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NFL Capsules - Playoffs: Third-string QB Yates prepared to lead Texans
HOUSTON (AP) — As a fifth-round draft pick T.J. Yates figured he'd spend his rookie year on the sideline learning from Houston Texans veteran quarterback Matt Schaub.
After Schaub and backup Matt Leinart both had season-ending injuries, Yates was thrust into the job and guided the Texans to their first playoff berth.
Now the 24-year-old will lead the franchise in the biggest game of its 10-year history on Saturday in the first round of the playoffs against Cincinnati.
He bruised his left shoulder on a sack on Houston's first series last week against Tennessee and didn't play after that, but said he's fine and will be ready to play on Saturday.
Though he's played just six NFL games, Yates said he's been through so much that he feels he's been playing for a lot longer.
"It's been a long season," he said. "Even though I haven't been playing the entire season, I don't really feel like a rookie anymore. I've had a long time to get comfortable with this offense and comfortable with the teammates around me. Hopefully going into this playoff game, I don't have those rookie feelings anymore."
Star receiver Andre Johnson said Yates never behaved like a rookie and has been impressed with the quarterback's confidence. Yates already had that confidence when he entered the huddle prior to his first NFL snap after Leinart broke his collarbone in the second quarter against Jacksonville.
"He came in the huddle at Jacksonville with a smile on his face," Johnson said shaking his head. "He was just like: 'Hey guys, let's go.' Most rookies would come in nervous and that's something you don't see in him. If he is nervous, he does a great job hiding it. I have a lot of confidence in his ability and what he can do."
Yates helped the Texans win that game at Jacksonville and one the next week against Atlanta, before rallying Houston from a 9-point deficit in the last six minutes for a 20-19 win over the Bengals. He found Kevin Walter on a 6-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left to give the Texans that thrilling win.
Yates believes having success against the Bengals in that game will boost the team's confidence as it prepares to face them again.
Houston has dropped three straight since then, including a 28-13 loss to Carolina in which Yates threw two interceptions. He said there have been a lot of difficulties in being thrown into this job, but the biggest one is that he's had to develop while the Texans were in a critical situation.
"Going through the learning process while this team was on a run and having some of those growing pains at the wrong time was kind of hurtful to the team," he said. "Every single game that I've played, whether I played bad or good or we won or lost, I've been learning every week and learning from my mistakes and just trying to get better."
He's been helped by a cadre of quarterbacks and a former quarterback in Houston coach Gary Kubiak with decades of experience. Schaub and Leinart are always there if he needs help or pointers. And the two players backing up Yates — Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia — have combined to play in the NFL for 25 years.
"They know that I'm hearing it from all angles and they do a good job of not giving me too much information or too much advice," Yates said of Delhomme and Garcia. "But having them to go through the experiences with me, they can reflect on what they've done in the past and it helps me a lot."
Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison love the study skills of Yates. They say he studies so much that he's starting to absorb game plans as quickly as someone who has been in the league for years. Another positive quality they've seen in him is his resilience.
"If something doesn't come right away for him, he keeps working at it," Dennison said. "You never have to correct him about the same thing twice. If you do it one time, then he understands."
He'll have a weapon he hasn't had for most of his tenure as starter with Johnson expected to return to full speed this week after playing just seven games this season because of injuries to both hamstrings. Johnson played about 15 plays last week, but they didn't spend much time on the field together with Yates leaving early because of his injury.
The soft-spoken Johnson isn't the type to pester a quarterback about getting the ball. But he's hoping to make a big impact in this game after waiting nine seasons to reach the postseason and figures Yates is aware of that.
"T.J. knows where I'm at," Johnson said with a laugh when asked if he'll be in Yates' ear Saturday.
Yates is excited to have Johnson back not just for his playmaking abilities, but for how he changes the way opposing defenses play the Texans simply by being on the field.
Johnson has just 492 yards receiving with two scores after finishing with more than 1,200 yards receiving in each of the past three seasons, including a career-high 1,575 yards in 2008.
"I'll definitely know where 80 is the entire game," Yates said. "He's definitely someone I'll be looking for on Sunday."
