Kareem Shaker - AHN Sports Reporter Pittsburgh, PA (AHN) - The Cleveland Browns created high expectations for the 2008 season after barely missing the playoffs with a 10-6 record last year and boasting promising young stars all over their roster.Those expectations were far from met by a dismal 4-11 record as their young stars starting dropping like flies during a series of tough losses.The Browns suffered a decline in production from promising young receiver

Mike Easterling - AHN Sports Reporter Houston, TX (AHN) - The Chicago Bears saw their postseason chances vanish after they blew a lead and lost 31-24 Sunday to the Houston Texans. The Bears (9-7), who led 10-0, needed to win and also needed some help to earn a wild-card berth. That didn't matter after the Texans rallied to finish 8-8 for the second straight season.The Vikings clinched the NFC North title by defeating the

Kareem Shaker - AHN Sports Reporter Miami, FL (AHN) - Agents and lawyers spend weeks and months negotiating pivotal contract clauses for their clients.A simple sentence on a piece of paper could change the fate of individual athletes and sometimes even entire organizations, to the dismay of millions of fans.When Bill Parcells was brought on to revive the ailing MIami Dolphins last year after a 1-15 season, one such clause was included in his

Mike Easterling - AHN Sports Reporter New Orleans, LA (AHN) - John Kasay kicked a 42-yard field goal with only one second remaining, lifting the Carolina Panthers to a 33-31 win over the New Orleans Saints Sunday, sealing the NFC South title for the victors.Carolina (12-4) enters the playoffs as the conference's No. 2 seed behind the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.Jake Delhomme was 14-of-20 for 250 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown

Matt Aug - AHN Sports Editor Minneapolis, MN (AHN) - Ryan Longwell drilled a 50-yard field goal in the waning seconds, lifting the Minnesota Vikings to a 20-19 win over the New York Giants Sunday.The Vikes (10-6) clinched the NFL North and sealed a playoff berth with the conquest.The Giants (12-4) played hard throughout, despite clinching home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with last week's win vs. Carolina.Minnesota came back from a 19-10

Kareem Shaker - AHN Sports Reporter Tempe, AZ (AHN) - Any football player can attest to the importance of momentum heading into the playoffs.The Arizona Cardinals currently have none.After dropping four of their last five games, the Cardinals are in a downward spiral that can have them out of the playoffs a lot quicker than the 10 years it took them to get in.Arizona clinched its first division title since 1975 with a Week

Kareem Shaker - AHN Sports Reporter Lake Forest, IL (AHN) - With their playoff lives hanging in the balance, the Chicago Bears will be without a key ingredient in their defensive effort.Starting safety Mike Brown is expected to sit out Sunday's pivotal game against the Houston Texans with a calf injury.The Bears will need to either beat or tie the Texans to have a shot at either the NFC North title or a Wild-Card

Kareem Shaker - AHN Sports Reporter Irving, TX (AHN) - When no statistics can reliably define a player's value to his team, it's up to that player to find another way to represent that value.Dallas Cowboys right tackle Marc Colombo did it by staying on the field.Colombo was rewarded for 47 straight starts Thursday with a four-year, $22 million contract with $11.5 million in guarantees.The 30-year old was selected by the Chicago Bears in

Matt Aug - AHN Sports Editor Irving, TX (AHN) - Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is trying to convince anyone that will listen that coach Wade Phillips' job is safe, whether the 'Boys win or lose Sunday vs. the Philadelphia Eagles."The coaches are in place. I've said that. How can I be any clearer?" Jones told reporters this week. "Look, I've said that our coaching staff, as far as I'm concerned, is in place.

Kareem Shaker - AHN Sports Reporter Tampa, FL (AHN) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't look far to find a replacement for legendary defensive coordiantor Monte Kiffin.Defensive backs coach Raheem Morris will take over as the Bucs' defensive coordinator in 2009 in place of Kiffin, who will join his son Lane with the University of Tennessee Volunteers.The 68-year old Kiffin has ran his signature Tampa 2 defensive scheme since he joined the Bucs in

Matt Aug - AHN Sports Editor Foxboro, MA (AHN) - New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi will miss his third straight game this week due to continuing knee troubles.Bruschi has 75 tackles on the season, but collected just three in a week 14 win over the Seahawks.The Pats will try to beat the Bills with a banged up defense, including backs James Sanders (abdomen) and Lewis Sanders (groin), tackle Ty Warren (groin) and end

Kareem Shaker - AHN Sports Reporter Cleveland, OH (AHN) - Bruce Gradkowski will fulfill a childhood dream when he starts at Heinz Field Sunday.Except, Gradkowski will be on the wrong sideline.After years of presumably waving a terrible towel, the Browns fourth option at quarterback will be suiting up against his hometown Steelers in Cleveland's season finale.The Browns were forced to start Ken Dorsey after injuries to both Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.Dorsey suffered a

