Sunday, January 23, 2011
BJ Raji's Pick-6 Puts Icing on Cake for Green Bay's Disruptive Defense
CHICAGO -- Through his quarter-century of calling NFL defenses, Dom Capers has blitzed hundreds of quarterbacks thousands of times.
Some of those blitzes, though, he stashes away for the very special occasions.
Like third-and-15 when you're trying to get to the Super Bowl, for example.
"You've heard me say this many times, but it comes down to two or three or four plays a game" Capers said Sunday night. "We were able to make those today."
So much of the pregame focus was on red-hot Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that a top-five defense that specialized in creating turnovers went fairly unnoticed -- at least until it made the defining play of Sunday's NFC championship game and helped send the Packers to their first Super Bowl in 13 years.
"I couldn't believe he threw it," nose tackle B.J. Raji said.
Neither could the 62,377 at Soldier Field, most of them Bears fans, who watched third-team quarterback Caleb Hanie put the ball right in the hands of a Raji. Green Bay's massive defensive tackle then raced 15 yards for the touchdown that proved the decisive margin of Green Bay's 21-14 victory in the 182nd meeting of the NFL's oldest rivalry.
The Packers (13-5), winners of five straight, including three on the road as the conference's sixth and final seed, will face the winner of Sunday's Jets-Steelers game in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 6.
"I'm numb," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy signed afterward. "It was a typical Green Bay-Chicago game, with everything on the line."
Actually, the stakes made for more of an atypical Bears-Packers game. And it was because these teams knew each other so well -- the second meeting of the season was just three weeks earlier -- that Capers and the Packers threw some new spices into his defensive stew.
"When you play a team three times, you have to be able to mix it up a little bit in order to present some problems," linebacker Clay Matthews said after his unit held the Bears to 132 total yards through three quarters and forced three interceptions, including a pick by cornerback Sam Shields to ice the outcome with 37 seconds to play. "We went with some new schemes, lined guys up at some different positions and tried to throw them off a little bit."
By doing so, they thoroughly confused the conga line of Bears quarterbacks that started with Jay Cutler (who left with a knee injury), gave way to Todd Collins (who was benched for playing like Todd Collins) and Hanie, who'd thrown all of 14 passes in three pro seasons.
Pro Bowl cornerback and former Defensive Player of the Year Charles Woodson provided the biggest wrinkle. Capers made "Corner Open" a prominent part of Sunday's packages, with Woodson moving from his corner spot to strong safety to give Green Bay a faster three-corner look to match against the Bears' speedy wide receivers and big-play tight end Greg Olsen.
"Just a little change-up," Woodson said. "I think it was effective."
It definitely rattled Cutler, who completed just six of 14 passes, threw an interception and was sacked twice before checking himself out of the game after the first possession of the second half.
"He seemed sometimes to be rushing things," defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said of Cutler. "Other times, he just didn't look comfortable."
If Cutler never looked comfortable, the 39-year-old Collins looked like he had a porcupine in his shorts. Collins, who had a passer rating of 5.6 for the regular season, went 0 of 4 in two series.
Then came Hanie.
Who?
If Capers confounded Cutler, a fifth-year veteran, imagine what was going through the head of a Hanie -- who was inactive for all but two games in 2010 -- as the Packers feigned rushes here, backed out of others there, and sent blitzes from all spots and angles.
Like the one that decided the game.
Green Bay had several opportunities to blow it open, none better than when Rodgers, his team up 14-0, was intercepted by middle linebacker Brian Urlacher on the Chicago goal line early in the third quarter. After the Bears scrapped Collins following two possessions, Hanie marched Chicago to a touchdown to cut the Pack's lead in half early in the fourth quarter.
Two possessions later, the margin was still seven when Hanie faced a third-and-15 from the Bears' 15.
To Hanie's left, Shields came charging on a corner blitz. In front of him, Raji engaged his blocker for only a moment, then backed into coverage in the middle of the field.
"You think you might get the hot read and quick throw there," Capers said, explaining the quarterback's thinking. "Many times a quarterback won't see that lineman popping in there."
Especially a quarterback that rarely plays.
Hanie thought he had tailback Matt Forte circling out. What he had was a wide-open, 337-pound nose tackle.
"All I had to do was catch it and I knew I'd be in the end zone," Raji said.
Raji, the second-year pro and former first-round draft pick, has been used as a fullback in goal-line packages on offense this season, but the image of the big guy rumbling for the put-away touchdown figures to be an NFL Films favorite for a long time.
"I guess now we have to throw him in the ball, since he's shown he can catch and score," McCarthy said.
The Packers can save that one for Super Bowl XLV.
Bet Capers will have a little something special for the AFC champions, too.
http://www.BestVirginiaBeachShop.com
Some of those blitzes, though, he stashes away for the very special occasions.
Like third-and-15 when you're trying to get to the Super Bowl, for example.
"You've heard me say this many times, but it comes down to two or three or four plays a game" Capers said Sunday night. "We were able to make those today."
So much of the pregame focus was on red-hot Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that a top-five defense that specialized in creating turnovers went fairly unnoticed -- at least until it made the defining play of Sunday's NFC championship game and helped send the Packers to their first Super Bowl in 13 years.
"I couldn't believe he threw it," nose tackle B.J. Raji said.
Neither could the 62,377 at Soldier Field, most of them Bears fans, who watched third-team quarterback Caleb Hanie put the ball right in the hands of a Raji. Green Bay's massive defensive tackle then raced 15 yards for the touchdown that proved the decisive margin of Green Bay's 21-14 victory in the 182nd meeting of the NFL's oldest rivalry.
The Packers (13-5), winners of five straight, including three on the road as the conference's sixth and final seed, will face the winner of Sunday's Jets-Steelers game in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 6.
"I'm numb," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy signed afterward. "It was a typical Green Bay-Chicago game, with everything on the line."
Actually, the stakes made for more of an atypical Bears-Packers game. And it was because these teams knew each other so well -- the second meeting of the season was just three weeks earlier -- that Capers and the Packers threw some new spices into his defensive stew.
"When you play a team three times, you have to be able to mix it up a little bit in order to present some problems," linebacker Clay Matthews said after his unit held the Bears to 132 total yards through three quarters and forced three interceptions, including a pick by cornerback Sam Shields to ice the outcome with 37 seconds to play. "We went with some new schemes, lined guys up at some different positions and tried to throw them off a little bit."
By doing so, they thoroughly confused the conga line of Bears quarterbacks that started with Jay Cutler (who left with a knee injury), gave way to Todd Collins (who was benched for playing like Todd Collins) and Hanie, who'd thrown all of 14 passes in three pro seasons.
Pro Bowl cornerback and former Defensive Player of the Year Charles Woodson provided the biggest wrinkle. Capers made "Corner Open" a prominent part of Sunday's packages, with Woodson moving from his corner spot to strong safety to give Green Bay a faster three-corner look to match against the Bears' speedy wide receivers and big-play tight end Greg Olsen.
"Just a little change-up," Woodson said. "I think it was effective."
It definitely rattled Cutler, who completed just six of 14 passes, threw an interception and was sacked twice before checking himself out of the game after the first possession of the second half.
"He seemed sometimes to be rushing things," defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said of Cutler. "Other times, he just didn't look comfortable."
If Cutler never looked comfortable, the 39-year-old Collins looked like he had a porcupine in his shorts. Collins, who had a passer rating of 5.6 for the regular season, went 0 of 4 in two series.
Then came Hanie.
Who?
If Capers confounded Cutler, a fifth-year veteran, imagine what was going through the head of a Hanie -- who was inactive for all but two games in 2010 -- as the Packers feigned rushes here, backed out of others there, and sent blitzes from all spots and angles.
Like the one that decided the game.
Green Bay had several opportunities to blow it open, none better than when Rodgers, his team up 14-0, was intercepted by middle linebacker Brian Urlacher on the Chicago goal line early in the third quarter. After the Bears scrapped Collins following two possessions, Hanie marched Chicago to a touchdown to cut the Pack's lead in half early in the fourth quarter.
