Tom Brady Leads Patriots Back to Super Bowl

The 49ers’ Kyle Williams put his hands on his helmet and dropped his head in disgust. A second big mistake by its backup punt returner occurred at the worst possible time.

Williams fumbled in overtime to set up Lawrence Tynes’ 31-yard field goal, and the 49ers lost the NFC championship game to the New York Giants 20-17 on Sunday.

After three runs and a kneeldown, Tynes kicked the game-winner, and Williams slowly made a dejected walk back to the locker room as the 49ers missed out on a prime chance to go to the Super Bowl.

The fact that turnovers did in San Francisco was truly surprising. The 49ers tied an NFL record with just 10 giveaways all season, including none on special teams, and had a plus-28 turnover margin in the regular season.

They took advantage of five New Orleans turnovers to win 36-32 last week but were on the wrong end in this game because of Williams.

Harbaugh got the Niners to the brink of the Super Bowl in his first season, taking over a 6-10 team and going 13-3 to win the NFC West. The ability to protect the ball and cause turnovers was the biggest reason for the turnaround.

The 49ers converted just one of 13 third downs all game, with the only conversion coming on the final play of regulation, leaving plenty of blame to go to players besides Williams.

Earlier in the day, the Patriots held on to narrowly escape the Ravens.

Tom Brady’s 1-yard touchdown dive stood as the winning score after the Ravens missed a chance to win, and then missed a chance to tie the score in the final seconds, and the New England Patriots are on their way to the Super Bowl.

With New England leading by three points with 11 seconds left, Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt and the Patriots escaped with a 23-20 win over Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

Two plays earlier, Joe Flacco’s pass to wide receiver Lee Evans in the end zone was stripped by backup cornerback Sterling Moore.

On his touchdown with 11:29 left in the fourth quarter, Brady took a huge hit from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, then emphatically spiked the ball as he walked away. Earlier, Brady showed his fire by barking at Lewis following a hard tackle on a 4-yard run.

Brady’s fifth trip to the Super Bowl will equal John Elway’s achievement with Denver.

A three-time NFL champion, Brady didn’t throw for a touchdown for the first time in 36 games, although he did pass for 239 yards.

“We’re going to try to go out and kick some butt in a couple of weeks,” Brady said.

The Super Bowl is now set for Feb. 5 in Indianapolis featuring the Patriots against the Giants.

Sarah Burke

Sarah Burke was known as the legend of women’s freestyle skiers.

She was the sport’s pioneer, its best athlete and advocate, who gave everything for her cause.

Burke died Thursday morning at the University of Utah Hospital from injuries sustained in a training accident at Park City Mountain Resort last week at the age of 29.

Her death sparked an outpouring of grief from the sports world and beyond.

Jennifer Heil, freestyle skiing moguls Olympic champion, said “she was a true leader in the way she pushed for women’s sport and the way she challenged herself and strived to be better.”

“I admire all of that. What I admire most is the way she did it. You never once saw her without that smile and her bubbly and positive attitude,” said Heil.

“I think it rubbed off on everybody. She lived with such passion and grace and it never ceased to inspire me. I really mean it. She lived so true to herself and did so much for sport and women in sport.”

Burke fell on Jan. 10, on the same half-pipe where snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffered a traumatic brain injury two years ago.

Witnesses said it didn’t look as bad as it turned out to be. After all, when she fell before she always got back up.

This time, Burke had ruptured a vertebral artery, one of four major arteries supplying blood to the brain, leading to a severe intracranial hemorrhage that caused her to go into cardiac arrest at the scene.

Emergency personnel administered CPR. She was placed on life support. A day later, the injured artery was repaired.

Yet the damage had been done. Following the operation, it became obvious she had “severe irreversible damage” to her brain, a result of the lack of oxygen and blood after the cardiac arrest.

According to the release, Burke’s organs will be donated.

A fundraising website set up by Burke’s family for the skier’s medical costs and related expenses ( www.giveforward.com/sarahburke) which has raised nearly $67,000, as of early Friday morning.

