Bradley Manning faces charges that include aiding the enemy and wrongfully causing intelligence to be published on the Internet.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Manning is suspected of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks
He could face life in prison
Intelligence community trying to plug leaks

(CNN) — Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, who is suspected of leaking hundreds of thousands of secret documents to the WikiLeaks website, will be court-martialed on charges that could lead to a sentence of life in prison, the Army said Friday in a statement.

Manning, 24, faces charges that include aiding the enemy, wrongfully causing intelligence to be published on the Internet, theft of public property or records, transmitting defense information, and fraud and related activity in connection with computers.

If convicted of all charges, he would face a maximum sentence of life in prison, reduction to the lowest enlisted pay grade, E-1; forfeiture of pay and allowances; and a dishonorable discharge. Aiding the enemy is a capital offense, but the investigating officer endorsed the view of military prosecutors not to seek the death penalty.

The U.S. Army Trial Judiciary will appoint a military judge who will set the date for Manning’s arraignment, motion hearings and trial, the statement said.

Manning is accused of orchestrating the biggest intelligence leak in U.S. history. During the Article 32 proceedings in December, prosecutors presented evidence that Manning allegedly communicated with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a series of Internet chats about uploading 700 Guantanamo Bay detainee interrogation reports.

Prosecutors charge that Manning put software on secure computers that allowed him to download classified material and burn it to a compact disc. Manning was assigned as an intelligence analyst in Iraq and had a top-secret clearance. He worked in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, known as SCIF.

Manning is being held in military custody.

At the Article 32 hearing, Manning’s defense lawyer, David Coombs, focused most of his attention on two issues: lack of security at the SCIF and the Army’s lack of response to Manning’s emotional and behavior problems.

WikiLeaks, the international online group that publishes secret government documents it receives from outside sources, set off a firestorm a year and a half ago when it made public on its website U.S. diplomatic cables and other sensitive documents, most of them pertaining to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The disclosure of hundreds of the documents continues to cast a shadow over the U.S. intelligence community.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told an information-sharing conference last month that plugging leaks of classified materials is still a challenge for the community as it develops new systems to protect information, while at the same time ensuring the right people have access to it.

The fact that Manning had access to so much secret information called into question whether the government had gone too far in responding to one of the biggest failures associated with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The intelligence community and law enforcement were faulted for failing to share information that might have prevented the attacks.

Clapper called the WikiLeaks disclosure a “terrible event” that heightened the intelligence community’s sensitivity to inside threats. He said changes have already been made to monitor information and keep track of who has access to it. But he said it is a work in progress.

“We have to do more to both tag data and ensure that we can properly identify people so that they are actually authorized to receive the information,” he said.

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(Reuters) – Syrian forces killed hundreds of people in an assault on the city of Homs, activists and world leaders said on Saturday, the bloodiest night of an 11-month revolt giving sudden urgency to a push at the U.N. to demand President Bashar al-Assad cede power.

As U.N. diplomats began meeting behind closed doors, U.S. President Barack Obama denounced the “unspeakable assault,” demanded that Assad leave power immediately and called for U.N. action against Assad’s “relentless brutality.”

“Yesterday the Syrian government murdered hundreds of Syrian citizens, including women and children, in Homs through shelling and other indiscriminate violence, and Syrian forces continue to prevent hundreds of injured civilians from seeking medical help,” Obama said in a statement. “Any government that brutalizes and massacres its people does not deserve to govern.”

He and other Western and Arab leaders put unprecedented pressure on Assad’s veto-wielding ally Russia to allow the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution backing an Arab League call for Assad to transfer powers to a deputy.

Moscow said the resolution was not “hopeless,” but its wording needed to be altered to avoid “taking sides in a civil war.” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was still possible to reach consensus.

But heading into the talks at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said amendments that Russia had proposed were “unacceptable.”

After what U.S. officials called “vigorous” talks between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Lavrov, Moscow announced that its foreign minister would fly to Syria in three days to meet Assad.

France called the Homs assault a “massacre” and a “crime against humanity.” Turkey said hundreds had been killed and the United Nations must act. Tunisia expelled the Syrian ambassador, and the flag above its embassy was brought down.

Death tolls cited by activists and opposition groups ranged from 237 to 260, making the Homs attack the deadliest so far in Assad’s crackdown on protests and one of the bloodiest episodes in the “Arab Spring” of revolts that have swept the region.

Residents said Syrian forces began shelling the Khalidiya neighborhood at around 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Friday using artillery and mortars. They said at least 36 houses were completely destroyed with families inside.

“We were sitting inside our house when we started hearing the shelling. We felt shells were falling on our heads,” said Waleed, a resident of Khalidiya.

“The morning has come and we have discovered more bodies, bodies are on the streets,” he said. “Some are still under the rubble. Our movement is better but there is little we can do without ambulances and other things.”

