Patriots coach Bill Belichick backs wide receiver Randy Moss over restraining order
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick expressed strong support Thursday for wide receiver Randy Moss, the subject of a temporary restraining order obtained by a longtime friend.
Belichick said he wasn't concerned about the allegation brought by Rachelle Washington that Moss committed battery or about how it might affect Moss on Sunday in the AFC championship game against the San Diego Chargers.
Washington's attorney issued a statement Thursday saying that Moss' representatives were the first to suggest that Moss pay the woman to keep the issue quiet, according to NBCSports.com. The attorney, David McGill, and Moss' agent, Tim DiPiero, did not returns telephone calls from The Associated Press.
On Wednesday, Moss said that suggestion came from her side and totaled "six figures." He called it "a situation of extortion."
No criminal charge has been brought.
Belichick spoke briefly on questions about the matter Thursday.
"I think Randy's covered those and I've talked to Randy about it, and I support Randy 100 percent," he said.
Moss spent about 10 minutes in front of his locker on Wednesday vehemently denying the allegations.
On Monday, the temporary restraining order was issued in Broward County, Fla., ordering Moss to stay at least 500 feet from the home of Washington, who alleged he committed "battery ... causing serious injury" to her at her home in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 6, the Sunday of the Patriots playoff bye week.
A hearing on issuing a permanent restraining order is scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 28, six days before the Super Bowl.
Moss said the woman has been a friend of his for 11 years and that she asked for "six figures" for what he said was an accident in which she was hurt. Washington, 35, alleged they had been in an "intimate relationship" since 1997.
Her attorney's statement said she "has cared deeply for Mr. Moss and has been there for him throughout all of his trials and tribulations" over the past 11 years and didn't intend to hurt Moss.
"However, she has suffered mental and physical harm as a result of his actions," the statement said. "She simply wants him to take responsibility for what he has done. As a battery victim, she has shown great strength throughout this entire ordeal.
"Ms. Washington has been unfairly characterized as someone simply seeking financial gain. In fact, it was Mr. Moss' representatives who first contacted our office to offer a `six figure' settlement with hopes of not having this incident become public record."
Washington also alleged that Moss refused to allow her to seek medical treatment. Moss denied that. McGill's statement did not specify an injury.
"He has acknowledged that he was at Ms. Washington's Florida residence and that he was `guilty' of an `accident' which occurred," the statement said. "However, Mr. Moss fails to mention how his reckless and degrading conduct rendered Ms. Washington unable to drive her vehicle to seek medical attention."
Several teammates have expressed support for Moss.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Redskins begin interviews with Tennessee assistant Schwartz
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz became the first person to interview for the Washington Redskins' coaching vacancy Thursday as the team stepped up its search for a successor to Joe Gibbs.
Schwartz met with owner Dan Snyder in the Washington area and was the only candidate scheduled to have an interview on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the selection process. The person also said the decision to start the interview process with Schwartz was not an indication that he is the front-runner but instead was merely a function of scheduling. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Redskins have not publicly stated the names of any candidates.
Schwartz has also been mentioned as a candidate for the openings in Atlanta, Baltimore and Miami. He became a hot commodity after the Titans finished the season ranked No. 5 in total defense, a remarkable rise from No. 32 in 2006.
Schwartz's only previous interview for a head coaching job came in 2005, when he met with San Francisco the year the 49ers hired Mike Nolan.
Schwartz, 41, has many ties to the Washington area. He's a native of Baltimore and was a four-year letterman linebacker at Georgetown, where he was team captain as a senior and graduated with a degree in economics. He was a graduate assistant on the Maryland coaching staff for one year and later spent three seasons as a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens.
In 1999, Schwartz joined the Titans defensive staff. In 2001, he was promoted to defensive coordinator to replace Gregg Williams, who ironically is now one of his competitors for the opening in Washington. Williams left the Titans to become head coach of the Buffalo Bills and is now an assistant with the Redskins.
Williams is the leader among the in-house candidates to replace Gibbs, who resigned Tuesday after four seasons.
Schwartz fits the profile of the type of coach Snyder is expected to pursue. After previously hiring some of the top names available -- Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, Gibbs -- the owner is expanding his pool of candidates this time around. The main exception could be former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, although Cowher has given no indication that he's willing to come out of retirement.
A second candidate, also an assistant from another team, will be interviewed Friday. The interviews are being conducted by Snyder and vice president for football operations Vinny Cerrato.
Gibbs, who will remain an adviser to Snyder, is not meeting with the candidates. Snyder, Gibbs, Cerrato were joined by former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann for pizza at Redskins Park on Wednesday night during preparations for the interviews, but Theismann is not an adviser during the search, the person familiar with the process said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Rivers downplays yapping at Cutler; Broncos not happy with smack talk
SAN DIEGO -- It's on YouTube now, so it must have happened, right?
