Sports
SECTION B Monday, January 20, 2014 Northwest Herald
Breaking news @ www.NWHerald.com
Sports editor: Jon Styf • jstyf@shawmedia.com
VIEWS Tom Musick
NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
Seahawks tip 49ers
Marquee matchup no more
SEAHAWKS 23, 49ERS 17
Sherman’s deflected pass, Smith’s INT seal NFC title By MARK POTASH mpotash@suntimes.com SEATTLE – Their vaunted homefield advantage muted by an early deficit, the Seattle Seahawks found a way to win anyhow. Trailing almost from the outset and into the fourth quarter, the Seahawks rallied behind NFL Extra quarterback Russell Wilson and a More coverage of defense that not Sunday’s NFC and only was as good AFC championship as advertised but games, including came up with Hub Arkush’s take all the big plays on the games. when it mattered PAGES B6-7 most to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 23-17, in NFC Championship game Sunday at CenturyLink Field. Wilson, overcoming a lost fumble on the Seahawks’ first play from scrimmage, threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse on a fourth-and-7 play early in the fourth quarter. And the defense made it stand with three takeaways in the final 10:20 – capped by Malcolm Smith’s interception in the end zone with 22 seconds left off a pass intended for Michael Crabtree but tipped by teammate Richard Sherman – to advance to Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
See NFC, page B5
AP photo
The Seahawks’ Richard Sherman tips a pass intended for the San Francisco 49ers’ Michael Crabtree in the final seconds of Sunday’s NFC Championship game in Seattle. Malcolm Smith intercepted the tipped pass, and the Seahawks won, 23-17.
Manning’s brilliance carries Broncos By ADAM L. JAHNS ajahns@suntimes.com
AP photo
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning prepares to pass Sunday in the second half of the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots in Denver.
DENVER – It was a family moment. Peyton Manning, wearing his AFC championship shirt, bearhugged younger brother Eli. Seconds later, big brother Cooper was waved over from across the locker room and received his hug and several pats on his behind. Reporters stared and jockeyed for pictures. Former NFL safety John Lynch made sure to whip out his cellphone for his own snapshot of history. The first family of football is back in the Super Bowl, thanks to Peyton Manning’s brilliantly efficient performance in the Denver Broncos’ 26-16 victory Sunday against the New England Patriots.
BRONCOS 26, PATRIOTS 16 “You definitely have to take time to savor the moment,” said Manning, who was 32 for 43 for 400 yards, two touchdowns and a 118.4 passer rating. “I know I certainly will, being in my 16th season, going to my third Super Bowl. I know how hard it is get there.” Plenty of factors played into the
CHICAGO – When TNT cable network and league executives sat down this summer to study the NBA schedule, their decision seemed like a slam dunk. After all, in mid-January, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers would travel north to tip off against Derrick Rose and the Bulls. What a perfect opportunity for a nationally televised game as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day doubleheader. Whoops. Believers Change of plans. The Bulls lost Don’t Derrick Rose to plan on an injury and Luol watching Deng to a trade, the Bulls play the but they keep findLakers on ing ways to win. TNT on PAGE B3 Monday. Forget about the cool aerial shots of the city’s skyline and the blunt-as-ahammer halftime show, which is the best in sports. The two sub-.500 teams will play on WGN instead. Because TNT, in conjunction with league officials, recently decided to boot the Bulls and Lakers from their coverage plans. Instead, the network will send a crew to cover the Portland Trail Blazers against the Houston Rockets to open its prime-time doubleheader. Nobody at TNT was willing to speak on the record about why the change was made, so we’re left to speculate about how the conversation went down. Here’s a guess. The phone rings at the Berto Center. It’s late, and the only person still in the building is coach Tom Thibodeau. He’s studying grainy film of a basketball game in Iceland, hoping to find his next starting two-guard off the coast of the Arctic Ocean. On the other line is The Suit, calling from TNT’s headquarters in Atlanta. Thibodeau: Hello? The Suit: Hey, coach, this is TNT calling. Thibodeau: We have more than enough to win. The Suit: No, coach, this isn’t an interview. Thibodeau: We have more than enough to win. The Suit: OK, whatever, coach. Anyway, we don’t know how to tell you this, but we’ve found somebody else. So we won’t be airing your game against the Lakers. Thibodeau: You’re dumping us? The Suit: Well, “dumping” is kind of a harsh term, coach. Think of it more like we’re inviting you to play your game on a different station. Thibodeau: Gee, thanks. The Suit: It’s not you. It’s us. You see, we really like Monday’s matchup between the
See AFC, page B5 See MUSICK, page B3
ANALYSIS: SENIOR BOWL PRIMER
Chicago-area athletes abundant in Mobile By KEVIN FISHBAIN kfishbain@shawmedia.com Over the next few months, you’ll hear way too much about rising and falling draft stocks, teams loving one player and giving another one a red flag, and the puzzle metaphor: each part of the draft process is another piece of the puzzle, and a crucial one begins Monday in Mobile, Ala., with the Senior Bowl. Many of the best seniors
in the country get a chance to show NFL general managers, coaches and scouts what they can do against top competition on the practice field and in Saturday’s all-star game, and how they handle themselves off the field in interviews with teams. With two weeks until the Super Bowl, here’s a primer of what Bears and Chicago-area football fans should watch to get that fix and start looking ahead to next season.
For a tight end like Johnsburg’s C.J. Fiedorowicz, it’s important to show balance. Coaches will want to see that he can block in the run game, pass protect as well as run routes and catch passes. Proving he can be an every-down tight end will up Fiedorowicz’s stock. Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward returns home to Mobile, where he’ll need to also show some versatility in terms of coverage and run de-
fense. NFL coaches like to see how safeties handle tight ends, especially as they become bigger parts of the passing game. Eastern Illinois alum Jimmy Garoppolo of Rolling Meadows shined at the East-West Shrine game and got a late invite to go to Mobile. This will be a stiffer test for Garoppolo to prove he has the arm strength, accuracy and moxie to be an NFL quarterback.
See SENIOR BOWL, page B2
Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo received a late invitation to the Senior Bowl. He was the Offensive MVP Saturday in the East-West Shrine game. AP file photo