Another thing Yates is sure of concerning this game is that his parents will have better seats than they did the last time Houston played the Bengals. CBS commentators Marv Albert and Rich Gannon had a good time making fun of the Yates' seats at Paul Brown Stadium, which were on the second row from the top of the highest deck in the place. Their terrible seats seemed even worse with thousands of better empty seats throughout the stadium.
"Yes, they will definitely be a little closer," Yates said with a chuckle.
Bengals trying to erase 21-year stigma in playoffs
CINCINNATI (AP) — The last time the Bengals won a playoff game, they beat Houston — the Oilers, not the Texans. Then, they went to the West Coast and lost to the Raiders — the L.A. Raiders. Yes, it's been that long.
The Bengals (9-7) haven't won a playoff game since the end of the 1990 season, a 21-year span of futility that's become part of local lore. They've been to the playoffs only twice since then, losing their games in 2005 and 2009.
They've got a chance to end the streak of futility — now 7,768 days and counting — on Saturday at Houston in a first-round game against the Texans (10-6), the AFC South champions who are making their first playoff appearance.
"It would be a tremendous feeling for us to get rid of that stigma of not being able to get to the playoffs and win it," offensive tackle Andre Smith said on Tuesday.
In the last few days, players were made aware of the franchise's lousy playoff history in the past two decades. They've secured only their third winning record since 1990, which was something most of them didn't realize until they were told about it.
Now, there's that playoff matter.
"I don't know for everybody, but I wasn't aware until I saw it on Twitter," cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones said. "The guys in here, we can't worry about the past. We've got a great outlook to the future with the young guys we've got here.
"I think this is the role of something new around here. So don't think this is going to be one playoff and then next year going 0-16."
The Bengals' two most recent trips to the playoffs haven't left good memories.
They were one of the NFL's biggest surprises in 2005 when they won the AFC North behind Carson Palmer's 32 touchdown passes. Palmer got his left knee torn up on his first pass of a home playoff game against Pittsburgh, and the Bengals lost 31-17.
They'd morphed into a run-first offense in 2009, when they won the AFC North again but got beat by the Jets 24-14 at Paul Brown Stadium, leaving them still winless in the postseason since 1990.
They thought they'd get back there last season when they added Terrell Owens to upgrade the passing game, but it all fell apart in a 4-12 mess that made Palmer want out. He was traded to Oakland during this season for two high draft picks.
A favorable schedule and a few breaks helped them reach the postseason again this season, perhaps the most surprising of the last three playoff appearances. They had the AFC's least-experienced team heading into the season, led by rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and rookie receiver A.J. Green.
They went 0-7 against other playoff teams and beat only one team all season that finished with a winning record — Tennessee — but got the final wild card spot when the Jets, Broncos and Raiders melted down in the closing weeks.
One of those seven losses to playoff teams came on Dec. 11 at Paul Brown Stadium, when the Texans drove 80 yards in the closing minutes for a 20-19 win that secured their first playoff appearance and left the Bengals needing a lot of help to get the wild card.
They got what they needed. Now, they've got a third chance to break that playoff victory drought since 1990.
"We've got some guys who were pretty close to just being born when that happened," offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth said on Wednesday. "We've got some young guys on the team. So I imagine most of them have no clue about it."
Some of those who were part of that one-and-out playoff appearance in 2009 feel like they weren't even in the postseason.
"After our walkthrough (on Tuesday morning), coach had everyone kneel down and asked everyone who'd ever experienced being in the playoffs to stand up," said linebacker Rey Maualuga, a rookie in 2009. "And I stayed kneeled down because I felt I wasn't a part of it. It wasn't me that went to the playoffs, it was the team.
"Now that I get a chance to experience that and take that bittersweet taste out of my mouth, it's going to be good. I can't wait."
-- Joe Kay
Waters wants Pats teammates to stick to routine
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The stakes rise as the New England Patriots prepare for the playoffs. A player's routine, veteran guard Brian Waters says, should stay the same.
If it worked during a season in which the Patriots got the No. 1 seed in the AFC, why change? That's the advice of the 12-year veteran to rookies and other teammates who reached the postseason for the first time.
