Green Bay Packers, still in Super Bowl hunt, meet Eagles again Sunday

Young, hungry Eagles prepare for Packers
Andy Reid knows all about the hand he's been dealt. He knows that this isn't a Philadelphia Eagles team loaded with experience up and down the roster. He also knows that the Green Bay Packers may feed off this on Sunday. But don't expect the Eagles coach to make any apologies for it. Despite 25 players on the postseason roster with three years or less of experience — including nine rookies — Philadelphia (10-6) still won the NFC East. And despite an unexpected two-game Losing Streak,...

QB Vick gets his rematch against Packers
Michael Vick thought the Philadelphia Eagles would've defeated the Green Bay Packers in the season opener if he played the whole game. He can prove it now. Vick and the NFC East-champion Eagles (10-6) will host the Packers (10-6) in a wild-card Playoff game next Sunday. It's a rematch of Green Bay's 27-20 win at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 1. Vick started that game at wide receiver for a gimmick play and finished at Quarterback after Kevin Kolb sustained a Concussion. Vick was outstanding, n...

Michael Vick Gets Sacked By Speaking Fee Rumor
Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick, who has taken pains to apologize to anyone who will listen for his role in a dog-fighting ring that sent him to Prison, reportedly asked for a $100,000 fee to address the Animal Friendly Association at Richard Stockton College near Atlantic City. There is less to this story, however, than meets the eye. This tidbit came from an anonymous three-sentence commentary published on the editorial page of Monday's Burlington County Times, a local New Jerse...

Key To The City: My Super Bowl Dilemma
I hate football. Not really, but the Giants are giving me no choice. Two weeks ago, I asked for three things for Christmas. I asked for the Yankees to produce something that resembles a starting rotation that can compete in the AL East, the Giants to make the Playoffs and for the Knicks to land Carmelo Anthony. The Giants were eliminated from the Playoffs on Sunday, and the Yankees are thinking about bringing in Jeff Francis or Jeremy Bonderman to round out their rotation. Carmelo might as well ...

Two Down, the Pats To Go All the Way?
What else is there to say about Tablet Magazine’s New England Patriots? Playing arguably the toughest schedule, they went a League-best 14-2, securing homefield advantage until February. They extended their home Regular Season win streak to a record 27. They committed ten turnovers during the entire season, a record. Quarterback Tom Brady had, maybe, a career year: 36 touchdowns versus four interceptions, a genuinely absurd ratio of 9.0 that absolutely smashed the previous record of 6.25 (...

Joe Lapointe: In Green Bay, the Packers Are To Live and Die For ----- and Then Some
How seriously do Packers' fans take their football? One fan wants to be buried in a green and gold casket with a tailgate picnic after her Funeral. The team enters the Playoffs this season amid a Vince Lombardi revival. Click link to read further. https://NFL.fanhouse.com/2011/01/04/in-green-bay-packers-are-to-die-for/ ...

Bears playoff tickets on sale -- for now
Tickets for the general public to the first Chicago Bears Playoff game went on sale today at about 10 a.m. today through Ticketmaster. Game ticket prices range from $107 to $559 -- without fees and taxes -- according to the Ticketmaster website, and buyers are limited to four tickets per billing address. As of about five minutes after opening, 1,706 tickets were also available at NFL Ticket Exchange, ranging from $211 to $1,549 each. An attempt by a reporter to buy a ticket at about 10:05 a.m....

Saddle Up
For the ninth year in a row, the Indianapolis Colts will make an appearance in the National Football League Playoffs … although this year Peyton Manning and company had to sweat it out. The Colts officially qualified for the postseason on Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars were defeated by the Houston Texans - a loss that also handed Indy its seventh AFC South title in the last eight years. Moments later, though, Adam Vinatieri hit a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give the C...

Carroll's change key in Seahawks reaching playoffs
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, right, watches as Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst throws during the NFL football team's practice Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011, in Renton, Wash. The Seahawks host the New Orleans Saints Saturday in an NFC wild-card game. From the time he first walked into the Seahawks' palatial headquarters on Lake Washington, Pete Carroll pledged competition. It's the crux of nearly everything he's done since arriving in Seattle. It's why the Seahawks have made 275 roster transactio...

Down - then up
In the course of 24 hours, the Wisconsin Badgers lost to the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University in the Rose Bowl; the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears in a nail-biter to secure a Playoff spot; and Brett Favre said, "It's time." This time, the gunslinger appears to be out of bullets. He watched from the sidelines Sunday as his Minnesota Vikings fell to the Detroit Lions. In his post-game talk, No. 4 thanked Packers fans - a classy move. But football is a game of inches...

NFL Playoffs Schedule 2011: Which Teams Play When?
The schedule for the 2011 NFL Playoffs has been announced. The New Orleans Saints will take on the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 4:30 p.m. ET. At 8 p.m., the Indianapolis Colts will face off against the New York Jets in a rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game. The next day, the Baltimore Ravens will play the Kansas City Chiefs at 1 p.m. and the Philadelphia Eagles will battle the Green Bay Packers at 4:30. In the divisional round, the highest remainin...

NFL: Seattle clinches division title, becomes last team to join playoffs
Seattle Seahawks' Russell Okung, left, tries to protect Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, right, from St. Louis Rams' James Hall, second from left, in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, in Seattle. The play was called back on a penalty. » Buy this photo Indianapolis, Atlanta and Pittsburgh clinched division titles Sunday, while Green Bay grabbed the final wild-card berth. The Packers beat archrival Chicago 10-3 to secure the NFC's sixth seed; defending league champi...

