McNabb probably will have to play more like he did Sunday, when he had two crucial scrambles on the game-winning drive against the Dallas Cowboys, after spending most of the season staying in the pocket and focusing on being a more accurate passer instead of a runner and improvisational play-maker.
"I feel great,'' McNabb said Sunday. "I have invested in the Pilates tape with Daisy Fuentes. I still have my Tae Bo tapes with Billy Blanks. I continue to try to stay physically fit just in case I get called on to run." . . .
LSU Coach Nick Saban likely would receive $4 million per season if he moved to Miami. Interim coach Jim Bates and former Raiders coach Art Shell also have been interviewed.
(Dave Martin -- AP)
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| ____ NFL Playoff Picture ____
NFC
Already In
• Eagles (13-2)*
• Falcons (11-4)
• Packers (9-6)
• Seahawks (8-7)
* Clinched home field.
The Other Two Spots
• Vikings (8-7)
• Rams (7-8)
• Panthers (7-8)
• Saints (7-8)
• The Vikings make the playoffs with a Rams loss or tie; or a victory against the Redskins.
• The Rams win the NFC West with a win and a Seattle loss.
• If the Rams lose, the winner of the Panthers-Saints game gets a playoff spot. AFC
Already In
• Steelers (14-1)*
• Patriots (13-2)
• Colts (12-3)
• Chargers (11-4)
* Clinched home field. The Other Two Spots
• Jets (10-5)
• Broncos (9-6)
• Bills (9-6)
• Ravens (8-7)
• Jaguars (8-7)
The Jets and Broncos earn playoff berths with victories. The other teams need victories and some help.
_____ Week 16 Results _____
Sunday
• Dallas 13, Washington 10
• Pittsburgh 20, Baltimore 7
• N.O. 26, Atlanta 13
• Houston 21, Jacksonville 0
• Indiana. 34, San Diego 31 (OT)
• Detroit 19, Chicago 13
• Cincinnati 23, N.Y. Giants 22
• New England 23, N.Y. Jets 7
• Buffalo 41, San Francisco 9
• Carolina 37, Tampa Bay 20
• Seattle 24, Arizona 21
• Miami 10, Cleveland 7
Monday
• St. Louis 20, Philadelphia 7
Saturday
• Kansas City 31, Oakland 30
• Denver 37, Tennessee 16
Friday
• Green Bay 34, Minnesota 31
What's Your Opinion?
• Who's going to win this week?
Two-Minute Drill
• Stars and stats from Week 16
_____ Pro Bowl Vote _____
Note: This is an unscientific survey of washingtonpost.com readers.
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Two days after a dismal performance Dec. 12 against the Baltimore Ravens in which he had a passer rating of zero, prized rookie quarterback Eli Manning huddled with New York Giants Coach Tom Coughlin to, essentially, ask to be given a fighting chance to succeed. Coughlin, at Manning's request, pared down the playbook, resolving to use those plays with which Manning was most comfortable. "I just felt we needed to run plays I'm comfortable with, where I know what to do [and] where to go with the ball," Manning said.
The results were immediately evident Saturday. Manning was outplayed by fellow rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Giants lost to the Steelers. But neither Manning nor his team was embarrassed, as it appeared they might be heading into the game. Manning didn't look lost or overwhelmed in the pocket, as he had in his first four NFL starts, and the Giants had a late lead before succumbing, 33-30.
"This is the most vocal I've seen him all season in the huddle," Giants tailback Tiki Barber said. "It showed that he was confident in what he was doing."
Said Steelers linebacker James Farrior: "He deserves credit. Everybody who said how bad he was -- he showed them." . . .
Leonard Little's request to have a felony drunken driving charge thrown out was denied by the Missouri Supreme Court. Attorneys for the Rams defensive end had argued that U.S. Supreme Court rulings since 2000 relating to a defendant's constitutional right to a jury trial applied in his case.
Little is scheduled to go to on trial March 28 on charges that he was driving under the influence and speeding when stopped by police early on the morning of April 24 in the St. Louis suburb of Ladue. Police said he was traveling 78 mph in a 55-mph zone. In 1998, Little pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a St. Louis crash that killed Susan Gutweiler. Little's blood-alcohol level was nearly twice Missouri's legal limit. Little completed a three-month jail sentence, 1,000 hours of community service and four years of probation. He also was suspended without pay for the first half of the 1999 season.
