Benson a no-show for Saints game in Baton Rouge
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Tom Benson was a no-show for New Orleans' game against Chicago on Sunday in Baton Rouge, staying true to his earlier promise never to return to the city where last week he swatted at a TV news camera and argued with a heckling fan.--football gambling--

However, Benson's granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, did come to the game. LeBlanc, who has the title of owner/executive, is Benson's heir apparent.--football gambling--

After the Saints' loss to Miami a week ago, Benson fired off an e-mail to NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue saying his trip to Baton Rouge was a "total disaster," adding that he and his family members could have been injured or killed and that he would no longer attend games in Baton Rouge either this season or if any Saints games are scheduled here in 2006.--football gambling--

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel later said Benson wrote the e-mail out of frustration and still may attend one of the remaining games scheduled for Baton Rouge. Bensel did not immediately issue a statement on Benson's behalf during the Chicago game. --football gambling--

Fans booed when a public address announcement mentioned Benson while soliciting donations to the Saints' Hurricane Katrina relief fund.The Saints, based temporarily in San Antonio, play twice more in Baton Rouge, on Dec. 4 against Tampa Bay and Dec. 18 against Carolina. Their final home game will be in San Antonio on Dec. 24 against Detroit. --football gambling--

Stockton names coach for first pro football team

By News-Sentinel Staff

Last updated: Wednesday, Nov 02, 2005 - 06:53:05 am PST

Stockton's first-ever pro football franchise has hired Richard Davis as its inaugural head coach for the upcoming 2006 season, team president Dan Chapman announced on Tuesday. -NFL Football-

Stockton, which will play in the 23-team arenafootball2 league, will open the 16-game season against another expansion team, the Spokane Shock, on March 30 in Spokane, Wash. -NFL Football-

Stockton will play its home opener against the Bakersfield Blitz on April 29. -NFL Football-

"We're very excited to bring Richard aboard as our first-ever head coach," Chapman said. "His vast expertise and credentials garnered through a very impressive run in arenafootball2 will be a much-welcomed addition to the organization." -NFL Football-

Davis, who holds a career 41-23 coaching record (fifth best all-time in af2 history), has five years of coaching experience in the af2 ranks, most recently with the Albany Conquest in 2005. He was 31-19 (including playoffs) with the Richmond Speed from 2000-03. -NFL Football-

Under Davis' direction, Richmond collected 27 wins in a two-year span, the second-highest two-year win total in af2 history. -NFL Football-

Davis guided the Speed to two consecutive playoff appearances in 2001 and 2002, including an Arena Cup Championship appearance in 2001. Davis has coached for 11 years at the professional and collegiate levels. -NFL Football-

After his collegiate playing days at Cisco Junior College and NAIA power Rocky Mountain College in Montana, he helped guide the NFL Europe's London Monarchs to a World Cup title in 1991. He served as an offensive coordinator at Langston University, a small NAIA school in Oklahoma in 1992, and as a quarterbacks coach at the University of Connecticut in 1994. -NFL Football-

Leonard Little's younger brother shot to death
-- NFL --
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD, Associated Press WriterOctober 18, 2005
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The younger brother of NFL player Leonard Little was shot to death and a 17-year-old girl was taken into custody after trying to flee police Tuesday. -- NFL --

