December 27, 2008 01:18 am New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi is expected to sit out again tomorrow against Buffalo because of a knee injury, and defensive end Richard Seymour is questionable with a sore back. Bruschi was listed as out on the injury report, putting him on the sideline for the third straight game. Seymour, who has played every game this season, hasn't practiced all week. Other starters listed as questionable were defensive backs James Sanders (abdomen) and Lewis Sanders (groin) and defensive tackle Ty Warren (groin). Two backups, offensive tackle Billy Yates and safety Ray Ventrone, were listed as out. Pro football: Singletary won't say if Martz will return to 49ers Mike Singletary was noncommittal when the San Francisco 49ers' interim coach was asked whether offensive coordinator Mike Martz would return to the club with him next season. Singletary, 4-4 since taking over the 49ers (6-9) from fired coach Mike Nolan on Oct. 20, is widely expected to get the permanent job early next week. He met with club officials Monday to outline his plans for the future, but it seems unlikely that they include Martz, the former St. Louis head coach who has done fairly solid work in his first season as the 49ers' coordinator. Singletary has been outspoken in his desire for a powerful, run-based offense, which probably runs counter to the pass-happy Martz's strengths. More pro football: Job security not an issue for Jets' Mangini Eric Mangini realizes he's not winning many popularity contests these days. With the New York Jets struggling down the stretch and on the outside of the playoff picture, frustrated fans are flooding sports talk shows and message boards with heavy criticism of the coach. "It's inherent with what we do," Mangini said. "It's part of what we do. I appreciate that. It's not anything that's a surprise in terms of analysis, discussing the team and all the things related to the team. That's usually how it goes. I appreciate the fans' passion and interests. I get that. "What I'm trying to do and what we're always trying to do is moving forward and beat the next opponent. That's what we focus on." ... Chicago Bears safety Mike Brown will miss the rest of the season due to a calf injury, leaving the defense without one of its emotional leaders heading into tomorrow's game at Houston that could decide whether they make the playoffs. It's the fourth trip in five years to injured reserve for Brown, who left the game against Green Bay on Monday night. Pro basketball: Lakers-Celtics earns highest rating in four years The Christmas Day game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics was the highest rated regular-season NBA game in four years. The rematch of last season's NBA finals earned a 5.3 fast national rating on ABC, the network said. The rating for the Lakers' 92-83 victory, which snapped Boston's 19-game winning streak, was 51 percent higher than the 3.5 mark for last year's late Christmas game between the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. College football: Army hires Cal Poly's Ellerson as coach Army filled its football coaching vacancy by heeding a core West Point value: History matters. Rich Ellerson grew up around Black Knights football and is leaving his coaching job at Cal Poly to come to a place he knows well. His father and two brothers graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, where brother John led the 1962 team to a 6-4 record. And he's worked before with former Army coaches known for running successful schemes on both sides of the ball. Horse racing: Jockey dies five days after thrown from horse Jockey Sam Thompson Jr. died Christmas Day, five days after he was thrown from a quarter horse following a race at Los Alamitos. The 36-year-old rider had been on life support at Los Alamitos Medical Center since the Dec. 20 accident. Thompson's family had him taken off life support Thursday, medical center spokesman Orlando Gutierrez said.
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