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HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The congratulatory messages started rolling in long before Jimmie Johnson had finished his obligatory championship photos. Larry Bird. Mia Hamm. Michael Phelps. Mario Andretti. Drew Brees. The Chicago Cubs.The list of dignitaries -- and the friends and neighbors who toilet-papered his North Carolina home overnight -- shows just how significant this latest milestone is for Johnson.Greatest of all time? Maybe. He certainly deserves to be in the conversation.Johnson joined Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as the only drivers in NASCAR to win seven titles with a race-winning run Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His record-tying championship came in a bizarre year for Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team, and on a day that did not belong to the iconic No. 48 Chevrolet until the final lap of the race.Hendrick Motorsports was not good this year, and never found the speed to match Joe Gibbs Racing and its fleet of Toyotas. Johnson, for most of the season, was never even mentioned as a title contender.The organization buckled down, improved its cars and got Johnson in position to race for his seventh title.Then he did the rest.When Carl Edwards wrecked Sunday night to essentially lose the championship, Johnson charged through the melee and found himself suddenly leading the two remaining title contenders. On a night when hed started last -- his team was found to have manipulated the body of his car after it had passed inspection -- and clearly wasnt as good as the other three contenders, he had somehow lucked into the lead.He still had to earn the win, though, and did it with the restart of his life to hold off Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. He led one lap and it was the one that mattered.He is probably the most underrated champion in this sport, said his crew chief, Chad Knaus. He is a fantastic, fantastic individual, an amazing race car driver. Most people in the situation we were in just in would crumble. He didnt even waver. He knew what he needed to do. He knew what the demands were on him at that point in time, and he made it happen.Weve got a great team. Weve got a great owner. Weve got a great everything at Hendrick Motorsports. But the fact of the matter is the real spark in this whole thing is Jimmie.A fatigue perhaps set in when Johnson reeled off five consecutive titles. Fans didnt seem to appreciate his dominance, certainly not the way they revered Petty or Earnhardt.Almost each Johnson championship was met with a collective yawn, when they should have been celebrated for their unique achievement.Johnson, at 41, is the youngest driver to win seven. Petty was 42 when he did it in 1979, while Earnhardt was 43 in 1994. He also collected his seven titles in a 10-year span. Earnhardt needed 14 years to do it, while Petty did it in 15 seasons.Johnsons 80 career victories rank seventh all time, one spot ahead of Earnhardt.I think the five in a row was pretty phenomenal, and I think winning seven and tying seven is pretty special, said team owner Rick Hendrick. Its special to see him tie those guys. I think its good for the sport, and I think it draws a lot of attention to our sport. We had Gatorade, had a lot of guys like Peyton Manning telling him how neat it was, and Serena Williams. I think its going to be a big shot in the arm for not only Jimmie but our sport.Johnson will likely add to his totals. With retirement still a ways off, he has a chance to win eight titles, and as he drank a beer and ate a slice of cold pizza in a champagne-soaked firesuit, he was already being asked about the possibility of eight.I dont know what the chances are, but lets go, he said. Im so excited to put that in front of myself and the team has a hurdle to get over and an accomplishment to achieve. I had a lot of fun racing for the sixth. This one and the calm nature and the way we went about business and got it done only gives me more confidence for the future.I honestly feel like Im playing with house money. I never aspired to be famous. I never aspired to be a champion. I just wanted to race. I think it makes us really dangerous, and I look forward to the challenge of trying to get number eight.---More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.org . Paul George Shoes From China . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Paul George Shoes Outlet . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. https://www.cheappaulgeorgeshoes.com/ . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Clearance Paul George Shoes . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. Paul George Shoes For Sale .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Jared Goff is ready to show the Los Angeles Rams he was worth the wait.Goff will make his NFL debut Sunday when the No. 1 pick faces the Miami Dolphins as the Rams starting quarterback.I think its time, Goff said after practice Tuesday. Im ready to move forward and play. Im just going to work hard and hopefully win.Goff watched the first nine games of his rookie season on the sideline for the Rams, who have scored an NFL-worst 15.4 points per game with one of the leagues least productive offenses.Veteran Case Keenum has started every game, passing for 2,169 yards with 11 interceptions and nine TDs.Goff will debut in front of his home fans at the Coliseum, where Rams fans frustrated by a dismal offensive season chanted We want Goff! two weeks ago during a loss to Carolina.Were expecting him to play well and win games for us, so its an exciting time for us, Rams coach Jeff Fisher said.After weeks of increasing scrutiny on the offenses struggles, Fisher finally decided to see what theyve got in Goff. Los Angeles couldnt score a touchdown in last weekends 9-6 victory over the New York Jets, failing to reach the end zone for the third time in nine games.Los Angeles traded several high draft picks to Tennessee in April to move up to draft Goff, hoping to solve years of underperformance at the NFLs most important position. The Rams also traded up to make a splash in their return to Los Angeles after a 21-year sojourn in St. Louis, where they hadnt made the playoffs since 2004 or had a winning record since 2003.But after Goff didnt beat out Keenum for the job in the preseason, Fisher repeatedly declined to promote the rookie over the past two months even while his offense struggled on almost a weekly basis, saying he wanted Goff to be in an ideal position to succeed.Its increasingly clear that the Rams offense doesnt provide an optimal opportunity for any quarterback, but at least Goff will now be learning on the job.It wasnt a spontaneous decision, Fisher said. It was a progression. Its a gut feel. Its not an easy thing. It takes time, and we gave it time, and it was the right decision. Were looking forward to watching him play. ... Hes going to have some moments, like all young quarterbacks do, but hes going to do welll.ddddddddddddThe Rams offense is 31st in the NFL with just 308.0 yards per game. Their passing game is ranked 25th with 225.4 yards per game, increasing in recent weeks because of Los Angeles profound struggles running the ball.The Coliseum crowd has been eager for a change, booing the offense and chanting for the rookie while the Rams struggled through a 13-10 loss to Carolina two weeks ago. Los Angeles couldnt score against the Panthers until midway through the fourth quarter.The Rams then failed to reach the end zone against the Jets, but the defense carried them to their first win since early October.Fisher had finally seen enough on the field -- and from Goff in practice -- to warrant the inevitable change.It feels like a long time since Ive got out there and played, Goff said. Im excited to get back out there. ... I saw a lot of stuff from the sidelines, as much as you can see during games, and learned from a lot of the things Case did, good and bad. Its been a long process, I guess, trying to pick up everything and get ready for it. I think I have, and I think Ive been ready for a little while. I feel good, and I feel excited.Goff, who turned 22 last month, was a three-year starter at California in a spread offense bearing little resemblance to the Rams more pro-style schemes. That additional learning curve persuaded the Rams to be patient, but Keenum has struggled along with the Los Angeles offense, repeatedly failing to make big plays in important situations.The veteran has thrown eight interceptions and five TD passes over the past five games for the Rams, who endured a four-game skid before last weekends win.Goff will get his first shot against the Dolphins, who have the NFLs ninth-ranked passing defense with potent pass-rushers Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake, who have combined for 12 sacks.Goff is the first quarterback chosen with the top pick who didnt start his teams opener since JaMarcus Russell in 2007. Since then, Matt Stafford, Sam Bradford, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Jameis Winston had all started their teams first games.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '