NFL Feature Capsules - NFC: Eagles kick off their favorite month with a win
PHILADELPHIA — There's something about December that brings out the best in the Philadelphia Eagles.
After two straight comeback wins in the fourth quarter, the Eagles kicked off their favorite month by routing the undermanned Atlanta Falcons 34-7 on Sunday.
The Eagles improved to 8-4 with their third straight victory and are tied with Dallas for first place in the NFC East heading down the stretch.
The Cowboys hold the tiebreaker because they already won in Philadelphia, but the division title could be at stake when the teams meet in Dallas on Jan. 3.
While the Cowboys have struggled in recent Decembers — 5-9 since 2006 — the Eagles have owned the month. They're 28-11 in December this decade, including 12-3 since '06. Maybe it's the cold air or the anticipation of Santa's arrival. Whatever the reason, the Eagles seem to click when it counts.
"It's that time of the year, that last quarter," coach Andy Reid said Monday. "If you're still in the hunt, things get a little faster, guys play a little faster and so on. That's the nature of the game. That's where we're at. It's important that we keep practicing the way we've been practicing and preparing the way we've been preparing. The guys have been very focused the last few weeks."
Under Reid, the Eagles have always been a strong second-half team. Overall, they're 58-30-1 in November and December during Reid's tenure. That includes a 2-5 mark during his first season in 1999 when he inherited a wretched team and quickly turned the franchise into a perennial winner.
Late-season success usually can catapult teams into the playoffs. The Eagles have used their December dominance to reach the postseason seven times in Reid's first 10 years in Philly. They've reached the NFC championship game five times and the Super Bowl once.
"This is something that has been happening for us for years," quarterback Donovan McNabb said of the second-half success. "You go through the first part of the year where you are getting that chemistry and getting that timing and things going. This is the time of the year that people remember. You never remember September, October. You always keep your mind on November, December and January because, if you have that opportunity, you want to go into the playoffs and hit it rolling."
The Eagles certainly are streaking right now. They had no trouble dominating the short-handed Falcons. Despite missing star running back Brian Westbrook and dynamic wide receiver DeSean Jackson, the offense racked up 380 yards and scored 27 points.
The defense shut down Atlanta's depleted offense and chipped in with a score on Sheldon Brown's interception return.
McNabb threw for 238 yards and a touchdown, continuing his strong season. McNabb has thrown for 2,427 yards, 16 TDs and only six interceptions. His QB rating (94.7) and completion percentage (61.0) are both the third-highest of his career.
Even Michael Vick contributed in his return to Atlanta. Playing in the stadium where he once starred, Vick reached the end zone for the first time in three years. He had a 5-yard TD run and later tossed a 5-yard TD pass.
The Eagles now shift their focus to an important game at the New York Giants (7-5) next Sunday night. The Giants beat the Cowboys 31-24 to jump back in the division race.
Of the three teams, the Cowboys have the toughest remaining schedule. They play home against San Diego (9-3) and the Eagles and on the road against New Orleans (12-0) and Washington (3-9).
The Giants are home against the Eagles and Carolina (5-7) and at Washington and Minnesota (11-2).
After visiting New York, the Eagles host San Francisco (5-7) and Denver (8-4) before finishing at Dallas.
Notes: Reid said both Jackson and Westbrook could return to practice this week and neither has been ruled out for Sunday's game. Westbrook has missed three straight games after suffering his second concussion in a three-week span. Reid said Westbrook hasn't had any headaches and will be tested before practicing. Jackson sat out the win over the Falcons because of a concussion. Reid said he's doing well and has to meet with doctors. ... LT Jason Peters bruised his shoulder and suffered a possible stinger against Atlanta. He left the game, but Reid said he kept pestering him to return. ... CB Ellis Hobbs, already on injured reserve, had surgery for a herniated disk on Monday. ... WR Jordan Norwood was released. CB Joselio Hanson is eligible to come off the suspended list and likely will take his roster spot.
