The football-Constitution connection: It?s about courage and determination

With the ?big game,? aka Notre Dame vs. Alabama, just hours away and the NFL playoffs gluing many of us to our couches, I figured I?d share a story that links one of America?s favorite pastimes with one of America?s favorite documents.

danielrodriguez

Daniel Rodriguez. Source: Clemson University.

I?ve been fortunate enough in my life to have met some truly special people. But I must tell you, the most recent person to fall into this category isn?t just special, he?s a hero.

For die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fans, heading to the final home game this season wasn?t automatic. But after 14 years with Andy Reid at the helm, my friend Kathi and I felt it was very important to be there to pay homage to a great leader.

No, I?m not about to tell you that I got to shake Andy?s hand in his last home game as coach of the Birds. Instead, I will tell you that I got to meet a humble 24-year-old and despite the fact that he wore a Washington Redskins jersey that day, he became my latest ?special person.?

Daniel Rodriguez was a senior at a suburban Washington, D.C., high school when his father died of a sudden heart attack. Devastated, he joined the Army?telling no one before enlisting. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his dad who had served in the military. What happens next probably comes as no surprise. Daniel serves multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He watches close friends die. He returns home, drinks too much, and doesn?t sleep well.

But like our Founding Fathers, Daniel is not a quitter. Exemplifying the determination of the men who created the very document he swore to defend, Daniel recognizes others are counting on him. He makes the decision to battle back, displaying the courage that is at the foundation of our Constitution.

He starts taking classes at a local community college. With a much-improved attitude, he decides to follow through on a promise he had made to one of his Army friends?a friend who never made it home. He had promised to walk onto a college football program.

With the help of a YouTube video and Twitter, Daniel got noticed and ultimately ended up at Clemson University, where he didn?t just walk on?he made the team and is playing.

His teammates will tell you that they thrive off of his energy and that he is an important reminder: Life is so much more than football?take everything you do seriously.

So how did I learn all of this? Let?s head back to that last Eagles home game.

As I took my seat to watch yet another tough loss, this time to the Redskins and RGIII, I decided to show this kid sitting next to me that not all Philadelphia fans are, well, let?s just say ?unkind.? I welcomed him, asked him about the Skins jersey, and learned that he was a guest of one of the Redskins players (Jarvis Jenkins, who also went to Clemson).

We talked college football in general and chatted a bit about the Alabama/Notre Dame match-up. He mentioned how excited he was to have the chance to go to the national championship. I asked him how the heck he scored the tickets. He humbly replied, ?Actually I am being honored during the game.?

It wasn?t until the subway ride home that my friend and I truly understood. We Googled Daniel and had tears in our eyes as we read his story. We looked at each other and agreed: We met a hero today.

So tonight, whether you cheer for the Fightin? Irish or the Crimson Tide, keep an eye out for a young man who committed to support and defend our Constitution, who traded his camouflage for Clemson orange, and whose courage on and off the field would make our Founding Fathers very proud.

Read more about Daniel Rodriguez here.

Margaret Cronan is the National Constitution Center?s Chief Communications Officer and inherited her love for football and the Philadelphia Eagles from her father Charlie, a World War II veteran.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/football-constitution-connection-courage-determination-151210048.html

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Bulgaria: Investigator of bomb attack is dismissed

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) ? Bulgarian officials on Monday dismissed the leader of an investigation into last year's bomb attack in the coastal city of Burgas that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver for revealing sensitive information about the probe to the media.

Last week, Stanelia Karadzhova told Bulgaria's 24 Chasa daily that one of three suspected terrorists who carried out the attack at the airport of the Black Sea city in July has been identified and that all the suspects were foreign nationals.

The office of the District Prosecutor in Burgas said in a statement Monday that Karadzhova was removed because "she spoke to the media without clearing her statement with the supervising prosecutor."

Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov refused to comment on the details provided in the interview, saying "they are a matter of national security." The ministry's chief secretary, Kalin Georgiev, cautioned that any comments about the investigation at this stage would be "dangerous."

