Sam Farmer on Patriots trying to handle Giants pass rush [video]

Nearly every NFL team must try to keep its quarterback upright and in the pocket if it is to have success in the passing game, teams that feature rollout and scrambling types aside.

The New England Patriots, who face the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, are no exception and, in fact, rely more on Tom Brady than other teams do their signal callers.

Times NFL writer Sam Farmer, who covered this subject in an article recently, discussed how New England must plan to handle the Giants' vaunted pass rush with Cinesport's Noah Coslov.

Some of the topics they talked about:

• Deliver quick passes on underneath routes, particularly to Wes Welker.
• Attack the middle of the field with tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
• Establish the running game to set up play-action passes.

All of which is easy to plan but difficult to execute as the Giants proved in Week 9 this season during their 24-20 victory over the Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.

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--Dan Loumena

Holly Rowe elbows reporter out of the way to get postgame interview

Holly Rowe, one of ESPN's top sideline reporters, made sure she got the interview she needed with Michigan Coach Brady Hoke on Tuesday night following the dramatic conclusion of the Sugar Bowl, with a strong elbow move that would make a power forward in basketball proud.

After the Wolverines pulled out a 23-20 victory over Virginia Tech in overtime, Hoke greeted Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer at midfield for the usual postgame congratulations. As per usual, a flock of photographers and reporters moved in to capture the moment and to try to get a quick word with the coaches.

Rowe was not about to let any other media beat ESPN to the punch when it came to Hoke's postgame comments.

The clip above clearly shows Rowe driving another reporter away from Hoke by walking up from behind and physically removing her from the interview equation.

Rowe then wheels about to face the ESPN camera to begin her interview with Hoke.

The worldwide leader in sports will not be outmuscled when it comes to getting an interview.

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Michigan pulls out 23-20 win over Virginia Tech

Orange Bowl: Darwin Cook collides with mascot after amazing play

Video: Tim Howard feels for opposing goalie after scoring from 100 yards

--Dan Loumena

Insight Bowl: Overhead camera falls to the field during game

Flying cameras have been providing unique perspectives on everything from golf to college and professional football for more than a decade, becoming so commonplace that fans rarely notice the whizzing remote-controlled devices.

At the Insight Bowl on Friday night in Tempe, Ariz., however, no one could miss the overhead camera when it came crashing down to the field late in the fourth quarter, nearly taking out one of the players.

The ESPN camera narrowly missed Iowa receiver Martin McNutt Jr., who became entangled in the guide wire but wasn't hurt.

“First, I looked: 'What is it that fell from the sky?'" McNutt said after Iowa's 31-14 loss to No. 19 Oklahoma. “The next thing I know, the camera kind of scratched me a little bit. It was just pulling me and I knew I didn't want to keep going with it.”

The camera at the Insight Bowl was supplied by SkyCam, a division of Winnercomm Inc., a sports production and development company in Tulsa, Okla. According to the company's website, SkyCam is the only stabilized camera system in the world that can unobtrusively fly anywhere in a defined three-dimensional space.

“We apologize for the accident,” ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said Saturday. “The independent company that operates SkyCam for us is in the midst of a thorough review to determine the cause of the problem. We will work with them and bowl officials to determine our future course of action. As always our primary concern will be the safety of fans and those on the field.”

Jerome Simpson flip: A video clip that must be seen

Jerome Simpson, a young and athletic receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, has flipped his way into America's hearts and minds.

If you haven't seen the video of the touchdown reception on which Simpson does a forward flip over an Arizona Cardinals defender at the goal line and lands cleanly on his feet, check it out above.

The Bengals (9-6) went on to defeat the Cardinals, 23-16, to guarantee only their third winning season in the last 21 years and put themselves in position to clinch a playoff spot with a victory over AFC North rival Baltimore next Sunday in Cincinnati.

Although rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and rookie receiver A.J. Green have grabbed most of the team's offensive headlines this season, along with veteran running back Cedric Benson, Simpson has made a splash from time to time. He has averaged 15.7 yards on his 40 catches this season. The  touchdown reception Saturday, which went for 19 yards, was his third of the season.

