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Dreadlocks were definitely in style at the NFL draft on Thursday night, creating a few awkward and humorous moments as players strolled onstage at Radio City Music Hall, exchanged hugs with Commissioner Roger Goodell and did their best to keep new hats from falling to the floor.

Taking long hair to the football field could be a bit dicey, though, especially for offensive players trying to elude tacklers. There are no rules against pulling hair in the NFL. A player’s hair that falls past his helmet is considered part of the uniform, and thus can be used to make a tackle. If the first round of the three-day draft is any indication, there’s going to be lot more hair to grab in the NFL this season.

Ouch.

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Even after a year away. Even at age 35. Even with a reputation he says isn’t all it’s made out to be.

Moss is getting a another chance in the NFL, signing a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday only hours after he worked out for the team and with former NFL quarterback and current coach Jim Harbaugh.

“I’m not a free agent. I’m a guy straight off the couch, straight off the street,” Moss said. “One thing I want the sports world to understand is the love and passion I have for football.”

Moss will fill a big void for the reigning NFC West champions in Harbaugh’s version of the West Coast offense.

While he didn’t go as far as to promise not to pout when times are tough, he did say all the right things, and that he plans to be a positive presence in a locker room known for its blue-collar, unselfish approach. Moss has no interest in reflecting on his past, either.

This is a fresh start.

“The thing about me being here is they’ve done their research on me. When it comes to the worldwide sports media, I’ve gotten a bad rap,” Moss said. “They’ve done their homework on me or they wouldn’t have brought me in here. … (The questions were) more of me not being a team player and things like that. I don’t want to get into that.”

Moss got a good vibe about the organization from the moment he was picked up at the airport Sunday night, calling it a “no-brainer” to sign. He said the organization quickly decided to “pull the trigger” — and it’s a low-risk, high-reward move for San Francisco.

“Harbaugh is a young, enthusiastic coach. I love enthusiasm,” Moss said. “A lot of things stood out to me.”

It seems Harbaugh’s throws were on target, too.

“Jim Harbaugh makes 49ers veteran emergency board: Best coach’s workout in NFL history (especially while wearing khakis & a sweatshirt),” Niners CEO Jed York tweeted.

Moss, who worked out last Tuesday with the New Orleans Saints, spent a year out of football and last played for New England, Minnesota and Tennessee during a rocky 2010 season.

He said he enjoyed playing catch with Harbaugh, a 15-year NFL pro in his day.

“Yes, he can still bring it at his old age. I don’t know, he’s probably sitting there with an ice pack or something on his shoulder right now,” Moss said. “He can still wing it.”

The 49ers can sure use him. San Francisco’s receivers managed just one catch for 3 yards in a 20-17 loss in the NFC championship game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants at Candlestick Park on Jan. 22.

York told reporters earlier Monday at team headquarters his team needed “someone to stretch the field.” The athletic, 6-foot-4 Moss fits the bill.

Moss said he initially retired for “personal reasons outside of football” and considered making a comeback late in the 2011 season before ultimately deciding to give his body more time to train. He suffered a shoulder injury during 2010 with New England.

Moss always believed he could still perform.

“It was a decision to get back in the game because I still love the game and think I can play at a high level,” he said. “It was obvious they liked what they saw. I don’t want to let them down.”

The 49ers also are working to re-sign quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2005, and have reportedly made him a three-year offer. Smith’s representatives haven’t returned multiple messages seeking an update on the status of negotiations.

“Alex is trying to figure out what he wants to do,” York said. “There have been good conversations back and forth.”

If Moss proves himself during workouts this spring and training camp, he could be a viable deep threat that San Francisco hoped it had in Braylon Edwards last season.

The 49ers cut ties with Edwards in December. Joshua Morgan broke a bone in his lower leg Oct. 9 against Tampa Bay and later had surgery to have screws inserted and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Morgan is expected to generate his share of interest in free agency, and receiver and return man Ted Ginn Jr. might not return.

Michael Crabtree, San Francisco’s 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft, had 72 receptions for 874 yards and four touchdowns in 2011. San Francisco went 13-3 and ended an eight-year drought without a playoff berth or winning record.

Moss’ best season came for the Patriots in 2007, when he caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and a single-season record 23 touchdowns in helping New England to a 16-0 regular-season record. He has 954 catches for 14,858 yards and 153 TDs in his 13-year career, which included a stint in the Bay Area with the Oakland Raiders in 2005 and ’06 where he produced little on the field.

Running back Anthony Dixon watched Moss’ workout Monday, and came away giddy.

“Randy Moss done linked up with us. Oh it’s about to get scary like the end of October!” Dixon tweeted.

Moss has had more than 1,000 yards receiving in a season 10 times, second only to Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who accomplished the feat 14 times.

Moss hasn’t lost his swagger.

“I accept the challenge and I’m ready to bring the fans out of their seats,” he said, noting he considers this a chance to give back to the game. “I like what I can do for the NFL. I don’t like what the NFL can do for me.” ESPN first reported the move a day before the start of the free agency period.

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Patrick was driving on the highway when he noticed the van laying on its side and pulled over. After smelling gas, he began pulling people out of the van.

AZ Family reports:

He said he could smell gas leaking from the van and knew he had to act fast.

“My first thought was just to help the people on the inside,” he said.

Patrick ran over and started pulling people out of the vehicle.

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Opting to play a game on a Wednesday for the first time in more than 60 years, the NFL will open the regular season on Sept. 5, to avoid conflicting with Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention the next night.

The Super Bowl champion New York Giants will host the Wednesday night season-opener starting at 8:30 p.m. EDT; their opponent hasn’t been announced yet.

According to the league, it hasn’t played a game on a Wednesday since Sept. 22, 1948, when the Rams faced the Lions.

The NFL regular season has started on a Thursday since 2002.

This year’s change was announced by the league on Tuesday.

Opting to play a game on a Wednesday for the first time in more than 60 years, the NFL will open the regular season on Sept. 5, to avoid conflicting with Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention the next night.

The Super Bowl champion New York Giants will host the Wednesday night season-opener starting at 8:30 p.m. EST; their opponent hasn’t been announced yet.

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“It was like a freight train hitting a Volkswagen,” Dorsett says now.

“Did they know it was a concussion?” he asks rhetorically during an interview with The Associated Press. “They thought I was half-dead.”

And yet, he says, after being examined in the locker room — a light shined in his eyes; queries such as who sat next to him on the Cowboys’ bus ride to the stadium — Dorsett returned to the field and gained 99 yards in the second half. Mainly, he says, by running plays the wrong way, because he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to do.

“That ain’t the first time I was knocked out or been dazed over the course of my career, and now I’m suffering for it,” the 57-year-old former tailback says. “And the NFL is trying to deny it.”

Dorsett traces several health problems to concussions during a career that lasted from 1977-88, and he has joined more than 300 former players — including three other members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and at least 32 first- or second-team All-Pro selections — in suing the NFL, its teams and, in some cases, helmet maker Riddell. More should have been done in the past to warn about the dangers of concussions, their lawyers argue, and more can be done now and in the future to help retired players deal with mental and physical problems they attribute to their days in the NFL.

In interviews conducted by the AP over the past two months with a dozen plaintiffs, what emerged was, at best, a depiction of a culture of indifference on the part of the league and its teams toward concussions and other injuries. At worst, there was a strong sense of a willful disregard for players’ well-being.

“It’s not about whether players understood you could get a concussion playing football. It’s about the negligence of care, post-concussion, that occurred,” says Kyle Turley, an offensive lineman for the Saints, Rams and Chiefs who was the No. 7 overall pick in the 1998 draft and an All-Pro in 2000.

Players complain that they carried owners to their profits, in an industry that now has more than $9 billion in annual revenues, without the safety nets of guaranteed contracts or lifetime medical insurance.

“Yeah, I understand you paid me to do this, but still yet, I put my life on the line for you, I put my health on the line,” Dorsett says. “And yet when the time comes, you turn your back on me? That’s not right. That’s not the American way.”

Head injuries are a major topic of conversation every day of the NFL season. With the Super Bowl as a global stage, the NFL will air a one-minute TV commercial during Sunday’s game highlighting rules changes through the years that have made the sport safer.

The owners of the teams playing for the Lombardi Trophy in Indianapolis — Bob Kraft of the New England Patriots and John Mara of the New York Giants — acknowledge the issue’s significance.