Why Vick needs a dog
I'm a dog lover and a football fan. And it doesn't bother me to cheer for Michael Vick, even though he's probably better known right now for his Animal Cruelty than for his gridiron heroics. His conviction for running a dog-fighting ring isn't something he'll soon leave behind, no matter how far his Philadelphia Eagles carry their winning season or how well he plays in the Pro Bowl this month. President Obama drew fire last week when reports surfaced that he thanked the Eagles' owner, Jeffrey Lu...

Institute for Education fellows opine on 2010
In the words of IFE Fellows, here is what 2010 was all about: Sports   Dog killer or MVP? Michael Vick, in his second season back after serving 23 months in jail for dogfighting, lit up the NFL with his MVP-type performances. Vick's comeback is fascinating because it makes sports fans ask questions that make them very uncomfortable. Can I root for a dog killer? What is more important to me: my love for my team or my love for dogs? Does jail really reh...

Ed Rendell Inane
(UPI) — Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said during a “Colbert Report” taping in New York the delay of an NFL game for snow is why the country is falling behind China. Rendell told host Stephen Colbert during the taping for Monday’s episode he described the United States as a “nation of wussies” because of the NFL’s decision to delay a Philadelphia Eagles game because of snow, the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News reported Tuesday. The Governor told the Comed...

N.J. selling NFL-themed license plates
New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission says it is now offering football-themed license plates for fans of the New York Jets and Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. The NFL team logo plates are the latest in a series of sports-themed plates offered by the MVC. Plates with Baseball, Basketball, hockey, and NASCAR themes also are available. Motorists may order them online or at any of the MVC's 39 agencies. The cost is $60, with a $60 annual renewal fee. The plates may be personalized for an additio...

Rendell clarifies 'wussies' comment
NEW YORK, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said during a "Colbert Report" taping in New York the delay of an NFL game for snow is why the country is falling behind China. Rendell told host Stephen Colbert during the taping for Monday's episode he described the United States as a "nation of wussies" because of the NFL's decision to delay a Philadelphia Eagles game because of snow, the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News reported Tuesday. The Governor told the Comedy Central personality the ...

Video: The obligatory fan-created Doritos Super Bowl ad mocks Christian rite clip
Note well: This isn’t an ad that Doritos is running in the Super Bowl, just one that they posted on their website (and refused to remove) after a fan submitted it for their contest with Pepsi. The bad news? Even to an ex-Catholic like me, it feels cheap. Blasphemy in defense of principle, like free Speech, is welcome; blasphemy in the service of humor can be fun. Blasphemy to sell bags of Cool Ranch chips? Eh. They have every right, but aside from Richard Dawkins and maybe Hitch, whoR...

Makeover turns Fort Worth buses into Molly the Trolley ahead of Super Bowl
A fleet of rubber-tire streetcars known as Molly the Trolley will play a big role in moving people around Fort Worth from Jan. 28 to Feb. 6, when crowds will likely swarm to the area in search of parties, ESPN broadcasts, celebrity sightings and all things football-related. The trolleys -- bedecked with the city’s Molly longhorn symbol -- are getting a makeover that includes fresh paint and new mahogany paneling. They normally circulate only downtown, offering workers and visitors free rid...

Hospitals Preparing for Super Bowl Crowd
DALLAS - The Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium will arguably be the biggest event North Texas has ever had, bringing an estimated 93,000 people together at once. But emergency officials worry massive crowds could fall Victim to a large-scale disaster. It's one which could overwhelm Hospitals. FOX 4's Peter Daut reports on how hospitals are preparing....

John Elway Rejoins Broncos As Football Czar
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Hall of Famer John Elway has been summoned by the Denver Broncos for one more comeback. The beloved Quarterback who led the Broncos to five Super Bowls and back-to-back championships before retiring in 1998 is returning as the team's chief football executive. His title will be executive vice president of football operations in a reshaped front office, and chief operating officer Joe Ellis becomes team president. Brian Xanders will go from the General Manager in name on...

Ben Roethlisberger Engaged? Big Ben Won't Say
Pittsburgh — If Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is engaged, he isn't saying. Roethlisberger declined Tuesday to discuss rumors he became engaged over the holidays to a Pittsburgh-area woman. There have been numerous postings on Social Media sites, some even identifying the woman by name. At the Steelers' first practice of the week, Roethlisberger said he would not talk about his Personal Life. But he did not deny the rumors. "Oh, geez," Roethlisberger said. "Listen, there's alway...

John Mara Says Tom Coughlin Will Return As Giants Head Coach Next Season
LANDOVER, Md. — Tom Coughlin will return as coach of the New York Giants next season, and his status wasn't in question at all, according to team co-owner John Mara. Speaking Sunday after the Giants were assured of missing the Playoffs for a second consecutive season, Mara put an end to any speculation about Coughlin's future. "There was never any doubt in my mind, never any doubt in (co-owner) Steve Tisch's mind, never any doubt in (General Manager) Jerry Reese's mind," Mara said. New Y...

Colts, Steelers, Falcons Clinch Divisions
(AP) Indianapolis, Atlanta and Pittsburgh clinched division titles Sunday, while Green Bay grabbed the final wild-card berth. The Packers beat archrival Chicago 10-3 to secure the NFC's sixth seed; defending league champion New Orleans has the conference's other Wild Card. A last-second 43-yard field goal by the always-clutch Adam Vinatieri lifted the AFC South champion Colts past Tennessee 23-20. Indy was already assured of its seventh division crown in eight years when the Jacksonville Jagu...

Stage set for NFL playoffs
Atlanta and Pittsburgh routed their opponents while Indianapolis and Green Bay punched their tickets to the Playoffs on the final day of the NFL's Regular Season on Sunday. Seattle was the last team to join the post-season party by beating St Louis 16-6 in the late game. The Green Bay Packers earned the final wild-card berth with a 10-3 win over the Chicago Bears while the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts clinched division titles. The other wild-card ...