PREVIEW-NFL-49ers' Kaepernick move gets test against Packers

Jan 10 (Reuters) - A bold mid-season quarterback change will get a high-profile test when Colin Kaepernick leads the San Francisco 49ers against Aaron Rodgers and the visiting Green Bay Packers in the NFL playoffs on Saturday.
Kaepernick replaced signal caller Alex Smith, after the former top draft pick came out with a concussion in Week 10 and San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh decided to make the switch permanent, putting his faith in the second-year player.
A playoff baptism under fire awaits 25-year-old Kaepernick, who makes his National Football League postseason debut against reigning NFL most valuable player Rodgers, who two years ago led the Packers to the Super Bowl title.
Kaepernick, like some of the other new breed of quarterbacks that have hit the NFL, features running skills that have made him the 49ers' second-leading rusher with 415 yards and a 6.6 yards-per-carry average that includes five rushing touchdowns. He has also thrown for 10 scores.
"He's improved in all phases. Not dramatically because I think he was good to start with," Harbaugh said of Kaepernick.
Smith, who helped take the Niners into overtime of the NFC title game last season, was playing at a high level when he was sidelined but the 28-year-old top pick of the 2005 Draft does not have the arm strength or running speed of Kaepernick, who went 5-2 after taking over as starter.
The teams met in their season opener with San Francisco (11-4-1) prevailing 30-22 over the Packers (12-5) in Green Bay, but that was with Smith calling the plays.
ODD TWIST
In an odd twist, the two quarterbacks grew up rooting for the teams they will be facing for a berth in the NFC title game.
Rodgers grew up in Chico, California, about three hours northeast of San Francisco and has never played a regular season game or playoff contest in the City by the Bay.
"A lot of good memories growing up watching Steve Young and Joe Montana on TV and the Super Bowl wins," Rodgers told reporters. "Being a 49er fan, that was a team I enjoyed watching and dreamt about playing for."
Kaepernick, who was born in Wisconsin before his immediate family moved to California, said he grew up a Packers fan.
"They were the only team I watched. I remember growing up watching Brett Favre every Sunday. He was just a playmaker. He wasn't afraid to take chances," Kaepernick said.
While Green Bay boasts a more explosive aerial attack, the 49ers boast one of the most fierce defenses in the league.
"It's one of the top defenses in the league, if not the best," said Rodgers, who threw for 39 touchdowns and just eight interceptions during the regular season.
"A lot of play makers all over the field at every level. They make a lot of plays on the football, fly to the football, tackle well, get after the passer.
"It's a big-time defense.

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49ers' Kaepernick move gets test against Packers

(Reuters) - A bold mid-season quarterback change will get a high-profile test when Colin Kaepernick leads the San Francisco 49ers against Aaron Rodgers and the visiting Green Bay Packers in the NFL playoffs on Saturday.
Kaepernick replaced signal caller Alex Smith, after the former top draft pick came out with a concussion in Week 10 and San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh decided to make the switch permanent, putting his faith in the second-year player.
A playoff baptism under fire awaits 25-year-old Kaepernick, who makes his National Football League postseason debut against reigning NFL most valuable player Rodgers, who two years ago led the Packers to the Super Bowl title.
Kaepernick, like some of the other new breed of quarterbacks that have hit the NFL, features running skills that have made him the 49ers' second-leading rusher with 415 yards and a 6.6 yards-per-carry average that includes five rushing touchdowns. He has also thrown for 10 scores.
"He's improved in all phases. Not dramatically because I think he was good to start with," Harbaugh said of Kaepernick.
Smith, who helped take the Niners into overtime of the NFC title game last season, was playing at a high level when he was sidelined but the 28-year-old top pick of the 2005 Draft does not have the arm strength or running speed of Kaepernick, who went 5-2 after taking over as starter.
The teams met in their season opener with San Francisco (11-4-1) prevailing 30-22 over the Packers (12-5) in Green Bay, but that was with Smith calling the plays.
ODD TWIST
In an odd twist, the two quarterbacks grew up rooting for the teams they will be facing for a berth in the NFC title game.
Rodgers grew up in Chico, California, about three hours northeast of San Francisco and has never played a regular season game or playoff contest in the City by the Bay.
"A lot of good memories growing up watching Steve Young and Joe Montana on TV and the Super Bowl wins," Rodgers told reporters. "Being a 49er fan, that was a team I enjoyed watching and dreamt about playing for."
Kaepernick, who was born in Wisconsin before his immediate family moved to California, said he grew up a Packers fan.
"They were the only team I watched. I remember growing up watching Brett Favre every Sunday. He was just a playmaker. He wasn't afraid to take chances," Kaepernick said.
While Green Bay boasts a more explosive aerial attack, the 49ers boast one of the most fierce defenses in the league.
"It's one of the top defenses in the league, if not the best," said Rodgers, who threw for 39 touchdowns and just eight interceptions during the regular season.
"A lot of play makers all over the field at every level. They make a lot of plays on the football, fly to the football, tackle well, get after the passer.
"It's a big-time defense."

