199) and passer rating (90.7) while playing mostly mistake-free ball to help the 49ers go 13-3 and win the NFC West.
The offensive line gelled to spark a strong running game by Frank Gore as the offense did just enough to support one of the league's top defenses and special teams units.
"We're really improved," center Jonathan Goodwin said. "At that point we had maybe two weeks of practice. It was tough. We didn't want to make any excuses. It's tough as a line to not play together. Experience playing together is valuable."
Much was made after the game about a report that Saints coach Sean Payton went against convention with a heavy blitz package in the first preseason game because he was upset Harbaugh did not call him before the game so there could be a "gentlemen's agreement" to how the teams would approach the exhibition game.
Harbaugh said he even asked his brother, Ravens coach John Harbaugh, about whether that was proper protocol.
"He wasn't aware of all that," Jim Harbaugh said. "And even if there was, we wouldn't do it, anyway. We ask no quarter, we get no quarter. That's how we approach things."
While many of the Niners players expressed surprise at the unusual strategy for a preseason game, Goodwin knew it was coming after seeing defensive coordinator Gregg Williams up close while playing the previous five seasons with the Saints.
"First practice in training camp Gregg blitzes. It wasn't a surprise for me. That's what he likes to do," Goodwin said. "One thing about this league is you have to learn from your mistakes. Fortunately for us, at that time it was a preseason game, a game that didn't count against us. Hopefully, we've learned from some of those mistakes and can apply them in the future."
The 49ers will need to handle the blitz better this week. According to STATS LLC, the Saints had the second most blitzes in the league this season with 365, trailing only Green Bay. The plays were effective, too, as New Orleans held opponents to a 48.1 percent completion percentage against the blitz with 24 sacks and five interceptions on 316 throws.
The Niners did well most of the season against pressure, with Alex Smith going 91 for 153 for 1,116 yards, eight touchdowns, one interception and a 96.7 passer rating. But they allowed 21 sacks, including 13 in the final six games.
But the Saints are different from most blitzing teams. They have 15 players who have been credited with sacks this season, led by safety Roman Harper's 7.5, making it difficult sometimes to know where the pressure is coming from.
"Their blitz schemes are a little bit different because they bring a lot more DBs, secondary guys instead of linebackers," Staley said. "We have to do a great job just identifying and preparing all week."
Notes: Harbaugh said the team would not make a roster move on TE Delanie Walker, whose jaw was broken in two places in a win at Seattle on Dec. 24. Harbaugh said Walker has "great powers of healing" and would not rule him out for Saturday. ... Tuesday is the 30th anniversary of "The Catch" — perhaps the most famous moment in 49ers history. Harbaugh recalled watching Dwight Clark catch the game-winning pass from Joe Montana in the NFC championship game against Dallas with his father, who was then as assistant coach at Stanford. "Glad I witnessed one of the greatest plays in the history of the game," he said.
-- Josh Dubow
Packers fear worst with coordinator's son missing
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers canceled player availability Monday, bracing for bad news as authorities searched for the missing 21-year-old son of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin amid fears that he had drowned in an icy Wisconsin river.
Police in Oshkosh, Wis. have been searching for 21-year-old Michael T. Philbin since Sunday evening. He disappeared at about 2 a.m. Sunday after an outing with friends in the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus area, about 50 miles from Green Bay.
Joe Philbin spent Monday in Oshkosh, where divers recovered the body of a man between the ages of 20 and 25 from the Fox River in late afternoon after a security guard reported hearing cries for help from someone on the ice. Oshkosh Police said no foul play was suspected, but the man's name was being withheld until his family is notified.
"The Philbin family's obviously going through a tough time right now, and as we always have, we're a family-first philosophy with our organization, with our program," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday afternoon. "So we're supporting Joe and his family the best we can, and we're holding out hope that this comes to positive conclusion."
News of Michael Philbin's disappearance made for a difficult day in Green Bay, where the Packers are preparing for Sunday's NFC divisional playoff game against the New York Giants at Lambeau Field.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Philbin family during this difficult time," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said in a statement.
McCarthy spoke in a somber tone during his regularly scheduled news conference, confirming that Philbin was away from the team and in Oshkosh.
Although the offensive-minded McCarthy calls his own plays and has a hands-on role with game planning, Philbin's behind-the-scenes detail work with Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the offense would be missed. McCarthy said he has contingency plans in place to prepare for Sunday's game if Philbin remains away from the team.
