Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/51408
2B Daily News – Friday, December 30, 2011 HELP (Continued from page 1B) offs for the second straight season. After being done in by slow starts the past few years, the Chargers lost six straight starting in October to derail this season. They appeared to turn things around with three straight blowout wins in December, including a 34-14 victory over playoff-bound Balti- more. But San Diego was knocked out of contention with last week's 38-10 loss at Detroit, raising more ques- tions about Turner's ability to prepare his team and the roster that Smith put togeth- er. ''I try not to worry about the future since I have no control over it,'' safety Eric San Francisco 49ers St. Louis Rams SAN FRANCISCO (12-3) At ST. LOUIS (2-13) OPENING LINE — 49ers by 10 1/2 RECORD VS. SPREAD — San Francisco 11-3-1; St. Louis 2-12-1 SERIES RECORD — Tied 61-61-2 LAST MEETING — 49ers beat Rams 26-0, Dec. 4, 2011 LAST WEEK — 49ers beat Seahawks 19-17; Rams lost to Steelers 27-0 PASS (29) PASS (17) PASS (30) PASS (6) 49ERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (26), RUSH (7), 49ERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (4), RUSH (1), RAMS OFFENSE — OVERALL (31), RUSH (23), RAMS DEFENSE — OVERALL (21), RUSH (32), STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — 49ers have won six of seven in series, two by shutout. ... Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo 10-37 winding up third season with one year to go on contract. If Rams lose and Colts win, St. Louis will get No. 1 pick for second time in three seasons. ... Mike Singletary was fired after last sea- son's loss at St. Louis, leading to 49ers' high-profile Jim Harbaugh hire for $25 million over five years. If Har- baugh wins finale, 13-win season would be one shy of George Seifert's franchise record rookie year of 14-2 in 1989. ... Rams offense has scored 15 touchdowns, and has been shut out twice in last four games. ... Rams defense is worst in NFL against run with opponents totaling 2,317 yards, 158 shy of franchise worst in 2008. ... A sixth 49ers road win would match team's total from 2008-2010. 49ers were 14-50 on road previous eight seasons including 1-7 last season under Singletary. ... 49ers seeking first 13-win season since 1997, and 12- win total is franchise best since 12-4 mark in 2001. ... DE Aldon Smith has 14 sacks, one-half sack shy of Jevon Kearse's NFL rookie record in 1999. ... K David Akers has NFL-record 42 FGs. ... Rams RB Steven Jackson became seventh player in NFL to rush for 1,000 yards in seven straight seasons last week. Jackson had 103 yards vs. Steelers, his fourth 100-yard game of sea- son, but in last meeting against 49ers was held to 19 yards on 10 carries. Chargers San Diego Oakland Raiders SAN DIEGO (7-8) At OAKLAND (8-7) OPENING LINE — Raiders by 3 RECORD VS. SPREAD — San Diego 5-10; Oak- land 8-5-2 SERIES RECORD — Raiders lead 58-44-2 LAST MEETING — Raiders beat Chargers 24-17, Nov. 10 LAST WEEK — Chargers lost to Lions 38-10; Raiders beat Chiefs 16-13 OT CHARGERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (6), RUSH (17), PASS (6) CHARGERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (11), RUSH (20), PASS (10) (6), PASS (13) RAIDERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (13), RUSH RAIDERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (29), RUSH (27), PASS (25) STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Raiders have won last three meetings between AFC West rivals after losing previous 13. ... Oakland can win division with win and Denver loss or make wild-card with win, Cincinnati loss and either Tennessee loss or Jets win. ... San Diego trying to avoid first losing season since 2003. ... QB Philip Rivers needs 186 yards passing to become fifth player with back-to-back 4,500-yard seasons. ... Chargers have allowed opponents to convert 48.4 per- cent of third downs, worst rate in the league. ... Raiders have won 10 of 12 division games but 0-2 at home against AFC West teams this season. ... QB Carson Palmer has completed 71.5 percent of passes for 1,322 yards, 11 TDs and two INTs for 129.5 passer rating in four starts vs. Chargers. ... Raiders need four penalties for 11 yards to break the records of 158 for 1,304 yards by the 1998 Chiefs. ... RB Michael Bush needs 89 yards rushing for first 1,000-yard season in his career. He had 157 yards rushing and 85 receiving in first meeting for most scrimmage yards by a Raider since Art Powell in 1963. Sunday 1:15 p.m. Weddle said. ''I hope every- one stays and we can get bet- ter as a