Redskins jinxed? Nope, they just can't hold a lead
ASHBURN, Va. — As jinxed as the Washington Redskins might feel, they would have a nice winning streak if they had performed a few football fundamentals.
Free safety: Don't let anyone get behind you. Kicker: Make the field goals. Entire team: Learn how to close out a game.
Coach Jim Zorn gave his players the day off Monday — unusual for the day after a loss — because a respite was needed after Sunday's 33-30 overtime defeat to the unbeaten New Orleans Saints. It was the third week in a row the Redskins lost after blowing a fourth-quarter lead.
Besides, at 3-9, they aren't going anywhere anyway.
"Just emotionally — last week's game and this week's game," Zorn said, "I just gave them a break."
It's tempting to say the Redskins lost because of a series of peculiar plays. The Saints shanked a punt that happened to hit a Washington player in the back. Drew Brees threw an interception that turned into a New Orleans touchdown when Robert Meachem stripped Kareem Moore of the ball. Shaun Suisham missed a 23-yard field goal that would have iced the game. Officials needed extreme freeze-frame slow motion to determine that Mike Sellers had fumbled, putting the Saints in position for the winning drive in overtime.
But how could the Redskins defense allow Meachem to run wide open down the middle of the field for a 53-yard touchdown catch that tied the game in the final two minutes? Safety LaRon Landry and the rest of the secondary have been burned by double moves repeatedly — opponents have completed seven passes of 30-plus yards over the last four games — yet Landry continues to bite on the fake.
Even New Orleans coach Sean Payton, who is hardly one to publicly call out players on another team, said after the game that the Saints worked specifically on double moves at practice last week because he felt Washington's safeties were vulnerable. Oakland is certain to do the same as it prepares for the Redskins this week.
"It's not acceptable," Zorn said. "Teams are going to continue to do it. With the Raiders, they've got to have a double move in their plan — we know that. We've got to be continue to be disciplined and we can't be fooled."
Landry was envisioned as a strong safety when he was selected No. 6 overall in 2007, but he moved to free safety after the death of Sean Taylor. Asked about the possibility of playing Landry more at strong, Zorn said it something that "may be discussed," but the coach added: "There is nobody on that field that has the range and violence that LaRon Landry has back there at free safety."
Also up for discussion is the future of Suisham. The kicker missed an NFL-high 10 field goals last year, but he was 13 for 13 this season before vital misses from 39 and 50 yards in the 7-6 loss to Dallas. In the chip-shot miss against the Saints, Zorn said the snap was a little high but left the blame with Suisham for a kick that was pushed wide right.
"It was a decent snap. It was an excellent hold," Zorn said. "And it was a poor kick, is basically what it was."
Zorn said it was "a possibility" that the Redskins will audition other kickers this week.
"We'll work out a lot of guys during the week, you can find kickers in there," Zorn said. "But that doesn't mean he's cleaning out his locker today, either."
The bigger issue is that the Redskins are folding when they have a late lead. They were ahead 6-0 at Dallas before allowing a 60-yard winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. They led Philadelphia 24-16 before giving up 11 points on drives of 90 and 66 yards in the final 12 minutes. On Sunday, they were up 30-20 on New Orleans before allowing scoring drives of 69 and 80 yards to tie the game.
Given that stretch, it's not surprising that the word "unfortunate" again got a workout Monday at Zorn's weekly news conference.
"It was unfortunate that he missed that field goal at the time, it was unfortunate that (Sellers) fumbled, it was unfortunate on the interception, unfortunate that we intercept a pass — how do you do this — how do you intercept a pass and they score a touchdown? The only place that Kevin Barnes could have been on the field — and he gets hit by a shanked punt?
"For the life of me, those are frustrating things. Is it reality? Absolutely. We saw it, and those are the things that we have to deal with, we have to move on from, and keep pushing and keep battling."
