Rebuilding the Hawks - A Madden 12 Franchise

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2012-13 NFC & AFC Championship Scoreboard
AFC Championship Game	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Steelers 16, Patriots 26	Tom Brady (NE)	Jonathan Dwyer (PIT)	Wes Welker (NE)
NFC Championship Game	Hi Passing	Hi Rushing	Hi Receiving
Packers 20, 49ers 31	Alex Smith (SF)	Frank Gore (SF)	Michael Crabtree (SF)

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2013 NFL Pro Bowl Rosters
AFC Offense	Pos	Votes	NFC Offense	Pos	Votes
Tom Brady (NE) *	QB	1,046,657	Aaron Rodgers (GB)	QB	1,161,605
Peyton Manning (IND)	QB	1,046,008	Eli Manning (NYG)	QB	1,102,433
Carson Palmer (OAK)	QB	1,031,983	Joe Dyer (TB) R	QB	985,764
Ray Rice (BAL)	HB	612,822	Frank Gore (SF) *	HB	556,325
Darren McFadden (OAK)	HB	533,664	Michael Turner (ATL)	HB	553,069
Shonn Greene (NYJ)	HB	494,962	Marshawn Lynch (TB)	HB	551,512
Charles Clay (MIA)	FB	295,838	Henry Hynoski (NYG)	FB	385,293
Leonard Weaver (OAK)	FB	295,662	Darrel Young (WAS)	FB	366,614
Reggie Wayne (IND)	WR	732,604	Greg Jennings (GB)	WR	611,126
Brandon Marshall (MIA)	WR	599,810	Marques Colston (NO)	WR	599,968
Denarius Moore (OAK)	WR	560,583	Larry Fitzgerald (ARI)	WR	595,434
Steve Johnson (BUF)	WR	511,259	Mike Williams (TB)	WR	576,660
Vincent Jackson (SD)	WR	486,999	Steve Smith (CAR)	WR	536,167
Antonio Brown (PIT)	WR	475,642	Santana Moss (WAS)	WR	513,694
Kellen Davis (OAK)	TE	854,927	Jason Witten (DAL)	TE	937,436
Heath Miller (PIT)	TE	758,682	Jake Ballard (NYG)	TE	801,526
Owen Daniels (HOU)	TE	712,247	Jimmy Graham (NO)	TE	788,988
Jared Veldheer (OAK)	T	147,352	Donald Penn (TB)	T	140,093
Jah Reid (BAL)	T	119,036	Derek Sherrod (GB)	T	119,032
Matt Light (NE) *	T	118,407	Bryan Bulaga (GB)	T	118,174
Anthony Castonzo (IND)	T	114,848	Tyron Smith (DAL)	T	116,937
Deuce Lutui (OAK)	G	132,237	Davin Joseph (TB)	G	146,108
Louis Vasquez (SD)	G	129,126	David Arkin (DAL)	G	129,542
Leonard Davis (PIT)	G	127,134	Mike Iupati (SF) *	G	126,687
Brian Waters (BUF)	G	124,975	Chris Snee (NYG)	G	126,326
Nick Mangold (NYJ)	C	166,225	Scott Wells (GB)	C	130,049
Maurkice Pouncey (PIT)	C	141,662	Chris Bucher (SF) R	C	117,777
AFC Defense	Pos	Votes	NFC Defense	Pos	Votes
Thomas Keiser (DEN)	DE	710,167	Jason Babin (PHI)	DE	751,737
Dwight Freeney (IND)	DE	561,186	Brian Robison (MIN)	DE	685,989
Brandon Graham (CIN)	DE	550,301	Jason Pierre-Paul (NYG)	DE	620,798
Robert Mathis (IND)	DE	539,860	Justin Tuck (NYG)	DE	596,528
Brodrick Bunkley (DEN)	DT	612,469	Ndamukong Suh (DET)	DT	702,931
Tommy Kelly (OAK)	DT	565,516	Linval Joseph (NYG)	DT	525,820
Phil Taylor (CLE)	DT	518,970	Terrell McClain (CAR)	DT	518,977
Tamba Hali (KC)	OLB	413,322	Brian Orakpo (WAS)	OLB	419,328
James Harrison (PIT)	OLB	409,922	Parys Haralson (SF) *	OLB	345,167
Cameron Wake (MIA)	OLB	399,135	Anthony Spencer (DAL)	OLB	337,834
Jarret Johnson (BAL)	OLB	374,354	Clay Matthews (GB)	OLB	330,053
Paul Poluszny (JAX)	MLB	797,997	Patrick Willis (SF) *	MLB	1,070,759
Javon Belcher (KC)	MLB	774,886	Daryl Washington (ARI)	MLB	1,004,610
Stanford Routt (OAK)	CB	636,574	Patrick Robinson (NO)	CB	519,023
Darrelle Revis (NYJ)	CB	460,048	Corey Webster (NYG)	CB	464,813
Johnathan Joseph (HOU)	CB	441,577	Kelvin Hayden (ATL)	CB	417,532
Champ Bailey (DEN)	CB	427,747	Antoine Winfield (MIN)	CB	379,196
Antoine Bethea (IND)	FS	411,742	Nick Collins (GB)	FS	470,891
Eric Weddle (SD)	FS	366,003	Oshiomogho Atogwe (WAS)	FS	470,855
Tyvon Branch (OAK)	SS	216,516	Jordan Babineaux (TB)	SS	344,409
E.J. Ward (CLE)	SS	204,183	Charles Godfrey (CAR)	SS	305,904
AFC Special Teams	Pos	Votes	NFC Special Teams	Pos	Votes
Sebastian Janikowski (OAK)	K	265,111	Mason Crosby (GB)	K	312,831
Pat McAfee (IND)	P	181,168	Mat McBriar (MIN)	P	183,643
Brandon Tate (CIN)	KR	208,375	Randall Cobb (GB)	KR	217,509
Torrey Smith (BAL)	PR	180,312	Ted Ginn (SF) *	PR	209,229

