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ASHBURN, Va. 403 Forbidden . - It was a subtle change that maybe made a difference. With Robert Griffin III wearing a wristband for the first time, the Washington Redskins ended a six-game skid.It made sense, given that coach Jay Gruden has been trying to get Griffin to play with a better tempo all season.We just wanted to experiment a little bit, Gruden said Tuesday. We have some calls that are a little bit wordy, and we just put about five or six runs on there and a couple of play-action plays and a couple of dropbacks, and maybe speed up the process. Maybe for third down where you say, No. 5, he can look at it and read it.Griffin wore the plays on his left wrist — it wasnt easy to spot, given how it meshed with his white long-sleeve undershirt — during Saturdays 27-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.In-game communication hasnt been ideal all season under the first-year coach, no matter which quarterback has been playing. The Redskins lead the NFL with eight offensive delay-of-game penalties. The New England Patriots, incidentally, have zero.On Saturday, the Redskins were flagged for running out the play clock just once, although that one was particularly stupefying because it came after the game had been stopped for an injury.Still, overall, Griffin and the offence appeared to have their act together better than in previous games. The wristband can be credited with playing a minor supporting role.Everybody wears a wristband around the league, mostly, said Griffin, who said he also wore one in high school. But it can help speed up the communication process between the coaches and quarterback, and get you in a better tempo as an offence. Its something they wanted to experiment with, and we used it a couple of times, and there was no problems.Gruden said hell probably expand the number of plays on the list for Sundays season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.Of course, the wristband only helps if the coach actually uses it. As he learned during the Eagles game, its an adjustment calling out numbers instead of plays.I think towards the middle of the game we ended up just calling (the plays) anyway, Gruden said. It was kind of hard to find the numbers and all that. But there is some merit to it, no question.The win has calmed the Gruden-Griffin waters, at least for a week. Gruden said hes still getting a feel for his quarterback, in part because Griffin missed six games with a dislocated ankle. Griffin said Saturdays game was another chance to sharpen up his technique and other fundamentals that Gruden has continually preached.To be honest with you, were still getting to know one another, what hes good at, what he likes, what hes comfortable with, Gruden said. He did a good job in training camp. He does a good job as far as knowing the football plays, (but) you really dont get a chance to see what hes comfortable with until you call them on game day.After the game, Gruden said: Winning football games is the only thing that matters to me for a quarterback. Asked if that was fair, Griffin didnt want to get into such analysis.Jay is the head coach, hes going to make decisions and do things a certain way, Griffin said. My job is not to try to play that mental mind game. Its to go out and try to lead this team to victory.NOTES: LB Trent Murphy was placed on injured reserve with a broken bone in his right hand, the 12th Redskins player to go on season-ending IR. OL Rishaw Johnson was signed from the New York Giants practice squad. ... The Redskins rearranged their schedule and practiced Tuesday so that they could be off on Christmas Day.___AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP 403 Forbidden . -- Aaron Rodgers isnt out for revenge in Green Bays season opener. 403 Forbidden . The last team in the NBA that will have any sympathy for the Thunder is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are showing signs of putting everything together after two years of devastating injuries. 