“There’s more of a focus on it now, without question, and I think that’s a good thing, and I think it’ll continue to be a focus. Because none of us want to put players in perilous situations like that,” Mara says. “I don’t want to see guys that are on this team, 20 years from now, with debilitating injuries, no matter what they are.”

Says Kraft: “We know this is a physical game, and when people play the game, they know it comes with certain risks. We have tried to stay ahead of it.”

The most accomplished and best-known plaintiff in the flurry of lawsuits — a star for the Cowboys after winning the 1976 Heisman Trophy at Pittsburgh — Dorsett agreed to two interviews with the AP, one over the telephone and one at his suburban Dallas home.

“I don’t want to get to the point where it turns into dementia, Alzheimer’s. I don’t want that,” says Dorsett, who ran for 12,739 yards, the eighth-highest total in league history. He is, in that moment, sad and deflated — in others, pumped up and angry, fists flying to punctuate his words. “There’s no doubt in my mind that … what I went through as a football player is taking an effect on me today. There’s no ifs ands or buts about that. I’m just hoping and praying I can find a way to cut it off at the pass.”

He spreads two pages’ worth of brain scans on his coffee table and says doctors told him that red regions in the color-coded scan mean he is not getting enough oxygen in the left lobe of his brain, the part associated with organization and memory. He already forgets people’s names or why he walked into a room or where he’s heading while driving on the highway, and fears his memory issues are getting worse.

Dorsett’s had surgery on both his knees, and problems with his left arm and right wrist. He says then-Cowboys coach Tom Landry once told him he could play despite a broken bone in his back. Not even the flak jacket Dorsett says he wore beneath his jersey could bring relief, the injury so painful that “tears would just start flowing out of my eyes, profusely and uncontrollably” during practices.

“They would see me and just point to the training room. ‘Go to the training room, get some ice and heat and come on back out here,’” Dorsett says.

And during games?

“They were hitting me, and I’d be squealing like a pig,” Dorsett says, imitating the guttural sound. “It was so bad that the other team was telling our coaches, ‘Get him out of the game.’ You know that something’s wrong then. And like a fool, I stayed as long as I could. They’re going to our sideline, telling our coaches, ‘Get him out of the game!’ … You know it’s bad when the opposition feels sorry for you.”

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The San Francisco 49ers and the NFL have adopted extraordinary security measures for Sunday’s NFC championship against the New York Giants after New Orleans Saints fans complained of harassment by unruly 49ers faithful last week.

Undercover police will be dressed in Giants’ garb and on the lookout for nasty fans. Giants ticketholders will be handed a card as they enter Candlestick Park with details on how to contact police if they feel threatened. And more security cameras and undercover police officers will be in place to identify abusive fans.

Season ticketholders have also been warned to follow the NFL Fan Code of Conduct: no foul or abusive language or obscene gestures and no verbal or physical abuse of opposing team fans.

The nail-biting 36-32 win last Saturday for the 49ers was the team’s first playoff game in nine years, and a raucous crowd was on hand to enjoy the victory at the expense of the Saints.

“I apologize for any rudeness that may have happened,” San Francisco 49ers president and CEO Jed York said. “I think you saw 49ers fans who were very excited about hosting a playoff game for the first time in a long time.”

Those fans were so excited that they ruined the day for a shaken Don Moses and his two teenage daughters. Moses, a longtime Bay Area resident who is from New Orleans, said they were wearing the Saints colors and prepared for some good-natured ribbing.

Instead, he tells a horror story of fear and humiliation when his daughters asked him why he didn’t do anything to stop the hulking 49ers fans who yelled vulgarities and threw footballs at them, screamed in their faces and called their mother a whore.

“The hostility and threats of violence were a constant throughout our experience,” Moses said in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle, one that launched some soul-searching by city officials and led to some 49ers fans to apologize on behalf of their city.

“Every other word from dozens of fans around us was an f-bomb shouted at the top of their lungs,” Moses said. “There were seven or eight large 30- to 35-year-old guys directly behind us who cursed and threatened us the entire game.” He turned to ask them to tone it down in front of his girls and they yelled: “Do not turn around again! Do not ever turn around again.”

He was afraid that if the fans saw him calling or texting security, the men would harm his daughters.

“Every 49ers fan, the team and its owners should be ashamed and embarrassed to wear the red and gold today,” Moses wrote in the letter published Tuesday. “They won the game but are losers in every other way.”

NFL security director Jeff Miller told the AP that if the security cameras or undercover police catch such abusive behavior by fans on Sunday, they will be yanked from the stadium.

“We’ll be looking early on to identify people trying to do those things in the parking areas and take action to remove them,” said Miller, who will be at the game. “We’re not going to be warning people inside the stadium. They will be removed.”

Authorities are already sensitive about the heartbreaking case of Brian Stow, a paramedic and San Francisco Giants fan who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a beating by two men dressed in Dodgers gear following the home opener against the Giants in Los Angeles on March 31. Medical care for Stow is expected to cost as much as $50 million and the father of two has sued the Dodgers.

Tailgating after kickoff already has been banned from the parking lot at Candlestick Park under security measures introduced after two shootings, a beating and fights broke out during an Aug. 20 pre-season game with across-the-bay rivals Oakland Raiders.

San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said he heard first-hand how Saints fans were treated last Saturday when he gave three of them a lift from the stadium back into the city after the game. They gave him an earful about how badly they’d been belittled.

“We’re all native San Franciscans and, you know, that’s not the way we want to represent the team and the city,” Suhr said.

He said Mayor Ed Lee instructed him to do whatever it takes to make Giants fans feel safe.

Police officers and team personnel at the ticket gates will be welcoming them with cards that tell them how to contact police.

The 49ers also purchased Giants attire for undercover police officers.

“They’ll be seated around the stadium as decoys, if you will, trying to draw out the obnoxious fans and they will be removed immediately,” he said.

Then there are the lights.

A good portion of the game will be played under the same stadium lights that blacked out and delayed the nationally televised Monday Night Football game between the 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 19.

The city and the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. insist there won’t be an embarrassing repeat of the two blackouts at the 51-year-old stadium, which had prompted the mayor to call the night a “national embarrassment.”

PG&E spokesman Joe Molica is confident the nearly $1 million in upgrades to the park by the electric utility and the city will prove the old bayside stadium proud.

He said the wire for the electrical circuit that serves the park has been replaced with more than a mile and a half of new wire that is resistant to contact and carries three times the electrical load. A new computer system allows workers to better monitor the circuit.

The command center at the stadium has conducted a string of tests simulating the Dec. 19 blackout and everything tested well.

Will Molica be holding his breath on Sunday about another blackout?

No, he said, “I’ll be holding my breath for the 49ers to win.”

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Ed Reed sealed a 20-13 victory Sunday with Baltimore’s fourth takeaway, and when he finally limped off the field, the Ravens were assured their second trip to the AFC championship game in four seasons.

Baltimore (13-4) will visit Tom Brady and the New England Patriots next Sunday, with the winner moving on to the Super Bowl.

“We know we have a big test next week,” linebacker Ray Lewis said. “Tom is playing excellent up there, and what they did to the Broncos last night, I think they sent a message to whoever was coming up there. So, we’ve got our hands full.”

The Patriots lead the series 6-1, but Baltimore’s lone win came in the postseason.

The Ravens have been in the playoffs for four years running, but this was their first home game since 2006. It was anything but easy.

Baltimore forced two turnovers in the first quarter in building a 17-3 lead thanks to touchdown passes by Joe Flacco, and interceptions by Lardarius Webb and Reed in the fourth quarter helped the advantage stand up.

“We knew what was coming,” Lewis said. “This young team, they are so freakin’ fiery. They’ve got so many great pieces over there. I just take my hat off to them, just simply for the way they came out and fought today.

“More importantly, I take my hat off to my team, as well, because we came out and we knew it was going to be tough. We made some plays, they made some plays and at the end of the game, we made the plays that counted.”

One week earlier, in the first playoff game in Texans history, Houston (11-7) didn’t commit a turnover in a 31-10 home rout of Cincinnati. Against Baltimore, the Texans’ couldn’t hold onto the ball and quickly fell behind by two touchdowns.

Arian Foster ran for 132 yards, the first player to rush for 100 yards in the playoffs against the Ravens. But rookie quarterback T.J. Yates threw three interceptions.

