ap Page 1544 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Peyton Manning Doesn't Light Up The Chargers; Broncos Win Anyway
The over/under was 55.5. This was supposed to be a nonstop shootout with two marquee quarterbacks. But Peyton Manning's touchdown factory didn't pile up points on the Chargers, instead holding just a one-possession lead at the end of a mostly mundane 24-17 game....
Panthers Write Own Demise With Huge, Fruitless Drives
The Carolina Panthers weren't a total dud in their first playoff appearance since 2008. Their defense sufficiently contained Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers for the most part. But stalled drives killed them. Carolina burned over 17 minutes of game time on two offensive drives, coming away with just t...
Derek Holland Injured His Knee Because His Dog Tripped Him
Rangers pitcher Derek Holland had surgery on his left knee Friday and could be out for half of the 2014 season, thanks to his overzealous dog....
Greg Hardy's Dedicated To Being "Kraken"
We've previously highlighted Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy and his tendency to dub himself "Kraken," but maybe we didn't realize the two might be overlapping personalities. Kraken's apparently not as disposable as one of Clinton Portis's alter egos....
Once An Afterthought, LeGarrette Blount Beats The Colts Down
Listed at 250 pounds, LeGarrette Blount is just a pound lighter than the Patriots' starting fullback, James Develin. He's not exactly a scatback. He's more of a supersized bowling ball over which someone had draped a jersey—a "north-south" runner, in scouting parlance, who in last night's 43-22 New ...
The Patriots Run All Over Colts, Advance To AFC Championship Game
The Patriots overwhelmed the Colts 43-22, but for a minute there it looked like Andrew Luck might actually be the next young quarterback to unseat the Patriots at home. Then LeGarrette Blount ran 73 yards and put that to rest....
Colin Kaepernick At Hooters
A reader sends along this picture with only a subject that reads "Kaep at Hooters in Charlotte." Missing are the trademark chicken wings or human breasts, so it's hard to tell—though you do get an overall feeling of desperation—but it probably is a Hooters. It looks like he's signing an autograph fo...
Who Is America Rooting For This Weekend?
Below are four maps showing which team in each of this weekend's games has more Facebook fans in every county in America....
Do Colder NFL Games Have Fewer Penalties?
While watching some insanely frigid football last weekend, one Deadspinner wondered if there were fewer flags in cold NFL games, the result of referees deciding, consciously or not, to speed games up and get the hell off the field. Without scrutinizing hundreds of hours of game tape we can't really ...
Weekend Stacked
The Stacks now has a weekend home over at The Daily Beast. ...
The Secret Of The Seahawks' Defense? Fouling, Maybe
The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating look at the dominant Seahawks secondary, which seems to have been able to turn just about everyone into a star. Part of that is the remarkable amount of pressure they bring, but another part—perhaps—is as brilliant as it is simple. Maul receivers, because th...
For One Great Ballplayer, Philadelphia Was A Perpetual Traffic Jam
Originally published in January 1970 in Jock magazine. The author, Bill Conlin, died on Thursday. He was 79. Conlin was a legend in his native city who wrote elegantly and hilariously about Philadelphia sports in the days before he allowed himself to become a grouchy old fud. He spent the last decad...
How The Seahawks' NFL-Best Defense Runs On Pressure
The Seattle Seahawks have the league's most dominant defense, one that prides itself on brutality—usually legal, but not always—and turnovers. The catalyst for all those interceptions and fumbles is an uncommon defensive scheme that prioritizes one thing above all others: Pressure....
The Florida Panthers Want $80 Million In Taxpayer Money, Just Because
The use of public funds on sports stadiums and arenas is bad enough, but at least there's a concrete goal: a new building, or renovations. The Florida Panthers have asked Broward County for $80 million in tax revenue with no specific end in mind; they'd just really like the cash....
Everybody Now Hates J.R. Smith
Yes, the ongoing J.R. Smith miniseries is funny. The fines, the suspensions, the tweets, the missed shots, the contract, the drama. But with his latest shoelace-related fine and accompanying benching, something of a boiling point appears to have been reached—media has turned hostile and the Knicks w...
Yasiel Puig's Cousin Will Drive Him Around For Now
With two incidents of reckless driving in eight months, Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig will apparently not drive any cars for the near future. Since Puig still has places to go, his cousin will be his hired chauffeur....
<em>Wall Street Journal</em>: Bill Belichick Smiled Seven Times This Season
Patriots coach Bill Belichick is a mumbling, taciturn grump when it comes to speaking with media. But what about those rare instances when he doesn't look like he'd rather be anywhere else? A visibly happy Belichick is a rarely occurring natural phenomenon, like a blue moon or Halley's Comet. Fortun...
Pennsylvania Man Filed Motion Against NFL To Put Steelers In Playoffs
Daniel Spuck felt that his Pittsburgh Steelers were screwed out of a playoff spot after officials overseeing the Chiefs-Chargers game didn't call a penalty that would have handed San Diego the likely loss, thereby giving the Steelers the final AFC postseason berth. Spuck took this bold stance agains...
Ric Flair Claims He's Received Death Threats From Panthers Fans
Ric Flair is one of North Carolina's favorite sons. He's also a stylin', profilin', limousine ridin', jet flyin', kiss-stealin', wheelin' and dealin' son of a gun, so when the 49ers invited him to address the team, he said hell yes. But now the 49ers are heading to Charlotte, and Panthers fans aren'...