NFL-Patriots use element of surprise in Super Bowl pursuit

Jan 14 (Reuters) - "Just win, baby" was the famed motto of late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis during his team's heyday, but Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo thinks Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have gone too far.
Ayanbadejo believes the Patriots, one win away from a second consecutive Super Bowl berth, are hitting below the belt with the way they run their hurry-up offense.
"New England does some suspect stuff on offense. Can't really respect it. Comparable to a cheap shot b4 a fight," he tweeted during New England's 41-28 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday that sets up an AFC title rematch with the Ravens.
The hurry-up, or no-huddle offense, has been around for a while, but Ayanbadejo emphasized with a Houston defense caught out of position and in confusion when Brady quickly ran a play.
"Are you watching the game pats vs texans?" Ayanbadejo tweeted. "If so you see the hurry snap offense catch em b4 they set up. It's a gimmick."
But all is fair within the rules of the gridiron, however, and Ayanbadejo's complaint is akin to a tight end moaning about a disguised defense showing a blitz formation before dropping back into zone pass coverage.
Shame on Houston for not being ready and credit the Pats, who have cleverly retooled and thrived over a remarkable run that could bring them a sixth trip to the Super Bowl in the 12 years since the partnership of coach Belichick and Brady.
The big surprise of Sunday's contest was how the Patriots made up for injuries during the game to key offensive players Rob Gronkowski and Danny Woodhead as third-string running back Shane Vereen scored three touchdowns to tame the Texans.
The Patriots scraped by last year's AFC title game with a 23-20 victory over the Ravens, who had a potential game-winning touchdown pass dropped in the end zone and a 32-yard game-tying field goal missed.
New England then lost a close Super Bowl to the New York Giants, but returned this season with a revitalized running game and an improving defense to make another title run.
Drew Bledsoe, a four-time Pro Bowler who lost his starting job with the Patriots in 2001 to Brady after he went down with an injury, said adaptability is a key to New England's success.
"The thing that I noticed watching these guys over the years, and it was true again yesterday, more than any other team in the league the Patriots evolve and change and develop players through the course of a season," Bledsoe told ESPN Radio on Monday.
"You see guys go down, pivotal guys, and every team likes to say 'next man up, next man up,' but the Patriots are continuously developing players."
Against the Texans, third-string running back Shane Vereen stepped up after injuries to tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back Danny Woodhead to score three touchdowns.
"Their style of play evolves from game to game, and over the course of a year ... you're seeing them a lot more effective in the running game. Their defense has improved thoughout the course of the season," added the now retired Bledsoe.
"One of the many things that has allowed them to be successful for so long is just how well they evolve and how well they develop players during the course of a season. I think they do it better than anyone else."
Ayanbadejo also tweeted "Can't Wait!" about the Jan. 20 AFC road title rematch against the Patriots, who lost 31-30 to the Ravens in the regular season (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)

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Patriots use element of surprise in Super Bowl pursuit

(Reuters) - "Just win, baby" was the famed motto of late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis during his team's heyday, but Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo thinks Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have gone too far.
Ayanbadejo believes the Patriots, one win away from a second consecutive Super Bowl berth, are hitting below the belt with the way they run their hurry-up offense.
"New England does some suspect stuff on offense. Can't really respect it. Comparable to a cheap shot b4 a fight," he tweeted during New England's 41-28 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday that sets up an AFC title rematch with the Ravens.
The hurry-up, or no-huddle offense, has been around for a while, but Ayanbadejo emphasized with a Houston defense caught out of position and in confusion when Brady quickly ran a play.
"Are you watching the game pats vs Texans?" Ayanbadejo tweeted. "If so you see the hurry snap offense catch em b4 they set up. It's a gimmick."
But all is fair within the rules of the gridiron, however, and Ayanbadejo's complaint is akin to a tight end moaning about a disguised defense showing a blitz formation before dropping back into zone pass coverage.
Shame on Houston for not being ready and credit the Pats, who have cleverly retooled and thrived over a remarkable run that could bring them a sixth trip to the Super Bowl in the 12 years since the partnership of coach Belichick and Brady.
The big surprise of Sunday's contest was how the Patriots made up for injuries during the game to key offensive players Rob Gronkowski and Danny Woodhead as third-string running back Shane Vereen scored three touchdowns to tame the Texans.
The Patriots scraped by last year's AFC title game with a 23-20 victory over the Ravens, who had a potential game-winning touchdown pass dropped in the end zone and a 32-yard game-tying field goal missed.
New England then lost a close Super Bowl to the New York Giants, but returned this season with a revitalized running game and an improving defense to make another title run.
Drew Bledsoe, a four-time Pro Bowler who lost his starting job with the Patriots in 2001 to Brady after he went down with an injury, said adaptability is a key to New England's success.
"The thing that I noticed watching these guys over the years, and it was true again yesterday, more than any other team in the league the Patriots evolve and change and develop players through the course of a season," Bledsoe told ESPN Radio on Monday.
"You see guys go down, pivotal guys, and every team likes to say 'next man up, next man up,' but the Patriots are continuously developing players."
Against the Texans, third-string running back Shane Vereen stepped up after injuries to tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back Danny Woodhead to score three touchdowns.
"Their style of play evolves from game to game, and over the course of a year ... you're seeing them a lot more effective in the running game. Their defense has improved throughout the course of the season," added the now retired Bledsoe.
"One of the many things that has allowed them to be successful for so long is just how well they evolve and how well they develop players during the course of a season. I think they do it better than anyone else."
Ayanbadejo also tweeted "Can't Wait!" about the January 20 AFC road title rematch against the Patriots, who lost 31-30 to the Ravens in the regular season