Simpson got open on a short route across the middle. With Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington between him and the goal line, the fourth-year receiver from Coastal Carolina easily cleared the linebacker with his contact-avoiding somersault, landing on both feet before raising his arms as if he had just concluded an Olympic gymnastics routine.

"One of the key parts for me was I stuck the landing," Simpson said. "I stuck the landing like a gymnast. That was probably one of the most surprising of all the plays in my career. It was pretty awesome, I thought."

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--Dan Loumena

Albert Pujols introduced as newest Angel [Video]

Albert Pujols, the $254-million slugger formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals, was introduced to Angels fans and the media during a festive news conference on Saturday at Angel Stadium.

Owner Arte Moreno, who also shelled out $77.5 million to acquire Rangers ace C.J. Wilson, was on hand to enjoy the occasion.

The 10-year contract that Pujols landed is the second-highest in baseball history, behind the New York Yankees' $275-million deal for Alex Rodriguez.

Before the season began, the Angels were valued by Forbes at $554 million, the ninth highest in MLB.

How can Moreno pay Pujols, Wilson and the rest of the Angels? Thank Fox Sports, which struck a deal for the broadcast rights to Angels games for $3 billion.

Moreno, General Manager Jerry Dipoto and the Angels have been hard at work bringing in talent and finding a way to pay for it.

-- Dan Loumena

Chris Dufresne on UCLA coaching candidates and the SEC [Video]

The Times' Chris Dufresne discusses letters from college football fans with Cinesport's Noah Coslov.

Some fans have their own suggestions for the UCLA vacancy, such as Mike Sherman and Steve Sarkisian. Dufresne tackled the subject in his column for Saturday's paper:

If UCLA tried to hire Mike Sherman, recently fired by Texas A&M, Bruins' Athletic Director Dan Guerrero would have to make the announcement in a Sherman tank. ...

Sarkisian ... [is] in a solid position at Washington. You can win big there, the alumni base is fanatical and the school is remodeling Husky Stadium.

Another reader tells Dufresne to "go into your room and cry" over the likely rematch between LSU and Alabama in the BCS championship game. Dufresne writes in his column:

OK. I'll cry in my fancy hotel room when the company sends me down to New Orleans to cover the game. But first, I'm going to get a cup of coffee and beignet at Cafe du Monde and then walk along the Mississippi River at sunset. ...

The difference between 'Bama fans and me is I'm going to the game no matter who is in it.

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BCS motto falls way short this weekend

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-- Chuck Schilken

Chris Foster previews the Pac-12 football title game [video]

CineSport's Tara Petrolino sits down with Times college football reporter Chris Foster to preview the Pac-12 Conference's inaugural championship football game between UCLA and Oregon.

They touched on a variety of subjects regarding the game, in which the Ducks are a 32-point favorite, and the status of the Bruins' program with the recently fired Rick Neuheisel about to coach his final game. Some of the highlights:

• Oregon might not be as focused since they have a loss and will not be playing for a spot in the BCS national title game.

• The Bruins will be fired up and Foster expects them to hang with Oregon for about a half on pure emotion. Then it could get ugly in the second half.

• The coaching search has been centered on Boise State's Chris Petersen, who isn't worried as much about the money that UCLA is offering as he is about the lifestyle if he moved his family to Southern California.

The game is set for 5 p.m. and will be televised on Channel 11.

--Dan Loumena

USC football: Gary Klein on Matt Barkley and the Trojans' thrashing of UCLA [video]

What can one say about USC's 50-0 rout of UCLA on Saturday night at the Coliseum? Or Matt Barkley's 423-yard, six-touchdown passing performance?

CineSport's Tara Petrolino chats with Times football reporter Gary Klein about the Trojans' big victory at the Coliseum and of their plans for next year.