Well, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers tried to downplay his animated exchange with Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler on Monday night, which was caught by ESPN's cameras.
Rivers can be seen jawing from the sideline toward Cutler, who had just thrown an incomplete pass on fourth down midway through the fourth quarter of the Chargers' 23-3 victory. Chargers linebacker Matt Wilhelm can be seen mockingly waving toward Cutler.
Asked what he was saying to Cutler, Rivers said, "Nothing. There was really nothing said to him, to be honest with you."
The AFC West champion Chargers (10-5) returned to work Wednesday for the first time since winning their fifth straight game and for the ninth time in 11 games.
"I ain't really thought nothing more of it," Rivers said.
The QB said the trash talk Monday night was "no different than any other game I've ever played in since I was 10 years old. There was nothing unusual going on in that game. Just like anything that gets on the TV, it can be taken any way you want it to.
"There's no animosity from me towards him, whatsoever. I don't know if that's the same on his end," Rivers said.
It certainly wasn't in the Broncos' locker room.
Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said there's no excuse for what Rivers did.
"And I don't really care for the guy, first of all," Bailey said in a story posted on The Rocky Mountain News' Web site. "He's not a respectable guy right now, because you talk too much trash and do this and that, but you're really not a great player in this league right now.
"You're surrounded by great players, but you're not a great player. I think he needs to understand where he stands in this league -- where he stands on his team first and foremost."
Cutler was more reserved when he met with reporters Wednesday.
"We've talked about it. I'm not going to get into it," Cutler said. "It was an unfortunate situation. They talked a lot and the talk got heated between the two teams. Personally I don't think the teams like each other, which is fine. It's just going to add to it next year. It's going to be exciting."
The Chargers swept Denver for the second straight year, holding the Broncos to just a field goal in each game. San Diego won 41-3 at Denver on Oct. 7.
Minnesota Vikings safety Darren Sharper, who's preparing to face the Broncos on Sunday, chimed in on Rivers. Sharper said it was "surprising" to see Rivers and Cutler getting after it.
Asked if those kind of exchanges happen often, Sharper said, "No it doesn't, but Rivers is that kind of guy. He likes to run his mouth. He's going to learn he is going to have to stop doing that, too."
Sharper said Rivers mouthed off during the Chargers' 35-17 loss at Minnesota on Nov. 4, when Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson shredded San Diego's defense for an NFL-record 296 yards.
"He just runs his mouth a little bit," Sharper said.
Chargers coach Norv Turner said he discussed the matter with Rivers.
"I talked to him and he understands where I'm coming from," Turner said.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Drafted to slow Peyton Manning, Texans' Mario Williams hasn't yet
HOUSTON (AP) -- When the Houston Texans drafted Mario Williams, owner Bob McNair said a big reason they chose him was so they could beat Peyton Manning and the Colts.
The Texans did get their first win over Indianapolis last season, but Williams didn't have much to do with it.
In three meetings with the Colts, Williams hasn't sacked Manning, but he has gotten the quarterback's attention with his recent play.
"In the film that we've seen of him, he is what we call a disruptive guy and he's certainly a guy that I think you'll be paying attention to on every single play," Manning said.
Williams is second in the NFL with 13 sacks this season and has nine in his past five games. He is the only player in the league to have at least one sack in each of the past five games.
He had a career-high 3 1/2 sacks in last week's win over Denver.
"He's an excellent player," Manning said. "He's really playing at a high level -- really kind of took over the Broncos game himself in a lot of ways and put a lot of pressure on their passing game."
Williams hopes to get that kind of pressure on Manning this week when the Texans look to win their eighth game for the first time in franchise history. He said Manning and the Colts present a number of different challenges.
"It's just the whole thing," he said. "It's the offensive line and it's him just knowing the scheme of things and getting rid of the ball," Williams said.
Last season, Williams wasn't comfortable enough to be moved around on the line and preferred to stay at right defensive end. As he's gained confidence this season, coaches have been able to shuffle him around and create more problems for opponents.
"Last year, there was so much stuff thrown at me and now I'm just a lot more comfortable," Williams said. "So it's just something that I've gotten accustomed to doing and I like doing it. Everything's pretty good right now."
Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said he thinks Williams will win over fans who wanted the team to draft Vince Young or Reggie Bush. Dungy even compared him to his star defensive end Dwight Freeney.
"He has played outstanding football the last seven, eight games that we just looked at here and I'm sure that's what everybody envisioned," Dungy said. "That type of play helps you win championships. No question about it. He's giving them the type of impact that Dwight gave us with our first pick when I was here."
Coach Gary Kubiak said Williams is enjoying himself, and that he's so excited in practice he often asks to take scout team snaps.
