Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/99933
2B Daily News ��� Thursday, December 20, 2012 NFL NHL LOCKOUT Tebow ���disappointed��� Players waiting for labor talks by Ryan���s QB choice to resume FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) ��� It all began as an intriguing idea, the thought of Tim Tebow running around as an exciting spark for the New York Jets��� offense. Then it all fizzled ��� before it really even started. Rex Ryan acknowledged Wednesday that he had higher expectations for the seldom-used Tebow in the Jets��� wildcatstyle offense. And, so did the NFL���s most popular and maligned backup quarterback. ������For some reason, it hasn���t panned out to my expectations and maybe Tim���s, either,������ Ryan said. ������Defenses have attacked us a little differently. Maybe that���s a contributing factor to it.������ Ryan would not go into detail about why he chose Greg McElroy over Tebow to replace the struggling Mark Sanchez as the team���s starting quarterback with two games left in a lost season. He reiterated his comments from Tuesday that it was his decision ��� and his alone ��� saying it was a ������gut������ call. It was one that, predictably, didn���t sit well with Tebow. ������Obviously, I���m a little disappointed,������ he said. ������You try to handle it the best you can.������ Tebow paused for a second when asked if he felt passed over by Ryan choosing McElroy instead of him. ������All you can ask for and all you want is a chance,������ he said. ������A chance to go out there and play the game you love, and help this team win football games. That���s all I wanted.������ Ryan didn���t consult with any players before making the call ��� other than to tell Sanchez after the Jets��� 14-10 loss to Tennessee on Monday night that he was out as the starter. The fact McElroy leapfrogged Tebow appears to be a clear indicator that the Jets think very little of Tebow as a quarterback, the player they traded a fourth-round draft pick to Denver for in March despite having just signed Sanchez to a big contract extension. ������I think we had a vision of using Tim in different ways,������ Ryan said. ������Obviously, we used him as a personal punt protector. I thought maybe we would use him in other ways or something.������ As did Tebow. He has done his best to hide his frustration throughout the season, but it was clear Wednesday that he is unhappy. He spoke in a low tone, and the usually constant smiles were few and far between. He also shrugged his shoulders a few times at questions, almost struggling to say the right things without coming off as angry. Tebow was also asked point-blank whether he pictures himself being a member of the Jets next season. ������I���ll just wait until the end of the season,������ he said, ������and look at everything then.������ Tebow did say he has not asked to be traded after the season, but indicated that even he is a bit puzzled why the Jets brought him to New York. ������Umm, some things are hard to understand,������ he said. ������They���re trying to do the best they can, and I understand that.������ General manager Mike Tannenbaum told The Associated Press during training camp that he and Ryan kicked around the idea of going after Tebow while sitting in an airport and seeing that Denver was about to acquire Peyton Manning. Tannenbaum said the two jumped at that idea, and so did offensive coordinator Tony Sparano ��� and added that owner Woody Johnson was completely on board. For Johnson, it would be a publicity touchdown along with a chance to sell tickets, personal seat licenses and mountains of merchandise. For Ryan and Sparano, it would be adding a proven winner, an athlete who had his limitations as a passer, but added so much more in intangibles. Ryan constantly called Tebow ������a football player,������ someone whose role would go far beyond just being the No. 2 quarterback behind Sanchez. But as each week came and went, Tebow has had a limited role in the offense after it was expected he would provide a boost. Even in situations that seemed tailor-made for Tebow ��� third-and-short, goal-line ��� he mostly remained on the sideline as a mere spectator. ������We���re kind of ignoring the fact that he had two cracked ribs,������ Ryan said. Sure, he was injured on Nov. 11 at Seattle, played three offensive snaps the next week at St. Louis and not at all in the next two games. But, it was clear that Tebow had gone from a key piece to a spare part for the Jets long before that. The wildcat offense that had been so anticipated and cloaked in secrecy during training camp became little more than what many considered an ineffective distraction. ������Did I expect to have a little more success running the wildcat? Maybe I did,������ Ryan said. ������I���m sure I did.