Two possessions later, the margin was still seven when Hanie faced a third-and-15 from the Bears' 15.
To Hanie's left, Shields came charging on a corner blitz. In front of him, Raji engaged his blocker for only a moment, then backed into coverage in the middle of the field.
"You think you might get the hot read and quick throw there," Capers said, explaining the quarterback's thinking. "Many times a quarterback won't see that lineman popping in there."
Especially a quarterback that rarely plays.
Hanie thought he had tailback Matt Forte circling out. What he had was a wide-open, 337-pound nose tackle.
"All I had to do was catch it and I knew I'd be in the end zone," Raji said.
Raji, the second-year pro and former first-round draft pick, has been used as a fullback in goal-line packages on offense this season, but the image of the big guy rumbling for the put-away touchdown figures to be an NFL Films favorite for a long time.
"I guess now we have to throw him in the ball, since he's shown he can catch and score," McCarthy said.
The Packers can save that one for Super Bowl XLV.
Bet Capers will have a little something special for the AFC champions, too.
http://www.BestVirginiaBeachShop.com
Tiger Woods Falls to No. 3 in Rankings
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Tiger Woods is not even No. 2 in the golf rankings.
He has dropped to No. 3 after Martin Kaymer won in Abu Dhabi and overtook him for the No. 2 spot. Lee Westwood is No. 1.
Kaymer has been No. 3 but advanced by winning the European Tour event by eight strokes in his first tournament this year. Woods begins his 2011 season Thursday at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
Kaymer said "we'll see how long it takes him to overtake me again."
Master champion Phil Mickelson dropped to a No. 5 ranking. He had been sharing fourth with U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell, who tied for third in Abu Dhabi.
Mickelson finished 37th Sunday. He says he doesn't dwell on the rankings and is concentrating on the upcoming majors.
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He has dropped to No. 3 after Martin Kaymer won in Abu Dhabi and overtook him for the No. 2 spot. Lee Westwood is No. 1.
Kaymer has been No. 3 but advanced by winning the European Tour event by eight strokes in his first tournament this year. Woods begins his 2011 season Thursday at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
Kaymer said "we'll see how long it takes him to overtake me again."
Master champion Phil Mickelson dropped to a No. 5 ranking. He had been sharing fourth with U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell, who tied for third in Abu Dhabi.
Mickelson finished 37th Sunday. He says he doesn't dwell on the rankings and is concentrating on the upcoming majors.
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Jimmer Fredette Scores 42 in BYU Win
FORT COLLINS, Colo.-- Jimmer Fredette scored 42 points, his second 40-plus performance in a week, and No. 9 Brigham Young beat Colorado State 94-85 on Saturday night for its ninth straight victory.
Fredette, the nation's leading scorer, had a season-high 47 points in a win over Utah last Tuesday. This time he made 16 of 17 free throws and shot 11 of 24 from the field, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range, to lead the Cougars (19-1, 5-0 Mountain West) in scoring for 18th time in 20 games.
He has scored in double figures in all 20 games.
Kyle Collinsworth and Jackson Emery added 16 points apiece for BYU, which defeated Colorado State (13-6, 3-2) for the ninth straight time.
Wes Eikmeier led Colorado State with a career-high 25 points. Travis Franklin added 21 and Andy Ogide 18.
The Rams trailed 70-54 after Brandon Davies' putback for Brigham Young before going on a 9-1 spurt to pull to 71-63 on Eikmeier's 3-pointer with 9:15 remaining.
Dwight Smith's 3-pointer cut it to 75-69 with 7:27 left but Fredette answered with a 3. When the Rams got to within 79-73 on a pair of free throws by Andy Ogide with 5:15 remaining, Fredette promptly scored on a driving layup.
