Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/59280
2B Daily News – Thursday, March 22, 2012 Tebow traded to Jets Raiders agree to deals with Barnes, Lee NEW YORK (AP) — Tim Tebow is coming to New York. Really. After a big false start, the New York Jets pulled off a Tebow-like comeback Wednes- day night, getting the quarterback who turned the Denver Broncos from an also-ran into a playoff team last season and became the NFL's most talked-about player — for a fourth- and sixth-round draft pick. Now, Tebowmania is opening on Broadway. Eight hours after initially agreeing to a deal, the teams completed the trade that was hung up when the Jets apparently balked at repaying Denver more than $5 million for a salary advance due Tebow. ESPN reported that the two sides had agreed to split that cost. Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said there was a disagreement about how to handle the salary advance after Denver received the papers. ''We knew what the contract was,'' he said. ''We had read it.'' Despite ultimately pulling off the deal for Tebow, it's just another bizarre moment for the Jets, a team that has had its share of them over the years, conjuring memories of Bill Belichick's hiring as coach and his resigna- tion one day later. Just a few weeks after ''Linsanity'' swept the area and the rest of the NBA with the Knicks' sensational Jeremy Lin, ''Timsani- ty'' now will take over New York. ''You've got a tough player on the field, a leader in the locker room and a guy who shares the faith that I share,'' Jets defensive end Mike DeVito said. ''So, I'm very grate- ful to have him on our team, and I feel it's going to really benefit us as a whole.'' But not everyone's a fan. Another teammate, cornerback Antonio Cromartie, took to Twitter on Wednesday to express his confidence in Sanchez and the offense as structured before the deal. ''Y bring Tebow in when we need to bring in more Weapons for (at)Mark— Sanchez,'' Cromartie tweeted. ''Let's build the team around him. We already signed to 3 year ext.'' But in a conference call Wednesday SAINTS (Continued from page 1B) bounties weren't being paid. The league also chastised him for choosing to ''falsely deny that the program exist- ed,'' and for trying to ''encourage the false denials by instructing assistants to 'make sure our ducks are in a row.''' All in all, Goodell's ruling is a real blow to the Saints, a franchise that Payton and quarterback Drew Brees revived and led to the 2010 Super Bowl title after decades of such futility that fans wore paper bags over their heads at home games. Brees reacted quickly to the news on Twitter, writing: ''I am speechless. Sean Pay- ton is a great man, coach, and mentor. ... I need to hear an explanation for this pun- ishment.'' The Saints now must decide who will coach the team in Payton's place — his suspension takes effect April 1 — and who will make ros- ter moves while Loomis is out. There was no immediate word from the Saints, but two candidates to take over coaching duties are defen- sive coordinator Steve Spag- nuolo and offensive coordi- nator Pete Carmichael Jr. Spagnuolo has NFL head coaching experience; Carmichael does not, but has been with the club since 2006. When the NFL first made its investigation public on March 2, Williams admitted to — and apologized for — running the program while in charge of the Saints' defense. He was hired in January by the St. Louis Rams; head coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday he'll probably use a committee of coaches to replace Williams in 2012. Goodell will review Williams' status after the upcoming season and decide whether he can return. ''I accept full responsibil- ity for my actions,'' Williams said in a statement issued by the Rams. ''I will continue to cooperate fully with the league and its investigation and ... I will do everything possible to re-earn the respect of my colleagues, the NFL and its players in hopes of returning to coaching in the future.'' While some players who played for Williams else- where said he oversaw boun- ty systems there, too, the league said its interviews didn't find evidence that ''programs at other clubs involved targeting opposing night, Tannenbaum emphasized that the team is committed to Sanchez. ''Mark Sanchez is, has been and will be our starting quarterback,'' he said. The Jets signed Drew Stanton last week to be their No. 2 quarterback, ahead of Greg McElroy, the team's seventh-round draft pick last