Here are some highlights that Klein pointed out:

• Barkley's end-of-season performance was a typical punctuation mark that gets a quarterback to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremonies.

• The defense bent a lot in the Oregon win but didn't ultimately break and delivered a statement by shutting out the Bruins.

• The biggest recruiting pitch that Coach Lane Kiffin has ahead: convincing Barkley, safety T.J. McDonald, offensive lineman Matt Kalil and other juniors to forgo a shot at the NFL and return next season to make USC a legitimate BCS title contender.

To hear all about it, check out the video above.

--Dan Loumena

What the NBA's tentative agreement means for owners and players [Video]

CineSport's Brian Clark discusses with Chris Sheridan, editor in chief of SheridanHoops.com, how the NBA owners and players reached a tentative deal to end the lockout and what it means for each side.

Some of the highlights Sheridan outlines:

• The deal got done because Commissioner David Stern said the league would need 30 days to launch the season and by agreeing to a tentative deal this weekend games can now begin on Dec. 25.

• There will be a huge scramble to fill rosters with free agents, who can be signed starting Dec. 9 when training camps open.

• The owners' big victory was in getting up to $3 billion in concessions from the players' union if the new collective bargaining agreement runs for 10 years as tentatively agreed upon. Each side can opt out after six years, though.

• The players get a victory with a more robust middle class instead of teams spending big on a few free agents while filling out their rosters with minimum-salary players as the Miami Heat did last year.

--Dan Loumena

Gary Klein on USC's upset victory over No. 4 Oregon [Video]

The Times' Gary Klein talks about USC's dramatic victory over No. 4 Oregon with CineSport's Brian Clark.

According to Klein, there was one prevailing theme among USC players after the game -- the Trojans are back. He also calls it the biggest victory in the USC careers of quarterback Matt Barkley and Coach Lane Kiffin.

Here's some of what Klein wrote for Sunday's paper:

In the end, sanctions-strapped USC whacked the quack out of the Ducks with a heart-stopping 38-35 victory before 59,933 at Autzen Stadium.

"This sends a message to the rest of the country," safety Jawanza Starling said. "USC is back."

Victory was not ensured until Oregon kicker Alejandro Maldonado missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt in the final seconds, but that didn't matter to the Trojans, who improved to 9-2 with the biggest win of the Lane Kiffin era.

"This is all about our fans and our players," Kiffin said. "They've been through so much. They've had so much taken away from them. We just keep moving those clouds away."

On a chilly night in the Pacific Northwest, Barkley passed for four touchdowns, receiver Marqise Lee emerged as a national star and the defense and special teams also came up big at times for the Trojans, who were 15-point underdogs and had been O-for-Oregon in their previous five trips to the Beaver State.

But, Klein adds, the Trojans need to beat UCLA next week and finish with 10 wins for this season to be considered a success.

-- Chuck Schilken

Chris Foster discusses UCLA's big win over Colorado [Video]

Times football reporter Chris Foster discusses UCLA's 45-6 rout of Colorado with CineSport's Brian Clark. The victory kept the Bruins in the driver's seat for the South Division berth in the inaugural Pacific 12 Conference championship game.

Here's what Foster wrote for the newspaper:

The easy win secured, the Bruins could let their eyes wander to next Saturday, when they play USC for a chance to go to the Pac-12 Conference title game. The Bruins win the South Division title with a victory and can go to the Rose Bowl game with a win over either Stanford or Oregon in the conference title game.

This is almost exactly where the Bruins (6-5 overall, 5-3 in conference) stood in 2007 -- bowl-eligible, a slim shot at the Rose Bowl heading into a game with USC and a coach who was unsure about his future.

UCLA lost to USC, 24-7, and the Bruins went to the Las Vegas Bowl … without Coach Karl Dorrell, who was fired.

The Bruins will try to alter the finish this time.

Just a reminder: USC dispatched No. 4-ranked Oregon in Eugene, 38-35, on Saturday. And Bruins Coach Rick Neuheisel has been on the hot seat all season.

--Dan Loumena