NOTES: Sellers spent the night in a hospital to have a pool of blood drained from a severe thigh bruise. Zorn said he's uncertain whether the fullback will play against the Raiders. ... DT Albert Haynesworth's status is also uncertain after his sprained left ankle flared up again. ... RB Clinton Portis traveled to Pittsburgh on Monday for two days of evaluation by a specialist as he recovers from a concussion.
-- Joseph White
Moore impresses in debut, road gets tougher
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — They played it safe, leaned on their running game and took advantage of an improbable number of mistakes by one of the NFL's worst teams.
Still, Matt Moore was a winner in his first start in nearly two years and will likely remain Carolina's quarterback for another week — when the competition gets much tougher.
A day after the Panthers beat woeful Tampa Bay 16-6, coach John Fox was typically evasive on Monday. He wouldn't declare Moore the starter next week at New England, said he didn't know when Jake Delhomme would be able to practice again, and replied "I can't answer ifs" when asked if Delhomme starts again when his broken finger is healed.
"He obviously did some good things, and some things we've got to continue to work on," Fox said of Moore. "I thought he played well enough for us to win."
The Panthers (5-7) clearly had a restrained passing game. Led by Jonathan Stewart's 120 yards rushing and a touchdown, they ran the ball 33 times to just 20 passes. Carolina twice ran draw plays on third-and-10 and again on third-and-8.
"We were running the ball well, a lot of quick game stuff, getting the ball out fast," Moore said. "That makes it easy on any quarterback."
The 25-year-old Moore also showed a strong arm when he had a chance, completing 14 of 20 passes for 161 yards. It included a 66-yard completion to Steve Smith in the fourth quarter — Carolina's longest pass of the season — that set up the clinching field goal.
"It was a great throw," tight end Jeff King said. "That's kind of what we've been missing the last couple weeks with our passing game."
Indeed, Carolina has been bogged down with Delhomme having the worst season of his career. While Moore overthrew Smith for what would've been a touchdown and threw an interception on a poor pass intended for Dante Rosario, he showed more precision than Delhomme, who has 18 interceptions in 11 games.
Moore had a mediocre 73.1 passer rating Sunday, but that dwarfs Delhomme's 59.4 mark for the season. Moore, much more laid back than Delhomme, provided a different atmosphere in the huddle, too.
"He was great. He was Matt," King said. "He's a confident kid. He doesn't know what he doesn't know. He's young, he wants to sling it around. That's him, he has a quiet confidence about him."
Stewart's play helped, too. Filling as the No. 1 back for the injured DeAngelo Williams, Stewart averaged 4.6 yards on a career-high 26 carries, including a 3-yard run on the opening drive for the game's only touchdown.
"I thought Jonathan Stewart showed up big," Fox said. "He hadn't been called upon with that big a load as being a No. 1 guy. I was really impressed with the way he ran and how he rose to the occasion."
So did the defense. While outgained 469-309, the Panthers intercepted Josh Freeman five times. Safety Chris Harris, who had one of the picks, said Freeman was locking into his receivers inside the 20. Carolina had three interceptions in or near the end zone.
"Most rookie quarterbacks, they kind of look at their intended receivers," Harris said. "That gets better over time. But, yeah, you were able to see where he was throwing the ball because he would stare down his intended receivers."
Moore, in his third season but with only four career starts, didn't make those mistakes. While Fox wouldn't make it certain, he'll likely be starting Sunday at the Patriots (7-5), who will be desperate to end a surprising two-game losing streak
It's the start of the big-boy portion of the schedule for Moore, now 3-1 as an NFL starter. After New England, the Panthers face Minnesota (10-2), the New York Giants (7-5) and New Orleans (12-0) to close the season.
"He needed to build some confidence in himself," King said. "For him, he hasn't played in a couple of years, or at least started in a game. It was good for him to get some plays under his belt, some success, and hopefully he can build on that for this week."
-- Mike Cranston
Saints coach dismisses talk of destiny
METAIRIE, La. — Sure, miracles and saints go hand-in-hand — just not usually in New Orleans.