Down 17-13 at halftime, Houston twice held the Ravens without a first down in the third quarter before driving to the Baltimore 32. From there, Neil Rackers’ 50-yard field goal try hit the crossbar and dropped into the end zone.

Baltimore then launched a drive in which seldom-used Lee Evans made a sensational one-handed catch for a 30-yard gain on third-and-5 from the Houston 39. On fourth-and-goal inside the 1, Ray Rice was stuffed by linebacker Tim Dobbins for no gain.

The Texans couldn’t move the ball, and the Ravens took the ensuing punt at the Houston 49. But three plays netted only 4 yards, and Sam Koch punted for the seventh time.

Minutes later, the Ravens went three and out for the fourth time in five second-half possessions. Fortunately for Baltimore, the defense compensated for the team’s inability to add to its early lead.

Webb’s second interception came with 7 1/2 minutes left and the Ravens clinging to 17-13 advantage. Baltimore moved 45 yards to get a field goal by Billy Cundiff with 2:52 left.

Reed ended the Texans’ subsequent drive with his eighth career playoff interception inside the 5-yard line.

“When we got up 17-3, the No. 1 thing I told them is: `They’re going to make a rally. Every great team makes a rally,’” Lewis said. “And this is what playoff football is all about. I mean, year after year and time after time, great competition going against each other, it really does get no better.”

Houston’s Danieal Manning muffled the record crowd of 71,547 by taking the opening kickoff 60 yards to the Baltimore 41. Yates then completed two straight passes, and after the Ravens stuffed Foster on a third-and-1, Rackers kicked a 40-yard field goal.

Baltimore failed to get a first down on its first possession and had to punt. Jacoby Jones inexplicably attempted to field the bouncing ball at the 13-yard line, was immediately hit by Cary Williams and lost the ball, which was recovered by rookie Jimmy Smith at the 2.

On third down, Flacco threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kris Wilson – the tight end’s first catch of the season.

After a Houston punt, Flacco completed a 21-yard pass to Anquan Boldin to set up a 48-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead.

Later in the first quarter, Webb stepped in front of Andre Johnson for an interception at the Houston 35. Five plays later, Flacco tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Boldin in the right side of the end zone.

Yates then completed a pair of third-down passes in a 59-yard drive that ended with a field goal.

After Yates misfired on third down from the Baltimore 10, the rookie came off the field he was greeted by coach Gary Kubiak, who put a hand on the back of the quarterback’s jersey while chatting.

Yates returned after a Baltimore punt to direct a 12-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Foster, who accounted for 66 yards – including 54 on the ground.

Yates went 17 for 35 for 184 yards. Johnson had eight catches for 111 yards.

The second round of the playoffs begins Saturday in San Francisco, where one of the league’s top defenses – the 49ers yielded 229 points and ranked fourth overall in yards allowed, first against the run – takes on Drew Brees and the Saints’ record-setting attack.

If defense wins championships, as has been the theory in pro football for decades, the edge clearly belongs to the 49ers. Then again, the NFL hasn’t seen an offense as prolific as the Saints.

“They’ve been very consistent all year,” Saints coach Sean Payton said of the NFC West champion Niners (13-3). “The formula has been outstanding defense. … They’re the No. 1 team in taking the football away and they’re the No. 1 team in protecting the football offensively. Those are significant numbers.

“I think you can see week to week on tape their production on both sides of the ball. You’re talking about a Pro Bowl punter and a kicking game that’s near the top of the league in almost every statistic. In all three phases, they’ve been consistent. They’ve received great production and as a result they’ve played very well.”

The 49ers have five All-Pros: linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, defensive tackle Justin Smith, who also plays a lot at end, kicker David Akers and punter Andy Lee. Their offense has been so efficient that San Francisco had only 10 giveaways, which equaled the 2010 Patriots for fewest in NFL history.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Willis said. “We know that and I’m sure they know that as well. They’re going to do what they need to do to prepare to come in to play against us and we’re going to do that same (thing). We’ll see where the chips lay when the game is over, but we’re certainly going to come with everything we have. It’s either win or go home.”

The Saints tore through the NFL, setting NFL marks for total yards on offense (7,474) and yards passing (5,347, including sacks), with Brees shattering Dan Marino’s 27-year-old record of 5,084 yards passing by throwing for 5,476. He had 468 completions, breaking Peyton Manning’s 2010 mark of 450, and completed 71.6 percent of his passes, breaking his own 2009 record of a 70.6 completion percentage.

Darren Sproles had an NFL-record 2,696 combined yards, easily breaking the previous mark of 2,690 set by Derrick Mason with Tennessee in 2000.

“We always go into every game with an aggressive mentality,” Brees said. “We’re going to be balanced, but within the framework of that we’re going to take our shots. We’re going to throw the kitchen sink at everybody with our tempo, personnel groups, formations, running the ball, outside, drop-back pass, bootlegs, heavy play-action, everything. But within the framework of that, you understand, especially early on, you check it down, move on.”

Also looking to move on Saturday are the AFC East champion Patriots (13-3), who host the AFC West winners, the Denver Broncos (9-8). On Sunday, AFC South winner Houston (11-6) is at AFC North champ Baltimore (12-4) before defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay (15-1) hosts NFC East champ New York (10-7).

New England has lost its last three postseason games: the 2008 Super Bowl to the Giants, then home matchups with Baltimore and the Jets the last two Januarys. Now comes the Tim Tebow phenomenon, and it’s become difficult to doubt Denver with the way it has responded to tough times.

After blowing a 14-point lead and being forced to overtime by Pittsburgh, the Broncos needed all of one play – a dynamic 80-yard catch-and run by Demaryius Thomas – to beat the far more experienced Steelers.

The challenge is just as formidable in Foxborough.

“You’re definitely at a high, you’re feeling great, a lot of momentum, and that’s good,” Tebow said. “But you really have to take that enthusiasm, that momentum into the next week’s work, using that as fuel for next week and trying to continually improve on that. I think you can’t necessarily relish on it too much because the next day we have to get ready for a big game and the Patriots.”

Baltimore is getting ready for its first playoff home game under coach John Harbaugh, Jim’s brother. The Ravens have made the playoffs in all four seasons under Harbaugh, but as wild cards.

They won their eight home games in 2011, including beating the Texans 29-14 in October.

“We did what we had to do to get that first-week bye,” defensive end Cory Redding said. “We came out of the back stretch 3-1, and that was our main focus. Guys are fighting on the field with big gashes down their legs and almost bruised ribs, messed up knees and toes and ankles and hands, and yet we still fought our way.

“That was the biggest thing. We got that accomplished. We got control in the AFC North accomplished, and now it’s time to rest, recover and get ready for the second season and winning Game 1. That was the mindset for the guys. It was a big accomplishment.”

Like the Texans, the Giants are trying to accomplish a difficult feat: winning at Lambeau Field, where the Packers were 8-0, and defeating a team that beat them in early December in the Meadowlands.

New York is banking on a revived defense, especially the pass rush, and an invigorated running game.

“Persistence … and the ability to ride the ups and the downs and stay together,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin credited for his team’s recent surge. “The development of the feeling of `team.’ The confidence that grows from a little bit of success. The ability to put some of the pieces to the puzzle together that haven’t been there, that weren’t there, that do breed the confidence.”

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Authorities say the fire broke out around 3 a.m. in the kitchen of Wilson’s home in Seven Fields, about 30 minutes north of the city. Flames were visible to firefighters when they arrived on the scene, according to Cranberry Township director of Public Safety Jeffrey Schueler.

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The 50-year-old Wilson, in his fifth season with the Steelers, was taken to a hospital before being airlifted to UPMC Mercy Hospital for treatment. His condition was not immediately available. The cause of the fire has not been determined and remains under investigation.

Wilson will not travel with the team on Sunday when the Steelers face Denver in the first round of the AFC playoffs. Offensive assistant Harold Goodwin worked with the running backs during Friday’s practice.

Steelers president Art Rooney II said he was “saddened” by the news.

“We know that he has the best medical care in the country treating him,” Rooney said in a statement posted on the team’s website. “The entire organization is praying for Kirby to have a full recovery and we will be by his side through this difficult time.”

