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Show DAILY HERALD Sunday, January 9, 2005 NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Chargers' Sdiottenheimer wins first top coaching honor ' Steve Wilstein Barry Wilner V, THE ASSOCIATED NEW YORK I jy fA The Associated Press PRESS -- Marty winners wild-car- d Rams Unsteady W Schotten-heimer- 's guidance of one of the great turnarounds in NFL history won him The Associated Press 2004 NFL Coach of the Year award. Schottenheimer took the San Diego Chargers from tailender to division champion, from a 2 embarrassment to a 124 power 7 that was to host the New York Jets in a playoff game Saturday night. The 6 who also has worked in Cleveland, Kansas City and Washington, did his best work of an 18 head coaching career. "There is a great sense of satisfaction when you're able to get things going in NOTEBOOK the right direc- tion," said Schottenheimer, who received 27 "2 of the 48 votes from a national panel of writers and broadcasters who cover pro football. "I always pride myself on one I think I'm a teacher. It's thing fun to see your players listen and work together to apply the basic philosophies and concepts that are important to success." Many of Schoftenheimer's team have done that. He's coached division winners in Cleveland, where 4 he was the head man from through 1988..And in Kansas . He even had an 8 City ( 1989-98record in his one season in Washington, .and considering how other Redskins coaches have done for owner Daniel Snyder, that was impressive, too. ' But his third season in San Diego has been charmed. And perhaps a bit lucky, because Schottenheimer was looking for a different quard terback and hoped to go with draft pick Phillip Rivers. When Rivers held out for half of training camp, Schottenheimer stuck with Drew Brees. Brees wound up as Comeback Player of the Year and Schottenheimer. became Coach of the Year for the first time. His players say Schottenheimer's decision to form a players council and ease up in practices, as well as remodeling the locker room, made a big difference. "I've seen it all year," said linebacker Donnie Edwards, who also played for Schottenheimer in Kansas City. "The way he's changed his coaching to understand the players and let the players understand the street coaches so it's a two-wa' now. "There are so many things that have changed. It's all been for the best. I'm really excited about him, mid-198- 8-- ). first-roun- y 1 si fSj j fill iC:( "Tr rw (4L-- l - SEATTLE St. Louis Rams are the The team of . playoffs. They're magical and mysterious and maddening. And on Saturday they were wild-carhistory-makinwinners. One moment they're driving the field as if they own it, even when they don't. They're clicking on passes, running the ball smash-mout- h up the middle. They're a sweet blend of youth and veterans, a rookie running back like Steven Jackson complementing the Marshall Faulk, other guys coming out of nowhere to make crucial plays. Other times they look as if they're on the verge of folding, making problems for themselves by burning timeouts, letting opponents back in the game after getting them down, holding their breath as the seconds tick off . The Rams showed all of that in this 8 season of perfect mediocrity, and they showed it again in a playoff victoNFC the West over Seattle champion ry Seahawks on Saturday. In beating the Seahawks for the third time this season, the Rams looked at once confident and shaky. They started the game boldly with Marc Bulger leadtouchdown drive. They ing a ended it worriedly, watching a score-tyinTD pass slip through the hands of Seattle receiver Bobby Engram in the end zone while Seahawks quaterback Matt Hasselbeck walked off the field slapping his own helmet. These Rams surely don't look like a Super Bowl contender, yet no one can take them lightly. If they are confounding, they can also be delightfully surprising, as they were on their winning drive in the fourth quarter. They led through the first three quarters but looked ready to collapse in the fourth when Seattle pulled ahead The Rams had wasted all of their timeouts, couldn't challenge any calls, and seemed as if they were trying to find a way to lose respectably. Instead, they kept sniffing out ways to win, finding it first with a field goal by Jeff Wilkins that tied the then by stopping the Sescore ahawks from getting a first down on their next possession. With the ball and their fate in their hands again, the Rams handed it off to Faulk, as if to say, "Here, old man, you now-you-do- g, DENIS POROYAssociated Press San Diego coadi Marty Schottenheimer encourages his team during the fourth quarter of the Chargers' 20-7 victory on Dec. 5, 2004. !; d ii ;fl rs Wl.i.iJ" , ' ( still-hung- 1 because he came into the year with great enthusiasm and great energy and it transferred over right to us as players, and we've been able to translate that onto the field." I Manning, McNabb will start at quarterback in Pro Bowl: At New York, Peyton Manning will start at quarterback for the AFC, and Donovan McNabb will be the NFC's starting signal caller in next month's Pro Bowl. The starting lineups for the NFL's game, to be played in Honolulu on Feb. 13, were announced Saturday. Manning will be joined in the AFC lineup by his Indianapolis Colts teammate Edgerrin James at running back; Tony Richardson of Kansas City at fullback; Marvin Harrison of the Colts and Chad Johnson of Cincinnati at wide receiver; Antonio Gates of San Diego at tight end; Willie Roaf of Kansas City and Jonathan Ogden of Baltimore at tackle; Alan Faneca of Pittsburgh and Will Shields of the Chiefs at guard; and Kevin Mawae of the New York Jets at center. McNabb will be joined on the NFC offense by running back Shaun Alexander of Seattle; Fullback William Henderson of Green Bay; tight end Alge Crumpler of Atlanta; wide receivers Muhsin Muhammad of Carolina and Terrell Owens of the Eagles; tackles Walter Jones of Seattle and Orlando Pace of St. Louis; guards Larry Allen of Dallas and Marco Rivera of Green Bay; and center Olin 8-- 27-2- 0 all-st- ar 75-ya- g 20-1- 7. 