'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Ray Lewis sure doesn't look like an aging linebacker on the brink of retirement. With 30 tackles in his last two games, the Baltimore Ravens defensive leader appears as if he could play at a high level for several more years.
Chad Ochocinco was the last Patriot to walk across the field and wade into the pack of reporters and photographers waiting near the sideline. He felt no need to rush the moment he'd longed for nearly his whole life.
Rob Gronkowski's playing status for the Super Bowl was listed as questionable on Friday after the star tight end missed the New England Patriots practice for the second straight day with an injured left ankle.
Season opener or Super Bowl, every game is a big game to Bill Belichick.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft "shuddered" when he saw Tom Brady take a crunching hit on a 1-yard touchdown plunge. He even wondered if Brady's back was broken.
A last-minute, 32-yard field goal attempt for Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff went awry as New England defeated Baltimore 23-20 in the AFC championship game.
One of Bill O'Brien's first acts as the new Penn State football coach was to mourn the loss of the old one.
For his latest trick, Tim Tebow is making three-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady disappear from the headlines.
The usual names _ Tom Brady, Ray Lewis, Troy Polamalu, Tony Gonzalez _ are headed for Hawaii, barring a trip to the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady is one of eight Patriots and Patrick Willis one of eight 49ers to make the Pro Bowl, the most on each roster.
Since the NFL and AFL clasped hands in 1970, rosters in pro football have increased from 40 to 53 players. Throw in the practice squad, and there are 61 men immediately available nowadays to any team.
Kyle Arrington came to the New England Patriots with a meager resume.
"He's changed the game," Patriots special teams star Matthew Slater said. "I think he's been kind of a once-in-a-lifetime, once-in-a-generation type player. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and what he's accomplished in his career. As a fan of the game, and I fancy myself a historian of the game also, so [I have] all the respect in the world for him."
Despite injuries, Ray Lewis looks strong as retirement nears →
"We can't really worry about that," Slater said. "He's a special young man and there's not too many guys tougher than him out there. So I would imagine he's going to do everything he can to be out there."
