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2B Daily News – Friday, January 6, 2012 SANTA CLARA (AP) — Within days of being promot- ed last year, San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke faced the daunting task of landing Jim Harbaugh as the team's new coach. People were losing patience with all the losing — and demanded an immediate turnaround after an eight-year playoff drought. Quietly, Baalke turns 49ers into playoff contender KINGS (Continued from page 1B) ''Trent's done a great job doing his job,'' tight end Vernon Amid speculation that Harbaugh might leave Stanford for the Miami Dolphins or even his alma mater, Michigan, Baalke delivered the Niners' high-profile new man. It brought Baalke some instant credibility, along with all the other spot-on moves along the way since then. From corner- back Carlos Rogers and safety Donte Whitner to center Jonathan Goodwin and kicker David Akers, Baalke fit all the right pieces into an already talented roster that has bought into Harbaugh's style. Baalke and Harbaugh also had the wherewithal to bring back quarterback Alex Smith on a one- year deal as a free agent even after the years of boos and inconsistency — with plans to re-sign him for 2012, too. ''It's great to see Trent,'' Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott said. ''We haven't talked a lot about Trent. A lot of people haven't really acknowledged that bringing in Rogers, bringing in (NaVorro) Bowman, going with (Aldon) Smith in the first round. The team is faster than what it was. It's more aggres- sive than what it was. So Baalke saw something that I didn't see and that the average fan didn't see. He replaced a couple of components that needed to be replaced.'' Those tweaks worked, all right. San Francisco (13-3) won the NFC West and earned the NFC's No. 2 seed and a first-round playoff bye, going 6-2 on the road with four of those victories in comeback fashion. How about that for silencing critics who questioned whether Baalke made enough splashy moves in free agency to improve his roster after the lockout? ''Now it's a splash,'' Whitner said. ''It's not a splash when everybody else is looking. But once you make the playoffs and you're sitting at home with a bye week and you have an opportunity to win two games and be in the Super Bowl, then it's a splash. That's how success happens. A lot of times, people aren't going to believe until they actually see it.'' Before this season not many outside team headquarters knew much about Baalke — just the way he likes it as an anonymous figure doing his job to help run a franchise. Walk past him and he practically disappears, finding ways to avoid the public eye aside from the occasional casu- al conversation. He declines interview requests and keeps to himself on the sidelines during practice. He is so focused before games it's as if he hardly notices his surroundings. Bengals Cincinnati Houston Texans CINCINNATI (9-7) At HOUSTON (10-6) OPENING LINE — Texans by 3 RECORD VS. SPREAD — Cincinnati 8-6-2; Hous- ton 11-5 SERIES RECORD — Series tied 3-3 LAST MEETING — Texans beat Bengals 20-19, Dec. 11 LAST WEEK — Bengals lost to Ravens 24-16; Tex- ans lost to Titans 23-22 (19), PASS (20) (10), PASS (9) (2), PASS (18) (4), PASS (3) BENGALS OFFENSE — OVERALL (20), RUSH BENGALS DEFENSE — OVERALL (7), RUSH TEXANS OFFENSE — OVERALL (13), RUSH TEXANS DEFENSE — OVERALL (2), RUSH STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Houston has won last three over Cincinnati. Texans clinched first AFC South title and playoff spot in franchise history by beating Bengals 20-19 at Paul Brown Stadium on Dec. 11. ... Bengals haven't won playoff game since the end of 1990 season, when they beat Houston Oilers 41-14. They lost playoff games at Paul Brown in 2005 to Steel- ers and 2009 to Jets. This is only their third playoff appearance in last 21 years. ... Took Texans 10 years to reach playoffs for first time, longest streak of any expan- sion team. ... It's first playoff game since AFL-NFL merger in 1970 featuring two rookie quarterbacks. Ben- gals took Andy Dalton in second round. Texans got T.J. Yates in fifth round. ... Dalton grew up in Houston sub- urb of Katy and is 3-0 at Reliant