*Unable to participate due to Super Bowl XLVII commitments. Their replacements follow:

AFC: New England Patriots

• Tom Brady (QB) - Replaced by Philip Rivers (SD)
• Matt Light (T) - Replaced by Jake Long (MIA)

NFC: San Francisco 49ers

• Frank Gore (HB) - Replaced by DeMarco Murray (DAL)
• Mike Iupati (G) - Replaced by Josh Sitton (GB)
• Chris Bucher (C) - Replaced by Max Unger (SEA)
• Parys Haralson (OLB) - Replaced by DeMarcus Ware (DAL)
• Patrick Willis (MLB) - Replaced by Perry Riley (WAS)
• Ted Ginn (PR) - Replaced by Leon Washington (SEA)

Matchup Preview *|* February 3, 2013
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AFC (N/A, N/A Away)		NFC (N/A, N/A Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison N/A Total Yards N/A N/A Total Offensive Yards N/A N/A Passing Yards N/A N/A Rushing Yards N/A N/A Points Per Game N/A N/A Passing TD N/A N/A Rushing TD N/A N/A First Downs N/A N/A Red Zone Attempts N/A N/A Red Zone TD-FG N/A N/A Red Zone Percentage N/A Defensive Stats Comparison N/A Total Yards Allowed N/A N/A Passing Yards Allowed N/A N/A Rushing Yards Allowed N/A N/A Points Allowed N/A N/A Sacks N/A N/A Fumble Recoveries N/A N/A Interceptions N/A N/A Red Zone Attempts N/A N/A Red Zone TD-FG N/A N/A Red Zone Percentage N/A Game Notes It's Pro Bowl time in Honolulu, Hawaii as the NFL's best players in 2012 come together and do battle for their respective conference as for the 42nd time, the American Football Conference's best face off against the National Football Conference's best. When: Sunday, Feb. 3, 7:00PM (ET) Where: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii TV: NBC Favourite: NFC -3 Prediction: AFC 33, NFC, 36 The NFC should come out on top in this game but it'll be a very close, high scoring game. The NFC's talent remains as good as ever without the 6 49ers' players that are missing due to Super Bowl commitments. The AFC only lose two players due to Super Bowl commitments and they are Tom Brady and Matt Light of the New England Patriots. The NFC do not have to worry about the fearsome Brady/Wes Welker duo because of this. Welker was selected, but misses out due to an injury which rules him out of next week's Super Bowl. Also, the influence of the Head Coach should play a huge part in this game. Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins leads the NFC, whilst Oakland Raiders HC Hue Jackson leads the AFC. Shanahan has been to multiple Pro Bowls and knows what it takes to win one.

