It is a well considered opinion that the best way out to make it as a game All games have rules to see. From traditional to professional games of all shades and colors, the rules are the basis for your enjoyment. The Dating Game is no exception. In fact, knowing the rules of nfl jerseys
seduction and the game is a conditio sine qua non of success in dating. These rules apply throughout the season and go beyond that and contribute significantly to the maintenance of dating and marriage, which could result from a relationship. It applies to young people who go for the purpose of socialization and the elderly who come for the purpose of marriage. These rules also apply to non-dating relationships apply, dating and marriage.
Learn and apply in other facets of life give the rules an advantage in situations involving relationships with others.
Rule 1: The independence and self-esteem worth your main concern in every respect - no matter what kind of relationship - is be yourself. This means you need to know what they want from life and relationship. They need love and respect themselves. You should know that you are satisfied a person with a potential for the best in life and not be ready for less. You see yourself the following questions before you take the bull by the horns, the data - I think, Who am I? What I want from this relationship? Where are my moral compass? How much do you love me? Would be a good idea, self-esteem and confidence measure and ensure that you are absolutely sure that no signal can be masked by the opposite sex attractive so confused. Rule 2: To create and provide a basis funThe goal of all games is to create and have fun. There is no reason the dating game would be different. If we try to make others happy, we are pleased us. Therefore, it is a rule that derived its twin advantages of a single act can. The law of reciprocity comes into play here. If you give, receive, usually two or ten times. The next time so you get an appointment, remember this rule and prepared in his mind on what you do, create fun for your partner, so that they can have fun. The success of any effort to rendezvous with the restriction that the pair had fun. If you plan to feel confident and your date while you are away happy, the better you feel. It should be noted, but the fun is not talking about adultery - sex.
Rule 3: Effective Communication Effective communication is the cornerstone of any relationship or not in connection with matters of the heart. Nowhere is this more important than in matters of the heart. In fact, loves the expiry date and the time to learn every aspect and application of New Orleans Saints jersey
this rule would be for it wisely. In effective communication, not only are required to communicate well, you are obliged to help you understand your partner. This could be a delicate challenge in life. Without effective communication, it would be difficult, friendship, trust, respect, love, understanding, etc., where the building blocks for basic relations are satisfied to find. It is a basic rule. The Achilles heel of this rule is sex before marriage. One way to learn and this rule must be applied to many questions in the meeting the deadline.
Rule 4: do not discuss DifferencesIt ready to communicate all the time or the ability to obey the rules give a good lap in a relationship are. There are times when communication is interrupted, even between two people that everything is good to think with their relationship. During storm seasons in a relationship increasingly the ability to calmly discuss the differences are very useful. Sometimes it is the only guarantee that the relationship continued. To work in these troubled waters of the relationship, the couple must be willing to lay all cards on the table and discuss their differences with respect to each other boundaries and individuality.
Rule 5: Increase your every relationship a relationship, and all relations, whether commercial, social, intimate, and even the marriage must eventually be encouraged to continue to be.
Continued recognition of the value of the consideration, mutuality and write all help each partner to show he is valued and appreciated and gives them the feeling that they have a place in your life. However, it should be noted that it is not sexual favors. In fact, sex before marriage would seriously jeopardize the relationship.
Rule 6: Do premarital SEXth reasons why you should avoid sex before marriage. If it does not feel it would be wise to note that this amounted to a breach of the rules of the game to love during courtship is. The only time sex is acceptable in human relations within marriage is legitimate and legal.
Sex before marriage, you remove the possibility of building friendship and trust, for the further development of relations between betrothal and marriage. doors to get premarital sex couples the ability to apply and effective communication.
Rule 7: Make the most important questions of the first date this is important especially when you come to the end of marriage. Some people think it would have been better if critical issues such as family finances, the number of children, extended family, demography, gender, religion, etc., should be asked after the couple's relationship has a long way, to be covered and will be in the procession . Instead, it is best first to the Recycle Bin on the sensitive issue. For example, if you go for the San Francisco 49ers jersey
marriage, there is no reason to several months with a man or a woman whose financial planning, religion, demographics, number of children, gender and ideas of the extended family is missing in dispute with him.
You can see these issues on the first day garbage and help you if you should see the person again.
2010年9月30日星期四
2010年9月26日星期日
26 sep 10 Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier
Q: How much do you take into account the plan of calling plays for Brett?
A: I take it into account a ton. It’s something that I’m always conscious of. nfl jerseys
It something that the offensive staff talks about and throws things out there all of the time. I have those conversations with Coach, ‘How do you manage him (Fare)?’ How do you make sure you put him in the best situation? He’s always got the one guy on this side telling him what to do and I try to be the guy on this side to settle him down and continue to remind him that this is not one man versus eleven. There are other guys out there; he’s got to let them do their jobs. He doesn’t need to press. He doesn’t need to get out of the box. He doesn’t need to have any out-of-body experiences; just trust the system and we’ll make sure that guy on the other end is making the plays for him.
Q: Do you have to do more to fit the scheme to the personnel?
A: I think when you’re building an offense, you have a philosophy and you have a scheme. I think as you can see over these four years that the biggest thing is how your personnel fit within that scheme. We’re definitely the West Coast offense, but that’s terms, verbiage, that kind of thing. How do you fit Percy in and get him the ball? How do you get Bernard the ball? How does Sidney fit into that? Get the ball to since? It’s always tweaking the system to what your skill- sets are of your various players, always.
Q: Is that more of a challenge right now?
A: I think it goes back to there being a lot of moving parts. Camarillo comes in here and you got to learn what he is. What is his skill-set? You can see it on tape, but until you get him in the meeting room, how fast can he pick up the system? Or can you say ‘Hey you have to learn this one spot?’ Same thing, Hank Basket, comes in yesterday; got to get him up to speed and while you’re getting him up to speed, what are his skill-sets? What does he do the best? Then all of a sudden you don’t have Percy Hardin out there. Who’s going to fill in there? It’s been shuffling the deck quite a bit and trying to get those skills in the right spots.
Q: Do you want to get Adrian Peterson more involved in the passing game?
A: Brett does a great job of getting the balls to the backs. He’s good at looking down the field and then checking it down. There are screen passes; there are ways to get the back the ball. A lot of time in our offense, he gets them because the quarterback is looking down the field and then checks it down. To say he’s going to get more, it’s hard to say and it’s always determined on the coverage he gets and the play call at the time.
Q: Not running as many screen plays this year?
A: There has been more than one called. Sometimes we get out of it. Sometimes something else happens. I’m not going to give you all of the secrets. There are things that happen sometimes. The screen game is definitely part of our system. We pride ourselves on being a good screen team. Somewhere along the line, you’ll continue to see them.
Q: What does Hank Basket bring to this team?
A: What does he bring? I think it remains to be seen. I kind of have a feeling for what he is. We have a little bit of a feel. Will you see a jump ball up to him? Probably. I’m not going to say we’re going to start throwing jump balls up to him to see if he can make the play. He does seem to have that skill set. I’ve seen a couple things in practice that show he does kind of have a knack to go up and get the ball. He’s a bigger guy. He can go up and get it at its highest point. I don’t think you’re just going to all of a sudden see balls raining down on him.
Q: Does Brett moving around the pocket in last Sunday’s game encourage you that he can still move around well when he needs to?
A: The way it encourages me is that it puts in his mind that he does have the ability. It’s always a thing when you were growing up, for me anyway, you’re playing in the front-yard and the quarterback is never allowed to run. You kind of get that mentality like he has, ‘Oh, I’m not a running quarterback; I just have to stand in here.’ He’s got a great feel in the pocket. He can make those subtle movements. To break outside is usually not his thing. To be able to see all of the sudden you start seeing yourself on tape doing it, you’re like, ‘Oh, okay, maybe I can do that and be able to get outside of the pocket every now and then.’ He’s not turning into Michael Vick or anything but to know that he can sprint out for ten yards and still keep his eyes down and make a play downfield, I think is encouraging for him to see.
Q: How much can Hank Basket play on Sunday?