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Autopsy: Chiefs LB drunk at time of murder-suicide

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when he shot his girlfriend nine times and then killed himself in front of his coach and general manager, an autopsy released Monday showed.
The Jackson County Medical Examiner report on Belcher, 25, raised new questions about whether police should have done more before the Dec. 1 murder-suicide. Officers found Belcher sleeping in his idling car about five hours earlier, but let him go inside a nearby apartment to sleep it off.
At the time of the autopsy, Belcher's BAC was 0.17, more than twice the limit of 0.08 percent for Missouri drivers, and it was likely higher when he shot girlfriend Kasandra Perkins, 22, at the couple's Kansas City home.
A police report released previously said Belcher had gone out the night before with a woman he was dating on the side while Perkins attended a concert with her friends.
Police who found Belcher sleeping in his Bentley outside the woman's apartment told him to turn off the ignition and he complied, the report said.
The report said Belcher "initially displayed possible signs of being under the influence (asleep and disoriented)." But the report added that after a few minutes of being awake his "demeanor and communication became more fluid and coherent." The report added that officers didn't smell alcohol on Belcher, and that there were no signs of him being "violent or emotionally unstable."
Under both city ordinance and state law, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated, city prosecutor Lowell C. Gard said in an email. He said a vehicle doesn't need to be in motion for it to be determined that the person behind the wheel was operating it.
"Operation has been defined in Missouri courts to include a wide range of activity, including sitting behind the wheel of a parked car with the engine running, and sitting alone behind the wheel of a parked car with a warm, but shut off, engine," Gard wrote. "However, problems of proof arise when the arresting officer must provide evidence of that operation contemporaneous with intoxication."
Kansas City police Sgt. Marisa Barnes said in an email she wasn't aware of anyone being disciplined over the case. Even if they were, she said, she wouldn't be able to discuss it.
Belcher asked the officers who found him if he could stay inside the apartment for the night. Belcher tried to call his girlfriend, but she didn't discover the missed calls until the next morning. Two women who were up late invited Belcher to wait inside their nearby apartment after he explained his plight. They said Belcher "appeared to be intoxicated" but "seemed to be in good spirits," the police report said.
Belcher slept on their couch for a couple hours, leaving at 6:45 a.m. so he could make it to a team meeting planned for later that morning.
Upon arriving at the home he shared with Perkins, the couple began arguing. Belcher's mother, Cheryl Shepherd, who had moved in with them about two weeks earlier, heard multiple gunshots and ran to the bedroom, where she saw Belcher kneeling next to Perkins' body, saying he was sorry. The autopsy report says Perkins was shot in the neck, chest, abdomen, hip, back, leg and hand.
After kissing Perkins, his baby daughter and his mother, Belcher drove to Arrowhead Stadium. The autopsy said Belcher shot himself in the right temple as coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli looked on.
The infant, Zoe, is the subject of a custody fight between relatives of Belcher and Perkins.

