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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official website expects restricted free agents La'Rod Stephens-Howling and Greg Toler to receive second-round tenders.
Urban is speculating here and not reporting. Under the new CBA, the Cardinals would have to commit $1.9 million in order to secure the right to match any offer given to Stephens-Howling (originally a seventh-rounder) and Toler (a fourth-rounder). No team would show interest in either player at the second-round price.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt insisted Thursday that LT Levi Brown is "a good football player" and remains "part of our team going forward."
In song lyric terms, Brown is the girl the Cardinals just can't quit. The 2007 first-rounder is headed toward free agency with a $9.65 million roster bonus on top of an $8.33 million salary, but it sounds like Arizona expects to work out a deal to bring him back. Whiz does acknowledge offensive line concerns and will seek help at other positions up front.
Cardinals hired Frank Reich as wide receivers coach and John McNulty as quarterbacks coach.
The Reich hire is notable because Arizona has been linked to Peyton Manning in pre-free agency rumors, and Reich was on Indianapolis' coaching staff for the last four years. He was Manning's position coach in 2009 and 2010.
The Cardinals are not expected to re-sign free agent Chester Taylor for 2012.
Taylor has not exceeded 4.0 yards a carry since the 2007 season, and the Cards will be welcoming back 2011 second-round pick Ryan Williams with open arms. Going on age 33, Taylor will generate scant interest on the open market.
The Cardinals are expected to decline LT Levi Brown's $9.675 million roster bonus, sending him to free agency.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt has continually defended Brown from heavy criticism, but the Cardinals no longer have anything invested in the 2007 No. 5 overall pick. They can do better on the blindside, especially if they're serious about making a run at Peyton Manning.
Larry Fitzgerald will dine with Peyton Manning this week in Indianapolis.
Tom James of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star reports that Fitzgerald and Manning are friends, but Fitz hopes Manning will "consider the Cardinals" after he's released by the Colts. It's particularly notable because Fitzgerald was Kevin Kolb's biggest supporter all last offseason. ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that Arizona will be in the hunt for Manning this spring.
The Arizona Republic is hearing it's "doubtful" that Todd Haley will rejoin the Cardinals' coaching staff.
Haley has his sights set on coordinator jobs, but no one wants to give him one. (He's considered a long shot to replace Bruce Arians in Pittsburgh, too.) Cards beat writer Kent Somers also considers WRs coach John McNulty "certain" to stay in Arizona, despite the Bucs' best attempts to lure him away as an OC target.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
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