An activist in the neighborhood contacted by Reuters said residents were using primitive tools to rescue people. They feared many were buried under rubble.

“We are not getting any help, there are no ambulances or anything. We are removing the people with our own hands,” he said, adding there were only two field hospitals treating the wounded. Each one had a capacity to deal with 30 people, but he estimated the total number of wounded at 500.

“We have dug out at least 100 bodies so far, they are placed in the two mosques.”

A third Khalidiya resident, speaking by telephone with wailing and cries of “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) audible in the background, said at least 40 corpses had been retrieved from streets and damaged buildings.

CONDEMNATION

As news of the violence spread, angry crowds of Syrians stormed their country’s embassies in Cairo, London, Berlin and Kuwait and protested in other cities.

Syria denied shelling Homs and said Internet video of corpses was staged. It is not possible to verify activist or state media reports as Syria restricts independent media access.

The official Syrian account was disregarded across the globe, where international condemnation was thunderous.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said: “The Syrian authorities have jumped a new hurdle in savagery: the massacre in Homs is a crime against humanity and those responsible will have to answer for it.”

In remarks aimed at Moscow, he said any country that blocked U.N. action would bear a “heavy responsibility in history.”

Tunisia announced it was expelling the Syrian ambassador and revoking recognition of Assad’s government. The head of a committee of parliamentarians from Arab states said Arab countries should expel Syrian ambassadors and cut ties.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said: “If the Syrian administration is given the understanding that the current situation of hundreds of people dying daily can continue and the U.N. will not take a stance against it, the atmosphere of clashes will increase more.”

It was not immediately clear what had prompted Syrian forces to launch such an intense bombardment, just as diplomats at the Security Council were discussing the draft resolution supporting the Arab League demand for Assad to yield power.

Russia gave conflicting signals about its intentions. In an interview early on Saturday, Lavrov suggested Moscow would veto the resolution if it was presented without amendments.

“If they want another scandal for themselves in the Security Council, then we probably cannot stop them,” Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying. But as events marched on during the day with many of the world’s top security and foreign affairs officials gathered at a conference in Munich, Lavrov said: “We are not saying that this resolution is hopeless.”

Russia objected that the resolution contained steps against Assad, but not against his armed opponents, Lavrov said. “Unless you do it both ways, you are taking sides in a civil war.”

Clinton told the conference: “As a tyrant in Damascus brutalizes his own people, America and Europe stand shoulder to shoulder. We are united, alongside the Arab League, in demanding an end to the bloodshed and a democratic future for Syria.”

Russia has balked at any Security Council language that would open to door to “regime change” in Syria, a rare Middle East ally where Moscow operates a naval base and sells billions of dollars in advanced weapons.

Clinton and Lavrov met at the conference for what a U.S. State Department official called “a very vigorous discussion.”

“The secretary made clear that…the United States feels strongly that the U.N. Security Council should vote today.”

HOUSES ON FIRE

Video footage on the Internet showed at least eight bodies assembled in a room, one of them with the top half of its head blown off. A voice on the video said the bombardment was continuing as the footage was filmed.

Syria’s state news agency SANA denied Homs was shelled, accusing rebels of killing people and presenting them as casualties for propaganda purposes before the U.N. vote.

“The corpses displayed by some channels of incitement are martyrs, citizens kidnapped, killed and photographed by armed terrorist groups as if they are victims of the supposed shelling,” it quoted a “media source” as saying.

The Syrian government says it is facing a foreign-backed insurgency and that most of the dead have been its troops. SANA reported funerals of 22 members of the security forces.

Some Syrian activists said the violence was triggered by a wave of army defections in Homs, a stronghold of protests.

Rami Abdulrahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told Reuters that the death toll had reached 237, with 60 people still missing. His group said 21 other people were also killed in other parts of Syria on Saturday, including 12 in a funeral procession in an outlying district of Damascus.

The opposition Syrian National Council said 260 civilians were killed, describing it as “one of the most horrific massacres since the beginning of the uprising in Syria.”

In Cairo, a crowd stormed the Syrian embassy, smashing furniture and setting fire to parts of the building in protest over the Homs bloodshed. The gate of the embassy was broken and furniture was smashed on the second floor of the building.

In London, 150 people hurled stones at the Syrian embassy, smashing windows and shouting slogans. Police said five men were arrested after breaking into the building and another held for assaulting police. Kuwait’s KUNA news agency said Syrians broke into the embassy there at dawn, tore down the flag and injured several security guards. Demonstrators burst into the embassy in Berlin, destroying portraits of Assad and his father.

In the cities of Hama and Idlib, activists said hundreds of people took to the streets in solidarity. They chanted in Idlib: “Homs is bombarded, and you are still sleeping?”

(Additional reporting by Mariam Karouny and Dominic Evans in Beirut, Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, Arshad Mohammed and Stephen Brown in Munich, Ahmed el-Shimy in Cairo, Katharine Jackson in Washington and Steve Gutterman in Moscow; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

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(PhatzRadio) — We have changed the server and stream over and to celebrate, we will be doing Jazz and Rock blocks all weekend long to the “big game” tomorrow!!!

We hope all in football land, best wishes, enjoyment and be safe!! Eat snacks, food, and gametime –

Super Bowl Radio: PhatzRadio Super Blast is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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(PhatzRadio / SI Feature) — INDIANAPOLIS — This city’s outdone itself. It’s been a great game site for the Super Bowl. So much to do downtown, all on foot, and the natives and even the drunks are in great moods. The meteorologists have helped, but there’s something to be said for a vibrant downtown hosting everything at a Super Bowl, and holding the Super Bowl in a place where you never have to get in a car.

This is my prediction column for Super Bowl 46, with a few notes about the Hall of Fame voting, which takes place Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.

Regarding the prediction: I came here liking the Giants. I began to out-think myself when I saw Bill Belichick as relaxed and confident as I’ve seen him before a game, figuring: The guy knows something. He’s just too smug. I’m sure he does, and I’m sure he’ll toss the Giants a few surprises Sunday night. Like he did in the Week 9 meeting between the teams, won by the Giants.

I watched that game again this week. Strange deal. On eight of New England’s first 15 offensive snaps, stretching to the first play of the second quarter, New England had six or seven offensive linemen on the field. Rookie Nate Solder was lined up as an eligible tight end, either outside the shoulder of left tackle Matt Light or right tackle Sebastian Vollmer, and the Patriots opened the game playing smashmouth. They ran on five of those eight heavy-line plays and gained 29 yards.

So if Belichick did that last time, I bet he doesn’t do it nearly as much this time. You can drive yourself crazy thinking that way, but that’s how I’m going to think about this game. The Giants have all this tape to over-analyze, and they’re going to look back at the success the Patriots had in these heavy sets in Week 9, and they’re surely going to think New England’s going to go with the six- and seven-man lines again, particularly with the knowledge that the Giants have such a formidable rush. So Belichick will change it up this time. This time he’ll rely on his line holding up so Tom Brady can make quick throws to Danny Woodhead and Aaron Hernandez in space, and to Wes Welker on intermediate routes.

I’m not sure how big a deal to make of the Rob Gronkowski injury. Dwight Freeney, who had a similar high ankle sprain in the Super Bowl two years ago for Indianapolis, said something interesting on the Bob Costas NFL Town Hall special last night on NBC Sports Network. He felt OK on game day and made an impact in the first half against the Saints. But the 35-minute halftime break killed him. He said the ankle stiffened and he was a totally different player after the long layoff, playing sparingly with no impact in the second half. You have to think pushing off, or the lack of an ability to, will hurt Gronkowski (I love all those big tight end monikers he has — The Gronk, Gronkie, Gronkle) and limit his impact on the game. New England should try to get him free down the seam a few times early, just to throw the fear of Gronk into the Giants.

Crippling Gronkowski Stat of the Week: He was targeted by Brady 15 times in the first game this year, the most he’s been targeted in a game in his two-year career.

Non-Crippling Gronkowski Stat of the Week: Targets since Dec. 1 — Hernandez 61, Gronkowski 60. Brady will have to throw fast in this game, and he’ll have to find guys who can make the Giants miss in space. That’s Hernandez’s role. So I think Brady will be able to do damage even if Gronkowski is only a minor factor.

Matt Light will be a huge factor for New England in this game. It’s been a good week for Light. He put a couple of Super Bowl tickets, plus lodging and transportation, up for raffle to benefit his camp for troubled teens in Ohio, and by the time the winner was drawn Thursday, the raffle had raised $272,000. What a country. If only Sunday would go so well.

To me, the most significant matchup in the game is how the Patriots handle the Giants’ right-end position, opposite Light. In the last four Giants’ games — all, basically, playoff games, starting the last game of the regular season against Dallas — the two guys who play right end for the Giants, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul, have eight sacks and 25 quarterback hits/hurries/pressures. (They also play in different spots on the line. ProFootballFocus.com charts snaps played and positions played, and PFF has Umenyiora with 82 of his 117 snaps at right end in the last four games, and Pierre-Paul with 87 of his 161 plays at right end.) If the recent history holds, Light will see Umenyiora and Pierre-Paul about 42 times Sunday. And Light had better be good.

“The good thing about left tackle,” Light said this week, “is you’ll never have a perfect game. Left tackle and golf. Same thing.”

He doesn’t have to be perfect. But let’s say he has Umenyiora and Pierre-Paul across from him 42 times Sunday. Light had better be damn good on 38 to 40 of them.

On the other side of the ball, I think the three Giants receiving weapons, plus Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard at tight end, will make enough plays for New York to score in the 20s. That’s a boring, predictable analysis. But I don’t see Ahmad Bradshaw being much of a factor — Kyle Love, Gerard Warren and Vince Wilfork are stopping the run well right now — and Eli Manning will have to go to the air to win. He can do that.

Final score in the House That Peyton Built: Peyton’s Brother 23, Peyton’s Archrival 20, with Peyton watching from on high.

***

Ten Hall of Fame thoughts on the eve of the vote for the Class of 2012, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday in downtown Indianapolis:

1. Momentum building for Eddie DeBartolo, who has had some heavy-hitters, including former Niner exec Carmen Policy, campaigning hard for him. It’ll be interesting to see if being the most beloved owner by his players carries a lot of weight. DeBartolo didn’t do as much for the league as a whole as a Bob Kraft, Art Modell or Dan Rooney, but he did run a great team for a long time.

2. Bill Parcells probably should be a favorite to make it (10th all-time in wins, two Super Bowl wins, took four franchises to the playoffs), but you never know how much momentum new guys will have in the room among the 44 voters. Some of the voters aren’t fond of the prickly Parcells, but he does have more wins than the four coaches — Marv Levy, George Allen, John Madden and Hank Stram — who’ve been enshrined since 2000, and none of them have more Super Bowl rings than Parcells.

3. Maybe I’m naïve, but I think this is the year the wide receiver logjam gets broken. I see Andre Reed getting in, though I believe Cris Carter is more deserving.

4. No locks in an off year for the Hall, but Steelers center Dermontti Dawson looks like the leader in the clubhouse to me.

5. Next man up, after Dawson? Charles Haley looks like he could be this year’s Richard Dent — the guy who was close for a long time and finally got in, in part because voters are trying to make sure they don’t perpetuate the mistake of the past by electing far more offensive players than defensive.

6. Next: Willie Roaf, Curtis Martin (who seems to have more momentum than Jerome Bettis). After that, it’s totally jumbled. Parcells would be my best guess.

7. I still think Cortez Kennedy and Kevin Greene, who’ve been lost in the shuffle over the years, are very strong candidates and would be deserving selections.

8. Interesting class of 2013 candidates could make this a must year for some of the bubble candidates. Michael Strahan, Jonathan Ogden and Warren Sapp come up for election next year.

9. I could see the five modern-era slots yield fewer than five Hall of Famers. The way the voting works is each of the five finalists is voted on in secret ballot by the 44 Hall selectors. If 80 percent of the voters say yes for a candidate, he’s in. Less than 80, he’s out. So nine “no” votes on a finalist scuttles him.

10. I expect a long meeting. Seven hours, maybe. NFL Network airs the results live at 5:30 p.m., and you’ll know when I do. We walk out of the room not knowing which of the five modern-era finalists and two Seniors candidates make it.

Super Bowl XLVI: Patriots’ Light must hold up against Giants’ fierce pass rushers is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — NBC’s Football Night in America analyst Rodney Harrison, a two-time Pro Bowl safety who earned Super Bowl rings as a member of the New England Patriots to close the 2003 and 2004 seasons, shares his insights into Super Bowl XLVI with USA TODAY’s Tom Pedulla.

Even in my retirement as a player, I am constantly reminded of the last Super Bowl meeting between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.

As a Christmas present a couple of years ago, I received a book that recalls some of the greatest moments in sports. I see that book every day when I work in my home office. I’m right there on the cover, unable to do anything to prevent the “helmet catch” made by David Tyree on the Giants’ last-ditch touchdown drive that gave them a 17-14 upset and deprived us of a perfect 19-0 season four years ago.

People always ask me what I could have done differently on that play. My answer is always the same: “Not a thing.” It was one of those catches that was meant to be.

As far as what is meant to be in Super Bowl XLVI, the one thing I can promise you is that the sequel should be as fantastic as the first game was.

I have thought highly of the Giants since the start of the season. When I look at their roster, I see talent everywhere. I wondered why they were so up and down, and it was not that long ago that they were 7-7. But they haven’t lost since then. They got hot at the right time — just as they did in 2007.

I can say before most games that Tom Brady will be the best quarterback on the field, hands down. I am not so sure I can say that here. Not that the Giants’ Eli Manning was bad when he ruined our bid for an undefeated season, but he has taken his game to another level with the poise and toughness he shows when I watch him on film.

The Patriots go as Brady goes. As Brady himself said, he was not very good in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, and they did not look very good. When New England won three Super Bowls in four years from 2001 to 2004, Brady knew he had a veteran defense he could count on to make plays.

With a young defense being so inconsistent, I think he felt at times this season that he had to score 30 points a game. However, his defense has improved, and I think he trusts them much more now.