On July 18, 2012, a bomb ripped through a bus that was carrying tourists from the airport to their hotel in the seaside resort. Two weeks later, Bulgarian police released what they described as a computer-generated image of the suicide attacker involved in the bombing.

Israel has claimed that Iran and the militant group Hezbollah played roles in the attack. But six months after the attack, no one has been arrested in the case, and Bulgarian officials had remained tightlipped about it, saying they would not point a finger at anyone without solid evidence.

That changed on Thursday when 24 Chasa quoted Karadzhova as providing key details about the probe.

She said three suspected terrorists, all foreign, carried out the attack with no known local accomplices. She said one of those suspects has been identified by authorities and is being sought with an arrest warrant. "We know his country of origin and that he has not lived there for the past six years," she was quoted as saying.

Karadzhova said new evidence suggests the bombing was not a suicide attack, as previously believed, because the bomber's moves ahead of the attack indicated he did not intend to die. Karadzhova said the bomber either pushed a button on the explosives by mistake, or somebody triggered the blast remotely.

She said the three suspects carried similar fake ID cards, had never been seen together, and may have used phones or laptops to communicate with one another. Another common factor, she said, was their "identical way of life with just few needs, very ordered and simple, like in the army, which suggests they had the same type of training."

She said Bulgaria's investigators will re-enact the attack by blowing up a bus in search of more details.

The announcement of her dismissal as the lead investigator in the case came after Georgiev, accompanied by senior police and anti-terrorist officials, departed on Monday for a three-day visit to Israel. An official statement about the visit said the investigation of the Burgas attack is one issue that will be discussed with Israeli officials. Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev also has called a meeting of the National Security Council on Jan. 17 during which results of the investigation are expected to be discussed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bulgaria-investigator-bomb-attack-dismissed-165136319.html

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soumajitdas42: Authority Records Services Online - Reference and ...

January 5th, 2013 by admin

The company I work for recently put me in charge of finding fast and reliable Authority Records services. We need to be able to access quite a bit of information in a very short amount of time. I discovered an excellent online company that specializes in gathering all of this information for their customers. I am very confident that my supervisor will be impressed with all of these services that this online company has to offer. This company has received wonderful reviews online.

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K2 Sports acquires BCA - Backcountry Access

Here?s a press release that?s sure to create some buzz! Don?t worry: the BCA brand will continue to thrive, our management team will stay on for many more years, and we?ll remain in Boulder. We?re as excited as ever about backcountry riding and saving lives. This new partnership will enable us to combine forces with a huge industry player so we can focus on our strengths: product development and marketing?yet take advantage of K2?s strengths on such things as finance, accounting, and logistics.

We?re completely stoked to be affiliated with K2, an icon of North American skiing and riding, with a huge legacy of pioneering innovative products and defining North American ski culture. With their dominance in alpine skiing and our leading position in avalanche safety, we see ourselves as a perfect match, especially as they introduce their new line of AT boots and splitboards to the backcountry market.

With this acquisition, K2 makes a strong statement that backcountry is where the industry is going. They?re also making a strong statement about responsibility: if you?re pushing backcountry gear, you should also be pushing snow safety gear and education. BCA is just the company to support that effort: we?ve been living this for over 18 years. With K2 on our side, we can now push the message out even harder!

K2 Sports Adds Backcountry Access (BCA)?to its Roster of Snowsports Brands
Global leader of outdoor sports gear acquires snow-safety pioneer?

Seattle, Wash., (Jan 4th, 2013) ? Complementing its industry-leading roster of 14 outdoor recreational equipment brands, K2 Sports this month closed the acquisition of Backcountry Access (BCA), a pioneering designer, manufacturer, and champion of backcountry snow-safety equipment and education.

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The move reinforces K2 Sports? position as a global leader in year-round outdoor recreation. With the acquisition of BCA, K2 Sports will be able to reach a wider spectrum of wintersports enthusiasts; from in-area and out-of-bounds, to mechanized and human-powered recreation.