Investigators found Jermaine Little, 24, lying on the floor of a friend's home about 5:30 p.m. Monday in Harriman, about 40 miles east of Knoxville where his brother once starred for the University of Tennessee. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
Shot once in the side, Jermaine Little died at Roane County Medical Center.
Harriman police chief Jack Stockton said there was a dispute over money. Little's girlfriend, Jessica Butcher, claimed he owed her $500. ``There was a physical altercation inside the residence and something happened,'' Stockton said. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
The suspect, identified by witnesses as Bianca Nicole Taylor, who accompanied Butcher to the house, went outside to their car ``and came back with a gun, allegedly, and fired one shot at the doorway,'' Stockton said.-- NFL --
-- NFL --
Taylor is a resident of Oak Ridge, about 20 miles to the east. Oak Ridge police spotted her vehicle, chased her until she wrecked, then caught her after she ran to her apartment. She was being held in the -- NFL --
Anderson County Jail with charges pending. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
Leonard Little was a third-round selection in the 1998 draft by the Rams. A 2003 Pro Bowl selection and the Rams' best defensive player, Little, 30, has dealt with off-the-field issues before. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
In 1999, he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Susan Gutweiler, 47, of suburban St. Louis, following a downtown car crash. Little's blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit. He served three months in jail and was on probation for four years.-- NFL --
-- NFL --
Earlier this year, he was found not guilty of drunken driving charges following a 2004 arrest in St. Louis County. -- NFL --
Rams interim coach Joe Vitt said Little was told of his brother's death after Monday night's 45-29 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. ``Man, that was hard, that was tough,'' Vitt said. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
He said Little flew back to St. Louis from Indianapolis with the team, then flew to Tennessee to be with his family.-- NFL --
-- NFL --
Associated Press writer Jim Salter in St. Louis contributed to this report.
-- NFL --

Same story for Pats in 31-28 win

ATLANTA (Oct. 9, 2005) -- The New England Patriots squandered a couple of big leads. That was merely a setup for Tom Brady and Adam Vinatieri, who pulled out one of their typical last-minute wins. - NFL Football -

Brady threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns before Adam Vinatieri kicked a 29-yard field goal with 17 seconds left to lead injury-plagued New England past the Falcons 31-28.

The Patriots (3-2) avoided their first losing streak since 2002 despite blowing leads of 14-0 and 28-13 to a team that didn't have Michael Vick.

"We put a lot into this one," said Brady, who spouted off in defense of his teammates after a 41-17 loss to San Diego last week. "We've had doubters for a long time. We're just going to keep coming out and doing the hard things every week."

Matt Schaub filled in admirably for the injured Vick, matching Brady's three TD passes, including a tying score with 3:52 remaining. Schaub threw a 14-yard TD to Dez White, then went to Brian Finneran for a 2-point conversion. - NFL Football -

The Falcons (3-2) had all the momentum, but Brady wasn't concerned.

"We came into a tough environment against an excellent team and had a chance to win the game with three minutes left," he said. "I would take that any day of the week."

With Patriots backed up at their 26 on second-and-20, Atlanta cornerback Allen Rossum was called for a blatant pass interference on Deion Branch -- the last of a four-penalties-in-four-plays stretch that gave New England a first down at the Falcons 44.

Patrick Pass, replacing the injured Corey Dillon, broke off a 15-yard gain that set up the 19th game-winning kick of Vinatieri's career -- two of those, of course, winning Super Bowls.

"The offense did a good job in the two-minute drill to get down there and use up all the clock," Vinatieri said. "We found a way to get it done. We've had some ups and downs this year, but this team has a lot of heart." - NFL Football -

Vick went out the previous week with a strained ligament in his right knee. In a questionable use of the NFL injury report, he barely practiced all week, but was listed as probable until Oct. 8, when the Falcons downgraded him to questionable.

On the day of the game, Vick wasn't active, watching from the sideline, dressed out in a visor and gray sweat shirt. - NFL Football -

"He wasn't ready to play," coach Jim Mora said. "It was an easy decision. When a player is not ready to play, you are not going to put him out there in harm's way. This team felt confident we could perform with Matt Schaub, and I think we proved that to be true."

Schaub, a second-year player from Virginia, completed 18 of 34 for 298 yards and didn't have any turnovers. Finneran caught five passes for 103 yards.

"I'm happy with the way I performed," Schaub said. "I thought I came out and made some good decisions and gave us a chance."

But the Falcons' defense couldn't slow Brady, who completed 22 of 27 to lead a 483-yard performance by the Patriots. - NFL Football -

"He certainly was making some incredible passes today," defensive end Patrick Kerney said. "When you hit a guy square on his shirt and he's still hitting the receiver, it's frustrating."