BYU went on a 7-1 run from there to go in front 88-76 with 2:14 left. Still, the Rams wouldn't go away. They scored the next five points, including a 3 by Eikmeier before Fredette broke up the spurt again with a pair of free throws for a 90-81 Cougars advantage. The Rams didn't get closer than six points in last minute and a half.
Shooting a blistering 62.5 percent from the field, Brigham Young opened up a 55-40 halftime lead over a Colorado State club that had the backing of its first sellout crowd at Moby Arena in seven years.
Fredette had 21 of his points in the opening period, scoring from an array of angles against intense defensive pressure, taking the ball to the hoop, banking in jumpers, hitting all seven of his free throws and twice draining 3-pointers.
Trailing 23-11 early, the Rams got back in it with an 8-0 run capped by Franklin's fast-break layup that made it 23-19 midway through the first half. But the Cougars reasserted themselves. Collinsworth's basket gave the Cougars a 10-point advantage and Fredette's driving layup on the heels of Charles Abouo's 3-pointer put BYU back in front by 14 with 1:38 left in the half.
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Fredette, the nation's leading scorer, had a season-high 47 points in a win over Utah last Tuesday. This time he made 16 of 17 free throws and shot 11 of 24 from the field, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range, to lead the Cougars (19-1, 5-0 Mountain West) in scoring for 18th time in 20 games.
He has scored in double figures in all 20 games.
Kyle Collinsworth and Jackson Emery added 16 points apiece for BYU, which defeated Colorado State (13-6, 3-2) for the ninth straight time.
Wes Eikmeier led Colorado State with a career-high 25 points. Travis Franklin added 21 and Andy Ogide 18.
The Rams trailed 70-54 after Brandon Davies' putback for Brigham Young before going on a 9-1 spurt to pull to 71-63 on Eikmeier's 3-pointer with 9:15 remaining.
Dwight Smith's 3-pointer cut it to 75-69 with 7:27 left but Fredette answered with a 3. When the Rams got to within 79-73 on a pair of free throws by Andy Ogide with 5:15 remaining, Fredette promptly scored on a driving layup.
BYU went on a 7-1 run from there to go in front 88-76 with 2:14 left. Still, the Rams wouldn't go away. They scored the next five points, including a 3 by Eikmeier before Fredette broke up the spurt again with a pair of free throws for a 90-81 Cougars advantage. The Rams didn't get closer than six points in last minute and a half.
Shooting a blistering 62.5 percent from the field, Brigham Young opened up a 55-40 halftime lead over a Colorado State club that had the backing of its first sellout crowd at Moby Arena in seven years.
Fredette had 21 of his points in the opening period, scoring from an array of angles against intense defensive pressure, taking the ball to the hoop, banking in jumpers, hitting all seven of his free throws and twice draining 3-pointers.
Trailing 23-11 early, the Rams got back in it with an 8-0 run capped by Franklin's fast-break layup that made it 23-19 midway through the first half. But the Cougars reasserted themselves. Collinsworth's basket gave the Cougars a 10-point advantage and Fredette's driving layup on the heels of Charles Abouo's 3-pointer put BYU back in front by 14 with 1:38 left in the half.
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Texas Stuns No. 2 Kansas, Breaks Jayhawks' 69-Game Home Winning Streak
LAWRENCE, Kan.- The longest home winning streak in Kansas' vaunted history came to an end on a doubly sad day for the Jayhawks.
J'Covan Brown scored 23 points and keyed a second-half run that erased a 15-point deficit, enabling No. 10 Texas to grab a 74-63 victory on Saturday over the second-ranked Jayhawks and snap their 69-game home streak.
Shortly after 11 p.m. the night before, players, coaches and players' moms gathered around sophomore Thomas Robinson when his mother died unexpectedly of a heart attack in Washington, D.C.
"It just puts everything in perspective," said coach Bill Self.
Robinson asked to remain with the team, and with him coming off the bench, an emotional Kansas scored the game's first 10 points and led by as many as 15 in the early going. But Texas (16-3, 4-0 Big 12) outscored the Jayhawks 36-13 while turning a 12-point halftime deficit into a 59-48 lead on a 3-pointer by Cory Joseph.
"I think in more times like that - I could be wrong - I think you see teams get off to an emotional good start on things like that," said Self. "We played well, too. But certainly it was emotional. I felt like we didn't have much gas in the tank the second half. But a lot of it's because of Texas' play, too."
There was a moment of silence before the game for Thompson's mother. He scored two points, got five rebounds and committed four fouls.
The Jayhawks (18-1, 3-1) had not lost at home since Feb. 3, 2007, the longest current streak in the nation, and were 7-0 at home against Texas since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996.
"They came in on fire," said Jordan Hamilton, who had 17 points for the Longhorns. "Then we came out in the second half and we played hard and coach (Rick Barnes) always said we are going to win this game."
Tristan Thompson had 10 points and five blocks in a bruising game that included two technical fouls against both teams. The Longhorns held Kansas, which came in with a Big 12-best shooting percentage of 52.4, to 36 percent. In the second half, Kansas hit a paltry 8 of 30 shots.
"Texas totally controlled the last 30 minutes of the game," said Self. "The second half they were terrific. Of course, we helped them be terrific."
Tyrel Reed had 17 points and Marcus Morris 16 for Kansas.
"Coach talked to us at halftime and told us that we have to execute plays," said Brown, who was 6 for 10 from the field and 8 for 10 from the foul line. "We were down early but we knew we had to keep playing. We just had to stay together and not break as a team."
No. 1 Ohio State and No. 6 San Diego State are now the only remaining unbeaten teams in the nation.
Brown's second 3-pointer in a 13-2 run finally wiped out the big deficit and gave the Longhorns their first lead, 45-44, with 10:39 to go.
"It was a great win for our program," said Barnes. "I can't tell you how much respect I have for Bill (Self). He's one of the best. He's the model of consistency and one of the best. To come up here and get a win - we've had so many great games with him where we've obviously come out on the other end."
Kansas tied it with Markieff Morris' free throw, then Thompson and Brown scored for a 49-45 Texas lead.
Tyshawn Taylor's runner in the lane brought Kansas to 49-47 before Brown made two free throws and Joseph drilled a momentum-turning 3-pointer, giving the Longhorns a 54-47 lead at the 7:32 mark.
With a stunned crowd that hadn't seen the home team lose in almost four years growing silent, the Longhorns built the lead to 59-48 on a basket by Joseph and then, just ahead of the buzzer, another 3-pointer by the freshman guard, who had 11 points.
The Jayhawks were unable to get a good look against Texas' pressure defense for almost the entire second half. When they did, they usually missed. They committed five turnovers while missing eight of their first 10 shots in the second half as Texas slowly chipped away at a 35-23 halftime deficit.
As Texas inched closer, Hamilton dropped in two free throws, making him 6 for 6 from the line, Kansas' Mario Little turned it over and Gary Johnson moved in for another easy Texas bucket that got the Longhorns to within five at 42-37.
Marcus Morris was then called for a technical foul and Brown made one foul shot.
Earlier, a technical on Hamilton sent Reed to the foul line, where he made both shots. But Hamilton had scored and been fouled and made the free throw after Reed hit his two, leaving Kansas with a 42-33 lead.
From that point, it was all Texas, with Brown hitting two 3-pointers in a flurry that finally put Texas in the lead 45-44.
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J'Covan Brown scored 23 points and keyed a second-half run that erased a 15-point deficit, enabling No. 10 Texas to grab a 74-63 victory on Saturday over the second-ranked Jayhawks and snap their 69-game home streak.
Shortly after 11 p.m. the night before, players, coaches and players' moms gathered around sophomore Thomas Robinson when his mother died unexpectedly of a heart attack in Washington, D.C.
"It just puts everything in perspective," said coach Bill Self.
Robinson asked to remain with the team, and with him coming off the bench, an emotional Kansas scored the game's first 10 points and led by as many as 15 in the early going. But Texas (16-3, 4-0 Big 12) outscored the Jayhawks 36-13 while turning a 12-point halftime deficit into a 59-48 lead on a 3-pointer by Cory Joseph.