The Giants provide a tough matchup for Brady. Their front line is fantastic, definitely the best in the league, and they’re all versatile. Justin Tuck can line up inside or outside. Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul can rush the passer with the best of them. And I can’t forget quality defensive tackle Chris Canty or Mathias Kiwanuka, a linebacker with a lot of ability to get into the backfield.

Brady’s style of play will never be mistaken for the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Michael Vick or Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. They all are big-time playmakers when they are flushed from the pocket. I’ve seen Brady make some unbelievable plays — when the protection is there. So one key will definitely be how well New England’s offensive line can hold up.

The biggest challenge for the Giants defense, after the need to pressure Brady, will lie in its ability to handle tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Wes Welker on third-down situations and in the red zone. This will make for an opportunity for others —Deion Branch, Aaron Hernandez and Julian Edelman— to step up. Someone under the radar always seems to make a big impact in the Super Bowl. It’s not just about the superstars.

Manning is having a career year, but I also think he’s just starting to show what he can do. I expect him to build on this and continue to improve, and you have to love his receivers. Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks are very hard to stop one-on-one. Mario Manningham is not a great route-runner, but he’ll catch the ball when he’s open. Jake Ballard is a big blocking tight end who can also make big plays with his hands.

Whether Manning wins this year or not, I can see two or three Super Bowls with his name on it before he’s through.

I have been very disappointed in New England’s secondary. They’ve had a bunch of miscommunication. Devin McCourty is the captain of the secondary and can be an elite cornerback, but he needs to play with more consistency. Safety Patrick Chung has Pro Bowl ability. They are much improved as a unit since he returned from injury.

But if Joe Flacco had hit even one of the deep balls open to him in the AFC title game, we’d be talking about Baltimore right now.

Instead, we have New England-New York again.

I’m not ready to say which way I’m leaning just yet. But I still see nothing more than a field goal separating these teams.

Rodney Harrison: Field goal separates Pats, Giants is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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(Reuters) – Sunday’s Super Bowl 46 appears set to boil down to the same fundamental clash of strengths seen four years ago when the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots in the Big Show.

The pass rush by the Giants will be pitted against the pass attack of the Patriots, with the winner of that battle to seize the upper hand in the National Football League title game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Giants won that match-up in the Arizona desert in 2008 with a fierce rush that led to five sacks of three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady in a 17-14 stunner that deprived New England of a perfect 19-0 season.

Some of the names have changed on the Giants’ defensive line, with young Jason Pierre-Paul terrorizing opposing quarterbacks instead of Michael Strahan, but their pressure can be intense with a charge that can include four defensive ends.

“The way to kill the snake is to take off his head,” said defensive captain Justin Tuck about the goal of harassing Brady.

The pressure is on Brady and his brilliant coach Bill Belichick to slow down the defensive charge of a Giants’ team that can score under the confident play of quarterback Eli Manning and his explosive crew of receivers, including the emerging Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.

New England, whose tandem of Belichick and Brady have combined to win the most NFL games ever, are slight favorites over coach Tom Coughlin’s Giants in the latest installment of Boston-New York sports wars.

Brady and Belichick are not aiming at perfection as in 2008, but a victory over the Giants would allow them to match the fabled coach and quarterback duos of Bill Walsh and Joe Montana (49ers), and Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw (Steelers) with four Super Bowl rings.

With time to operate, Brady can cut up any defense with pinpoint passing, an ability to recognize coverages and his variety of talented targets including tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, and slot receiver Wes Welker.

The fitness of Gronkowski, who has just returned to practice after suffering a sprained left ankle in the AFC title victory over the Baltimore Ravens, is a huge factor.

The towering tight end led the NFL in touchdown catches with 17 and is Brady’s favorite go-to guy when the Pats get close to the end zone.

Another weapon in Brady’s arsenal is use of the hurry-up offense and the threat of effective, inside running by BenJarvus Green-Ellis, whose lengthy moniker inspired his nickname of Law Firm.

Brady is a master of running the two-minute drill, and shifting to that form of attack makes the Giants keep the same players on the field rather than rotating their pass-rushers to keep them fresh and confuse the opposition.

“I think it forces the defenses to play at a different tempo where they can’t fall into a natural rhythm,” Belichick said on Friday. “They have to be ready for things to speed up, be ready for things to slow down and have different personnel groups.

“It just puts a little more stress on our defensive opponents to prepare for more things. If we can do it better than they can, it’s an advantage.”

New York entered that last title game with a question mark over quarterback Eli Manning, who was just emerging after an inconsistent start to his professional career.

A more polished Manning comes to this title game in control of a potent passing attack of his own, and he might look to exploit emergency cornerback Justin Edelman, who has filled in on defense despite his primary role as a receiver and punt returner.

Manning set an NFL record with 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes this season and led seven late game-winning drives.

“Our leader, our quarterback, has been a very cool customer and has done very well late in the fourth quarter,” said Coughlin.