UPMC Mercy has the area’s only Comprehensive Burn Center. It’s the same hospital where quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was treated following a motorcycle crash in 2006.

Wilson, who is from Los Angeles, played running back and wide receiver at Illinois before playing briefly in the Canadian Football League. He served as running backs coach in New England, Washington, Arizona and Tampa Bay before joining the Steelers when head coach Mike Tomlin took over in 2007.

Popular with the players because of his high-energy approach, Wilson guided running back Rashard Mendenhall to consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and spent this week helping third-year back Isaac Redman get ready for his first playoff start after Mendenhall was lost for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee.

“He’s really taken me from a practice-squad running back to a running back that’s capable of playing in this league,” Redman said of Wilson. “He had a lot to do with my development, being able to recognize defenses and being able to be just a complete professional in how I go about my life every day.”

The players were alerted to Wilson’s condition during a team meeting Friday, and his players realized something was amiss when Wilson – a notoriously early riser – was not at the facility looking at film.

Veteran wide receiver Hines Ward said he doesn’t believe Wilson’s condition will be a distraction.

Redman, who made the practice squad as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Bowie State in 2009 before being elevated to the 53-man roster last season, hopes to pay tribute to the coach who turned him into a professional.

“We’re going to fight and we have a little more incentive to go out and get this win, to get the win for him,” Redman said.

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Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback for the first time, easily beating New Orleans’ Drew Brees, 47½ to 2½. Rodgers led Green Bay to a league-best 15-1 record, maintaining the brilliance he showed in taking the Packers to the Super Bowl title last February.

Johnson and Allen each received 49 votes Friday from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. It’s the fourth All-Pro team for Allen, who led the league with 22 sacks, one-half short of the record. Johnson makes it for the first time after hauling in 96 catches for a 17.5-yard average and scoring 16 touchdowns.

“That’s sweet,” Johnson said. “That’s one of the best honors you can have other than being a Super Bowl champion. To be an All-Pro is a tremendous honor.”

Allen liked how adding to his All-Pro spots in 2007 through 2009 reflects on his career.

“The All-Pro Team to me is one of the all-time accomplishments,” Allen said. “Pro Bowls are nice, but guys get voted in longer than they should and guys who deserve to go don’t always get to. It’s the whole league. It’s not just an AFC and NFC thing. So to me this is the honor I hold the highest. It’s something to put on the resume and tell the grandkids about.”

One rookie made the squad: Arizona’s Patrick Peterson was selected as the kick returner. Peterson tied an NFL mark when he ran back four punts for touchdowns, including a 99-yarder in overtime to beat the Rams.

“It’s special to be the only rookie on the list and a nice way to end my first NFL season,” said Peterson, a cornerback.

Another cornerback, Darrelle Revis of the Jets, was behind Johnson and Allen with 48 selections. Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs got 47.

One oddity: Both first-team guards, Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans, were from the Saints. That has not occurred since 1953, with Detroit’s Lou Creekmur and Dick Stanfel.

In the All-Pro backfield joining Rodgers, whose quarterback rating of 122.5 broke Peyton Manning’s single-season mark, were Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville, LeSean McCoy of Philadelphia, and fullback Vonta Leach of Baltimore.

It’s the first All-Pro selections for Jones-Drew, the league’s rushing leader with 1,606 yards, and McCoy. Leach made it last year with Houston.

“It is a we thing, not a me thing,” Jones-Drew said, praising his teammates on offense and his coaches. “The guys who don’t get the glory and keep blocking all day, and the coaches who don’t get enough credit, it’s for them.”

McCoy scored 20 touchdowns, 17 rushing, and was the brightest spot in a down year for the hyped Eagles. Yet …

“There are so many things I can do better,” he said. “I look at the numbers and see so many plays I left on the field, so many yards. I can perfect my game a lot more.”

Record-setter Rob Gronkowski was the tight end. The Patriot set the single-season mark at his position with 1,327 yards receiving. Teammate Wes Welker (league-high 122 catches) was the other receiver.

Pittsburgh’s Maurkice Pouncey was the center, with Philadelphia’s Jason Peters and Cleveland’s Joe Thomas at tackle.

Joining Allen on the defensive line were ends Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants, and tackles Haloti Ngata of the Ravens and Justin Smith of the 49ers — who also placed third at DE; the 49ers used him at both spots.

The linebackers were Suggs and DeMarcus Ware of Dallas on the outside, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman of the 49ers and Derrick Johnson of the Chiefs on the inside. Bowman and Johnson tied with 16 votes, half of Willis’ total.

Revis and Charles Woodson of the Packers were the cornerbacks, with Troy Polamalu of the Steelers and Eric Weddle of the Chargers at safety.

Both kickers were 49ers: placekicker David Akers and punter Andy Lee.

Repeaters from 2010 were Polamalu, Revis, Willis, Ngata, Evans, Thomas and Leach.

In addition to Johnson, Jones-Drew, McCoy and Peterson, other first-timers were Gronkowski, Nicks, Peters, Pouncey, Pierre-Paul, Smith, Suggs, Bowman, Johnson and Weddle.

The 49ers led the All-Pro Team with five players, a testament to the turnaround in San Francisco under new coach Jim Harbaugh. Baltimore was next with three players. The Ravens are coached by Jim Harbaugh’s brother, John, whose team beat the 49ers on Thanksgiving night.

There were 16 players from the NFC and 12 from the AFC.

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The high altitude of Denver’s Mile High Stadium, could possibly have a negative affect on Clark’s condition and he previously had to have a gall bladder removed and lost 30 pounds to Sickle Cell after a 2007 game in Denver.

CNN reports:

But the CDC cautions that those with sickle cell trait can experience complications during both athletic activity and when at high altitudes. Denver, known as the Mile-High City, is 5,280 feet above sea level. Pittsburgh is about 770 feet above sea level.

Clark has been the Steelers’ busiest defender this season, according to ESPN.com. He has been on the field for 1,009 snaps this season, or 98.7% of the team’s defensive plays. He led the team with 100 tackles.

Read More At CNN

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Morris was fired Monday after three seasons that raised questions about ownership’s commitment to winning because the club has resisted spending large amounts of money in free agency.

A 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday’s season finale was the 10th straight following a 4-2 start. The skid was the franchise’s longest within one season since 1977, when the Bucs lost 12 in a row to extend the longest losing streak in league history to 26 consecutive games over two years.

Morris went 17-31, including a 10-6 mark in 2010, when the Bucs narrowly missed the playoffs. His entire staff of assistants was dismissed, too.

“In these things it is not just one thing, but I will point to just the progress of the team and where we’re at,” Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said at a news conference. “Again, you can’t point to one thing or another. You look at totality of the situation when making your decision.”

The 35-year-old Morris was hired in January 2009, replacing Jon Gruden after Tampa Bay lost the final four games of 2008 to miss the playoffs following a 9-3 start.

This year’s collapse followed a promising start that included wins over NFC South rivals New Orleans and Atlanta, which are both headed to the playoffs.

Morris was hired at the same time that the Glazer family, which owns the team, promoted Mark Dominik to general manager. The GM’s job appears to be safe, although questions persist about whether he provided the type of talent necessary to be successful.

“I think that’s a fair question, and I do take responsibility for what happened on this football team as well. Obviously as a general manager, my job is to help acquire talent, provide talent, draft players and get us to a competitive level,” Dominik said.

Morris began his stint as the league’s youngest coach with a seven-game losing streak. It ended with a skid that rivaled some of the worst stretches in franchise history, in part because it came only a year after it looked as though the plan to build with young players was on track.

“Obviously we all felt like at 10-6 … the team was going in the right direction,” Dominik said. “Certainly during the season, it’s difficult to acquire talent when you have injuries. A coach is never supposed to stand up here and talk about the injuries he has or else he looks soft and weak and he can’t handle it. We did have some injuries this year. It was difficult. But at the same point, I thought we had some good players here that are still developing. I still feel like we have some players that will continue to grow.”

With young quarterback Josh Freeman showing great promise in his first full season as a starter, Tampa Bay won 10 games in 2010 and barely missed the playoffs. Morris entered training camp following the NFL lockout declaring he had a “youngry” team that was confident and talented enough to compete with the more experienced Saints and Falcons for a division title.

The team’s strong start included wins at home over Atlanta and New Orleans that lent credence to the coach’s assertion that a 48-3 road loss to San Francisco was simply a bad day at the office, not a sign that the Bucs were not nearly as good as their record suggested.

