Video: Drive for the national championship

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Best of Championship Wednesday’s podium talk

Published: January 19th, 2011 | Tags: Championship Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Jay Cutler, Lance Briggs, Mark Sanchez, Mike Tomlin, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rex Ryan, Santonio Holmes, Tramon Williams

Here’s a quick look at the best of the best from the podiums in Chicago, Green Bay, New Jersey and Pittsburgh on Championship Wednesday:

Bears LB Lance Briggs had perhaps the line of the day when asked if there’s a sense of urgency due to the age of the Bears defense: “No, no, I’m 30. I’m not dead. I don’t see it that way.”Not that he needs any help any extra promotion, but Jets coach Rex Ryan summoned his inner Don King when he called the matchup against the Steelers “a triple chinstrap game.” On the possibility of beating the Colts, Patriots and Steelers on the road in three consecutive weeks to reach the Super Bowl, Ryan said “Clearly, we have a ton of work to do to pull this off. But we think we’re the men for the job. We’re going to find out Sunday.”Jay Cutler isn’t afraid of going after red-hot Packers CB Tramon Williams: “We’re not staying away from him. He’s a good player, really good player. He’s had a lot of one-on-one matchups that he’s won. Teams are kind of shying away from Charles (Woodson) and those other guys and attack him. He’s responded.”Ben Roethlisberger said the reputation of Jets CB Darrelle Revis “absolutely” keeps quarterbacks from throwing to his side of the field, even when receivers might be open. When told by one reporter Jets CB Antonio Cromartie said that he loved him, Roethlisberger said this: “I love him too. I have a lot of respect for those guys. Every single one of them on defense because they’re so good. They really are. I could sit here and talk good about them all day. All I have to do is say they went to Indy and to New England and beat the two best quarterbacks in the game. Enough said in my opinion.”A jovial Mike Tomlin got philosophical about his latest Super Bowl journey: “I don’t think this journey has been different than any of the other ones. Some of the specifics are different, but every year you’re presented with adversity. … We all fall short of perfect. But I always enjoy the journey, particularly with this group of men. It’s been a fun one. Adversity is as much a part of the game as blocking and tackling.”Facing his former team isn’t personal for Santonio Holmes right now: “I don’t care about the Steelers right now. … If we win the Super Bowl, then everything is personal. That’s a slap back in those guys’ face for trading me. But, right now, it’s not even a focus of mine, and it shouldn’t be the focus of any of my teammates or anyone in this organization.”Mark Sanchez got very specific about his game day routine on the road: “It sounds so cheesy like it’s the first day of school and you just lay out your stuff, but that’s really the way it is.”Aaron Rodgers had this to say about the Packers’ rivalry with the Bears: “Jay and I are buddies, but we’re not going to text this week. Charles (Tillman) and I are probably not going to talk this week. … It’s about getting to the Super Bowl this week. There’s not going to be a whole lot of friendship out there until after the game.”

Check out all of Wednesday’s news conferences here.

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Let’s Go Primetime: Championship Sunday

Published: January 24th, 2011 | Tags: Let's Go Primetime, B.J. Radji, Deion Sanders, Greg Jennings, NFL GameDay Final, rashard mendenhall, Sam Shields, Steel Curtain

Deion Sanders breaks out an abbreviated “Let’s Go Primetime” for Championship Sunday, listing his top five performances. Greg Jennings, B.J. Raji, Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers defense and Sam Shields all made the list of Primetimers.

Posted in: NFL Network  

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Jets Head To AFC Championship, Beat Patriots 28-21

The New York Jets will be playing in the AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after knocking off the New England Patriots Sunday at Gillette Stadium 28-21. The Patriots were heavily favored going into the contest but for the second straight week the Jets were able to overcome the odds and come up with the win. As they had in Indianapolis the previous week; they were going up against one of the top quarterback’s in all of the NFL in New England’s Tom Brady. The Patriots QB would complete 29/45 passes for two touchdowns and one interception. However New York quarterback Mark Sanchez while not having the yardage of his counterpart went 16/25 for 194 yards and passed for three touchdowns in the victory.

New England with time slipping away in the fourth quarter would try two on-side kicks in the hopes that they could recover the ball and tie the game. Both times the gambit would fail as the Jets would recover both kicks scoring a touchdown on the drive following the first one. The New York defense would rule the proceedings for the entire contest getting the interception and causing the Patriots to fumble three times. They would also make the New England offensive line look like swiss cheese as they hit Brady seven times in the contest and had him running for his life most of the contest.

The Jets would set the tone for the contest on the first drive by their oppponents as linebacker David Harris picked off a Brady pass at the New York 30 yard line and ran it back 58 yards to the Patriots 12. Although the Jets did not score on the ensuing possession they had stopped the New England drive.

The Patriots would score on their next drive as Shayne Graham kicked a 34 yard field goal through the uprights and giving his team a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. New York would take the lead with 10:54 to play in the second as Sanchez would hit LaDainian Tomlinson with a seven yard pass which he ran into the end-zone for a touchdown. After the extra point from Nick Folk the Jets held a 7-3 advantage.

Sanchez would get his second touchdown of the quarter as Braylon Edwarrds caught a 15 yard pass with 33 seconds left in the half. After the successful kick through the goal posts by Folk, New York would enter the locker room at the half leading 14-3.

There would not be another successful offensive drive until late in the third when Alge Crumpler took a two yard Brady pass into the end-zone with with 13 seconds to play. Sammy Morris would run up the middle past the goal line for a two point conversion and the Patriots were just three points down at the end of the third in a 14-11 contest.

New York would get a little more breathing room with 13:00 on the clock in the fourth as Sanchez had his third touchdown of the day when he threw the ball seven yards to Santonio Holmes for the score. The Folk extra point was good and the Jets were ahead 21-11. Neither team would score again until with 1:57 to play Shayne Graham got his second field goal of the day; this one from 35 yards out to make it a 21-14 contest.

The Patriots hoping to get fortunate kicked the ball on-sides but it was recovered by the Jets. Two plays into the drive running back Shonn Green carried the ball 16 yards past the goal line for a touchdown. The extra point was good and New York would have a 28-14 advantage. The Patriots would tighten the game once again as Brady connected with Deion Branch on a 13 yard pass which Branch ran into the end-zone. Graham got the extra point through the uprights and it was back to a seven point game as the Jets led 28-21.

New England would once again try an on-side kick hoping they would recover but New York once again got the football. Sanchez would take the knee on the first play running out the clock and the Jets sent the Patriots home for the year after just one Post Season game.

New York will once again be playing in the opponents house next Sunday as they take on the Steelers in the AFC Championship contest. For New England and their fans, they once again have the off-season to complain how far their team should have gone in the Playoffs.

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