And to hear coach Sean Payton talk, little has changed during the Saints' unbeaten run through the first 12 games of 2009, no matter how improbable their latest victory may have looked.
"Much has been talked about in regard to fate, destiny, luck and all that," Payton said Monday. "Obviously we can't control if a kicker makes or misses a field goal, and yet when you're on the short end of some tough games like that, I never hear fate, luck or destiny brought up. I hear how we have to finish better or we didn't do this or that."
New Orleans' comeback seemed highly unlikely when the Redskins lined up for a 23-yard field goal with under two minutes to play on Sunday. Kicker Shaun Suisham had never missed an NFL field goal shorter than 30 yards in 29 career attempts.
His 30th such attempt went wide right. Less than a minute later, Drew Brees found Robert Meachem for a game-tying 53-yard TD pass, and the rest is history. The Saints won 33-30 in overtime, improved to 12-0, clinched the NFC South Division title and tied a franchise record for wins in a season with four games still left.
In Washington, the Redskins never trailed in regulation and were in control for most of the game. With the Saints' top three cornerbacks — Jabari Greer, Tracy Porter and Randall Gay — all out with injuries, Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell racked up a career-high 367 yards passing.
The Saints also struggled to run the ball against Washington's stout defensive line, finishing with a season-low 55 yards rushing.
Statistical trends pointed to the end of the Saints' remarkable unbeaten run. Yet New Orleans benefited from an array of unusual plays to stay within striking distance.
"We find a way to win," Saints running back Mike Bell said. "That's what good teams do, right?"
First there was a New Orleans punt that hit Washington's Kevin Barnes on the back. New Orleans recovered at the Redskins 41.
Several plays later, Brees was intercepted by Kareem Moore, but Meachem tracked Moore down, stripped the ball, then grabbed it and ran for a touchdown. Although that play represented the most unusual TD the Saints have scored all season, Payton held it up as a prime example of why he doesn't want to hear about luck.
"When you look at Robert Meachem's play, I don't want to discredit his hustle and the effort a guy makes on a play like that," Payton said. "I don't want to take away from the effort and the plays that guys made."
Payton credited the offensive line for giving Brees time on to throw the long TD pass to Meachem, as well as an earlier long scoring strike to Marques Colston. Payton cited cornerback Chris McAlister's hit in overtime that forced a fumble by Washington's Mike Sellers. McAlister scrambled to scoop up the ball even though officials blew the play dead, ruling that Sellers was down.
As Washington lined up for the next play, Payton called timeout because coaches cannot challenge plays in overtime.
"All I was trying to do was slow down that process and hopefully give someone a chance to look at that closely," Payton explained. "Fortunately, they were able to take a peek."
The call on the field was overturned, and the Saints, after losing the coin toss to start overtime, suddenly had the ball on the edge of field goal range.
Several plays later, Garrett Hartley kicked a chip shot to win it.
For the previous 42 years of the Saints' existence, improbable events on the field usually benefited New Orleans' opponents.
There may be no better example from recent history than "River City Relay" in December 2003. The Saints used a downfield pass and three laterals to score a potential game-tying, 75-yard touchdown on the final play of regulation, only to miss the extra point in a 20-19 loss.
Two seasons ago, the Saints tried a reverse and fumbled the exchange while clinging to a late lead against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers then drove for a winning score.
Last season, New Orleans lost five games by three or fewer points.
The 2009 Saints are different. The victory at Washington marked their second significant comeback on the road. They also roared back from a 21-point deficit at Miami in Week 7.
When these Saints return from road games, thousands of fans line road outside the airport to welcome them back and celebrate their latest win, as they did Sunday night.
Bell, who was riding with a teammate, rolled his window down, shouted "Who dat!" and reached out to exchange high-fives.
"I've never been a part of anything so great," Bell said. "I want to share with the fans how special this is."
-- Brett Martel
Falcons could have Matt Ryan back this week
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Mike Smith had more injured than healthy offensive starters by the end of the Atlanta Falcons' third loss in their last four games.