A: I think it remains to be seen. The first thing is; it goes back to the personnel issue for coach and for Rick; what the roster is going to look like. Are we going to have only four, or are we going to have five? We’ve only had four up to this point. If it becomes five, he’ll be in there. If it doesn’t become five; the New Orleans Saints jersey
numbers have got to come from somewhere as far as the actives on game day are what I’m saying. If in fact he’s up, then he’ll be in there. You’ll see him in there.
Q: What is the status on Percy Hardin?
A: As long as he’s out here, that’s usually a good sign for us. He’s a tough guy. He usually fights through as far as the headaches. Being out here is a good sign. As far as the hip, I don’t know the ins and outs of it. He practiced so I think that’s a good sign.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010
Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Brian Murphy
Q: What does Hank Basket bring to special teams?
A: Well, he’s a big physical receiver. I think he gives us some flexibility in terms of giving you reps we typically get out of a safety or linebacker and skill reps. He’s got that ability. I think he lends position flexibility and he lends experience and know how.
Q: Is he a guy that can do coverage?
A: Yes, he has been as a matter of fact.
Q: Are you close to popping a big one in the return game?
A: We’re making progress. I believe that we are close. It’s just the consistency of all the players and its coming, but we are not there yet. It’s just a work in progress at this point. Punt return wise, we haven’t had a lot of opportunities. We’ve been in punt safety quite a bit, you know, backed up. I think that the kickoff return is coming and we’re close but eventually we need to pop the seal on that and start to create some field position.
Q: Is that safety punt more field position wise?
A: It’s a situation in the game, fourth down and short yards and you’re inside that plus area where you have to make sure you’re faking responsible. With the punters we’ve played these past two weeks, there’s not much room for a return with your heels on the eight yard line. You’re playing on a shorter field, it’s sort of the red zone of the punt return game; there is not a lot of room. You’re more looking for a good decision in terms of fielding the ball or letting the ball bounce into the end zone more than anything.
Q: What is contributing to the drops on punt returns?
A: You know a couple things. There was one where the vice let the gunner right up on the returned and they kind of got jammed up there on the sidelines and there was one where we took our eyes off the ball. It’s not just the returned; it’s a combination of things. With that one on the sidelines, everything just got jammed up and we backed off of it and muffed it up against the sidelines and the other one, like I said, we just took our eye off it.
Q: Is that contributed to the inexperience at that position?
A: Those guys have done it. I think it’s more of just a lapse of concentration than anything. We’ll get it squared away. There haven’t have been a lot of live turns but there have been a lot of turns in practice to say that inexperience, perhaps on the field, but we take plenty during the course of practice off of Chris Kluge ’s foot. We are heading in the right direction.
Q: Who are you going to have return, Greg Camarillo or Bernard Berrien?
A: We are going to stick with both of them and develop that as we go.
Q: Do you know who is going to take the first punt return?
A: We will make that decision here tomorrow
Q: Is Percy Hardin going to return kicks?
A: As long as he’s healthy, he’ll return. It’s more of San Francisco 49ers jersey
a medical decision than anything.
Q: Is a returnee’s mentality to take it back to the house ever affect your decision?
A: Well everyone wants to return them. I got a long laundry list of guys who want to return with their hands in the air saying, “Give me a chance.” We have the right guys. It’s just a combination of timing and doing a better job at the point of attack. It’s not for a lack of want to or anything like that, we just have to execute better.
A: I take it into account a ton. It’s something that I’m always conscious of. nfl jerseys
It something that the offensive staff talks about and throws things out there all of the time. I have those conversations with Coach, ‘How do you manage him (Fare)?’ How do you make sure you put him in the best situation? He’s always got the one guy on this side telling him what to do and I try to be the guy on this side to settle him down and continue to remind him that this is not one man versus eleven. There are other guys out there; he’s got to let them do their jobs. He doesn’t need to press. He doesn’t need to get out of the box. He doesn’t need to have any out-of-body experiences; just trust the system and we’ll make sure that guy on the other end is making the plays for him.
Q: Do you have to do more to fit the scheme to the personnel?
A: I think when you’re building an offense, you have a philosophy and you have a scheme. I think as you can see over these four years that the biggest thing is how your personnel fit within that scheme. We’re definitely the West Coast offense, but that’s terms, verbiage, that kind of thing. How do you fit Percy in and get him the ball? How do you get Bernard the ball? How does Sidney fit into that? Get the ball to since? It’s always tweaking the system to what your skill- sets are of your various players, always.
Q: Is that more of a challenge right now?
A: I think it goes back to there being a lot of moving parts. Camarillo comes in here and you got to learn what he is. What is his skill-set? You can see it on tape, but until you get him in the meeting room, how fast can he pick up the system? Or can you say ‘Hey you have to learn this one spot?’ Same thing, Hank Basket, comes in yesterday; got to get him up to speed and while you’re getting him up to speed, what are his skill-sets? What does he do the best? Then all of a sudden you don’t have Percy Hardin out there. Who’s going to fill in there? It’s been shuffling the deck quite a bit and trying to get those skills in the right spots.
Q: Do you want to get Adrian Peterson more involved in the passing game?
A: Brett does a great job of getting the balls to the backs. He’s good at looking down the field and then checking it down. There are screen passes; there are ways to get the back the ball. A lot of time in our offense, he gets them because the quarterback is looking down the field and then checks it down. To say he’s going to get more, it’s hard to say and it’s always determined on the coverage he gets and the play call at the time.
Q: Not running as many screen plays this year?
A: There has been more than one called. Sometimes we get out of it. Sometimes something else happens. I’m not going to give you all of the secrets. There are things that happen sometimes. The screen game is definitely part of our system. We pride ourselves on being a good screen team. Somewhere along the line, you’ll continue to see them.
Q: What does Hank Basket bring to this team?
A: What does he bring? I think it remains to be seen. I kind of have a feeling for what he is. We have a little bit of a feel. Will you see a jump ball up to him? Probably. I’m not going to say we’re going to start throwing jump balls up to him to see if he can make the play. He does seem to have that skill set. I’ve seen a couple things in practice that show he does kind of have a knack to go up and get the ball. He’s a bigger guy. He can go up and get it at its highest point. I don’t think you’re just going to all of a sudden see balls raining down on him.
Q: Does Brett moving around the pocket in last Sunday’s game encourage you that he can still move around well when he needs to?
A: The way it encourages me is that it puts in his mind that he does have the ability. It’s always a thing when you were growing up, for me anyway, you’re playing in the front-yard and the quarterback is never allowed to run. You kind of get that mentality like he has, ‘Oh, I’m not a running quarterback; I just have to stand in here.’ He’s got a great feel in the pocket. He can make those subtle movements. To break outside is usually not his thing. To be able to see all of the sudden you start seeing yourself on tape doing it, you’re like, ‘Oh, okay, maybe I can do that and be able to get outside of the pocket every now and then.’ He’s not turning into Michael Vick or anything but to know that he can sprint out for ten yards and still keep his eyes down and make a play downfield, I think is encouraging for him to see.
Q: How much can Hank Basket play on Sunday?
A: I think it remains to be seen. The first thing is; it goes back to the personnel issue for coach and for Rick; what the roster is going to look like. Are we going to have only four, or are we going to have five? We’ve only had four up to this point. If it becomes five, he’ll be in there. If it doesn’t become five; the New Orleans Saints jersey
numbers have got to come from somewhere as far as the actives on game day are what I’m saying. If in fact he’s up, then he’ll be in there. You’ll see him in there.
Q: What is the status on Percy Hardin?
A: As long as he’s out here, that’s usually a good sign for us. He’s a tough guy. He usually fights through as far as the headaches. Being out here is a good sign. As far as the hip, I don’t know the ins and outs of it. He practiced so I think that’s a good sign.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010
Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Brian Murphy
Q: What does Hank Basket bring to special teams?
A: Well, he’s a big physical receiver. I think he gives us some flexibility in terms of giving you reps we typically get out of a safety or linebacker and skill reps. He’s got that ability. I think he lends position flexibility and he lends experience and know how.
Q: Is he a guy that can do coverage?
A: Yes, he has been as a matter of fact.
