ESPN Search

NEW ORLEANS -- Quarterbacks are supposed to earn their money on third down. Some aren't willing to wait that long. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick took note of this after his team lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game...

Two young NFC West quarterbacks became bowl eligible this week: Seattle's Russell Wilson for the Pro Bowl and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick for the Super Bowl. Not bad for two players drafted outside the first round and projected to serve as ba...

Russell Wilson has won over Mike & Mike , inspired a look into his baseball past and convinced some that being the last rookie standing in the playoffs makes him the best one. Not bad for a guy coming off arguably his worst game since Week 7. ...

The 2012 NFL season has finished, which means the 2013 opponents are set for each team. The league will not provide a schedule with dates and times until April. In the meantime, here's a look at 2013 opponents for NFC West teams: San Francisco ...

The mission is clear for the reigning No. 1 team in ESPN's NFL Power Rankings: Keep quarterback Matt Schaub healthy at all costs. The Texans lost Schaub late last season and had no chance to advance through the playoffs as a result. With Schaub he...

The Chicago Bears haven't been much of a blitzing team in recent seasons. They tend to send four or fewer pass rushers about 75 percent of the time. I'll be interested in seeing how frequently they send added pressure against San Francis...

The NFL's leading rusher, Marshawn Lynch, came oh-so-close to landing on the MVP Watch list this week. It was striking, however, that his dominant rushing performance in Week 5 failed to produce a victory over St. Louis. The Seahawks ran the ball ...

Looking back on three things discussed here before San Francisco's 20-9 preseason road defeat Saturday night against Houston: 1. Receiver mix. A crisp week of practices for the 49ers' offense didn't translate into the game. Quarterback Alex Smith ...

The Mosaic Modern Fusion Restaurant in St. Louis' Labert International Airport served as a radio studio Thursday. The guys at 710ESPN Seattle found me there for our latest NFC West discussion. They've posted the audio and I'm happy to say we co...

Jeff from St. Louis asks whether the St. Louis Rams have a decent shot at going from worst to first in the division. "I know the 49ers have expectations this year," he wrote, "but it seems in our division it changes year to year. I'm a die-hard f...

Perhaps you've fallen for the line about NFL teams becoming increasingly pass-happy on offense. Turns out that is not necessarily the case. It's a little embarrassing, in retrospect, to think how many times this notion has appeared as fact in thes...

How to value Alex Smith's performance stood among the most debated subjects on the NFC West blog last season. Smith ranked ninth in NFL passer rating among a broader group featuring Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Matthew Staffo...

NFL general managers put their reputations on the line come draft day. Some fare better than others. The chart shows how many Pro Bowl players current NFC West GMs have drafted or helped draft over the past 10 years. The numbers are not defi...

Considerations as the NFL's regular-season schedule release nears Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET: Calculating strength of schedule using records from the previous season has limitations. But as ESPN's John Clayton pointed out, significant swings in schedul...

The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers showed interest in former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck last offseason. What might happen if Hasselbeck hits the market again in 2012? The question comes to mind while Tennessee Titan...

Kevin Kolb will emerge from the 2011 NFL season with an incomplete grade, whether or not he plays for the Arizona Cardinals in their Week 17 game against Seattle. The reviews have been mostly negative. Kolb was the starter when the Cardinals were ...