"The routine is what saves you. It's what lets you know that you're prepared," Waters said Tuesday. "If you fall off the routine, you're going to always find yourself feeling like you left something out. It's kind of like packing at the last minute. You always feel like there's something you forgot."
The Patriots don't have to worry about forgetting their toothbrushes. They won't be traveling since they have home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs for as long as they're in them. Their opening game is set for Jan. 14 against Denver, Pittsburgh or Cincinnati.
"If you're preparing through the course of this week and all of next week then I think you'll feel really prepared going into the game," said Waters, in his first season with New England after 11 with Kansas City.
Sound advice, says rookie tackle Nate Solder, the 17th pick of the draft, even if it's the biggest game of the season.
"There's been so many big games this year. We wouldn't be where we are now without so many big games," he said. "If that's what (Waters) said, I'm learning from him."
The bye week gives players extra time for injuries to heal. Going into last Sunday's 49-21 win over the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots had two players listed as out and 16 as questionable, 14 of whom played.
But there's not much that players can do before their next game to get rid of nagging injuries that piled up over a 16-game schedule.
"There's not a lot of stuff you can do over the next week and a half that's going to really make you feel like you had a couple of months off," Waters said. "Don't do anything different than what you've been doing all season. I think that's the best remedy. You want to take care of your body as best you can but you should have been doing that all season."
The Patriots won three of the last 10 Super Bowls but none of the past six. They didn't reach the playoffs in 2008 then were eliminated in their first game the past two years.
Only 14 of the 53 players on their roster have won a postseason game. Sometimes experience helps, other times it doesn't — like when the Patriots won the Super Bowl in the 2001 season with much less experience than the St. Louis Rams.
"You can find examples of both," coach Bill Belichick said. "(It) certainly wasn't important for us in '01 to have a lot of playoff experience because we didn't. We've won with experience, we've lost with experience. We've won without experience, we've lost without experience."
New England won Super Bowls in the 2003 and 2004 seasons then lost it in the 2007 season with a veteran team.
"Every year is different," Waters said. "You've got a lot of teams that are going to be in this that may be in it for the first time (and) are going to be really hungry. You've got a lot of matchups of teams that really don't play each other a whole bunch. So having a lot of experience in the playoffs is a good thing to have, but it won't be a key factor."
How about a bye week? Shouldn't that help?
"The last time I had a bye week it didn't end up well for us," Waters said.
That was in the 2003 season when the Chiefs won the AFC West with a 13-3 record, the same mark the Patriots have this season. But Kansas City never led in a 38-31 home loss in the divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Patriots also had the top seed last year but lost their first game to the New York Jets 28-21. That followed a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card game the previous season. Both were at Gillette Stadium
"I wasn't here so I really can't speak to how things went the last couple of years," Waters said. "I can say that there's nothing but good teams left in this thing and there are some teams that really do well on the road."
-- Howard Ulman
Injuries testing Steelers' depth as Broncos loom
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Steelers coach Mike Tomlin knows safety Ryan Clark wants to play in Denver on Sunday when the Steelers take on the Broncos in the wild card round.
It's why Tomlin didn't give Clark the option.
The Steelers (12-4) will begin their quest for a second straight AFC title without Clark, who will be held out of the lineup as a precaution due to a sickle-cell trait that becomes aggravated when playing at higher elevations.
Tomlin and Clark met Monday to discuss the situation, with Tomlin telling the team's leading tackler he can travel but not suit up.
"Looking at data and all the variables he is at more risk, so we're not going to play him," Tomlin said. "It's just that simple."
Clark nearly died in 2007 when the condition first presented itself, losing his spleen and gall bladder in addition to losing 30 pounds. He was cleared by team doctors to play in Denver during Pittsburgh's last trip out west in 2009 before Tomlin intervened.
Tomlin did the same this time around, pointing to the inherent dangers involved and the capability of backup Ryan Mundy.
Clark did not speak to reporters on Tuesday but thanked fans for their concern through his Twitter account.
"I will not be playing. Glad that it's out now. So no more questions to ask," Clark tweeted.
