Super Bowl Chatter: Beating Brady isn’t Super easy

NY Giants have their hands full against Tom Brady and New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI despite what has become prevailing opinion (NYDN) INDIANAPOLIS — You start to get the idea, at least in and around New York, that Tom Brady and the Patriots will be so afraid of what the Giants are going to do to them at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday night that they won’t want to come out of the locker room. There will be Bill Belichick, about 6 o’clock, saying to Brady, “I know it’s the Giants, but you’ve still got to go out there, it’s a rule.” And Brady will say, no, somebody sent him the clips from the New York…

Indy Rock! Giants beat 49ers in overtime 20-17

NY Giants return to Super Bowl for 2008 rematch vs. New England Patriots after Lawrence Tynes nails game-winning 31-yard FG to beat 49ers (NYDN) NY GIANTS  20  SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 17, OT SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants have gone from the brink of an “historical” collapse to the brink of history. From the ashes of a season that nearly slipped away a month ago and a game that nearly slipped away Sunday night, the Giants are now just one win away from another improbable championship. They captured their second NFC title in the last five years by beating the San Francisco 49ers, , in the NFC championship game at Candlestick Park. And for the second time…

Raiders, new GM fire head coach Hue Jackson

(USA TODAY) The Oakland Raiders have fired coach Hue Jackson, less than a week after hiring Reggie McKenzie as general manager. Jackson’s team finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. The Raiders seemed in control in the AFC West after beating Chicago 25-20 on Nov. 27 to improve to 7-4. But they lost four of their final five games, including squandering a late 13-point lead at home to Detroit and a 38-26 loss to the Chargers in the final week. The Broncos took the West, despite losing three in a row to close the season, and will play New England in the divisional playoffs this weekend. Jackson, who engineered a trade which sent future draft…

Tebow’s TD in OT leads Broncos past Steelers

Denver Broncos’ Tim Tebow scores another miracle victory, beats Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger in AFC wild card round BRONCOS 29, STEELERS 23 (NYDN) DENVER – Before the end of the 8:30 a.m. Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Ghost on the quiet downtown corner of California and 18th, the Rev. Greg Cleveland, adorned in white-gold vestments for the Epiphany, stood behind a wooden lectern. He spread his arms out wide, welcoming all communicants, ranging from the Pittsburgh Steelers fan dressed in a black Troy Polamalu jersey to the Broncos’ fanatic in navy blue John Elway attire. Cleveland, absorbing the scene, issued a blessing upon the faithful. “May we hope that Tebow has another miracle in him,” he said, referring…

Manning picks apart Falcons in 24-2 wild-card victory

NY Giants smother the Atlanta Falcons in 24-2 wild-card rout as Big Blue advances to face Green Bay Packers (NYDN) The Giants spent the regular season riding the waves of the most explosive offense in franchise history. But the first round of the playoffs it was the defense that made the biggest splash. They turned back the clock with a dominating performance as they smothered the Atlanta Falcons, 24-2, in a wild-card playoff game at the Meadowlands on Sunday afternoon. The Giants’ defense pitched a shutout – the only Falcons scoring was a second-quarter safety – as they won a playoff game at home for the first time in nearly 11 years. The Giants’ defense yielded only…

Deion Sanders’ wife learned of divorce from TMZ

(theGRIO) From TMZ: Deion Sanders’ wife says the former NFL star didn’t have the stones to personally tell her he wants a divorce … shockingly, she learned about the move by checking TMZ.com. Pilar Sanders’ lawyer, Larry Friedman, tells us she was “heartbroken and surprised when [she] read … that Deion announced his decision, on his own, to end their marriage.” Pilar’s lawyer adds, “Pilar’s sole focus and top priority for the last 12.5 years has been her marriage and children. Based on recent discoveries, [Pilar] now realizes that Deion did not view their family the same way.” Friedman would not reveal any details about the “recent discoveries” to which he referred. Click here to read the rest of this story

Stevie Johnson fined $10k for touchdown dance

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – A person familiar with the NFL’s disciplinary decision has told The Associated Press that Buffalo Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has been fined $10,000 for his questionable touchdown celebration in a loss to the New York Jets last weekend. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the league has not made an announcement. Johnson declined to comment except to say he had an overnight courier envelope from the NFL left at his locker Wednesday. Johnson was fined as a result of a celebration in which he mocked Jets receiver Plaxico Burress by mimicking shooting himself in the thigh after scoring on a 5-yard catch late in the first half. Burress served 20 months…

Lions’ Ndamukong Suh suspended 2 games for stomping

Lions’ Ndamukong Suh suspended 2 games for stomping NEW YORK (AP) – The NFL has suspended Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for two games after stomping an opponent in a Thanksgiving Day game. Suh stomped on the arm of Green Bay guard Evan Dietrich-Smith in the third quarter of the Lions’ 27-15 loss and was ejected for kicking. On the same play, Suh shoved Dietrich-Smith’s helmet toward the turf while Dietrich-Smith was on the ground. This month, the 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year requested a meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his play after he drew several penalties. Suh said he had a better understanding of the rules after that meeting. The league suspended Suh on…

Coughlin Shocked Eli Manning’s Comeback Failed

To Tom Coughlin’s disbelief, Eli Manning fails to pull out latest game for NY Giants in San Francisco (NYDN) SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants have spent the first half of their season trying to defy logic, to test the theory that you can only play with fire so many times and survive. They were good at it. They were comfortable. They weren’t afraid of being burned. So when they finally were burned on Sunday, when they found a deficit too big to overcome, something that even Eli Manning’s magic couldn’t pull them out of , maybe they had it coming. Maybe it shouldn’t have been so shocking. PHOTOS: GIANT COMEBACK FALLS SHORT Maybe the Giants…

Sanchez is Awful As Jets Are Crushed 34-17

Jets brutal defeat lands squarely at the feet of Mark Sanchez, who hasn’t played like a franchise QB (NYDailyNews) BALTIMORE - The Jets‘ locker room was very quiet Sunday night as the players quickly dressed and headed out the door for the train ride home. It was fitting for a team that is now in crisis and trying to prevent the season from falling apart next weekend in New England. When a team is going bad, it’s up to the quarterback to get things turned around. But Mark Sanchez is the reason the Jets lost to the Ravens, 34-17. He was really dreadful, with three of his four turnovers returned for touchdowns and the other setting up a field goal. “Well,…