Scoring drought doesn't bother Packers top receiver Driver
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- For some No. 1 receivers, the first step might be a foot-stomping tirade on the sideline. Next would come public criticism of the quarterback, followed by the inevitable trade demand.
Nearly four months without catching a touchdown pass?
Get my agent on the phone.
But that doesn't seem to be the case for the Green Bay Packers' Donald Driver, who hasn't visited the end zone since the Packers' Week 3 victory over San Diego -- and insists he doesn't really mind.
"If I'm out there making plays, if I can catch five balls to drive that ball all the way down and don't score, then I'm fine with that," Driver said Thursday, as the Packers prepared to play the New York Giants in Sunday's NFC Championship game. "And I think a lot of people don't expect me to be, because I've seen guys in the National Football League that are No. 1 guys that complain about not getting into the end zone."
Then again, Driver never has quite fit the mold of a prima donna receiver.
He does most of his damage over the middle and after the catch, not down the field. And while Driver has been known to get up and mimic a referee's first-down signal after a hard-earned catch, he certainly doesn't spend much time choreographing his end-zone dances.
"I'm a veteran guy," Driver said. "I've scored touchdowns. I know what it feels like to get there."
What Driver doesn't know is what it feels like to get to the Super Bowl, or even an NFC title game. And that was the gist of Driver's message to his fellow receivers in a meeting before the Packers' regular-season finale against Detroit.
"I said, 'All I'm going to ask you guys is to get me to the NFC Championship game,"' Driver said. "And I said, 'After that, I know you guys can get me to the Super Bowl.' I said I don't have too many more years left. I said my goal is to play five or six (years) but you never know how that's going to happen. But those guys said that they're going to put it on their back and get me there, so my guys got my back. They know I've got theirs."
Driver might not have been the Packers' main scoring threat this season, but he's still their No. 1 receiver. His position, flanker, is emphasized in the Packers' offensive scheme and he has been Brett Favre's most trusted target for years.
So even though Driver scored only two touchdowns in the regular season, he led the Packers in receptions (82) and yards receiving (1,048).
Driver figures if he can occupy a defense to get fellow wide receiver Greg Jennings open for his team-high 12 touchdowns in the regular season and two against Seattle in Saturday's playoff victory, fine by him.
"I think a lot of teams right now, what they're doing is they're saying, 'Our goal is to stop him. If we can stop him, we'll be OK,"' Driver said. "And right now, that's how I feel. I feel like if I can come into a game and make people stop me, then I know the rest of my guys will be able to do what they have to do. And I'm happy as long as we get the win."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Driver's attitude is genuine.
"Donald Driver's always been a team player," McCarthy said. "I think it speaks volumes about the way he approaches his job, the way he helps other receivers based on his experiences when he came through here in Green Bay, his rookie year. Very high-character individual."
If Driver has pouted about being held out of the end zone, Packers backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he hasn't seen it.
"Hey, it'd bother me, but he never shows it," Rodgers said.
Rodgers said Driver just wants to win.
"He's going to the Pro Bowl, he had 80-plus catches," Rodgers said. "He knows he's a good player. He doesn't need to get into the end zone to prove he's a good player."
Driver said being voted into the Pro Bowl this year despite not having big scoring numbers is a sign of respect.
"They looked at me and said, 'Well, hey, this guy doesn't score the touchdowns, but this guy is a dangerous receiver once you put the ball in his hands he can put up yards,"' Driver said. "So I don't think I have to score touchdowns, and I guess you can say that shows how great of a player I am: I can still put up the good numbers without the touchdowns and still make the Pro Bowl."
And that's something that didn't happen after some of Driver's bigger statistical years in the past.
"I had the stats two years ago, twice in two years, and I never made the Pro Bowl -- and I had the touchdowns," Driver said. "I mean, I looked at it as I guess now you start getting your respect as far as one of the best receivers in the National Football League, and that's what I always wanted. And I think that's why I take my hat off to myself."
That's Donald Driver for you: cocky about not being cocky.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Strahan will say yes to Simpson if Romo doesn't
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- If Jessica Simpson gets tired of going out with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, there's a gap-toothed New York Giants defensive end who wouldn't mind a date with the singer-actress.
Veteran Michael Strahan came to Romo's defense on Thursday, saying the young heartthrob had every right to go to a Mexico resort with Simpson and other teammates during the Cowboys' recent bye week.
