The New York Giants' Super Bowl victory can serve as a tremendous reference point for what a team has to be focused on to win a championship.
The Bleacher Report created a list of what teams (and specifically, the New York Knicks) can learn from the New York Giants:
* Defense wins Championships - Contrary to what everyone expected, Super Bowl XLVI was a low-scoring game.

The more than 500 hundred million dollars that went into the recent renovations of BC Place seem to be well spent as the incredibly aesthetic building as been a great host to the USA and all the teams in the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The down-sizing of the upper deck with flowing tarps that drape out over the field rather than back over the seats makes the venue intimate and the artificial turf field is about as good as you can get for that kind of surface.

There have been few Super Bowls to be hotly contested for a second time. The last one is the Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills in 1994, won by Dallas 30-13. The Bills were seeking revenge, but didn't get it, as the Cowboys rolled over them in another lopsided big win.

Yesterday we wrote about the yet to be announced Chicago Fire jersey sponsorship deal with Quaker Oats. The relationship became official today. One of the biggest changes from the rumors to the truth is the deal is now worth a reported $8 million over three years, significantly higher than the previously reported less than $5 million over that time.

A favorite quote of mine comes from a statement I heard years ago about adversity being a building block in developing one's character. I used to even prescribe to the theory: 'A B C - Adversity Builds Character'.
Helen Keller once said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.

The 2011 fantasy football season has been the year of the tight end. Never has the tight end been this valuable in the fantasy football world. To end your 2011 season with a bang (and hopefully a championship), start one of these fantasy football tight ends.

1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Gronkowski will put the finishes touches on a legendary season.

In Week 17 of the 2011 fantasy football season, there are a number of explosive options at wide receiver. Check out our top ten list for best WRs to start for Week 17. You can't really go wrong with any of these wide receivers, especially the first few.

1. Wes Welker, New England Patriots
Brady will go to Welker early and often.

The Dallas Cowboys are facing a must-win game against the New York Giants on Sunday. Unfortunately, quarterback Tony Romo won't be completely healthy. He bruised his throwing hand in Week 16 and has been practicing with a wrap heading into Week 17.

That said, the Cowboys and Romo are confident that he will play this week.

I had the opportunity to visit with the Duke University basketball team and their coaching staff during the Thanksgiving holidays, and where it was great to be back in Durham and on-campus visiting with old friends, watching their practice was a model of efficiency.
Coach Krzyzewski and his staff have practice planned down to the finite detail, and each member of their staff are constantly in motion while working towards keeping practice sharp.

We've got a good friend who's a big sports fan, but mostly of the traditional American variety: primarily basketball and football, both college and pro.

MARIO BALOTELLI!!!

We asked him if he'd ever thought about watching some soccer, and he said what it would take would be a compelling player for him to follow.

After Tottenham's controversial defeat against Stoke City last Sunday, it has been reported that hundreds if not thousands of Tottenham supporters have been and continue to send obscene tweets to Sir Chris Hoy. It appears there seems to be a literacy problem among some of the Tottenham supporters.

Is it necessary to have 70,000 seat stadiums? Can 50-55,000 do the trick?
It's common knowledge that people aren't always in the mood to rush out to the stadium fighting traffic, paying parking and high ticket prices.

NBA superstar LeBron James says reading up on the history of Liverpool FC has humbled him, with the Miami Heat player revealing his newfound admiration for manager Kenny Dalglish and captain Steven Gerrard.
James, 26, recently became a minority shareholder in Liverpool and made his first visit to Anfield last month to watch the Reds draw with Manchester United.

While NBA Basketball continues to suffer from a frustrating lockout, superstar LeBron James has made headlines visiting Anfield and becoming more attached to Liverpool a club he believes is at the same level as Manchester United.

James recently enjoyed the Reds' 1-1 draw with their bitter rivals at Merseyside and followed up by meeting all members of the team where he is a minority shareholder.

Did you know it has been 25 years for Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United? Fergie became manager of Manchester United on November 6th, 1986 so last Sunday marked 25 years with the team. It has been quite a ride for Manchester United in the last quarter century underFerguson's leadership.

WhenFergusonfirst took over Manchester United in 1986 he had to change the culture from losing into winning and the playing style from one that was haphazard to one that was more disciplined.

LSU football coach Les Miles has his Tigers at the top of the national college football polls, but he also has his priorities properly balanced - with family always first.
Jordan Freis writes of the top coach and father of the LSU Tigers.
I read a wonderful article on LSU's head football coach Les Miles today.

Now these are the Philadelphia Eagles we were expecting heading into the season. In a dominant performance, the Eagles destroyed the Dallas Cowboys by a final score of 34-7. And honestly, it wasn't even that close.

Michael Vick had one of his best games of the season, finishing 21-for-28 for 279 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and two passing touchdowns.

Tashard Choice's fall from grace within the Dallas Cowboys organization came quickly. Last game, he started for the Cowboys. On Saturday, the Cowboys waived the running back.

Early on in his NFL career, Choice looked really good. He averaged more than five yards per career in his rookie and sophomore seasons.

Just a quick note:

The University of South Florida is actually in Central Florida. A Canadian team once won back-to-back American League championships. Duke basketball has played in the NCAA's West Region five times and its Midwest Region four times. Neither the New York Giants nor New York Jets play in New York, and the Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington.

If one of these players is on your 2011 fantasy football team, consider the time right to sell high. If you can flip one of these players for a pair of established stars, go ahead and do it. As the season wears on, these players' value will diminish.

QB Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
You gotta love Cam Newton.