"He loves to do it," Kubiak said. "It makes our offensive line guys mad, but that's a good thing. He's getting really comfortable with who he is as a pro and where he's headed with his career. It's not hard for him out here anymore. He loves practice. That's the key to being a great player."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Roster rehab, creative coaching lead to Packers' turnaround
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Sure, Brett Favre saw the Packers' turnaround coming.
The chance to lead one of the league's most potent offenses to a division title and return to the playoffs -- that's why No. 4 decided back in February that he shouldn't retire.
And if you believe that, you also might be interested in a great deal on a winter time share in a lush, tropical getaway called Green Bay.
"Did I think, 'OK, I'm going back, there's a very, very good possibility that we go to the Super Bowl and win it'? I mean, I'd be lying to you if I said that," Favre said. "But I did not think we'd come back and be 4-12, 8-8. I really thought we would be better, and that was exciting."
Two years ago, the Packers finished 4-12 and were among the worst teams in the league. Despite improving to 8-8 last year under new coach Mike McCarthy, Favre was grumbling about the team's inactivity in free agency as recently as May.
Now the Packers will take an 11-2 record into Sunday's game in St. Louis, with the NFC North title already in hand. They can talk about the Super Bowl without anybody snickering, and appear to be a team built to last.
Favre is shocked, and most of his teammates are too young to realize the magnitude of the team's turnaround. But McCarthy insists it isn't a surprise.
"I'd be a very poor salesman if I had to sell a product that I didn't believe in," McCarthy said. "I believed in it from Day 1. There's a process to building a program. I think we've accomplished that, to some level. We're positioning our football team to be a good football team year in and year out. That's what it takes to line up and try to win world championships. We haven't done that yet. We are on path to do that."
Linebacker Robert Thomas, who played for the Packers during the dismal 2005 season that cost coach Mike Sherman his job, returned to Lambeau Field with Oakland last Sunday and barely recognized his old team in a 38-7 Packers victory.
"There isn't a single position where they aren't significantly better," Thomas said. "We knew they were good, but that's the best team we've faced this season. I know we've lost a lot of games, but no team has taken it to us like that."
So what happened?
General manager Ted Thompson took a conservative approach to replenishing the depleted roster left from Sherman's disappointing stint as general manager, building through the draft and granting contract extensions to cornerstone veterans such as wide receiver Donald Driver, cornerback Al Harris, defensive end Aaron Kampman and linebacker Nick Barnett.
McCarthy blended young players and veterans to produce a winner, beginning with a four-game streak to end last season. Players committed to offseason workouts, and the team came away relatively healthy from a training camp that emphasized rest and recovery without becoming a country club.
The Packers squeaked by Philadelphia in their season opener, but the offense soon became a scoring machine as Favre picked apart teams with short, quick passes that led to yards after the catch.
The rebuilt defense and special teams pulled their weight, too.
"It's a good blend right now, and it's happened pretty quickly, obviously," Favre said. "But I would have never thought as I stand here today that we would be not only in position to possibly win 14 games, but to break all these records. But the bottom line is what happens in the end."
McCarthy gets much of the credit for reigning in Favre, who threw a career-worst 29 interceptions in 2005. But Favre says it helps that he isn't playing from behind all the time, a credit to the defense.
The Packers are led by one of the best cornerback tandems in the league in Harris and Charles Woodson, have a playmaking middle linebacker in Barnett and a dominant defensive end in Kampman. Green Bay has given up 17.6 points per game, second in the NFL behind Pittsburgh.
Beyond that, Favre is learning to trust receivers other than Driver.
Young wideouts Greg Jennings and James Jones embody the draft philosophy of Thompson, who doesn't shy away from taking players who weren't big names in college or didn't put up big numbers at the scouting combine.
Thompson took Jennings out of Western Michigan in the second round last year, overlooking his mid-major background and underwhelming size and speed to recognize a receiver who just knows how to get open. Jennings leads the Packers with 11 touchdowns.
This year, Thompson spent a third-round pick on Jones, another receiver from a non-BCS school, San Jose State. Jones didn't wow scouts with his speed or size, but he catches nearly everything thrown his way and is the Packers' No. 3 receiver.
Thompson managed to find an even more obscure solution at running back, where the Packers let veteran Ahman Green leave through free agency. McCarthy tried three players before settling on Ryan Grant, a relatively unknown player obtained in a trade with the New York Giants just before the season. Grant took over as the starter last month and has rushed for 100 yards or more in three of the last five games.
Still, McCarthy's creative offense relies mainly on the pass.
Usually, a team with a suspect interior line -- center Scott Wells is good, but the Packers have been rotating their young guards all season -- would keep backs and tight ends in to block so the franchise quarterback doesn't get hit.
Instead, McCarthy did the opposite, using four- and five-wide formations that leave Favre alone in the backfield. Favre takes his share of hard hits, but says it's worth it.