The website was organized by her agent, Michael Spencer and has marked a goal for $550,000. Her husband Rory Bushfield, a fellow skier from Alberta whom she married in 2010, is listed as the beneficiary.

As noted on the website, “Sarah leaves behind her beloved husband Rory, loving parents Jan and Gordon and her supportive sister Anna. Please consider helping them cover the enormous cost of Sarah’s recent medical care and to provide for other arrangements by donating. Your support in their greatest time of need will be gratefully appreciated and forever remembered.”

Burke leaves a rich legacy. She tried many of the toughest tricks and was the first woman to land a 180 — three full revolutions — in competition.

Before the accident, she was favoured to win more X Games gold (she was a four-time champion).

An outspoken activist for her sport, Burke’s talents weren’t confined to the hills.

She lobbied to add super-pipe skiing to the Olympic program, using the argument that no new infrastructure would be needed — the pipe was already built — and the Olympics could get twice the bang for their buck.

Perhaps predictably, she won over the bigwigs. The discipline will debut at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The daughter of ski racers, Burke was born in Barrie, Ont., but grew up in Midland.

Steve Omischl, four-time World Cup aerials champion, is devastated. “The entire freestyle community is pretty messed up right now,” he said.

“She was just someone so larger than life. It’s very hard to imagine she’s not with us anymore,” said Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. “You’re obviously left without words and with significant emotion.”

Mardy Fish at Australian Open

No. 8 Mardy Fish, the top-ranked American, became the first top 10 player to fall in the men’s draw when he lost in the second round to the 71st-ranked Alejandro Falla of Colombia, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (6), in three hours Wednesday.

Fish had trouble controlling both his forehand and his backhand, hitting 58 unforced errors to Falla’s 34.

Unfortunately, Fish also had trouble controlling his temper.

Down by two sets to none, Fish appeared distracted and aggravated by the treatments Falla received for cramping.

He complained to the chair umpire, Enric Molina, and sarcastically questioned a tournament referee about rules for cramping treatments.

Fish grew increasingly chippy as momentum shifted throughout the third set. Several times, he unfurled a series of loud profanities after unforced errors.

“When you think someone is cramping or ailing physically, you sort of change your game a tiny bit,” Fish said, using air quotes to underline his skepticism of Falla’s condition. “I thought he was having some physical issues. But then in between every point, you know, he was totally fine.”

The second-round loss abbreviated what was an uncharacteristically cantankerous month for Fish in Australia.

During losses in singles and mixed doubles at the Hopman Cup in Perth two weeks ago, Fish exchanged words with the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

At one point he needed to be separated from the 20-year-old Dimitrov by a tournament official.

No. 3 seed Roger Federer, meanwhile, advanced to the third round when Andreas Beck withdrew because of a lower back injury. Playing with a heavily taped knee, second-seeded Rafael Nadal also moved on, with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Tommy Haas.

In other matches in the men’s draw, the American John Isner defeated David Nalbandian, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 10-8, a match that took 4 hours 41 minutes. The final set alone took 99 minutes.

The Australian teenager Bernard Tomic continued his strong run by beating Sam Querrey of the United States, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3. No. 7 Tomas Berdych, No. 10 Nicolas Almagro and No. 11 Juan Martin del Potro were among the seeds who advanced.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Sacked

For the New York Giants and their leader Eli Manning, Lambeau Field has become a familiar launching pad.

After beating the Green Bay Packers at home for the second time in four years, they only hope this trip ends the same way – with a shot at the Super Bowl.

Manning threw three touchdown passes and the Giants shocked the Packers 37-20 in an NFC divisional playoff game Sunday.

Manning threw for 330 yards, sending the Giants to San Francisco for the NFC championship game next Sunday night.

The Giants stunned the reigning Super Bowl champs with a touchdown off a long heave just before halftime, then knocked them out with a late touchdown off a turnover.

Lambeau Field fell silent as the Giants swarmed the field in celebration, with a handful of New York fans chanting, “Let’s go, Giants!”

