For the past few weeks the catch phrase for these NFL playoffs has been "Fear New England," the team rounding into form just in time to make a run at an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory.
But also fear Denver, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.
"When I take a look at all the AFC teams, I say `Hey, I think there's a legitimate chance for every team to win,' says coach Mike Shanahan of Denver, which hosts New England on Saturday as the playoffs begin their second round. "And that doesn't happen very often."
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Same in the NFC, where there is a legitimate chance the fifth- and sixth-seeded teams, Carolina and Washington, could meet in the championship game. Today, Washington plays top-seeded Seattle, which benefited from a division where no one else won more than six games. Tomorrow, Carolina is at second-seeded Chicago, which depends on defense for most of its scoring.
Shanahan has a 3-1 record against New England's Bill Belichick since 2001, the year of the Patriots' first Super Bowl win. It's the best record against Belichick of all the coaches who have faced him at least four times in that span.
But to use his foot up on Belichick as a source of confidence, or point to it as anything to brag about -- it's something Shanahan won't do. He knows he's going up against a coach who is every bit as brilliant on defense as Shanahan is on offense.
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"We've seen it all through the years," Shanahan said. "If you do pick up a weakness, it's not there very long. You have to adjust throughout the whole game, and they are fundamentally sound. They play good, solid football. His players always know what they are doing. I don't care if they are rookies or veterans -- they are very well coached and they play at a very high level."
The Broncos were second in the NFL in rushing this season and came close to having two 1,000-yard rushers. Tatum Bell was 79 yards short of joining Mike Anderson in that category, and Ron Dayne, the No. 3 back, averaged 5.3 yards per carry.
That plays into New England's strong front seven, who will probably win if they can stop the run.
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"We've been stopping the run, allowing us to make games more one-dimensional," says the Patriots' Willie McGinest, who also stopped the pass with a playoff record 4.5 sacks in last weekend's 28-3 defeat of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Patriots have won 10 successive playoff games, and Tom Brady was the starting quarterback in all 10. However, Jake Plummer has yet to win his first playoff game for the Broncos -- he had one victory with Arizona. Denver is 0-3 in the postseason since John Elway retired following the win in the 1999 Super Bowl.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts meet tomorrow for the first time since the Colts beat the Steelers 26-7 on Nov. 28.
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But the Steelers are playing better now, winning five straight since a three-game losing streak that coincided with knee and thumb injuries to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. That includes a 31-17 win in Cincinnati last week.
Indianapolis, which started the season 13-0, lost to San Diego at home on Dec. 18 in its last meaningful game. That was five days before coach Tony Dungy's son James was found dead in Tampa.
So rust is a question. But the mental state of the team doesn't seem to be -- Dungy returned a week later and the players have rallied around him.
One sensitive Colt is quarterback Peyton Manning, whose regular-season success hasn't carried into the playoffs.
"I'm not into defining a career in the middle of a career," says Manning, 3-5 in the postseason. "I hope to play for a number of more years, and I'm not really one to reflect on my first eight years or what happens in years nine or 10. I'm excited about the opportunity we have."
After Seattle lost to the Washington Redskins in the regular season, the Seahawks reeled off 11 straight wins. They scored a NFL-best 452 points in the regular season, Shaun Alexander earned a NFL-best 28 touchdowns and the league rushing title, and Matt Hasselbeck led the NFC in passer rating.
Washington won last week in Tampa with only 120 yards of offense, getting one touchdown after an interception and another on a fumble return, so the Redskins will have to do a better job offensively in this matchup of Super Bowl-winning coaches. Seattle's Mike Holmgren won the title with Green Bay nine years ago, and Washington's Joe Gibbs won three titles in his first stint with the Redskins from 1981-1992.
The Carolina Panthers face the Chicago Bears playing their best football of the season after smashing the New York Giants 23-0 last week.
But Chicago's defense is the best in the league, and it sacked Carolina's Jake Delhomme eight times in a 13-3 regular-season win.
Since then, Chicago coach Lovie Smith has inserted the oft-injured Rex Grossman at quarterback, hoping he'll provide more offensive punch than rookie Kyle Orton, whose job was to limit mistakes and let the defense make plays.