Clark's teammates urged the 10-year veteran to sit out, with defensive end Brett Keisel and linebacker James Farrior both insisting the game isn't more important than Clark's life.
Mundy, who has two career starts on his resume, will get the call in place of Clark. The former West Virginia star has played well in spot duty and collected his first career interception in a win at Kansas City in late November.
"In a nutshell, he's starter capable," Tomlin said.
Veterans Will Allen and Bryant McFadden could also see spot duty if Mundy falters. The Broncos (8-8) have struggled throwing the ball with quarterback Tim Tebow, finishing 31st in the league in passing yards.
Yet Tomlin remains wary, pointing to Tebow's ability to come through in pressure situations, but believes Mundy can be effective with Clark watching in street clothes.
The Steelers should get a boost from the return of linebacker LaMarr Woodley, who has spent the second half of the season dealing with a strained left hamstring. Woodley is expected to play as is starting left guard Doug Legursky, who missed last week's game with a left shoulder injury.
While Clark will be missed, at least he'll be back if the Steelers advance. The same can't be said for running back Rashard Mendenhall, who is out for the entire postseason after tearing the ACL in his right knee in Sunday's 13-9 victory over Cleveland.
Isaac Redman and rookie John Clay will get the first crack at replacing Mendenhall. Veteran Mewelde Moore could be available as he recovers from a sprained left knee but Tomlin wouldn't speculate on if he would use Moore — a third-down back — in a feature role.
"We'll etch out a division of labor as we get closer," Tomlin said. "We like the group."
Tomlin isn't concerned about Redman's two fumbles against the Browns, miscues that allowed Cleveland to hang around until the final seconds. Clay received all nine of his carries in the fourth quarter, but Tomlin said that had more to do with giving Redman a breather.
The Steelers hope the running game will be able to take some of the pressure off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who continues to deal with a painful left ankle sprain that's limited his effectiveness recently.
Though Roethlisberger passed the ball 40 times against Cleveland and was sacked twice Tomlin believes the ankle is "certainly no worse" while adding he's "not concerned about (Roethlisberger's) overall physical state" though the quarterback may be limited in practice during the week.
Roethlisberger's numbers have taken a hit while playing basically on one leg. His passer rating over his last two starts is 62.1, down from 95.5 before getting hurt on Dec. 8.
Tomlin isn't exactly bothered by the downturn in Roethlisberger's efficiency.
"He won last week," Tomlin said, "That's how he's measured and that's how I'm measured."
-- Will Graves
Broncos attempting to regroup for playoffs
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Brian Dawkins soothed smarting egos with a spontaneous pep talk. Usually not one for rah-rah speeches, the Denver Broncos captain got in front of the team Monday and basically broke it down like this: They're in the playoffs and that's all that matters.
Granted, the Broncos (8-8) enter the postseason with hardly any momentum after closing out the regular season with three straight losses and needing help just to sneak into the party. Even more, Tim Tebow's late-game magic has disappeared.
Still, their season has been extended and anything can happen.
Just last year, the Seattle Seahawks, who entered the playoffs with a 7-9 record, stunned the New Orleans Saints in the first round. That's become the Broncos' source for inspiration as they prepare to host the favored Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) on Sunday.
"Look at Seattle a year ago when they got in it. They made a lot of noise," said Willis McGahee, the team's leading rusher with 1,199 yards. "That's what we plan on doing."
Dawkins' conversation seemed to snap the Broncos out of their funk following a disheartening 7-3 loss to Kyle Orton and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The mood in the locker room on Monday was more mellow than miffed, more focused than faltering.
But that lecture by Dawkins may just be his biggest contribution in these playoffs. He missed Sunday's game with a neck injury and his status for the game against the Steelers is uncertain.
The Broncos head into their first playoff game in six years with a limited offense — and not just because Tebow is under center.
Right guard Chris Kuper, the stalwart of their young line, broke his left leg and is done for the season and fullback Spencer Larsen might miss the game with a sprained MCL in his left knee.
Russ Hochstein, a veteran of many a playoff run with the New England Patriots, replaced Kuper, and the Broncos on Monday signed lineman Ryan Harris, a starter in Denver from 2008-10.