"I think in more times like that - I could be wrong - I think you see teams get off to an emotional good start on things like that," said Self. "We played well, too. But certainly it was emotional. I felt like we didn't have much gas in the tank the second half. But a lot of it's because of Texas' play, too."
There was a moment of silence before the game for Thompson's mother. He scored two points, got five rebounds and committed four fouls.
The Jayhawks (18-1, 3-1) had not lost at home since Feb. 3, 2007, the longest current streak in the nation, and were 7-0 at home against Texas since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996.
"They came in on fire," said Jordan Hamilton, who had 17 points for the Longhorns. "Then we came out in the second half and we played hard and coach (Rick Barnes) always said we are going to win this game."
Tristan Thompson had 10 points and five blocks in a bruising game that included two technical fouls against both teams. The Longhorns held Kansas, which came in with a Big 12-best shooting percentage of 52.4, to 36 percent. In the second half, Kansas hit a paltry 8 of 30 shots.
"Texas totally controlled the last 30 minutes of the game," said Self. "The second half they were terrific. Of course, we helped them be terrific."
Tyrel Reed had 17 points and Marcus Morris 16 for Kansas.
"Coach talked to us at halftime and told us that we have to execute plays," said Brown, who was 6 for 10 from the field and 8 for 10 from the foul line. "We were down early but we knew we had to keep playing. We just had to stay together and not break as a team."
No. 1 Ohio State and No. 6 San Diego State are now the only remaining unbeaten teams in the nation.
Brown's second 3-pointer in a 13-2 run finally wiped out the big deficit and gave the Longhorns their first lead, 45-44, with 10:39 to go.
"It was a great win for our program," said Barnes. "I can't tell you how much respect I have for Bill (Self). He's one of the best. He's the model of consistency and one of the best. To come up here and get a win - we've had so many great games with him where we've obviously come out on the other end."
Kansas tied it with Markieff Morris' free throw, then Thompson and Brown scored for a 49-45 Texas lead.Tyshawn Taylor's runner in the lane brought Kansas to 49-47 before Brown made two free throws and Joseph drilled a momentum-turning 3-pointer, giving the Longhorns a 54-47 lead at the 7:32 mark.
With a stunned crowd that hadn't seen the home team lose in almost four years growing silent, the Longhorns built the lead to 59-48 on a basket by Joseph and then, just ahead of the buzzer, another 3-pointer by the freshman guard, who had 11 points.
The Jayhawks were unable to get a good look against Texas' pressure defense for almost the entire second half. When they did, they usually missed. They committed five turnovers while missing eight of their first 10 shots in the second half as Texas slowly chipped away at a 35-23 halftime deficit.
As Texas inched closer, Hamilton dropped in two free throws, making him 6 for 6 from the line, Kansas' Mario Little turned it over and Gary Johnson moved in for another easy Texas bucket that got the Longhorns to within five at 42-37.
Marcus Morris was then called for a technical foul and Brown made one foul shot.
Earlier, a technical on Hamilton sent Reed to the foul line, where he made both shots. But Hamilton had scored and been fouled and made the free throw after Reed hit his two, leaving Kansas with a 42-33 lead.
From that point, it was all Texas, with Brown hitting two 3-pointers in a flurry that finally put Texas in the lead 45-44.
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Saturday, January 22, 2011
Ohio State Escapes Illinois, but May Not be Long for No. 1
How It Was Lost: Mike Tisdale & Co. couldn't guard Sullinger inside without fouling him and it hurt. All of the Illini bigs were in foul trouble tr ying to defend Sullinger.
Key Stat: The Buckeyes converted nearly 91 percent from the free throw line for the game.
What we liked: Sullinger gets most of the headlines, but the Buckeyes are far from a one-dimensional team. David Lighty can hit big shots, but it was freshman guard Deshaun Thomas who came off the bench for a big game Saturday. He scored eight points in 12 minutes, which included going 2 for 2 from 3-point range.
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