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Strahan, Sapp, Ogden among Hall of Fame finalists

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Single-season sacks leader Michael Strahan and two players who tried to block him are among 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Strahan, who had 22½ sacks in 2001 and 141½ for his 15-year his career with the New York Giants, is joined by offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden of the Ravens and guard-tackle Larry Allen of the Cowboys and 49ers.
The fourth first-year eligible to make the cut is defensive tackle Warren Sapp of the Buccaneers and Raiders.
Strahan, Ogden and Sapp all won Super Bowls.
The hall announced Friday that the other finalists are running back Jerome Bettis; receivers Cris Carter, Tim Brown and Andre Reed; LB-DEs Charles Haley and Kevin Greene; guard Will Shields; defensive back Aeneas Williams; coach Bill Parcells; and former owners Edward DeBartolo Jr. of the 49ers and the late Art Modell of the Browns, who moved to Baltimore in 1996 to become the Ravens.
The two senior nominees are defensive tackle Curley Culp — who played for the Chiefs, Oilers and Lions — and linebacker Dave Robinson of the Packers and Redskins.
Between four and seven new members will be selected Feb. 2, the day before the Super Bowl, in New Orleans.
Bettis played for the Rams and Steelers — he won the 2006 Super Bowl in his final game, something Strahan did in 2008. He's in his third season of eligibility and was beaten out by fellow running backs Marshall Faulk in 2011 and Curtis Martin in 2012 for the hall.
Carter, Brown and Reed all were in the top 10 in receptions when they retired. Haley won five Super Bowls, two with San Francisco and three with Dallas.
Greene was one of the first hybrid linebacker-end defenders, which best suited his pass-rushing skills.
Shields was an ironman blocker for 14 seasons in Kansas City. Williams was a versatile defensive back who played on the corner and at safety. He had 55 career interceptions and 23 fumble recoveries.

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Golf-Late long-range birdie putts put Oosthuizen on top

DURBAN, Jan 11 (Reuters) - World number six Louis Oosthuizen ended the second round with a real flourish to complete a bogey-free 64 and seize a one-stroke lead in the Volvo Golf Champions on Friday.
Britain's Scott Jamieson, who also recorded a 64, was one behind on 11-under 133 alongside overnight leader Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand (68).
Six shots adrift in a share of fourth place on 139 were British pair Paul Lawrie (70) and Danny Willett (70), Frenchman Julien Quesne (67), Ireland's Shane Lowry (69), Dane Thomas Bjorn (70) and Jeev Milkha Singh of India (70).
Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, got his round going by holing a 15-foot putt for birdie at the third.
The South African picked up another shot at the fourth before he rattled off three consecutive birdies from the seventh to go out in 31.
The 30-year-old Oosthuizen then missed a short birdie chance at the 16th before sinking birdie putts of 45 and 25 feet at the 17th and 18th.
"Today was much better in terms of ball-striking," he told reporters. "I hit the ball really well and I putted beautifully.
"I missed a few short ones when I didn't have the right line but I generally seemed to have the speed of the greens and so I was able to make longer putts than usual. It's always nice when you know the putter is working."
Oosthuizen said he took a pragmatic approach to his eight-under round at the Durban Country Club.
"My main goal was to hit as many greens as I could," he explained. "A lot of times I didn't even go close to the pins - I just decided to hit the centre of the greens and it worked.
"You get those days when the putts won't go in and you shoot one or two-under but today the putts went in."
The second round offered something a little different, the professionals competing in a pro-am alongside the main event.
Oosthuizen and playing partner Thongchai were victorious and the sponsors agreed to exchange the South African's prize of a car for the mechanical digger he has coveted for the last two years.
"I'm walking away with a nice gift for my farm. It's going to be a lot of fun to be playing around with it," said Oosthuizen.
Jamieson, who clinched his maiden European Tour victory in Durban at the Nelson Mandela Championship last month, propelled himself into contention with five birdies on the front nine.

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Late long-range birdie putts put Oosthuizen on top