Stadium after winning two high school playoff games there and getting a win in Texas Bowl while at TCU. ... Dalton started all 16 games. Yates got in for last five after Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart got hurt. ... Dalton missed practice Wednesday because of bad case of flu, but returned a day later. ... Over last six games, Dalton threw five touchdowns and only one interception in 184 attempts. ... During loss to Houston last month, Dalton and Ben- gals offense had miserable second half, blowing 6-3 lead. They managed 81 yards in second half, including only 9 yards on 14 rushes. Dalton fumbled on second play of half to start Houston's comeback and was 7 of 11 for 77 yards after halftime. ... Yates had biggest game of season at Cincinnati, completing 26 of 44 for 300 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He led Texans 80 yards in closing minutes, throwing 6-yard TD pass to Kevin Walter with 2 seconds left to win it. ... Bengals worked out in bitter conditions early in week — wind chills in teens — at Paul Brown Stadium. They don't have covered practice field. Reliant Stadium has retractable roof. ... It's first playoff game in Houston since Jan. 16, 1994 — a span of 6,565 days — when Kansas City Chiefs beat Houston Oilers 28-20. ... Houston RBs Arian Foster (1,224) and Ben Tate (942) were only teammates in NFL to run for at least 900 yards apiece this season. ... Bengals had season-high five sacks in last game against Houston. ... Houston WR Andre Johnson has 19 catches for 278 yards in last two games against Bengals. He sat out win in Cincinnati with pulled hamstring. ... Cincinnati receiver A.J. Green's 1,057 yards receiving are most by rookie in franchise history. He'll be covered by CB Johnathan Joseph, who left Bengals as free agent after last season. Joseph was first-round draft pick by Bengals in 2006 and spent five seasons in Cincinnati. Green had five catches for 59 yards in their matchup last month. Saturday 1:30 p.m. Davis said. ''I commend him. He's doing great for us and he definitely deserves everything that comes his way. I give him high praise.'' Baalke, who has picked up some things through a close friendship with Packers GM Ted Thompson, goes about his business quietly behind the scenes — though he does speak openly during his weekly radio show, for which he has a contractual obligation. Baalke would prefer that any credit for the turnaround go elsewhere. ''I appreciate the compliment, guys, but in all honesty it really comes down to the efforts of the coaches and players,'' Baalke said this week on 95.7 FM The Game. ''They've done an outstanding job coming together, believing in each other, believing we could get this thing accomplished. When things didn't look good in certain games, they kept with it, kept grinding. The coaches kept searching for answers and the players kept believing. So when you've got that kind of dynamic, the rest of it is pretty easy.'' Last January, Baalke was elevated from his previous post of vice president of player personnel. After team President Jed York vowed to open an exhaustive national search for a general manager, he ultimately decided to go with the famil- iar guy who had shown plenty of leadership and reliable decision-making already. York took heat for it, too, as some believed he had settled for Baalke over a bigger name. Yet it was Baalke who orchestrated the contract exten- sions for two key 49ers last season: five-time Pro Bowl line- backer Patrick Willis and Davis. Running back Frank Gore got his coveted new deal before the 2011 season. Considering the dedication of the front office to assem- bling a talented, team-first locker room, the losing became all the more difficult. ''That's why it was so gut-wrenching in the past,'' defen- sive line coach Jim Tomsula said. ''Not to review the past, but where we are right now, they've worked through this long haul, they've kept it together. That's why you appreci- ate Jim Harbaugh, Trent Baalke and (player personnel direc- tor) Tommy Gamble and all the things that are going on.'' Baalke, a former college coach who also worked four years in the scouting department for the Washington Red- skins prior to coming