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Ravens, 49ers players respond to Superdome blackout

Monday, 04 February 2013 07:40
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NEW ORLEANS -- The power outage that interrupted Super Bowl XLVII easily goes down as one of the more bizarre occurrences in NFL history.

The 30-plus minute blackout in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome disrupted the flow of the game, but a handful of Baltimore Ravens players told me how they handled the distraction en route to a 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

» Left guard Kelechi Osemele: "The whole time, I was just praying to be honest, man. I was just praying for the opportunity to get back out there. For us to try and get the momentum. Honestly, I was just praying to God that we would have the opportunity to get back out there for the opportunity to hold the ball and help our defense."

» Return man Anthony Allen (on what was said during the power outage): "Finish. Finish. We were preaching that since we lost the AFC Championship last year. We came out here and did it."

» Cornerback Asa Jackson: "No matter what happens, we gotta finish. That's been our big thing from the beginning of the year until the end, just now, is finishing what we started. We came out a little bit flatter than we may have wanted to, but at the end of the day, we finished strong and we're world champions, man. ... This team is so strong, we've been bonded together, man. It's like a brotherhood here. We knew that nothing anyone else could do could beat us, we were the only ones who could beat ourselves. And for a minute there we tried to, but we finished strong and now it's history."

» Defensive end Arthur Jones (on what was going through his mind): "We gotta keep making plays. Keep our poise. Stay hungry. And do it for Ray Lewis. My main thing is tunnel vision. I envisioned that ring on my finger, and I would not be denied."

» Right guard Marshal Yanda: "You stay focused. You know, coach (John) Harbaugh just said stay loose, stay hydrated. I took some stretches on the sideline. You can't really do anything about it."

Our man in the San Francisco locker room, Matt Florjancic, asked a pair of 49ers players about the interruption:

» Tight end Vernon Davis: "In a game like this, you have to put it all on the line. You have to be willing to die for your teammates when it came down to it. We just saw the opportunity and we thought about it during halftime. We knew what was on the line. We had to give it all we had because if we didn't, it wasn't going to happen. That's why I say I'm extremely proud of my teammates for what they did out there today."

» Running back Frank Gore: "You have to wait. Football is a game of adjustments. The elements don't matter. I've been saying it all year, the elements don't matter in football. You've just got to learn how to make adjustments."

Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.

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Randy Moss to Jerry Rice: 'I stand by my statement'

Friday, 01 February 2013 08:31
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NEW ORLEANS -- One day after Randy Moss proclaimed himself the best receiver in the history of the game, the San Francisco 49ers wideout responded to criticism from the other guy in this debate: Hall of Fame pass-catcher Jerry Rice.

Rice shot back Tuesday, saying he was "very surprised" Moss called himself the "greatest" of all time.

"You'd never hear me say I'm the greatest football player to ever play the game," Rice told ESPN, via Yahoo! Sports. "I let my body of work speak for itself, and I think I was able to be very productive on the football field."

Rice pointed to his own gaudy numbers -- 22,895 receiving yards and 197 touchdowns through the air -- and three Super Bowl rings, but Moss doesn't view the debate through that lens.

"What I said was what I felt," Moss said. "Like I said, I don't want to get in a shouting match with Jerry Rice or anybody. I mean that's my own personal opinion. I mean there's people that think just because he has the numbers, that he's the greatest, but I don't believe in numbers. I really don't."

Added Moss: "What I think, is what I think ... I changed the game. I'm not really trying to make it all about me. I just made a statement and I stand by my statement, so I'm gonna leave it at that."

Best receiver in NFL history? There hasn't been much debate here. Rice has stood as the clear answer for forever and a day, but Moss simply doesn't agree.

Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.

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Tyrod Taylor: Super Bowl XLVII's unknown backup

Thursday, 31 January 2013 07:31
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Article Sponsored by Databoy Computer Services

NEW ORLEANS -- Tyrod Taylor is the forgotten quarterback at the Super Bowl.

Everyone knows the starters, Baltimore's Joe Flacco and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick. And they know about Alex Smith, who started for the 49ers until he was sidelined with a concussion in November and Kaepernick stepped in.

Taylor? His resume is slim: Two years, no starts and 30 passes -- 25 of them in the Ravens' meaningless regular-season finale against Cincinnati last month. That's because Flacco has started every game during the past five seasons and never has missed a down because of injury or ineffectiveness.

Still, Taylor knows he's only one play away from getting into the Super Bowl, and for that reason he's practicing hard this week as Sunday's championship game draws near.

"There are so many situations throughout the league where the next guy is called in, so you can't look at how many straight games Joe has played without being injured," Taylor said. "You never know what can happen at any second of the game. I have to be ready to take over if that happens."

The 49ers are preparing for that situation, too. While Flacco is a traditional pocket passer, Taylor is just as likely to scoot downfield as throw the ball. He ran for 65 yards in that game against the Bengals, and at Virginia Tech he set a school record for rushing yards by a quarterback (2,196).

"Actually, we're working on (stopping) the pistol and option in case he gets in and in case they have him in certain packages," San Francisco defensive tackle Justin Smith said. "We worked on what we do and how to stop him. I think we'll be prepared for him if he gets in."

Taylor smiled when told that San Francisco was taking his skill set into account.

"It definitely adds a little extra to the game," he said. "For them to be prepared shows me it's definitely something they have in the back of their minds. I played against (San Francisco) coach (Jim) Harbaugh my last game at Virginia Tech, so he knows what I'm capable of doing. My job this week is to prepare the defense and also to prepare myself so if I have to go into the game, I'm ready."

"I don't know which situation is better or worse," Alex Smith said. "We're just at different points in a career. What's this, his second year? He's been on a good team, obviously. He's there for a reason. Your job as a backup is to be ready to go. That's no different for him or I. That's our job."

It is a role Taylor takes seriously. He isn't in the Big Easy this week to take a stroll on Bourbon Street or munch on beignets.

"You have to be ready to play," Taylor said. "That's how you have to carry yourself throughout the week as far preparation. You have to be physically prepared and mentally prepared because you never know when the opportunity may come."

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San Francisco 49ers to play Jaguars in London in 2013

Thursday, 11 October 2012 10:29
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The Jacksonville Jaguars will host the San Francisco 49ers at London's historic Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013, the NFL announced Thursday.

The game, which will kick off at 5:00 p.m. UK time (1:00 p.m. ET), will mark the first in London for theJaguars, who earlier this year committed to play one regular-season home game in the United Kingdom in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, all at Wembley.

"By committing to play a regular-season home game in London in each of the next four years, the Jaguars will play a major role in helping grow our sport in the UK and beyond," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "We thinkJaguars-49ers is a matchup our fans will really enjoy and a great way to start a new era in the international development of our game."

 

Jaguars Owner Shad Khan confirmed the Jaguars' 2013 International Series opponent while speaking at the Leaders in Sport conference at Chelsea FC.

"Everyone associated with the Jacksonville Jaguars is very much looking forward to our four home games in London through 2016, and we're particularly thrilled and honored that our first opponent will be the San Francisco 49ers," Khan said. "This is a unique and important opportunity for the Jaguarsfranchise, as well as for our fans and community. To share this stage in our first year at Wembley with a rising power like the 49ers will bring additional attention and respect to what we're trying to achieve as a franchise. We can't wait to see our global vision for the Jaguars become reality next season."

San Francisco will make its second appearance in the International Series. The 49ers hosted theDenver Broncos at Wembley Stadium in 2010, earning a 24-16 victory before a crowd of 83,941.

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Tebow Traded to NY Jets

Wednesday, 21 March 2012 12:33
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Quarterback Tim Tebow has been traded to the New York Jets from the Denver Broncos for a fourth-round draft pick, FOXSports.com reported Wednesday.

Fresh off signing prized free agent Peyton Manning to a five-year deal on Tuesday, Denver sought to part ways with the unconventional signal caller who led the Broncos on an improbable run to the AFC West title and a playoff victory last season.

Tebow -- who reportedly sought a return to Florida, where he won the Heisman Trophy as the quarterback of the Florida Gators -- was seen as a viable option in New York due to new Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano's interest in utilizing Wildcat formations that mesh with Tebow's skill sets.

The trade gives New York coach Rex Ryan a fourth quarterback option behind Mark Sanchez, Drew Stanton and Greg McElroy. Sanchez, meanwhile, recently received a three-year contract extension.

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Crotty Field Celebration on Ice Suffern's Steve Scholer puts Suffern on the board.
West Point Section Championship NY Giants Training Facility
Timex Performance Center Boulders Scoreboard Mollica
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Crotty Field

The sign marking the Vincent Crotty Memorial Field in Suffen, NY. See details

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Celebration on Ice

Suffern High School 2012 New York State Champions celebrate their win in Utica. See details

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Suffern's Steve Scholer puts S

Air Redgate takes off. Photo Album 1 Photo Album 2 --Note: Due to issues uploading with Facebook, additional photos will be available later in the day/ What started out all wrong, ended up all See details

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West Point

Welcome to West Point.  A West Point player welcomes Brown University's goaltender to the Academy. See details

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Section Championship

Suffern captain John Redgate finds the back of the net during the section championship game against ETB at West Point. See details

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NY Giants Training Facility

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Timex Performance Center

The Timex Performance Center, home of the New York Giants. See details

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Boulders Scoreboard

The high tech scoreboard at Provident Bank Park, home of the Rockland Boulders. See details

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Mollica

The Rockland Boulder's Ryan Mollica waits to make the tag at third base. See details

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