DURBAN (Reuters) - World number six Louis Oosthuizen ended the second round with a real flourish to complete a bogey-free 64 and seize a one-stroke lead in the Volvo Golf Champions on Friday.
Britain's Scott Jamieson, who also recorded a 64, was one behind on 11-under 133 alongside overnight leader Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand (68).
Six shots adrift in a share of fourth place on 139 were British pair Paul Lawrie (70) and Danny Willett (70), Frenchman Julien Quesne (67), Ireland's Shane Lowry (69), Dane Thomas Bjorn (70) and Jeev Milkha Singh of India (70).
Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, got his round going by holing a 15-foot putt for birdie at the third.
The South African picked up another shot at the fourth before he rattled off three consecutive birdies from the seventh to go out in 31.
The 30-year-old Oosthuizen then missed a short birdie chance at the 16th before sinking birdie putts of 45 and 25 feet at the 17th and 18th.
"Today was much better in terms of ball-striking," he told reporters. "I hit the ball really well and I putted beautifully.
"I missed a few short ones when I didn't have the right line but I generally seemed to have the speed of the greens and so I was able to make longer putts than usual. It's always nice when you know the putter is working."
Oosthuizen said he took a pragmatic approach to his eight-under round at the Durban Country Club.
"My main goal was to hit as many greens as I could," he explained. "A lot of times I didn't even go close to the pins - I just decided to hit the centre of the greens and it worked.
"You get those days when the putts won't go in and you shoot one or two-under but today the putts went in."
The second round offered something a little different, the professionals competing in a pro-am alongside the main event.
Oosthuizen and playing partner Thongchai were victorious and the sponsors agreed to exchange the South African's prize of a car for the mechanical digger he has coveted for the last two years.
"I'm walking away with a nice gift for my farm. It's going to be a lot of fun to be playing around with it," said Oosthuizen.
Jamieson, who clinched his maiden European Tour victory in Durban at the Nelson Mandela Championship last month, propelled himself into contention with five birdies on the front nine.
Ernie Els, Nicolas Colsaerts and Francesco Molinari were eight strokes off the lead while Padraig Harrington was a further shot adrift on 141.

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Reid among 7 NFL coaches sacked in firing frenzy

Andy Reid is the winningest coach in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles. Lovie Smith led the Chicago Bears to the 2007 Super Bowl.
Now they're looking for work.
Seven coaches and five general managers were fired Monday in a flurry of pink slips that were delivered the day after the regular-season ended.
Ken Whisenhunt is out after helping Arizona reach the Super Bowl following the 2008 season. Also gone: Norv Turner in San Diego, Pat Shurmur in Cleveland, Romeo Crennel in Kansas City and Chan Gailey in Buffalo.
Three teams made it a clean sweep, saying goodbye to the GM along with the coach — San Diego, Cleveland, Arizona. General managers also were fired in Jacksonville and New York, where Rex Ryan held onto his coaching job with the Jets despite a losing record.
Reid was the longest tenured of the coaches, removed after 14 seasons and a Super Bowl appearance in 2005 — a loss to New England. Smith spent nine seasons with the Bears.
Turner has now been fired as head coach by three teams. San Diego won the AFC West from 2006-09, but didn't make the postseason the last three years under Turner and GM A.J. Smith.
"Both Norv and A.J. are consummate NFL professionals, and they understand that in this league, the bottom line is winning," Chargers President Dean Spanos said in a statement.
Whisenhunt was fired after six seasons. He had more wins than any other coach in Cardinals history, going 45-51, and has one year worth about $5.5 million left on his contract. GM Rod Graves had been with Arizona for 16 years, nine in his current position. A 5-11 record after a 4-0 start cost him and Whisenhunt their jobs.
Gailey was dumped after three seasons with the Bills; Shurmur after two; and Crennel had one full season with the Chiefs.
Reid took over a 3-13 Eagles team in 1999, drafted Donovan McNabb with the No. 2 overall pick and quickly turned the franchise into a title contender.
But the team hasn't won a playoff game since 2008 and after last season's 8-8 finish, owner Jeffrey Lurie said he was looking for improvement this year. Instead, it was even worse. The Eagles finished 4-12.
"When you have a season like that, it's embarrassing. It's personally crushing to me and it's terrible," Lurie said at a news conference. He said he respects Reid and plans to stay friends with him, "but, it is time for the Eagles to move in a new direction."
Shurmur went 9-23 in his two seasons with the Browns, who will embark on yet another offseason of change — the only constant in more than a decade of futility. Cleveland has lost at least 11 games in each of the past five seasons and made the playoffs just once since returning to the NFL as an expansion team in 1999.
"Ultimately our objective is to put together an organization that will be the best at everything we do," Browns CEO Joe Banner said. "On the field, our only goal is trying to win championships."
Crennel took over with three games left in the 2011 season after GM Scott Pioli fired Todd Haley. Kansas City will have the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft as a result of having one of the worst seasons in its 53-year history. The only other time the Chiefs finished 2-14 was 2008, the year before Pioli was hired.
"I am embarrassed by the poor product we gave our fans this season, and I believe we have no choice but to move the franchise in a different direction," Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement.
Gailey, the former Dallas Cowboys coach, compiled a 16-32 record in his three seasons in Buffalo, never doing better than 6-10.
"This will probably be, and I say probably, but I think it will be the first place that's ever fired me that I'll pull for," Gailey said.
Smith and the Bears went 10-6 this season and just missed a playoff spot. But Chicago started 7-1 and has struggled to put together a productive offense throughout Smith's tenure. His record was 81-63 with the Bears, and he took them to one Super Bowl loss and to one NFC championship game defeat.
Receiver and kick return standout Devin Hester was bitter about Smith's firing.
"The media, the false fans, you all got what you all wanted," Hester said as he cleared out his locker. "The majority of you all wanted him out. As players we wanted him in. I guess the fans — the false fans — outruled us. I thought he was a great coach, probably one of the best coaches I've ever been around."
The fired GMs included Mike Tannenbaum of the Jets; Gene Smith of the Jaguars; Tom Heckert of the Browns; Smith of the Chargers and Graves of Arizona.
"You hope that those guys that obviously were victims of black Monday land on their feet," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "You've got guys that have been to Super Bowls and won championship games and all of a sudden they've forgot how to coach, I guess."