That was only part of the somber news.
The Falcons' 34-7 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday was the team's worst in Smith's two years as coach. The loss left the 6-6 Falcons on the fringe of the NFC wild-card chase.
More reason for concern: Just when the Falcons can't afford another loss, the 12-0 New Orleans Saints come to Atlanta next week.
Perhaps intent on countering the somber mood, Smith assumed an upbeat tone on Monday.
Smith dismissed the lopsided loss to the Eagles as an "anomaly." He insisted his team's season is not over, and he said he hopes quarterback Matt Ryan and other injured starters can return this week.
"Guys, again, the sky is not falling, OK?" Smith told reporters.
Ryan wore street clothes and protected his turf toe injury by wearing a walking boot on the sideline on Sunday. The boot sat empty at Ryan's locker on Monday.
Ryan wasn't available for interviews. Smith said he hopes Ryan, who hurt his right big toe two weeks ago, will participate in the team's first practice of the week on Wednesday.
"Of course we're encouraged because we're going to get a chance to see Matt out there on Wednesday," Smith said.
When asked again about Ryan, Smith was less firm when he said "We're hoping to see where he's at on Wednesday. If he can come out and participate, then he's going to come out and participate."
Smith said the team's medical staff was encouraged by Ryan's progress last week.
Backup Chris Redman threw two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, in his first start since 2007.
The Falcons began the game without five offensive starters: Ryan, running back Michael Turner, receiver Michael Jenkins and offensive linemen Sam Baker and Harvey Dahl. Center Todd McClure, who left the game with a right knee injury, was the sixth starter lost.
The defense took a hit when cornerback Chris Houston left the game with a hamstring injury.
"We've got an injury list right now that is pretty long," Smith said.
Turner offered a quick update on Monday, saying only "I'm better."
The Falcons have only four games remaining to climb back into the NFC wild-card playoff picture.
When asked how the offense and the team can recover from the loss to the Eagles, receiver Roddy White didn't have a quick answer.
"Oh man, I don't know," White said on Monday. "That was a tough loss for us. We've just got to get everybody together and keep practicing and go out there and try to fight our way to a victory. Man, hopefully we get some of our guys back this week and get everything back together and try to win us a game."
Smith said he told his players to wipe away the loss like water off a windshield.
"I think it's an anomaly the way we played yesterday," Smith said. "That s how I look at it and as I told the guys when we finished our meetings today, I wanted them to be kind of like a windshield wiper and just kind of wash that game right out of their mindset. We needed to move on and put that behind us as quickly as possible so we can get ready for New Orleans."
Smith demonstrated by moving his arm like a windshield wiper.
White, who caught a touchdown pass from Redman on the final play for the Falcons' only score, said it may not be so easy to move past the loss to the Eagles.
"It was tough," White said. "I can't recall the last time we got beat like that, so soundly. They did a good job. They came in here with a great game plan and they executed their game plan and we didn't."
-- Charles Odum
Hard-hitting Cardinals shedding finesse label
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals are pummeling that "finesse team" label into submission.
Sure, Kurt Warner throws some pretty passes and he has some marvelous receivers to catch them. But the Cardinals' tough side was on national display Sunday night in a dominating 30-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
"We played a good football game yesterday and we won that game for that sole reason," said Warner, who sustained a hip pointer late in the game but said he was feeling much better on Monday. "We won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball."
The Cardinals held Adrian Peterson to 19 yards rushing in 13 carries, the second-lowest total of his career. Peterson was stopped for a loss or no gain seven times.
Brett Favre was sacked three times, twice by Bertrand Berry, as the Cardinals increased their sack total to 35, tied for third-most in the league.
Favre, who had thrown three interceptions through 11 games, was picked off twice, and the Cardinals outrushed the Vikings 113-62.
On offense, receiver Anquan Boldin snatched the ball from the outstretched arms of a defender, knocking the defender down, then breaking another tackle on a 39-yard touchdown play.