group. But if not, then if happens that we get a new coaching staff and new players, then I just have to go out and prove myself to be starting safety of this team.'' After making it to the postseason four straight years from 2006-09, the Chargers have little to play for beyond spoiling the sea- son for their rivals. There's also a little pay- back San Diego wants to deliver, having lost three straight to Oakland follow- ing 13 straight wins. ''That's probably part of the motivation,'' Turner said. ''I think the satisfaction I'd like our guys to take is going out and performing at a high level and we weren't able to do that last week and we cer- tainly didn't do it the last time we played the Raiders.'' Sunday 10 a.m. Lesnar returns to UFC By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer Brock Lesnar spent the past 14 months since he lost the UFC heavyweight title re-evaluating an entire life spent getting in fights. After serious health problems pushed him to the brink of forced retirement, Lesnar returned from a lower-intestinal ailment with an improved perspective on mixed martial arts' place in his life. The most popular bruiser in the sport has enough money to walk away, but he decided to keep fighting. ''I probably needed some time off, anyway,'' Lesnar said. ''I didn't even think about fighting when I was going through the surgery, because I knew if it was- n't a success, I wouldn't be fight- ing again, so I just tried to focus on my health.'' And now that he's all better, a 6-foot-5 Dutch kickboxer is wait- ing to welcome him back at UFC 141 in Las Vegas. Lesnar will fight Alistair Overeem on Friday night in a five-round heavyweight finale to the UFC's traditional end-of-the- year card in its hometown. The main event should be a spectacle, with the UFC cram- ming two of MMA's most mas- sive, intimidating athletes into one octagon. While the well-trav- eled Overeem (35-11-1) is a slight favorite in his UFC debut, Lesnar (5-2) is confident his new perspective on life will propel him back to contention for the belt he lost to Cain Velasquez last year. ''I went up to my farm and got my hands dirty and got back to the grass roots of who I am with manual labor,'' said Lesnar, who lives in Minnesota and has an estate in Canada. ''You take all this stuff away from me, I'm a family guy, I love farming, and that's really who I am. I enjoy competition and I enjoy fighting, and for now that's my life, but it doesn't last forever.'' In the co-main event at the MGM Grand Garden, lightweight contender Donald ''Cowboy'' Cerrone goes for his seventh con- secutive victory in just 15 months against Nate Diaz, the rambunc- tious younger brother of welter- weight contender Nick Diaz. CLOSE (Continued from page 1B) or later,'' said defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, who has been called for seven. ''To me, just limit the 15- yarders, the big ones. We can deal with the 5- yarders. But the 15- yarders are the ones keep- ing the drives alive.'' There have been some costly ones as the Raiders have given opponents 54 first downs with penalties, including 20 drives that led to a score. Penalties aided Buffalo's two fourth-quarter TD drives in a 38-35 Oakland loss in September and Detroit's two fourth-quarter TD dri- ves in the Raiders 28-27 49ERS (Continued from page 1B) sign with San Francisco until Oct. 12. He spent the past two months trying to get up to speed with the 49ers' offense and, before this week, played primarily on special teams coverage units. With Edwards gone and Ted Ginn Jr. (ankle) and Kyle Williams (head injury) questionable to play this week, however, Swain's workload has increased. It's somewhat similar to what happened in Green Bay a year ago when injuries opened the door for Swain to play more. Just not to this extent. ''I've never been in a situ- ation where that many guys have gone down and they needed another guy to step into a bigger role,'' Swain said. ''I'm excited to attack it. I fell into something good.'' The 49ers have some other options, too. They have a roster vacancy because of the Edwards move and could activate either Joe Hastings or John Matthews from the ''I went up to my farm and got my hands dirty and got back to the grass roots of who I am with manual labor." — Brock Lesnar Welterweight Jon Fitch also returns from a 10-month absence against rising contender Johny Hendricks. To at least a small extent, Lesnar's health problems have accomplished what fame, fortune and family never managed: They mellowed out a barrel-necked wrestler who captivates fight fans with his wide-eyed intensity and a gruff, brash attitude that hasn't changed much since his days in phony wrestling. Trainers and sparring partners sense a newfound calm in the focused athlete who once scowled through workouts with- out saying a word. Lesnar seems determined to make the most of his second chance in an athletic life with multiple acts, from his stints in NCAA wrestling, the WWE and Vikings training camp to his surprisingly successful MMA career. ''Out of all the criticism that Brock takes, it would be pretty damn boring if Brock wasn't in the heavyweight division,'' UFC President Dana White said. ''He's a guy who has accom- plished a lot in a short amount of time. He came over here 1-0 ... and he's fought the best in the world since he's been here. Nobody does that.'' Although Lesnar is three years older than Overeem, he's in just his eighth MMA bout. Overeem had that many fights by the time he was 19, and his UFC debut will be his 69th fight in 14 years. Overeem has won heavy- weight MMA titles with the Strikeforce and Dream promo- tions, and he claimed the K-1 kickboxing promotion's title last December by winning three fights in a day. While nobody in the still- young sport can match Lesnar's star power, Overeem still is fairly unknown to casual MMA fans outside the Netherlands and Japan because the erudite strik- ing specialist didn't join the sport's dominant promotion until loss earlier this month. ''I stay up late at night trying to figure this out, as much as I can,'' Jackson said. ''I've worked at that as hard as I've worked at anything. Sometimes it just doesn't happen. Sometimes it just doesn't happen, but we'll have a long discussion about penalties when this season is over. I promise you that.'' In all, 43 players have accounted for the penal- ties, including Terrelle Pryor, who committed a false start to negate his only play all season. Jack- son also has a penalty for challenging a scoring play in Week 2 at Buffalo, which is against the rules. Cornerback Stanford Routt has been the most practice squad to help out the depleted receivers. Hastings, an undrafted free agent out of Washburn University, has not played in the regular season but regu- larly meets with quarterback Alex Smith on the field to warm up before games. That could help if the 49ers decide to activate Hastings for Sun- day's game in St. Louis. Smith doesn't think it will matter much which receiver is in the lineup for San Fran- cisco. ''It's just part of the deal,'' Smith said. ''I feel good about all the receivers. They're all extremely talent- ed and I think they're all chomping at the bit to get their opportunity, which is what you want.'' Note: Injured LB Patrick Willis was on the field and did some light running before practice, but the 49ers haven't determined if he will play against the Rams. ''He looks fine to me right now,'' defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. ''This is a game that we have to win, and if he's healthy enough to play he will play.'' September. Some fighters expect he'll be an immediate title con- tender, and others think he's out of his depth. ''I've already beaten every- body outside of the UFC, so this was the logical next step,'' Overeem said. ''I didn't think it was going to be this soon, but I'm very happy. My goal is that UFC belt. Brock is in the way, and on Friday, I'm going to beat him.'' The main event presents a stark contrast in skills between Lesnar's wrestling and Overeem's striking. Lesnar's standup game is his biggest weakness, while Overeem hasn't been tested by a wrestler with Lesnar's pedigree and brute strength. Both fighters agree their bout should be entertaining for howev- er long it lasts. Lesnar has gone to a decision only once in his career, while Overeem has guar- anteed he'll knock out Lesnar within the first two rounds. ''We're not the type of guys that want it to go to the second round,'' Overeem said. ''Judging from his character and his previ- ous fights, he's going to come in for the kill, and so am I. One plus one is two.'' The winner will get a title shot early next year against Brazil's Junior Dos Santos, who claimed Velasquez's heavyweight belt this fall. Overeem hasn't lost an MMA fight since September 2007, and White would have given him an immediate title shot if the timing had worked out — but instead, Lesnar thinks he can slow Overeem's UFC rise before it begins. ''He's worked and fought in other organizations that can't hold a candle in the wind against this organization,'' Lesnar said. ''This organization is the only organization out there with legit- imate athletes in it, so he's