??BCA fits perfectly within the K2 Sports family of brands and rounds out our portfolio as we continue to grow our leadership in winter sports,? said Anthony De Rocco, President and CEO of K2 Sports. ?BCA is a leader in research, engineering and snow-safety education and has pioneered landmark backcountry safety equipment such as the Tracker avalanche transceiver and Float airbags, among other important innovations.?

?Pairing BCA?s authenticity and snow-safety innovation with K2?s investment and?global infrastructure will bolster BCA?s research and development efforts and create a much wider impact with its commitment to backcountry safety and education. ?

?De Rocco said synergies of the acquisition include global distribution, research and development, supply chain, sourcing efficiencies and manufacturing strengths.

??Like K2 Sports, BCA carries a pure commitment to upholding and furthering the skiing and riding culture and ultimately, serving the specialty retailer. It?s not just about selling products, it?s about furthering the passion and core philosophy we all share to enjoy snowsports whether you?re in bounds or out of bounds,? De Rocco said.

BCA was founded by Bruce ?Bruno? McGowan and Bruce ?Edge? Edgerly in 1994, with a mission to help safeguard the lives of people enjoying the backcountry through product innovation, scientific research and educational efforts. Along with the Tracker beacon and Float airbags, its products include avalanche shovels, probes, snow study tools, backcountry packs and climbing skins, among other gear. BCA?s headquarters is located in Boulder, Colo. The company employs about 45 people.

?McGowan said K2 Sports is committed to keeping BCA operationally intact and that the acquisition will not change BCA?s core market focus.

?There?s not much of a boundary now between lift access and backcountry. There are so many people chasing powder now who don?t understand the risks of skiing or riding in the backcountry,? McGowan said. ?K2 Sports gives us a platform to innovate further on a product level while concurrently casting a wider net with our scientific research and snow-safety education efforts.

?We?ll be able to reach and engage more people with a hybrid effort of product innovation and snow-safety education,? he said.

?K2 Sports celebrated its 50^th anniversary in 2012. The company?s snowsports brands include: K2 Ski, Line Skis, Full Tilt Boots, K2 Snowboards, Ride Snowboards, 5150, Morrow, Madshus, Tubbs Snowshoes, Atlas Snowshoes, Powderidge Snowshoes and Little Bear Snowshoes.

?About K2 Sports

K2 Sports, based in Seattle, Wash., has achieved unparalleled success through innovative product offerings, marketing programs, and multiple brand acquisitions. The company operates 14 brands and is globally renowned for its non-traditional advertising, graphics, and high performance products throughout its portfolio. With wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada, Central Europe, Japan, Korea, and Scandinavia and distribution in more than 60 countries, K2 Sports continues to assert its position as a global leader across multiple categories of sporting goods. For more information, visit: http://www.k2sports.com. K2 Sports is a part of Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH)

?About BCA

Backcountry Access (BCA) is a leading manufacturer of snow-safety equipment, based in Boulder, Colo.? Best known for revolutionizing the snow-safety industry with the Tracker DTS?the world?s first digital avalanche beacon?BCA has most recently pioneered the growing backcountry market with the introduction of its popular Float airbag line. BCA believes that knowledge and education are equally as important as the products it develops, which is why all BCA products are supported by an extensive education program. BCA products are sold in just under 1,000 retail shops in North America and in 27 countries worldwide. For more information, visit: http://www.backcountryaccess.com.

Source: http://www.backcountryaccess.com/2013/01/07/k2-sports-acquires-bca/

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Notre Dame women shock No. 1 UConn 73-72

Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins, right, is guarded by Connecticut's Moriah Jefferson, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Storrs, Conn., Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins, right, is guarded by Connecticut's Moriah Jefferson, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Storrs, Conn., Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins (4) high-fives teammates Ariel Braker (44) and Kayla McBride (21) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Connecticut in Storrs, Conn., Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Notre Dame's Natalie Achonwa, right, blocks a shot by Connecticut's Kelly Faris during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Storrs, Conn., Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

STORRS, Conn. (AP) ? Skylar Diggins and Notre Dame just seem to have Connecticut's number.

