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Pastimes : The new NFL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (3173)	1/18/2003 7:30:16 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89751

Home edge shrinks in conference finals By John Ryan Mercury News URL:http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/sports/football/nfl/oakland_raiders/4977860.htm Somewhere between the second round of the playoffs and the conference championship, the home cooking spoils. Since the NFL went to its 12-team playoff format in 1990, home teams are 43-9 in the second round. But they are a mere 14-10 in the conference championships. At least one road team has advanced to the Super Bowl the past five years, including the previous three AFC champions. Including the 1999 Tennessee Titans, who won 33-14 in Jacksonville. Including the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, who won 16-3 in Oakland. ``You have good football teams,'' Raiders receiver Tim Brown said. ``You have teams that are there for a reason. You don't make it to the championship game because you just luck into it. You make it because you earned the right to be there.'' The lack of a clear advantage for being home in the conference championship also suggests that in the second round, coming off a bye is more beneficial than playing in front of your own fans. ``It is, because it's such a struggle to get through the season healthy,'' Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said. ``And in many cases that bye week is not determined until the last couple weeks of the year. There's an emotional effect on the club, and teams know how to take advantage of the rest and stay sharp.'' Brown clears it up Before taking questions at a news conference Friday night, Brown had a brief opening comment. ``I am not a crybaby,'' he said. ``Anyone who says that is mistaken.'' Titans safety Lance Schulters made that charge Tuesday. Great expectations As the playoffs progress, the spotlight gets hotter. But players are unanimous that the only change is the increased media attention, and that there are no other distractions. Maybe one other distraction. Brown's wife, Sherice, is expecting twins. ``We've been going around and around and around about this whole deal,'' Brown said. ``We had an appointment yesterday, and the doctor said she's doing fine and could hold out until February. ``But he did say that if we needed someone to go to the Super Bowl, he'd be available.'' Great returns Marcus Knight had never returned kicks before this season. Not just in the NFL. Never. So the Raiders are ecstatic, not merely pleased, about the way their in-season experiment has worked out. Knight averaged 24.3 yards per return in the regular season, fifth in the AFC. His best effort came Dec. 8 in San Diego when he opened a crucial division game against the Chargers with a 65-yard return that set up a touchdown. The Raiders were scrambling when Terry Kirby broke his leg Oct. 20. But after trying Alvis Whitted and Ronald Curry with no success, they gave the job to Knight and changed their scheme. Instead of having two deep men, they have only Knight back. They favor a cross-field return that lets him choose his lane. ``For a receiver it's easier,'' Knight said. ``You don't have to deal with much more, and you have time to react to the ball. The main thing is having confidence that your blockers are going to be there.'' Tank powers Titans The Titans have improved greatly on defense in the season's second half. After allowing an average of 353 yards in the first eight games, they yielded only 267 in the next eight. The worst game came against the Raiders, who scorched them for 464 yards. One of the reasons for the improvement has been rookie Tank Williams, a second-round draft pick from Stanford. Williams missed most of training camp because of a left-hamstring injury, played one quarter of the final exhibition and started a week later. He has been in the lineup ever since. ``Tank now is a settling factor for our defense, ironically,'' Fisher said. ``That's not something that coaches often say about a rookie, but he is. He gets people lined up, he settles them down, and he's very, very consistent.'' • Appearing at a news conference after his team's arrival Friday night, Titans quarterback Steve McNair had his right hand in a bandage. McNair has a sprained thumb from last weekend's 34-31 overtime victory against Pittsburgh. ``I threw today and I threw very well,'' McNair said. ``The wrap is just for the swelling I still have, but overall, it's improving.''