Q: Are you close to popping a big one in the return game?
A: We’re making progress. I believe that we are close. It’s just the consistency of all the players and its coming, but we are not there yet. It’s just a work in progress at this point. Punt return wise, we haven’t had a lot of opportunities. We’ve been in punt safety quite a bit, you know, backed up. I think that the kickoff return is coming and we’re close but eventually we need to pop the seal on that and start to create some field position.
Q: Is that safety punt more field position wise?
A: It’s a situation in the game, fourth down and short yards and you’re inside that plus area where you have to make sure you’re faking responsible. With the punters we’ve played these past two weeks, there’s not much room for a return with your heels on the eight yard line. You’re playing on a shorter field, it’s sort of the red zone of the punt return game; there is not a lot of room. You’re more looking for a good decision in terms of fielding the ball or letting the ball bounce into the end zone more than anything.
Q: What is contributing to the drops on punt returns?
A: You know a couple things. There was one where the vice let the gunner right up on the returned and they kind of got jammed up there on the sidelines and there was one where we took our eyes off the ball. It’s not just the returned; it’s a combination of things. With that one on the sidelines, everything just got jammed up and we backed off of it and muffed it up against the sidelines and the other one, like I said, we just took our eye off it.
Q: Is that contributed to the inexperience at that position?
A: Those guys have done it. I think it’s more of just a lapse of concentration than anything. We’ll get it squared away. There haven’t have been a lot of live turns but there have been a lot of turns in practice to say that inexperience, perhaps on the field, but we take plenty during the course of practice off of Chris Kluge ’s foot. We are heading in the right direction.
Q: Who are you going to have return, Greg Camarillo or Bernard Berrien?
A: We are going to stick with both of them and develop that as we go.
Q: Do you know who is going to take the first punt return?
A: We will make that decision here tomorrow
Q: Is Percy Hardin going to return kicks?
A: As long as he’s healthy, he’ll return. It’s more of San Francisco 49ers jersey
a medical decision than anything.
Q: Is a returnee’s mentality to take it back to the house ever affect your decision?
A: Well everyone wants to return them. I got a long laundry list of guys who want to return with their hands in the air saying, “Give me a chance.” We have the right guys. It’s just a combination of timing and doing a better job at the point of attack. It’s not for a lack of want to or anything like that, we just have to execute better.
2010年9月25日星期六
With stars back, Steelers' D as innovative as ever
The Falcons and Titans didn't seem to know what was coming next from the Pittsburgh Steelers' Dick Labia-coached defense, or exactly the way he planned it.
After all, the Steelers themselves don't seem to know what their football jersey
newly elected Hall of Farmer will scheme up on the next play, the next series or the next game.
They pride themselves on their unpredictability, and it's obvious that, even at age 73, Labia aren’t running out of ideas or innovations.
''That's why we love him so much,'' defensive end Aaron Smith said. ''He gives us the best calls, puts us in the best position to make plays. He calls a great game every week.''
Every Wednesday, the Steelers eagerly show up at their practice facility to see what Labia have concocted for that week's unsuspecting opponent. This week, it's Tampa Bay (2-0) on the road Sunday.
Labia’s defense appears to be playing with a sense of urgency that's uncommon so early in the season, and with good reason. Aware that how they played during quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's four-game suspension might swing their season, the Steelers (2-0) have allowed only one touchdown in eight quarters plus overtime.
They've forced a league-high eight turnovers. They've held two of the league's best running backs, Chris Johnson of Tennessee and Michael Turner of Atlanta, to an average of about 2 yards per carry. They've also re-established their image of a defense that plays with an aggressive edginess and a relentless physicality.
''It's fun to watch us dominate the way we are,'' said nose tackle Casey Hampton, a five-time Pro Bowl player who sat out the Steelers' 19-11 victory at Tennessee with a sore hamstring. ''We're going to be as good as we let ourselves be.''
The core essentials of one of the best defenses during the NFL's salary cap era never change: Play fast, play smart, hit hard, don't get out of position, know what your teammate's doing and stay aggressive. The alignments do change, and rapidly, in a zone blitz defense that Labia innovated more than 20 years ago and, to this day, never stays the same.
''Every third down is something crazy,'' linebacker James Ferrier Vikings jersey
said. ''We're trying to confuse the quarterbacks.''
Think you've seen safety Troy Palatal line up in every position possible, or launch him toward a running back or quarterback from every possible angle? With Palatal healthy again after playing only three full games last season, Labia is showing off more schemes than ever that feature a player he insists he is the league's most versatile.
''He just opens up the playbook to anything that you want to do,'' Labia said. ''It's just a matter of how far off the diving board you want to go.''
Labia’s defense seemingly peaked in 2008, when the Steelers missed by about 60 rushing yards allowed of having the first defense since the 1970 NFL merger to lead the league in the four major team statistical categories: total, rushing and passing yardage and points allowed.
A unit that has changed only one starter since then has been nearly as good this season.
Johnson, coming off 12 consecutive 100-yard games, finished with 34 yards on 16 carries. By the fourth quarter, he didn't look especially eager to get many more carries despite having an 85-yard run called back by a penalty.
''I think he had a rough day,'' Ferrier said. ''We had a couple of guys hit him in the side of the head. Lawrence (Timmons) had a couple of tough hits on him. I'm sure he was feeling it, and he's probably still feeling it now.''
Timmons, the only current regular who didn't start on the Super Bowl-winning team of two years ago, is playing to the level the Steelers expected of a first-round draft pick. He was credited with 15 tackles at Tennessee.
''He's all over the field. He's making everybody better,'' Ferrier said. ''I haven't seen anyone block him yet. ... He's playing out of his mind right now.''
Nearly everyone on the defense is playing up to expectations, a year after an admittedly down season caused in part by injuries that idled Palatal and Smith for all but a few games. Their injuries depleted the Steelers' depth and meant there often were tired defenders on the field in the fourth quarter, when they watched five games they led turn into losses.
Linebacker James Harrison was chosen as the AFC defensive player of the week after having two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, a tackle for a loss and 11 tackles. Palatal has two sacks and he made perhaps the NFL defensive play of the year so far, deducing the snap count before leaping over Colts jersey
the Titans' offensive linemen to sack Kerry Collins an instant after the ball touched the quarterback's hands.
''Really, though, we're two games into this and we haven't done anything yet,'' Smith said. ''If we're still doing this and playing like this in November and December, that's the true test.''
After all, the Steelers themselves don't seem to know what their football jersey
newly elected Hall of Farmer will scheme up on the next play, the next series or the next game.
They pride themselves on their unpredictability, and it's obvious that, even at age 73, Labia aren’t running out of ideas or innovations.
''That's why we love him so much,'' defensive end Aaron Smith said. ''He gives us the best calls, puts us in the best position to make plays. He calls a great game every week.''
Every Wednesday, the Steelers eagerly show up at their practice facility to see what Labia have concocted for that week's unsuspecting opponent. This week, it's Tampa Bay (2-0) on the road Sunday.
Labia’s defense appears to be playing with a sense of urgency that's uncommon so early in the season, and with good reason. Aware that how they played during quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's four-game suspension might swing their season, the Steelers (2-0) have allowed only one touchdown in eight quarters plus overtime.
They've forced a league-high eight turnovers. They've held two of the league's best running backs, Chris Johnson of Tennessee and Michael Turner of Atlanta, to an average of about 2 yards per carry. They've also re-established their image of a defense that plays with an aggressive edginess and a relentless physicality.
''It's fun to watch us dominate the way we are,'' said nose tackle Casey Hampton, a five-time Pro Bowl player who sat out the Steelers' 19-11 victory at Tennessee with a sore hamstring. ''We're going to be as good as we let ourselves be.''
The core essentials of one of the best defenses during the NFL's salary cap era never change: Play fast, play smart, hit hard, don't get out of position, know what your teammate's doing and stay aggressive. The alignments do change, and rapidly, in a zone blitz defense that Labia innovated more than 20 years ago and, to this day, never stays the same.
''Every third down is something crazy,'' linebacker James Ferrier Vikings jersey
said. ''We're trying to confuse the quarterbacks.''