You guys love to say, 'Oh, he is coming off the beach and he is dating Jessica Simpson' -- please!" Strahan said during a news conference Thursday after the Giants practiced for Sunday's game against the Cowboys in the NFC semifinal.
"Heck, if Jessica Simpson wanted to date me, I may give her a shot," said the recently divorced Strahan.
Strahan said he couldn't blame Romo for the trip.
"If he wanted to sit in Dallas, they would have found some fault in that because he would have been with her if they had pictures of them in Dallas," Strahan said. "So for them to go to Cabo or wherever they went, good for them. They deserve that time off."
Strahan insisted the vacation also would not affect Romo's play this weekend.
"I think anybody who thinks that because he took a few days with his girlfriend that he is going to come back and not play well or he is not going to be prepared if anything it probably stokes his fire to play even better."
Simpson took a lot of heat earlier this season after Romo turned in a poor performance with her at the game.
Receiver Terrell Owens compounded the problem by telling the starlet to stay away on game days. He later backtracked after talking to Simpson and Romo.
Simpson does not plan to attend Sunday's game in Irving, Texas.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Jets place LB Trusnik on IR; sign OL Hunter to practice squad
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- The New York Jets placed linebacker Jason Trusnik on injured reserve Wednesday, and signed offensive lineman Wayne Hunter to the practice squad.
Trusnik suffered an unspecified injury during the Jets' loss at Tennessee on Sunday. He had six special-teams tackles in six games after being signed from the practice squad on Nov. 16.
Hunter, in his fifth NFL season, has appeared in three games, one with Jacksonville in 2006 and two with Seattle in 2004 and '05. He was a third-round pick of the Seahawks in 2003.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Despite Atlanta's poor season, Dunn wants to go out a winner in '08
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- Warrick Dunn doesn't want his career to end with a whimper.
The three-time Pro Bowl running back, who last month became the 22nd NFL player to rush for 10,000 yards, has too much pride to leave the Atlanta Falcons in such disrepair.
From quarterback Michael Vick's 23-month prison sentence to coach Bobby Petrino's resignation and Bill Parcells' jolting of owner Arthur Blank, the Falcons have endured one of the worst seasons in league history.
"This is like a wasted year, and when you have seasons like that, I don't think any player who's competitive and wants to win doesn't ever want to go out on the losing end," Dunn said this week. "You always want to go out winning, contributing to winning and hopefully have an opportunity to play in the playoffs."
Other than reaching the 10,000-yard milestone, Dunn sees no reason to celebrate his 11th NFL year.
The Falcons (3-11) are in disarray entering this weekend at Arizona (6-8).
It's one thing to lose five straight games by a combined score of 161-53. It's another to have no idea who will be your head coach, your general manager or your quarterback in 2008.
Dunn's production has dropped dramatically from the previous three seasons in which he averaged 1,221 yards and helped Atlanta lead the league in rushing.
He ranks 27th with 635 yards, and Dunn's 3.1 per-carry average is the second-lowest of his career and worst in six years with Atlanta.
Those numbers aren't surprising, however, given the fact that Dunn's offseason and training camp routines were interrupted by shoulder and back surgeries.
Constant personnel changes on the line didn't help, either. The Falcons have started four different left tackles, and they've had a combined six different lineup changes at right tackle and both guard spots.
Behind quarterbacks Chris Redman, Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich, Atlanta's offense averages an NFL-low 13.4 points.
"No, you couldn't make up all the stuff that's happened, but I guess the biggest disappointment for me is that there's nothing anybody can do to replace this year," Dunn said. "It's gone forever."
Dunn thought Vick's prison sentence, handed down last week in Virginia, would be the lowest moment of the season. Petrino, however, suddenly resigned the next day, saying goodbye to his players with a one-paragraph letter he placed in their lockers.
Then on Wednesday, Parcells declined to sign a contract with Blank to take charge of football operations. The two sides had agreed in principle, but Parcells, who won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants and coached most recently in Dallas, decided to take Miami's offer instead.
Without Parcells to make the coaching hire, Blank likely will continue to look outside the organization for a new general manager. In a statement he released on Wednesday, Blank indicated that current team president and GM Rich McKay will soon lose control of football operations.
