New-look Colts: Manning’s not alone
By Albert Breer/ MetroWest Daily News
Monday, November 7, 2005 - Updated: 06:59 AM EST


FOXBORO – For better or worse, fingers always are pointed at the quarterback. --football gambling--As such, Peyton Manning has shouldered much of the blame for the Colts’ failure to get past the Patriots. And in both the 2003 AFC Championship Game and the ’04 divisional playoff, a lot of that criticism was fair. --football gambling--

But the outcome would’ve been much different for Manning if Edgerrin James had produced in big spots during the regular season. With the game on the line two years ago, the tailback failed to score on three runs from inside the Pats’ 2, and last year, he coughed up a golden opportunity by fumbling in the red zone.--football gambling--

Each time, a win would have given Indy home-field advantage in the playoffs, thus sparing Manning his snowshoeing trips to Foxboro. --football gambling--

This time around, James again will be the key, especially since yesterday’s MLS playoff match between the Revolution and Chicago turned the area between the hash marks at Gillette into a mud pit. The Colts have emphasized controlling the ball to aid their fourth-ranked defense, and James, a seventh-year back, came into Week 9 leading the NFL with 801 yards rushing on 163 carries and seven touchdowns. --football gambling--

“People are doing things to try to take our passing game away, and they have given us more of what we call ‘run looks’ that the quarterback is instructed to run the ball against,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said. “We have to run it more, and we’re running it well.”
The Indy offense also has been attacked by more teams playing cover-3 defenses and other off-looks to prevent the big play. After averaging 9.17 yards per attempt last fall, Manning is down to 7.60. --football gambling--

Still, the quarterback is on pace for his most accurate season, completing a stunning 68.1 percent of his passes while spreading the ball to wideouts Reggie Wayne (37 receptions for 437 yards) and Marvin Harrison (37-388), along with Brandon Stokley (21-237) out of the slot. All three have experienced drops in their yards-per-catch numbers, and that seems to be a product of what defenses are giving them.--football gambling--

“(Opponents) have taken away a lot of the play-action passes where we got big plays,” Dungy said. “They have taken away the deep throws down the middle and forced us into a different style.” --football gambling--

Indy’s style on the other side of the ball remains what it has been – a cover-2, one-gap, penetrating look – only now it’s much more effective. Dungy has finally found experienced players to fit the scheme. A smallish front features All-Pro end Dwight Freeney (seven sacks), who will stunt and shoot gaps to get to Pats quarterback Tom Brady. Nickel rusher Robert Mathis (eight) is the type of speedy player Dungy favors up front. And defensive tackle Corey Simon balances it out as a powerful run-stopping presence. --football gambling--

“They sack the quarterback, they (take the ball away), they have guys that make a lot of interceptions,” Brady said. “They do it all.” --football gambling--

Linebacker Cato June leads the Colts with five picks, two of which he’s brought back for scores. Gary Brackett has 56 tackles and two INTs. --football gambling--

Behind that duo is a physical secondary – like the one Dungy had at Tampa Bay – led by cornerbacks Jason David, Nick Harper and Marlin Jackson on the perimeter and hard-hitting safeties Mike Doss and Bob Sand. --football gambling--

The Duke who gave all for the good of the game

Art Spander salutes NFL godfather Wellington Mara, who died last week

America never has been much for looking to the past, not in the way Britain does, perhaps because we don’t have the past. “History is bunk,’’ said Henry Ford. On the contrary, history is why the present exists. -NFL Football-

This was never made more clear than by the eulogies to Wellington Mara, who died from cancer last week at 89. He, as much as anyone, is responsible for the growth of the National Football League to its place as the No 1 game in the United States. -NFL Football-

Think of team owners these days, so many of them greedy, so many arrogant, so many self-indulgent, so many of them who would fit Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins’ description of Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder. “I do think that in the absence of any attention,’’ Jankins wrote, “he would take negative attention. He would rather be the central figure in a dysfunctional team than a peripheral figure in a successful team.” -NFL Football-

And not to be ignored is Malcolm Glazer, who besides dabbling in your football is quite visible in our football, owning the Tampa Bay Bucs. -NFL Football-