Tony Romo suffered a punctured lung and a broken rib in Week 2. He battled through the pain in Week 3 and played a key role in the Dallas Cowboys beating the Washington Redskins. This weekend, Tony Romo will play ... but it will come with a price.

In order to play, Tony Romo is going to have to get more pain injections.

Who said kickers aren't real football players. On Monday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys won thanks to their sure-footed kicker. Dan Bailey was 6-for-6 on field goals to lift the Cowboys to an 18-16 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Said Bailey: "We had good snaps, good holds, great protection.

Dallas Cowboys fans have one thing on their mind heading into tonight's Monday Night Football game against the Washington Redskins: Is Tony Romo going to play? The good news for the Cowboys and their fans is that, yes, Romo plans on playing.

Even though Romo suffered a punctured lung and a broken rib last week, he says that he's "good to go" for MNF.

An MRI showed good news and bad news for Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. The good news: he has only one broken rib (it was originally thought he had two broken ribs). The bad news: Romo has a punctured lung.

While a punctured lung is nothing to joke about, it sounds as if the Cowboys expect Romo to play in Week 3.

With injuries and breakout players already impacting the 2011 fantasy football season, the Week 3 waiver wire might be the most important waiver wire session of the season. By picking up the right player, you can really help your fantasy team. Here are our Week 3 waiver wire sleepers:

QB Matt Haselbeck, Tennessee Titans
Why is Matt Hasselbeck suddenly so valuable?

Tony Romo broke a couple of ribs in Week 2. No worries the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys was able to return to the game and lead his team from a come from behind victory. For fantasy football owners, Romo's return was a relief.

Despite missing action during the game, Romo finished with 345 passing yards to go along with two touchdowns.

Dallas Cowboys fans hold their breath whenever Dez Bryant is returning a punt. Not only because he has a chance to return any punt for a touchdown but also because there's more of a chance that he could get injured. In Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season, the downside already came into light when Bryant suffered a bruised quad.

...Charlie Davies has been here for months. Unfortunately, Chris Pontius likely will not be. Game of the Week DC United 3, Chivas USA 0 Please excuse me if my commentary is more biting tonight than usual. Watching the Dallas Cowboys choke away wins has become a rite of fall in the Parchman household, but it never makes them any easier to digest.

If you want to wait until the very end of your 2011 fantasy football draft to select your kicker, that's probably a good idea. There is so much parity in kickers especially this year that the quality isn't going to dip very far. In fact, you may strike gold with one of these sleeper kickers in 2011:

David Buehler, Dallas Cowboys
David Buehler may have the strongest leg in the NFL.

A great tight end can give you a huge advantage in fantasy football. In 2011, that advantage may be even larger than normal due to the shortage of high quality players at that position. Here are our tight end rankings for 2011 fantasy football:

1. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Last season, Antonio Gates was on fire .

While the wide receiving crop for the 2011 fantasy football season is a bit light up top, there are a ton of players with a lot of potential. Who will catch fire and be a fantasy football stud at the wide receiver position? Here are our top ten wide receivers for 2011 fantasy football:

1. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
He's the most talented wide receiver in the game.

Cowboy vs. Cowboy in the Alamodome/Training Camp 2011Arguably, the NFL Dallas Cowboys are the most popular sports franchise in the country. They're followed closely by the national media all year long. Training camp is dissected and scrutinized every year by the national media more sharply than any other team by the national media.

Deion Sanders, arguably the best shutdown cornerback of all-time, Shannon Sharpe, arguably the receiving best tight end of all-time, and Marshall Faulk, arguably the most versatile running back of all-time, entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday. All three had great acceptance speeches that moved the crowd and the fans watching around the globe.

All day, the talk was of the New York Jets of Dallas Cowboys signing Nnamdi Asomugha. No one was talking about the Philadelphia Eagles. Yet when it came time to ink a deal, Nnamdi Asomugha signed with the Eagles. His contract is said to be worth $60 million over five seasons.

First of all, this has to sting for the Cowboys.

Nnamdi Asomugha is the most sought after free agent on the open market. He's arguably the best cornerback in the NFL and is free to sign with any team in the league. Who will Nnamdi Asomugha sign with? Right now, it looks like Nnamdi Asomugha is going to sign with the Dallas Cowboys.

Early Friday, NFL sources said that the bidding war over Nnamdi Asomugha was between the Cowboys and the New York Jets.

While this move wasn't unexpected in the least, the Tennessee Titans made it official on Tuesday by releasing quarterback Vince Young. Once viewed as the future of the franchise, Vince Young has fallen on tough times on and off the football field.

To replace Vince Young at quarterback, the Titans have signed veteran Matt Hasselbeck.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Dallas Cowboys will soon release wide receiver Roy Williams. Why did Roy Williams get released? It's all about the new $120 million salary cap. The Cowboys were $17 million over the cap and that meant the team had to shed salary. In doing so, Roy Williams was a casualty.

I know disparate opinions exist on mid-season friendlies that match MLS sides against the fancy-pants sides from Europe and Mexico. I'm on record as saying, essentially, they once held great value as MLS established its brand, they still hold some value ... but that the value will gradually diminish.

Once again it was another special night for Major League Soccer and those who have supported the Wiz, Wizards and now Sporting Kansas City as Livestrong Sporting Park opened up to rave reviews. A mid-west stadium with a European feel has created another crown jewel of stadiums within MLS.

Deion Sanders recently said that Dez Bryant needs help and insinuated that Dez Bryant is a liar. Those comments are holding more and more weight as we learn more about the wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. It's obvious that Dez Bryant needs some sort of help and that's exactly what Deion Sanders has been saying.