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AFC WIN 42nd ANNUAL PRO BOWL 37-31

AFC All-Stars at NFC All-Stars
Feb 3, 2013 1 2 3 4 F AFC 10 10 10 7 37 NFC 14 0 7 10 31 Top Performers PASS: Peyton Manning (AFC) - 12/18, 139 YDS, 2TDs RUSH: Ray Rice (AFC) - 15 RUSH, 96YDS, 1TD REC: Heath Miller (AFC) - 3 REC, 30 YDS, 2TD	Team Stats Comparison AFC NFC First Downs 15 15 3rd Down Efficiency 7-15 (46%) 6-15 (40%) 4th Down Efficiency 0-1 (0%) 1-1 (100%) Total Yards 516 600 Passing Yards 204 226 Rushing Yards 140 143 Penalties-Penalty Yards 5-40 3-29 Turnovers 1 (+1) 2 (-1) Time of Possession 33:03 26:28
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING AFC NFC 12:30 (NFC) M.Williams 11 Yd pass from A.Rodgers(M.Crosby kick) 0 7 10:24 (NFC) S.Smith 11 Yd pass from A.Rodgers(M.Crosby kick) 0 14 7:24 (AFC) R.Rice, 52 Yd run(S.Janikowski kick) 7 14 0:29 (AFC) S.Janikowski, 30 Yd FG 10 14 SECOND QUARTER SCORING AFC NFC 7:41 (AFC) S.Janikowski, 43 Yd FG 13 14 1:36 (AFC) C.Bailey, returned interception 81 Yds(S.Janikowski kick) 20 14 THIRD QUARTER SCORING AFC NFC 10:17 (AFC) S.Janikowski, 36 Yd FG 23 14 4:28 (AFC) H.Miller 16 Yd pass from P.Manning(S.Janikowski kick) 30 14 0:01 (NFC) S.Smith 6 Yd pass from E.Manning(M.Crosby kick) 30 21 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING AFC NFC 9:39 (AFC) H.Miller 2 Yd pass from P.Manning(S.Janikowski kick) 37 21 9:01 (NFC) M.Lynch, 84 Yd run(M.Crosby kick) 37 28 2:34 (NFC) M>Crosby, 31 Yd FG 37 31

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Matchup Preview *|* February 10, 2012
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San Francisco 49ers (14-4, N/A Away)		New England Patriots (12-7, N/A Home)
Injury Report Mike Person/Fractured Foot 1 Week Cooper Carlisle/Dislocated Ankle 1 Week Andrew Jackson/Torn Tricep Placed on IR. Rob Gronkowski/Torn Hamstring 2 Weeks Joe Staley/Broken Tailbone Placed on IR. Wes Welker/Fractured Foot 3 Weeks C.J, Ambles/Fractured Kneecap Placed on IR. Game Notes Super Bowl XLVII is here! The NFC Champions the San Francisco 49ers meet the AFC Champions New England Patriots at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana in Super Bowl 47. The 49ers are 5-0 in Super Bowls but they haven't appeared in one since 1995 where they beat the San Diego Chargers 49-26. The Patriots have appeared in 7 Super Bowls with a 3-4 record in those games. They have won all of their titles in the last 12 years under QB Tom Brady. They're in the Super Bowl for the 2nd consecutive year, as they lost to the Atlanta Falcons last year in Indianapolis. When: Sunday, Feb. 10, 8:00PM (ET) Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana TV: CBS Favourite: 49ers -1 Prediction: 49ers 20, Patriots 17 Teams San Francisco 49ers In one of the weakest divisions in the NFC, the 49ers posted a 12-4 record to end the season. San Fran started the season 7-0 before losing their perfect record in a 32-28 to divisional rivals the Seattle Seahawks. They then went on to lose a further 3 games, as they lost to the Eagles, Cardinals and Super Bowl opponents the New England Patriots. Alex Smith leads the 49ers' offense at QB. Smith has posted a QB rating of 77.6 this season, throwing for 2,201 yards,, 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. His top target has been receiver Michael Crabtree who has 69 receptions, 846 yards and 5 touchdowns to his name this season. However, their main offensive threat comes from their running game. Frank Gore has carried the ball 360 times for 1498 yards and 13 touchdowns. Gore is sure to cause the Pats trouble Sunday night. The 49ers' defense is as strong as ever. They have a strong linebacker core that will force Tom Brady to throw the ball as often as he can. Something he'll be very comfortable with. New England Patriots The Patriots are the designated home team this year and will wear their home jerseys in the game. The Patriots started the season 8-1, beating the 49ers along the way. However, once that game was in the books, New England only won one of their 7 games meaning they won the AFC East with a 9-7 record. Their main offensive threat will come from the passing game provided by QB Tom Brady. However, Brady's favourite target, Wes Welker misses out through injury and as does another offensive weapon, tight end Rob Gronkowski. Welker has 22 receiving touchdowns to his name this season, coming just short of breaking the NFL record for most receiving touchdowns in a season. However, Brady still has plenty to aim at. Julian Edelman has proved a reliable target this season as has Brady's tailbacks. But, New England may have to rely on their defense to grind out a victory in this game. The Pats also have a strong linebacker core which may force the 49ers to throw the ball. Both teams have strong secondaries so this will be a tasty game. The 49ers should come out on top and win their first Super Bowl since 1995. QB Alex Smith still has many targets available that have proven themselves unlike his opposite number Tom Brady. San Fran also have a strong running game that should give New England plenty to think about. The Patriots are missing their two major weapons on offense: Tight End Rob Gronkowski and Wide Receiver Wes Welker. Aaron Hernandez will probably prove to be Brady's main offensive weapon in this game. The other receivers are going to have to step up for the Patriots to win this game.