"I don't think we'll miss a beat," running back Lance Ball said. "Russ is a great leader for the O-line, definitely in the offensive room. I know Russ is going to go out there and give 100 percent."
With Larsen possibly out, the Broncos may turn to fullback Austin Sylvester, who was signed last week but was deactivated against the Chiefs, forcing Denver to use multiple tight-end sets after Larsen went down.
"It's my job to be confident," Sylvester said. "If I've got to stay a little extra and study, then no big deal."
Should Sylvester be on the field, his primary task will be this: Keeping Pittsburgh defenders away from Tebow. That's hardly an easy assignment as the Steelers boast the top overall defense in the league. They've been particularly stingy against the pass, allowing a league-low 171.9 yards per game.
Tebow definitely has his work cut out for him. The unconventional quarterback is coming off a performance against Kansas City in which he completed just 6 of 22 passes for only 60 yards. He also fumbled with the team inside the red zone and threw a late interception.
"He's not going to have a great game every week," McGahee said. "That's our job, to give him a pat on the back like, 'Man, don't worry about it. That's behind us. We're in the playoffs. Start fresh, come this week.'"
Coach John Fox doesn't pin the blame for a stumbling passing game on Tebow's erratic left arm.
"There are a lot of moving parts to the passing game. You've got protection. You've got route-timing. You've got to throw the ball in sometimes tight windows," Fox said. "So that's something (where) we've had our moments this season, and we'll just continue to try to improve. It's not just the quarterback."
Tebow certainly won't have much time to search for his targets. The Steelers fly to the football and safety extraordinaire Troy Polamalu is always lurking.
"We know they're a tough football team," wide receiver Eddie Royal said. "They're going to come in and play physical. That's their style of football. We're going to have to match that. It's going to be a tough, hard-fought game. We're going to be ready for it."
Linebacker Wesley Woodyard couldn't agree more. The speech by Dawkins hit the right note.
"Coming from Dawk, everything holds weight," Woodyard said. "When he does say whatever he has to say, everybody's ears open and eyes are in front paying attention to him.
"He's one of those guys who can get us on track."
-- Pat Graham
NFC
West champion 49ers get groove on in practice
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Linebacker Tavares Gooden has been known to get down and start strumming an air guitar before practice.
From Bruce Springsteen to Bob Seger, from country to hip hop, and rap, rock and R&B, the San Francisco 49ers are getting nearly as much variety through their impressive sound system during workouts as they are in coach Jim Harbaugh's creative offense.
No doubt these playoff-bound Niners are feelin' groovy.
And it sure beats the crowd noise that gets pumped into a lot of practices around the NFL to prepare teams for loud, hostile road environments.
"We just jam," defensive line coach Jim Tomsula said. "It's cool. It's crowd noise but I've got to admit, it's fantastic."
Nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga, from American Samoa, requested an island favorite by oceanic group Te Vaka. He also gets a kick out of the chanting of New Zealand's traditional tribal war music, Haka. That's just a start.
"This year is totally different because this is what has been missing for the last four or five years," said Sopoaga, whose team ended an eight-year playoff drought and stretch without a winning record. "Guys can open up with what we want so we can practice better, other than people holding it from us. It's meant to be. It's great fun, and that's why we're out there in practice running around and having fun, doing everything textbook-wise. Everything we're doing in practice we're doing on game day."
Linebacker Patrick Willis wanted "Lean on Me" and heard it played. Right guard Anthony Davis has recommended a few of his favorite rappers. One of injured wide receiver Joshua Morgan's favorites — Future's "Tony Montana" — has become the anthem for the special teams unit, and it now plays on game days at Candlestick Park.
There have been the Christmas classics and patriotic melodies for Veteran's Day. Jeff Ferguson, director of football operations and sports medicine, accepts suggestions for the wide-ranging playlist.
"I kind of like the fact that he's constantly switching up," quarterback Alex Smith said of "Fergie," as he's known. "Some days it's oldies or hard rock, some days it's 80s, it's rap, hip hop. It's just such a mix every day. It's nice. It pumps a little extra energy into practice.