"What do you say?" Warner said. "Those are the plays that you love to watch on replay. What makes him so special is you get the ball in his hands, I mean he's second to none. It was a special play at a big time for us."
Larry Fitzgerald got into the act, carrying a pile of tacklers seven yards after a catch.
"We've got the receivers and a good quarterback and I know we threw the ball around a lot, but we've got some tough guys on this team," running back Tim Hightower said. "Just because schematically that's what we do I don't think that makes us a finesse team at all, but for whatever reason that's been the word on us.
"I think the more you start watching us, the more and more you'll see that's not the case."
For the first time in two seasons, the Cardinals had a personnel change in the offensive line when left tackle Mike Gandy sat out the game with a pelvis injury. Jeremy Bridges played left tackle for the first time in his career.
"Just play physical football, that's what we do," Bridges said. "Everybody wants to say the Arizona Cardinals are a finesse team but we'll hit you in the mouth. We just want to show the world that we will do that and what greater stage than Sunday Night Football?"
Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen, who has 14½ sacks, didn't even get a tackle on Sunday.
The performance against the Vikings followed a toe-to-toe with the Titans at Tennessee, a game the Cardinals lost 20-17 when Vince Young led a 99-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a game-winning touchdown as time expired.
It was the team's lone defeat over the last five games as Arizona (8-4) opened a three-game lead in the NFC West. The Cardinals, with their best record through 12 games since 1976, can clinch their second straight division title with a victory at San Francisco next Monday night.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt said the important thing for Arizona is to stay consistent with that hard-hitting, intense approach.
"It can't just be for a Sunday night game or a game where our backs are against the wall," he said. "It needs to be the way we go. We have done a good job with that. I'm not saying we haven't played as a physical football team, but the intensity level, the attention to detail, the way we finished things last night, that was certainly like a playoff game. We played like it was a playoff game."
Guard Reggie Wells said the Cardinals did nothing they didn't expect to do.
"We don't really need to buy into all the hype that the media portrays for other teams," he said. "We've been through some battles and some journeys of our own. Nobody talks about us going to the Super Bowl last year. You just hear how good these other teams are. So we don't pay any attention to that one way or another. We just go out there and do our thing."
Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said the team's personality transformation can be traced to the work of strength and conditioning coach John Lott, who came to Arizona when Whisenhunt was hired as head coach in 2007.
"He doesn't get a lot of credit and a lot of people don't understand," Dockett said, "but you look at what he's done since he's been here. We're built to beat teams down."
-- Bob Baum
Bears get reprieve with Rams win
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Alex Brown wasn't about to make any bold proclamations. The defensive end sees what's staring at the Chicago Bears and that's a dose of reality.
A 17-9 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday was a nice, refreshing reprieve for a team that had dropped four in a row and six of seven. Brown, however, wasn't checking the standings.
"I don't know the chances, I'm not a math guy, but if there is a possibility, we just got to win," he said.
At 5-7, the Bears will likely miss the postseason for the third straight year and are starting a tough three-game stretch with Green Bay and continues with Baltimore and Minnesota — all teams with playoff aspirations.
It would help if the Bears had Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs and receiver Devin Hester, but their status is in question. Briggs sat out the Rams game because of a sprained left knee, and Hester left with a calf injury after being hit for a loss early in the third quarter.
Coach Lovie Smith said "hopefully" Hester's injury is not too serious and they'll "have him back out there before too long."
Hester had a shining moment before leaving the field when he leaped between two defenders on a 48-yard catch that helped set up Chicago's first touchdown. He was hit for a 3-yard loss on his lone punt return. Several other punts were downed by the Rams, pinning the Bears deep, yet Chicago still managed to prevail in a win only Brian Urlacher could love.
The injured linebacker last week took what many interpreted as shots at Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte while wondering why the Bears were relying more on the pass than the run and their defense. Then, they reverted to their old formula after a strong first quarter by Cutler that included a 71-yard pass along with that deep throw to Hester.