Both teams struggled on defense early in the season but have come on strong.

New England, ranked a lowly 31st in the league in yards allowed per game at 411.6, have given up 325 yards a game in the postseason and are on a 10-game winning streak.

New York yielded only 67 points during their current five-game winning streak and have registered 20 sacks in that span.

Both teams are riding high, with Brady telling Patriots fans to get ready for a big party after they return home, while Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty told New York fans to plan on attending their ticker tape parade.

(Reporting By Larry Fine; Editing by Ian Ransom)

Super Bowl XLVI Analysis: Giants pass rush vs Patriots passing key to Super Bowl is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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DENVER (AP) — Andrew Bynum scored 22 points, Kobe Bryant added 20 and the Los Angeles Lakers opened a season-high six-game trip with a 93-89 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

Al Harrington missed a 3-point attempt with 2 seconds left that would have put Denver ahead.

Pau Gasol added 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Lakers, who won for the third time in 10 road games this season and prevailed in Denver for only the second time in their last seven trips to the Pepsi Center.

The Lakers took control after Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov rolled his left ankle while scoring a bucket early in the second half. He was helped to the locker room by Chris Andersen and Julyan Stone without putting any pressure on his left foot and didn’t return. The Nuggets said X-rays were negative.

Two minutes later, Denver’s leading scorer, Danilo Gallinari, was accidentally poked in his left eye by Metta World Peace and retreated to the locker room for a few minutes to replace his contact while the Lakers put the finishing touches on a 10-2 run.

Harrington scored 24 points for Denver, while Gallinari was held to six on 1-of-9 shooting.

HEAT 99, 76ERS 79

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and LeBron James had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift Miami over Philadelphia.

Mario Chalmers scored 13 points and Chris Bosh had 12 to help the Heat go on a dominant late run that put away the pesky Sixers. The Heat used a 15-0 spurt in the fourth quarter to turn a tight one into a comfortable victory, handing the Sixers their third home loss this season.

Thaddeus Young scored 16 points for the Sixers, who snapped a four-game winning streak.

The Sixers opened the week with wins against Orlando and Chicago before the Heat squashed the home-week sweep.

PACERS 98, MAVERICKS 87

DALLAS (AP) — Paul George hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 30 points, and Indiana Pacers won in Dallas for the first time in eight years.

The Pacers took the lead for good with seven consecutive points in the first 2 minutes of the second half. George made a go-ahead running layup then had a steal that he turned into a dunk and a free throw.

Indiana won its 10th road game this season, matching Miami for the most in the NBA. The Pacers had lost 11 of their previous 12 road games against the Mavs.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 30 points for Dallas on 12-of-17 shooting.

THUNDER 101, GRIZZLIES 94

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 36 points and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer in the final minute to lift Oklahoma City over Memphis.

Durant scored the final seven points of the game after Memphis had pulled even at 94 on Mike Conley’s 3-pointer from the right side with 1:12 remaining.

Durant pulled up in front of Rudy Gay to answer with a 3 from the right wing and added a jumper from the foul line to push the lead to five. He closed it out by grabbing the rebound on O.J. Mayo’s 3-point attempt and hitting two free throws after getting fouled.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 24 points and Gay scored 23.

CELTICS 91, KNICKS 89

BOSTON (AP) — Paul Pierce scored 30 points and Ray Allen had nine of his 14 in the final quarter to lift Boston over struggling New York.

Kevin Garnett finished with 15 points and eight boards for the Celtics, who won for the seventh time in eight games.

Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points, Tyson Chandler had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Amare Stoudemire had 16 points with 11 rebounds as the Knicks lost their 11th in 13 games.

Garnett grabbed his 10,000th career defensive rebound, becoming the third player in NBA history to reach the mark. He’s behind Robert Parish (10,117) and Karl Malone (11,406).

MAGIC 102, CAVALIERS 94

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Dwight Howard scored 19 points, had 16 rebounds and blocked eight shots as Orlando outlasted Cleveland.

Jason Richardson also had 19 points in his first action in two games after resting a sore knee. Hedo Turkoglu added 18 points and Ryan Anderson chipped in 17.

The Magic won their seventh straight over the Cavaliers, despite playing without injured starting point guard Jameer Nelson and suspended reserve big man Glen Davis.

Alonzo Gee scored 20 points and Kyrie Irving added 18 for the Cavs, who have lost three of their last four.

TIMBERWOLVES 108, NETS 105

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Luke Ridnour made the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:23 left and Nikola Pekovic scored a career-high 27 points as Minnesota beat New Jersey.

The Timberwolves overcame a career-high 42 points from Anthony Morrow, whose eight 3-pointers in 11 attempts were the most in the NBA this season.