They’re out for themselves. Wellington Mara, who held every position from ball boy (back in the 1920s) to pres ident of the New York Giants, was out for the good of the league, the good of the game. -NFL Football-

If anything enabled the NFL to move ahead of baseball, the so-called National Pastime, in popularity, it was television. And if anyone enabled the NFL to develop the money-sharing television contract that kept the game compet itive it was Wellington Mara. -NFL Football-

In 1962, a young commissioner, Pete Rozelle, persuaded owners to trade lucrative local contracts for an untested national contract to share revenues equally. At that time, Mara’s Giants were being paid $175,000 for local rights, while the Packers, up there in Green Bay, Wisconsin, metropolitan population 100,000, were getting $35,000. -NFL Football-

“We’re only as strong as our weakest link,’’ Mara told the other owners. A cliche, but a truism. He sacrificed. And suddenly there were no weak links, at least when it came to TV money, which starting in 2006 will be $3.7 billion a year. -NFL Football-

Wellington Mara, nicknamed “The Duke” for the Duke of Wellington, was so revered that each official NFL football has the words “The Duke” imprinted on its sides. -NFL Football-

Wellington Mara, pictured below, was a gentleman from the old school. He showed up in locker rooms and on practice fields, but only to lend support, not to give advice. Mara’s father, Tim, bought the Giants for a reported $500 in 1925, three years after the NFL was formed and nine years after Wellington was born. -NFL Football-

“My earliest recollection,” Mara wrote, “I was nine-years-old, coming out of mass on a Sunday, and I heard my father say, ‘I’m gonna try to put pro football in New York today’.” -NFL Football-

It has never left, of course. The Giants, named for the baseball team which also played in the Polo Grounds, became the NFL’s glamour franchise. Until the baseball Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958, there never was a reference to the other team without an identifying label, meaning commentators would call them “The New York Football Giants”, or, because of the colour of their jerseys, the “Big Blue”. -NFL Football-

Wellington Mara graduated from Fordham University in 1937, worked with the team, became a Naval officer in World War II and then returned to the Giants. They were his only business. -NFL Football-

When in the 1970s the Giants sank to the depths, critics were everywhere. A private plane flew over Giants Stadium, to which they moved in 1976, with a banner reading “15 Years of Lousy Football – We’ve Had Enough”. -NFL Football-

Recalling the bad years, Mara said in 2001: “People said we were cheap and didn’t care if we won, because all our games were sold out. That got under my skin. We weren’t cheap. We were just stupid. We made a lot of poor personnel decisions.’’ -NFL Football-

But the team got smart in a hurry, winning Super Bowls in 1986 and 1990. And others were pleased for Mara. “He was the conscience of the NFL,’’ said Art Modell, longtime owner of the Cleveland Browns, who became the Baltimore Ravens. Philadelphia Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie said of Mara: “He wanted other owners to love the game, because he loved it so much.’’ -NFL Football-

Last Sunday, near death, Mara, according to a grandson, awoke in his bed at home in Rye, New York in time to see Eli Manning throw a last-second touchdown pass that enabled the Giants to upset the Denver Broncos. One last and lasting victory. -NFL Football-

30 October 2005

Fallon NFL flag football team advances to championship

STEVE RANSON, sranson@lahontanvalleynews.com
October 28, 2005

Football is becoming a way of life in the Dahl household. -NFL Football-

First, Harvey Dahl, a 1999 Churchill County High School graduate, competed in high school and college football, and now plays on the practice squad for the San Francisco 49ers. -NFL Football-

Now, his 14-year-old niece Sara Parsons, an eighth grade junior high school student, has discovered the thrill of victory on the gridiron. -NFL Football-

Parsons and her teammates from the NFL Fallon Flag Football League won the 2005 regional tournament against a team that has qualified for nationals two consecutive years. -NFL Football-

Fallon's 12-to-14 girls' team won their regional bracket Saturday by defeating the Rocklin (Calif.) Saints in the best of three-game series. Fallon won the first and third games while dropping the second by one point at the 49ers training facility in Santa Clara, Calif. -NFL Football-