year. Tannenbaum said Tuesday that he was confident in the trio, but added: ''I'll give you my standard answer, which is you never know if other opportunities pre- sent themselves. We'll always look at it. That's the standard line there, but we feel good about Greg, Drew and Mark, and see where we go from there.'' And that led them to Tebow. But Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath, who led the Jets to their only Super Bowl title in 1969, was also among those unhappy. ''I'm just sorry that I can't agree with this situation. I think it's just a publicity stunt. I can't go with it. I think it's wrong,'' Namath told 1050 ESPN Radio on Wednesday. ''I don't think they know what they're doing over there.'' The effect Tebow's presence will have on Sanchez remains to be seen. The Jets appear to be committed to him financially as their starter for at least the next two years, but a restless fan base that got down on Sanchez as he struggled late last season could call for Tebow to take over at the first sign of trou- ble. Two minutes after the Jets initially posted the trade — in which they'll get a seventh- round pick in 2012 — on its Facebook page, there were 874 ''likes,'' 366 comments and 247 shares. Most of the comments ran along the lines of: ''I might cry'' and ''He is not welcome here, another terrible decision.'' The Jets certainly will have lots of explaining to do: Where was the misunder- standing? Who didn't read the fine print? Why did the Jets announce the trade on its site and Facebook page before it was com- pletely done? But even all that couldn't over- shadow another embarrassing episode for a franchise that has had to explain away sever- al missteps in recent years. players or rewarding players for injuring an opponent.'' But Goodell could re-open the case if new information emerges. After the NFL made clear that punishments for the Saints were looming, Payton and Loomis took the blame for violations that they acknowledged ''happened under our watch'' and said club owner Tom Benson ''had nothing to do'' with the bounty pool, which reached as much as $50,000 during the season New Orleans won its championship. The NFL said the scheme involved 22 to 27 defensive players; targeted opponents included quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. ''Knockouts'' were worth $1,500 and ''cart-offs'' $1,000, with payments dou- bled or tripled for the play- offs. ''The bounty thing is completely unprofessional. I'm happy the league has made it known it won't be tolerated,'' said left tackle Jordan Gross, Newton's teammate on the Carolina Panthers. ''To think that something like that would happen — guys trying to hurt someone to make a few extra bucks — is just appalling. I mean we have a lot on the line, every single one of us. ... You don't want to see anyone taken out a game.'' According to the league, Saints defensive captain Jonathan Vilma offered $10,000 to any player who knocked then-Vikings QB Favre out of the 2010 NFC championship game. The Saints were flagged for roughing Favre twice in that game, and the league later said they should have received another penalty for a brutal high-low hit from Remi Ayodele and Bobby McCray that hurt Favre's ankle. He was able to finish the game, but the Saints won in overtime en route to the franchise's only Super Bowl appearance. All payouts for specific performances in a game, including interceptions or causing fumbles, are against NFL rules. The NFL warns teams against such practices before each season, although in the aftermath of the reve- lations about the Saints, cur- rent and former players from various teams talked about that sort of thing happening frequently — just not on the same scale as was found in New Orleans. In a memo to the NFL's 32 teams, Goodell ordered owners to make sure their clubs are not offering boun- ties now. Each club's princi- pal owner and head coach must certify in writing by March 30 that no pay-for- performance system exists. Punishment for any Saints players involved will be determined later, because the league is still reviewing the case with the NFL Play- ers Association. ''While I will not address player conduct at this time, I am profoundly troubled by the fact that players — including leaders among the defensive players — embraced this program so enthusiastically and partici- pated with what appears to have been a deliberate lack of concern for the well-being of their fellow players,'' Goodell said. The discipline for the