The win came four years after the Giants beat a Brett Favre-led Packers team in the NFC title game.

It wasn’t nearly as frigid this time around, and the Packers’ vulnerable defense seemed to be waiting to get sliced up.

Manning found six different receivers against a porous Packers defense. But Manning did the most damage with his throws to Hakeem Nicks, who caught seven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Nicks’ biggest play was a 66-touchdown catch at the end of the first half.

The Giants’ defense also was able to defuse the big-play abilities of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ defense.

Rodgers was 26 of 46 for 264 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.

He also was the Packers’ leading rusher with 66 yards on seven carries.

Meanwhile, the Packers’ past problems with dropped balls by their talented group of wide receivers returned at the worst time imaginable.

And while the Packers’ defense has been porous all season, giving up far too many yards and big plays, they’ve typically made up for it by forcing turnovers.

This time, the Packers were the ones giving the ball away.  The Packers just couldn’t overcome the turnovers.

Petra Kvitova

Three women grappling with new-found fame could tell the most intriguing stories of the Australian Open.

This time last year, Petra Kvitova was a softly spoken woman barely out of her teens and counting down the months until she could have the braces removed from her teeth.

Now she is a grand slam champion, world No.2 and recognised as the best woman on tour in 2011.

How Kvitova, 21, handles the limelight – which she admits she enjoys only “sometimes” – could go a long way to determining her path over the next fortnight.

“Sometimes there are too many things to do,” she said last week of all the attention she now attracts.

The Czech could learn a thing or two from Li Na.

The 2011 Australian Open runner-up went on to become the first Chinese player to win a grand slam title at the French Open, but her form fell away as she struggled to juggle the expectations of a giant nation.

After winning Wimbledon and being named women’s player of the year, Kvitova is a deserving favourite for the Australian Open title.

In the past 12 months, she has beaten all of her fellow top-10 players except No.9 Marion Bartoli, to whom she has lost twice in as many career meetings.

She also defeated Kim Clijsters on the way to claiming the Paris title, shortly after the Belgian’s Australian Open victory.

Kvitova crashed out in the first round at the US Open, but she ended the year strongly with victory at the WTA Championships.

For Li, it was tough following up her Roland Garros win and it stayed tough.

There was her second-round loss at Wimbledon, a straight-sets defeat in the first round of the US Open and then an embarrassing loss to a 57th-ranked Monica Niculescu in her first match on Chinese soil since her triumph in France.

But it seems Li, who turns 30 next month, has found her focus.

A winter training block in Munich helped as she went unbeaten in singles at the Hopman Cup and reached the Sydney International final, where she failed to defend her title against Victoria Azarenka.

Not only does Li’s return to form represent good value for fans on the court. Off court, she is priceless.

Li delighted the public as much with her quirky, humour-filled press conferences after matches as she did during with her agile, athletic play.

Another woman dealing with expectation is Sam Stosur.

Since winning the US Open, speculation has swelled about how she will handle being the sentimental favourite on home soil.

So far, not so good, with the world No.6 crashing out of lead-up tournaments in Brisbane and Sydney and admitting defeat is so much harder with thousands of people in your corner.

Now she must believe in her own words, uttered as she launched into a pressure-cooker Australian summer.

“Any time you win a tournament like that, there’s always maybe that extra attention or pressure,” Stosur said after winning her opening match in Brisbane.

“It’s obviously there and I think it’s always going to be there, it’s how well you handle it and get through it.

“My expectations of my own game have probably risen as well as everyone else’s, and that’s just something that I’m going to have to get used to and handle.

“The more you play under those scenarios, the easier it gets, or the better you can handle it anyway.”

Determined to give home fans something to cheer about in Melbourne, Stosur must follow her own advice when it comes to turning expectation into a positive.

“Going on the court, I know there’s that extra expectation, but I also know I’ve got the crowd behind me and that’s a hell of a good position to be in when you’re out on court and you’ve got all the fans screaming for you,” she said.

“I’d much rather be in that position than my opponent.”