to San Francisco, is always committed to finding the ''best player available'' and not falling for the trendy choice. Baalke's two first-round draft picks from 2010 — Antho- ny Davis and Mike Iupati — became instant starters on the offensive line. This season's rookies have done their part: Aldon Smith with 14 sacks, Kendall Hunter as Gore's reli- able backup, and Bruce Miller shining as a defensive end turned fullback. Baalke also added special teams standout Blake Costan- zo and scooped up Akers — whose 44 field goals this sea- son set an NFL record — when the Eagles decided he was expendable. ''He had a plan, and he stuck with it,'' safety Dashon Goldson said. ''And look where we're at now. We always had the players here. He does a good job of getting the play- ers in here. He kept building and adding the little pieces to it, and we're in the playoffs for the first time in how long. He's a GM and he knows what we have and the players are out here playing but, at the same time, he's definitely a big part of the success that we're having.'' Detroit Lions New Orleans Saints DETROIT (10-6) At NEW ORLEANS (13-3) OPENING LINE — Saints by 10 RECORD VS. SPREAD — Detroit 7-7-2; New Orleans 12-4 SERIES RECORD — Saints lead 11-9-1 LAST MEETING — Saints beat Lions 31-17, Dec. 4 LAST WEEK — Saints beat Panthers 45-17; Lions lost to Packers 45-41 LIONS OFFENSE — OVERALL (5), RUSH (29), PASS (4) PASS (22) PASS (1) LIONS DEFENSE — OVERALL (23), RUSH (23), SAINTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (1), RUSH (6), SAINTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (27), RUSH (12), PASS (30) STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Detroit mak- ing first playoff appearance since 1999. ... Lions set NFL single-season mark by coming back to win three games after trailing by 17 or more points. ... For first time since 1952, Detroit scored 45 or more points in three games. ... Lions scored club record 474 points in 2011; also set club record with 6,337 offensive yards. ... Lions QB Matthew Stafford set team passing records with 5,038 yards and 41 TDs, becoming fourth NFL QB with 5,000 yards passing in season, joining Hall of Famer Dan Marino, Saints' Drew Brees and New England's Tom Brady. ... Lions WR Calvin Johnson led NFL with 1,681 yards receiving and led NFC with 16 TDs receiving, which also broke former club record of 15 set by Cloyce Box in 1952. ... Johnson only Lion with 1,500-plus yards receiving and 15-plus TDs receiving in a season. ... DE Cliff Avril led Lions with 11 sacks and led NFC with six forced fumbles. ... Ndamukong Suh has 14 sacks over two seasons, second most by DT in NFL dur- ing that span. ... New Orleans has won eight in row and tied club record with 13 wins, equaling win total set by 2009 Super Bowl champion Saints. ... New Orleans had 8-0 home record for first time in club's 45-year history. ... New Orleans set NFL record with 7,474 offensive yards and 5,347 yards passing. ... Saints have qualified for postseason in four of six seasons under coach Sean Payton. ... New Orleans 4-2 in playoffs under Payton. ... Brees set NFL single-season record with 5,476 yards passing. Brees had 13 300-yard passing games, most in a season, including seven straight, longest streak in NFL history. ... Brees set single-season records for comple- tions (468) and completion percentage (71.2). ... Brees completed 26 of 36 passes (72.2 percent) for 342 yards, three TDs in last meeting. ... RB-PR-KR Darren Spro- les set NFL record with 2,696 all-purpose yards. ... He is first NFL player with 1,300-plus yards from scrim- mage (1,313) and 1,300-plus yards on kickoff and punt returns (1,383). ... Jimmy Graham led NFL TEs with 99 receptions and was second with 1,310 yards receiving, also second most all-time by a TE behind New Eng- land's Rob Gronkowski. ... Graham is first NFL TE with at least 95 catches, 1,200 yards and 10 TDs in a season. ... Graham (99 receptions) and Sproles (86) are first TE- RB duo in NFL history with 80-plus catches each. ... WR Marques Colston, in sixth season, had 1,143 yards receiving in 2011, his team-record fifth 1,000-yard sea- son. ... S Roman Harper led Saints with 7 1/2 sacks, sec- ond most all-time by DB in