going to discover that. (The MGM Grand Garden) is my house, too. That octagon is my home.'' penalized player in the league with 16 — one more than the entire Green Bay defense. Offensive linemen Khalif Barnes and Jared Veldheer are next with 10 apiece, followed by defensive tackle Richard Seymour with nine. ''Obviously, getting penalties is never a good thing, but you can't let that NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL Pct GB WARRIORS 21 .667 — Clippers 1 1 .500 .5 KINGS 11 .500 .5 Lakers 1 2 .333 1 Phoenix 0 2 .000 1.5 Southwest Division WL Pct GB N. Orleans 2 0 1.000 — S. Antonio 2 1 .667 .5 Houston 1 1 .500 1 Memphis 0 2 .000 2 Dallas Northwest Division WL Pct GB Okla. City 4 0 1.000 — Denver 2 0 1.000 1 Portland 2 0 1.000 1 Minnesota 0 2 .000 3 Utah 0 2 .000 3 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB New York 1 1 .500 — Toronto 1 1 .500 — Philadelphia 1 1 .500 — New Jersey 1 2 .333 .5 Boston 0 3 .000 1.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 3 0 1.000 — Miami Atlanta 2 0 1.000 .5 Orlando 2 1 .667 1 Charlotte 1 1 .500 1.5 Washington 0 2 .000 2.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Indiana 2 0 1.000 — Cleveland 1 1 .500 1 Chicago 1 1 .500 1 Milwaukee 1 1 .500 1 Detroit 0 2 .000 2 —————————————————— Thursday's results Chicago at Sacramento, late Houston 105, San Antonio 85 Oklahoma City 104, Dallas 102 Orlando 94, New Jersey 78 Denver at Portland, late New York at L.A. Lakers, late Today's games Cleveland at Indiana, 4 p.m. Orlando at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Detroit at Boston, 4:30 p.m. New Jersey at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Houston at Memphis, 5 p.m. Miami at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Phoenix at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Toronto at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Washington at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Utah, 6 p.m. Chicago at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. Saturday's games New York at Sacramento, 5 p.m. Philadelphia at Golden State, 6 p.m. Denver at L.A. Lakers, 12:30 p.m. Indiana at Detroit, 3 p.m. Atlanta at Houston, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Utah at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Today's games Buffalo at Washington, 4 p.m. Calgary at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Nashville at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Detroit at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Saturday's games Edmonton at N.Y. Islanders, 10 a.m. Pittsburgh at New Jersey, Noon Carolina at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m. Phoenix at Minnesota, 3 p.m. Montreal at Florida, 4 p.m. Ottawa at Buffalo, 4 p.m. St. Louis at Detroit, 4 p.m. Toronto at Winnipeg, 4 p.m. Washington at Columbus, 4 p.m. Boston at Dallas, 5 p.m. Colorado at Anaheim, 5 p.m. Vancouver at Los Angeles, 7 p.m. get in your head, because if you do then you're play- ing into the other team's hands,'' Routt said. ''You don't ever want to let the referees decide the game, and if you let them get in your head, you're letting them decide the game.'' NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 19 11 4 42 99 83 Kings 18 14 6 42 82 89 Dallas 20 15 1 41 96 105 Phoenix 18 16 4 40 98 101 Ducks 10 19 6 26 83 115 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 23 10 4 50 122 105 Detroit 23 12 1 47 118 81 St. Louis 21 11 4 46 94 80 Nashville 19 14 4 42 98 104 Columbus 10 22 5 25 91 124 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA 0 3 .000 2.5 Vancouver 23 12 2 48 123 90 Minnesota 21 12 6 48 93 91 Colorado 20 18 1 41 104 113 Calgary 18 16 4 40 93 102 Edmonton 15 18 3 33 99 100 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA N.Y.Rangers 22 9 4 48 103 76 Philadelphia22 10 4 48 123 106 Pittsburgh 21 12 4 46 120 97 New Jersey 20 15 1 41 100 104 N.Y. Islanders12 17 6 30 80 112 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 24 9 1 49 121 64 Toronto 18 14 5 41 116 122 Ottawa 17 15 5 39 113 128 Buffalo 17 16 3 37 97 106 Montreal 14 17 7 35 97 107 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 19 11 7 45 99 101 Winnipeg 18 14 5 41 101 105 Washington 18 15 2 38 104 106 Tampa Bay 16 17 3 35 99 120 Carolina 13 20 6 32 101 130 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Thursday's results Carolina 4, Toronto 3, OT Colorado 3, Phoenix 2 Columbus 4, Dallas 1 Minnesota 4, Edmonton 3 N.Y. Islanders 3, Calgary 1 Philadelphia 4, Pittsburgh 2 Tampa Bay 4, Montreal 3 Winnipeg 1, Los Angeles 0, OT Vancouver at Anaheim, late F O X C B S