Azarenka is almost the opposite. At No.3 but yet to break through at a major, the Belarussian is a serious contender with no external pressure in a women’s draw that is wide open.

Back-to-back victories for Clijsters despite a leg injury suffered in the first week of the year would be popular.

A sixth Australian Open crown for Serena Williams would be a major accomplishment, especially after her run of injuries and illness.

But Clijsters with 41 titles, including four majors, and Williams with her 13 grand slams appear to have mastered the expectation of themselves and others.

Brandon Paul Amidst Happy Fans

Brandon Paul awoke from a nap Tuesday to a text from Illinois coach Bruce Weber. The message was simple: It’s your night.

Weber couldn’t have known how right he was.

Paul scored a career-high 43 — the third best scoring performance in Illinois basketball history — to lead the Illini (15-3, 4-1) past the No. 5 Buckeyes 79-74.

The most important of Paul’s shots was an off-balance 3-pointer that, with 43 seconds left, gave Illinois a 74-70 lead that all but finished the Buckeyes.

By then, the junior said, so many of his shots had fallen he couldn’t help but laugh to himself.

“I was laughing a couple times. After the first couple three’s, I just said I was going to keep shooting,” Paul said, saying he didn’t think he’d ever scored 43, even in AAU ball. “That’s the mindset that I’ve got to have.”

“Brandon Paul played like a pro tonight,” teammate Meyers Leonard added.

Buckeye coach Thad Matta said Paul’s night — and the Illinois win it guaranteed — was among the best he’s seen anyone have against Ohio State (15-3, 3-2).

“I’ve seen (former Wisconsin Badger) Jordan Taylor have one of those nights and I saw (former Purdue star) Etwuan Moore have one of those nights, and then I saw this,” Matta said. “You have to give him credit; he made plays.”

Paul scored the final 15 points for the Illini.

Ohio State led 39-34 at halftime, and was up 64-61 with just over five minutes to play.

But with the game tied at 66 with just over two minutes to play, Joseph Bertrand swiped the ball from William Buford, putting the ball in Paul’s hands for a baseline 3-pointer that put the Illini up 69-66.

Paul’s 43 points was the third-highest scoring performance in Illini history and he tied a school record with eight 3-pointers. He also had a team-high eight rebounds

Leonard added 14 for Illinois and Bertrand and D.J. Richardson scored 10 each.

Deshaun Thomas scored 23 points and Jared Sullinger added 21 for Ohio State. William Buford had 15 points for the Buckeyes and Aaron Craft added 12.

Ohio State looked ready to put the Illini away early in the second half, stretching its lead to 48-37 in the opening two minutes on an efficient run that yielded nine points over four possessions. The last three points came from Thomas on a jump shot and a free throw.

Weber told his team in a huddle that it was a make-or-break point in the game.

They go up 10 or 11, and then we came back,” he said.

Illinois ran off its own 7-0 run, pulling to with two at 48-46 on a 3-pointer by Richardson. Paul stole the ball from Sullinger, broke down the court and quickly fed his junior teammate. It was the kind of run Illinois was able to answer with all night.

“We just let down,” Matta said. “We’ve got to find another gear about us.”

Ohio State did pull away yet again, going up 52-46 on a short turnaround jumper by Sullinger over Leonard with 14:25 left in the game.

The Illini then scored eight straight, taking the lead 55-54 with a baseline jumper by Leonard with 11:18 to play. The run’s other six points came, not surprisingly, from Paul on a pair of 3-pointers. The second a sky-high bomb that dropped cleanly through the net and ignited the crowd.

On Illinois’ next possession, Paul drew what the officials judged to be an intentional foul by Craft, sinking two of his three shots and giving the Illini a 57-54 edge with just under 11 minutes left.

Buford answered a long miss by Paul with two points on outside jumper that tied the game again at 61.

Then, after a Leonard turnover, he drained a 3-pointer for a 64-61 Ohio State lead with 6:18 to play.

Paul had a confounding first half, the kind Illinois fans have gotten used to.

He committed four of Illinois’ 10 first-half turnovers (and finished with seven).