Saints' involvement in the bounty scheme is more far- reaching and unforgiving than what Goodell came up with in 2007, when the New England Patriots cheated by videotaping an opponent. Goodell fined the Patriots $250,000, stripped a first- round draft pick, and docked their coach, Bill Belichick, $500,000 for what was known as ''Spygate.'' As recently as this year, Payton said he was entirely unaware of the bounties — ''a claim contradicted by others,'' the league said. And according to the investiga- tion, Payton received an email before the Saints' first game in 2011 that read, ''PS Greg Williams put me down for $5000 on Rogers (sic).'' When Payton was shown that email by NFL investiga- tors, he acknowledged it referred to a bounty on Rodgers, whose Packers beat the Saints in Week 1. The league said that in addition to contributing money to the bounty fund, Williams oversaw record- keeping, determined payout amounts and recipients, and handed out envelopes with money to players. The NFL said Williams acknowledged he intentionally misled NFL investigators when first ques- tioned in 2010, and didn't try to stop the bounties. Vitt was aware of the bounties and, according to the league, later admitted he had ''fabricated the truth'' when interviewed in 2010. Loomis knew of the bounty allegations at least by February 2010, when he was told by the league to end the practice. But the NFL said he later admitted he didn't do enough to determine if there were bounties or to try to stop them. ALAMEDA (AP) — The Oakland Raiders agreed on one-year contracts with free agent offensive lineman Khalif Barnes and cornerback Pat Lee on Wednesday. The moves by new general manager Reg- gie McKenzie were the latest to bolster the line and secondary as he has added only to those two positions so far this offseason. After spending most of his first two years with the Raiders as a reserve, Barnes started all 16 games at right tackle last year before becoming a free agent. He ended up staying in Oakland after reaching a deal that could be worth up to $2 million, said his agent, Kenneth Zuckerman. The deal came the same day the Raiders lost starting center Samson Satele to Indi- anapolis in free agency. The Raiders re- signed guard Cooper Carlisle on Monday, less than a week after releasing him, and also signed guard Mike Brisiel to a four-year deal worth almost $20 million last week. SMITH (Continued from page 1B) The 27-year-old Smith met with Miami on Sunday but ultimately decided to stay put with the storied franchise that drafted him first overall in 2005. Smith said his talks with the Dolphins during a 5 1/2-hour meeting ''seemed serious at the time.'' Smith said Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke came to see him to inform the quarterback they were going to pursue Man- ning. ''Obviously it was a little unexpected, but that's part of the deal. This is free agency and this is the NFL, and those things happen,'' Smith said. Everybody involved seemed relieved Wednesday to move ahead with prepara- tions for 2012. The 49ers last week added wide receivers Randy Moss and Mario Manningham — and Smith is eager to get to work with them soon. ''Thanks for choosing the 49ers Alex. Sorry it was a tough week,'' 49ers CEO Jed York said Wednesday on Twitter. Smith had a breakthrough season last year, throwing for 3,150 yards and 17 touch- downs to help San Francisco reach the NFC title game. Both sides made it clear after the Niners' 20-17 over- time loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the NFC championship game that they planned to work out a new deal. It just took a little while longer than expected after Manning briefly entered the picture. ''We are pleased that Alex has chosen to continue his career as a 49er,'' Baalke said. ''His contributions were instrumental to our suc- MLB Spring Training AMERICAN LEAGUE WL Pct Detroit Toronto A's 13 3 .813 15 4 .789 14 5 .737 Kansas City 11 7 .611 Minnesota 12 8 .600 Seattle Boston Angels New York Baltimore Chicago Cleveland 12 8 .600 9 7 .563 9 8 .529 10 9 .526 6 9 .400 6 11 .353 5 11 .313 Tampa Bay 5 11 .313 Texas 5 12 .294 NATIONAL LEAGUE WL Pct GIANTS St. Louis Dodgers Padres Colorado Houston Arizona Cincinnati Milwaukee Pittsburgh Chicago New York 12 6 .667 10 6 .625 9 6 .600 11 8 .579 9 8 .529 9 8 .529 Philadelphia 9 9 .500 Miami 7 8 .467 8 11 .421 8 11 .421 7 10 .412 7 10 .412 8 12 .400 Washington 5 10 .333 Atlanta 6 13 .316 4 12 .250 NOTE: Split-squad games count in the standings; games against non-major league teams do not. —————————————————— Wednesday's results Kansas City 8, Oakland 3 San Francisco 5, Cleveland 3 Arizona 0, Milwaukee 0, tie Atlanta 3, Washington 2, 10 innings Chicago White Sox 13, Seattle 8 Minnesota 7, Detroit 3 N.Y.Yankees 5, Tampa Bay 2 Pittsburgh 6, Boston 5 San Diego 3, L.A. Dodgers 0 St. Louis 2, N.Y.Mets 1 Toronto 6, Baltimore 3 Today's Grapefruit League games Baltimore vs. Minnesota, 10:05 a.m. Miami vs. Atlanta, 10:05 a.m. Philadelphia vs. Toronto, 10:05 a.m. Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh, 10:05 a.m. Washington vs. St. Louis, 10:05 a.m. Houston vs. N.Y. Mets, 10:10 a.m. N.Y.Yankees vs. Boston, 4:05 p.m. Today's Cactus League games San Francisco vs. Colorado, 7:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs vs. Texas (ss), 1:05 p.m. Cleveland vs. San Diego, 1:05 p.m. Colorado vs. San Diego, 1:05 p.m. Kansas City (ss) vs.Chi.White Sox, 1:05 p.m. Kansas City (ss) vs. L.A. Angels, 1:05 p.m. Texas (ss) vs. Cincinnati, 7:05 p.m. With left tackle Jared Veldheer still in place and guard Stefen Wisniewski possibly moving to center, the Raiders could be set on their starting offensive line. Lee also agreed to a deal Wednesday, said his agent, Todd France. He is the second player with ties to McKenzie in Green Bay to come to Oakland so far this offseason. The Raiders also signed defensive back Brandon Underwood last month. After releasing starters Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson early in the offseason, the Raiders have now signed three cornerbacks in the last week: Ron Bartell, Shawntae Spencer and Lee. While Bartell and Spencer have extensive starting experience in the NFL, Lee has started just one game since being picked in the second round by the Packers in 2008 out of Auburn. Lee was almost exclusively a special teams player last season. He had just one defensive tackle and was targeted just once all season. cess in 2011, and we look forward to the continued growth of our offense under his leadership.'' Smith and Harbaugh built a strong working relationship in a matter of months, and Smith has long said he understands the business side of the NFL. So, it shouldn't take long for Harbaugh and Smith to start looking for- ward to making another spe- cial run in 2012. ''It's a very strong rela- tionship,'' Harbaugh told reporters while leaving team headquarters Tuesday, not- ing nothing had changed in Smith being ''our guy.'' Smith reiterated that Wednesday. ''As good as they've always been and getting bet- ter,'' he said of his dealings with Harbaugh. ''The thing from Day 1, when I first met coach Harbaugh, is he's always been up front and always been honest with me. He's continued to do that during this entire process. That's one of the reasons I love playing for him, so no question. Now, obviously looking forward to having an offseason with him.'' Last spring, Harbaugh handed over his playbook to Smith during a brief lifting of the lockout — a show of confidence in the QB even though he wasn't under con- tract. Smith wound up re- signing for $4.9 million, then earned a $1 million bonus for making the playoffs as the 49ers ended an eight-year stretch without a postseason berth or winning record. Now, he is getting some job security and a nice raise to boot. ''Really the money was- n't the issue. Money is great for security but I'm not a guy who has a bunch of flashy cars,'' Smith said. York had said the team's three-year offer still stood despite the pursuit of Man- NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 40 28 5 85 193 195 Kings 36 25 12 84 172 160 Phoenix 36 26 12 84 194 192 SHARKS 36 27 10 82 199 191 Anaheim 31 32 11 73 185 206 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-St. Louis 46 19 8 100 189 142 Detroit 44 25 5 93 225 181 Nashville 42 23 8 92 209 192 Chicago 42 25 8 92 229 214 Columbus 23 43 7 53 167 236 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 43 21 9 95 224 184 Colorado 40 30 5 85 196 196 Calgary 34 26 14 82 183 201 Minnesota 30 32 10 70 155 199 Edmonton 29 36 8 66 196 216 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-Rangers 46 20 7 99 201 161 Pittsburgh 45 21 6 96 239 184 Philadelphia42 23 8 92 232 206 New Jersey 42 27 5 89 201 191 N.Y. Islanders30 32 11 71 174 218 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 42 27 3 87 236 178 Ottawa 37 27 10 84 221 214 Buffalo 35 29 10 80 190 207 Toronto 32 34 8 72 210 232 Montreal 28 33 13 69 191 206 