Think you've seen safety Troy Palatal line up in every position possible, or launch him toward a running back or quarterback from every possible angle? With Palatal healthy again after playing only three full games last season, Labia is showing off more schemes than ever that feature a player he insists he is the league's most versatile.
''He just opens up the playbook to anything that you want to do,'' Labia said. ''It's just a matter of how far off the diving board you want to go.''
Labia’s defense seemingly peaked in 2008, when the Steelers missed by about 60 rushing yards allowed of having the first defense since the 1970 NFL merger to lead the league in the four major team statistical categories: total, rushing and passing yardage and points allowed.
A unit that has changed only one starter since then has been nearly as good this season.
Johnson, coming off 12 consecutive 100-yard games, finished with 34 yards on 16 carries. By the fourth quarter, he didn't look especially eager to get many more carries despite having an 85-yard run called back by a penalty.
''I think he had a rough day,'' Ferrier said. ''We had a couple of guys hit him in the side of the head. Lawrence (Timmons) had a couple of tough hits on him. I'm sure he was feeling it, and he's probably still feeling it now.''
Timmons, the only current regular who didn't start on the Super Bowl-winning team of two years ago, is playing to the level the Steelers expected of a first-round draft pick. He was credited with 15 tackles at Tennessee.
''He's all over the field. He's making everybody better,'' Ferrier said. ''I haven't seen anyone block him yet. ... He's playing out of his mind right now.''
Nearly everyone on the defense is playing up to expectations, a year after an admittedly down season caused in part by injuries that idled Palatal and Smith for all but a few games. Their injuries depleted the Steelers' depth and meant there often were tired defenders on the field in the fourth quarter, when they watched five games they led turn into losses.
Linebacker James Harrison was chosen as the AFC defensive player of the week after having two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, a tackle for a loss and 11 tackles. Palatal has two sacks and he made perhaps the NFL defensive play of the year so far, deducing the snap count before leaping over Colts jersey
the Titans' offensive linemen to sack Kerry Collins an instant after the ball touched the quarterback's hands.
''Really, though, we're two games into this and we haven't done anything yet,'' Smith said. ''If we're still doing this and playing like this in November and December, that's the true test.''
2010年9月24日星期五
24 sep 10 Wednesday’s American League Capsules
TORONTO (AP) —Jose Lopez(notes) hit three home runs, Michael Saunders(notes) added a two-run drive and the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Lopez hit a solo shot off Kyle Drabek(notes) (0-2) in the second inning, led off the sixth with a drive against reliever Brian Tallet(notes) and connected off reliever Shawn Camp(notes) in the eighth. It was his first multihomer game of the season and fourth of football jerseys
his career.
Lopez, who has 10 home runs, hit all three homers to left field.
Vernon Wells(notes) had a solo shot, Toronto’s major league-best 233rd.
David Pauley(notes) (3-8) got the win. Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki(notes) went 1 for 5, leaving him two hits from becoming the first player to record 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons. Suzuki leads the majors with 198 hits.
Red Sox 6, Orioles 1=
BOSTON (AP) - David Ortiz(notes) homered and drove in four runs, John Lackey(notes) ended a career-worst four-game losing streak and the Boston Red Sox avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Baltimore Orioles.
Josh Reddick(notes) also homered for Boston - his first of the season - as the Red Sox avoided being swept in Fenway Park by the Orioles for the first time since 1994.
The Orioles lost for just the fifth time in 17 games.
Lackey (13-11) pitched seven innings and allowed one run and five hits.
Ortiz hit a three-run homer - his 31st - into the Red Sox bullpen off Kevin Millwood(notes) (3-16).
Twins 5, Indians 1=
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A day after becoming the first major league team to clinch a playoff berth this year, the Minnesota Twins rested most of their regulars and beat the Cleveland Indians behind the pitching of Nick Blackburn(notes) to complete a three-game sweep.
Blackburn (10-10) became the sixth Minnesota pitcher to reach double digits in victories, allowing one run and five hits in seven innings.
Jose Morales(notes) had three RBIs and Alexei Casilla had Saints jersey
three hits for Minnesota, which has won nine of 11 and improved its record at new Target Field to 52-25. The Twins have sold out 74 straight home games and set a season home attendance record with 3,063,327, topping their 1988 mark.
Carlos Carrasco(notes) (1-1) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings.
Tigers 4, Royals 2=
DETROIT (AP) - Miguel Cabrera’s(notes) leadoff single started a three-run fifth inning and the Detroit Tigers held on to beat the Kansas City Royals.
Max Scherzer(notes) (12-10) gave up two hits and struck out eight over 7 2-3 innings. Ryan Perry(notes) got the final out of the eighth and Phil Coke(notes) pitched a shaky ninth.
Billy Butler(notes) hit a two-run, two-out homer in the ninth to pull the Royals within two.
Kyle Davies(notes) (8-11) was perfect through four innings before giving up three runs on four hits in the fifth.
Cabrera ended the night with a .326 batting average. He leads the majors with 120 RBIs and is among the leaders with 45 doubles and 35 homers.
White Sox 4, Athletics 3=
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Mark Teahen(notes) hit a go-ahead double with two outs in the ninth right after pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay’s(notes) tying RBI single and the Chicago White Sox rallied past the Oakland Athletics to end a season-worst eight game skid.
The White Sox got to Oakland’s short-handed bullpen, scoring twice against Brad Ziegler(notes) (3-5). The right-hander hadn’t given up a run in his previous 12 appearances.
Matt Thornton(notes) (4-4) pitched 1 2-3 innings for the win. San Diego Chargers jersey
Chris Sale(notes) recorded the final out for his third save in as many tries, striking out pinch-hitter Steve Tolleson(notes) to end it with runners on first and second.
White Sox slugger Manny Ramirez(notes) was a late scratch after telling manager Ozzie Guillen he didn’t feel well.
Oakland’s Chris Carter hit his first career home run.
Lopez hit a solo shot off Kyle Drabek(notes) (0-2) in the second inning, led off the sixth with a drive against reliever Brian Tallet(notes) and connected off reliever Shawn Camp(notes) in the eighth. It was his first multihomer game of the season and fourth of football jerseys
his career.
Lopez, who has 10 home runs, hit all three homers to left field.
Vernon Wells(notes) had a solo shot, Toronto’s major league-best 233rd.
David Pauley(notes) (3-8) got the win. Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki(notes) went 1 for 5, leaving him two hits from becoming the first player to record 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons. Suzuki leads the majors with 198 hits.
Red Sox 6, Orioles 1=
BOSTON (AP) - David Ortiz(notes) homered and drove in four runs, John Lackey(notes) ended a career-worst four-game losing streak and the Boston Red Sox avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Baltimore Orioles.
Josh Reddick(notes) also homered for Boston - his first of the season - as the Red Sox avoided being swept in Fenway Park by the Orioles for the first time since 1994.
The Orioles lost for just the fifth time in 17 games.
Lackey (13-11) pitched seven innings and allowed one run and five hits.
Ortiz hit a three-run homer - his 31st - into the Red Sox bullpen off Kevin Millwood(notes) (3-16).
Twins 5, Indians 1=
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A day after becoming the first major league team to clinch a playoff berth this year, the Minnesota Twins rested most of their regulars and beat the Cleveland Indians behind the pitching of Nick Blackburn(notes) to complete a three-game sweep.
Blackburn (10-10) became the sixth Minnesota pitcher to reach double digits in victories, allowing one run and five hits in seven innings.
Jose Morales(notes) had three RBIs and Alexei Casilla had Saints jersey
three hits for Minnesota, which has won nine of 11 and improved its record at new Target Field to 52-25. The Twins have sold out 74 straight home games and set a season home attendance record with 3,063,327, topping their 1988 mark.
Carlos Carrasco(notes) (1-1) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings.
Tigers 4, Royals 2=
DETROIT (AP) - Miguel Cabrera’s(notes) leadoff single started a three-run fifth inning and the Detroit Tigers held on to beat the Kansas City Royals.