������ Tebow���s numbers are far from special: He has rushed for 102 yards on 32 carries and is 6 of 8 for 39 yards. And perhaps the most disturbing stat of all: zero touchdowns. Tebow hadn���t been given a series on offense all season until Monday night, when he came in following two solid drives by Sanchez. It started with an 11-yard run by Joe McKnight, followed by a 12-yard rumble by Tebow. And then, nothing. The Jets were forced to punt a few plays later and Tebow���s night was done. Now, Tebow is left wondering what his role will be the last two games of the season because No. 2 on the depth chart isn���t guaranteed. That could be Sanchez, meaning Tebow could be inactive. Or, as Ryan suggested, all three could be in uniform. ������Has it been a perfect situation? I���d say we���re 6-8,������ Ryan said. ������There are probably things I never anticipated, and I���m the guy ultimately responsible.������ Whether Sanchez takes another snap for the Jets this season ��� or ever ��� remains to be seen. His confidence has taken a huge hit, and that process might have started from the day New York brought in Tebow. The fifth pick in the 2009 draft has 50 turnovers since the start of last season, an awful amount of mistakes from a player once considered the face of the franchise who drew comparisons to Joe Namath just two years ago when he led the Jets to a second straight AFC title game appearance. Either way, it appears Tebow is not a part of the Jets��� future. And, Sanchez might not be, either. McElroy is getting the opportunity to show if he could be, but Ryan insists he���s only thinking about the last two opponents: the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills. ������Any long-term discussion,������ Ryan said, ������will probably be better served after that (final) game.������ For Tebow, he���s trying not to think about the ������what-ifs������ or the disappointments of his first, and possibly only, season in New York. ������I don���t have regrets,������ Tebow said. ������I believe everything happens for a reason, and it���s a learning opportunity for me and there���s a lot I���ve learned, good and bad. ������I still appreciate the opportunity to come be a Jet.������ RAIDERS Raiders had to turn to fullback Marcel Reece to carry the load in the backfield. ������You just take it in stride,������ Goodson said. ������I���ve had a lot of practice time, so the coaches have got to see me. I just try to make plays and make all of my touches count.������ Oakland is 29th in total rushing and has had a running back reach the 100-yard mark only three times all year. Goodson nearly did it last week against Kansas City when he ran for a seasonhigh 89 yards on 13 carries. (Continued from page 1B) ference call with Bay Area reporters. ������We tried to find a spot for him last year in all the things that we did. It���s not one of those things where we gave up on him. I am glad to see that he���s playing and doing the things he needed to do to be out on the field. Mike is a terrific athlete.������ The timing of Goodson���s return to Carolina couldn���t be better, either. He is coming off his best rushing per- 49ERS (Continued from page 1B) Another special January would be just what Davis has in mind. He caught the winning TD from Smith to beat New Orleans 36-32 in last season���s divisional playoffs, then had touchdown receptions of 73 and 28 yards in a 20-17 overtime loss to the New York Giants in the NFC title game. If they can get on the same page Sunday night at Seattle, then even better as far as Davis is concerned. The Niners (10-3-1) can clinch a second consecutive NFC West title with a win, and they���re also determined to keep hold on the No. 2 seed ��� and a first-round playoff bye that would come with it ��� by slowing down the red-hot Seahawks (9-5). Davis has only 39 catches for 516 yards and five touchdowns this season, with just four receptions over the past four games after getting a season-best six in a Monday night win against the Bears on Nov. 19. He had one catch for 10 yards at New England. formance in more than two years and is trying to help the Raiders win consecutive games for only the second time this season. That is a much different scenario than he expected to face this late in the year. Then again, not much has gone as planned for Goodson or the Raiders. Oakland���s running game has been abysmal for most of the season. McFadden and Goodson only recently returned from foot injuries they both sustained in a loss on Nov. 4 to Tampa Bay. While they were out, the Coach Jim Harbaugh has repeatedly said a big part of deciding whether to target Davis has to do with the swarming defense and double coverage he draws game after game. Harbaugh is pleased with the extra work Davis and Kaepernick are putting in after practice. ������I can think of a couple things in particular where Vernon and Colin spent some extra time on certain routes, extra during and after practice, and that helped,������ Harbaugh said Wednesday. ������Just specific plays. That was a positive for us and that���s something we can continue. ... I think there will be some more focus on that this week.������ Of the near misses in Sunday���s win, Harbaugh said those might be fixed with ������maybe some more time on task, just between the two of them.