Fallon travels to the national championships next month at Disney World. -NFL Football-

"It's been fun. It's awesome," Parsons said of the team's win. -NFL Football-

Although NFL flag football has been in existence for years, this is the first year Fallon has had a program. -NFL Football-

Parsons said winning the regional championship was fun for the all-girl team. -NFL Football-

"I like playing with my friends and against the competition," she said. -NFL Football-

The 10 girls on the Fallon team also had an extra treat when they played Rocklin. Dahl attended the games which excited the team. -NFL Football-

"It was really cool," Parsons said of her uncle's attendance. -NFL Football-

She said her uncle just watched the game and cheered for the Fallon girls, but he didn't give them any pointers. -NFL Football-

Parsons said she has always enjoyed playing football whether it's on the flag football team or with her 11-year-old brother on the front lawn. -NFL Football-

Co-coach Scott Meihack said coaching this year's team of 10 girls has been an experience he won't soon forget. When the team travels to Florida for the championship, he said the girls will still have some fun, but they must focus on their purpose. -NFL Football-

"We're going down there to play flag football. The task is to make sure the girls fully understand that," he said. -NFL Football-

However, Meihack said the girls will also enjoy their visit to Disney World. -NFL Football-

Tami Peel, the team's other coach, said flag football is new territory for the coaches and team. -NFL Football-

Both Peel and Meihack coached two state championship softball teams together, and now they have ventured into a new program. -NFL Football-

Instead of playing for a state title, Peel said Fallon will be in the national spotlight. If Fallon wins its first game, then the team's next game will be televised on ESPN. -NFL Football-

The players on the team have known each other for years. -NFL Football-

Jenny Rechel, a 12-year-old sixth grader at Northside, said she was thrilled about the program and the chance to go to Florida. -NFL Football-

Rechel had a key interception in the final game of the regionals. Her interception stopped the Saints from scoring a potential go-ahead touchdown. -NFL Football-

"I was covering a person. The ball went over my head, but I jumped up and caught it," Rechel said of her play. -NFL Football-

"We're gong to nationals. We're just freakin' out," Shelby Lee chimed in. -NFL Football-

The Fallon eighth grade said many of the girls have never been to Florida. -NFL Football-

Both Chelsea Smitten and Alyssa Meihack said this year's experience has been exciting. -NFL Football-

"This has been really fun," Smitten said, adding that she may play tackle football next year. -NFL Football-

Meihack said the Saints were a really good team. She is excited, though, that Fallon won the regionals and will now be competing in Florida. -NFL Football-

Scott Meihack said the NFL flag football program is paying for the airfare and most of the expenses. However, he said the team must pay for an extra night of lodging for an extra day. The team will be competing in a skills competition and must fly to Orlando a day early. -NFL Football-

The team will have a car wash Saturday from 10:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Smedley's. -NFL Football-