Max Scherzer(notes) (12-10) gave up two hits and struck out eight over 7 2-3 innings. Ryan Perry(notes) got the final out of the eighth and Phil Coke(notes) pitched a shaky ninth.
Billy Butler(notes) hit a two-run, two-out homer in the ninth to pull the Royals within two.
Kyle Davies(notes) (8-11) was perfect through four innings before giving up three runs on four hits in the fifth.
Cabrera ended the night with a .326 batting average. He leads the majors with 120 RBIs and is among the leaders with 45 doubles and 35 homers.
White Sox 4, Athletics 3=
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Mark Teahen(notes) hit a go-ahead double with two outs in the ninth right after pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay’s(notes) tying RBI single and the Chicago White Sox rallied past the Oakland Athletics to end a season-worst eight game skid.
The White Sox got to Oakland’s short-handed bullpen, scoring twice against Brad Ziegler(notes) (3-5). The right-hander hadn’t given up a run in his previous 12 appearances.
Matt Thornton(notes) (4-4) pitched 1 2-3 innings for the win. San Diego Chargers jersey
Chris Sale(notes) recorded the final out for his third save in as many tries, striking out pinch-hitter Steve Tolleson(notes) to end it with runners on first and second.
White Sox slugger Manny Ramirez(notes) was a late scratch after telling manager Ozzie Guillen he didn’t feel well.
Oakland’s Chris Carter hit his first career home run.
2010年9月22日星期三
JETS TAKE DETOUR FROM REVIS ISLAND; STRAINED HAMMY TO SIDELINE CORNERBACK
It looks as if Revis Island will be deserted at least for the Jets' Sunday night AFC East showdown with the Dolphins and possibly beyond.
Cornerback Darrelle Revis had an MRI exam yesterday that revealed a strain in his left hamstring, the injury that knocked him out of the second half of the Week 2 game against the Patriots.
"[The doctors] said it could take one to two weeks or football jersey
it could take a week; it depends on how my body recovers," Revis said.
The problem began last week when Revis felt a little tightness in the hamstring and was limited in practice late in the week.
He pulled up lame late in the second quarter on Sunday while chasing New England receiver Randy Moss as he was catching a 34-yard touchdown pass.
If Revis is unable to play against the Dolphins in South Florida (where he resides in the offseason), he said he believes it will be the first time he has ever missed a game at any level.
"This might be the first game . . . if I don't go, if we decide that I don't play," he said.
One thing appears certain: Coach Rex Ryan and the team doctors will err on the side of caution because they're bent on making sure this doesn't become a lingering, nagging issue throughout the season or that by playing too soon Revis might worsen the injury.
"With hamstrings you really can't tell," Ryan said. "Could he play nickel? Is it best to rest him? We've got to be smart with this one."
Revis said he's conscious about not making this situation worse by rushing back.
"Right now, we don't want to push it to where it's a problem where San Diego Chargers jersey
I've got to keep on coming out of the game or I can't practice," he said. "Right now, we're going to take our time with it and until I feel it's 100 percent and trainers feel I can go then I won't be out there. I'm not going to step on the field unless I actually feel 100 percent. Right now, it's tight. I can feel that it's tight and once I don't feel that tightness that's when I go back onto the field."
One factor that could make resting Revis for a game or two more palatable is the fact that their next two opponents - the Dolphins and Bills - are run-oriented teams and the Jets may believe they can get by without him.
Interestingly, the Jets defense actually played better against New England after Revis left the game. Randy Moss had no catches and Wes Welker had two catches for five yards in the second half.
"[Revis] wasn't there in the second half and we did fine," cornerback Dwight Lowery said. "We're experienced, in terms of not playing with him. Obviously, we want him to play, but at the same time it's not like we can't win without him in there."
Safety Jim Leonhard said being without Revis this summer helped prepare the Jets for this.
"Maybe the silver lining is the fact that we went through training camp without him and we kind of know the next step and the adjustments we have to make," Leonhard said. "Hamstrings are touchy for a corner. We need Darrelle and it's a long season.
"We're not going to risk something in Week 3 that would take him out for a month or two months down the line."
Revis insisted that he felt "100-percent" before the game and has no Chicago Bears jersey
regrets about playing.
Reacting to criticism he'll get that the holdout is the reason for his injury, Revis said: "I did what I needed to do to prepare. This is a phase right here. It's tough coming back from holding out and trying to get back into football shape. I'm in shape, but there's another shape called football shape where you're taking a lot of reps in training camp like my teammates did.
Week 2 Texans 30, Redskins 27 (OT) Rally at the capital Rackers' FG ends gridlock in Washington;
LANDOVER, Md. - After watching the Texans escape with a 30-27 overtime victory - the first OT win in team history - an emotionally drained Gary Kubiak was alone Sunday in the visiting coach's dressing room at FedEx Field.
Kubiak welcomed two visitors - Washington coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
"Gary's a great friend and a heck of a coach," Mike nfl jerseys
Shanahan said after congratulating his protégé. "He works for a great organization, and I couldn't be more proud of him right now."
Neil Rackers' 35-yard field goal with 3:24 left in overtime enabled the Texans to start 2-0 after they overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit. It was the second-biggest comeback victory in team history, next only to a 2004 game in which they came from 18 down to defeat Tennessee.
The Texans, who have a six-game winning streak dating to last season, are alone in first place in the AFC South with the Dallas Cowboys coming to Reliant Stadium. They increased their record against the NFC to 10-3 over the last four seasons.
The Texans proved again they're not intimidated in hostile territory. A crowd of 88,240 couldn't unnerve them. They're 8-4 in their last 12 road games, including 6-3 over their last nine.
"A win like this can be so big for a team like us," said defensive end Antonio Smith, who played for Arizona's Super Bowl team two years ago. "It should have taught us a lesson: You're going to go through times like this, adversity like we faced today, and if you stay focused and persevere, you can get through it and come out on top."
Breakdowns galore
The Texans overcame deficits of 20-7 and 27-10 and 426 yards passing by Donovan McNabb.
"We had too many breakdowns," said strong safety Bernard Pollard, whose block of a field-goal try may have saved the victory. "We have to fix our pass defense. We gave up too many big plays. We can't do this every week and expect to win.
"When you're down 20-7 in a place like this and you come back to win, that shows a lot of heart, an awful lot of heart."
Nobody showed more heart than quarterback Matt Schaub, receiver 49ers jersey
Andre Johnson and defensive end Mario Williams.
Schaub was sacked five times, tying a career high. At times, the Texans acted as if they'd never practiced for a blitz. Yet Schaub refused to lose, completing 38 of 52 passes for a career-high 497 yards and three touchdowns.
Johnson finished with 12 catches for 158 yards and an incredible 34-yard touchdown against double coverage to tie the score at 27 with 2:03 left in regulation. He had left the game with a sprained right ankle and wasn't supposed to return.
Not discouraged
Johnson and Kevin Walter (11 catches for 144 yards and a TD) were magnificent.
"We have a lot of determination," Johnson said. "No matter what happened during the game, we never got discouraged. I think it shows we're making that turn in the right direction."
Williams sacked McNabb three times, including once in the fourth quarter and once in overtime.
Kubiak made two gutsy decisions in overtime. He bypassed a 52-yard field goal by Neil Rackers because he worried about a breeze. When Washington's Graham Gano lined up for a possible 52-yard game winner, Kubiak called time out just before he kicked. The kick was good, but forced to do it again, Gano was wide right, giving the Texans another shot at victory.
The Texans got the ball a second time in overtime. Schaub's 28-yard pass to leaping tight end Joel Dreessen gave them a first down at the Washington 18. Two plays later, Rackers kicked his third field goal.
"That's one of the greatest games I've ever been in," Kubiak said. "There probably wasn't a guy on our team that didn't have a boneheaded play in the game, but there probably wasn't a guy on the team that didn't make a great play to help us come back."
'Coming out swinging'
The defense had no answer for McNabb in the first half. He Saints jersey
burned the Texans' young cornerbacks, especially rookie Kareem Jackson. But the Redskins did score only one touchdown in the second half and overtime.