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9 questions for golf's 2013 season

Even without the top four players in the world around to kick off the season, every new year in golf is shrouded in mystery like clouds over Molokai across the channel from Kapalua.
Among the most pressing question: What will Bubba Watson serve for dinner at the Masters?
"When you show up for dinner on Tuesday night, that's when you'll find out," Watson said.
One problem. The press isn't invited.
"That's what I mean," Watson said.
With a wink and a smile, he walked over to the first tee and smashed the first of what figures to be several 400-yard tee shots. There were 67 tee shots that went at least 400 yards last year on the PGA Tour, and 41 of them were on the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
There are more serious issues going into 2013. What follows is the front nine of what to look for in the new season.
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1. EUROPEAN CAPTAIN: The biggest news in Abu Dhabi later this month won't necessarily be the first showdown between Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. This is where the European Tour traditionally selects its Ryder Cup captain, and the choice became a little more complicated when the Americans went back in time by picking Tom Watson.
Watson is beloved in Scotland, site of the 2014 matches. Does that mean Europe needs to answer with a larger-than-life figure for its captain? That has led to suggestions Colin Montgomerie would return as captain, though Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley were said to be next in line. Clarke would seem a better fit when the matches return to America at Hazeltine in 2016, though McGinley might be dwarfed by Watson's presence.
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2. RORY AND THE SWOOSH: Players changing equipment companies is nothing new. It's different when that player is No. 1 in the world. Nike is not likely to announce its deal with McIlroy until he starts his season in Abu Dhabi, and that's when the scrutiny begins.
McIlroy gives Nike another world-class athlete in its stable. But whatever recognition his clubs receive might be akin to an offensive lineman who gets his name called only when there's a penalty. Remember, McIlroy is known to have a bad patch of two. Even last year, when he won five times and swept all the major awards, he missed four cuts in five starts in the summer. When he plays poorly, critics will blame the equipment. And when he plays great, well, he's Rory McIlroy.
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3. SHORT SEASON: The PGA Tour season might feel more like a sprint than a marathon this year. The season, in effect, ends with the Wyndham Championship on Aug. 18, the cutoff for qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs. And once the playoffs end at the Tour Championship, the 2013-14 season starts in October.
That might mean more players competing more often, which could put the squeeze on Q-school and Web.com Tour graduates by limiting the number of tournaments they can play to try to qualify for the playoffs. The motto always has been, "Play better." A tweak might be in order this year. "Play better, now."
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4. ANCHORS AWAY: The R&A and USGA announced late last year that anchored strokes used for the belly putter and long putter will be banned starting in 2016. The question is whether the PGA Tour, which has the right to set its own rules, will enact the new rule much sooner.
There already is evidence of a stigma attached to those who anchor their putters — Keegan Bradley said a fan called him a cheater at the World Challenge last month — and it might be in the best interest of the tour to make the change quickly. But when? At the end of the FedEx Cup, meaning a player can use a belly putter in September but not October? At the start of 2013, meaning the rule would change in the middle of a season?
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5. MASTERS INVITATIONS: For the last six years, the Masters has been awarding invitations to winners of PGA Tour events that offer full FedEx Cup points. The Fall Series didn't count, nor did the events opposite a major or World Golf Championship.
One problem. Starting later this year, there is no Fall Series. When the tour goes to the wraparound season, there will be an additional six tournaments that under the previous policy would award the winner a spot in the Masters.
The concern for Augusta National is keeping a small field — it has not had more than 100 players since 1966. The question is whether the tour's change will mean an end to tournament winners driving down Magnolia Lane.
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6. ALL-MALE CLUBS: Just because Augusta National now has two women in green jackets doesn't mean the debate over all-male clubs is going away. If anything, it might be more intense than ever when the British Open returns to Muirfield. There are no female members in the "Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers," nor are there any female members of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club.
That received cursory criticism over the years, though most of the scrutiny was on the Masters. Now that the British Open is the only major played in which the host club has no women on their membership rolls, R&A chief Peter Dawson might have some explaining to do. If he's not too busy talking about changes to the Old Course.
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7. DISTANCE DEBATE: Those concerned that distance is ruining the game and making golf courses obsolete might appreciate a prediction in Golf Illustrated magazine that if the "carrying power of golf balls is to be still further increased all our golf courses will be irretrievably ruined as a test of the game."
That was in 1910, and the game has been evolving since.
The R&A and USGA have leaned on their "Joint Statement of Principles" in 2002 when it comes to distance. Even so, Dawson sounded an ominous tone while announcing the ban on anchored strokes.
"We haven't shelved distance. It's very much on the radar," R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said. "Anchored strokes are separate. Just because we're doing one doesn't mean we have taken our eye off the other."
Stay tuned.
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8. MINORS VS. MAJORS: With the PGA Tour starting a new season in October, the only way to earn a card will be through a series of four tournaments called "The Finals" that will include the top 75 players from the Web.com Tour and the next 75 players from the PGA Tour who fail to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Privately, the brass at PGA Tour headquarters is curious to see how the Web.com Tour players will fare against the second-tier PGA Tour players who faced stiffer competition and tougher golf courses all year.

