NFL roundup: Sanchez leads Jets to first win

Mark Sanchez completed a amazing 31-yard touchdown canyon to Chansi Stuckey and denticulate 20 credibility in 2 1/2 abode as the New York Jets belted the New York Giants 27-25 on Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J., giving new drillmaster Rex Ryan his aboriginal win.

Sanchez had to dart to his appropriate to abstain charging arresting ends Mathias Kiwanuka and Osi Umenyiora. Just afore he accomplished the Jets' sideline, Sanchez threw a bang to Stuckey at the 10 and the receiver bankrupt four tackles to accomplish his way into the end zone.

Former Glencoe High School brilliant Erik Ainge threw a 70-yard touchdown canyon to Aundrae Allison and Burns built-in Kellen Clemens was 1 for 2 for 5 yards for the Jets.

San Francisco 20, Dallas 13: The 49ers won a action of the backups in the additional bisected and anguish up acceptable on a 9-yard touchdown run by Kory Sheets with 33 abnormal larboard in Arlington, Texas.

Notes: Drew Stanton threw a 21-yard canyon to amateur Dan Gronkowski and a 2-point about-face to John Standeford with 4:13 larboard to accord the Detroit Lions a home win over the Indianapolis Colts. Three-time MVP Peyton Manning was 12 of 15 for 123 yards for the Colts. ... Joe Flacco threw for 247 yards and a touchdown, the Ravens' aegis shut down Carolina's aboriginal unit, and Baltimore exhausted the Panthers 17-13 in Charlotte, N.C. ...

Ben Roethlisberger led two scoring drives while traveling 15 of 19 for 168 yards as the host Pittsburgh Steelers exhausted the Buffalo Bills 17-0. In three games, the Steelers' top-ranked aegis from a division ago has yet to acquiesce a touchdown. ... Drew Brees completed 14 of 17 passes for 179 yards and collection the Saints to touchdowns on all three drives he played, arch New Orleans to a 45-7 win over the host Oakland Raiders. ...

San Diego's Philip Rivers led touchdown drives in two of his three backing afore the Atlanta Falcons' backups rallied to exhausted the visiting Chargers 27-24. ... Former Pro Bowl abhorrent accouterment Marvel Smith has retired from 49ers afterwards getting bedeviled by aback problems during training camp.

Bruschi set to say goodbye to the Patriots and the NFL

Did you hear?

By cafeteria time tomorrow anybody about Tucson will be talking.

Why you ask?

One of the All-time Arizona Wildcat football greats has absitively to adhere it up.

After 13 years of arena for the New England Patriots, average linebacker Tedy Bruschi will be announcement his retirement during a columnist appointment at 10:45 a.m. ET.

There are a few factors that played into his decision…

Age – At 36 years-old Bruschi is the oldest amateur on the aegis and additional on the aggregation abaft Joey Galloway, 37. The claiming apparently went something like this…retire with address or be cut in shame.

Depth blueprint – A year ago the Patriots drafted average linebacker Jerod Mayo out of Tennessee in the aboriginal round. He went on to become the NFL arresting amateur of the year. This off-season New England active central linebacker Paris Lenon from the Detroit Lions.

'Kiss da baby' to this NFL preseason

Do his teammates like him? Do they really, absolutely like him?

Brett Favre insists it doesn't matter, and that aggregate will be all right. Besides, with his 12th retirement alone two years abroad now, he's a little too old to play the acceptance bold anyway.

At atomic the blow of the Minnesota Vikings apperceive area things stand. They came to affected cerebration the applesauce was over, until that acute day if they saw their drillmaster acknowledgment from the airport with No. 4 in the commuter bench beside him.

It's a accord of convenience, this aberrant accord amid a aggregation all cheeseheads abound up to hate, and the old, aged gunslinger who will yield their snaps beneath center. But that hasn't chock-full Viking admirers from acquisitive up amethyst Favre jerseys faster than a bowl of absurd walleye sandwiches.

The jersey bearings is a bit added complicated in Philadelphia, area the country's a lot of acclaimed beastly abuser now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. One antic appurtenances alternation is cat-and-mouse to see whether to advertise a blooming No. 7, afraid conceivably that the fur will activate to fly, but others were added than blessed to accident the ire of dog lovers if they could accomplish a blade off it.

Quarterback controversies are annihilation new to the preseason, admitting a lot of accept added to do with arena time than bastille time. There are still several traveling on even now, including one in Cleveland area Bill Belichick wannabe Eric Mangini insists on absolution Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson aberration in the wind.

Doesn't absolutely amount because Las Vegas oddsmakers accept already accustomed that the Browns will be a awful aggregation whoever is active the offense. But it's Mangini's aboriginal year in Cleveland, and he'll absorb a lot of of it reminding anybody that he is in charge.

Cutler must 'bear' up for rough Denver crowd

Jay Cutler didn't like it if new Denver Broncos drillmaster Josh McDaniels approved to barter for quarterback Matt Cassel. In essence, the strong-armed Cutler threw a hissy fit and orchestrated a barter appropriate out of the Mile High City.

It was Merry Christmas for the built-in of Santa Claus, Ind., and a Happy New Year for the Chicago Bears.

Cutler wowed Bear admirers endure anniversary with a aciculate achievement adjoin the New York Giants in the additional exhibition game. This week, Cutler ability wish to accumulate his helmet on even while on the sidelines if the Bears biking to Denver on Sunday (7 p.m., NBC).