"I mean, how do you cover that?" Favre said. "So I think our guys are as good as there's ever been at making people (miss). I mean, they're hard to tackle."
That's something teams have found out the hard way this season, as the Packers suddenly are playing for playoff positioning instead of draft positioning in December.
"I just think we're really growing as a team," right tackle Mark Tauscher said. "We're winning games that we're supposed to win, and we're just going about our business each week. We take the challenge on as it comes, we don't live in the past if we have a tough loss. Once we get to Wednesday, we flip the switch and move on to the next game."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
Saints RB Bush has knee injury
NEW ORLEANS (TICKER) -- New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush has a knee injury that may keep him out of Monday night's game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Bush missed practiced Friday because of what Saints coach Sean Payton called a "PCL injury."
Bush suffered the injury in last week's 27-23 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He practiced on Thursday, but experienced swelling and discomfort in the knee on Friday.
Payton is hopeful that Bush can play against the Falcons (3-9). But the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on its web site that the former Heisman Trophy winner's season may be in jeopardy.
"If you just study the history of PCL injuries, I know they vary with each player, but it is an injury that you come back from," Payton told the paper. "We'll see. We'll monitor where he's at. I'm still hopeful for this weekend's game."
The second overall pick of the 2006 draft, Bush has been serving as the team's main ball carrier since Week Three, when Deuce McAllister suffered a torn ACL.
Bush has rushed for 581 yards on 157 carries with four touchdowns and has a team-leading 73 receptions for 417 yards and two scores for the Saints (5-7), who have lost three of their last four games.
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Police suspect random burglar killed Taylor; grieving Redskins try to move on
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- Police investigating Sean Taylor's death say they've found no indication the Washington Redskins safety was targeted or knew the assailant who broke into his home.
Miami-Dade police director Robert Parker called it "more like a random event."
"There's nothing that indicates thus far that there's some kind of involvement on the victim's part," he said Wednesday.
Evidence indicates one or more intruders barged into Taylor's home in an affluent Miami suburb early Monday, Parker said. After a confrontation inside the house, the 24-year-old was shot once in the upper leg and died early Tuesday after losing a tremendous amount of blood.
Police said they had no suspects, and were still investigating a possible link to a Nov. 17 break-in at Taylor's home, during which they said someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed.
We have no reason to think this was anything other than a burglary or a robbery involving an intruder," Parker said.
Taylor's funeral will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Pharmed Arena on the campus of Florida International University in Miami. Redskins owner Dan Snyder is making arrangements for the entire football organization to attend.
At Redskins Park on Wednesday, Taylor's family and teammates came together to privately share tears and memories. Taylor's father, Pedro Taylor, and girlfriend Jackie Garcia both addressed the team.
"Many of these guys were wondering, 'How in the world am I going to go out and do this on Sunday?"' said Brett Fuller, the team chaplain. "And when Mr. Taylor stood up and said go out and win these next five and make it to the playoffs, we felt a surge in the room, that he almost gave us permission to play well."
Taylor's father didn't state the team should win in honor or memory of his son, but many players adopted that feeling nonetheless. The Redskins (5-6) are in contention for a playoff berth despite three straight losses.
"We all know that's something Sean would want for us," defensive end Andre Carter said. "You've got to keep on moving forward."
The team then began to attempt to focus on preparations for Sunday's home game against the Buffalo Bills. Players went to their game-planning meetings -- which were shorter than normal -- and later held a quieter-than-usual afternoon practice.
"Nothing was normal about today," linebacker London Fletcher said. "We had the meetings, but it wasn't the normal type of meetings. Practice, it was practice, but it just wasn't the same type of feeling, so to speak. We tried to make it feel the same, but I found myself thinking about Sean and imagining him out on the football field playing free safety for us."
Taylor's locker remained untouched, but the Redskins made the uncomfortably necessary move of dropping him from the official roster as part of a series of personnel moves.
The NFL announced that every player league-wide will wear a No. 21 decal on his helmet at this weekend's games to honor Taylor. Redskins players will wear the decal for the remainder of the season.
Carter was coping with the loss of a teammate for the second time in three years. He played for the San Francisco 49ers when offensive lineman Thomas Herrion died of a heart attack after a preseason game in September 2005. 49ers coach Mike Nolan called Gibbs on Tuesday night to offer sympathy and advice.
"I've experienced the death of two teammates," Carter said. "No person wants to say that."
While players found it difficult to stay focused on Xs and Os in the meetings, the physical nature of the practice was somewhat therapeutic.
"Unfortunately, these guys don't get bereavement leave," Fuller said. "They've got to work through it. They have to live through it. Football is a passion game, and if your soul's broken, if your soul's hurting, it's tough to go out there and give it all."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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