While injuries did contribute to the season-ending slide, so did inconsistent play – starting with Freeman. He threw for 16 touchdowns vs. 22 interceptions after tossing 25 TD passes and being intercepted just six times in 2010. The Bucs turned the ball over a league-leading 40 times compared to 19 last season.

The defense, which has a proud tradition, sank to unheard of lows in Tampa Bay. In addition to surrendering a franchise-record and league-high 494 points, the Bucs lost eight games by double-digit margins and allowed 31 points or more seven times during the season-ending skid.

With Morris serving as his own defensive coordinator, he shouldered much of the blame for the steady decline.

Still, last week the coach laid out his argument for keeping the job.

The Bucs had the youngest team in the NFL this season, with 30 players on the 53-man roster in their first, second or third years in the league.

In addition, there are 21 players on the roster, including leading rusher LeGarrette Blount and third-leading receiver Preston Parker, who entered the NFL as undrafted free agents.

Among the veterans who didn’t return in 2011 were middle linebacker Barrett Ruud and running back Cadillac Williams, who left via free agency. Rookie Mason Foster stepped into Ruud’s spot and took on play-calling responsibilities, and the loss of Williams left Freeman without a proven third-down back once veteran Earnest Graham was lost for the season to injury.

“We made a collective agreement to go young when we took over this program. That’s something we wanted to do,” Morris said at the time. “I believe in my guys. I believe in the system. I believe in the program. I believe in what we do. We want to build this thing young, and want to develop a team that goes out and wins, and wins consistently.”

Glazer said there’s no timetable for naming a successor.

“We just want to find the right person,” he said, adding that his family also remains committed to building a roster primarily through the draft.

“We will be happy to spend in free agency, but we have got to build a team,” Glazer said. “We have to draft well and build a foundation for this team. But we’re open-minded; whatever we have to do to win.”

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Team owner Jim Irsay fired team vice chairman Bill Polian and his son, Chris, the Colts’ general manager on Monday. He said there was a good chance coach Jim Caldwell will be back next season, but his evaluation was not over.

He also must still decide whether a healthy Peyton Manning and a new quarterback can co-exist in the same locker room, and which veteran free agents come back next year, if any.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a year in the NFL where a team went 2-14 and there’s not been changes,” defensive captain Gary Brackett said Monday, less than 24 hours after a season-ending loss at Jacksonville.

Outsiders had expected the first order of business to be the firing of Caldwell, who won 14 straight games and advanced to the Super Bowl in his first season as Colts coach. Caldwell said he simply went about his business Monday, speaking with Irsay following the 19-13 loss at Jacksonville and with both Polians on Monday, part of his usual routine.

“You lose as many games as we lost in a year, there’s a problem, there’s an issue,” Caldwell said. “But when we were 14-2, the way you guys put it, my job was in limbo then, right?”

The elder Polian had constructed Super Bowl teams in Buffalo and Indy, and an NFC title contender at Carolina.

But troubling signs emerged this season as the Colts lost time and time again — 13 straight at one point — with Manning sidelined to recover from Sept. 8 neck surgery. And it was Manning who suggested he and Bill Polian were not on the same page.

Polian said on one of his weekly radio shows that he and the four-time league MVP had discussed the possibility of establishing a transition plan at quarterback and that Manning was OK with it. Manning later said the two had never discussed the 2012 draft plans, which include the No. 1 pick amid speculation that the Colts will take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck to groom as Manning’s successor.

Then, just before Christmas, Polian told local reporters that Manning would fail his exit physical, a move that would actually help the Colts because it would allow him to continue working out at the team complex during the offseason.

“That was kind of news to me,” Manning told reporters Sunday, then said he probably could pass the physical.

Fans have been clamoring for the ouster of Caldwell and both Polians. Irsay, a frequent poster on Twitter, has been listening.

“I want 2 thank all ColtsFans..here,throughout the country n abroad,4ur tremendous,loyal support all year long. Ur feedback is heard n noted,” he tweeted Monday morning.

For their part, players offered support for Caldwell, who just wrapped his third year as head coach in Indy.

“One thing about Jim is that he’s a stand-up guy, and guys respect that,” cornerback Jerraud Powers said. “He’s a great coach, a good guy, and it was unfortunate situation this year. But he never lost the locker room.”

The longer and, perhaps, more critical debate is how to rebuild this team and what to do at quarterback.

Manning never played after undergoing his third neck surgery in 19 months, a fusion of two vertebrae.

He did, however, start throwing to teammates in mid-December and received good reviews from both Bill Polian, who was watching, and running back Joseph Addai, who was catching balls. Doctors familiar with the procedure who did not treat Manning say he should return to a high level of play now that the fusion has healed.

If he is healthy, Irsay has promised to bring back Manning regardless of the $28 million bonus he is owed in March.

But after posting the NFL’s worst record without Manning, the Colts also have won the Luck sweepstakes, potentially putting two franchise quarterbacks on the same roster.

“I think I can co-exist with any player I’ve ever played with,” Manning said Sunday. “I think I’ve always been a good teammate in that way.”

If Manning returns, Irsay might be more likely to bring back former Pro Bowlers Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne, all of whom are now in their 30s, and keep other key high-priced cogs in the Colts’ success such as Brackett and safety Melvin Bullitt.

“I think when you’re playing, you’re so entrenched with the people you go to work with every day,” Saturday said. “It’s different for us to go out and think like an owner. But whatever decisions, we’ve got to take it as a community and move on.”

He’d clearly had enough of the Polians, though.

Bill Polian drew the wrath of fans in 2009 when he pulled the starters in the third quarter against the New York Jets, costing the Colts a chance at a perfect season after going 14-0. At the time, Polian told listeners that the team’s goal was to win the Super Bowl, not go undefeated. Indy wound up losing the Super Bowl, too.

When Manning went down this season, Polian came under fire for not having a capable backup in place, signing Kerry Collins out of retirement and fueling speculation that the team was interested in Brett Favre. He told radio listeners that he accepted the blame.

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The NFL’s leading rusher spoke out about the issue again Wednesday, nearly a week after telling The Associated Press he would hide a possible head injury so he could stay in a game.

“I’ve had concussions before, and it wasn’t this big deal about concussions,” Jones-Drew said. “The only reason they’re making a big deal about concussions right now is because the league is getting sued over it. Before this, you never heard about it. A couple of years ago, you didn’t hear anything about it.”

After NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was grilled about his sport’s concussion policies at a congressional hearing in October 2009, the league made several significant changes. Those moves have continued, including this month’s addition of certified athletic trainers sitting in booths during games to keep an eye out for possible head injuries and alert teams’ medical staffs.

Starting this summer, at least eight lawsuits have been filed against the NFL by dozens of retired players who say they have medical problems related to brain injuries from their time in professional football. The NFL’s stance, in part, is that players knew there were risks of injury, and there was no misconduct or liability on the league’s part.

Jones-Drew called the possibility of serious injury in football an “occupational hazard.”

He was one of 44 players the AP interviewed recently about concussions. Slightly more than half – 23 – said they would try to hide a concussion and stay in a game rather than pull themselves out.

Players generally indicated they are more aware now of the possible long-term effects of jarring hits to the helmet. Five said that while they would have tried to conceal a concussion during a game in 2009, now they would seek help.

Players also said they should be better protected from their own instincts: More than two-thirds of the group the AP talked to would like to have independent neurologists on sidelines during games.

“You know playing football you’re going to get hurt, right?” Jones-Drew said Wednesday. “In the back of your mind, you’ve got to know that the worst that can happen is you can break your neck and be paralyzed for the rest of your life, right? You have to go into every game knowing that could be what happens. Any given play that could happen to you, right? So there it is. When you sign these deals, you know in the back of your mind, that’s what can happen.

“Now basketball, on the other hand, it’s a different sport. Race car driving, you know that when you get in that car, there can be an opportunity for that thing to flip over and catch on fire. You see what I’m saying? It’s an occupational hazard, simple as that, and you have to be willing to accept it, and I am.”

Jones-Drew reiterated that he takes the risk because of his family and said he strongly believes NFL teams would be hesitant to sign players with a history of concussions. So he would hide a concussion to stay in a game, even if it meant increased potential for long-term health issues.

