Nfl

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Terrence Cody showcased his stamina and run-stopping ability on full display during his unofficial NFL debut. In a preseason game against Carolina on Thursday night, the 6-foot-4, 350-pound rookie played into the third quarter and finished with four tackles and an assist in hot, humid weather. His performance should quell questions about his conditioning -- for now. His play at fullback, however, still needs work. Drafted out of out Alabama in the second round with the 57th overall pick, Cody created a stir at training camp when he twice failed the conditioning test.

Wednesday, Sept. 15 9 p.m. on ABC "The World Music Awards" With so many awards shows on TV, sometimes it's hard to tell them apart. This is the one that used to take place in Monte Carlo, but this year it will be shown live from Las Vegas. Scheduled performers include Celine Dion, Hillary Duff, Avril Lavigne, Kanye West and Usher. 9 p.m. on NBC "Siegfried & Roy: The Miracle" The debut of NBC's animated show based on Siegfried & Roy's performing white lions brought to mind the life-threatening injuries suffered by Roy Horn in October when he was attacked by a tiger.

In this age of parity in the NFL, it seems every Sunday every team has a chance of winning - except the Cincinnati Bengals, of course. I'm kidding! The Bengals will win sometime this year, probably more than once and probably will hurt some team's playoff chances. Anyways, the point is how each game within an already topsy-turvy football season is like a rollercoaster ride. A great example was Sunday's game between two of the NFL's also-rans - the Carolina Panthers at the Dallas Cowboys.

Since the beginning of time, people have had an unspoken love for an old-fashioned street fight. Need a brief inventory of history? There have been the Christians and Lions The Hatfields and McCoys The Sharks and the Jets and the Yankees and the Red Sox, to name a few. That doesn't even include Larry and Curly vs. Moe. Face it. People stop and stare at anything that resembles a barroom brawl. There is something raw, almost romantic, about two sides trying to physically assert their will over one another.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia cornerback and return specialist Adam "Pac Man" Jones said Wednesday he plans to forgo his senior year to enter this spring's NFL draft. Jones, the Big East's special teams player of the year, became the second Mountaineer to make the decision. Wide receiver Chris Henry announced his intentions Saturday following West Virginia's 30-18 loss to Florida State in the Gator Bowl. Jones led the Mountaineers in tackles this season, had three interceptions, and averaged 14.8 yards on punt returns and 23.2 yards on kickoffs.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - Mark Wilson can cook, an unusual attribute for a rookie living an NFL bachelor's life far from home. Just don't expect him to go heavy on the garlic. "I've kind of cut back on the garlic," the Washington Redskins tackle said. "I got sick of garlic after working in it for four years. " Until this week, the most notable thing about Wilson was his high school job as a garlic harvester for four years in rural northern California. The fifth-round draft from California-Berkeley has not played a down all season, so all anyone could ask him about were those formative days in the wet fields of Shasta County.

Sunday - 6:25 kickoff in Atlanta's Georgiadome Teams - Tennessee Titans, representing the American Football Conference, are making their first visit to the Super Bowl. As the Houston Oilers - the team became Tennessee Titans three years ago - the franchise won the first two American Football League titles back in 1960 and 1961. St. Louis Rams, representing the National Football Conference, are making their second trip to the Super Bowl. The 1979 Los Angeles Rams lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-19.

Foreman to attend FHS homecoming FREDERICK, Md. - NFL great Chuck Foreman will return to Frederick High School for his alma mater's homecoming celebration this weekend. Foreman will be the grand marshall of the homecoming parade Friday, which starts at 6 p.m. at William Talley Recreation Center on Bentz Street and concludes at the school with a bonfire at 7 p.m. Foreman, who graduated from Frederick High in 1969, will be honored at 12:45 p.m. Saturday before the kickoff of the intra-city game against Gov. Thomas Johnson High School.

TRI-STATE -- When asked about Sunday's AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, Smithsburg High School football coach Buddy Orndorff made his opinion clear. "This should be the Super Bowl," Orndorff said. With apologies to the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles -- the two teams playing in the NFC Championship Game -- there is an overwhelming sense that tonight's Ravens-Steelers matchup is the big game of this year's NFL playoffs. Each team has won 13 games.

Week 12 draws to a close for the NFL, and a Super Bowl-winning team drops out of the playoffs this year, the third team of defending champions to do so in six years. I'm talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers. The biggest game of this week was between Pittsburgh and the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh needed this win to even think about the playoffs. The Ravens' defense, ranked second in the NFL, wouldn't allow it. The Ravens sacked Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger nine times, intercepted him twice and recovered a fumble.

