NFL Capsules: Pro Bowl to feature plenty of offense, new faces
HONOLULU (AP) — Tony Gonzalez, Ray Lewis and Champ Bailey know what to expect. The new faces at the Pro Bowl aren't so sure, and are curious how intense they should play in Sunday's all-star game.
"I've never been in a Pro Bowl before, so I don't know what the tempo is going to be like," San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews said. "So it's going to be fun to get out there and see how it goes."
Six rookies are among the 36 first-timers, including quarterbacks Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals, who are replacing Super Bowl quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady.
Their selection makes this Pro Bowl the first that will feature two rookie quarterbacks.
"This is like the height of being an NFL player — being an all-star and having the opportunity to wear the red, white and blue — just having that jersey," said Newton, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft. "Only a few people can say, 'I've made it to the NFL,' but fewer number can say they've made it here."
In a game known to highlight offense, the NFC will feature two of the game's most prolific quarterbacks.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers will start for the NFC and will be backed up by New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. Rodgers passed for 4,463 yards with 45 touchdowns and just six interceptions. His quarterback rating of 122.5 set an NFL record. Brees, meanwhile, threw for 5,476 yards, breaking Dan Marino's single-season record.
The NFC also features Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy and receivers Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona), Steve Smith (Carolina) and Greg Jennings (Green Bay).
Houston defensive end Antonio Smith acknowledges the NFC has a lot of great players on offense, but isn't too worried.
"We got so many weapons. We got so many Super Bowls. We got Hall of Fame players on our team. So I think we'll be all right," Smith said.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will start for the AFC, with San Diego's Philip Rivers and Dalton backing him up.
"I think any quarterback will tell you that we wish we were getting ready to play in a game a week from now, but it's always an honor to come," said Rivers, who this season joined Brees and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to pass for 4,000 yards in four consecutive seasons.
The players wrapped up a week of "workouts" on Saturday.
"The practices have been great," Cardinals rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson said. "It's definitely the most laid-back practices I've ever been involved in."
The brief practices have been as grueling and intense as a poolside, Hawaiian lomilomi massage. The players, some wearing sunglasses, often sweat more after practice — signing autographs for the fans.
"If you break a sweat during practice in Hawaii, there's a rule you've got to be sent home by the NFL," said Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, who is making his eighth Pro Bowl in his 14th season.
After practice, the players usually spend their days golfing, fishing, shopping or lounging on the beach with their families. In a season that began with a bitter labor dispute is ending in paradise for these players.
"It's more than what I thought it would be. It's amazing. It's truly amazing," said Smith, making his first trip.
The players are hoping this won't be the final game in Hawaii. NFL and state officials are negotiating a deal to keep the game in the islands. Many said they wouldn't play if it were elsewhere.
Bengals rookie receiver A.J. Green said he spent time learning from the players he grew up admiring. He doesn't know what to expect Sunday.
"A lot of guys aren't trying to get hurt. I think it's going to be up tempo, but not too crazy," he said.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who is leading the NFC, said his game plan was simple with such a loaded team. "Our goal is to have 11 on the field," he said.
McCarthy said the game is all about the players, who earned this trip with their work during the season.
"I don't think anybody's too worried about how many touches they get or where the ball is going to go," he said.
Maybe with the exception of Jennings, who believes he has the inside track on the throws with his coaches calling plays and Rodgers as the signal caller.
"The other (receivers) already know, when I'm in the game, 85 is going to get the ball," Jennings said.
This year's winners will receive a record $50,000 each, up $5,000 from last year, with the losing players earning $25,000.
"When that fourth quarter rolls around and there's a little bit of money on the line, I think you'll see the tempo step up. We'll all be ready for it," Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said.
Chargers tight end Antonio Gates said he expects to play hard.
"I only know one way to prepare for a game. I don't know how to go half-speed," he said. "This is still a game. Guys still got on pads and coming out to compete."
Besides the money, conference bragging rights are on the line.
"It's still a pride thing — AFC vs. NFC," Gates said. "We feel like we are the tougher division and they feel the same."
Rivers said the money is important, but isn't the main motivator for these competitors.
"Even if we were playing for nothing, when it comes down to it, they're still keeping score," he said.
Seahawks' Robinson says farewell to Paterno
HONOLULU (AP) — Despite making his first trip to Hawaii, it's been a bittersweet and exhausting week for Seattle Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson.
Robinson arrived in the islands Tuesday only to fly out after the next day's Pro Bowl practice to speak at the memorial services of his college coach, Joe Paterno. He then returned to Honolulu on Friday night on Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight's jet.
"Besides my religion and my mom, coach Paterno is the reason I'm here," Robinson said after practice Saturday.
The Penn State coach died last Sunday of lung cancer at 85. His service Thursday drew some 12,000 people to the Penn State arena.