Kevin Love added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which surpassed its road victory total from last season by improving to 6-4. The Wolves, just 5-36 on the road last season, have won three in a row away from home.

Ricky Rubio finished with 10 points and 10 assists for the Wolves.

PISTONS 88, BUCKS 80

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Rookie Brandon Knight scored a season-high 26 points, holding his own against Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings and helping Detroit snap a seven-game slide.

Knight, who was outscored 21-0 by Jennings in a loss at Milwaukee on Monday, helped the Pistons build a 15-point lead in the third quarter.

Milwaukee went on an 11-0 run spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth, and Detroit led by only four with 2:54 remaining. Knight responded with a floater, followed moments later by a driving shot off the glass, and the Pistons held on.

Jennings scored 20 points, but only seven after the first quarter.

RAPTORS 106, WIZARDS 89

TORONTO (AP) — Leandro Barbosa shook off flulike symptoms to score 19 points, and Amir Johnson had 18 points and 13 rebounds as Toronto beat Washington.

Linas Kleiza added 15 points and Jose Calderon had a season-high 17 assists for the Raptors, who bounced back from consecutive blowout losses to Atlanta and Boston and improved to 2-9 without leading scorer Andrea Bargnani, who is out with a strained left calf.

Barbosa missed Friday’s shootaround with flulike symptoms but showed no ill effects against the Wizards. He scored nine points in the second quarter and had six more in the third.

Nick Young scored 21 points and John Wall had 15 as the Wizards lost their third straight.

ROCKETS 99, SUNS 81

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Martin scored 16 points, and Kyle Lowry had eight rebounds and nine assists to lead Houston past Phoenix.

Chase Budinger added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who got another strong effort from their bench to beat the Suns for only the second time in the last nine meetings. Reserves Courtney Lee and Patrick Patterson also had 12 points apiece.

Marcin Gortat had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Shannon Brown scored 12 for the Suns, who’ve lost five of their last seven. Houston had a 49-39 rebounding edge and held two-time MVP Steve Nash to six points and nine assists.

NBA Roundup: Lakers get much needed win vs Nuggets 93-89 is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Jarome Iginla had a goal and an assist to help Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 Friday night.

Olli Jokinen scored in the first period and Jay Bouwmeester added a power-play goal in the second to help Calgary shake off two straight home losses.

Brent Seabrook scored for Chicago, which has lost five straight, including an 8-4 loss in Edmonton the night before. The Blackhawks also lost 3-2 at Vancouver in overtime on Tuesday night.

Ray Emery stopped 29 of 32 shots for the Blackhawks, who have six games left in a nine-game road trip that will feature games in all four time zones.

Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 26 shots for his 299th NHL win. He passed Mike Vernon for the Flames’ goalie record with 527 games.

BLUE JACKETS 3, DUCKS 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Derick Brassard scored his second goal with 1:05 left in overtime, and the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped their six-game skid with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.

Jeff Carter scored the tying power-play goal in his return from a 10-game absence with a separated shoulder for the Blue Jackets, who finally won in the finale of their six-game road trip. The NHL’s worst team rallied impressively from a third-period deficit in its first game since an apparent clock malfunction possibly cost them a point in a 3-2 loss up the I-5 freeway in Los Angeles two nights ago.

Teemu Selanne scored his 654th and 655th career goals for the Ducks, who have lost two straight home games in discouraging fashion after a 9-1-1 run through most of January.

BLUES 1, KINGS 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jaroslav Halak stopped 22 shots and Jamie Langenbrunner scored in the second period.

Halak recorded his fifth shutout of the season and 21st of his career. He improved to 15-8-5 and has started six of the last seven games. Halak has four shutouts in his last seven starts. St. Louis has a league-best 10 shutouts.

St. Louis improved to a league-best 22-3-4 at home and has not lost a regulation game at home since dropping a 5-2 decision to Chicago on Dec. 3.

The Blues moved into a tie with Vancouver for second in the Western Conference with 67 points.

SENATORS 2, ISLANDERS 1, OT

OTTAWA (AP) — Mark Eaton scored 2:35 into overtime in his 600th NHL game.

Eaton took a pass from Milan Jurcina and put the puck into an open right side for his 24th NHL goal — his first since Nov. 28, 2009.

Matt Martin scored the tying goal in the third and Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for New York, which is on a 5-1-1 run.

Zack Smith scored a short-handed goal late in the second for Ottawa, which has lost five in a row, the last four in regulation.

Ottawa’s Craig Anderson stopped 30 shots in his 16th straight start.

PANTHERS 2, JETS 1

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sean Bergenheim scored a go-ahead goal in the second period.

Kris Versteeg also scored a goal for Florida, while Scott Clemmensen stopped 20 shots.

Bryan Little scored for Winnipeg and Chris Mason made 28 saves.

Winnipeg lost for the ninth straight time when playing the second of consecutive games. The Jets are have been shut out twice and outscored 36-7 in those.