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Regular season winners don't always make champions

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons, who tied for the league's best record at 13-3, are well aware of one of the NFL's biggest truisms: more often than not, the regular season is for suckers.
Over the last decade, just two of the 13 teams that had the best regular season record — or tied for the best mark — went on to win the Super Bowl: the '02 Buccaneers and the '03 Patriots.
The last eight teams to enter the playoffs with the best record bowed out before they could put their fingerprints on the Lombardi Trophy and revel in a rain of confetti.
Both the Broncos and Falcons are promising to practice like champions this week and not allow rest and relaxation to turn into rust and ruin.
In the last seven seasons, three No. 6 seeds and a No. 4 seed ended up winning it all, giving hope to the likes of the Ravens, Redskins, Bengals and Vikings in this year's playoff pool.
A year ago, the Green Bay Packers rested their regulars in the season finale and they lost their edge, becoming the first 15-1 team to lose its first playoff game — to a New York Giants team that was 7-7 in mid-December and went on to win it all.
"That's kind of what it was for us when I was in Indy," Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley said of the '05 Colts, who went 14-2 but lost to Pittsburgh in the divisional round. "We kind of rested the last week, then we had a bye. It's too much. So, I like just grinding every week, just playing football."
That's exactly what Peyton Manning's new team did, securing the AFC's top seed Sunday with its 11th straight win.
Along with the Falcons, Patriots and 49ers, the Broncos get a break this week, one that can prove a pitfall as much as a profit.
"We've just got to practice like we're playing this week," Denver receiver Eric Decker said.
While the Broncos stormed into the playoffs, the Falcons, who already had the NFC's top seed secured, didn't gain any momentum Sunday, losing to Tampa Bay.
"Before this game was played, we were the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, at the end of the game, nothing has changed," Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez reasoned. "We're a very good team; we'll just use this as a wake-up call."
Says another Atlanta veteran, Asante Samuel: "We're going to practice like champs. And we're going to play like champs from now on."
So will the Broncos. Coach John Fox is using the bye week to stay sharp, calling for short, crisp practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and a mandatory weightlifting session Saturday, mainly to keep the team "focused, not concerned with flights to other states and those type of things, especially close states."
Like Nevada, where oddsmakers have made the Broncos the favorite to win the Super Bowl.
Of course, the Packers were in this position last year.
It's not just the NFL where the season's best team usually falters in the playoffs.
In the last 10 seasons, only two teams in each of the other major pro sports leagues parlayed the best regular-season record into a championship, according to STATS, LLC. They were: the 2007 Red Sox and the '09 Yankees, the 2002-03 Spurs and the '07-08 Celtics and the Red Wings in 2001-02 and '07-08.
Since the first Super Bowl, the team with the best regular-season record has won just 21 of 46 championships, or 46 percent, which is more than in the NHL (42 percent), NBA (41 percent) and MLB (28 percent), according to STATS.