Interim coach Emmitt Thomas, who has no interest in pursuing the job full time, hopes that Petrino's replacement has enough foresight to keep Dunn.
"Every team has to have solid leadership, and you're not going to find anyone with higher character than Warrick," Thomas said. "He's still a good football player, believe me. He still has strong legs, and his vision is as good as ever."
If Dunn returns with Atlanta next year, he probably would share more snaps with No. 2 running back Jerious Norwood, the offense's fastest runner and a second-year player with a 6.4 average on 84 attempts.
The Falcons might also ask Dunn to take a pay cut from the $4 million salary he's due in '08.
"There's a lot of possibilities the new coach could do with me and Jerious," Dunn said. "It's like with Alge (Crumpler) and other guys on this team. (Petrino) never stuck with a plan and he didn't put us in a position to succeed. We didn't have a chance. When you practice 65 to 70 plays a week and run maybe 10 of them in a game, you're going to have a lot of inconsistency."
Dunn needs just 91 yards to surpass William Andrews for second place in franchise history and move 664 behind career leader Gerald Riggs (6,631), but those numbers hold little meaning against the backdrop of a nightmarish year.
"This season has been so bad for this team and for myself, the first thing anyone would do is say, 'No, there's no way I'm coming back,' " Dunn said. "But that's not my attitude. I don't think this is the right way to go out after going through something like this."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Manning, Colts get ready for 1st trip to Oakland's 'Black Hole'
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Peyton Manning has witnessed just about everything in his record-breaking career. Crazy plays, monumental collapses, implausible comebacks.
On Sunday, Manning and the Indianapolis Colts face a new challenge. For the first time in Manning's brilliant 10-year career, the Colts are going west to the NFL's wildest venue, Oakland.
"It's kind of strange," Manning said Wednesday. "I've played them here three times, but this will be my first trip out there."
The Raiders are a rare blip on Manning's impeccable resume. In three games against Oakland, Manning is 1-2 with eight touchdowns and five interceptions while producing only one passer rating over 100, all in the RCA Dome.
Now he must perform in the only AFC stadium he hasn't played in, the infamous "Black Hole."
Thanks to a scheduling quirk, the Colts haven't traveled to Oakland since 1995, the year before their longest-tenured player, receiver Marvin Harrison, was drafted. They haven't won a road game in this series since 1986, when the Raiders were still in Los Angeles, and the Colts' last victory at the Coliseum came in 1971 when they were defending their first Super Bowl crown.
Since then, the teams' images have changed.
The Raiders (4-9), regarded as one of the league's best teams through the 1970s and '80s, have struggled most of this decade while trying to revitalize their successful tradition.
The Colts (11-2), in contrast, are on the verge of becoming the first team in league history to win 12 or more games in five consecutive seasons and can wrap up their fifth straight division title with a win Sunday. An Indy win and a Pittsburgh loss would give the Colts the No. 2 seed and a coveted first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.
Coach Tony Dungy understands those records and Indy's recent momentum will not matter to Oakland fans, who enjoy distracting opponents with their spiked shoulder pads, nicknames like "Darth Raider" and genuine hostility, nor to a Raiders team that still prides itself on the team's old motto -- "Just win, baby."
"You have to really work to focus on the field and you can't get caught up in what happens off the field before the game, after the game, those kinds of things," Dungy said. "You have to just really zero in on their team and that's hard to do. That's part of it, too, especially if you don't play out there a lot."
Dungy also knows how difficult the challenge can be.
When Dungy last took a team to Oakland in 1999, his Tampa Bay Buccaneers had won six straight and appeared headed toward the NFC championship game. They ended up enduring a humiliating 45-0 loss.
It's a point Dungy has reinforced with his players this week.
"It was almost the same situation we're in now and we lost 45-0 to a team that wasn't in the playoff race but might have been right around .500," he said. "I referred to it after the Jacksonville game last year (a 44-17 Colts loss), and Jacksonville looked beautiful compared to that."
If the rowdy crowd isn't disconcerting enough, the Colts again will have to deal with a short-handed lineup.
Dungy said Wednesday that Harrison, the perennial Pro Bowler, was likely to miss his eighth consecutive game. The Colts are also likely to be without three defensive starters; defensive tackle Raheem Brock (ribs), defensive end Robert Mathis (two sprained knees) and safety Antoine Bethea (sprained left knee). Their absences Sunday would mean Indy would play with only two starters from last season's Super Bowl defense.
