Flacco can join Montana, Young in NFL postseason history

AP

If Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco plays well against the 49ers in the Super Bowl, he’s set to accomplish something that only a couple of of 49ers Hall of Famers have done in NFL playoff history.

Flacco has thrown eight touchdown passes and no interceptions so far in this postseason. The only quarterbacks to finish a postseason with at least nine touchdown passes and no interceptions are Steve Young, who threw nine touchdowns with no interceptions in the playoffs after the 1994 season, and Joe Montana, who threw 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions in the playoffs after the 1989 season.

So if Flacco throws at least one touchdown and no picks he’ll tie Young. With three touchdowns and no picks he’ll equal Montana. Montana and Young were both Super Bowl MVPs in those seasons.

If the Ravens win the Super Bowl, it will be the ninth postseason game they’ve won in Flacco’s first five NFL seasons. Only Tom Brady, who was also the starting quarterback for nine postseason wins in his first five seasons, has been the winning quarterback in the playoffs so many times so early in his career.

With a big game on Sunday, Flacco can cement his reputation as one of the NFL’s best big-game quarterbacks.

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As the recently retired Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher looks back on his career, there’s one missed tackle in particular he wishes he could have back.

Urlacher said on the Dan Patrick Show that it still sticks in his craw that when the Patriots beat the Bears in 2006, Tom Brady ran right past him for an 11-yard gain to pick up a crucial first down on third-and-9.

“Brady always kicked my butt. I don’t think I ever beat Tom, we as a Bears team, ever beat Tom Brady when he was the starting quarterback. He always played well against us and he juked me out of my shoes in 2006,” Urlacher said. “Man, he got me.”

Urlacher’s memory is correct: Brady’s Patriots played Urlacher’s Bears three times, and the Patriots went 3-0. And on that run in 2006, Brady met Urlacher in the open field, and instead of sliding, gave just a little bit of a head fake and ran right past him, leaving Urlacher grabbing for air.

“That was pretty cool,” Brady said after that game. “I can tell my kids one day that I beat Brian Urlacher.”

That’s a play both of them will remember long after retiring.

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Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon chose to rest his injured foot last season instead of having surgery, a decision that got him back on the field for the final stretch but one that didn’t keep him from having an operation this offseason.

The operation wasn’t on his foot, however. Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Thursday that Garçon had “chest” surgery after an injury suffered in the team’s playoff loss to the Seahawks. He wasn’t more specific than that, although Rich Campbell of the Washington Times reports that it was actually an operation to repair an injury to his labrum.

More significant for the Redskins is the fact that Shanahan is upbeat about Garçon’s recovery. He’s not doing team drills right now, but did catch passes from Robert Griffin III during Thursday’s workout and should be recovered in time to do everything at camp.

“I think Pierre, his rehab has been unbelievable,” Shanahan said, via Campbell’s colleague Stephen Whyno. “Anytime you get operated on like he did and you’re able to come back as quickly as he has, I was watching him this morning in the weight room and he was lifting weights that he shouldn’t be able to lift. And he feels very comfortable, and it’s been a slow process. But he’s in excellent shape, so I’ll be surprised if he’s not full-speed, ready to go once we go to training camp.”

Garçon had 44 catches for 633 yards in 10 games last season, numbers that the Redskins surely expect to rise if he can stay healthy in 2013. While you never want to see one of your players have surgery, it doesn’t sound like this operation is going to be a major stumbling block for Garçon come the start of the season.

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One of the most important jobs in New Orleans is protecting quarterback Drew Brees’ blind side.

And at the moment, the first option is just watching, as has been too often the case.

According to Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, starter Charles Brown was on the sidelines with trainers during OTAs Thursday.

Saints coach Sean Payton said only that the injury happened in the weight room, but didn’t specify any further.

Brown would have likely had the first shot to replace Jermon Bushrod, who signed with the Bears this offseason.

Brown finished last year on injured reserve with a knee injury, and has battled back and hip problems in his career.

If he’s not there, the Saints have several options.

Former No. 2 overall pick Jason Smith started in Brown’s place in Thursday’s practice, and the Saints drafted Terron Armstead in the third round with an eye toward eventually competing for that job.

None of those are ideal options, as Brown was kind of a fill-in, Smith’s more of a right tackle who hasn’t lived up to his draft status and Armstead’s a raw third-rounder from Arkansas-Little Rock.

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Nagging injuries helped keep Browns running back Trent Richardson from performing at the level expected when the Browns took him with the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft.

So there’s a familiar feeling to word that Richardson could miss OTAs and the team’s June minicamp with a muscle pull in his lower leg. The injury isn’t though to be particularly serious, but the team’s concerned enough about the injury that coach Rob Chudzinski said Richardson might not be back on the field until training camp.

“It’s precautionary, we’re holding [Richardson] out,” Chudzinski said, via CBS Cleveland. “We’ve got minicamp in a week and a half, he may miss that. I’m not sure we’ll just play it day by day.”

It’s only May, so a cautious approach doesn’t mean all that much in the long term. Given Richardson’s issues last season, however, there’s going to be some concern about Richardson’s ability to consistently be on the field until he proves that he can consistently be on the field. If there’s an upside to his absence, it is that the Browns will have ample opportunity to see who they like from a group of backups that includes Montario Hardesty, Dion Lewis, Brandon Jackson, Chris Ogbonnaya and Miguel Maysonet.

Tight end Jordan Cameron is also being held out with a groin injury and Chudzinski indicated the timeline for his return is similar to the one they’re operating on for Richardson.

AP

The Falcons start OTAs next week and they’ll be doing it without two of their starting linebackers.

Stephen Nicholas and Sean Weatherspoon are both recovering from surgeries that will keep them on the sidelines when organized team activities get underway. Neither player is expected to be out for very long and, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, they will “definitely” be on the field during the team’s mandatory minicamp in June.

Nicholas had sports hernia surgery, an operation that normally requires six-to-eight weeks of rehab before a player can get back onto the field. Nicholas led the team with 97 tackles last season and is slated for another year starting on the strong-side of the defense.

Weatherspoon, who had 95 tackles in 2012 despite missing three games with an ankle injury, had arthroscopic knee surgery. Weatherspoon also had three sacks and one interception while starting all 13 games that he played for Atlanta.

With Akeem Dent entering his second season as the team’s middle linebacker, the Falcons are set at linebacker heading into the season. They are short on experienced depth, however, so any reps missed by Nicholas and Weatherspoon will be put to good use over the next couple of weeks.

AP

In many NFL cities, a new quarterback rolling into town in May and declaring himself a realistic option for a starting job would draw a polite nod, maybe a pat on the head.

In Cleveland, Brian Hoyer may be onto something.

The newest Browns passer said Thursday he was confident, and that “No doubt I have the capability to be a starting quarterback.”

He’s working as the third at the moment behind Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell, but that would not be described as an insurmountable obstacle.

Hoyer started a game for the Cardinals on short notice last year, but hasn’t done much else other than stand behind Tom Brady for three years.

He also said the Browns haven’t told him about what his role might be.

“Nothing,” he said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I mean for me, I’m just coming out here. I’m so far behind these guys. I’m learning from Brandon and Jason and coach [Norv] Turner. Obviously there’s a great coaching staff here, so I’ve been asking them a lot of questions and just trying to catch up. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to compete for a spot on this team.

“Wherever that goes, we’ll see. But I’m just trying to take it day by day right now, improve myself, and hopefully every day the plays get a little bit easier, the calls get a little bit easier and things like that.”

Everyone’s taking a wait-and-see approach to Hoyer’s role, because unlike in other places, there’s a realistic chance it could be greater.

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Brett Favre spent most of his career as the most beloved man in Green Bay, but the last time he was there, he was getting booed off the field after his Vikings had lost to an Aaron Rodgers-led Packers team. There was plenty of bad blood then, but Rodgers says now is the time for Favre to come back to Green Bay and be honored for his career with the Packers.

In fact, Rodgers said on the Jim Rome Show that it’s past time.

“I’m excited about it. I really am,” Rodgers said of honoring Favre. “It’s been too long. Our country and the state of Wisconsin, these people are a people of second and third and fourth chances, and I think it’s time to let the healing process begin for those who are still upset about what went down.”

Rodgers said he has no reason to feel any ill will toward Favre, and he hopes the Packers retire Favre’s number before Favre is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I’m very secure with the things I’ve been able to accomplish with the team and individually here in Green Bay, and excited about the chance to see him again and get his number retired here before he goes into Canton,” Rodgers said.

The ceremony to retire Favre’s number will be a great moment at Lambeau Field. And a very different moment than the last time he was there.

AP

It’s good to see that Woody Johnson’s ban on leaks held up so well.

While this one wasn’t the front office variety which was so common before, an unnamed Jets player has already started the Mark Sanchez-ripping which I think we all saw coming.

Come to think of it, Unnamed Jet has been the team’s most consistent performer in recent years.

Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com talked to a Jets player, who didn’t offer his name, who said 80 to 90 percent of the team was ready to see Sanchez replaced as the starting quarterback.

“Everyone on the team likes Mark personally but there’s a general feeling among some of the players that maybe it’s time to give someone else a chance,” the player said.

This comes on the heels of a three-interception practice by Sanchez which coach Rex Ryan deemed “unacceptable.”

This train is only leaving the station, and it’s only going to pick up steam. If not for the horrible contract extension the previous administration gave him, new Jets General Manager John Idzik might have been inclined to start that rebuilding effort with rookie quarterback Geno Smith.

But numbers dictated that they keep Sanchez, and now they’re apparently in for a fun year of back-biting and general mayhem.

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The Buccaneers have signed second-round pick Johnthan Banks, the club said Thursday.

A cornerback from Mississippi State, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Banks is one of the new additions to a revamped Tampa Bay secondary. The Buccaneers traded their 2013 first-round pick to the Jets for cornerback Darrelle Revis, then used their top remaining selection (No. 43) on Banks, who notched 63 tackles and intercepted four passes as a senior for the Bulldogs.

Banks could contribute right off the bat for the Buccaneers, who have the makings of a very good cornerback corps if Revis comes back strong off an ACL tear and Eric Wright plays to his best form.

The signing of Banks leaves the Buccaneers with all but one draft pick — quarterback Mike Glennon — under contract, the club said.

AP

Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III said after taking the field at Organized Team Activities that everything is positive with his surgically repaired knee.

“The knee feels great,” Griffin said. “I’m able to do all the stuff out there without any hesitation, so that’s the best part about it. I’m excited about that. It’s all about having that confidence, and if you put the work in you’ll have that confidence when you get back out there on the field. It’s about playing like you were never injured.”

Griffin said he talked to coach Mike Shanahan prior to OTAs and said he wanted to do as much on-field work as he could, and that Shanahan allowed him to join other players who are rehabbing from injuries to do some limited on-field drills. Griffin said he expects to be able to sprint within the next couple of weeks and to cut within a couple weeks after he starts sprinting.

“There’s two phases left, explosive sprinting and cutting. Those are the only two things left. Being at four and a half months out, I am a little bit ahead,” Griffin said. “My goal is to be out there for training camp.”

Griffin hastened to add that he is being smart about not pushing himself so hard that he has any setbacks. But from all indications Griffin will be ready to go before the start of the regular season.

AP

DUI charges against Titans tight end Brandon Barden were dismissed, after the arresting officer failed to show up for court.

Barden was arrested in Lincoln County, Georgia in February after a single-car wreck, after which he refused blood alcohol tests.

Officer Christopher Treadwell wrote in his report that Barden lost control of his SUV, hit a ditch and flipped one and a half times. The report also said Treadwell could “smell a strong odor of alcohol.”

But according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean, those charges were thrown out because of “lack of prosecution.”

“If the officer doesn’t show for court, everything is dismissed,’’ said Debbie Pruett of the Lincoln County probate office. “Brandon had an attorney and she requested it be dismissed for a lack of prosecution and the judge had no bearing to change it. It’s completely closed. . . .

“It is rare that they don’t [show up], but I think the officer had worked the night shift.”

Barden’s case can still be reviewed by the league for possible discipline.

A former undrafted rookie from Vanderbilt, Barden played in three games last year, and has been participating in offseason workouts with the Titans.

AP

Earlier this week, Steelers tight end Heath Miller said there was a “chance” he’d be able to play the entire 2013 season after tearing his ACL late last season but admitted there’s no timetable yet for his return to full activity.

“Yeah, I think it’s a little too early to say anything like that. It’s a long time before training camp, so that’s a long time to make gains positively or maybe even for something to happen negatively,” Miller said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “So, I’m just taking one day at a time, and I hope to get better every day.”

Miller’s quarterback has a more optimistic take on the tight end’s recovery. During an appearance on WDVE on Thursday, Ben Roethlisberger said that he had “no doubt” that Miller would be on the field for the first week of the season and that his bigger concern is keeping Miller from doing too much too fast as he gets ready for the games to begin.

“The biggest thing is going to be trying to hold Heath back because I think he’s gonna want to get out there too soon,” Roethlisberger said. “I’m gonna fight to say ‘Heath, don’t play in any preseason games. Just get out there for the regular season.’”

The Steelers seem to be approaching things the same way as Roethlisberger. They didn’t draft a tight end in April and their only move of note at the position in free agency was bringing back Matt Spaeth, who has stuck in the NFL the last six years because of his skills as a blocker.

AP

Almost every article that has been published in the 24 hours since Brian Urlacher announced his retirement has included the words “future Hall of Famer.” But one veteran NFL personnel man says he’s not so sure about that.

Former Colts and Giants G.M. Ernie Accorsi said on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio that he isn’t convinced Urlacher is a sure-thing lock for Canton.

“I think he’s a borderline Hall of Famer,” Accorsi said. “I don’t know that he’s a definite Hall of Famer. I think there is a host of them, like Willie Lanier, that were dominant players. He was good, but I wouldn’t put him in that level.”

Asked if he’d put the “guaranteed Hall of Famer” label on Urlacher, Accorsi said he wouldn’t. Instead, Accorsi said, Urlacher was a somewhat limited player who doesn’t deserve to be mentioned among the all-time greats.

“I definitely wouldn’t,” Accorsi said. “That’s my opinion. I don’t think he’s a guarantee. I mean, he may get in because he got a lot of publicity and he was a hard player. But his span that he covered was really restricted. Now a lot of those middle linebackers were in those days. They didn’t have three or four wide receivers so they stayed on the field for three downs. They might be off today. But, no, I certainly don’t have him in [Dick] Butkus or Ray Lewis [category]. And I don’t think he should be in there, really with [Joe] Schmidt and [Ray] Nitschke and those guys, either.”

Accorsi may be right, but it’s possible to say that Urlacher falls short of the greatness of middle linebackers like Butkus and Lewis, but to still say he belongs in the Hall of Fame. And that’s exactly what I would say: Urlacher doesn’t have a case to be the greatest middle linebacker ever. But he has a strong case for the Hall of Fame.

AP

There was news made at OTAs on both coasts this week and we’ll be talking about it during Thursday’s edition of PFT Live.

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News will join Mike Florio to talk about a Jets practice on Wednesday that left coach Rex Ryan vexed by Mark Sanchez’s interceptions. We’ll find out how much that will impact Sanchez in the competition with Geno Smith for the starting quarterback job. We’ll also try to see if Mehta can explain how any member of the Jets organization would expect much else from Sanchez after his 52 turnovers over the last two years.

Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area will also join us to discuss the fallout from 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree’s Achilles injury earlier this week. The 49ers are holding out hope that Crabtree will return during the 2013 season, but we’ll talk about how they’ll cope with what will be, at the very least, an extended absence during the regular season.

You can watch it all live at noon ET.

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Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks took the Giants by surprise when he failed to show up at the team’s organized team activity on Wednesday.

Coach Tom Coughlin expressed his opinion that Nicks “should” have been at the voluntary workout, although league rules say the exact opposite, and speculation arose that Nicks was firing a preliminary shot in negotiations for a new deal with his contract expiring after the 2013 season. Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reported as much after speaking to a team source, but that report is now being walked back after a response from Nicks’ agent.

Peter Schaffer has not offered any explanation for why Nicks did not attend the OTA with other Giants, but “strongly denied” that his contract had anything to do with his decision to stay away. In a series of text messages, Schaffer said the wideout “takes his place in the community very seriously and wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that reputation.” The team source also got in touch to say that he was merely giving his best guess for Nicks’ absence.

“We’ve all talked about our contracts and the things we’ve been through, like what’s going on with [wide receiver Victor] Cruz,” the source said. “When you talk about money and what you think the team is doing right or wrong, sometimes feelings get really hard.”

Whether or not the contract is the issue right now, the Giants are likely to spend a fair amount of time trying to strike a deal with Nicks before the start of free agency next year. If Cruz winds up playing out this year on his restricted free agent tender, things will be even busier as the Giants try to figure out how to hold onto two receivers with just one franchise tag at their disposal.