ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Falcons took another step toward an
NFC playoff berth last night, improving to 9-5 with a 41-14 blowout
over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Matt Ryan threw for 224 yards and
three touchdowns, Roddy White grabbed a pair of scoring passes and
John Abraham recorded 3 1/2 sacks. The Falcons' defense held Blaine
Gabbert to just 12 completions and 141 yards while dropping the
Jaguars to 4-10.
HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston Texans say defensive coordinator Wade
Phillips is in stable condition after undergoing surgery on his
kidney and gall bladder. The 64-year-old Phillips said after
Wednesday's practice that he expected to miss a week to 10 days to
recover, adding that his condition was not life-threatening and
non-cancerous. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring will run the
defense for Houston in Sunday's game against Carolina.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The NCAA plan to give athletes a $2,000
stipend has been shelved for now. The NCAA said enough schools --
125 of them -- had called for an override of the plan approved in
October to suspend it until the board of directors convenes in
January. The NCAA said concerns include how quickly the plan would
be implemented; the perceived impact on competitive equity; and
implications for Title IX.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Dan Wheldon was killed when his head hit a
post in the fencing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, contact that
created a "non-survivable injury" to the two-time Indianapolis
500 winner. The cause of death was revealed Thursday when IndyCar
presented its findings of the Oct. 16 accident in the season
finale. The investigation determined several factors contributed to
what became a "perfect storm."
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Outfielder Josh Willingham has agreed to a
three-year, $21 million contract with the Minnesota Twins. The
32-year-old hit .246 with a career-high 29 homers and 98 RBIs with
Oakland last season.