The Irish have turned one of the best rivalries in women's basketball into a one-sided affair lately, winning five of the past six meetings.

The senior All-American scored 19 points hitting big shot after big shot in the second half to lift fifth-ranked Notre Dame to a 73-72 victory over the top-ranked Huskies on Saturday.

This was the latest victory for the Irish (12-1, 1-0 Big East), who also ended UConn's season the past two years by beating the Huskies in past two Final Fours.

"I think when we play them, there is a lot on the line, whether it is a Big East Championship or them being ranked higher than us or in the Final Four," Diggins said. "This is good for us."

No team has had this kind of success against UConn in the past 20 years.

The last team to beat UConn five out of six times was Miami back in the early 1990s ? before the Huskies started winning national championships.

The Irish were expected to be down this season with three starters graduated. It didn't matter with Diggins still on the team.

With UConn poised to pull away in the second half, Diggins hit back-to-back 3-pointers to keep her team in the game.

Later with the shot clock about to run out, Diggins hit a leaner from the wing.

Finally, with the Irish down by one with 49 seconds left, she got fouled on a drive and calmly sank both free throws. It would be the last points of the game.

"I think Skylar has changed things for us," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. "She believed we can win and has the confidence and that is contagious."

The Huskies (12-1, 0-1) had a few chances to pull out the win in the final 30 seconds, but in front of a sellout crowd of 10,127, they fell short.

Breanna Stewart had her shot blocked in the lane. The Huskies maintained possession and then after a timeout, Stewart missed a jumper from the top of the key. Kelly Faris grabbed the rebound giving UConn one more chance, but Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis caught the ball in the corner and her wide-open 3 fell off the rim.

The Irish grabbed the loose ball and Diggins ran out the clock.

"How many times can we put up our defense," McGraw said. "I thought about our football team getting that goal line stand (against Stanford) three times in a row, if they can do it, we can do it."

The Irish women were headed down South after the game to get ready for Tuesday's contest against South Florida. Notre Dame was going to first spend a day in Orlando.

McGraw laughed at the thought that her team would head to Disney World after beating the No. 1 team in the country. She put the victory in perspective.

"It's great to win when they are ranked No. 1," she said. "It's great for our team, but it's still January 5. We're just trying to get better."

The Huskies had come into the game unbeaten and a week earlier had stunned then-No. 1 Stanford 61-35 on the Cardinal's homecourt ending their 82-game home winning streak. They had already beaten five ranked teams by an average of 24 points.

"It's definitely been an up and down week" said Stefanie Dolson, who scored 17 points to lead Connecticut. "We were all extremely excited and on a high when we beat Stanford the way we did. We came into this game and we weren't ready. I don't think we were ready for how hard Notre Dame was going to come at us. They out-toughed us."

UConn trailed by two at the half and took a 48-44 lead on Dolson's layup with 16:18 left in the game. The Huskies led 63-60 with 8 minutes left before Notre Dame scored five quick points. Neither team could get more than a two-point lead the rest of the way.

Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma was OK with the shots his team got in the end.

"You got the best 3-point shooter in the country with a wide open 3 to win it and it doesn't go in," he said. "I'd be more upset if the wrong guy took the wrong shot at the wrong time. We came out of timeout and got the shot we wanted and it didn't go in."

Mosqueda-Lewis finished with 17 points.

Stewart, the high school player of the year last season, scored all 10 of her points in the second half after missing her first five shots. She also had six blocks and nine rebounds.

"She looked out of sorts a little bit, struggled a little bit," Auriemma said. "But then again you think about what she did, 10 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, that's not a bad day. I think that's what we expect from her. Shots she missed we come to expect she'll make all those."

The Irish won both regular-season meetings last year, before being blown out in the Big East championship game. They won the decisive meeting in the Final Four, 83-75, in overtime.

Notre Dame's lone defeat this season came at home to No. 2 Baylor, 73-61, on Dec. 5.

The two teams, who have played 12 times over the past four seasons, will play again in South Bend on March 4, in the final game of the regular season.