"I just really wanted to convey that just because coach Paterno isn't with us any more — he impacted so many people's morals, his vision with the Grand Experiment and everything he believed in — his values need to continue to live on through us and the people's he's touched," said Robinson, who played for Paterno from 2002-05.
Paterno won 409 games, more than any other major college football coach, led the Nittany Lions to two national championships, making him an icon at State College.
However, he was fired Nov. 9 after he was criticized for not going to police in 2002 when he was told that former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky had been seen sexually assaulting a boy in the showers. Sandusky was arrested in November and is awaiting trial on charges that he molested 10 boys over a 15-year span.
Robinson said he's a bit emotionally and physically drained from the week, but he wouldn't miss out on the Pro Bowl, or the service.
"To me, it's not making an effort, it was something that I had to do," he said, about saying farewell to his coach.
Robinson said his Pro Bowl teammates, coaches and the league have been very supportive, wishing him and the Paterno family well.
Robinson and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali have also consoled each other this week. They both attended Penn State at the same time and are making their first Pro Bowl appearances together this week.
"We talked about it. We shared some soft moments about it. It was definitely a sad day for college football," said Robinson, who replaced injured Green Bay fullback John Kuhn for Sunday's game.
Robinson helped running back Marshawn Lynch become Seattle's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2005.
-- Jaymes Song
Team Capsules
Commentary: Colts, Peyton Manning heading for split
The idea didn't seem so outlandish at the time. Not for a city about to open a spanking new $720 million stadium, and surely not for a team with Peyton Manning under center.
Hosting a Super Bowl would put Indianapolis on the map, sure. Give residents something to do, too, like talk to those people with the funny accents from New York or ride the new zip lines downtown.
But couldn't Colts fans dream of the day when their team became the first home team to play in the big game?
They could, and they did. It wasn't the biggest stretch, either, because the Colts had already won a Super Bowl behind Manning and were coming off a 13-3 regular season when the game was awarded to Indianapolis in the spring of 2008.
Then Manning got hurt. And the Colts went south in less time than it takes to complete a warmup lap at the Speedway.
Now, on the eve of what was supposed to be a glorious week in Indianapolis, the home team is a dysfunctional mess.
A joint statement issued Friday by Manning and Colts owner Jim Irsay claimed otherwise, though that was to be expected. The dirty laundry aired publicly the previous few days was so distasteful that something had to be said to get the attention off the home team and back on a game that means so much to the city's pride.
The self-styled great protector of the horseshoe himself — that would be Irsay — says it was all a misunderstanding. Surely not anything that a good talk between friends — or, say, a payment of $28 million — couldn't resolve.
Manning got the talk. Whether he gets the check will ultimately determine just how friendly the owner and his quarterback really are.
The Colts seem ready to move on without the face of their franchise, a player so valuable that they may not have been able to build their new stadium without him. Manning transformed a woeful franchise into a perennial playoff contender, taking the Colts to two Super Bowls and winning one. The prospect of even better times ahead helped Indianapolis residents swallow the increased taxes they were forced to pony up for the new stadium, which opened in 2008.
The NFL gave the city a Super Bowl as a reward, something that seems to have boosted civic pride even if few area residents will actually get inside the Lucas Oil Stadium for the event. As an added bonus, it gave Colts fans a chance to forget about a 2-14 season that was doomed the moment the first rumors about Manning's health began circulating during the summer.
But Irsay couldn't stop firing people. Manning couldn't keep his mouth shut.
And instead of happy chatter about the Super Bowl coming to town, the buzz in Indy in recent days has been a definite downer.
There's a Manning playing in the Super Bowl, but it's the wrong one. And the chances of Peyton Manning — still recovering from three neck surgeries — playing another down for the Colts seem to be about as good as the chances Indianapolis ever lands another Super Bowl.
He's owed $28 million by March 8 if the Colts are to keep him, but that's just part of the problem. The Colts are almost sure to use their No. 1 draft pick on Stanford's Andrew Luck, and it doesn't make much sense to be paying millions of dollars to two different quarterbacks — especially if there's no guarantee Manning will even be healthy enough to play again.
In Irsay's defense, there's no real template on how to handle this. Money aside, he still has to think about the future of the team, and that future likely doesn't include an aging and suddenly fragile Manning.
Irsay already sacked much of the front office and the coaching staff, something that clearly upset Manning. He's in the midst of rebuilding the Colts, and has to be looking at Luck as the new face of the franchise, much like Manning was when the Colts picked him No. 1 in the 1998 draft.
That it came down to the owner and the star player sniping at each other this week was perhaps inevitable. Decision time is coming, and it's becoming increasingly clear what that decision has to be.
Odds are Manning is done playing for the Colts, perhaps even done playing football entirely. Those reading tea leaves surely noted that the joint statement Manning and Irsay issued on Friday contained no reference to Manning playing for the team again, no reassurance that he was healing and would be able to play quarterback again.
For the next week the big question in Indianapolis will be who wins the Super Bowl.
For Colts fans, though, there's an even bigger question to be answered once the game is over.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org.
Emery agrees to become Bears general manager
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears have hired Kansas City Chiefs director of college scouting Phil Emery as their new general manager.
Emery was an area scout for the Bears from 1998-2004 and replaces Jerry Angelo, who was fired after an injury-riddled 8-8 season.
Emery and New England Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht were finalists and both interviewed twice. The Bears also interviewed San Diego Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye, New York Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross, and current director of player personnel Tim Ruskell.
Emery's hiring comes after a major collapse marked by season-ending injuries to quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte, as well as a drug scandal involving backup receiver Sam Hurd. The Bears dropped five in a row after a 7-3 start, spoiling a promising season before closing with a win at Minnesota.
Chicago has now missed the playoffs four times in five years following a trip to the Super Bowl after the 2006 season.
Angelo was fired two days later, though he was signed through 2013. The Bears also parted with offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who had an expiring contract, and quarterbacks coach Shane Day but made it clear head coach Lovie Smith was safe for next season.
Since then, they've promoted offensive line coach Mike Tice to coordinator and announced they will hire a passing coordinator to work with their QBs.
Emery has one mandate from president Ted Phillips: Close the talent gap with Green Bay and Detroit in the NFC North. Another criteria was to be able to work well with Smith, an area where Emery was thought to have the edge because of his previous ties with the Bears.
From 2004-08, Emery served as director of college scouting for the Atlanta Falcons and also worked as a regional scout for the Falcons leading up to the 2009 draft.
Emery started his career as a student assistant at his alma mater, Wayne State, before joining Central Michigan as a graduate assistant. He went on to become the offensive line/strength and conditioning coach at Western New Mexico for three seasons before taking the position of defensive line coach at Georgetown College.
Emery served as the defensive line and strength and conditioning coach at Saginaw Valley State from 1985-87 before joining Tennessee as the Volunteers' assistant strength and conditioning coach from 1987-91.
He made his last collegiate stop as the director of strength and conditioning services and as an associate professor at the U.S. Naval Academy from 1991-98.
During Angelo's 11-year run, the Bears won four division championships, reached the Super Bowl and got back to the NFC championship game last season. But he was undone on several fronts — especially this season when backup Caleb Hanie struggled mightily after Cutler was hurt.
Emery inherits a team that could use help on both lines, in the secondary and at wide receiver. Forte's rookie contract is up, and Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs has made it clear he wants to renegotiate even though his six-year deal runs through 2013.
He'll also be running a team that features a franchise quarterback in Cutler along with stars such as Forte, Briggs, Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher. As dramatic as the Bears' fall was, they still seemed poised for a playoff run at one point.
They never recovered, though, once they lost Cutler.
He broke his right thumb trying to make a tackle following a late interception with the Bears on the way to their fifth straight win against San Diego on Nov. 20, and that's when the season soured. Forte sprained a ligament in his right knee against Kansas City on Dec. 4, leaving the offense without its two best players.
That would be tough for any team to handle, but the injuries exposed an eye-opening lack of depth. Hurd's arrest on federal drug charges in mid-December was just another blow for a team that was already sinking fast.
Besides the issues behind center, backup running back Marion Barber made some key mental and physical mistakes in losses to Kansas City and Denver. Receiver Roy Williams struggled to hang onto the ball, and the defense slumped late in the season, giving up 38 points to Seattle and 35 against Green Bay the following week.
One area where they certainly need to improve is in the draft, where Angelo had more swings and misses in recent years than hits. High-profile picks such as Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson were disappointments at times, and 2008 first-rounder Chris Williams has mostly struggled. Gabe Carimi, their first-round pick last year, missed most of his rookie season with a right knee injury.
The Bears plan to introduce Emery in a Monday news conference at Halas Hall.
Elsewhere
49ers' Smith faces DUI charge in Florida
MIAMI (AP) — San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith was charged Saturday with driving under the influence in Miami Beach.
Miami-Dade County jail records show Smith was booked Saturday morning and held on $1,000 bond. Jail records did not show whether Smith was represented by an attorney.
A Miami-Dade County Corrections spokeswoman said Smith was arrested by Miami Beach police. A police spokesman said he had no information immediately available about the arrest.
Smith was drafted as the seventh overall draft pick in 2011. During his first season, he had 14 sacks, a franchise record for a rookie linebacker. He also ranked first in the NFL in sacks among rookies. The 49ers said in a statement Saturday that they were aware of the arrest.
"We take these issues very seriously, but will reserve further comment at this time, as this is an ongoing legal matter," the team said. "The 49ers will continue to gather the facts and monitor the developments closely."