Matthew Harvey - AHN Sports Reporter Foxboro, MA (AHN) - With New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel on the verge of completing his first full football season since high school, questions arise as to where he will play next season.No one, not even Cassel himself, can predict it.Cassel's contract is set to expire this season, and with the valuable experience he's received this year, it's not likely that Cassel will be willing to accept

Matt Aug - AHN Sports Editor New York, NY (AHN) - The New York Jets admitted for the first time this week they want Brett Favre to continue to be the team's quarterback next season.Favre has recently played like he is ready to retire, however.The veteran signal-caller, who signed with the Jets in the offseason, has led New York to a 1-3 mark over its last four games.Favre's stats have been awful over that

Matthew Harvey - AHN Sports Reporter Philadelphia, PA (AHN) - Quarterback Donovan McNabb does not believe he's finished yet in Philadelphia, and will be looking to negotiate a new contract with the Eagles in the off-season.On paper, he has not had a terrible season. With a passer rating of 85.3, he threw for 3,741 yards and fell within a comfortable margin of only 11 interceptions in 15 games.One cannot fault him in the numbers

Kareem Shaker - AHN Sports Reporter San Francisco, CA (AHN) - San Francisco 49ers interim coach Mike Singletary recently met with team officials and will likely be offered a long-term contract some time next week.Singletary took over for Mike Nolan on Oct. 20 following a 2-5 start and led the team to four wins over its next eight games.The hall-of-fame linebacker laid out a plan that impressed team officials and has the support of

Mike Rothman - AHN Sports Contributor Dallas, TX (AHN) - Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo showed up to work, then was sent home Wednesday with some medicine to help deal with his apparent flu-like symptoms.The Cowboys put in the team's game plan a day early, said coach Wade Phillips, so him missing a day should not matter.If the flu-like ailment persists though, there could be problems heading into Sunday's must-win game against the Eagles.The Cowboys

Matthew Harvey - AHN Sports Reporter Florham Park, NJ (AHN) - N.Y. Jets defensive end Shawn Ellis was fined $10,000 for his snowball exchange with a few rowdy Seahawks fans Sunday. Ellis said he was joking around, but the NFL disagreed.As the Jets left the field, following their 13-3 loss against Seattle, fans began to pelt them with snowballs as a going away present.Ellis decided to fight back, throwing a big heap of snow

Matthew Harvey - AHN Sports Reporter Fort Lauderdale, FL (AHN) - In addition to having shot himself late last November, Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress let his insurance laps on a $140,000 Mercedes-Benz days before rear ending a woman in May.This just hasn't been Burress's year, as the insurance had lapsed in payment just three days before hand, according to AllState.The woman he rear-ended is also pressing charges, and a court date will be

Kareem Shaker - AHN Sports Reporter As another production of NFL regular-season theater comes to an end, many storylines come to mind.The New York Giants entered the season without much respect, despite winning the Super Bowl over the then-undefeated New England Patriots.They reeled off six-straight victories against teams with winning records before losing two straight in the wake of a Plaxico Burress controversy.While his parents must have thought long and hard before coming up

Matthew Harvey - AHN Sports Reporter Irving, TX (AHN) - For Texas Stadium, the twilight competition has been played on its well-maintained turf Monday, as the Cowboys finished hosting Baltimore.It wasn't a storybook ending, as the Cowboys fell to the Baltimore Ravens 33-24, but the fans and players made the most of it.With only an outside chance of getting a wild card, the Cowboys nonetheless held their heads high as they did a lap

Mike Easterling - AHN Sports Reporter Chicago, IL (AHN) - Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher nearly blocked a field goal try by Green Bay.Teammate Alex Brown succeeded and kept alive the Bears' hopes of making the NFL playoffs.Brown led a strong push into the middle of the Packers' line as Mason Crosby attempted a 38-yard field goal, blocking the potential game-winning kick with 18 seconds left, saving Chicago from postseason elimination.The play preserved a tie

Mike Easterling - AHN Sports Reporter St. Louis, MO (AHN) - The St. Louis Rams took another loss Monday, this time in the front office.Jay Zygmunt, the St. Louis Rams' president of football operations, resigned. The setback was another hit in what has been a woeful season in which the Rams compiled a 2-13 record.The team has gone 5-26 over the last two years.Longtime team president John Shaw also is expected to scale back

Matt Aug - AHN Sports Editor Champaign, IL (AHN) - Illinois junior cornerback Vontae Davis has decided to enter the 2009 draft to join his older brother Vernon, a tight end with the San Francisco 49ers.Davis racked up 78 tackles and a pair of interceptions this past season for the Illini, and was a three-year starter."It has been a goal of mine for a long time to have the opportunity to play in the

Mike Rothman - AHN Sports Contributor Nashville, TN (AHN) - The Tennessee Titans tied a franchise record for wins Sunday beating up on a team they might see again in the playoffs.The Titans beat the 11-4 Steelers 31-14 at home, led by veteran quarterback Kerry Collins, who threw for 216 yards and a score.The win put the Titans back in the drivers seat and quiets critics who have seen Tennessee slow down a bit