The Jets tied it at 1 on Little’s goal in the second. Little grabbed a loose puck and took a wrist shot from the left circle. The puck went between Clemmensen’s pads at 11:29.

NHL Roundup: Flames beat slumpping Blackhawks 3-1 is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) – U.S. Open champion So Yeon Ryu shot a 3-under-par 69 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Australian Ladies Masters.

Ryu, who shot an extraordinary 11-under 61 in the second round, had a 54-hole total of 20-under 196 at Royal Pines.

Christel Boeljon of the Netherlands shot 68 and was alone in second, followed by Kim Ha-neul of South Korea, who shot a 64, and Diana Luna of Italy, who carded a 66. They were tied for third, five strokes behind the leader.

American-born Australian Frances Bondad was the biggest mover of the day, shooting a 63 to reach fifth place, seven strokes behind Ryu.

Paul Lawrie takes lead in Qatar despite penalty

DOHA, Qatar (AP) – Paul Lawrie recovered from a penalty for dropping his ball on a marker to shoot a 5-under 67 Saturday and take a one-shot lead over Nicolas Colsaerts after the second round of the Qatar Masters.

Lawrie took advantage of calmer conditions at Doha Golf Course to make six birdies for an 8-under total of 136. The tournament has been disrupted by wind and shortened to 54 holes.

Lawrie birdied the 16th to move into a tie with Colsaerts and then added another on 18 to take the outright lead. Playing in front of Lawrie, Colsaerts also birdied the 18th after a bunker shot that rolled within a foot of the pin to briefly take the lead.

Peter Hanson of Sweden (69) and Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina (67) are two shots back.

Golf Recap: U.S. Open champion So Yeon Ryu leads Australian Ladies Masters by 3 is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Chay Shegog had 20 points and Candace Wood added 14 points, leading No. 23 North Carolina to a 64-56 win over Virginia on Friday night.

Wood scored the game’s final seven points as North Carolina (17-5, 7-2 ACC) swept the season series. The Tar Heels won the first meeting 78-73 in double overtime Jan. 5 in Charlottesville, Va.

Ariana Moorer led Virginia (16-8, 4-6) with 21 points, Lexie Gerson chipped in 14 and Ataira Franklin scored 11.

North Carolina led 35-24 at halftime behind 50 percent shooting and eight points from Shegog. Moorer had 13 at the break for the Cavaliers, who shot 27.3 percent for the period.

Virginia led 12-11 with 14:37 left in the first half before the Tar Heels went on a 10-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers chipped away in the second, tying it at 54 before Tierra Ruffin-Pratt’s three-point play with 1:32 left put UNC ahead for good.

Upcoming

Baylor (22-0) did not play. Next: at Kansas State, Saturday.

Notre Dame (22-1) did not play. Next: vs. DePaul, Sunday.

UConn (20-2) did not play. Next: vs. No. 13 Rutgers, Saturday.

Stanford (19-1) did not play. Next: at Arizona, Saturday.

Duke (18-3) did not play. Next: vs. No. 23 North Carolina, Monday.

Kentucky (21-2) did not play. Next: at LSU, Saturday.

Miami (19-3) did not play. Next: vs. Clemson, Sunday.

Tennessee (16-6) did not play. Next: vs. Auburn, Sunday.

Maryland (19-3) did not play. Next: at No. 24 Georgia Tech, Monday.

Green Bay (19-0) did not play. Next: vs. Milwaukee, Saturday.

Ohio State (20-2) did not play. Next: vs. Wisconsin, Monday.

Delaware (19-1) did not play. Next: vs. VCU, Sunday. Next: vs. Old Dominion, Thursday.

Rutgers (17-5) did not play. Next: at No. 3 UConn, Saturday.

Louisville (17-5) did not play. Next: at West Virginia, Saturday.

Purdue (18-5) did not play. Next: vs. Illinois, Sunday.

Nebraska (19-3) did not play. Next: vs. Michigan, Thursday.

Georgetown (17-5) did not play. Next: at Cincinnati, Saturday.

Texas A&M (15-5) did not play. Next: vs. Kansas, Saturday.

Penn State (17-5) did not play. Next: at Minnesota, Sunday.

Gonzaga (20-3) did not play. Next: vs. San Diego, Saturday.

Georgia (17-6) did not play. Next: at Alabama, Sunday.

BYU (20-4) did not play. Next: vs. Saint Mary’s (Cal), Saturday.

North Carolina (17-5) beat Virginia 64-56. Next: at No. 5 Duke, Monday.

Georgia Tech (17-6) did not play. Next: vs. No. 9 Maryland, Monday.

Texas Tech (15-6) did not play. Next: vs. Missouri, Sunday.

College Basketball Roundup: (Women) North Carolina beat Virginia 64-56 is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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