Secondary picked apart in tough loss
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Virginia coach Al Groh was trying to be on his best behavior moments after his football team was beaten by underdog Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl.
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The natives were getting restless, which on this occasion also happened to include the opposing quarterback.
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FOXBORO, Mass. -- The Patriots knew a day like this would come. The passing game would be taken away, almost totally, and they&#39;d need a workhorse back to win the game for them.
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Vikings Pro Bowl center Matt Birk was downgraded from probable to out Thursday morning, while receiver Randy Moss took another step toward returning to action.
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Even though he pitched one of his best games of the season yesterday, allowing just two runs and seven hits, it went down as a loss for Josh Beckett.
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CINCINNATI -- When the outside world looked at yesterday's matchup at Paul Brown Stadium, it saw a battered defense that was missing half its secondary facing an elite quarterback and the fourth-highest-scoring offense in pro football. The world looked at this and saw a disaster about to happen. The Patriots looked at it and saw opportunity.
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The Green Bay Packers might have to play at Washington next week with four starters in the secondary who weren&#39;t in the lineup last season.
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To a veteran defensive lineman, there is a dead giveaway when a rookie quarterback is rattled. You can see it in the kid&#39;s eyes.
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Jets defensive end John Abraham and receiver Wayne Chrebet were downgraded to questionable Friday, the day before their wild-card game against San Diego.
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After being slowed by a sore hamstring at the start of camp, rookie receiver Jerricho Cotchery has started to come into his own.
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The rookie season of Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. might have ended after two games. The first-round draft pick is among several players who will be sidelined for a few weeks
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Donovan McNabb spun away from one would-be tackler and sprinted to his right, only to find another defender waiting. So he went back to his left, chased by two more players, and finally heaved the ball, letting loose a 60-yard pass that looked more like a punt.
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Although Boston College came out of yesterday's game against North Carolina State with a 37-17 victory, it may have lost another defensive starter when end Nick Larkin went down with a knee injury in the second quarter.
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FOXBOROUGH -- With the injured Deion Branch and Troy Brown on the sidelines, it was time for David Givens and David Patten to step up.
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Few players on the Eagles&#39; roster felt they had more to prove this season than the young members of the secondary - strong safety Michael Lewis and cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown.
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FOXBOROUGH -- You get yanked from the Miami game. Non-injury scratch. Coach wonât say why. The team is depleted at wide receiver, yet youâre still wrist-slapped.
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Itâs on days like this when you need your defense the most. With their offense struggling and getting victimized by costly penalties, the New England Patriots reached down