Cutler had 131 yards in that opening period. He threw for only 12 more the rest of the way.
A running game that ranked dead last did a somewhat better job with Chris Williams filling in for the injured Orlando Pace (groin) at left tackle and Kevin Shaffer starting on the right side.
Forte ran for 91 yards, the most for him since he had 121 against Detroit in Week 4, yet he also lost a fumble. And the Bears averaged just 3.2 yards on 38 attempts.
Smith said Cutler's strong start "allowed us to get the rushing game going" and added, "Whenever you have 38 rushes, that's a good thing this time of the year."
Maybe, but the Bears didn't bring in Cutler to be a game manager. Although balance helps, their future largely hinges on the rifle arm he brought from Denver even if he was tied for the league lead with 20 interceptions through Sunday.
Cutler, who did not get picked off by the Rams, did said his throwing hand got "dinged" during the game. That wasn't the reason for going with the run, Smith said.
"We had a lead," he said. "Our defense was playing good football. And you try to win the surest way. There's no more than that. Jay should be good to go."
Smith was particularly impressed by Jamar Williams, who filled in for Briggs at weakside linebacker and was credited with 18 tackles in the postgame stats. So was Brown.
"He's been deserving a lot of credit for coming out and replacing a guy like Lance Briggs, who's probably the best player at his position in the NFL," Brown said. "To come in and play that well for him, I think it says a lot about the guys that we have as far as our backups. ... Hopefully, we see a lot more of him. We still want Briggs, though."
Williams played his way into a bigger role, perhaps getting more snaps at strongside linebacker or rotating between positions when Briggs returns.
"By his play yesterday, it said that 'I need more reps,'" Smith said. "We listen, and we watch everything that's happening. We like what we saw."
-- Andrew Seligman
Youthful Bucs feel they're getting better
TAMPA, Fla. — Rookie coach Raheem Morris rejects the notion that a culture of losing has settled into Tampa Bay's locker room during a year-long stretch in which the Buccaneers have dropped 15 of 16 games.
Going 0-4 last December cost the team a playoff berth and prompted the firing of former coach Jon Gruden. The Bucs (1-11) have found multiple ways to lose during a miserable start under Morris.
"We haven't had the success you would like, but there is no passive, it's OK type of mentality," the NFL's youngest coach said Monday. "Those guys are hurting. They want to win those games."
Sunday's 16-6 loss to Carolina was especially agonizing because the Bucs gained a season-best 469 yards — Tampa Bay's highest total in 20 years — yet failed to score a touchdown because of miscues by rookie quarterback Josh Freeman.
Although the first-round draft pick threw for a career-high 321 yards in his fifth professional start, he was intercepted five times. The Bucs settled for two field goals on eight possessions inside the Panthers' 30.
Three of the picks stopped drives inside the Carolina 8.
"He had 400 yards of offense, the fifth-best total offense around here in (franchise) history, and you had six points to show for it," Morris said, attributing some of the mistakes to the growing pains of a young quarterback.
The 33-year-old coach stressed, however, that he and his players will not use Freeman's inexperience as an excuse for losing.
"You're talking about young guys who are going to bring you through this thing. ... You're talking about young guys who are going to get better and better ... and grow together," Morris said.
"If we were around here and were a veteran team and we had (an acceptance of losing), it would be a problem. But right now, we're a bunch of babies that are going to grow up together and get better together."
Freeman was 23 of 44 passing, including five completions for 116 yards to Antonio Bryant, who had been seeking a larger role in the offense.
The 21-year-old quarterback's difficulties near the goal line were caused by bad decisions and a tendency he has to lock in on receivers before delivering the ball.
"Most rookie quarterbacks, they kind of look at their intended receivers. That gets better over time," said safety Chris Harris, who had one of Carolina's interceptions. "But, yeah, you were able to see where he was throwing the ball because he would stare down his intended receivers."