"In the second half, it was a bunch of guys coming out swinging, and they kept swinging no matter how bleak it got," offensive tackle Eric Winston said. "Any time you win a game a game like that, it amplifies that winning feeling about 10 times."
PRO FOOTBALL Right stuff never takes a day off JUSTICE: Stars there to set tone
Even if the Texans had lost, we would be talking about their toughness and resolve, about how they got in a street fight and refused to back down.
We would still be proud of them. We'd say we saw something different in them. All they did Sunday was remind us they're made of the right stuff, and they didn't have to win to do that.
They fought their guts out and displayed the heart of nfl jersey
a champion. They didn't let an early turnover or a couple of tough penalties or some spectacular throws by Donovan McNabb beat them. They weren't rattled by the NFL's largest stadium.
And when they needed a play at winning time, they made that play. This is the thing they've been missing. Two weeks ago, general manager Rick Smith said maybe his team needed to suffer all those gut-wrenching defeats the past couple of years to get to the next level.
They've been smartly and methodically constructed, but there are no guarantees in the NFL. But Smith believed in his team's leadership, intelligence, toughness and talent.
He knew his words meant nothing until the Texans went out and proved they could make enough plays to win and to make the playoffs and then keep going.
Andre Johnson and Mario Williams had huge days against the Redskins. So did Matt Schaub, Bernard Pollard, etc.
The Texans have no chance of making anything out of this season unless their stars play like stars, because they set the tone.
Setting an example
Winning can be as infectious as losing. If the Texans find themselves down 17 points late in the third quarter at some other point this season, they'll know they can do what they did Sunday.
"We didn't play real well as a team," coach Gary Kubiak said, "but we had about four or five guys put the team on their shoulders."
They kept chopping wood, kept focusing on the next play and then the next one. That's what good teams do. They stack one good practice on another, and then on Sunday, they keep their composure.
Three years ago, when the New England Patriots were putting the finishing touches on a 16-0 regular season, ESPN interviewed three of the stars about their run.
"You don't understand," Tedy Bruschi said finally. "You're asking about the Bears jersey
big picture, and all we're thinking about is having a good practice today."
Bingo.
The Redskins were never for one second the tougher team or the stronger team or the team with more resolve. Can you imagine how good it felt to get on that plane to come home?
Kubiak ought to cut the game ball into 70 pieces. He should keep a piece for himself and his coaches, especially Frank Bush and Rick Dennison. And give David Gibbs a piece, too, for bringing those young cornerbacks along a play at a time, for helping them through good times and bad.
The Texans lead the NFL in offense and are next-to-last in defense. They won one game with an amazing running game and another with an unstoppable passing attack.
Those young cornerbacks are getting beaten up, but we knew they'd be a work in progress. The Redskins went after rookie Kareem Jackson, and the Cowboys will do the same thing Sunday.
"We really, really struggled," Kubiak said. "We've got some things we've got to clean up there."
As long as Williams plays like an MVP, as long as that offense rolls up yards, the Texans have a chance to overcome their mistakes.
We've had so many days when the Texans were lousy that it's pretty cool to wake up and feel they might have turned a corner. And it's not just winning. It's a confidence in the players and their heart, effort, etc., and the people in charge, how they appear to have gotten it right.
Meaningful rally
To score 20 unanswered points and win in a tough road environment should warm your heart. There have been so many games when it was the other team making just enough plays to win. This time, it was the hometown team.
The Texans have been 2-0 before and gotten our hopes up. You know Bills jersey
how things turned out then.
Good teams are the ones that survive close games like Sunday's. They're the ones that don't get decimated by injuries. People around here know better than to be planning ahead, but right now, there might not be a better NFL team.
2010年9月21日星期二
Bucs stop here for an 'L' | BREWERS 8, PIRATES 7, 11 INNINGS /
Somehow, some way, you can usually count on the Pittsburgh Pirates to find a way to lose to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Pirates came through again Saturday night, making errors that allowed the tying run to score in the seventh inning and set up the winning tally in the bottom of the 11th.
Rookie centerfielder Lorenzo Cain capped the nfl jerseys
Brewers'comeback from an early four-run deficit and late three-run hole with a runscoring single with one out in the bottom of the 11th to beat the Pirates, 8-7, at Miller Park.
"It's an awesome feeling, my first walk-off hit," said Cain, who has been impressive since coming up from the minors three weeks ago. "I'm very excited and proud to help the team win." The Pirates often feel obliged to help as well, which is why the Brewers are 45-17 against them since 2007, not to mention 27-2 over the last 29 games at home. It certainly didn't look good when lefthander Chris Capuano, making his first start as Manny Parra's replacement in the rotation, was tagged for six runs in three innings.
Capuano needed 75 pitches to record nine outs, surrendering a home run to Jose Tabata in the first inning and a three-run shot by Chris Snyder on a 3-1 changeup in the third.
"I've got to do a better job than that," said Capuano, who allowed six hits and three walks. "I felt good out there physically. I just got into problems pitching away from contact, being too defensive.
"I need to be more aggressive and go after hitters. I can't wait to get back out there." Errors allow for rally, capped by Cain's RBI By TOM HAUDRICOURT thaudric@journalsentinel.com Ironically, it was Parra who got the Brewers headed in the right direction with three scoreless innings in relief of Capuano. Parra set the tone for a relief corps that limited the Pirates to one run over the final eight innings, giving the Brewers a chance to fight back.
"It feels really good to do something positive and be able to help us come back and win the game," said Parra, who allowed only one hit while striking out three.
"I think I'll always want to be a starter but you do whatever you can to be successful and help the team come out on the winning side." First baseman Prince Fielder led the comeback by socking two home runs, including a 455-foot, two-run shot in the seventh that probably dented a fender on the "Tundra Territory" billboard in right-center. That shot came off left-handed reliever Brian Burres, brought in specifically to face Fielder.
Fielder's first homer came in the third inning off Pirates starter Zach Duke, looking for his first victory in 11 career starts at Miller Park.
Duke departed in the sixth inning with a 6-4 lead but the Pirates eventually fell to 0-11 in his starts here.
The Brewers tied the score in the seventh with another run after Fielder's homer when third Chargers jersey
baseman Pedro Alvarez committed a two-out error on Jonathan Lucroy's grounder. Cain, who bunted into a force at second, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch, scored on that miscue.
Another Pittsburgh error helped the Brewers pull out the victory in the 11th. Ryan Braun opened with a single off Wil Ledezma and second baseman Neil Walker booted Fielder's grounder deep in the hole.
Casey McGehee flied out to left but Cain sent a liner into the left-field corner to end the 4-hour, 16-minute contest.
The only run the Pirates scored off six Milwaukee relievers came on Walker's homer in the seventh off rookie Mike McClendon.
"Manny Parra came in and did a good job; everybody in the bullpen did," said manager Ken Macha. " (Parra) commanded the ball well, had good velocity. I want him to stay positive and continue to work." Thanks to that bullpen work, Cain was able to emerge the hero at the end and continue his quest to show he should be the Brewers'starting centerfielder in 2011.
"I'm starting to get more comfortable," said Cain. "I'm still a little bit nervous up there." Cain was a hero in another way for ending a long night and getting the players home before a day game Sunday.
"We were all ready to get out of here," he said with a smile. Pirates first - McCutchen struck out.
Tabata homered. Walker struck out. Jones flied out. One run:Pirates 1, Brewers 0.
Brewers first - Weeks doubled. Hart was hit by a pitch. Braun walked, moving Weeks to third and Hart to second. Fielder flied out. McGehee grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Weeks, moving Hart to third and forcing out Braun at second. Cain singled, scoring Hart and moving McGehee to second. Escobar flied out. Two runs: Brewers 2, Pirates 1.
Pirates second - Alvarez doubled. Doumit hit an infield single, moving Alvarez to third. Cedeno struck out. Snyder walked, moving Doumit to second. Duke struck out.
McCutchen walked, scoring Alvarez and moving Doumit to third and Snyder to second.
Tabata hit an infield single, scoring Doumit and moving Snyder to third and McCutchen to second. Walker grounded into a fielder's choice, forcing out Tabata at second. Two runs:Pirates 3, Brewers 2.