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 36 24 13 85 183 201 Washington 37 30 6 80 198 208 Winnipeg 34 31 8 76 196 211 Carolina 30 29 15 75 197 218 Tampa Bay 32 33 7 71 202 247 x-clinched playoff spot NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Wednesday's results Buffalo 3, Montreal 0 Carolina 3, Florida 1 Chicago 2, Vancouver 1, OT N.Y. Rangers 2, Detroit 1, OT St. Louis at Anaheim, late Today's games Boston at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Edmonton at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Calgary at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Vancouver at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Colorado at Phoenix, 7 p.m. St. Louis at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Friday's games Buffalo at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Toronto at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Washington, 4 p.m. Carolina at Columbus, 4 p.m. Edmonton at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. ning, and it was just up to Smith to sign. The quarter- back said he didn't have a problem that his agency, CAA Sports, was also nego- tiating and representing Manning. ''I'm glad that this is finally done. For me this was the plan all along,'' Smith said. ''Since the season ended I wanted to be back here. It dragged out a little bit but I'm glad it's over. Glad it's done. Glad to get back to work.'' Long booed by his home fans at Candlestick Park, Smith had only five intercep- tions last year as San Fran- cisco went 13-3 to win its first division title since 2002. That was a remarkable turn- around under first-year coach and 15-year NFL quarterback Harbaugh — the NFL coach of the year — who declared his confidence in Smith as a winner from Day 1 when Harbaugh was hired away from Stanford in January 2011. San Francisco went 6-2 on the road and won four of those games in comeback fashion — and Smith rallied his team from behind five times in all, not to mention a 36-32 victory against the favored Saints in the NFC divisional playoffs. Smith completed a 14-yard touch- down pass to Davis with 9 seconds left to seal it after Drew Brees had put his team ahead. Smith said he was ready to battle Manning for the No. 1 job in training camp if it came to that. ''I know that this is my job. I feel like I've earned it,'' Smith said. ''I've earned the right to compete for it. I've always welcomed competi- tion and will continue to wel- come it.'' NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Lakers Clippers Phoenix WL Pct GB 28 18 .609 — 26 20 .565 2 23 24 .489 5.5 WARRIORS 19 25 .432 8 KINGS 17 29 .370 11 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 30 14 .682 — Dallas Memphis Houston 27 20 .574 4.5 25 19 .568 5 25 22 .532 6.5 New Orleans 11 35 .239 20 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 35 12 .745 — Denver Utah 25 21 .543 9.5 24 22 .522 10.5 Minnesota 23 25 .479 12.5 Portland 21 25 .457 13.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 26 21 .553 — Boston New York Toronto Miami WL Pct GB 24 21 .533 1 23 24 .489 3 15 32 .319 11 New Jersey 15 33 .313 11.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 34 11 .756 — 30 18 .625 5.5 27 20 .574 8 Orlando Atlanta Washington 11 34 .244 23 Charlotte Central Division Chicago Indiana 7 37 .159 26.5 WL Pct GB 39 10 .796 — 26 18 .591 10.5 Milwaukee 21 24 .467 16 Cleveland 17 27 .386 19.5 Detroit 16 29 .356 21 —————————————————— Wednesday's results Golden State 101, New Orleans 92 Atlanta 103, Cleveland 102, OT Chicago 94, Toronto 82 New York 82, Philadelphia 79 Oklahoma City 114, L.A. Clippers 91 Orlando 103, Phoenix 93 San Antonio 116, Minnesota 100 Washington 108, New Jersey 89 Detroit at Denver, late L.A. Lakers at Dallas, late Today's games Golden State at Houston, 5 p.m. Utah at Sacramento, 7 p.m. Indiana at Washington, 4 p.m. Boston at Milwaukee, 5 p.m. L.A. Clippers at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Memphis at Portland, 7 p.m. Friday's games Cleveland at Orlando, 4 p.m. Milwaukee at Charlotte, 4 p.m. New York at Toronto, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Indiana, 4 p.m. Miami at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. New Jersey at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Boston at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Dallas at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Denver at Utah, 7:30 p.m. Portland at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.