It's not certain if the two teams will play again after Notre Dame leaves for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

UConn led 18-15 midway through the first half before Notre Dame went on a 12-2 run sparked by Kayla McBride, who led Notre Dame with 21 points. She had back-to-back jumpers. Michaela Mabrey hit a 3-pointer and Natalie Achonwa a free throw to cap the burst.

Mabrey's second 3-pointer of the half gave the Irish a 34-26 lead with 5 minutes left in the half before UConn closed with a 12-4 burst to make it 38-36 at the break.

___

Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-05-BKW-T25-Notre-Dame-Connecticut/id-e39aa67513ea47f6866dc7fc63be16b3

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Why Sex Matters | After Psychotherapy

One of my colleagues recently told me how dismayed she was that so many of her clients in long-term relationships or marriages seemed to have given up on sex entirely, or had passionless, unsatisfying sex a couple of times a year at most. (She herself has been married for more than 20 years and has an active sex life with her husband.) For the most part, the sex lives of my own clients in long-term relationships aren?t so different from those of my colleague?s clients. The clients who have managed to maintain active sex lives over many years of marriage share a view that I expressed two years ago, in a post that outlined three pieces of unorthodox advice concerning relationships.

My third suggestion in that post read as follows:

?Sex is both a pleasure and a responsibility.

Now before you get all up in arms, hear me out. I?m not suggesting that women have a duty to provide sex to their husbands, whether or not they like it. What I mean is this: feeling needy and full of desire is a vulnerable state for everyone; many (most?) of us have some issues about being that vulnerable and few people enjoy the experience of frustration. If your partner asks for sex and repeatedly hears ?not tonight,? eventually he or she will find the experience unbearable and shut down. He or she may begin to look elsewhere to have those needs fulfilled. Both of you have a responsibility to keep sex alive in your relationship. Sometimes you might simply do the deed as a way of giving, an act of generosity; you might even find you enjoy it more than expected once you get started. Don?t have sex if you?re too angry or full of hatred, of course; on the other hand, never withhold sex in order to inflict pain.

Years ago when I was working in a law firm to put myself through I college, I knew a woman named Sheila who once told me: ?When it?s going okay, sex is about 25% of a relationship; when it?s not, it?s about 75%.? I?m not sure if she had the percentages right, or even if I fully agree with her, but to this day I see her point. When sex isn?t going right, it?s the elephant in the room and a huge source of shame for both partners. While I don?t see good sex as the answer to relationship problems, I personally find that having good and regular sex makes me feel more generous. The minor irritations that might become major problems just don?t seem to matter as much. The resentment a partner feels in the sexual arena can easily spread to other areas, transforming everyday relationship molehills into mountains.?

I still subscribe to this point of view, but I?ve also developed some further thoughts on why an ongoing sex life is important in long-term relationships.

Another colleague I respect told me not long ago she believed that, in the long run, ?having sex doesn?t matter.? Passion inevitably fades with time, she said, and what?s important in long-term relationships is the ability of partners to bring their shame and vulnerability to one another and be accepted, to reveal one?s damage and be truly ?known.? Of course I agree with this latter point of view, but not the former. On the contrary, I think that the sexual arena can be a major place of healing where shame is concerned ? another experience where we may bring our shame to our partners and feel accepted.

The sexual arena is generally fraught with shame. As cultural mores and religious strictures have relaxed, we?ve come to view sex as much less shame-ridden by nature, but revealing our bodies and having sex nonetheless opens us to more opportunities for feeling shame than just about any other experience. Does my breath smell? Do my sexual organs have an unpleasant odor? Are they too big or too small? Am I a ?successful? lover or a failure? Is my body attractive to you or is it ugly? Do you think I?m weird because of what excites me? For those of us who have struggled with life-long shame in one way or another, being found sexually attractive is a precious experience. I?m not speaking about the earliest days of heated sexual passion, the kind that stems from idealization and unfamiliarity, but desire that abides: You are still beautiful to me, after all these years.