Pirates third - Jones struck out. Alvarez singled. Doumit fouled out. Cedeno walked, moving Alvarez to second. Snyder homered, scoring Alvarez and Cedeno. Duke grounded out. Three runs:Pirates 6, Brewers 2.
Brewers third - Braun flied out. Fielder homered. McGehee flied out. Cain flied Bears jersey
out.
One run:Pirates 6, Brewers 3.
Brewers sixth - Escobar lined out. Lucroy homered. Gomez, pinch-hitting for Parra, singled. Gallagher relieved Duke. Gomez stole second. Weeks struck out. Hart struck out. One run:Pirates 6, Brewers 4.
Phillies Notes: Oswalt won't face old team as the Astros come to town
By pitching Sunday, Roy Oswalt will avoid facing the Astros, the team he spent his entire career with before coming to Philadelphia. That was neither a disappointment nor a relief.
"It doesn't matter," Oswalt said. "Once you step across the nfl jersey
lines, nobody is really friends anymore."
That theory will be tested often this week as Ed Wade Reunion Tour '10 rolls into Citizens Bank Park. Houston - led by Wade, the general manager who spent seven seasons in the same position with the Phillies - has five former Phils on its roster: Brett Myers, J.A. Happ, Nelson Figueroa, Michael Bourn and Jason Michaels. (The sixth member of the group, Pedro Feliz, was dealt to St. Louis last week.)
Both Myers and Happ will start against their former team, Monday and Wednesday, respectively.
"I think we know them pretty good," manager Charlie Manuel quipped. "I think we'll take it to them."
Myers pitched against the Phillies in spring training at Bright House Networks Field and was cheered. This past off-season, the Phils let the righthander walk after 10 years in the organization.
"I miss the guys," Myers said March 25. "I miss Charlie and all that, but you have to turn the page and play for a different team now. You have to go win for that team and not worry about the past."
He's done a good job of that. Myers is 8-7 with a 3.11 ERA for a rebuilding Astros team.
"He's a more polished pitcher," Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said last week.
Myers has pitched at least six innings in each of his 25 starts this season. His 2.6 walk rate Indianapolis Colts jersey
per nine innings is the lowest of his career. In 171 innings, Myers has allowed just 14 home runs. He served up 18 in 702/3 innings with the Phillies last season.
Now, with Oswalt gone, he's the new ace of the Houston staff. Myers, 30, was rewarded with a two-year, $23 million extension that he signed Aug. 1.
The homecoming will likely be more emotional for Happ, who was a part of the Oswalt trade in July. As an Astro, Happ has a 2-2 record with a 4.62 ERA.
Since going to Houston, Figueroa has become the team's fifth starter. In 221/3 innings as an Astro, Figueroa has a 2.42 ERA.
Utley sits
After Saturday night's loss to Washington, Manuel hinted at wanting to rest Chase Utley, something he is not wont to do. But with Utley coming off right thumb surgery, the manager is apparently willing to relax his rules for sitting his star second baseman.
After playing in his first five games back from the disabled list, Utley sat Sunday. Wilson Valdez started at second (and had a two-run single in the sixth).
"He played five days in a row," Manuel said of Utley. "I just wanted to sit him down. He was striding real quick and getting over his front side. Thought I'd give him a break."
Extra bases
Ryan Madson extended his scoreless streak to 132/3 innings with a perfect, nine-pitch Dallas Cowboys jersey
eighth inning Sunday. During the stretch, Madson's season ERA has gone from 5.40 to 3.23. . . . The results were also encouraging for lefthander J.C. Romero, who pitched a scoreless ninth. In back-to-back days against the Nationals, Romero retired all seven batters he faced.
Mixed bag for Silva; Astros 7 Cubs 3; Starter says he felt good but gets roughed up in 5-inning
Carlos Silva already has been more successful than he or the Cubs could have imagined. But the veteran finds himself like many of the young pitchers on the staff, trying to use the final three weeks as a springboard to 2011.
Silva missed more than a month after experiencing an irregular heartbeat nfl throwback jerseys
in his Aug. 1 start at Colorado. His first start since then came Tuesday. The results were mixed in a 7-3 loss, but with Silva feeling healthy.
''I feel really good,'' he said. ''It means a lot [to finish the season strong]. That's what I'm looking for, trying to finish very strong and come into next year. That means a lot for any player, how you finish a season.''
Silva (10-6) was limited to 87 pitches that covered five innings. He gave up six runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts, four of the runs scoring in the first two innings.
Also hoping for a strong finish is right-hander Jeff Samardzija, recalled Tuesday after spending the season at Class AAA Iowa. He was on the Opening Day roster, only to be sent down April 24 and passed over through the season as the Cubs brought up seven others.
It was a far different season than Samardzija expected after a notable major-league Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
debut as a relief pitcher in 2008 and part of 2009. Now a starter, he had success in that role at Iowa and presumably will pitch as a starter before the season ends.
''Larry [Rothschild, pitching coach] and [bullpen coach] Lester [Strode] will spend time with him and watch him,'' manager Mike Quade said. ''There are several options if he starts in the next couple days or weeks. We'll keep an eye on Silva, but there are starts in the offing for Samardzija.''
Samardzija, 25, was 11-3 with a 4.37 ERA overall and 7-2 with a 4.33 ERA as a starter at Iowa.
''I've been starting every fifth day. I'm excited to be up here, and whether it's pitching one inning or nine, that's all you can ask for,'' he said. ''I'm having a great time pitching and getting good results. I just want to pitch in whatever way, shape or form.''
NOTES: Among the Class AAA players recalled Tuesday were infielder Bobby Scales, pitchers Justin Berg and Jeff Samardzija and outfielders Sam Fuld and Brad Snyder, who is in his first major-league call-up after eight minor-league seasons. He hit .308 for Iowa with 106 RBI, second most in the Pacific Coast League. Snyder, 28, was claimed off waivers in September of 2008 from Cleveland, where he was a 2003 first-round draft pick.
The five learned of their promotions shortly after Iowa lost to Memphis on Minnesota Vikings jersey
Monday, failing to reach the PCL playoffs.
- General manager Jim Hendry said Iowa manager Ryne Sandberg, named PCL manager of the year, won't be added to Mike Quade's staff for the last three weeks. Scales and Snyder praised Sandberg, calling him ''awesome'' and a manager who had ''a steady hand'' on the team.
- Pitcher Sean Marshall is the Cubs' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for his charitable work throughout the year. Fans can participate in choosing the winner, who is announced during the World Series, by voting at www.chevy.com/ clemente.
2010年9月20日星期一
Ludwick homers, lifts Padres past Cardinals 8-4
ST. LOUIS (AP)—Ryan Ludwick(notes) used to get the clutch hits with the Cardinals. His ex-teammates couldn’t be that surprised that his biggest hit with the San Diego Padres came at their expense.
Ludwick snapped a ninth-inning tie with a three-run homer for the Padres, who snapped a three-game losing streak by beating St. Louis 8-4 Saturday and moved back into first place in the NL West, a half-game up on the San Francisco Giants.
“Ryan’s done that for us, he gives you a real tough at-bat in football jersey
a situation like that,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “It’s one of his strengths and we’ve enjoyed it.”
Will Venable(notes) and David Eckstein(notes) had three hits and an RBI apiece for the Padres, who haven’t won in St. Louis since Aug. 7, 2007.
“They play us well,” said Eckstein, the 2006 World Series MVP with the Cardinals. “Bottom line.”
Ludwick and pinch-hitter Matt Stairs(notes) hit back-to-back homers off Kyle McClellan(notes) (1-4), who hadn’t allowed a run in eight straight outings but faltered in his second inning after working a scoreless eighth. It was Ludwick’s 20th homer, and fifth in 160 at-bats with San Diego.
“To be able to do it against your former team, it’s nice,” Ludwick said. “But I’m definitely not trying to show anyone up over there.”
Although Ludwick is batting only .244 with the Padres, he’s 5 for 11 in the first three games of a homecoming series and 10 for 21 on the first six games of a 10-game trip. His drive on an 0-1 slider had just enough to clear the left field wall.