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AP Sources: Browns meet 2nd time with Whisenhunt

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns are taking a second look at former Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, who could rejoin Cleveland following a stint as an assistant 14 years ago.
Two people familiar with the meeting said Whisenhunt had a second interview with the Browns on Thursday.
Whisenhunt, recently fired after six seasons with the Cardinals, visited the Browns away from their headquarters in Berea, Ohio, said one person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the search.
The team met with Whisenhunt last week in Arizona, where Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner are known to have conducted interviews with at least four other candidates. Whisenhunt went 45-51 in six regular seasons — he was 4-2 in the playoffs — and led the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance.
The Browns are expected to interview Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. The Colts granted permission for the Browns to speak with Arians, who was released from the hospital on Wednesday after being treated for an inner ear infection that forced him to miss last week's playoff loss in Baltimore.
Already during the second week of their search, the Browns have interviewed Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman, Carolina offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. The team will not comment on any interview or candidates until they have an agreement with the 14th coach in team history.
The Plain Dealer was first to report Whisenhunt's visit.
A second interview would seem to indicate a strong interest in Whisenhunt, a former NFL tight end who worked as a special teams coach with Cleveland in 1999 — the Browns' expansion rebirth. He's the first candidate known to have a second interview with the Browns, who fired Pat Shurmur one day after completing a 5-11 season — their fifth straight with at least 11 losses.
The Cardinals also let Whisenhunt go on Black Monday, Dec. 31, cutting ties with the winningest coach in franchise history and the one who helped resurrected a sad-sack franchise.
Arizona started this season 4-0, but the Cardinals lost 11 of their last 12 and finished with the NFL's lowest-ranked offense.
Included in that season-ending slide, Arizona was shut out 58-0 by Seattle. Afterward, Whisenhunt apologized "to our fans and everyone associated with our organization. That was embarrassing."
The Cardinals have only had three winning seasons in 28 years, and two came under Whisenhunt, who had one year left on a $5.5 million contract when he was fired.
Whisenhunt spent six seasons as an assistant in Pittsburgh, the final three as offensive coordinator under Bill Cowher before he was hired by the Cardinals.
He inherited a team given little chance to compete and turned them into a .500 squad in his first season. The next year, with Kurt Warner at quarterback, the Cardinals made an unexpected run to the Super Bowl, where they lost a 27-23 thriller to the Steelers.
Arizona won a franchise-record 10 games the next season and beat Green Bay 51-45 in an overtime playoff classic. But the Cardinals were routed the next week by New Orleans and Warner retired.
Warner's departure began Whisenhunt's slide in the desert. The Cardinals went 5-11 in 2010 and 8-8 in 2011.
As a former minority owner with Pittsburgh, Haslam is very familiar with Whisenhunt, who would come in with an understanding of the AFC North.
Last week in Arizona, the Browns interviewed Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton, Oregon coach Chip Kelly, Syracuse's Doug Marrone and Penn State's Bill O'Brien.
Kelly was once thought to be the top name on Cleveland's list, but the club backed off because he seemed uncertain about jumping to the NFL. Marrone was hired by Buffalo and O'Brien, the Big Ten's coach of the year, returned for a second year with the Nittany Lions.