I can imagine few experiences more valuable, more healing or more important in long-term relationships. It?s an ongoing antidote to the sense of inner ugliness many shame-ridden individuals have to live with. It feels good to be wanted, to feel attractive even when we?re no longer young. I don?t think it?s enough in itself, of course; but when both partners strive to be real, open and honest in the non-sexual aspects of their relationship ? to reveal their shame and let themselves be truly ?known? ? good sex can help keep the lines of communication open.

In my experience, in relationships where sex eventually breaks down, it?s because the partners ultimately aren?t able to face their own shame, damage or limitations. The excitement of early sexual passion ? the feeling that we?re part of a unique and amazing couple, mutually idealizing one another ? serves as a powerful defense against underlying shame, but it eventually fades as the relationship becomes more real. We come to see one another more clearly and honestly. On an unconscious level, many of us then experience a return of the shame we escaped through idealized sex. The exciting sexual arena is no longer a haven from shame but a place where we may experience it even more intensely. Projecting unbearable shame into our partners also makes them unattractive, another obstacle to ongoing sex. Eventually, our defenses against intolerable shame kill off desire and our sex life dies.

By contrast, successful long-term partners manage to keep their particular sexual lives vital, with all their quirks and imperfections. One of my middle-aged clients and her husband have a day each week when they generally try to have sex. Her hair is entirely gray, he?s overweight and has back issues; there are other physical complications, but more often than not, they manage to have satisfying contact that brings them closer. It helps defuse the kind of shame-trading that too often comes to characterize many unhappy marriages. You can often tell the difference between couples who have a satisfying sex life after many years and those who don?t: do they still feel proud of one another, or do they undermine each other in subtle ways, exposing them to criticism and ridicule?

In my opinion, sex matters, even after many years of marriage. Being found ?beautiful,? in whatever sense, is a powerful salve to underlying shame.

Technorati Tags: Idealization, Sexuality, Shame

Source: http://www.afterpsychotherapy.com/why-sex-matters/

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Packers show off depth in 24-10 win over Vikes

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) ? Deep on offense and scary-good on defense, the Green Bay Packers were way too much for the Minnesota Vikings.

Maybe everyone else in the NFC, too.

Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson and the Packers reminded everyone of how dangerous they can be when they're at full strength Saturday night, overwhelming the Vikings 24-10 in an NFC wild-card game that was never really close.

"Our defense played great," Rodgers said. "Our defense tonight played at a championship level and that's what you need in the playoffs."

John Kuhn scored two touchdowns, DuJuan Harris added another and Rodgers connected with an NFL playoff-record 10 receivers as he threw for 274 yards in his first playoff victory at home. Defensively, the Packers (12-5) finally managed to contain Adrian Peterson and were all over Vikings backup Joe Webb, pressed into service because of Christian Ponder's triceps injury.

Peterson was held to 99 yards ? an improvement after gaining 199 and 210 in the first two games against Green Bay. It was only the second time in the last 11 games that he was held below 100 yards. Webb, who hadn't thrown a pass all season, was sacked three times and off target all night. His only highlight was a 50-yard scoring pass to Michael Jenkins late in the fourth quarter, but it was far too late for the Vikings (10-7).

"No disrespect to Ponder, but ... it's about one guy and that's Adrian Peterson," said Woodson, who played his first game since breaking his right collarbone Oct. 21. "Our main focus, whether it was Ponder or Webb, was to keep 28 (Peterson) from getting off. And if we were going to keep him from getting off, put the ball in the quarterback's hands, whatever quarterback it was, we felt good about what was going to happen."

With a little over a minute left, Packers fans began taunting the Vikings (10-7) with chants of "Nah-nah-nah-nah ... goodbye." The win snapped a two-game losing streak at Lambeau Field in the playoffs, and sent the Packers to San Francisco next Saturday for an NFC divisional game with the 49ers. The teams met in the season opener, with San Francisco winning 30-22.

"A lot has happened since we played San Francisco," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We're a different team."