“I had way too many turnovers,” he said. “I have to take care of the ball better.”

“The way he started,” Weber joked, “he was special bad. But he was special good down the stretch.”

Alabama Linebacker DeMarcus DuBose With Newspaper Souvenir

Alabama received 55 first-place votes in the final Associated Press poll after Monday night’s 21-0 shutout victory over Louisiana State in the Bowl Championship Series title game at the Superdome in New Orleans.

The AP final top 10: Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Arkansas, USC, Stanford, Boise State, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

The USA Today poll, conducted by voting coaches, is contractually bound to name the BCS winner its national champion.

The AP poll is not bound by that rule and can name an independent champion. It happened in 2003 when LSU won the BCS title game but USC earned the AP trophy.

No. 3 Oklahoma State was hoping a close Alabama win might convince enough voters to produce a split result. There was also a chance an ugly Alabama win might keep LSU at No.1. The Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide, 9-6, in the regular season matchup.

But LSU received only one first-place AP vote while Oklahoma State received four.

The final USA Today coaches’ poll top 10: Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Arkansas, Boise State, Stanford, South Carolina, Michigan and Michigan State.

USC, because of NCAA probation, was not eligible for the USA Today poll.

Alabama won its second Bowl Championship Series title in three years with a dominating defensive effort to defeat Louisiana State, 21-0, on Monday night at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Alabama registered the first shutout in BCS championship game history to avenge a 9-6 loss at home to LSU on Nov. 5.

“I’ve got to say we out-physicaled them today,” Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw said.

Alabama kicker Jeremy Shelley kicked five field goals for Alabama, which finished 12-1.

Linebacker C.J. Mosley intercepted a pass and linebacker Dont’a Hightower forced a fourth-quarter fumble for Alabama, which limited LSU to 92 yards and five first downs.

LSU (13-1) crossed midfield only once.

Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron completed 23 of 34 passes for 234 yards, without an interception, for Alabama, which gained 384 yards.

Running back Trent Richardson scored late in the fourth quarter on a 34-yard touchdown run. Richardson finished with 96 yards in 20 carries.

Oregon Celebrates Rose Bowl Win

Not with the Ducks coming in averaging 46 points per game and the Badgers not far behind at 44.6.

Fans of big plays and offensive fireworks got their New Year’s wish as the “grandaddy of them all” turned into an offensive display for the ages.

The two teams combined for 1,129 total yards and countless highlights in a wild back-and-forth shootout.

In the end, Oregon emerged with a 45-38 victory — its first in 95 years.

But it wasn’t the Ducks’ defense that sealed the win by stopping Wisconsin on its final drive in the waning seconds — it was the clock.

Trailing by a touchdown with only 16 seconds left, Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson needed only two plays to take his team from its own 13-yard line to the Oregon 25.

But with two seconds left on the clock, Wilson tried to spike the ball to allow his team to set up for one final play. He failed to get the snap off in time, and that was the game.

And with the way the game was going, who knows what might have happened had Wilson been awarded one final play.

“It would have been nice to have a chance there,” Wilson said. “With 1 second left, I think we could have capitalized.”

Just about everyone who touched the ball produced a highlight-reel play. Oregon running backs LaMichael James and De’Anthony Thomas both eclipsed 150 yards on the ground (Thomas doing it with only two carries). Wisconsin’s Montee Ball rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries to finish the season with 39 total touchdowns.

Ducks junior quarterback Darron Thomas threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Lavasier Tuinei who came up huge with eight catches for 158 yards to earn offensive player of the game honors. 

Despite his late gaff, Wilson completed 19 of his 25 pass attempts for 296 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score, boosting his NFL draft stock.

Oregon forced a fumble deep in its own territory with the Badgers driving for the tying score late in the fourth quarter. That was one of 11 possessions that did not end in a score, compared to 13 that did.

“We had no doubt this year that we were going to come out and do big things,” said Thomas, who led an offense that averaged 9.7 yards per play. “It’s a big statement for the Oregon program.”

