Football

Browns try to push forward

BEREA, Ohio -- The owner is sick about the state of his sorry NFL team. The fans are in an uproar. The starting quarterback is historically inefficient and may be about to lose his job. The star running back may retire with one year left on his contract.

The Cleveland Browns are beyond bad.

Their coach doesn't believe it will last.

Eric Mangini believes his plan for turning around the brutal Browns will work despite a horrid first half of the season. On Monday, Mangini said he spoke by phone with Randy Lerner and has the owner's support despite Cleveland's 1-7 start to a season growing worse.

The bye week arrived just in time for the Browns, who were thumped 30-6 on Sunday in Chicago, Cleveland's latest lopsided loss. After the game, an upset and frustrated Lerner told reporters he was "sick about" the team's slide but that he would not fire Mangini.

Packers can't protect Rodgers

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The hits just keep on coming for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has experienced a season's worth of sacks in seven games. All that punishment is beginning to take its toll.

Rodgers limped away from Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings with a sprained toe on one foot and a nagging sprain on the other. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers could miss time in practice this week but is expected to play Sunday at Tampa Bay without losing mobility.

Rodgers has been sacked a league-worst 31 times this season, including six by Minnesota on Sunday.

"Our sack numbers are clearly out of balance," McCarthy said. "That's something we'll continue to work through."

But Rodgers' inability to stay upright is only one of the glaring problems facing the Packers (4-3), who were put in their place -- a distant second place in the NFC North -- by their former quarterback, Brett Favre.

Meanwhile, the Packers keep showing they're not quite ready for prime time.

They're smarting from yet another round of costly, preventable penalties and trying to quell criticism of Dom Capers' new 3-4 defense from yet another veteran player.

Beyond that, McCarthy said linebacker Brandon Chillar has a broken hand and was scheduled to have surgery Monday. He is expected to miss at least two weeks before returning to play with a club cast, and his role will be filled by A.J. Hawk or Desmond Bishop. The so-called "Big Okie" package, where Chillar plays in place of a safety, is on the shelf for now.

Badgers look for late push

MILWAUKEE -- No. 24 Wisconsin cracked the Top 25 this week and has a remaining schedule that sets up nicely for a strong push to the finish.

The Badgers (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) won four of their first five games by eight points or less and were the only FBS team to be undefeated and unranked a month ago.

Losses to Ohio State and Iowa followed and took the luster off the fast start, but Wisconsin routed Purdue 37-0 on Saturday and now could be favored in every game it has left, even though three are on the road.

"I think a large reason that we moved up so quickly was because it was a 37-0 win," coach Bret Bielema said Monday at his weekly news conference from Madison. "If it was still 37-24, I would think it was a pretty impressive win."

All four of Wisconsin's remaining opponents are hovering around .500 and have losing records in conference play.

The Badgers play at Indiana (4-5, 1-4) on Saturday, home against Michigan (5-4, 1-4) on Nov. 14 and at Northwestern (5-4, 2-3) on Nov. 21. Wisconsin finishes its season Dec. 5 at Hawaii (2-6) before a bowl game.

Coach: Wolverines are uptight

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Michigan football team is searching for answers, especially a reason for the implosion Saturday at Illinois.

As much as he doesn't like it, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez might have found one: Apparently his players want to please him too much.

"Sometimes I think they're over conscientious, they worry about everything, they get tight and don't let it loose," Rodriguez said. "I've probably said that a bunch in the last month or so. (If) you know what you're doing, make some plays and let it loose."

That could account for Saturday's second-half performance at Illinois, where the Wolverines were stopped four straight times at the 1-yard line on offense, then surrendered a 99-yard drive on defense. Michigan didn't score again while Illinois ran away with the game.

Saints stay perfect

NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints have tied their best start to a season.

Drew Brees had 308 yards passing, Pierre Thomas scored two touchdowns and Jabari Greer returned an interception for a score to help the Saints improve to 7-0 with a 35-27 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. Only the 1991 Saints began a season with as many wins.

Greer's touchdown was the Saints' fifth score on an interception this season, tying a single-season franchise mark set in 1998. Tracy Porter also had an interception on the Saints 1-yard line on a pass tipped by Jonathan Vilma in the fourth quarter, preserving a 28-24 lead.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan was intercepted three times, the third straight game he'd been intercepted at least twice.

Still, the Falcons stayed in it until the end, getting a 40-yard field goal from Jason Elam with 28 seconds left, then recovering an onside kick. Ryan only had time for a desperation heave in the final seconds, and Darren Sharper turned it into his seventh interception of the season.

Sharper's interception also was the Saints' 16th overall this season, surpassing New Orleans' total of 15 from last season. The Saints have at least one interception in every game this season.

Brees hit Marques Colston for an 18-yard score. Thomas scored on a 22-yard run in the first quarter and a 1-yard catch out of the backfield with 3:03 to go, flipping backward over a tackler and into the end zone. That touchdown made it 35-24 and ignited the entire Superdome into chants of "Who dat say they gonna' beat them Saints?"

Reggie Bush added a 1-yard touchdown late in the first half, giving the Saints a lead they would not relinquish.

Basketball

Harangody leads AP team

Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody and Kansas teammates Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins are the leading vote-getters on The Associated Press ' preseason All-America team.

They are joined by Patrick Patterson of Kentucky and Kyle Singler of Duke on the team selected by a national media panel.

Harangody, the only player to rank in the top 10 last season in scoring and rebounding, was a preseason pick last season and then was a second-team All-American after averaging 23.3 points and 11.8 rebounds for the Fighting Irish.

Aldrich and Collins are the sixth set of teammates to be selected to the preseason team, which started in 1986-87, and the second from Kansas, joining Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce in 1997-98.

Rondo agrees to extension

BOSTON -- Rajon Rondo says he has agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Celtics, keeping the star point guard from entering the market as a restricted free agent after the season.

The deal has yet to be signed but Rondo said Monday that was just a "formality."

"That's the biggest thing for me, take care of my family," Rondo said. "I'm very excited."

Hockey

Ovechkin 'week-to-week'

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Washington Capitals say Alex Ovechkin is "week-to-week" with an upper-body injury.

The Capitals said Monday that the two-time league MVP suffered an "upper-body strain" in Sunday's overtime loss to Columbus.

Ovechkin had an MRI and will travel with the team while receiving treatment.

Ovechkin has missed only four games -- and just two because of injury -- since coming to the NHL in 2005. He sat out once during his rookie season with a groin injury and couldn't suit up for one game last season because of a bruised heel. He also missed two games last season to be with his ailing grandfather in Russia.

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