This was the third game in six weeks between Green Bay and the Vikings, and second in six days. The Packers' loss in Minnesota last weekend cost them the No. 2 seed in the NFC, along with a bye this weekend, and left them looking ? dare we say it? ? vulnerable going into the playoffs. But with Woodson back and Rodgers having all four of his top receivers for, essentially, the first time since Sept. 30, Green Bay looked like a team that could make the kind of deep run it did two years ago when it won the Super Bowl.

Rodgers used so many different options other NFL quarterbacks must have been drooling. He went with Harris on Green Bay's first scoring drive, mixed it up between James Jones, Tom Crabtree and Greg Jennings on the second, and had 22- and 23-yard completions to Jordy Nelson before Kuhn scored on a 3-yard run that put the Packers up 17-3 just before the half.

And pretty much everyone got in on the fun on the last score, a 12-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up more than 5 ? minutes. Rodgers connected with Jones on a 19-yard completion to put the Packers in Packers territory, then connected with Harris for 14 yards two plays later to reach the red zone. Rodgers threw incompletes on second and third downs, but just when the Packers thought they'd have to settle for a field goal, the Vikings were whistled for 12 men on the field, giving Rodgers another crack at the end zone.

He found Kuhn for the 9-yard score, and the game was all but over.

"That was tough. We were down seven and they went and scored and they were coming out of the half, too, getting the ball, too, and they got it and scored again," Antoine Winfield said. "Can't do that against the Green Bay Packers."

Harris, who didn't play in the first game against Minnesota this season because he'd only been elevated from the practice squad a day earlier, led the team in receiving (five catches for 61 yards) and rushing (47 yards on 17 carries). Jennings and Jones had four catches each and Nelson had three before hobbling off late in the fourth quarter.

"We have some stuff to work on," Rodgers said. "We've got to help our defense out more, close a team out like that. Tough test next week back in San Francisco."

Hey, at least the Packers are still playing. That's more than the Vikings can say.

Ponder was hurt last weekend when Morgan Burnett slammed into him on a blitz. Though initially thought to be an elbow injury, Ponder said it was actually a deep bruise in his right triceps. It limited his flexibility along with his power and, though it is better, there simply wasn't enough time to recover with the short, six-day turnaround.

After testing the arm before the game, the Vikings decided to go with Webb, whose only playing time this year was a couple of handoffs at the end of a blowout of Tennessee in early October.

"I can play with pain. The biggest thing is the loss of flexibility," Ponder said. "I couldn't get the ball in the position to where I could throw it normally and lost a lot of power and everything. It wouldn't have been wise to play."

It was the first time Buffalo's Frank Reich in 1993 a quarterback had started a playoff game after not starting during the regular season, according to STATS Inc. And, in the first series at least, he seemed to have caught the Packers off guard. That or they were too busy trying to bottle up Peterson, who bulldozed them for 409 yards in their first two games, to pay attention.

With what seemed like every Packers defender focused on Peterson, Webb converted a third-and-3 with a 17-yard pickup. His 5-yard run four plays later put the Vikings at the Green Bay 13. But Webb's first pass of the night went into the ground, and the Vikings were forced to settle for Blair Walsh's 33-yard field goal that gave them a 3-0 lead.

But the Packers quickly settled down and Webb and the Vikings never stood a chance. Especially with Peterson not allowed to roam free as he's done against the Packers in the past.

"The energy level was at an all-time high," Woodson said. "This week, like last week, we buzzed around. But this week we made the tackles, we didn't allow (Peterson) to get through the line of scrimmage and get yards after first contact. We just kept putting heat on them. That was the difference."

Notes: With two sacks of Webb, Matthews joined Reggie White as the only Packers to have two or more sacks in two postseason games. ... Minnesota had 157 of its 324 yards in the fourth quarter, when the game was out of hand. ... Kuhn is the only player in the NFL to score a touchdown in each of the last four postseasons. ... Mason Crosby's 20-yard field goal in the second quarter was his sixth straight in the postseason, a Packers record. ... Vikings S Harrison Smith left the game briefly with a left knee injury, but was able to return. Minnesota coach Leslie Frazier said after the game he was fine.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/packers-show-off-depth-24-10-win-over-040731986--spt.html

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