Brett Hill, a lifelong Chicago Bears fan from Shippensburg, Pa., represented his favorite team on the podium in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday, calling out its pick, Khaseem Greene, after winning a trip to the draft through an online sweepstakes. “It was pretty incredible,” the 45-year-old said. “Just for an NFL fan there's nothing like it other than a game.” Hill, who is the director of security for AlliedBarton Security Services at Valley Mall in Hagerstown, won an all-expense paid trip to the draft and was taken to New York City with his girlfriend in a Limo that picked them up at his house.

Rocky Rutherford of Keedysville watched the NFL Draft throughout the weekend and criticized the fact that so many teams drafted offensive linemen in the first round. “I don't think o-linemen are a big deal because you can get good o-linemen late in the draft,” said Rutherford, 19. “The first round should be about skill players.” The 2013 draft featured 10 offensive linemen drafted in the first round, including the top two picks and three of the top five picks. The draft began Thursday with the first round and lasted through Saturday.

The Washington Redskins' attempt to improve their biggest weakness centers on a player who needs to figure out when to take his chances. The reigning NFC East champions selected David Amerson of North Carolina State in the second round of the NFL draft Friday, a choice aimed at helping a secondary that ranked 30th in the league against the pass last year. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound cornerback set a single-season Atlantic Coast Conference record with 13 interceptions in 2011 and won the Jack Tatum Award as the nation's top defensive back, but his play regressed last year as he tried to do even better.

It seems like we can run, but we can't hide. I don't know about you, but I was spending this week getting ready for the Super Bowl. You know, the Big Game (since we aren't authorized to call it the other title). This one has a tinge of interest, especially since the Baltimore Ravens were going to be playing. But on Wednesday, I was notified that the buildup to Sunday's kickoff wasn't what it seemed. It was like when you were watching your favorite show and you hear “We are interrupting this program for a special announcement.” The announcement came courtesy of ESPN football analyst Tom Jackson.

Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher was being evaluated by a neurologist for a possible head injury Thursday and missed practice for a second consecutive day, putting his 15-year consecutive-games streak in doubt. Coach Mike Shanahan said Fletcher was checked for about six hours by a doctor for a “balance issue.” Shanahan listed the 37-year-old Fletcher as not practicing because of head and hamstring problems. “If he's able to go, you know he's going to be able to go. But I'm sure he's a little scared, too, because any time you deal with a balance issue, it's something that's out of your control,” Shanahan said.

Hagerstown native Curtis Eichelberger has written his first book titled “Men of Sunday.” The book includes interviews with football greats Ray Lewis, Aaron Rodgers, Mike Singletary, LaDainian Tomlinson, Marvin Lewis, Tony Dungy, Shawn Mitchell and Samari Rolle. It tells how faith guides many of the players, coaches and wives of the National Football League. Eichelberger played junior league football when he was young and later played for the North Hagerstown High Hubs.

Going by the stats, Neil Rackers should have been a runaway winner over Graham Gano for the Washington Redskins kicking job. That's why Gano has learned not to pay attention to the stats. The Redskins cut Rackers on Monday, giving Gano the kicking duties for another season despite an NFL-high 10 missed field goal attempts in 2011. Then again, Gano also had an NFL-high five attempts blocked. Four of his other five misses were from 49 yards or more. “I think early in my career I was a big stat guy,” Gano said.

Some kids spend their childhood reading “Where's Waldo?” The University of Maryland will be trying to use a similar concept this season. Basically, it's called “Where's Mike?” The Terrapins have made a big defensive switch, moving to a 3-4 defensive alignment, for the 2012 season. The objective will be to make every opponent find Maryland's “Mike,” the football nickname given to the middle linebacker, on every play. Coach Randy Edsall brought in Brian Stewart as defensive coordinator and architect of the scheme he learned while working as a defensive coach in the NFL. “With six or seven guys on the line of scrimmage at all times, it is hard for the offense to check, protect and find the Mike,” Stewart said.

It's not about the money. As an NFL cheerleader, she averages about $75 for each home game. It's not about boredom. With a degree in marketing, she owns her own business, is married and involved in the community. She doesn't need to stand on the sidelines of a football field, energizing the crowd. But she does — her face often featured on the stadium JumboTron after a team touchdown or a crushing sack, smiling with unshakable positivity. She does it because she's a people person.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Unlike some football players going to prison these days, Michael Cobb's time Tuesday in Franklin County (Pa.) Jail was an attempt to get others out. Cobb, a first-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1977, addressed Franklin County inmates about their choices and legacies. He asked those gathered how they want to be remembered. "Somebody who shared Christ with others," one man said. "Somebody who helped," another said. "If you can think positive thoughts, you can live positive," Cobb said.