"We're prepared to do whatever we need to do as a staff to make sure our team's ready to go," he said, brushing aside a question about what the team would be missing if it didn't have Philbin's input this week. "We'll be ready to go."
Players, who were not made available to reporters, took to Twitter to post supportive messages.
"As children we all have to someday say goodbye to our parents, but a parent should never have to say goodbye to their child," said offensive lineman T.J. Lang, whose father, Thomas, died last week.
Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji wrote that "life is too short."
"Live in the present," Raji tweeted.
Joe Philbin has been with the Packers since 2003, and has been the team's offensive coordinator since 2007. He interviewed for the Miami Dolphins' vacant head coaching job last week.
Michael Philbin is the second-oldest of six children to Joe Philbin and his wife, Diane. He was sentenced to six months in jail in 2009 after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls.
-- Chris Jenkins
Overall
Big plays decide NFL wild-card games
Sometimes the NFL playoffs are all about who makes the big plays. Last weekend's wild-card games were perfect examples of that, with well-known stars (Eli Manning) and rookies (J.J. Watt) stepping up. Not to mention some guy named Tebow.
All of which should make NFL fans salivate, because the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Patrick Willis, Terrell Suggs, Ray Rice and Clay Matthews haven't even gotten on the field yet.
And the lasting memory until Saturday's games kick off is Tim Tebow sprinting to the end zone to celebrate his shocking 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in Denver's overtime thriller to beat Pittsburgh.
Talk about huge plays!
"First of all, 'Thank you, Lord' and then I was running pretty fast, chasing him — like I could catch up to him," Tebow said. "Then I just jumped in the stands; first time I've done that. That was fun."
Game-changing plays always are fun for the teams that pull them off. In each of the four wild-card matchups, there was such a moment — or several of them. To think there won't be more when the Texans visit the Ravens and the Broncos are at the Patriots in the AFC, or when the Saints go to the 49ers and the Giants to the Packers in the NFC is foolish.
In this season of high-octane offenses, crucial sacks and interceptions, momentous plays always crop up, at times in the least-expected ways.
Such as Manning's 14-yard scramble that energized the Giants' offense against Atlanta. Manning had rushed for 15 yards, total, all season. Not exactly Michael Vick numbers.
"I did the play-action, I scooted up just trying to find a lane to see if maybe a guy won (on his route), and I just saw an opening," he said. " I had to get 2 yards, so I just tucked it and ran it right there and got a first down and we hadn't had many, so that was a big play right there.
"I don't think anyone is game-planning for me to run the ball, but obviously there's a couple situations where you have to do it. If things open up, I am not scared to run it and get a few yards."
New York marched to a touchdown from there and never looked back.
Nor did Houston after Watt, a defensive end, pilfered a pass by fellow rookie Andy Dalton. Watt made a sensational, leaping interception and sprinted 29 yards for a tiebreaking touchdown near the end of the first half.
The Bengals were cooked, and the Texans were on their way to victory in their first postseason game.
Watt wasn't shocked by his pick, even if much of the nation and all of the Bengals were.
"I remember when Jake Delhomme first got here," Watt said. "We were going through a walkthrough and I batted down like three of his balls in the walkthrough, and I felt terrible. He was kind of mad at me. I was just, 'That's kind of what I do. That's my thing.'
"I guess if you do it long enough, I mean, in practice I've caught a couple, so you kind of get used to it and then once it happens in the game, it's just second nature. It's definitely one of those things where they say if you practice it, it's going to happen, and it was a very special moment."
Pinpointing one play in Drew Brees' destruction of the Lions is to ignore the myriad other achievements in that victory for the record-setting quarterback. Plus, Detroit's defense is mediocre.
On Saturday, at Candlestick Park, the Saints face an entirely different animal: a stingy defense that causes turnovers and gets pressure on opposing passers.
Not that the Saints will be intimidated.
"I feel like our offense and our team is built for whatever condition," Brees said. "We feel like we're the type of team that should be able to go anywhere, anytime, and play our type of football that we know how to play. ... I don't see any reason why we can't go on and continue to be productive."
So, to think Brees won't make a clutch throw to Jimmy Graham or Darren Sproles or Marques Colston is folly.
"We know there's going to be a dogfight," 49ers safety Dashon Goldson said. "We know they're going to come out there and throw the ball around, doing what they've got to do to get their team going. But we're good, too. We've just got to come out there and keep swinging. It's all about who's going to be swinging the hardest the longest this week. That's all it comes down to. It's going to be a fight."
And everyone will be looking to land that knockout punch — by hitting the big play.
-- Barry Wilner