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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS BEAT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 34-33 TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLVII

The New England Patriots are the Super Bowl Champions. The AFC Champions beat the NFC Champions the San Francisco 49ers 34-33 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to lift the Lombardi Trophy for the 4th time in 12 seasons. QB Tom Brady and HC Bill Belichick have been around to be apart of every single one of those Championship teams and they both said it was the best one by far.

Quote:

Brady: "This is my fourth Super Bowl and its the best by far. We came so close to the elusive fourth last year when we lost to Atlanta and in all honesty we should have beat the Giants in Super Bowl 42 so this has been a long time coming. This team is far younger and far less experienced than the dynasty that won us the first three titles in 02,04 & 05 and we haven't dominated our conference like we have every other time we've played in a Super Bowl so this one really is special."

Quote:

Belichick: "To have coached a team to six Super Bowls in 13 seasons, winning 4 of them is an incredible achievement. I love coaching this great team and I dedicate this Super Bowl victory to the fans of this team. This is by far the best one yet and the most extreme rollercoaster ride. We started the season 8-1 and finished 9-7 which was a huge disappointment but this victory tonight righted all the wrongs that this team had gone through this season. We won our 1st Super Bowl in this very building so to come back 11 years to the day is a great feeling."

The Patriots started the game very well, posting 10 on the scoreboard in the 1st, through a Stephen Gostkowski field goal and 3 yard pass from Brady to Julian Edelman for the score. The 49ers came back into it in the 2nd quarter. They got on the board in the game when QB Alex Smith threw a 15 yard pass to Michael Crabtree to make it 10-7 in New England's favour. Tom Brady then rushed 5 yards into the endzone for the TD to restore the Pats' lead to 10. 49ers' QB Smith then threw a perfect pass to Crabtree and he did the rest as the play went for 72 yards and the score. David Akers converted a 21 yard field goal with a little under a minute remaining in the half to tie the game at 17-17 at the half time break. In the 2nd half, both teams struggled to get it done in the 3rd quarter as both teams only scored 3. The 49ers' incredible running game was non existent as the Patriots constantly stopped them. Kicker Akers put the 49ers ahead with a 31 yard Field Goal before New England's Gostkowski tied the game with an 18 yard Field Goal attempt. In the 4th quarter, the game came back to life. San Francisco sent out backup QB Colin Kaepernick to create a running game with a wildcat formation. It worked, as Kaepernick rushed 4 yards for the score to make it 27-20 in San Fran's favour early in the 4th. The Pats tied it up shortly after. They went 3 and out on their drive after the 49ers' scoring drive. Zoltan Mesko punted to Ted Ginn who was hit and fumbled which allowed Patriots fullback Earnest Graham to return the ball 17 yards for the score. On the 49ers' next drive, Alex Smith linked up with tight end Vernon Davis for a 28 yard pass for the score. The 49ers then tried the wildcat formation with Kaepernick for the 2 point conversion which failed and it ultimately cost them the game. The Patriots then took the ball all the way down the field as Tom Brady connected with Aaron Hernandez for the 1 yard pass and the score, giving New England the 34-33 win and the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XLVII: San Francisco 49ers vs. New England Patriots
Feb 10, 2012 1 2 3 4 F SFO (14-4) 0 17 3 13 33 NWE (12-7) 10 7 3 14 34 Top Performers PASS: Tom Brady (NE) - 32/58, 482 YDS, 2TD RUSH: Colin Kaepernick (SF) - 7 RUSH, 58 YDS, 1TD REC: Michael Crabtree (SF) - 7 REC, 250 YDS, 2TD	Team Stats Comparison SFO NWE First Downs 21 26 3rd Down Efficiency 6-14 (42%) 7-15 (46%) 4th Down Efficiency 0-0 (0%) 1-1 (100%) Total Yards 750 750 Passing Yards 496 477 Rushing Yards 91 98 Penalties-Penalty Yards 0-0 2-25 Turnovers 4 (-1) 3 (+1) Time of Possession 25:37 22:23
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING SFO NWE 5:24 (NWE) S.Gostkowski, 25 Yd FG 0 3 0:08 (NWE) J.Edelman 3 Yd pass from T.Brady(S.Gostkowski kick) 0 10 SECOND QUARTER SCORING SFO NWE 8:58 (SFO) M.Crabtree 15 Yd pass from A.Smith(D.Akers kick) 7 10 6:34 (NWE) T.Brady, 5 Yd run(S.Gostkowski kick) 7 17 5:17 (SFO) M.Crabtree 72 Yd pass from A.Smith(D.Akers kick) 14 17 1:06 (SFO) D.Akers, 21 Yd FG 17 17 THIRD QUARTER SCORING SFO NWE 8:19 (SFO) D.Akers, 31 Yd FG 20 17 1:13 (NWE) S.Gostkowski, 18 Yd FG 20 20 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING SFO NWE 10:56 (SFO) C.Kaepernick, 4 Yd run(D.Akers kick) 27 20 9:20 (NWE) E.Graham, returned fumble 17 Yds(S.Gostkowski kick) 27 27 6:17 (SFO) V.Davis 28 Yd pass from A.Smith(2-point conversion failed) 33 27 2:48 (NWE) A.Hernandez 1 Yd pass from T.Brady(S.Gostkowski kick) 33 34