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LG kicks off CES with 55-inch 'ultra-HD' TV

LAS VEGAS (AP) — LG unveiled a 55-inch TV that sports "ultrahigh-definition" resolution with four times the sharpness of regular HD television sets, kicking off what is likely to be a mini-obsession with the latest super-clear format at the annual International CES gadget show.
The model announced Monday is the smallest in a 2013 lineup that includes 65-inch and 84-inch versions. But the smaller size — and smaller price tag — begins the parade of TV makers that are seeking to bring ultrahigh definition to the masses.
Also known as "4K," ultrahigh-definition screens are 3,840 pixels wide and 2,160 pixels tall, or more than 8 million in all. The higher resolution will let TV screens get larger without degrading picture quality, though initially the price tag will limit those sets to technology's early adopters.
LG said the 55-inch and 65-inch versions will be available later this year in the U.S. No price was announced, but it will be less than $10,000. The 84-inch version that went on sale late last year cost $20,000.
For a few years, though, there won't likely be a mainstream standard for getting native ultra-HD movies and TV shows to the screen either by disc or broadcast.
LG Electronics Inc. said these new TVs will have upscaling technology that takes images of lesser quality and renders them in high detail. The Korean electronics maker also said it has formed an ultra-HD content agreement with Korea's top broadcaster, KBS, and is seeking out deals with other global content providers. The company offered no specifics.
LG said that with an ultra-HD TV, it will be possible to play phone games with very sharp resolution and in 3-D. The company said it has been possible to hook up smartphones to the TV to play games with current sets, but the resolution isn't good.
Along with the lineup of higher-resolution TVs, LG unveiled a new Magic Remote, which acts like a wand that is sensitive to motion and is used to navigate on-screen menus. LG said the new model responds better to natural speech and can be controlled with a single finger rather than "very tiring arm gestures." It also lets you change the channels by writing numbers in the air.
The company also touted the ability to tap different devices so they can share data. With that capability, you'd be able to see what's inside your refrigerator while shopping, and you'd be able to monitor how clean your house is getting with cameras on a robotic vacuum. Washing machines will also have such capabilities.
Also at the gadget show, rival Sharp Corp. introduced two super-clear TVs and one ultra-HD computer monitor. The 32-inch monitor uses Sharp's IGZO technology, based on a semiconductor material called indium gallium zinc oxide. The monitor, planned for launch in February, responds to 10 points of contact at once — one for each finger.

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Sleek new Sony Xperia Z phablet leaks ahead of CES debut

Sony’s (SNE) CES 2013 press conference is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday evening, but one of the stars of the show is anything but a mystery. Press images and even a full review of Sony’s upcoming Xperia Z phablet already hit the Internet last month, and now a fresh round of leaked images has been published by Chinese gadget site Digi-wo.com. Xperia Z spec highlights include a 1080p HD display, a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a microSD slot and a 13-megapixel camera, and Sony is expected to announce launch details during Monday night’s event.

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Samsung Says It's Making More Money Than Apple, Now

Riding the wave of gadget goodness from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Samsung released a pretty impressive set of fourth quarter earnings estimates, including a record high profit. The South Korean electronics manufacturer says that it will make $8.3 billion in profits on $52.7 billion in revenue. That's a shade better than Apple's own record high profit of $8.2 billion on just $32 billion. Now, we could all day about the devilish details in the earnings reports and differences between the two companies revenue streams, but one things is brutally clear: Samsung is making more money than Apple, now. At least if its estimates are correct, they are.
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Tim Cook and company can't be thrilled about this news. Apple's very publicly struggled with Samsung's roaring success in the smartphone business, so much so that it has peppered its competitor with patent litigation lawsuits around the world in an attempt to get its products pulled from shelves. Though Apple won a big decision in the United States last fall, Samsung's been doing pretty well in the appeals process, and it's increasingly looking like Apple will not have its ban.
RELATED: These Are the Samsung Products Apple Wants Banned
Meanwhile, Samsung is still knocking the socks off of consumers. Just hours before releasing the glowing Q4 earnings estimates, the company pulled back the curtain on some pretty mind-boggling new TVs that will probably cost as much as a car but also shows that they're on the right side of the innovation curve. That would be the lucrative side.