"Everyone wants to have the best record, win the division and play at home for the playoffs, but in my opinion, the team that is playing the best has the best opportunity," said NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner, a former MVP and Super Bowl champion. "This game is always about confidence and momentum. If you have it, you're tough to beat, nobody wants to play you and it gives you a distinct advantage. It starts in the regular season and you want to be playing well down the stretch."
With that in mind, here's how the dozen playoff teams rank from hottest to coolest:
1. Broncos (13-3) — They haven't lost since a 31-21 setback at New England on Oct. 7, before Manning got his bearings and found a comfort zone with his new teammates.
2. Redskins (10-6) — They've won seven straight games since coach Mike Shanahan's comments about playing for next year (well, it is 2013 now!) after a loss to Carolina on Nov. 4 dropped them to 3-6.
3. Patriots (12-4) — Their only loss in their last 10 games was to San Francisco two weeks ago that snapped their 21-game home winning streak in December. Even in defeat, Tom Brady was spectacular as New England nearly became the first team since 1980 to win a game after trailing by 28.
4. Seahawks (11-5) — Forget the "Fail Mary" touchdown/touchback ending that gave Seattle a disputed win over the Packers in Week 3 and hastened the return of the regular officials. The real robbery was the selection of QB Russell Wilson in the third round of the draft. He's guided them to five straight wins.
5. Bengals (10-6) — Cincinnati matched the best finish in club history, winning seven of its last eight games behind Andy Dalton and A.J. Green, who will now try to secure the Bengals' first playoff win since 1990.
6. Colts (11-5) — Indy won nine of its last 11 despite a soft defense, rallying around assistant coach Bruce Arians, who took over while coach Chuck Pagano was treated for leukemia. Pagano is back and the Colts have gotten over their breakup with Manning and moved on with rookie Andrew Luck.
7. Packers (11-5) — Green Bay won nine of its last 11 but couldn't close out the season with a win at Minnesota that would have ensured them a first-round bye. Maybe that's a good thing for a team that won it all as a wild card two years ago.
8. Vikings (10-6) — Although Adrian Peterson came up just short of breaking Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record, he carried the Vikings into the playoffs with wins in their last four games.
9. 49ers (11-4-1) — San Francisco lost to division rivals St. Louis and Seattle in December, but Colin Kaepernick and Michael Crabtree put the 49ers into the playoffs with some much-needed momentum with dazzling performances in a win over Arizona on Sunday.
10. Falcons (13-3) — Atlanta lost two of its last four, but they didn't rest their regulars Sunday, when they lost to the Buccaneers and also lost two key defensive players to injuries in pass-rusher John Abraham and cornerback Dunta Robinson.
11. Ravens (10-6) — Baltimore lost four of its last five and changed offensive coordinators in December. The Ravens used their regular-season finale at Cincy to rest their regulars, sitting banged-up playmakers Anquan Boldin, Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs while pulling Joe Flacco and Ray Rice after only two series.
12. Texans (12-4) — For much of the year, they were the NFL's darlings behind J.J. Watt, Andre Johnson and Arian Foster, but they caved in December, losing three of their last four and falling from the top seed in the AFC to the third. Instead of a bye week to rest up, they get a short week to play Cincinnati.
All of this isn't to say the hottest team will be crowed champion or the coolest one has no shot.
"I think there are a lot of formulas," Fox said. "If you look at history, there are plenty of different scenarios. At the end of the day, you want to be playing your best football in January so you can get to February. That's really the only formula I know that's 100 percent.