a season. Saturday 5 p.m. try and change them.'' Looking to build momen- tum for a new arena project, Sacramento stumbled at the start again this year. A talented and athletic — albeit raw — roster entered Thursday night's home game against Milwaukee with a 2-5 record and in last place in the Pacific Division. Westphal finished with a 51- 120 record in Sacramento. The 61-year-old previ- ously coached the Phoenix Suns and Seattle SuperSon- ics. In a statement released by the team, Westphal thanked the Maloofs, his coaching staff and players for the opportunity. ''While the job is far from finished, I am proud of the strides we were able to make,'' he said. In the last week, all of Westphal's efforts in Califor- nia's capital shattered. He abruptly released a statement Sunday criticizing Cousins' commitment to the franchise and excused him from the team's game against New Orleans. He also said Cousins asked for a trade, which the center's agent refuted. Petrie said he knew of Westphal's plans to release the statement but indicated that the Maloofs didn't. Petrie dodged questions about whether he supported Westphal's statement about Cousins, who expressed remorse for Westphal and said he would soon reach out to his former coach. ''It's been an emotional week and a lot of misunder- standings,'' Cousins said. ''But it comes with the terri- tory. Coach Westphal was a great teacher to a lot of us and a good coach. But this was a management deci- sion.'' Sacramento drafted Cousins with the fifth overall pick in 2010 after he spent one season at Kentucky. The 21-year-old was averaging 13.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in 26 minutes per game this season. Cousins' behavior has been well documented going back to high school and his one season at Ken- tucky, mixing in dramatic and astonishing plays with outbursts against players, coaches, trainers and refer- ees. His conditioning has been questioned and so has his work ethic. However, he showed up for training camp NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 21 11 4 46 105 86 Dallas 22 16 1 45 108 113 Kings 19 14 7 45 87 92 Phoenix 19 17 4 42 103 107 Ducks 10 22 6 26 88 127 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 24 12 4 52 132 116 Detroit 25 13 1 51 128 88 St. Louis 23 12 5 51 103 89 Nashville 21 15 4 46 106 112 Columbus 10 23 5 25 93 128 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 25 13 3 53 134 99 Minnesota 21 14 6 48 95 98 Colorado 22 18 1 45 110 116 Calgary 18 19 5 41 100 123 Edmonton 16 21 3 35 110 115 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA N.Y.Rangers 25 9 4 54 113 81 Philadelphia23 11 4 50 130 113 Pittsburgh 21 13 4 46 121 100 New Jersey 21 16 2 44 106 114 N.Y. Islanders14 17 6 34 88 116 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 26 10 1 53 138 69 Ottawa 21 15 5 47 127 136 Toronto 20 15 5 45 129 128 Buffalo 18 17 4 40 104 115 Montreal 15 18 7 37 106 113 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 20 12 8 48 105 110 Washington 21 15 2 44 114 110 Winnipeg 19 16 5 43 107 118 Tampa Bay 17 19 3 37 108 133 Carolina 13 21 7 33 106 139 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Thursday's results Columbus at San Jose, late Boston 9, Calgary 0 Dallas 4, Nashville 1 N.Y. Rangers 3, Florida 2, OT Ottawa 4, Tampa Bay 1 Philadelphia 5, Chicago 4 St. Louis 4, Edmonton 3 Toronto 4, Winnipeg 0 Phoenix at Los Angeles, late Today's games Buffalo at Carolina, 4 p.m. Florida at New Jersey, 4 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Colorado at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Anaheim, 7 p.m. Saturday's games Washington at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Vancouver at Boston, 10 a.m. Edmonton at Dallas, 11 a.m. Columbus at Los Angeles, 1 p.m. Detroit at Toronto, 4 p.m. New Jersey at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at Montreal, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Carolina at Nashville, 5 p.m. Colorado at St. Louis, 5 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Phoenix, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Calgary, 7 p.m. in prime condition and appeared ready for a break- out season. ''Of course people are going to tie (Westphal's fir- ing) to me,'' Cousins said. ''It will just show their igno- rance. But like I said, it's not my decision.'' The Kings had high hopes for a major turnaround this year. Teamed with 2009- 10 rookie of the year Tyreke Evans, Cousins was expect- ed to anchor the front line for a young and emerging roster in the deep Western Confer- ence. Sacramento finished 24-58 last season and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year, although a late- season surge behind a healthy Evans provided hope that maybe the Kings weren't that far off from making the postseason again. Turns out, the Maloofs couldn't wait any longer. ''We have a lot of respect for Paul and he's a classy individual. But it's time for a change,'' Gavin Maloof said at halftime of the Kings- Bucks game. ''We just got to put everything behind us, all of the negatives and try and push forward and think posi- tive.'' The NBA and the Mal- oofs have given Sacramento a March 1 deadline to approve a plan to help finance a new arena, or the franchise could again explore relocation. The Kings nearly moved south to Anaheim, Calif., in April before the league's Board of Governors decided to give Sacramento another chance. Now the Cousins conflict is Smart's responsibility to fix. Smart, the former Indi- ana guard best known for hitting ''The Shot'' against Syracuse that won the Hoosiers the 1987 NCAA title, spent seven years as an assistant with Golden State before he replaced the ousted Don Nelson just before train- ing camp last year. The War- riors went 36-46 under Smart, a 10-game improve- ment from the previous sea- son but not enough to appease new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. Smart said he never imagined his next chance coming so soon. While tak- ing over for a fired coach is not the type of opportunity he envisioned, he feels com- fortable with the decision after Westphal passed along his blessings. ''He said, 'Don't do any- thing stupid and reject this. I want you to coach this team,''' Smart said of West- phal. NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Clippers Lakers Phoenix WL Pct GB 3 2 .600 — 4 3 .571 — 2 4 .333 1.5 WARRIORS 24 .333 1.5 KINGS 25 .286 2 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 5 2 .714 — Memphis Dallas Houston Portland Denver 3 3 .500 1.5 3 5 .375 2.5 2 4 .333 2.5 New Orleans 2 4 .333 2.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB 4 1 .800 — 5 2 .714 — Oklahoma City 5 2 .714 — Utah Minnesota 3 3 .500 1.5 2 4 .333 2.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 3 2 .600 — Boston Toronto New York Miami WL Pct GB 4 3 .571 — 3 3 .500 .5 2 4 .333 1.5 New Jersey 1 6 .143 3 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 7 1 .875 — 5 2 .714 1.5 4 3 .571 2.5 2 4 .333 4 Orlando Atlanta Charlotte Washington 0 6 .000 6 Central Division Chicago Indiana Cleveland WL Pct GB 6 1 .857 — 4 2 .667 1.5 3 3 .500 2.5 Milwaukee 2 3 .400 3 Detroit 2 4 .333 3.5 —————————————————— Thursday's results Milwaukee at Sacramento, late Miami 116, Atlanta 109, 3OT San Antonio 93, Dallas 71 L.A. Lakers at Portland, late Today's games Golden State at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Atlanta at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Detroit at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. New Jersey at Toronto, 4 p.m. New York at Washington, 4 p.m. Indiana at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Chicago at Orlando, 5 p.m. Cleveland at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Denver at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Houston at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Memphis at Utah, 6 p.m. Portland at Phoenix, 7:30 p.m. Saturday's games Utah at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Charlotte at Indiana, 4 p.m. Chicago at Atlanta, 4 p.m. Miami at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. New York at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at Houston, 5 p.m. Toronto at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. Denver at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. New Orleans at Dallas, 6 p.m. Milwaukee at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. N N B C B C