403 Forbidden . Joining him in this years class were Switzerlands Patrick Huerlimann and Norways Eigil Ramsfjell. The announcement was made at the world mens curling championship at Capital Indoor Stadium in China.NEW ORLEANS -- Staggered by a shoulder pad to the head and ripped down by a forearm hit across the neck, Drew Brees was crumpled on the turf with blood on his chin. Yet the vicious sack by San Franciscos Ahmad Brooks also drew a flag that cancelled out Brees lost fumble with 3:12 left and gave the Saints prolific quarterback one chance too many. Brees guided New Orleans to two late Garrett Hartley field goals -- the second as time expired -- and the Saints upended the 49ers 23-20 on Sunday. "All I remember is just getting clothes-lined in the chin and as Im on the ground, Im saying, Thats got to be a flag," Brees said. "One of my teammates kind of picked me up and said, Are you all right? and he said, Dont worry, theres a flag. "I said, All right, good. Just took a moment, and youve got to get ready to go." The Superdome crowd grumbled each time the Saints settled for high-pressure field goals in the fourth quarter, apparently nervous that Hartley, whod missed four of six attempts in the previous three games, would slip up again. Instead, Hartley made all three of his field goal attempts in the final quarter to wipe out New Orleans 20-14 deficit. His 42-yarder with 2:06 left tied it. His game-winner was from 31 yards. He also hit from 21 yards earlier. "This team and this coaching staff and this organization never took their foot off the gas with me and here we are sitting at 8-2 and getting ready for Atlanta," Hartley said. The Saints trailed 20-17 when Brooks levelled Brees. The Niners protested the resulting flag vigorously. "It was very frustrating. The game could have gone a totally different direction than what it went," Brooks said. "I was just mad because that was a big play in the game. We lost, and thats probably the reason why." The Saints (8-2) improved to 6-0 at home despite three turnovers and a failed fourth down conversion. "Youre going to have games like this," Brees said. "You still find way to win against a playoff-calibre opponent with a lot at stake at this point in the season. That says a lot." The victory guaranteed the Saints would remain at least a game ahead of Carolina -- which plays Monday night -- for first place in the NFC South. It also kept New Orleans one game in the loss column behind top NFC seed Seattle (10-1). Marques Colston finished with five catches for 80 yards to become the Saints all-time leader in yards receiving with 7,923, passing Eric Martins two-decade-old mark of 7,854. "Its definitely an awesome accomplishment,&quuot; said Colston, a 2006 seventh-round draft choice out of Hofstra. 403 Forbidden. "It had a lot to do with some of the guys in this locker room and this coaching staff, but were in the midst of something a lot more meaningful right now." Colin Kaepernick passed for two scores, but finished with only 127 yards and was sacked three times as the Niners (6-4) lost their second straight. "The greater the challenge, the greater the glory," Niners coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Thats the way I look at it. Im proud of our guys for the way they fight, and if we continue to do that, were going to win a lot of games." The Saints defence, one of the worst in NFL history a year ago, played well enough to keep the Saints within striking distance despite what appeared to be a number of seemingly costly mistakes. Junior Galettes sack helped stall the Niners last drive. Niners running back Frank Gore managed only 48 yards on 13 carries. Kaepernick completed 17 of 31 passes and scrambled three times for 25 yards. His last run was a 16-yarder on third-and-long that came up 3 yards short of a first down with less than two minutes to go. Brees completed quick three passes on his final series: a 9-yarder to Graham, the 20-yarder to Colston and then another 12-yarder to Graham. Brees finished 30 of 43 for 305 yards and one touchdown, a 3-yard connection with rookie tight end Josh Hill. That was enough to overcome New Orleans turnovers, which began with Lance Moores muffed fair catch, setting up an 11-yard touchdown drive capped by Kaepernicks pass to Anquan Boldin. Boldin was covered by Corey White, whod come in after what appeared to be a serious left leg injury to Jabari Greer. White briefly made up for it with a diving interception, but when he tried to run for a score, he fumbled the ball through the end zone for a touchback. The Niners then drove for Phil Dawsons 55-yard field goal, which gave them a 10-7 lead. New Orleans regained the lead at 14-10, thanks to Travaris Cadets 82-yard kickoff return, which set up Jed Collins 1-yard touchdown run. But in the third quarter, Brees, scrambling right, tried to lob a pass to Graham, only to have Brooks leap up and tip the ball to himself for an interception he returned to the Saints 22. Soon after, Vernon Davis 17-yard TD catch made it 17-14. NOTES: Injuries forced 49ers CB Tarell Brown (ribs) and Niners LG Mike Iupati (knee) from the game. ... Colston also now has 7,930 career yards from scrimmage, breaking Martins record of 7,865. NFL Jerseys China cheap jerseys ' ' '