"You just get so tired of the 'Ahhhhhh!,' that white noise. It's nice to have something that changes it up."
Willis isn't choosy about his ditties.
"I just trust his judgment," Willis said of Ferguson. "He's up on point when it comes to music. You just never know what's going to pop up on there. I've never heard anybody complain about the music. We mostly use it as crowd noise, so it's for a bigger purpose."
And the 49ers might have a new one to pipe in now: Bay Area rapper "Bailey" has released a new song inspired by Harbaugh's regular cheer of "Who's got it better than us? No-body!"
"I'm buying in," linebacker Parys Haralson said of the music mix. "I don't know who makes those recommendations, but I like it. I don't care. As long as it gets us going we're good. I just like whatever sounds good."
And with the state-of-the-art sound system featuring concert-size speakers that Harbaugh had delivered back in October from an old Stanford contact, the 49ers' blaring music can be heard from blocks away. In fact, Kyle Williams' big brother, Kenny, can listen in from his home less than a mile from team headquarters.
At the time, Harbaugh said he had been working for eight weeks to make the upgrade for "a louder music system."
"There's a little bit of everything for everybody," punter Andy Lee said.
Even veteran wide receiver and return man Ted Ginn Jr. has become more open-minded about music.
"It's great to go out and hear different things and different cultures of music throughout the practice," Ginn said. "It's kind of amazing how something you might not listen to all the time can get you going or something you might hear for the first time that somebody else might have known, and we all relate on it. There's a good thing to it."
The 49ers have come so far in so many ways.
During training camp in 2010, former offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye referenced how he enjoyed hearing George Gershwin's "Summertime" during practice, performed by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong — saying, "I kind of dated myself with that deal."
You think? Harbaugh wouldn't reveal his top picks for practice tunes, clearly leaving such important decisions to his players. He has plenty of other things on his mind at the moment for San Francisco (13-3), like studying game film on possible opponents Atlanta, New York and New Orleans for the NFC West champions' first playoff game in nine years. The Jan. 14 game at Candlestick became a sellout shortly after tickets went on sale to the general public Tuesday morning.
"I guess Coach wants to keep it balanced and keep everybody happy," center Jonathan Goodwin said.
Well, perhaps not quite everybody. The rookies don't have much say in the music — and cornerback Chris Culliver, for one, could do without some of the country music.
"I don't love it," he said with a smile.
-- Janie McCauley
Stafford's arm and mind take Lions to new heights
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Matthew Stafford's golden right arm is an obvious asset, allowing the Detroit Lions quarterback to thread passes into tight spots across the middle or connect with Calvin Johnson in stride deep down the sideline.
Behind the scenes, Stafford's teammates believe he's just as impressive.
Offensive guard Rob Sims marvels at Stafford's ability to tell the other 10 players on offense exactly what he wants them to do on various plays when they gather the night before each game.
Receiver Nate Burleson still can't believe Stafford told him to be ready for a pass on a long crossing pattern when Detroit was facing a third-and-19 against San Diego in Week 16.
"He told me in the huddle, 'Stay alive, I'm coming to you,'" Burleson recalled. "He anticipated the coverage they were going to be in before he even got to the line. Sure enough, I was open and he stepped up in the pocket to make the throw."
Stafford's record-breaking season lifted the Lions to the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 season.
He threw for 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns, smashing Scott Mitchell's single-season team records
But Stafford is more interested in helping the franchise match its number of playoff victories since winning the 1957 NFL title when they play Saturday night at New Orleans.
"That's the biggest thing," Stafford said.
Stafford can't do it all as his 520-yard, 5-TD performance proved Sunday in a 45-41 shootout loss at Green Bay. It looks as if help is on the way for the Lions.
Starting safety Louis Delmas practiced Tuesday, moving a big step closer to playing for the first time since injuring his right knee on Thanksgiving. The Lions were healthy enough to put their top six defensive backs on the field to prepare for the Drew Brees-led passing attack.
Johnson and rookie Titus Young were limited to watching the workout.