Branch, MVP of the last Super Bowl, had eight catches for 107 yards. Tight end Daniel Graham piled up 119 yards on five receptions, including a 45-yard TD. Bethel Johnson hauled in a 55-yard touchdown catch, and Ben Watson went 33 yards with Brady's other scoring play.

Dillon rushed for 106 yards before he went to the locker room with an undisclosed injury late in the game, though he returned to watch Vinatieri's winning kick and wouldn't disclose the nature of his problem. - NFL Football -

Pass had the first TD rushing of his career in the opening period.

The Falcons were hurt by potentially season-ending injuries to linebacker Ed Hartwell (foot) and cornerback Chris Cash (arm). Also, Kerney was limited to passing situations after hurting his oblique (side).

Of course, the Patriots aren't sympathetic about injuries. They lost safety Rodney Harrison for the season and had 14 players on their injury report, including defensive end Richard Seymour, who didn't play. - NFL Football -

Graham scored on a brilliant play, taking a simple screen for a long TD. Stephen Neal put a crushing block on Falcons linebacker Demorrio Williams, then Graham bounced off Bryan Scott and dove into the end zone.

But Atlanta pulled to 14-13 at halftime with two field goals in the final 1:25. The first was expected, Todd Peterson punching through a 33-yarder. - NFL Football -

Then, rookie punter Matt Koenen came out with 6 seconds left to try a 58-yarder, far beyond Peterson's range. The first was wide right, but New England called timeout, giving Koenen another try.

This one went through with plenty to spare for the first field goal of his career and second-longest in Falcons' history. - NFL Football -

Notes: Pass rushed for 34 yards on six carries in relief of Dillon. ... The Patriots' last losing streak: a 24-7 defeat at Tennessee on Dec. 16, 2002, followed a week later by a 30-17 setback at home to the New York Jets. ... Morten Andersen has the longest field goal in Atlanta history, a 59-yarder in 1995.

© 2005, NFL Enterprises LLC

Patriots franchise is success story teams try to copy

By Jay Posner
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Jim Steeg was in charge of the Super Bowl for the past 26 years, so one might think he has seen just about all there is to see when it comes to putting on an NFL game.

But when the Chargers play New England tomorrow in Foxboro, Mass., Steeg – now in his first season as San Diego's chief operating officer – plans to walk around Gillette Stadium, checking out the Patriots' game-day operation.

Then again, why should he be any different? Everyone is checking out the Patriots.

"You know those bracelets people wear that say 'WWJD' – What Would Jesus Do?" said Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp, a Chicago-based sports consulting firm. "After last season, people in the NFL were asking 'WWPD' – What Would the Patriots Do?

"Everyone's trying to emulate their business model."

Said another consultant, David Carter of The Sports Business Group in Redondo Beach: "The Patriots the last half-dozen years have emerged as the darling of the sports franchise business."

A decade ago, Ganis and Carter would have been laughed out of business had they suggested the Patriots were the model for anything other than ineptitude. It would have been somewhat akin to predicting the entire NBA would be following the lead of Donald T. Sterling and the Clippers.

The Patriots were that bad. about 50,000.

The Patriots went to the Super Bowl after the 1996 season, which helped Kraft build momentum, then reached the playoffs in two of the next three years. After missing out in 1999, Kraft hired Bill Belichick as his head coach. After a 5-11 rebuilding season, the Patriots have gone 48-16 the past four years, plus 9-0 in the postseason, resulting in three Super Bowl championships. Only one other team has won three Super Bowls in such a short span (Dallas, 1992-95).

"I have great admiration for what that organization has done because I would have never imagined in today's NFL that a football organization could achieve what they've done in the last four years. It's pretty remarkable," Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said, referring to league rules (free agency, salary cap, draft) designed to promote parity.

Said Carter: "It's a lot of hard work to get all the pieces to the puzzle to fit at one time. By no means is it as easy as it looks."

Certainly not in the Patriots' case. The team desperately needed a new stadium when Kraft became owner, and after flirting with Providence, R.I., Kraft reached an agreement in November 1998 with the governor of Connecticut to move his team to Hartford. The next spring, however, he called it off and agreed to build a privately financed $350 million stadium in Foxboro.