Among the records broken in Monday’s matchup:

• Total points scored: 83 (previous: 80, Washington vs. Iowa, 1991)

• Highest-scoring 1st quarter: 28 points

• Highest-scoring 1st half: 56 points

Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a two-year contract pending results of a physical, a move that would fortify the team’s lineup following the departure of Albert Pujols.

The team disclosed the agreement Thursday night and said it expects to make a formal announcement shortly after the holidays.

KMOX, the Cardinals’ flagship radio station, reported the deal is for $26 million over two years — the same figure cited by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to he Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because financial details of the agreement were not announced by the team.

The 34-year-old Beltran batted .300 with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and a .385 on-base percentage for the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants this year. He likely will be the opening-day right fielder for the Cardinals next season. Lance Berkman is expected to move to first base, taking Pujols’ spot.

Beltran and Berkman are switch-hitters, giving new manager Mike Matheny lineup flexibility.

Earlier this month, St. Louis re-signed shortstop Rafael Furcal to a two-year, $14 million contract and added left-handed reliever J.C. Romero with a one-year, $750,000 deal. The Cardinals appear to need only a few spare parts to finalize the roster.

After Pujols signed a $254 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said he expected his team’s payroll to perhaps exceed this year’s total of $110 million.

Allen Craig, coming off an impressive postseason, gives the Cardinals another strong option in the outfield but will miss at least the first month of the season while recovering from knee surgery.

A six-time All-Star, Beltran began his career with the cross-state Royals in 1998, three years after Kansas City drafted him in the second round. The switch-hitter has a .283 career batting average with 302 home runs and 1,146 RBI.

“Beltran is a proven outfielder who obviously has been a tough opponent against the Cardinals for many years,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement. “It is going to be nice to have his bat and competitive nature working for us instead of on the other side of the field for the next couple of years.”

Beltran faced the Cardinals in a pair of NL championship series, in 2004 with Houston and 2006 with the Mets. St. Louis won both series despite several big hits by Beltran.

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers is the 2011 Male Athlete of the Year, chosen by members of The Associated Press

Rodgers turned in an MVP performance in the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in February and then went on to lead his team on a long unbeaten run this season.

Rodgers received 112 votes out of the 212 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP’s membership.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander finished second with 50 votes, followed by tennis standout Novak Djokovic (21), Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton (6) and NASCAR champion Tony Stewart (5).

Rodgers is one of three quarterbacks to receive the honor in the past five years. The New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees won in 2010 and the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady won in 2007.

Rodgers says it still feels “surreal at times” to be considered among the biggest names in sports.

“Those guys are household names, the best of the best,” Rodgers said. “(It’s) special to win the award, and something I’ll remember.”

Through 14 games this season, Rodgers has completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 4,360 yards with 40 touchdowns and six interceptions. The Packers are 13-1, and Rodgers’ play is leaving people speechless — even his coach, Mike McCarthy.

“I’m running out of things to say about him,” McCarthy said earlier this month, after Rodgers drove the Packers into position for a last-second, game-winning field goal to beat the New York Giants.

Green Bay’s 19-game winning streak came to an end at Kansas City on Sunday, but the Packers remain a strong favorite to repeat as champions. That’s thanks in large part to Rodgers’ knack for making big plays without major mistakes.

It has been a long and challenging journey out of obscurity for Rodgers, who wasn’t offered a big-time scholarship out of high school and had to play a year in junior college.

Then came his agonizing wait on draft day, three seasons on the bench behind Brett Favre and a tumultuous first year as a starter.

If Rodgers’ path to stardom had been smoother, he says he wouldn’t be the player — or person — he is today.

“It’s something that gives me perspective all the time, knowing that the road I took was difficult. But it did shape my character and it shaped my game as well,” Rodgers said.

“I try and keep that on my mind as a good perspective, but also as a motivator, knowing that it took a lot to get to where I am now and it’s going to take a lot to stay where I’m at.”

Strangely, earning widespread respect throughout the sports world could become a challenge in and of itself for Rodgers, who draws motivation from proving himself to his doubters and critics.