Johnson said he was just resting Achilles tendon ailment, declining to say which one was hurting, and Young insisted he was simply giving his entire body a break.
In hindsight, the Lions got a break when they became the NFL's first — and still only — team to go 0-16 because they used the No. 1 pick overall in 2009 to select Stafford and end their decades-long search for a franchise quarterback.
After being limited to just 10 games as a rookie and three last season because of injuries, he bounced back to play in every game during this past regular season to become a candidate for NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors.
His refuse-to-lose moxie helped the Lions become the first team in league history to win four games in a season after losing by at least 13 points, giving them 10 wins for the first time since 1995.
The 23-year-old Stafford, Brees and Hall of Famer Dan Marino are the only ones in league history to throw for 5,000 yards and 40 TDs in a season.
"I really didn't know that so few people had done it," Stafford said. "But it was a total team effort."
No one, though, had to force Stafford to spend hours each week watching video of opponents and thinking of ways to come up with plays to pick them apart.
Stafford's father said he's been doing it for years.
His coach, Randy Allen, at Highland Park High School in Texas used poker chips to represent players on offense and defense, then move them to test his promising pupil.
"Before Randy could take his hand off a chip, Matthew was moving his chips around," John Stafford said Tuesday in a telephone interview.
During a recruiting trip to Texas, the future Georgia Bulldog sat in a dark room with then-Longhorns offensive coordinator Greg Davis and coach Mack Brown to study the program's offense.
"Once Davis paused the video and asked Matthew what he'd do," Stafford's father recalled. "Without hesitation, Matthew told him the progression and used their terminology. Davis told him he could start right now because he didn't have a quarterback at the time who could do what he just did.
"Matthew has always loved the chess match part of the game."
Even from afar, other coaches see Stafford has more than just a powerful and accurate arm.
Saints coach Sean Payton answered an open-ended question by starting off saying Stafford has progressed quickly to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league thanks in part to his stature and arm strength and ended by talking about the mental aspect of his repertoire.
"Just as importantly, he has that anticipation you look for in the position," Payton said. "He does a real good job at the line of scrimmage with his checks and audibles.
"What you see is someone playing with a lot of confidence."
-- Larry Lage
Saints relishing chance to stay unbeaten at home
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — After missing out on a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Saints got the next best thing — a night game at home to open the postseason.
It's a welcome reward after the first season in history in which New Orleans went undefeated at home during the regular season, including a 4-0 record at night, when they beat opponents by an average of 47-16.
Saturday night, Detroit will get its second crack at the Saints this season. The first one was one of those big Saints wins — 31-17 in the Superdome on Dec. 4 on a Sunday night.
After winning just 43 percent of their home games in the 39 seasons before Sean Payton was hired as coach, the Saints have won 66.7 percent since.
And yet, there's little anyone inside the Saints locker room could say was decidedly different from the past.
"I don't know exactly what it is," New Orleans strong safety Roman Harper said. "The Saints play well at home and it's a known fact about this league, just like Seattle plays well at home. Nobody knows exactly why, but maybe it's a sense of confidence being at home, a different pattern throughout the week."
After winning just 43 percent of their home games in the 39 seasons before Payton was hired in 2006, the Saints have won two thirds since.
"I've got a pool table at my house and you have to play with a short stick sometimes," Harper said. "That's the home-field advantage to me because I know how to play with it. Somebody on the outside may not know how to play with it. Maybe we have a couple of dead spots on the turf."
They've been even better in night games, going 15-6 overall and 10-4 in home games after dark during the regular season. In the playoffs, they're 3-0 at night under Payton.
"It's always an advantage playing in a dome with the crowd that we have, the type of atmosphere they set for us," cornerback Tracy Porter said. "It makes it easy to play, it makes it enjoyable to play, especially when we have success and those guys have the Dome rocking. You can't ask for anything better."
The Saints haven't lost a home night game since Dec. 19, 2009, when Dallas stopped New Orleans' 13-game win streak.
The Saints now are on an eight-game win streak and linebacker Scott Shanle has an idea why they have been so good lately at home — they're just playing good football.
Since a Nov. 20 bye, New Orleans has outscored opponents 234-111, including four home games in which it has won by a combined 96 points.
"It's just been one of those things where we've just been on a roll," Shanle said. "No matter where we played, I feel like we would have won."
News & Notes
Saints place Ingram, Herring on injured reserve
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The Saints have placed rookie running back Mark Ingram and linebacker Will Herring on injured reserve, ending their seasons.
Ingram, who won the 2009 Heisman Trophy at Alabama, missed New Orleans' last four games because of a sprained toe on his left foot. Coach Sean Payton says the injury got worse during practice last week and basically ensured he wouldn't be able to catch up in time to contribute this season. Ingram carried 122 times for 474 yards and five touchdowns this season. His longest run was a 35-yard touchdown against the New York Giants on Nov. 28.
In Ingram's place will step Chris Ivory, who began the season on the physically unable to perform list before returning in Week 8 against St. Louis. In six games, Ivory has run for 374 yards, including 289 the past four weeks while Ingram sat out with the toe injury.
"I've always been ready to play," Ivory said. "For me, it's always been about opportunity. Right now I'm feeling good and we're in a playoff run."
Herring hobbled off the field favoring his right knee against Carolina last Sunday and Payton says the linebacker has a sprained medial collateral ligament. Herring, a reserve, was credited with five tackles on defense and four on special teams.
The Saints bumped up linebacker Nate Bussey from the practice squad to replace Herring. Bussey, a seventh-round selection by New Orleans in the 2011 draft, has spent all season with practice squad
New Orleans also signed offensive guard Eric Olsen off of the Washington Redskins' practice squad to fill out their 53-man roster. The Saints were thin along the offensive line after waiving offensive tackle William Robinson on Dec. 28.
Ravens release PK Graham
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens have cut placekicker Shayne Graham.
He has been replaced on the roster Tuesday by rookie center-guard Justin Boren, a former Michigan player promoted from the practice squad.
Graham became expendable once regular kicker Billy Cundiff returned from a left calf injury and kicked a 42-yard field goal Sunday during a 24-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
"As long as Billy's healthy, he'll be our kicker," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday. "I think we were really fortunate that Shayne was available, and I think if anything happens in the future and if he's still available, I wouldn't be surprised that if someone had an issue, they would pick Shayne up right away."
Graham has made 18 of 19 field goals as an injury replacement over the past two seasons.
"He did a great job," Harbaugh said. "Why he's not holding on to a job right now, I'm not sure, but we were very fortunate for him to be able to come in and fill that gap for us."
Related Story
NBC sold out of advertising spots for Super Bowl
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Super Bowl spots are still the hottest ticket in advertising.
NBC has sold all the commercial airtime for the Feb. 5 game in Indianapolis and even has a waiting list of advertisers. The average cost for a 30-second spot this year was $3.5 million, with some time slots costing as much as $4 million.
Seth Winter, senior vice president of NBC Sports group sales & marketing, said in a recent interview that the last time slot was sold just after Thanksgiving. A year ago, Fox Sports said it sold the last of its advertising spots before the end of October.
Slots are still available during NBC's pregame show, and those on the waiting list for the Super Bowl will have an opportunity to advertise if other companies give up their slot.
"There are the usual companies that have supported it in the past," Winter said. "Automotive will be very healthy. Beverages will be very healthy. The movie and snack category continue to be healthy. There will be a few new players and some who have been there, who won't be there."
Winter declined to identify which companies bought ads or dropped out, fearing it could tip off competitors. Anheuser-Busch InBev, Coca-Cola and Godaddy.com are among the recent regulars. The biggest change this year, Winter said, is advertisers are booking longer spots to showcase their creativity.
"Some of the things I've seen are astonishing," Winter said. "I think you'll see a lot of ads that are humorous and action-filled, with a range of different types of executions. We haven't seen everything yet; we don't see everything until almost the week of (the game)."
The ads must comply with network and NFL standards.
Sports fans also might see the ads more regularly, thanks to NBC's merger with Comcast. NBC officials have used the Super Bowl to sell advertisers on its expanding family of networks, including NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus) and The Golf Channel.
-- Michael Marot