Gillette Stadium opened in 2002, and with sellouts every week and suites going for $165,000, it has helped the Patriots become one of the league's top revenue producers. Forbes recently reported revenue has increased 50-fold to more than $90 million, and the franchise is valued at $1 billion.

It's not just money, however. The Krafts, Belichick – who is gaining a reputation as not only the best coach in the NFL today, but one of the best ever – and Scott Pioli, the team's vice president of player personnel, have developed another strategy that has proved successful.

"One thing they do and they've done from Day One, which I think is their greatest success, is they developed a plan and had the discipline to stay with it," Ganis said. "Teams in all sports are notorious for setting up a plan, then junking it and going for the quick fix when they think they can be successful. It happens time and time again and it's fool's gold. The Patriots never succumbed to temptation.

"They understand the salary cap," Ganis said. "They understand how much money they should spend on individual positions. They understand you have to let people go who are popular or have been stars. Otherwise you create an imbalance in your financial plan."

It wasn't easy – or popular – when the Patriots let quarterback Drew Bledsoe go after 2001 or when safety Lawyer Milloy was released the week of the 2003 season opener, but they stuck to their plan.

"Look how successful they've been as a result," Ganis said.

Entering tomorrow's game with the Chargers, New England has won 34 of its past 37 games.

"It all starts with the brilliance of Bill Belichick and how he's been able to get everyone buying into the team attitude," said Jim Nantz, who has called nearly a dozen Patriots games over the last season-plus for CBS. "It's so hard to get a large collection of individuals to play for something bigger than themselves or their contract.

"He's found the psychology of it. Leadership is all about getting people to see the same dream. You can't treat 53 people exactly the same. That's where his brilliance comes in – how do you know how to tweak everybody just right to get them motivated?"

Belichick says he has "no secret formula" and he's not really interested in being a model franchise.

"We're respectful of the league and we're respectful of the accomplishments that we've made, that other teams have made," he said. "We understand that and we respect it. But I don't think it really means anything.

"All we try to do is what we think is best for our football team. I don't know whether that's best for another team or not. I would never try to pass judgment on that. I'm sure that everybody does what they think is best. Whether that's the same or different from what we do, I don't really know and it doesn't really matter to me."

© Copyright 2005 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.

NFL looks for big play in Mexico
Hispanics are key to league's growth

Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 25, 2005 12:00 AM The NFL is the monolith of professional sports leagues, so powerful in its hold over fans and sponsors that it's hard to imagine that it could grow in popularity.

Yet that's the plan, and a chief target is Mexico and the burgeoning Hispanic market in the United States.

Like most large, powerful entities, the NFL isn't the most nimble of organizations. It admittedly has been a bit slow off the ball in selling itself to Mexico and Hispanic markets.

No more.

The NFL sees those markets as vital to continuing the phenomenal growth the league has enjoyed over the past 50 years. That's why NFL officials view the Cardinals' game against the 49ers in Mexico City next Sunday as so important.

"Traditionally, I don't think we've put the focus on it (the Hispanic market)," said Roger Goodell, the league's executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Our popularity is soaring there (Mexico). There is a great deal of interest in American football."

It will be the first regular-season game played outside the United States, and in many ways, it's a grand experiment for the NFL. If this works, the league could place some future games in Tokyo or Europe.

Tapping a new market

There are several questions to be answered first, according to Goodell.

"What was the reaction in Mexico?" he said. "What kind of excitement can we generate? What kind of reaction did we get from the clubs from an operational standpoint and from the fans in those markets? Has it been a helpful tool in reaching the Hispanic market in the United States?"

That last question is central to the NFL's efforts in Mexico. By playing in Mexico City, it not only wants to attract new fans there but also in the United States. The Hispanic market in the United States hasn't been ignored, but the league and many of its teams have not paid serious attention to it.

Five or 10 years ago, reaching out to the Hispanic community "was not a focus," said Ron Minegar, Cardinals vice president of marketing and sales. "This gives us a neat platform to build upon for the future."