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Wall Street rises after Alcoa reports earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, rebounding from two days of losses, as investors turned their focus to the first prominent results of the earnings season.
Stocks had retreated at the start of the week from the S&P 500's highest point in five years, hit last Friday, on worries about possible earnings weakness.
Shares of Alcoa Inc were down 0.5 percent to $9.08 after early gains, following the company's earnings release after the bell on Tuesday. The largest U.S. aluminum producer said it expects global demand for aluminum to grow in 2013.
Herbalife Ltd stock rose 4.2 percent to $39.95 in its most active day of trading in the company's history after hedge fund manager Dan Loeb took a large stake in the nutritional supplements seller. Prominent short-seller Bill Ackman had previously accused the company of being a "pyramid scheme," which Herbalife has denied.
Traders have been cautious as the current quarter shaped up like the previous one, with companies recently lowering expectations, said James Dailey, portfolio manager of Team Asset Strategy Fund in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Lower expectations leave room for companies to surprise investors even if their results are not particularly strong.
"The big question and focus is on revenue, and Alcoa had better-than-expected revenue," which calmed the market a little, Dailey said.
Overall, corporate profits were expected to beat the previous quarter's meager 0.1 percent rise. Both earnings and revenues in the fourth quarter are expected to have grown by 1.9 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 61.66 points, or 0.46 percent, to 13,390.51. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 3.87 points, or 0.27 percent, to 1,461.02. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 14.00 points, or 0.45 percent, to 3,105.81.
Facebook Inc shares rose above $30 for the first time since July 2012, trading up 5.3 percent at $30.59. Facebook, which has been tight-lipped about its plans after its botched IPO in May, invited the media to its headquarters next week.
Clearwire Corp shares jumped 7.2 percent to $3.13 after Dish Network bid $2.28 billion for the company, beating out a previous Sprint offer and setting the stage for a takeover battle for the wireless service provider that owns crucial mobile spectrum.
Apollo Group Inc slid after heavier early losses, a day after it reported lower student sign-ups for the third straight quarter and cut its operating profit outlook for 2013. Apollo's shares were last off 7.8 percent at $19.32.
Volume was below the 2012 average of 6.42 billion shares traded per day, as 6.10 billion were traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and Nasdaq.
Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by 2,014 to 963, while on the Nasdaq advancers beat decliners 1,603 to 859.

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News Summary: Report says SEC probes Herbalife

SEC SEEKERS: The Wall Street Journal reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a probe into Herbalife Ltd. The newspaper cited an unnamed person close to the inquiry.
TIP OF THE PYRAMID? Herbalife has been facing investor questions about its business model. Last month, Pershing Square Capital Management's William Ackman said he was shorting the stock for several months after concluding that the company is a pyramid scheme.
APPEAL TO ANALYSTS: Herbalife vehemently denies that it is a pyramid scheme. It plans to meet with analysts and investors Thursday to discuss its business model.

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Asia stocks rise on positive start to US earnings

BANGKOK (AP) — A positive start to U.S. corporate earnings season helped boost Asian stock markets Thursday.
Major regional benchmarks rose on the heels of a handful of better-than-expected results that also lifted Wall Street.
Consumer products maker Helen of Troy, whose brands include Dr. Scholl's and Vidal Sassoon, reported a 15 percent profit increase. Electronic payments processor Global Payments said its fiscal second-quarter earnings rose nearly 15 percent, beating Wall Street expectations.
After markets closed Tuesday, Alcoa Inc. predicted rising demand for its aluminum this year and topped revenue expectations for the fourth quarter. Earlier in the day, agricultural products giant Monsanto said its profit tripled and raised its guidance for 2013.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.9 percent to 10,677.74. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1 percent to 23,439.46. South Korea's Kospi added 0.7 percent to 2,005.39 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.4 percent to 4,725.80.
The European Central Bank will meet later Thursday to set monetary policy for the 17 countries that use the euro. It is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the record low of 0.75 percent even though the eurozone economy as a whole is back in recession. Investors are also awaiting the release in the U.S. of weekly jobless claims.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.5 percent to close at 13,390.51 on Wednesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 0.3 percent to 1,461.02. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.5 percent to 3,105.81.
Benchmark crude oil contract for February delivery was up 33 cents to $93.44 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 5 cents to close at $93.10 per barrel on the Nymex on Wednesday.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3047 from $1.3053 while the dollar rose to 88.05 yen from 87.75 yen.