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NFL: Playoffs offer clash of generations

With Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson set to make playoff debuts, the year of the rookie continues in the National Football League (NFL).
But defense and experience win championships and few know the road to the Super Bowl better than longtime quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
The wild-card weekend kicks off on Saturday with the Cincinnati Bengals visiting the Houston Texans, followed by NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings renewing hostilities on Lambeau Field's famous frozen tundra.
Sunday's games will be a rookie quarterback showcase. Luck, the number one overall pick in last year's draft, will lead the resurgent Indianapolis Colts against the Baltimore Ravens, with Griffin, selected number two by the Washington Redskins, going against the Seattle Seahawks and their brilliant first-year quarterback Wilson.
More intriguing, however, is the possibility of a clash of the generations in the divisional playoffs the following weekend when Manning and the AFC top seeded Denver Broncos join the action along with Brady and the number two seeded New England Patriots.
In the NFC, the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons and number two San Francisco 49ers await their conference's wild-card winners.
OLD GUARD
While NFL fans have been mesmerized by the dynamic talents of Griffin, Luck and Wilson, the old guard of Brady, Manning and the Packers' Aaron Rodgers have trophy cases that contain Super Bowl rings and most valuable player awards.
Rodgers and Manning finished the regular season with the top two quarterback ratings, generating plenty of MVP buzz. They were followed by Griffin and Wilson.
Luck completed his first campaign by grabbing the single-season rookie passing yards record as the Colts went from last place to the playoffs in one year.
Wilson tied Manning's single-season rookie record with 26 touchdown passes, leading an explosive Seattle offence that became to first in 62 years to register back-to-back 50 point games.
While the spotlight will be focused on the trio of rookies, the pressure will be on two other quarterbacks.
The apprenticeship and honeymoon is over for Atlanta's Matt Ryan, the third overall pick in the 2008 draft, and the Ravens' Joe Flacco, taken 18th overall in that same draft class. The two must prove they are finally ready to deliver a championship.
Texans veteran play caller Matt Schaub will also be under the microscope while San Francisco's second year man Colin Kaepernick maybe the one true wild card, after taking over first string duties mid-season from Alex Smith.
In Minnesota, the Vikings' offense does not revolve so much around quarterback Christian Ponder as bruising running back Adrian Peterson, who rushed for a staggering 2,097 yards, falling just nine yards shy of Eric Dickerson's single-season record.
TOP RUSHERS
The wild-card weekend will also feature the NFL's top three rushers with Peterson, Redskins' powerhouse rookie Alfred Morris (1,613 yards) who averaged over 100 yards a game and the Seahawks' Marshawn Lynch (1,590).
Along with Lynch and quarterback Wilson, the Seahawks enter the postseason with the league's top ranked defense, allowing just 15.3 points a game. They are followed closely by their West division rivals the 49ers.
With six wins in their last seven games, including five straight to close out the campaign, the NFC Seahawks carry considerable momentum, but no team is hotter than the AFC Broncos, who have reeled off 11 consecutive wins.
The Seahawks were the NFL's best home team, winning all eight home dates, but must do something they have not done since 1983 - win a playoff game on the road.
Atlanta, the NFC's number one seed, went 7-1 at home and will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs while second seeded San Francisco was nearly as dominant, going 6-1-1 on its own turf.
"It's about consistency when you get into this opportunity," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said on the team's website. "You've got to bring what you've got. Don't show up without your stuff on that day.
"We know how to do that. Now we have to see if we can bring it to life and not get distracted by the fact it's the playoffs.

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Nuggets end Clippers 17-game winning streak

 The Nuggets brought the Los Angeles Clippers' franchise record 17-game winning streak to a halt on Tuesday with a 92-78 victory in Denver.
The Clippers (25-7), who went 16-0 in December to join the 1995-96 San Antonio Spurs and 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers as the only teams to go a calendar month undefeated, stumbled into the new year absorbing their most lopsided loss of the season.
It was the Clippers' first defeat since November 26.
The winning run was the longest in the NBA since 2009 when the Boston Celtics strung together 19.
"What did we accomplish is cool but they didn't care about that tonight," Clippers guard Chris Paul told reporters. "We're just upset about the loss, we didn't care about the streak."
Danilo Gallinari led Denver with 17 points while Kenneth Faried contributed 14 and 11 rebounds. Andre Miller chipped in with 12 points and 12 assists as the Nuggets improved their home record to 10-1.
LA's Blake Griffin scored 12 points and pulled in nine rebounds but Paul (10) and DeAndre Jordan (11) were the only other Los Angeles starters to score in double figures.
Leading by two after the first quarter, the Nuggets went on a 7-0 run to open the second and led the sluggish Clippers 48-43 at the half.
Denver continued to pull away after the break, outscoring Los Angeles 27-16 in the third quarter to open up a 16-point cushion then eased to a comfortable win.

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