For instance, the game in Mexico City has prompted the Cardinals to work on expanding the Spanish-language broadcasts of their games into additional areas. The team also has found that its sponsors "have an interest in reaching out to the Hispanic community in Arizona."

Numbers indicate why the NFL is selling itself in Mexico. The NFL estimates there are 20 million football fans there, more than any country other than the United States. And there are nearly 25 million Americans of Mexican descent. Maybe some of them will think it's neat that the league is playing in Mexico.

It remains to be seen, however, how much this game will mean to many of them. To them, Mexico City is as foreign as Tokyo. To others, however, this game is intriguing.

"It's good because in Mexico, American football is not that much," said Larry Balderas, a Phoenix landscaper who was born in the United States but visits relatives in Mexico about once a year. "As soon as people start seeing this game, they will be excited."

That's what the NFL is counting on.

Marketing folks like to use words like "paradigm" and phrases like "driving the brand."

In plain English, what the NFL hopes to do in Mexico is draw new fans, convince casual followers to become ardent supporters and induce the diehard fans to strengthen their allegiance to the sport. It's like a five-story building with each floor dedicated to a certain type of fan. The idea is to get them in the building and then to the next floor.

Those people will then watch games on television, boost ratings and buy products of NFL sponsors.

Risk and reward

That's more money in the coffers of a league that's already awash in it.

There is a risk, however. Some Cardinals fans aren't crazy about the team giving up a home game to play in Mexico City. By taking away a team's home game, the league risks alienating some of its core fans.

Several factors contributed to the Cardinals being the ideal team to play in Mexico, and geographic proximity had little to do with it. More important was the team being in the last year in Sun Devil Stadium and drawing fewer fans than any other club in the NFL. It made more sense for the Cardinals to give up a home game than any other team.

To at least one Mexican working here in the Valley, the NFL's most serious venture into a foreign country makes sense.

Rolando Cantu, a guard on the Cardinals practice squad, is the first Mexican native to make it in the NFL, and he thinks Americans tend to underestimate the popularity of football in Mexico.

He came up through Mexico's university system, signed to play in NFL Europe and is in his second season on the Cardinals practice squad.

"You would be surprised," Cantu said when asked about football popularity in Mexico. "We've been playing for over 90 years. There are all kinds of Pop Warner leagues throughout most of the big cities. And there are around 50 university teams that play down there. The average crowd in my hometown (Monterrey) is 22,000 or 23,000."

Being signed to the 53-man roster would be the culmination of a lot of hard work for Cantu. And to play his first NFL game in Mexico City? That would be a dream come true.

"I would hopefully have a starting point from there on," said the 6-foot-5, 361-pound Cantu, who has never played in a regular-season NFL game.

Although Cantu holds an obscure spot in the NFL, he's big news to the Mexican sporting press. When the Cardinals cut him after training camp, it drew headlines, as did his signing to the practice squad.

"There are a lot of children who know of Rolando," said Jorge Iglesias, who runs a Web site, tochito.com, dedicated to flag football. "They know him, know his career. When the newspapers in Mexico presented the news that he had had been cut, I think the people were a little bit sad. They want Rolando playing with Arizona."

Soccer is still the most popular sport in Mexico, but about 1 million kids play tochito, or flag football. To the NFL, those are future fans. To sponsors, those are potential customers.

"This means a lot to our fans down there," Cantu said of the game. "Believe me, the growth is already there."

History lesson

On Oct. 2, the Cardinals and 49ers will play in the NFL's first regular-season game outside the United States, in Mexico City. Some facts and tidbits related to this historic game:

For starters: Game from Estadio Azteca will be televised at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN. In Mexico, it will be shown on Televisa and ESPN.

Top attraction: The NFL has staged 55 preseason games outside the U.S. Three of those games attracted paid crowds of more than 100,000, all played in Mexico City. They are three of the four biggest crowds to attend an NFL game of any kind. The crowd of 112,376 that watched the Dallas Cowboys-Houston Oilers game in 1994 was the largest in NFL history.