27-ya- 20-2- Kreutz of Chicago. I Defensive starters and a complete Pro Bowl roster, - B7. ' .. TED St Press S. WARRENAssociated wide receiver Cameron Cleeland catches a pass for the winning touchdown as Seattle free safety Ken Hamlin defends at left in the fourth quarter Saturday at Qwest Field in Seattle. The Rams won, 27-2Louis take us the rest of the way." Faulk cut up the middle for five yards, ran again for three. All eyes were on him now, and that's when the Rams sprang their first surprise with Bulger's pass to Shaun McDonald, who hadn't caught a pass all day but took it this time to Seattle's 37. The Seahawks should have seen that coming. In their great collapse against the Rams on Oct. 10, McDonald had a punt return that set up a fourth-quarte- r touchdown and the touchdown reception in overtime. His catch wasn't the end of the Rams' surprises. After a pass to Kevin Curtis and two more short runs by Faulk, Bulger threw a high, gutsy pass in the end zone to tight end Cameron Cleeland. The former Washington Husky pleased his family and friends in the crowd and made 65,000 others groan when he pulled down the ball between two defenders for the touchdown. " "There is so much talent here and the offense is so deep, when you get a chance you ve got to make it or you might not get another one," Cleeland said. "I think I lead the league in practice Friday touchdowns. It s finally good to( get one in front of my family because I'm a Seattle guy, born and raised here It s very surreal right now. It was a little surreal to alrtne Kams, who have slogged through this season, gotten past their problems and landed in the second round of the may of fs. 39-ya- "We're coming around," coach Mike Martz said. "We really are developing and maturing as a team ... Who knows what this team can achieve from here on put?" Who, indeed. This is a team that can get crushed next week against either Philadelphia or Atlanta, or pull a stunning upset. No 8 team had ever won an NFL playoff game until now, and the Rams figure they might as well keep setting precedents. "We feel like we can keep making history," McDonald said. Not often content to win easily this year, the Rams watched Seattle push toward a tying touchdown. The Seahawks looked confident enough, getting down to the St. Louis 11. But a sack of Hasselbeck by tackle Jimmy Kennedy pushed the Seahawks back to the 17. "Boy, what a thrilling game that was," Martz said when he caught his breath. "Without that sack, I'm not sure we win. I thought they were going to go in there and tie it, and we were going to go to overtime." That sack made a statement for the Rams, the kind they've been looking tor all year. They may be mediocre but theVrano wimps. They can be beaten, but they're not going to simply give in. Two incomplete passes later, the last through Engram's fingers, and the Rams were toJhejFiSiiivisTonal playoffs. 8-- I Steve Wilstein is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at swilsteinap.org. Colts changing game plan Wongs familiar JWichael Marot THE ASSOCIATED It HRESS INDIANAPOLIS Peyton Manning will replace the head- with Favre's ww . set with a helmet, Edgerrin James expects a full workload, and Marvin Harrison should be catching passes well into the second half. The Denver Broncos will see a very different Indianapolis Colts team today. "I don't think last week has anything to do with this week," Manning said. "It was just a game where we didn't make enough plays." The reason might have been that the Broncos weren't playing the "real" Colts. Just one week after the Broncos (10-6- ) clinched the AFC's final wild-car- d spot with a 4 victory over the Colts, the two teams meet again under rather different circumstances. Instead of snowy Denver, this game will be played in the con- winning magic Arnie Stapleton 'THE ASSOCIATED Manning and James departed after three plays, Harrison stuck around for the first half only, and tight end Marcus Pollard sat out with a sprained ankle. The Colts also started three rookies in the secondary, held out middle linebacker Rob Morris (concussion) and limited the playing time of their top Dwight Freeney. "It was tough, something we wrestled with," Dungy said. "It goes against your nature and difyour players' nature and it's coach." and in ficult to play Quarterback Jake Plummer took advantage of the Colts' inexperienced secondary by throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Reuben Droughns and Tatum Bell pass-rushe- r, GREEN BAY, Wis. The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings usually play tight games. And the Packers usually come out on top. Their last five meetings were settled by five points or fewer, and Green Bay went 1 in those. This season, the Packers won both of the NFC North rivals' games both on field goals by Ryan Longwell as time expired. One thing all of those matchups have in common: Brett Favre was at quarterback for Green Bay. Seven times, Favre has beaten the Vikings g with drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, "I don't know if there's a guy you want to give the ball to in those situations more than him," Packers coach Mike Sherman said. So Sherman likes his chances heading into d playoff game at Lambeau today's Field the first postseason meeting between the Packers and Vikings. g Favre has 34 career drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, the most of any active NFL quarterback. He's done it four times in the last seven weeks alone. But Sherman has a little secret to share: "He doesn't like those situations," the coach said. "He says people think he likes being in those situations, but he doesn't necessarily like it. But he does respond to them." Isn't that like saying Michaelangelo didn't like to paint? Or Frank Sinatra didn't really care to croon? "I've just said that in the past that I would much rather be up," Favre explained when asked about Sherman's comments. "I doesn't mean I dont relish the opportunity or thrive in those situations. I just realize you're not going to win every one of them. ' "It's like shooting the last shot in basketball. It's a great thing when you make it. But occasionally you don't," Favre said. "So, I'd much rather be up, and I think that's what he means." Favre may look like one cool customer when he's leading the offense with the game on the line, but inside he's got butterflies just like all the fans on their feet or the edge of their seats. "Hey, I get nervous just like everybody," Favre said. "That surprises people sometimes but I'm human. And I have won my share of them. 4-- 34-3- 1, 33-1- trolled setting of the RCA Dome. And instead of the regular season, this is the playoffs, with the winner moving on to a game against New England or Pittsburgh. The Colts (124) will look like a team that's added some ringers. Knowing they were likely to face a rematch with Denver, Colts coach Tony Dungy opted for a vanilla game plan and a makeshift lineup. " PRESS I .J JEFF ROBERSONAssociated game-winnin- JACK DEMPSEYAssociated Press Indianapolis wide receiver Reggie Wayne (87) leaves Denver defender Rock Alexander in his tracks on a touchdown pass play during the second quarter in Denver on Jan. 2. The Colts and Broncos meet up again today in the first round of the playoffs. ' Press Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre surveys the field as he prepares to throw his first touchdown pass of the game during the first quarter against the Chicago Bears on Jan. 2. first-roun- each topped 75 yards rushing, and the Broncos dominated the watered-dow- n Colts in the second half. With the stakes higher this week, even the Broncos don't expect a repeat. "From watching film, we saw them play more man coverage than they usually do," Plummer said "Whatever they do, we have to adjust to it. Obviously, we have to be ready for anything." So how much did the Colts really hide? Today's matchup will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in little more than a year. They also played in the first round of last season's playoffs. Routs have been the norm. In 2003, Denver dominated Indianapolis in a 7 regular-seaso- n win and two weeks later lost to the Colts 0 in the playoffs. "It wasn't a good way to end the season, obviously," Plummer said. "But you've got to learn from it, you've got to learn what you've got to do 31-1- 41-1- to keep that from happening again." One twist this time around: How will the Colts react to a hit Pro Bowl safety John Lynch put on tight end Dallas Clark last weekend? Lynch said he wanted to send a message to the Colts; he was fined $75,000 by the NFL. Throughout the week, the Broncos said Indianapolis' receivers are soft. But the Colts didn't take the bait. "I don't really have a verbal response to that," Manning said. "We just have to go out and make plays." Denver has seen Manning do that all too much before. In last year's playoff game, he threw for five touchdowns and finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3. And the Broncos' recent playoff failures raise another issue: Can they win without John Ehvay? Since Elway retired after Super Bowl victories in 1998 and 1999, the Broncos havent won a postseason game. back-tohac- k game-winnin- two-minu- Won at Minnesota two weeks ago, which is as difficult as I've had." On Nov. 14 in Green Bay, the Vikings scored a touchdown with 1:20 left to tie it at 31. That was plenty of time for Favre to lead the Packers downfield for Longwell's winner. On Dec. 24 at the Metrodome, Favre's fourth-dow- n touchdown throw to Donald Driver tied it at 31. After the Vikings punted, the Packers got the ball at their 13 with 1:35 remaining. Eleven plays and 76 yards later, Longwell kicked a giving the Packers their third straight NFC North crown. "That might have been one of the best I've ever seen him play," Sherman said. Favre called it one of his top five comebacks, if not his best ever. "No doubt about it. Considering the circumstances, our lack of success, my lack of success in that building (4-- record). To come back with two drives to win the game, that has to rank near the top," Favre said. g Nineteen of Favre's drives have come during Sherman's watch, which began 'in 2000. " "He certainly produces in those situations. He has such tremendous confidence," the coach said. "And I think more so than him, the players around him have confidence that they'll get it done because of him. "The one thing I've said always that you have with Brett Favre is that you have hope." 33-ya- ball-gam- 9 game-winnin- |