Roster

Olivia Dillon

Celeste Llamas

Alyssa Meihack

Sarah Owen

Sara Parsons

Jennifer Rechel

Shelby Lee

Chelsea Smitten

Kaitlynn Szentimrey

Mercedes Weeks

Wilma forces Chiefs, Dolphins to accelerate final preparations
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports WriterOctober 20, 2005
--- nfl ---
MIAMI (AP) -- Hurricane Wilma slowed down Thursday, prompting the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs to start moving quickly. --- nfl ---
Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas apologetically skipped his normal interview availability, saying he needed to cram two days of film study into a few hours. The Chiefs scrambled to revise travel plans, and league officials worked on new television arrangements and other details. --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
When Wilma makes its expected arrival in Florida sometime Sunday, the Chiefs will be long gone. Their visit to Miami was switched to Friday night because of the looming Category 4 hurricane -- which would be the eighth to affect the Sunshine State in the past 15 months. --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
``This is only about the fifth one of those we've had this year,'' said Dolphins coach Nick Saban, who learned of the schedule switch during Thursday's practice. ``So it's not our first rodeo when it comes to these things, and we know how unpredictable they can be, and we know how dangerous they can be.''
--- nfl ---
It's the third time since the start of the 2004 season that a Miami home game was rescheduled because of a hurricane. The Dolphins lost to Tennessee in last year's home opener pushed up a day by Hurricane Ivan, then were beaten by Pittsburgh in a deluge -- remnants of Hurricane Jeanne -- two weeks later.
``They couldn't have picked a better team to send down there and play well,'' said Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, whose team will fly to South Florida on Friday morning.--- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
``That's the way we're approaching it. We'll go down there and play our best football game of the year. The guys are in a good frame of mind. They accept it. We would have liked it to be a different way but we have no choice.''
The game will be televised by CBS affiliates in primary secondary markets in South Florida and Kansas City. But there will be no national telecast.
--- nfl ---
``We are not extending the telecast to more markets because we want to adhere as closely as possible to the spirit of our longstanding policy not to conflict with high school and college football during their seasons (which means Friday night and Saturday),'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
--- nfl ---Moving the game would seem to put Jason Taylor's streak of 87 straight starts in jeopardy. --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
The Dolphins' standout defensive end hasn't practiced this week because of a foot injury, and linebacker Junior Seau is still bothered by an injured calf.
Clearly, the Dolphins would have liked the extra time to get those two players ready to face a Kansas City rushing attack that's averaging more than 127 yards per game. --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
``We've got to play sometime,'' said Miami's David Bowens, who may start in Taylor's place. ``It gives us a chance to show how we react to an adverse situation. ... It has been 11 years since I played on Friday night -- high school. It definitely takes me back.''--- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
Vermeil lobbied for the game to be played in Kansas City, and the prospects of a long plane ride followed only hours later by a game didn't exactly overjoy the Chiefs. --- nfl ------ nfl ---
--- nfl ---
``Everyone's concern is the safety of the players and the coaches and the fans. And that's what most paramount,'' Chiefs president and general manager Carl Peterson said. ``Obviously, I've never watched the Weather Channel as I have in the last 24, 48 hours.''--- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
The teams have two common opponents. Kansas City (3-2) beat the Jets 27-7 in the season-opener; one week later, the Dolphins lost to the Jets 17-7. And the Chiefs were beaten 30-10 by Denver in Week 3; Miami downed the Broncos 34-10 in Week 1, Denver's only loss so far. --- nfl ---

``Look a--- nfl ---t that game and Denver doesn't look like the same team because Miami didn't allow them to be,'' Vermeil said.
The Chiefs will face a two-runner attack by Miami, with Ricky Williams set to make his home regular-season, post-suspension debut alongside rookie Ronnie Brown, the No. 2 overall draft pick who's rushed for 343 yards in his first five games. --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
``Both those guys are great backs, and they can do different things,'' said Chiefs safety Patrick Surtain, who spent seven years in Miami before being traded after last season. ``We're going to have to be on our P's and Q's because both those guys can hurt us at any time. That's the key to the game -- stopping those guys.'' --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
Surtain said he was pleased Williams is back with Miami, saying he hopes the 2002 NFL rushing champion ``regains the form he had a couple of years ago.''
For this game, though, Surtain would prefer Williams have the last weekend's form. Williams had five rushes for 8 yards and six catches for 22 more yards last week in Miami's loss to Tampa Bay, his first game since the end of the 2003 season. --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
``Once we get through the mental part and get on the field, it will be fun,'' Williams said of the schedule switch. ``We don't have any Monday night or Sunday night games this year, so it's a chance to take advantage of the national attention and make a name for ourselves.'' --- nfl ---
All, of course, before Wilma becomes the only name on the minds of most Floridians. --- nfl ---
--- nfl ---
``It's inconvenient, no question,'' said Joe Bailey, the CEO of Dolphins Enterprises. ``But it's also an adventure.''--- nfl ---

Falcons QB Vick downgraded to questionable

After a Saturday walkthrough practice, the Atlanta Falcons downgraded quarterback Michael Vick from probable to questionable -- and it now looks like the quarterback's sprained right knee will prevent him from playing Oct. 9 against the New England Patriots. - NFL Football -

Vick plans to test the knee again before kickoff. If it improves dramatically overnight, then he could wind up starting. But the chances right now are not in his favor.