“I would do anything for my kids,” he said. “If they’re happy, I’m happy. I think they would appreciate it. As long as my kids’ kids would be happy with what I did, that’s what this life is about: sacrifice. It’s not about you anymore, you know?”

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The 49ers signed Edwards to a one-year contract worth $1 million this past August. But he struggled with injuries the entire season and was never 100 percent.

“I was released today by the 49ers due to my injury that required more time to rehab and hasn’t allowed me to re-sync with the offense,” Edwards wrote. “I wish the 49ers organization the best of luck during the Playoffs. I will be working hard this off season to strengthen my knee and prepare for the 2012 season.”

Read the rest of the story at the San Francisco Chronicle.

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The man with the expiring contract caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dan Orlovsky with 19 seconds left, giving the Colts their only lead of the game in a 19-16 victory over AFC South champion Houston 19-16.

It’s the second straight win for the Colts (2-13), who will now have to fight off St. Louis and Minnesota for the No. 1 overall draft pick. Orlovsky, who played the last two seasons with Houston, also won his second straight game after losing his first nine NFL starts.

Houston was in a position to come to Indianapolis and simply tune up for the postseason.

Not a chance.

The Texans looked anything but playoff-ready. They settled for two field goals in the red zone, didn’t convert a third down until getting a lucky bounce late in the fourth quarter, its running game was stymied late and the defense helped the Colts with three penalties on the decisive drive.

Houston (11-4) is now 0-10 in Indianapolis and still hunting for a first-round bye. The Texans still haven’t scored more than 20 points in a game since Nov. 27.

Brian Cushing broke through the line on the game’s first play, sacking Orlovsky and stripping the ball. Arian Foster ran for 8 yards on the next play, then scored on a 9-yard burst off the left side to give Houston a 7-0 lead.

Nobody got into the end zone again until Orlovsky took the Colts 78 yards in the final two minutes and finally hooked up with Wayne, who outmaneuvered a defender for the winning score.

In between, Neil Rackers and Adam Vinatieri traded field goals.

It may go down as the final home game for not only Wayne and Orlvosky, but also cornerstones such as Jeff Saturday and Robert Mathis – and maybe even Peyton Manning, though Colts owner Jim Irsay told NFL Network that if Peyton Manning plays in 2012, it will be in Indianapolis.

“If the situation is where he’s back and he’s healthy, then I see him coming back and playing here,” Irsay said before the game. “I think there is a lot of speculation about the draft pick and those sorts of things, but I think what you have to realize is this — is the likes of Peyton Manning going to be seen again? It is not coming, if ever, for a very, very long time. You’re not going to go in this draft or the next draft and get another Peyton Manning.”

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Amazingly, 79 of those 100 8th graders fulfilled those requirements and Edwards has followed through on his promise, donating $790,000 so the students could go to colleges . Edwards currently plays for the San Francisco 49ers and only earns $1 million a year, which is probably less than $790,000 after taxes.

Yahoo Sports reports:

As a Cleveland Browns rookie in 2005, Edwards announced he’d give $10,000 in scholarships to 100 area eighth graders if they could graduate high school with over a 2.5 GPA and 15 hours community service. Of the 100 who were afforded the opportunity, 79 met the criteria and have begun their first year of college. Many are attending Ohio universities, but the schools represented spread across the country and include Harvard, Cornell and Johns Hopkings.

Read More At Yahoo Sports

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Two power outages delayed the Niners’ Monday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, first just before kickoff and again early in the second quarter after the stadium moved to a backup power source.

NFL security chief Jeff Miller said he witnessed a transformer blow up while he was monitoring a gate outside the stadium, where a shooting during the preseason already put a negative light on this venue.

The first outage pushed back the opening kickoff by 20 minutes. Thousands of flashbulbs went off in the midst of the blackness, with a sellout crowd of 69,732 sitting in darkness – including all those Terrible Towel-waving Steelers fans who travel the country with their team.

The second delay came early in the second quarter and halted the game again between 10-3 playoff-bound teams for about 15 minutes. Miller and other NFL officials gathered in the press box to assess the situation, remaining in constant contact with the commissioner’s office.

Miller said he remained confident the game could be finished even using an alternative power source because the problem appeared to be outside the stadium.

“They told us that we were on the second feed, so if that feed would have been somehow interrupted then we probably wouldn’t have been able to get the lights back,” Miller told The Associated Press.

“That’s why we’re operating in (the stadium) now. That’s why we’re playing, because we think that we’ll be able to continue. We hope to be able to continue. There’s probably a problem outside the stadium.”

This is the 49ers’ only Monday Night game this season and their final regular-season home game at Candlestick Park. The NFL certainly will want to make sure there are no problems when San Francisco hosts a home playoff game next month as NFC West champions.

The power throughout the stadium went off about 25 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of 5:40 p.m. local time. The public address system stopped working along with everything else, so team officials encouraged media to use Twitter to reach fans and encourage them to sit tight and not panic. An emergency light quickly came on in a far corner of the stadium.

“What happened was the lights in the lots went out,” Miller said. “And about two minutes later, the transformer blew and then we lost everything, other than the emergency lights inside.”

A 49ers spokesman said city engineers worked swiftly to switch the power to backup generators.

Joe Molica, a spokesman for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said the power company was still investigating the cause of the outage.

“So far I don’t know what the cause is,” Molica said. “We do know that Candlestick was the only customer affected by this outage.”

Molica said PG&E and park authorities had made all the routine checks earlier in the day and that all systems appeared to be in order.

He said was back up on full power and multiple crews went to Candlestick to investigate.

Monday marked San Francisco’s biggest home game since their last trip to the playoffs in January 2003, when the Niners came from behind to stun the New York Giants 39-38 in one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

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Orton finished 23 of 31 for 299 yards in his first start for the Chiefs (6-8), who fired coach Todd Haley last Monday with the team having lost five of its last six games. The loss also ended the Packers’ 19-game winning streak.

But behind an inspired performance by the defense, four field goals by Ryan Succop and Jackie Battle’s short touchdown run with 4:53 left in the game, Kansas City managed to hand the Packers (13-1) their first loss since Dec. 19, 2010, at New England – exactly one day shy of a full year.

Aaron Rodgers was just 17 of 35 for 235 yards and a touchdown, and he also scampered eight yards for another touchdown with 2:12 left in the game. But the Packers were unable to recover the onside kick and then pick up a couple of first downs to secure the victory.

—

COLTS 27, TITANS 13

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Dan Orlovsky threw one touchdown pass and the key block on an 80-yard TD run, leading the Colts to their first win of the season.

Indianapolis (1-13) avoided becoming the second team in NFL history to go 0-16. The loss dealt a serious blow to the Titans’ playoff hopes. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was picked off twice and Chris Johnson rushed for only 55 yards for Tennessee (7-7).

Orlovsky gave Indy a 10-6 lead with an 18-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne in the third quarter, and Jacob Lacey made it 17-6 with a 32-yard interception return for a TD.

Jake Locker got the Titans within 20-13 with a 7-yard TD pass to Nate Washington with 3:43 to go. But on the next play from scrimmage, with Donald Brown reversing field, Orlovsky threw a block that helped Brown get to the corner and sprint 80 yards to seal the win.

—

PATRIOTS 41, BRONCOS 23

DENVER (AP) – Tom Brady and the Patriots shut down Tim Tebow and clinched a playoff berth with their sixth straight victory.

The Patriots (11-3) won another AFC East title by bouncing back from an early 17-6 deficit and an awful first quarter in which they were outgained on the ground 167 yards to 4.

This time, there was no last-minute magic from Tebow, Denver’s enigmatic quarterback who had guided the Broncos (8-6) to four straight fourth-quarter comebacks and six straight wins.

Instead of another slow start followed by a fantastic finish, the Broncos started out fast and then fizzled. They scored on their first three possessions and then were done in by a trio of second-quarter turnovers.

—

EAGLES 45, JETS 19

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – LeSean McCoy ran for three touchdowns to set two team records and keep Philadelphia alive in the NFC East race.

The Eagles (6-8) have won two straight for the second time this season and somehow still have a chance to repeat as division champions despite underachieving most of the year. But they have to catch Dallas (8-6) and the New York Giants (7-7).

The loss snapped New York’s three-game winning streak, dropping the Jets (8-6) into a tie with Cincinnati for the final wild-card spot in the AFC.

Michael Vick threw for 274 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for a score.

McCoy had 102 yards rushing and surpassed Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren with his 19th touchdown of the season and 16th rushing TD.

—

LIONS 28, RAIDERS 27

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Matthew Stafford threw a 6-yard TD pass to Calvin Johnson with 39 seconds remaining to cap a 98-yard scoring drive as Detroit rallied from 13 points down late in the fourth quarter.

The win wasn’t sealed until Ndamukong Suh blocked Sebastian Janikowski’s 65-yard field goal attempt on the final play. Suh threw his helmet in celebration after providing a perfect exclamation in his return from a two-game suspension.

The Raiders (7-7) appeared in control of the game when Aaron Curry returned a fumble 6 yards for a touchdown to make it 27-14 with 7:47 remaining.

But Stafford led two late scoring drives to win it and give the Lions (9-5) a two-game lead in the NFL wild-card race.

—

CARDINALS 20, BROWNS 17 OT

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Patrick Peterson returned a punt 32 yards and John Skelton threw 32 yards to Larry Fitzgerald to set up a 22-yard field goal by Jay Feely.

It was the Cardinals’ third overtime win in seven games.

Arizona (7-7), winner of six of its last seven, trailed 17-7 entering the fourth quarter.

Both teams were without their starting quarterbacks because of concussions. Skelton, in relief of Kevin Kolb, completed 28 of 36 for 313 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Seneca Wallace, starting for Colt McCoy, was 18 of 31 for 226 yards, including a 76-yard TD play to Greg Little. The Browns are 4-10.

—

SEAHAWKS 38, BEARS 14

CHICAGO (AP) – Red Bryant returned an interception 20 yards for the go-ahead TD in the third quarter and Seattle kept its faint playoff hopes alive.

Chicago quarterback Caleb Hanie was hit hard on the play by K.J. Wright and threw the ball right into Bryant’s arms as Seattle (7-7) scored two TDs in a 50-second span early in the third quarter. Brandon Browner returned another interception 42 yards for a TD in the final quarter as the Seahawks outscored Chicago 31-0 in the second half.

Marshawn Lynch added two touchdown runs for Seattle.

Chicago (7-7) lost its fourth straight and played most of the game without wide receiver Johnny Knox, who was carted off the field after injuring his back while scrambling for a fumble early in the game.

—

SAINTS 42, VIKINGS 20

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Drew Brees threw for 412 yards and five touchdowns to New Orleans to its sixth win in a row.

Brees completed 32 of 40 passes to help the Saints (11-3) overcome a slow and sloppy start and stay two games ahead of Atlanta in the NFC South. Brees is 304 yards from breaking Dan Marino’s single-season record for yards passing with two games to play.

Brees threw two touchdown passes to Lance Moore and one each to Darren Sproles, Jimmy Graham and John Gilmore.

The maligned Saints pass defense held the Vikings to 94 yards passing. Adrian Peterson rushed for 60 yards in his return from a three-game absence for the Vikings (2-12).

—

REDSKINS 23, GIANTS 10

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Rex Grossman threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss and Washington hurt New York’s playoff hopes.

Grossman threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Santana Moss, Darrel Young scored on a 6-yard run after one of three interceptions by the Redskins (5-9) and Graham Gano kicked three field goals. It was Washington’s second win in its last 10 games.

The loss knocked the Giants (7-7) out of first place in the NFC East. Dallas (8-6) now leads the division by a game with two to go, including one with Giants on the final weekend. If New York beats the Jets and the Cowboys in its final two games it will win the division.

—

CHARGERS 34, RAVENS 14

SAN DIEGO (AP) – Philip Rivers threw for one score and reached the 4,000-yard mark for the fourth straight season, Ryan Mathews ran for two scores and hit 1,000 yards rushing, and San Diego kept its slim postseason hopes alive with a victory against playoff-bound Baltimore.

The Chargers (7-7) neutralized Baltimore’s normally ferocious defense, which got Ray Lewis back after a four-game injury absence, and scored on six of their first seven possessions. San Diego is tied with Oakland, a game behind Denver with two to play. San Diego has won three straight after a six-game losing streak.

The Ravens (10-4) had their four-game winning streak snapped, but clinched a playoff berth earlier in the day thanks to losses by the New York Jets, Oakland and Tennessee.

—

PANTHERS 28, TEXANS 13

HOUSTON (AP) – Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes, DeAngelo Williams ran for a score and Carolina ended Houston’s seven-game winning streak.

Newton completed 13 of 23 passes for 149 yards, outplaying opposing rookie quarterback T.J. Yates. The Panthers (5-9) built a 21-0 halftime lead, then ended Houston’s second-half rally when linebacker James Anderson intercepted Yates in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter.

The Texans (10-4) are playing for home-field advantage in the playoffs after clinching the AFC South last weekend.

But their top-ranked defense looked vulnerable without coordinator Wade Phillips, who’s on medical leave after undergoing kidney and gall bladder surgery this week. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring made the defensive calls.

—

DOLPHINS 30, BILLS 23

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – Reggie Bush ran for a career-best 203 yards and touchdown to lead Miami to a 30-23 win over the Buffalo Bills in interim Dolphins coach Todd Bowles first game.

Bush sealed the win with a 76-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Matt Moore threw two touchdowns passes, and Vontae Davis had two of Miami’s three interceptions.

Bowles replaced the fired Tony Sparano last Monday. Miami (5-9) has won five of seven.

The Bills (5-9) have lost seven straight and could finishing last in the AFC East for the fourth straight year. Ryan Fitzpatrick finished 31 of 47 for 316 yards and a TD.

—

BENGALS 20, RAMS 13

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Rookie A.J. Green had six catches and topped 1,000 yards for the season, and Cincinnati kept pace in the AFC playoff race.

Brandon Tate’s 56-yard punt return set up Bernard Scott’s go-ahead touchdown run late in the third quarter and Cedric Benson added a short scoring run in the fourth for the Bengals (8-6), who won for the second time in six games.

Green caught a 55-yarder to set up a field goal for the game’s first score. He has 1,006 yards receiving, leaving him 3 shy of Cris Collinsworth’s franchise rookie record in 1981.

Kellen Clemens was 25 for 36 for 229 and a late touchdown pass to Danario Alexander for the Rams (2-12), who have lost five in a row.

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Chung is half Chinese and his mother is a former reggae star who appeared on the popular British music program, “Top Of The Pops.”

Yahoo Sports reports:

Patrick Chung sits in a Red Robin restaurant located in an outdoor mall near Gillette Stadium. Just 9 years old when the family left, he knows little about his mother’s life in Jamaica. He’s seen pictures and heard her songs. He can sing many of them. But he was too young to know the travelling life, the bands, the DJs and nightclub performances. By the time he was old enough to grasp what his parents did for work, they had moved – first to Miami and then to Rancho Cucamonga, a suburb southeast of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County.

But now as he is rising as a star with New England, as he becomes a bigger and bigger deal in a city where professional athletes are revered, it is the lessons of her career that he does understand. “Be humble,” she always told him. You never know when it all might end.

Read More At Yahoo Sports

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Pro Bowl receiver Joe Horn is among the plaintiffs named in the complaint that attorney Christopher Seeger said was filed in federal court in New Jersey on Monday.

It’s one of about a half-dozen suits filed against the NFL in recent months by past players who say the league did not do enough to protect them from concussions. As in other complaints against the league, the latest criticizes the NFL’s original committee on brain injuries and says the league concealed risks of concussions.

“The difference with this case is what we’ve learned from our players is that they used to administer a drug called Toradol, which is basically a painkiller … even when players didn’t have symptoms,” Seeger said in a telephone interview. “Our experts say that’s the worst thing you can do for a brain injury or a concussion.”

Seeger said it would be “impossible” to say exactly how much money Horn – who caught more than 600 passes for the Chiefs, Saints and Falcons from 1996-2007 – and the other plaintiffs are seeking.

“We’re looking for better medical benefits and compensation,” Seeger said.

“Some time back, we contacted the NFL about trying to work this out,” he said, but those discussions didn’t lead to a settlement.

Asked about the lawsuit, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an email to The Associated Press: “The NFL has long made player safety a priority and continues to do so. Any allegation that the NFL intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit. It stands in contrast to the league’s actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions.”

Aiello declined to specifically address the issue of the use of Toradol.

The complaint prepared by Seeger’s group says: “Plaintiffs have described the situation as one of being in a pre-game locker room with players lining up to receive injections of Toradol in a `cattle call’ with no warnings of any sort being given, no distinguishing between different medical conditions of the players, and regardless of whether the player had an injury of any kind.”

Seeger said his clients have issues nowadays that “range from mild cognitive problems to those that are more severe, including brain damage.”

He expects his number of clients to increase.

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McClain, 22, held a gun beside a man’s head during an altercation and the man begged him not to shoot, according to a statement released by Lt. John Crouch of the Decatur Police Department.

McClain, an All-American at Alabama during his junior year, moved the gun but fired a round beside the man’s ear, according to the statement. No one was shot, but police said a man who was injured in the altercation drove himself to a hospital, where he was treated and released.

McClain was released on $2,000 bond. He faces charges of assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and firing a gun inside the city limits. Another man identified as Jerradius Willingham, 23, was charged with assault and released after posting a $500 bond.

McClain’s attorney Billy C. Burney II said the linebacker denies he fired a gun and said he was not involved in the fight.

“Mr. McClain asserts his innocence,” Burney said in a statement. “We are confident that Mr. McClain will be cleared of all charges.”

The Raiders had no comment.

McClain’s agent, Pat Dye Jr., did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment

Raiders coach Hue Jackson said McClain was in Alabama for the funeral of his grandfather. Speaking before the arrest, he said McClain would play Sunday at Miami “as far as I know.”

“I can tell you we understand and know exactly what’s going on, and we feel very comfortable with our information and we don’t have any further comment at this time,” Jackson said.

McClain is the Raiders’ second-leading tackler this season after joining the team as the eighth overall pick in 2010. Although he struggled as a rookie, the 6-3, 255-pounder had developed into a centerpiece of Oakland’s defense this season despite being slowed by a sore left ankle.

Earlier this year McClain, the 2009 Butkus Award winner at Alabama, reported someone in Decatur shooting at his vehicle. There wasn’t any indication whether the two incidents were related.

Police said the victim, whose name was not released, suffered injuries to his head and face during a fight with Willingham. He was bleeding when officers talked to him.

“The victim told officers that following the fight, he crawled to his car,” the police statement said. “He said that when he reached his car, Rolando McClain produced a pistol and aimed it at him. He said that while he was still on the ground, McClain walked over to him and put the gun to his head.”

Police said the victim told officers “he begged McClain not to shoot him and that McClain took the gun away from his head, held it next to his ear and fired it.”

McClain was facing legal problems in Alabama before his arrest.

A University of Alabama student sued McClain in November 2010 claiming the former Crimson Tide star hit him with a car and assaulted him in 2008. Stanford Matthew Mangham filed suit in circuit court in Morgan County, where Decatur is located.

Mangham claims McClain intentionally hit him twice at an intersection on Nov. 13, 2008 and then slung Mangham to the ground, causing permanent injuries. He is seeking $75,000 plus punitive damages.

McClain’s attorneys filed documents in court denying the student’s claims.

That case is set for trial June 5.

McClain’s ankle injury forced him to miss the Raiders’ 38-24 loss to Denver on Nov. 6 when the Broncos ran for 299 yards, 118 from quarterback Tim Tebow. McClain reinjured his ankle on the first play of the second half in last week’s 25-20 win over Chicago but came back later to finish the game.

Since McClain’s return, Oakland has won three straight to take a one-game lead in the AFC West heading into Sunday’s game at Miami.

Raiders veteran running back Rock Cartwright said he intends to talk to McClain about his situation whenever the linebacker returns to the team.

“All you can do is tell them things, try to give them help, but if they don’t want to be helped, then they won’t be helped,” Cartwright said. “Once he gets back, I’ll try to put a bug in his ear and see what’s going on.”

McClain signed a $40 million, five-year contract that included $23 million in guarantees with the Raiders on July 28, 2010.

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A former first round pick of the then-Los Angeles Raiders, McGlockton played 12 seasons with the Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and New York Jets.

McGlockton registered 555 tackles, 51 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and four interceptions in his career. He made four straight Pro Bowl trips starting in 1994, when he had a career-high 9½ sacks with three forced fumbles and 48 tackles for the Raiders.

Read more at ESPN.

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Suh, penalized with nine personal foul penalties and  fines totaling $42,500 in his first two seasons, has made a name for being one of the dirtiest players in the NFL.

“First and foremost, I’m only going to apologize to my teammates, my coaches, and my true fans for allowing the refs to have an opportunity to take me out of this game,” Suh said. “What I did was remove myself from the situation in the best way I felt and me being held down in the situation that I was in and for that, my intentions were not to kick anybody, as I did not, removing myself.”

Read more at the Grio.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Per tradition, the NFL will present a Thanksgiving Day triple header.
The first game scheduled for lunchtime at 12:30 PM EST, the second at 4:15 PM EST, and the last to be enjoyed with the turkey at dinnertime at 8:20PM EST.

Four of the six teams involved in the day’s games have at least a share of first place in their divisions. In two of the three games, both participants have records of 7-3 or better.

The Detroit Lions will host the undefeated Green Bay Packers this Thursday on FOX at 12:30 p.m. est., nearly 49 years to the day after Detroit beat the Packers on Thanksgiving to hand them their only loss of the 1962 season.

The Dallas Cowboys will host the Miami Dolphins on CBS at 4:15 12:30 p.m. est.  Both teams are riding three-game winning streaks heading into their Thanksgiving Day encounter. The National Anthem will be sung by Big Time Rush. Enrique Iglesias will be the halftime performer.

The Baltimore Ravens will host the San Francisco 49ers on the NFL Network at at 8:20 p.m. est.  Both the 10-0 Green Bay Packers and 9-1 San Francisco 49ers can clinch playoff berths this week with victories on Thanksgiving Day.

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State District Judge Denise Bradley imposed the sentence despite tearful pleas from Jolly and his mother, Phyllis Jolly, to allow the 6-foot-3, 325-pound lineman to be treated for his addiction to codeine instead of going to prison. Jolly’s aunt, agent and drug counselor also testified on his behalf.

”I want to go to rehab to get help,” Jolly told the judge as he wiped away tears with a tissue.

Jolly, 28, was charged with possession of a compound containing codeine, a controlled substance, after a traffic stop in Houston in October. He also was charged with tampering with evidence for attempting to conceal the substance from the investigating officers.

Jolly’s truck was pulled over after he was seen throwing a bag out the window. The bag wasn’t recovered, but Jolly was seen dumping a cup believed to contain codeine on the floor. Two bottles believed to contain codeine were recovered from the vehicle.

The arrest put Jolly in jeopardy of receiving prison time because in April he had pleaded guilty to a codeine possession charge in a deal that wiped out an earlier charge and spared him from prison unless he stumbled again.

After the hearing, Jolly’s attorney, Letitia Quinones, told The Associated Press that the player spent eight weeks in court-ordered rehab after his second arrest, but has only recently faced up to his codeine addiction.

”I don’t look at Johnny as a criminal,” Quinones said. ”I look at him as an addict.”

Jolly, who grew up in Houston, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Packers in 2006 after playing at Texas A&M. He was a starter for the Packers in 2008 and 2009. However, he sat out the 2010 season after being suspended by the NFL indefinitely the previous July.

A rep for Owens said “His child support payments should mirror his income today and not be based on his income from over four years ago.”

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The Largest Freed Slave Settlement Was In Houston

TO is learning that having all the women you want isn’t always such a great thing. The poor guy is getting hounded by one baby mother, who is clearly annoyed that his old legs aren’t out there bringing home the bacon any longer.

Read more at  YourBlackWorld.

Of all sports, NFL players have the smallest arrest rate.

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The Post Game reports:

The numbers don’t lie. One in every 45 National Football League players (2.2 percent) is arrested. The national arrest rate is 1 in 23 (4.2 percent), according to the FBI in 2010.

WCCO Minnesota’s Jason DeRusha reports that in 2010, the NBA had by far the highest arrest rate (5.1 percent) of the major professional sports leagues in America. Major League Baseball is second with an arrest rate of 2.1 percent last year. Believe it or not, the NFL is last with (2.0 percent) of its players in trouble.

Read More At The Post Game