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DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR TOM COUGHLIN RESIGNS

The Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator Tom Coughlin has resigned from his position stating that he needed a year out of being a head coach and now he's putting his name back out there for a vacancy. The Seahawks have already announced his replacement as well as the replacements for outgoing Offensive Coordinator Curt Bellanca as well as Special Teams coach Ben Daniels. Former St. Louis Rams Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo has been hired as the Seahawks' new defensive coordinator. With the 'Hawks being the league leaders for sacks last year playing Tom Coughlin's 4-3 defense that was based on the one developed by Spagnuolo during the New York Giants days. So expect the Seahawks to be running a similar defense to what they had last season. Bruce Arians has been hired as the new offensive coordinator after being fired by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Arians has experience with young quarterbacks, as he oversaw the development of Peyton Manning in Indianapolis and has experience of working with one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Ben Roethlisberger so expect Jake Way's development to sky rocket over the next 3 years. Steve Gomez has been hired as the new Special Teams coach.

In other news, the Seahawks have signed a sponsorship deal which involves the naming rights of CenturyLink Field. CenturyLink Field will now be known as Engaging Media Field after the Seahawks agreed a deal with Engaging Media worth $7.00M over 2 years.

[Knicks7073]

NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE - RETIREMENTS

Cincinnati Bengals - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
DT	Fred Robbins	has retired at the age of 36, after 13 years in the NFL.
SS	Yeremiah Bell	has retired at the age of 35, after 10 years in the NFL.
MLB	Paris Lenon	has retired at the age of 35, after 11 years in the NFL.

Buffalo Bills - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
T	Mark Tauscher	has retired at the age of 36, after 13 years in the NFL.

Miami Dolphins - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
T	Marc Colombo	has retired at the age of 34, after 11 years in the NFL.

Philadelphia Eagles - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
OLB	Joseph Porter	has retired at the age of 36, after 14 years in the NFL.

New York Giants - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
MLB	Takeo Spikes	has retired at the age of 36, after 15 years in the NFL.

Detroit Lions - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
T	Jeff Backus	has retired at the age of 35, after 12 years in the NFL.

Green Bay Packers - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
CB	Charles Woodson	has retired at the age of 36, after 15 years in the NFL.

New England Patriots - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
G	Cooper Carlisle	has retired at the age of 36, after 13 years in the NFL.

Tennessee Titans - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
G	Bobbie Williams	has retired at the age of 36, after 13 years in the NFL.

Minnesota Vikings - Retirements
Pos	Player	Retirement Note
CB	Antoine Winfield (MIN)	has retired at the age of 36, after 14 years in the NFL.

[Knicks7073]

SEAHAWKS SIGN FOUR IN FREE AGENCY

The Seattle Seahawks pulled off one of the biggest coups in Free Agency as they signed Defensive End Will Smith. Smith, who was released by the New Orleans Saints at the end of the 2012 season, has signed a 3-year-deal worth $28.36M. The Seahawks also signed former Detroit Lions quarterback Shaun Hill to be the 3rd string QB behind Jake Way and Chad Henne as well as signing Offensive Guard Lakarius Dyer and Defensive Tackle Jovanta Booker.

Team by Team Free Agency Recap will follow below.