������ Kaepernick and wideout Michael Crabtree have quite the connection going already, but now Davis is determined to find it, too. ������Just extra throws,������ Kaepernick said, expanding only by saying, ������we���re making progress because we���re getting those extra throws after practice.������ Not that Davis and Smith had a rhythm right away. It was the 2009 season when Davis led the 49ers with 78 catches for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns, which matched Antonio Gates��� NFL record for TDs by a tight end. Davis made his first Pro Bowl that year and tied for the league lead in touchdown catches with Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald. ������It took a while, but with Kap I���m sure if we just continue to rehearse and work on it, we can make it happen,������ Davis said. ������He���s a fast learner, just like Alex. But it takes time.������ Davis and Kaepernick have had a running joke since training camp. Davis claims the 6-foot-4, 230pound Kaepernick wants to ������get bigger.������ ������He���s a strong man. I heard rumors about him wanting to get bigger,������ Davis said. ������I said, ���Nooooo, nooooo, we don���t need you to get bigger.������ McFadden carried 30 times for 110 yards. It was Goodson���s most yards rushing since he had a career-best 120 against Baltimore on Nov. 21, 2010. ������I like some of the things he���s done,������ Raiders coach Dennis Allen said. ������He���s added an element of explosiveness. He���s done a nice job in the screen game. He���s had a couple games this year where he���s really ran the ball pretty good. I think him and Darren are a nice complement to each other.������ Davis is quick to credit Crabtree for the way he is running his routes and for getting open. ������It depends on what your routes are,������ Davis said. ������The routes, speed, all those things come into consideration.������ With the next game being in the NFL���s loudest venue, keeping up with Kaepernick becomes that much more important. The 49ers spend time in practice trying to simulate the crowd noise, though that���s tough to do. ������One thing we���ve got to work on is getting in the huddle and watching his mouth as he calls the play,������ tight end Delanie Walker said Wednesday. Kaepernick and center Jonathan Goodwin are still finding their groove, too. They struggled on their exchanges against the Patriots, and Kaepernick fumbled four snaps. Of course, the conditions were wet. ������Don���t ask Goody about it. It���s my fault,������ Kaepernick said aloud in the locker room Tuesday. To which Goodwin replied: ������No, it���s 50/50, like a husband and wife.������ TORONTO (AP) ��� Donald Fehr and the players��� association are ready to get back to the bargaining table at any moment. They are now just waiting for the NHL to feel the same way. ������(We aren���t talking) because the owners have not indicated a desire to resume,������ the NHLPA���s executive director said Wednesday night before a charity hockey game. ������We���ve indicated any number of times that we���re willing to resume when they are (and) we���re willing to resume without preconditions. ������So we���re waiting to hear back from them.������ The sides haven���t negotiated with one another since Dec. 6 in New York, when talks broke down. They also met with a U.S. federal mediator for two days in New Jersey last week and reported no progress. Since then, there has been only limited contact between the sides, including a brief email exchange on Wednesday. The NHL believes that negotiations should resume only when there is something new to say. ������I don���t think either party is refusing a meeting,������ NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an email. ������But unless there is an indication one side or the other is prepared to move or has a new idea to move the process forward ��� and so far neither side has indicated ��� I am not sure what we would do at the meeting. ������What is the agenda? Who is directing the conversation? We don���t have anything new to say right now.������ Fehr said he likes the idea put forward by Winnipeg Jets defenseman Ron Hainsey that the same parties who met two weeks ago return to the bargaining table, along with himself and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Progress was made during a session that included four new owners and a number of players, including Sidney Crosby. ������That seems like it might work if the owners are interested in it,������ Fehr said. However, Daly indicated NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific L.A. Clippers Golden State L.A. Lakers Phoenix Sacramento Southwest Memphis San Antonio Houston Dallas New Orleans Northwest Oklahoma City Denver Minnesota Utah Portland W 18 17 12 11 7 L 6 8 14 15 17 Pct .750 .680 .462 .423 .292 GB ��� 1.5 7 8 11 W 17 19 13 12 5 L 6 8 12 13 19 Pct GB .739 ��� .704 ��� .520 5 .480 6 .208 12.5 W 21 14 12 14 11 L 4 12 11 13 12 Pct .840 .538 .522 .519 .478 GB ��� 7.5 8 8 9 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic New York Brooklyn Boston Philadelphia Toronto Central Chicago Milwaukee Indiana Detroit Cleveland Southeast W 19 13 13 12 8 L 6 12 12 14 19 Pct .760 .520 .520 .462 .296 GB ��� 6 6 7.5 12 W 14 13 14 7 5 L 10 11 12 21 22 Pct GB .583 ��� .542 1 .538 1 .250 9 .185 10.5 W L Pct GB Miami 16 6 .727 ��� Atlanta 15 8 .652 1.5 Orlando 12 13 .480 5.5 Charlotte 7 18 .280 10.5 Washington 3 20 .130 13.5 ������������������������������������������������������ Wednesday���s results New York 100, Brooklyn 86 Toronto 97, Detroit 91 Indiana 104, Utah 84 Orlando 90, Washington 83 Boston 103, Cleveland 91 Oklahoma City 100, Atlanta 92 Houston 125, Philadelphia 103 Phoenix 121, Charlotte 104 Memphis 90, Milwaukee 80 Golden State at Sacramento, late New Orleans at L.A. Clippers, late Today���s games Oklahoma City at Minnesota, 4 p.m. Miami at Dallas, 6:30 p.m. Denver at Portland, 7 p.m. that doesn���t hold much appeal to the NHL. He created a stir earlier Wednesday when he made an appearance on CBC���s Hockey Night In Canada Radio and was asked to give a yes or no answer on whether there would be an agreement in time to save the season. Daly said, ������Yes.������ ������That���s good news,������ Fehr said in response. ������I���m glad to hear that. I certainly hope he���s right. That���s the players��� goal, that���s what we want to try and do. ������Hopefully, we���ll get back together and negotiate out the remaining issues as soon as possible.������ The NHL has insisted on getting in at least a 48-game schedule ��� the same number it had after the 1994-95 lockout ��� which means an agreement will need to be reached by the middle of January. More than 500 regular-season games through Dec. 30 have already been wiped off the schedule and further cancellations are expected to be made by the end of the week. Fehr expressed concern about the damage being caused by hockey���s fourth work stoppage in 20 years. ������Any time you are preventing the fans from watching the sport they dearly love, which provides the business that we���re all involved in, that���s not a good thing,������ Fehr said. ������It needs to be ended as soon as possible. We certainly hope we can do that. We certainly want to tell the fans we���re doing everything we can to do it. ������Hopefully it���ll be over soon. That���s what we���re trying to do.������ NFL AFC West W y-Denver 11 San Diego 5 Oakland 4 Kansas City 2 East W y-Patriots 10 N.Y. Jets 6 Miami 6 Buffalo 5 South W y-Houston 12 Indianapolis 9 Tennessee 5 Jacksonville 2 North W x-Baltimore 9 Cincinnati 8 Pittsburgh 7 Cleveland 5 L 3 9 10 12 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .786 .357 .286 .143 PF 409 299 263 195 PA 274 312 402 367 L 4 8 8 9 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .714 .429 .429 .357 PF 506 255 264 306 PA 315 320 279 402 L 2 5 9 12 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .857 .643 .357 .143 PF 394 309 285 219 PA 280 358 396 383 L 5 6 7 9 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .643 .571 .500 .357 PF 348 355 302 280 PA 307 293 291 310 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division NFC West x-49ERS Seattle St. Louis Arizona East Washington Dallas N.Y. Giants Philadelphia South W 10 9 6 5 L 3 5 7 9 T 1 0 1 0 Pct .750 .643 .464 .357 PF 357 350 258 224 PA 218 219 315 302 W 8 8 8 4 L 6 6 6 10 T 0 0 0 0 Pct .571 .571 .571 .286 PF 381 327 373 253 PA 350 338 304 375 W L T Pct PF PA y-Atlanta 12 2 0 .857 371 259 New Orleans6 8 0 .429 389 379 Tampa Bay 6 8 0 .429 354 349 Carolina 5 9 0 .357 296 319 North W L T Pct PF PA y-Green Bay10 4 0 .714 344 292 Minnesota 8 6 0 .571 319 308 Chicago 8 6 0 .571 321 240 Detroit 4 10 0 .286 330 380 ������������������������������������������������������ Week 15 Results Thursday���s result Cincinnati 34, Philadelphia 13 Sunday���s results Green Bay 21, Chicago 13 New Orleans 41, Tampa Bay 0 Minnesota 36, St. Louis 22 Houston 29, Indianapolis 17 Atlanta 34, N.Y. Giants 0 Washington 38, Cleveland 21 Miami 24, Jacksonville 3 Denver 34, Baltimore 17 Carolina 31, San Diego 7 Arizona 38, Detroit 10 Seattle 50, Buffalo 17 Oakland 15, Kansas City 0 Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 24, OT San Francisco 41, New England 34 Monday���s result Tennessee 14, N.Y. Jets 10 Week 16 Schedule Saturday���s game Atlanta at Detroit, 5:30 p.m. Sunday���s games Tennessee at Green Bay, 10 a.m. Indianapolis at Kansas City, 10 a.m. New Orleans at Dallas, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Houston, 10 a.m. Oakland at Carolina, 10 a.m. Buffalo at Miami, 10 a.m. Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. New England at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. St. Louis at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. San Diego at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. Cleveland at Denver, 1:05 p.m. Chicago at Arizona, 1:25 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Baltimore, 1:25 p.m. San Francisco at Seattle, 5:20 p.m.