Mike Mularkey submitted his resignation to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, a person familiar with discussions between the coach and the NFL team told AP.
The Bills will formally announce the coach's resignation during a press conference scheduled for today. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not been made.
ESPN.com, citing unidentified sources, first reported that Mularkey had reached a settlement with the team to cover the final three years of his contract. ESPN.com also reported that Mularkey's decision to leave the team was because of undisclosed family reasons.
Mularkey, who completed his second season with Buffalo, is married and has two boys.
Reached byAP, Mularkey declined to comment on the report, except to say: "Right now is not the best time to talk."
He added that he was aware of the press conference being scheduled and preferred that the news come then.
Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold declined comment.
Mularkey's departure is a major surprise after team owner Ralph Wilson announced last week that Mularkey would be retained.
Mularkey was 14-18 in two seasons with Buffalo, and he was partly faulted for the 5-11 finish this season, as the team missed the playoffs for a sixth straight year to match its longest drought since the NFL merger.
The Bills are now forced to find a new coach, their third in five years.
PACKERS
Mike McCarthy was hired Thursday as coach of the Green Bay Packers, who hope the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator can revive a team coming off its worst season in the National Football League in 15 years.
McCarthy, a former Packers assistant, received a three-year deal. He replaces Mike Sherman, who was fired Jan. 2 after a 4-12 season.
General manager Ted Thompson touted McCarthy as someone who could return the franchise to a championship level.
"We feel very good about our future going forward," Thompson said.
And McCarthy said that would happen.
"There will be an unconditional commitment from Ted and myself to bring the world championship back to Green Bay," McCarthy said.
The 42-year-old McCarthy spent last season as the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator and was the Packers' quarterbacks coach in 1999 -- a 8-8 season under Ray Rhodes.
Green Bay Quarterback Brett Favre struggled in his only year with McCarthy, throwing 23 interceptions to 22 touchdowns. But Favre played much of the season with a sprained thumb on his throwing hand. Favre has not committed to playing next season, and has hinted that the team's offseason moves would play a role in his decision.
Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush will forego his final gridiron season of college eligibility at the University of Southern California, announcing on Thursday that he will turn professional and enter the NFL draft.
The Heisman Trophy winner made the announcement a day after teammate and fellow running back LenDale White made his decision to leave school early and turn pro.
Bush is expected to be one of the first players taken in the draft -- with many projecting him going to the Houston Texans with the No. 1 pick.
The back had 1,740 yards rushing and 2,890 all-purpose yards this season for the Trojans, who fell short of an unprecedented third national title when they lost 41-38 to Texas in the Rose Bowl last week.
"It's a happy day, I don't think it's a sad time," Bush said at a campus news conference. "It was tough. ... You want to please everybody. You want to return for your senior season."
Trojans coach Pete Carroll, who coached four years in the NFL with the New York Jets and New England Patriots, said Bush made the right decision.
"He's such a special player, a once-in-a-lifetime talent. He's a game-changer, with his speed, instincts, vision and competitiveness. He's just so much fun to watch," Carroll said in a statement.
"He'll take that talent to the NFL and wow them there as a runner, receiver and as a returner. Now the Reggie Bush Show goes to Sundays, and I can't wait to watch him."
Hall of fame
Reggie White dominated on defense while Troy Aikman was leading the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles.
Now two of the 1990s best players could be entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame together.
Aikman and the late White were among the 15 finalists for the Hall of Fame announced Wednesday, joining Thurman Thomas and Warren Moon as finalists in their first year of eligibility.
Three to six of the finalists will be selected for the class of 2006, which will be announced Feb. 4, the day before the Super Bowl in Detroit. Enshrinement of the class will be the weekend of Aug. 5-6.
Aikman quarterbacked Dallas to Super Bowl titles between the 1992-1995 seasons. He was one of the league's most accurate passers and his 90 wins in the 1990s make him the winningest starting quarterback of any decade.
The two seniors candidates, former Dallas offensive tackle Rayfield Wright and former Oakland coach and current broadcaster John Madden, were chosen by a special committee last August and went straight to the finals. The other 13 finalists were selected from a list of 25 semifinalists.
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