Denver admirers will assail Cutler with blame and boos from the moment he sets bottom on Invesco Field. Watching Kyle Orton, who was in the Cutler barter with the Bears, for two amateur hasn't fabricated Denverites any happier with their above gun-slinging QB.

Lucky this isn't Philly. Cutler would charge badge aegis from the moment he accustomed in that city.

Few exhibition amateur are must-see TV, even for us die-hard NFL fans. Yet this one, at atomic the aboriginal bisected if Cutler will play, is the exception. This should appearance how mentally boxy the thin-skinned Cutler has become. If Cutler can accumulate his experience in this adverse environment, the Sept. 13 division opener at Lambeau Field shouldn't be too abundant to handle

Officially the starter now, Sanchez gets another test

There was his quick bam adjoin the Rams, if he affiliated on a 48-yard canyon on his antecedent NFL throw. And there was the alarm on Monday night, if his aboriginal canyon of the bold adjoin the Ravens was intercepted and alternate for a touchdown with a civic television admirers searching on.

So, Mark Sanchez, what's in abundance for Saturday night? A safe canyon to a active aback adrift chargeless about in the flat?

Joked Sanchez, "That's what I anticipation it was endure week."

Sanchez has had his allotment of memorable firsts, such as watching 6-4, 345-pound Ravens arresting lineman Haloti Ngata ambush a canyon and boom 25 yards into the end area on the amateur quarterback's antecedent canyon in the Ravens game.

He'll add addition one to his growing lists of firsts adjoin the Giants Saturday night if he takes the acreage for the aboriginal time as the Jets' official starting quarterback. Sanchez, like the blow of the starters, should play the absolute aboriginal bisected in their final accurate dress call afore their division opener adjoin the Texans Sept. 13. So it's time to alpha accepting the allure down with the accepting band and the blow of the offense.

"It's important," Sanchez said. "You wish to get the starters as abounding reps as accessible in a game-like bearings and we'll apparently play through halftime, the starters. So this will be a acceptable aftertaste of what it's traveling to be like at Houston."

Sanchez is 6-for-12 for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his aboriginal two preseason games. He's accepting a bigger butt of the breach but is still acquirements on the fly. There's affluence of nuances that he has to correct, and traveling up adjoin the Giants' appalling aegis should accommodate addition admired assignment for the Jets' $50-million quarterback.

"Hopefully, some of the things and errors that he's fabricated arch up to this - there's some able things, occasionally he'll yield the amiss footfall on the drop, and he'll be a little bit backward because he took 5 accomplish instead of three steps," abhorrent coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. "Hopefully, you see those things alpha to decrease. But added importantly, we apprehend Mark to go out there and move the football."

This bold isn't just a accustomed preseason game, though. If the two tenants of Giants Stadium bang in their anniversary August meeting, there's usually a little added accent on the aftereffect for a amount of reasons.

No. 5 rookie wide receiver is Darrius Heyward-Bey of the Oakland Raiders.

Heyward-Bey is a actual arresting prospect. He was the aboriginal advanced receiver taken in the draft, but was not the No. 1 advanced receiver in a lot of people’s minds.

As everybody knows Al Davis loves speed, and that’s absolutely why his Oakland Raiders drafted Darrius. He is the a lot of acceptable applicant to be a bust, but he has just as abundant upside.

Heyward-Bey was the fastest advanced receiver at the amalgamate with a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash. It takes added than acceleration to be a acceptable advanced receiver, but that won’t aching his affairs of succeeding.

His admeasurement will aswell advice him in the NFL. At 6’2”, Heyward-Bey has abundant admeasurement to go with his speed. He will accept a acme advantage over anyone who will be accoutrement him.

He has abundant acceleration and height, but he does accept some negatives. He has never absolutely acclimated his admeasurement and acceleration effectively. Last division he had 609 accepting yards and alone 5 touchdowns. He struggles with route-running and isn’t as able on “jump balls” as a receiver of his ability should be.

Heyward-Bey is far from extensive his potential, and will charge actual acceptable apprenticeship to get accidentally abutting to his potential. With his admeasurement and acceleration he could be an accomplished receiver, but anyone has to advice him get to his potential. He is a chancy aces that could pay huge assets for your fantasy team.

No. 4 rookie wide receiver is Jeremy Maclin of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles traded up in the abstract to get Maclin with the 19th all-embracing pick. This shows that they accept in him and like something about him.

Maclin will a lot of acceptable see time as the bang returner and as a advanced receiver. He will be acclimated as the returner so that DeSean Jackson can focus on his advanced receiver role.

I alone anticipate Maclin will alpha the division as the third advanced receiver abaft both Jackson and Kevin Curtis. Others anticipate Maclin will be advanced of Curtis. Either way, Maclin will accept appealing acceptable value.

Maclin has abundant acceleration and is actual quick in the accessible field. He will accept affluence of weapons about him demography all of the burden off of him.

Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy will yield the burden off through the arena game. With a acknowledged arena bold the Eagles advanced receivers will be able to get accessible easier.

Maclin will aswell be helped by his adolescent advanced receivers demography the burden off of him. Jackson will be the receiver the defenses pay the a lot of absorption to, and if Maclin is the No. 3 advanced receiver, Curtis will aswell be watched afterpiece than him. This could accomplish it actual simple for Maclin to become a accordant fantasy option.

Maclin is about like a bigger adaptation of Jackson and is absolutely a amateur account risking a aces on.