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Play or Sit: the coaches' quandary

FL wild card playoff football game …more
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Washington Redskins quarterback …
NEW YORK (AP) — At some point, an injured player, even a star like Robert Griffin III, is too hampered to help a team. Deciding when enough is enough is the problem.
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan became the target of widespread criticism after Griffin reinjured his right knee in Sunday's 24-14 wild-card loss to Seattle. The questions have ranged from whether Shanahan made his sensational rookie's health his No. 1 priority to whether the protocol for dealing with injuries was followed.
Coaches who have been in such tricky situations say the solutions aren't complicated.
"You have to rely on the doctors, the health always has to come first," said Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy. "If the doctor says he can go or he can't go, you don't argue, there's not even a discussion.
"If the doctors say, 'Here are the limitations, he can go,' then you have to judge for yourself. How is he mentally? How limited is he physically?"
Dungy recalls many times when players wanted to go and he had to say no. While coaching the Buccaneers, Dungy told Warren Sapp he wouldn't be suiting up for a national TV game against Miami because Sapp had cracked a bone in his hand.
Sapp wanted to wear a splint, but team doctors said it was too soon for him to play.
"Warren was upset," Dungy said.
"If you ask the player, it means nothing. It's rare a player will tell you he can't do this or this or that."
Shanahan said Monday that Griffin will see renowned orthopedist James Andrews for more examinations on the knee, leaving open the possibility the quarterback will be sidelined for a lengthy period.
Shanahan added he thought he made the "right decisions" and it would be "crazy" to think he would purposely sacrifice Griffin's career to win a game.
But Shanahan admitted he did not talk to team doctors initially after Griffin was hurt in the first quarter.
"I went up to Robert. I said, 'You OK?'" Shanahan said. "And he said, 'I'm fine.'"
Not exactly the way some coaches would have handled it.
"You never put a player in harm's way," said Herm Edwards, who defended how Shanahan handled the situation during his ESPN show.
"It starts with the medical staff on the sideline. They advise you if a player is able to go back in. If they say, 'Yea,' you put him back in. If he can play, you keep him on the field."
Players don't ever want to come out, and Dungy says some will even try to hide medical problems. Or at least minimize them.
San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis suffered a concussion on Dec. 23 at Seattle and returned to play in the season finale against Arizona. He admits to being a little "woozy" during his limited reps, but insists sitting should not have been the first option.
"You trust the player. A player knows his body better than anyone," Davis said. "If he's feeling a certain way, then I don't think you can go against that. He knows he can play."
But he could be placing himself in greater jeopardy, whether in the short term or for his entire career. For every Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles who makes a stunningly quick recovery, there are dozens of players who are never the same.
Some don't even get back in uniform again.
Or they come back too quickly, as Griffin's teammate, cornerback DeAngelo Hall, did in 2010.
Hall missed practice leading up to a game against the Colts. Usually, Shanahan bars players from suiting up when that happens, but Hall was allowed to play.
"I gave up a couple of touchdown passes," Hall said. "And Mike was just like, 'That's my fault, you shouldn't have been out there. I respect you wanted to be out there, but I could tell you just couldn't go.'
"You always want to be out there. It's nothing against the guys behind you, but just that competitiveness in you. You want to compete, you want to be a part of it, especially this run we've had.
"Man, it would have been hard for that guy (RG3) to say, 'Nah, coach I can't go' or 'pull me.' Everything was going so special, he wanted to be a part of it."
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