But the Colts have overcome these issues before, and Manning is convinced they can do it again.
"It's a tough place to play, every game on the road is tough," Manning said. "There's a lot on the line, and that's what we want to stress to the young players. When you have an opportunity to seize the opportunity, you have to seize it."
Especially in Oakland, where the crowd can be almost as wild as the game itself.
"I think our guys understand how tough it is going out there to the West Coast and going out and playing well," Dungy said. "I know what it's like going out there, going out there with a good team and still not being able to come back with a win. We're forewarned, and I think we'll be ready to go."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved
Four Ravens fined by NFL
NEW YORK (TICKER) -- Bart Scott and his Baltimore Ravens teammates lost their cool while losing to the New England Patriots. The NFL decided that they also will lose some cash.
Scott and three of his teammates were fined by the NFL on Friday, four days after publicly defying game officials during Monday's heartbreaking 27-24 loss to the undefeated Patriots.
Scott was fined $25,000 for verbally abusing the officials and for throwing a penalty flag into the stands.
Cornerbacks Samari Rolle and Chris McAlister and wide receiver Derrick Mason all were fined $15,000 for questioning the integrity of the officiating following the contest.
"This is about the importance of sportsmanship and respecting the integrity of our game," NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson said. "We do not tolerate inappropriate conduct between teams and game officials.
"This includes reminding game officials that they are to conduct themselves at all times as professionals in their dealings with players, coaches, and other club personnel."
Incensed at a pivotal defensive holding call late in the fourth quarter Monday, several Ravens visibly argued with the officials down the stretch.
"As I said earlier this week, our actions were not appropriate near the end of our game against the Patriots," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "We, our players and coaches, understand and accept the fines levied by Commissioner Goodell. We believe in the integrity of NFL officials and don't believe they, in any way, favored the Patriots with their calls."
The most demonstrative was Scott, who threw a tantrum on the field following Tom Brady's go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass to Jabar Gaffney with 44 seconds remaining.
The linebacker launched a penalty flag into the stands behind the goalpost and had to be restrained by teammates, drawing a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Rolle claimed the following day that he was baited by an official, telling the Baltimore Sun that head linesman Phil McKinnely of made an insensitive comment to him.
Rolle, McAlister and Mason all questioned the officials in the hours following the loss.
"It's hard to go out there and play the Patriots and the refs at the same time," McAlister said. "They put the crown on top of them, they want them to win."
Billick criticized his players Friday, saying in a statement that they should have demonstrated more restraint in their postgame comments.
"As a team, we've discussed a number of times about not speaking publicly about any unhappiness we have with the officials," Billick said. "As emotional as the end of Monday's game was, I should have reminded the players of that in our postgame meeting. That's my mistake."
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Saints DT Young set to return this weekend
METAIRIE, La. (AP) -- Saints defensive tackle Brian Young, who has missed four games with a knee injury, practiced Wednesday and is expected to return for Sunday's crucial NFC South matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Reggie Bush sat out portions of practice as he did last week with a bruised left shin, but is expected to play.
Young's return could help, depending on how quickly he regains his early season form, when he was briefly the team leader in sacks with three.
"There's no real pain sensation in my knee right now. It's just a matter of getting the strength and endurance back and having to get used to wearing a brace," Young said. "I think I'll be fine. ... It's been amazing how quick it's healed and how little problems I've had with it."
Young first began to experience swelling in his left knee after the Saints defeated Atlanta in Week 7. He had fluid drained and played in Week 8 at San Francisco, where he got his third sack. He was unable to play the following week against Jacksonville, however, and opted to have arthroscopic surgery.
Young said he wasn't able to start running until late last week, but ran for more than four hours both on Friday and Monday before being cleared to return to practice.
Now in his eighth NFL season, Young said he has never missed four straight games in his career.
"That aspect has been difficult for me to deal with," Young said. "I know my wife hasn't been happy with me because I've been a real (pain) around the house."
Young, who also missed most of training camp with a broken foot, is now second on the team in sacks behind defensive end Will Smith, who has four.
"Any time you can get a starter back, it's certainly a help," coach Sean Payton said. "We're counting on him this week. He gives you a good pass rush."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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