For starters, the Falcons have a backup quarterback, Matt Schaub, whom they trust and believe in. Atlanta's coaches aren't hesitant at all in using Schaub against the defending world champion Patriots, and if Schaub does start, look for the Falcons to pass more. - NFL Football -

Additionally, the Falcons have the NFL's No. 1-ranked rushing attack (209 yards per game), and they feel as if they will be able to sustain the running game they will need.

Plus, this game is a non-conference affair in the fifth week of the season with the meat of the division schedule left to play. The Falcons are figuring that it is better to get Vick healthy now than risk him when he's not fully healthy against a tough defense. - NFL Football -

© 2005, NFL Enterprises LLC.

Falcons QB Vick downgraded to questionable

After a Saturday walkthrough practice, the Atlanta Falcons downgraded quarterback Michael Vick from probable to questionable -- and it now looks like the quarterback's sprained right knee will prevent him from playing Oct. 9 against the New England Patriots.

Vick plans to test the knee again before kickoff. If it improves dramatically overnight, then he could wind up starting. But the chances right now are not in his favor. - NFL Football -

For starters, the Falcons have a backup quarterback, Matt Schaub, whom they trust and believe in. Atlanta's coaches aren't hesitant at all in using Schaub against the defending world champion Patriots, and if Schaub does start, look for the Falcons to pass more. - NFL Football -

Additionally, the Falcons have the NFL's No. 1-ranked rushing attack (209 yards per game), and they feel as if they will be able to sustain the running game they will need.

Plus, this game is a non-conference affair in the fifth week of the season with the meat of the division schedule left to play. The Falcons are figuring that it is better to get Vick healthy now than risk him when he's not fully healthy against a tough defense. - NFL Football -

© 2005, NFL Enterprises LLC.

Patriots Top Steelers on Late Field Goal: NFL Week 3

(Bloomberg) -- Adam Vinatieri's 43-yard field goal with one second left gave the New England Patriots a 23-20 road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a rematch of last year's American Football Conference championship game.

The field goal came 1:20 after the Steelers tied the game on a Hines Ward touchdown catch. The Patriots, who beat the Steelers 41-27 in last year's AFC title game, halted the Steelers' 16-game regular-season winning streak with yesterday's win in Pittsburgh.

In other games during Week 3 of the NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Cleveland Browns 13-6, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Buffalo Bills 24-16, the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Chicago Bears 24-7, the St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans 31-27, the Miami Dolphins defeated the Carolina Panthers 27-24, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the New York Jets 26-20 in overtime, the Minnesota Vikings defeated the New Orleans Saints 33-16 and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Oakland Raiders 23-20.

In late afternoon games, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Arizona Cardinals 37-12 and the Dallas Cowboys rallied past the San Francisco 49ers 34-31. The San Diego Chargers beat the New York Giants 45-23 in last night's game.

The Denver Broncos host the Kansas City Chiefs tonight.

At Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, New England scored on its opening drive on Corey Dillon's four-yard touchdown run. The Steelers answered when Ben Roethlisberger found Ward for an 85- yard scoring pass.

Pittsburgh (2-1) had a six-point lead midway through the third quarter after a pair of field goals by Jeff Reed. The Patriots (2-1) then got a field goal, Dillon's second rushing touchdown and another score from Vinatieri to take a 20-13 lead.

The Steelers' 16-game regular-season winning streak was tied for the second longest in NFL history. The longest, an 18-game streak by the Patriots, was stopped by Pittsburgh last season.

Elsewhere yesterday:

-- San Diego 45, New York Giants 23: LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Chargers (1- 2). Eli Manning passed for 352 yards and two scores as the Giants dropped to 2-1.

-- Seattle 37, Arizona 12: Shaun Alexander had four rushing touchdowns for Seattle (2-1). The Cardinals are 0-3.

-- Dallas 34, San Francisco 31: Drew Bledsoe threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys (2-1). Tim Rattay had three scoring passes for the 49ers (1-2).