Strong roots: Anthony MuÒoz was the first player of Mexican ancestry elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1998). Tom Flores was the first person in NFL history to earn a Super Bowl ring as a player (IV), assistant coach (XI) and head coach (XV). Other prominent Mexican-American NFL players: Joe Kapp, Jim Plunkett, Tony Casillas, Max Montoya, the Zendejas brothers and Raul Allegre.

Fan base: According to NFL surveys, Mexico is the non-U.S. country with the most NFL fans, about 20 million. NFL games have been televised in Mexico since 1966 on Televisa and 1972 on TV Azteca.

Travelogue: The NFL has played preseason games since 1950 in the following locations: Canada (Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, Vancouver); Mexico (Mexico City, Monterrey); Japan (Tokyo, Osaka); England (London); Sweden (Goteborg); Germany (Berlin); Spain (Barcelona); Ireland (Dublin) and Australia (Sydney). Seven of these games were played against Canadian Football League teams.

Source: NFL

Depth chart

Each week, Republic NFL writer Kent Somers ranks the 32 teams and adds a comment or category.

1 New England: No team has a more difficult early-season schedule.
2 Pittsburgh: The Steelers' road becomes more difficult, beginning today against the Pats.
3 Indianapolis: Stop the presses: The Colts have a defense now.
4 Philadelphia: The Eagles took care of San Francisco in about 10 minutes last week.
5 Carolina: Two solid defenses will slug it out today in Miami.
6 Kansas City: Second straight big game against a division foe.
7 Atlanta: Big letdown last week after beating the Eagles in the opener.
8 Cincinnati: The best offense in the NFL gets tested today in Chicago.
9 San Diego: Chargers could easily be 2-0, but their first win will come today.
10 Tampa Bay: The defense is back and rookie Cadillac is the real deal.
11 NY Jets: They slept in the first week, but everyone's awake now.
12 Dallas: It won't be easy for the Cowboys to get over blowing Monday night's game to Washington.
13 Chicago: The Bears make a huge jump in rankings thanks to that defense.
14 Jacksonville: Scary moment last week when Byron Leftwichdid his Gumby imitation.
15 Denver: The offense needs to shift out of first gear to stay with KC today.
16 NY Giants: Let's see how they do today away from home. It could get ugly in San Diego.
17 Seattle: In tackle Walter Jones and guard Steve Hutchinson, the Seahawks have the best left side in the NFL.
18. St. Louis: Stopping the Cardinals in the red zone is no reason for the Rams defense to get cocky.
19 New Orleans: Another road trip, this one to Minnesota, should prove successful.
20 Miami: Lack of explosiveness on offense will cost the Dolphins some games.
21 Buffalo: QB J.P. Losman looked like a rookie last week, and he is.
22 Washington: The Redskins are 2-0 and have a week off. Count us among the non-believers.
23 Oakland: Something's missing from the Raiders this season. Maybe it's defense.
24 Detroit: Lions are like going to your crazy aunt's house on Sunday. You never know what you're going to see.
25 Tennessee: The Titans are young, but Jeff Fisher's teams don't just roll over.
26 Cleveland: Next stop: reality. The Browns will be pounded today in Indy.
27 Baltimore: Seventeen points in two weeks won't get it done, unless you're playing soccer.
28 San Francisco: A young team that will play better at home than on the road.
29 Arizona: Busy lamenting the details, like every other team with a losing record.
30 Green Bay: A loss to Tampa Bay today would deepen the big hole the Packers are in.
31 Minnesota: Mike Tice could be the first head coach fired. But who would replace him?
32 Houston: The Titans' average of a touchdown a game forced Dom Capers to fire his offensive coordinator.

Copyright © 2005, azcentral.com. All rights reserved.

Bears add DT Campbell to practice squad

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (Sept. 12, 2005) -- The Chicago Bears signed defensive tackle Darrell Campbell to the practice squad a week after waiving him from the 53-man roster.

Campbell was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame in April 2004 and spent last season rehabilitating a knee injury sustained during predraft workouts. He had seven tackles during the preseason before being waived Sept. 5. - NFL Football -

The Bears also waived defensive tackle Jason Jefferson from the practice squad.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2005, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved