http://www.mail.com/organizations/3674-nfc-south.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.20/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/organizations/3674-nfc-south.html http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1763384-pick-6-football-flippin-floppin-flyin.html There's been a whole lot of flipping, flopping and flying in football recently, from the Carolinas to the frozen tundra and, appropriately, just off Broadway. Receivers, runners, quarterbacks and big ol' linemen have been pulling off some dazzling feats — a few without a hitch, others with funny flaws, and one almost too astonishing to believe. So let's r... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:17:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1763384-pick-6-football-flippin-floppin-flyin.html 2012-12-13T08:17:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762844-vilma-advances-defamation-case-brees-blasts-nfl.html NEW ORLEANS (AP) — One day after his suspension in the NFL's bounty probe was overturned, Jonathan Vilma moved forward with his defamation claims against Commissioner Roger Goodell, while Drew Brees and other teammates went on the offensive against Goodell and the league office. "What I would like to see is a level of accountability on the part of the NFL... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 04:04:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762844-vilma-advances-defamation-case-brees-blasts-nfl.html 2012-12-13T04:04:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762690-goodell-bounty-players-punished.html IRVING, Texas (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he "fundamentally disagrees" with former league boss Paul Tagliabue's decision not to discipline players in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal. Speaking Wednesday after an owners meeting in the Dallas area, Goodell said he respected his predecessor's decision, and believed it backed up the commi... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 01:27:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762690-goodell-bounty-players-punished.html 2012-12-13T01:27:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762506-williams-testified-wanted-to-bounties.html Former New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams testified that he tried to shut down the team's bounty system when the NFL began investigating but was overruled by interim Saints head coach Joe Vitt, according to transcripts from appeals hearings obtained by The Associated Press. According to the transcripts, Williams said that then-assistant Vitt... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:46:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1762506-williams-testified-wanted-to-bounties.html 2012-12-12T21:46:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1760474-column-tagliabue-goodell-its.html "Round up the usual suspects." Funny how that line near the end of "Casablanca" provides a fitting epitaph for Bountygate, too. Like Capt. Renault in the film classic, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was presented with a crime and empowered as both judge and jury. He considered the evidence, weighed the injury to the parties involved, then conclude... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 07:52:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1760474-column-tagliabue-goodell-its.html 2012-12-12T07:52:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1757608-tagliabue-overturns-goodell-saints-suspensions.html NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In a sharp rebuke to his successor's handling of the NFL's bounty investigation, former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned the suspensions of four current and former New Orleans Saints players in a case that has preoccupied the league for almost a year. Tagliabue, who was appointed by Commissioner Roger Goodell to handle the appeals... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1757608-tagliabue-overturns-goodell-saints-suspensions.html 2012-12-11T20:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1757636-winning-save-coaches-hot-seat.html Andy Reid got such a hearty hug on the sideline from Howard Mudd that the 70-year-old assistant with the artificial hip actually lifted the burly head coach off his feet. Norv Turner received a game ball from the team president. Reid and Turner were just two of four coaches on the hot seat who celebrated wins on Sunday, joining Ron Rivera and Pat Shurmur.... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 07:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1757636-winning-save-coaches-hot-seat.html 2012-12-11T07:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1757238-falcons-closer-to-stadium.html ATLANTA (AP) — After about two years of discussions, the Atlanta Falcons are a step closer to getting a new downtown stadium. The state agency that owns the 20-year-old Georgia Dome on Monday approved the framework for a deal with the Falcons to build a roughly $1 billion stadium with a retractable roof. There are still several key steps ahead, including ... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1757238-falcons-closer-to-stadium.html 2012-12-11T00:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1756436-western-kentucky-hires-petrino-football-coach.html BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Now that Bobby Petrino is back in the coaching ranks, he wants to make the most of his second chance. Petrino was introduced Monday as Western Kentucky's new head football coach. The 51-year-old was fired by Arkansas in April for a "pattern of misleading" behavior following an accident in which the coach was injured while riding ... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:49:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1756436-western-kentucky-hires-petrino-football-coach.html 2012-12-10T23:49:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1756910-ap-source-tagliabue-bounty-ruling-coming-tuesday.html Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue will rule Tuesday afternoon on the latest round of player appeals in the NFL's bounty probe, and any potential punishment will be delayed by a week, a person familiar with the decision said. The delay is designed to give a federal judge in New Orleans the opportunity to rule on pending motions to throw out the suspen... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:36:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1756910-ap-source-tagliabue-bounty-ruling-coming-tuesday.html 2012-12-10T23:36:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1755426-wilson-sparks-giants-to-key-win-fading-saints.html EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — When the New York Giants made their run to the Super Bowl a year ago, a 99-yard touchdown catch and run by Victor Cruz against the Jets seemed to be the ignition point. It was a play that woke up an inconsistent team and turned it into a power. If the 52-27 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday turns out to be the victory ... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:25:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1755426-wilson-sparks-giants-to-key-win-fading-saints.html 2012-12-10T09:25:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1755480-newton-panthers-starting-to-hit-their-stride.html CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — After struggling to score points and move the chains for much of the season, the Carolina Panthers' offense has suddenly hit its stride. Too bad it's too late in the year to make a difference. At 4-9 the Panthers won't be playing in the postseason, which makes Carolina's 30-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday a little bittersw... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:25:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1755480-newton-panthers-starting-to-hit-their-stride.html 2012-12-10T09:25:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1755004-wilson-3-tds-giants-52-27-win-saints.html EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Rookie David Wilson was given a simple piece of advice by special teams coach Tom Quinn before the New York Giants' game against the New Orleans Saints: "Run fast." The first-round draft pick did more than that. He might have provided the spark that gets the defending Super Bowl champions back to the playoffs with several elec... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 02:50:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1755004-wilson-3-tds-giants-52-27-win-saints.html 2012-12-10T02:50:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1749618-column-falcons-content-winning-baby.html ATLANTA (AP) — Al Davis would've loved these Atlanta Falcons. All they do is win, baby. Sure, it's rarely with a lot of flare. Who cares? There's no voters to impress or computers to win over in the NFL. "Style points don't get you a ring," linebacker Mike Peterson was saying the other day, holding court beside his locker before practice. "Our goal is way... Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1749618-column-falcons-content-winning-baby.html 2012-12-07T07:14:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1747038-stern-spurs-rested-too-players-too-early.html NEW ORLEANS (AP) — NBA Commissioner David Stern said Wednesday his $250,000 fine of the San Antonio Spurs was justified because the club went beyond what league owners agreed was a reasonable approach to resting healthy players. Stern said coaches should have the authority to rest players at the end of the season, but that teams should not rest four start... Thu, 06 Dec 2012 02:08:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/basketball/1747038-stern-spurs-rested-too-players-too-early.html 2012-12-06T02:08:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1743058-texans-1st-falcons-pats-tied-2nd-ap-pro32.html NEW YORK (AP) — An NFL version of No. 1 vs. No. 2 is set for Monday night when the Houston Texans visit the New England Patriots. The Texans remained first in the AP Pro32 power rankings Tuesday, while the Patriots inched up two spots into a second-place tie with the Atlanta Falcons. Houston received eight first-place votes and 376 points in balloting by ... Tue, 04 Dec 2012 21:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1743058-texans-1st-falcons-pats-tied-2nd-ap-pro32.html 2012-12-04T21:14:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1742978-read-option-nfl-better-than.html Tim Tebow has been out with two broken ribs and maybe a bruised ego. The read-option lives, however, in Washington, Carolina and San Francisco, where NFL coaches are dusting off the old college formations to capitalize on the skills of quarterbacks such as Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick. Nobody's going all-in like ... Tue, 04 Dec 2012 20:41:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1742978-read-option-nfl-better-than.html 2012-12-04T20:41:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1739848-vilmas-testimony-ends-latest-bounty-hearings.html NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The latest round of appeal hearings in the NFL's bounty investigation concluded Monday evening following witness appearances by former Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress, Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt and linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Now Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith and two other players await a ruling by former ... Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:40:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1739848-vilmas-testimony-ends-latest-bounty-hearings.html 2012-12-04T00:40:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1740750-super-bowl-favorites-guesses-under-review.html Unless you're part of the Manning family and hoping for a hometown reunion with Eli, Peyton and their teams in New Orleans, there's little reason now to make Super Bowl reservations. With a quarter of the schedule remaining, there's no way to pick a favorite for the Lombardi Trophy. Not even the two teams with 11-1 records, the Falcons and Texans, or Eli ... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:52:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1740750-super-bowl-favorites-guesses-under-review.html 2012-12-03T20:52:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1739662-chiefs-beat-panthers-somber-arrowhead-stadium.html KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brady Quinn tried to avoid looking at the empty locker when he arrived at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback couldn't bear the sight of Jovan Belcher's jersey hanging from a hook, just like it would have any other game day. "That's when it kind of hit me," Quinn said. "It was kind of tough to step back ... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:57:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1739662-chiefs-beat-panthers-somber-arrowhead-stadium.html 2012-12-03T15:57:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1739126-mitch-unrein-helps-broncos-beat-bucs-31-23.html DENVER (AP) — What Mitch Unrein lacks in dance moves he more than makes up for in shock value. The second-year defensive lineman out of Wyoming helped the Denver Broncos wrap up their second straight AFC West title Sunday with their seventh straight win, a less-than-perfect but oh-so-pretty 31-23 win over the feisty Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 09:03:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1739126-mitch-unrein-helps-broncos-beat-bucs-31-23.html 2012-12-03T09:03:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1739050-broncos-patriots-falcons-win-divisions.html If NFL executives really adore parity, they must be wincing at the early division clinchings by the Broncos, Patriots and Falcons. Not to mention the Texans securing at least a wild-card berth, with nearly all of December still remaining. Sure, there could still be some close races, particularly in the NFC North and for the wild cards. But after Sunday's ... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 08:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1739050-broncos-patriots-falcons-win-divisions.html 2012-12-03T08:14:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1738728-manning-throws-3-tds-broncos-top-bucs-31-23.html DENVER (AP) — Ah, that growing list of Broncos playmakers: Peyton Manning. Von Miller. Demaryius Thomas. Mitch Unrein? Well, yes. The second-year defensive lineman out of Wyoming played as big a role as Manning, Miller or anyone else Sunday in helping the Denver Broncos defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23 and wrap up their second straight AFC West title... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:00:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1738728-manning-throws-3-tds-broncos-top-bucs-31-23.html 2012-12-03T07:00:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1738844-broncos-patriots-falcons-win-divisions.html On the first weekend of December, four teams made the NFL playoffs. With four weeks to go in the regular-season, New England owns the AFC East title, Denver has the AFC West and Atlanta won the NFC South. Houston has not clinched the AFC South, although it has a three-game lead over Indianapolis, but it secured at least a wild-card spot on Sunday. ... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 02:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1738844-broncos-patriots-falcons-win-divisions.html 2012-12-03T02:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1738766-falcons-wrap-up-nfc-south-when-bucs-lose-denver.html ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons were low key about clinching the fifth division title in franchise history. The Falcons (11-1) wrapped up the NFC South on Sunday when Tampa Bay lost at Denver 31-23, handing Atlanta its second division championship in three years. But this team won't be satisfied unless it reaches the Super Bowl. "Ju... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 00:59:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1738766-falcons-wrap-up-nfc-south-when-bucs-lose-denver.html 2012-12-03T00:59:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1735666-not-awkward-vilma-smith-williams-face-to-face.html WASHINGTON (AP) — It had been 10 months since New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith were face to face with their former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams — a span that included NFL suspensions for all three in connection with what a league investigation determined was a cash-for-hits bounty program. For about four h... Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/football/1735666-not-awkward-vilma-smith-williams-face-to-face.html 2012-11-30T23:16:00Z