-- Tampa Bay 17, Green Bay 16: Carnell Williams rushed for 158 yards for Tampa Bay (3-0) to increase his season total to 434 yards, an NFL record for rookies. The loss dropped the Packers to 0-3 for the first time since 1988.

-- Atlanta 24, Buffalo 16: Michael Vick threw two touchdowns for the Falcons (2-1). The Bills are 1-2.

-- Cincinnati 24, Chicago 7: Carson Palmer threw for 169 yards and three touchdowns as the Bengals got off to their first 3-0 start in 15 years. Chicago is 1-2.

-- Indianapolis 13, Cleveland 6: Edgerrin James rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown for the Colts (3-0). The Browns are 1- 2.

-- St. Louis 31, Tennessee 27: Marc Bulger threw for 292 yards and three scores for the Rams (2-1). The Titans are 1-2.

-- Miami 27, Carolina 24: Rookie Ronnie Brown rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown for the Dolphins (2-1). Steve Smith caught 11 passes for 170 yards and three scores for Carolina (1-2).

-- Jacksonville 26, New York Jets 20 (OT): The Jaguars (2-1) won on Byron Leftwich's 36-yard pass to Jimmy Smith in overtime. The Jets are 1-2.

-- Minnesota 33, New Orleans 16: Daunte Culpepper threw for 300 yards and three scores for Minnesota (1-2). The Saints fell to 1-2.

-- Philadelphia 23, Oakland 20: The Eagles (2-1) won on David Akers' 23-yard field goal with nine seconds to play. Kerry Collins threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns for Oakland (0-3).

©2005 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved.

NFL injuries contributed to Long death

JOE MANDAK

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - Former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Terry Long died from a brain inflammation that resulted, in part, from repeated head injuries suffered while playing football.

Long, 45, died at UPMC Passavant Hospital on June 7, a few hours after paramedics found him unconscious at his home. An autopsy was inconclusive, but subsequent tests on tissues and fluids taken from Long's body yielded the findings released Tuesday.

Long died of an inflammation of the lining of the brain, said Joseph Dominick, chief deputy coroner in Allegheny County. A contributing factor was "chronic traumatic encephalopathy" - also known as dementia pugilistica - a condition most often seen among career boxers.

"He wasn't a boxer, but that's a general term that we would use to denote changes in the brain of a degenerative nature," coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht said. "They can be from one intensely traumatic injury, or they can be from repetitive and cumulative injuries, which is what we believe happened here." - NFL Football -

Wecht's autopsy report said Long's brain suffered "repeated mild traumatic injury while playing football." Those repeated injuries made Long's brain more susceptible to meningitis, which can sometimes also be caused by an infection, but Wecht said that wasn't the case with Long.

"We now have partial closure on Terry's tragic death and demise," Mark Rush, his former business attorney and friend, said of the autopsy findings. "It certainly saddened me to learn that football, a sport Terry loved, possibly contributed to his death." - NFL Football -

Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett declined comment on the findings, which come two years after at least three manufacturers introduced new helmets in the NFL and college football designed to guard against concussions. The new helmets came in response to published studies showing players who had one concussion were more susceptible to others.

Wecht has done research in that area, and has jointly published a case study of Mike Webster, a former Steelers center and Hall of Famer who was diagnosed with football-induced dementia before he died in September 2002 at age 50.

Webster died of heart problems, but a federal judge earlier this year ruled the NFL should pay his estate disability benefits for football-related head injuries. - NFL Football -

"I'm not suggesting for one moment that we stop professional football. If I said that, I better leave the country," Wecht said. "I think more attention should be paid by scientists and biomechanical engineers in coming up with a better helmet."

Long started at right guard for the Steelers from 1984-91, when he attempted suicide with rat poison after he was suspended for violating the NFL's steroid policy. Long later rejoined the team, but didn't re-sign after that season.

Long had no children and was living alone after separating from his second wife in the months before he died. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in March on charges he fraudulently obtained loans for a chicken-processing plant which prosecutors allege he burned to the ground for the insurance money in September 2003. - NFL Football -

Long was awaiting trial when he died.