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Return to Denver Stirs Powerful Emotions, Memories for Giants' Veteran

Rich SeubertEAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- The last time the Giants played at Denver, the game coincided with the opening of Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium. Only one current Giants player was a part of that game.

He will never forget it. Nor the shock and tragedy that soon followed.

Guard Rich Seubert was a 22-year-old undrafted rookie free agent from Western Illinois University when he signed with the Giants prior to the 2001 season. He and the Giants, eight months off a Super Bowl XXXV loss to Baltimore, opened that 2001 season on Sept. 10 at Denver, a 31-20 loss.

Afterward, the Giants flew home to New York and arrived only a few hours before the Sept. 11 terrorist airplane attacks on the World Trade Center's twin towers in Manhattan.

Junior Seau on Belichick's Call, Veteran Leadership and His New 'Sports Job'

Junior SeauWednesday, Dec. 2 at 10 PM, Versus will begin airing "Sports Jobs With Junior Seau," a weekly program -- similar to the Discovery Channel's popular "Dirty Jobs" -- that will feature Seau, a 20-year NFL veteran, taking on some behind-the-scenes work at different sporting events. Versus will air a pair of episodes on Dec. 2. FanHouse secured a preview copy of one, where Seau played the role of batboy and equipment manager for the Dodgers.

This week, Seau spoke with FanHouse about his new show, as well as returning to the Patriots and, of course, Bill Belichick's fateful fourth-down call in Indianapolis.


Jeff Fisher's Picture of Walter Payton? As Perfect Teammate

One picture of a football player hangs in Jeff Fisher's office. It is of his former teammate, Walter Payton.

Ten years after Payton's death, he still serves as an inspiration to Fisher. That was true last season at this juncture when Fisher's Tennessee Titans were 6-0. It remains true this season with Fisher's team 0-6.

"It is the only picture in here, other than of the stadium and some family pictures," Fisher said in a recent interview from his office at the Titans' facility in Nashville. "I had so much respect for him as everyone did. Players come in and it's good for them to see his picture in my office. Especially young players. When they first come in here to talk, it's one of the first things they see."

Payton Was Supposed to Live Forever

Walter PaytonSome things make no sense.

Just take the way Walter Payton played, for instance. Season after season, game after game, down after down, he destroyed folks. He did so as a running back for the Chicago Bears, and he spent 13 years as one of the most explosive hitters ever at any position, despite wrapping just 200 pounds around his frame of 5-foot-10. After he would belt a heftier defender toward the parking lot with his famously potent stiff arm, he would return to his preferred status of mellow.

Patriots Put on a Show in England

Tom BradyLONDON -- A bunch of Patriots went to dinner Friday night and were mistaken for a boy band. Had they been anywhere else, that embarrassing mix up might have caused an international incident. But since England gave us the ultimate boy band, the Beatles, the Patriots graciously ate their meal.

Then they routinely devoured Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Now they head back to the States after proving what we already knew: as Tom Brady rolls, so rolls the rest of New England's band. And, ready or not, America, Brady is back in rhythm.

"I'm feeling great," he said after New England's win. "I keep rolling."

Patriots May Own Sunday, but Saturday Belongs to Bucs' UK Fans

Patriots Bucs LondonLONDON -- Mike Alstott's 1-yard touchdown run sparked Tampa Bay to an 84-0 win over New England Saturday.

No joke. Alstott really did score one of the red team's 14 touchdowns. The guys wearing blue jerseys had zero.

"Nil!" Paul Stewart said.

He broke out a bottle of champagne and passed it around. If ever a team deserved to savor a little success, it's the Bucs' UK fan club -- it beat the Patriots' fan club on Saturday in a flag football game. The other Bucs team was presumably watching film or sacrificing goats or whatever you do when you face that other New England team.

That'll happen Sunday at Wembley. Saturday at Richmond Park in Southwest London was the preamble. The oldest NFL fan club in Britain (the Bucs) met the fan club of England's most popular team (the Patriots).

Thriving Denver D Brings Back the Sack

Denver BroncosSAN DIEGO -- Outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil set aside any doubts that the 2009 Broncos' astonishing turnaround isn't legitimate on Monday night when he leveled Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers a second time in the contest, helping punctuate a 34-23 division victory that gave undefeated Denver a stranglehold on the AFC West.

With that, Dumervil had his NFL-leading 10th sack, putting him on pace to surpass Michael Strahan's single-season record of 22 1/2.

"It's hard to get to 10 [sacks]," said Dumervil, who was surrounded in the crowded visitors' locker room at Qualcomm Stadium by teammates hooting and calling him the next Strahan. "Every sack guy knows it's hard to get to double digits.

"But this ... it's a new team, a new regime, and everything is new. We're just trying to innovate. We're trying to build a brand of football here, what we want to be as the Denver Broncos."

Sources: Mike Shanahan Turned Down Redskins Coaching Job

Mike ShanahanSources have confirmed that the Washington Redskins recently tried to hire Mike Shanahan to replace Jim Zorn and Shanahan declined. The sources would not rule out the possibility that Shanahan would reconsider in the offseason.

"Shanahan told the franchise there was little he could do in the middle of the season for them and that changing coaches during the season in the NFL rarely works,'' a Redskins management source told FanHouse. "Several people that Dan Snyder trusts have suggested, if he makes a move, he should turn it over to secondary coach Jerry Gray. That could still happen.

"We are trying to give Jim every chance to turn it around. The move to [bring in offensive consultant Sherm] Lewis is to take more off Jim's plate, especially the play-calling, because it is not working, and that is where Jim is spending much of his time. Now he can coach the entire team. Let's see where that gets us.''

'All Day' Peterson Wants to Be Best Ever

Adrian Peterson DVDOn the day of the release of his new DVD, "All Day with Adrian Peterson," FanHouse caught up with with the superstar running back for a few minutes of time during his busy schedule. The movie is available at Best Buy in conjunction with NFL Films and Warner Home Video. You can also purchase it online at Amazon.com.

Matt Snyder:
So, what should the masses know about this video?

Adrian Peterson: It's a great behind-the-scenes look of things from practice and some good highlights. It also shows some footage of growing up and during the NFL draft. There are conversations and things you can't see anywhere else. I definitely recommend everyone get a copy. You need to get yourself a copy, man!

'Fiery' Mike Singletary Shouts at Falcons' Harvey Dahl, Apologizes Afterward

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Atlanta Falcons weren't even finished piling up takeaways, yards and points in Sunday's 45-10 rout of the 49ers at Candlestick Park when San Francisco coach Mike Singletary lost his sideline poise.

Rather than take out his frustrations on one of his underachieving players, Singletary instead engaged in a third-quarter shouting match with Falcons right guard Harvey Dahl.

During an early third-quarter drive that was dominated by running back Michael Turner (22 total carries for 97 yards) chewing up the 49ers' 3-4 defensive front, Singletary and Dahl argued back and forth, with both of them very animated and obviously irate. Neither was penalized for the jawing match.

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