Seven of Tampa Bay losses have been by 10 or more points. They've lost three times on an opponent's final drive.
Against Carolina, the Bucs failed to take advantage of short-handed NFC rivals relying on backup quarterbacks for the second straight game.
Atlanta lost quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner to injury on the way to beating Tampa Bay two weeks ago. The Panthers played without Jake Delhomme and leading rusher DeAngelo Williams.
Nevertheless, Morris believes the Bucs are improving.
"There's progress in the games and how we're playing. We've just got to make better decisions at the end and we've got to make better plays at the end," the coach said.
"We're still looking for that guy to stand up and be the closer. We've got one at quarterback. He just didn't have a good day yesterday in the red zone."
Running back Cadillac Williams, who rushed for 92 yards on 17 carries, agreed.
"Right now we're losing close games and it doesn't look like we're getting it together. But if guys just stay patient and continue to believe in what these coaches are preaching ... eventually it's going to be a really really good football team," Williams said.
"Folks see no progress because we're not winning. But once you break down film and look at things, the progress is there. This guy Freeman has come a long way, and he's only going to get better."
-- Fred Goodall
Rams' offense has another lousy day
ST. LOUIS — At least for one week, the St. Louis Rams got the defense straightened out. The offense is another story.
Coach Steve Spagnuolo spent most of his Monday news conference answering questions about a feeble attack that was held without a touchdown for the fourth time this season in a 17-9 loss at Chicago. Six times they've been held to 10 or fewer points and they've scored only 14 touchdowns, one-fourth the New Orleans Saints' league-leading total.
The game plan has been consistently conservative for the Rams (1-11). Only a handful of plays attempted to stretch the field against the Bears, and Spagnuolo has no plans on opening things up the rest of the way.
"We're going to go with five wideouts," Spagnuolo said with a touch of sarcasm. "Do we need more points? Yeah, there's other ways to do it, and we'll do that."
The Rams (1-11) have one dangerous skill player, running back Steven Jackson, and everyone knows it. Jackson had 112 yards on 28 carries despite a sore back and the near certainty he'd be taking the handoff on first down, with the Bears crowding the line.
"Eight-man fronts, you take the risk," Spagnuolo said. "If somebody pops one it goes for a long one. All it takes is a couple of those."
Or a couple of nice passes. But Kyle Boller, who lost his 10th straight start dating to 2007 with the Ravens, totaled 113 yards passing with a long gain of 21 yards in his second straight start in place of injured Marc Bulger.
The Rams have only one other healthy quarterback, rookie Keith Null, and Spagnuolo reiterated he has no plans to get the sixth-round pick on the field.
An exceptional day on special teams, with three of Donnie Jones' punts downed inside the 5, contributed to frequently favorable field position against the Bears. Seven of their 13 possessions began at no worse than the St. Louis 41, and nine times they crossed midfield.
All of which meant very little to the bottom line.
Spagnuolo didn't seem to think it was necessary to throw the occasional deep ball, if only to keep defenses honest.
"We all know Steven's the featured guy here, so I don't think we're going to drive anybody out of what they do stopping the run," the coach said. "But we'll find other ways to move the ball downfield."
No matter how bad it's looked on a weekly basis, Spagnuolo has no problems with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. The Rams have been thin all season on offense, especially at wide receiver where second-year man Donnie Avery is the designated veteran.
Spagnuolo also took responsibility for a run call on third-and-11 from the Bears' 32 early in the fourth quarter with the Rams trailing 17-6. Jackson was stopped for no gain and the Rams settled for Josh Brown's third field goal, a 50-yarder.
Spagnuolo pointed out the Rams were 2 for 14 on third-down conversions, and said he didn't want to lose yardage. He also defended a tendency to call pass plays shorter than the yardage necessary for a first down, pointing out that players are allowed to make yards after the catch.
"We all realize that, right?" he said. "It's not a play to say, 'We're just going to get 5 yards and punt the ball away.'"
-- R.B. Fallstrom