“I know he’s feeling better about his swing,” manager Bud Black said. “He’s got some hits here, which I think is great for his confidence. That’s more like Ryan Ludwick, what we’ve seen the last few days.
“He has a presence to him, and I think every pitcher has to worry about the end result when he’s at the plate,” Black added.
Jeff Suppan(notes) allowed a run in five innings for the Cardinals, who fell 6 1/2 games behind the Reds with 15 games to go. They’ve struggled offensively since trading Ludwick in a three-team deal that brought pitcher Jake Westbrook(notes) from Cleveland at the trade deadline, going 18-25.
“I don’t think it has to do with me,” Ludwick said. “They hit a rough stretch, we New Orleans Saints jersey
hit a rough stretch over here, too. We lost 10 in a row. It’s baseball, it happens. If you guys want to say that, it’s fine, but I don’t look into it.”
Chris Young allowed a run on four hits in four innings in his first start since the second game of the season. Out with a strained right shoulder, Young was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list and threw 69 pitches but confessed to too much nervous energy.
“I don’t remember the last time I pitched with that much adrenaline,” Young said. “I got to the mound and my heart was just thumping, I could feel it in my chest. I was trying to slow myself down, but I couldn’t.”
Venable, Miguel Tejada(notes) and Adrian Gonzalez(notes) had an RBI apiece in a three-run, six-hit seventh against three relievers to put San Diego ahead 4-2. Left fielder Matt Holliday(notes) saved a fourth run when he threw out Tejada trying to score on Ludwick’s single, Holliday’s team-leading seventh assist of the season.
The Cardinals tied it in the bottom of the seventh on singles by Colby Rasmus(notes) and Pedro Feliz(notes), the first off Luke Gregerson(notes) and the second off Mike Adams(notes) (4-1).
Suppan was the stand-in starter for rookie left-hander Jaime Garcia(notes), who has thrown 163 1-3 innings a year after elbow reconstruction and will be throttled down the rest of the way. Suppan had worked twice totaling 2 2-3 innings since his last start Sept. 1 at Houston.
“I didn’t have my best command or anything like that, but I think for the most part I stayed down in the zone,” Suppan said. “So I wasn’t thinking I haven’t started in a while.”
Skip Schumaker(notes) had two hits and the heart of the Cardinals’ order, Albert Pujols(notes), Holliday and Rasmus, combined for seven walks, two hits and an RBI. St. Louis’ first two runs scored on wild pitches.
NOTES: The Padres improved to 24-9 against the NL Central. … The Cardinals recalled five players from Triple-A Memphis, a day after that team was swept in the PCL playoffs. … LHP Trever Miller(notes) lasted one batter in his first appearance in 12 games, walking Gonzalez to open the sixth and making one attempted pickoff throw before getting removed. … Pujols drew his major league-leading 35th intentional walk in the fifth. Gonzalez is second in the NL with 28. … Padres LHP Joe Thatcher(notes) has allowed one run in San Francisco 49ers jersey
16 2-3 innings in his last 34 outings. … The Padres designated RHP Cesar Carillo for assignment for the second time this month to make room for Young. Carillo, who has spent the entire year with Triple-A Portland, was with the Phillies for three days before rejoining the Padres for three days.
We needed the win,” he told the Padres’ official website
The San Diego Padres couldn’t manage much against NL Cy Young Award hopeful Adam Wainwright(notes) in May. Fortunately for them, Jon Garland(notes) was even tougher in that game.
After moving back into first place in the NL West and with Garland on the mound, the Padres will try to best Wainwright for a second time this season in the finale of a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
San Diego (83-65) snapped a three-game losing streak—and 11-game slide at Busch Stadium—with an 8-4 win Saturday, and lead the division by nfl jerseys
one-half game over San Francisco and one game over Colorado.
The Padres scored four runs in the ninth inning on Ryan Ludwick’s(notes) three-run homer and pinch-hitter Matt Stairs’(notes) solo shot. Ludwick, who was traded from the Cardinals on July 31, is hitting .244 since joining San Diego, but is 10 for 23 in the last six games.
“We needed the win,” he told the Padres’ official website. “To be able to come through for the team is nice. I guess it’s an extra, added bonus to do it against your former club.”
The Cardinals (76-71), meanwhile, have dropped eight of 12 to fall seven games San Diego Chargers jersey
behind NL Central-leading Cincinnati with 15 left to play. Albert Pujols(notes) went 0 for 3 with two walks and a strikeout. It was the third time in his last five games that the reigning two-time NL MVP was held hitless.
San Diego will try to earn a split of the series, but could have a tough time against Wainwright (18-11, 2.50 ERA), who is one win behind Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez(notes) and Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay(notes) for the NL lead, and third behind Florida’s Josh Johnson(notes) and Halladay for the NL’s lowest ERA.
What’s particularly impressive is Wainwright has maintained his spot among those elite pitchers despite losing five of his last six starts while posting a 4.73 ERA. He gave up five runs and a season-high 12 hits in eight innings of a 7-2 loss to Chicago on Tuesday.
“It’s tough to explain, really,” Wainwright said. “I didn’t make very many bad pitches. It’s a crazy game, man.”
The problems haven’t all been Wainwright’s fault. The Cardinals have scored four runs over the 32 innings pitched by him in the five losses.
The right-hander also didn’t receive much run support against San Diego on May 25. He gave up one run, four hits and struck out 12 over seven innings of a 1-0 loss. Wainwright was outdueled by Garland (14-11, 3.49), who allowed six hits and struck out seven in seven innings.
“As you got through the first couple of innings, you could sense that both pitchers Chicago Bears jersey
felt they had to match each other,” Padres manager Bud Black said.
Garland snapped a three-game losing streak his last time out, yielding three runs and four hits in seven innings of a 7-6 win over Colorado on Tuesday. The right-hander has won his last three starts on the road and has a 2.05 ERA over the last four outings away from home.
Pujols is 4 for 11 with two home runs against Garland.
Being able to get into a groove has been great,” he said. “Right now, my confidence is high
The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t swept a three-game series in more than four months. They have never swept three games from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With Zach Duke(notes) likely pitching for his spot in the rotation, Pittsburgh gets the chance to accomplish both feats Sunday afternoon.
After snapping a four-game skid Friday with a 4-3 victory, the major league-worst Pirates (50-98) tagged Diamondbacks pitching for 12 hits in Saturday’s 9-6 win. John Bowker(notes) and former Diamondback Chris Snyder(notes) each went 3 for 4 in Pittsburgh’s highest-scoring game of nfl jersey
the month.
“We didn’t pitch very well tonight but we had several opportunities on the other side, too,” said Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson, whose team has lost 11 of 14 to clinch its second consecutive last-place finish in the NL West. “We battled back, but I think guys are frustrated right now.”
The Pirates, meanwhile, have won eight of 12 at PNC Park and will go for their first three-game sweep since May 4-6 versus the Cubs. Duke (7-14, 5.78 ERA) will try to help the Pirates complete their first three-game sweep of Arizona since that franchise’s 1998 inception.
After going 0-2 with a 22.85 ERA in his last two starts - he didn’t make it out of Bills jersey
the second inning of Tuesday’s 9-1 loss at the New York Mets - Duke was in danger of being removed from the rotation. The left-hander, though, impressed manager John Russell enough during a bullpen session on Thursday to earn another start.
“The kid has worked hard,” Russell told the Pirates’ official web site. “We’d like to give him the opportunity to work some things out. He went into the bullpen today and worked on a better tempo, arm speed and looked really good. Hopefully, that’s something he can build off of going into his next start. It’s more Zachish.”
Duke, who has allowed 20 runs in his last four outings, allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings of a 6-3 win at Arizona on April 10. He evened his record at 3-3 lifetime against the Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks (59-90) will counter with Daniel Hudson(notes) (6-1, 1.67). The 23-year-old right-hander goes for another quality start after striking out eight and giving up four hits in eight shutout innings of Tuesday’s 3-1 win at NL Central-leading Cincinnati.
Hudson has surrendered three runs or fewer in all nine starts since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox on July 30.
“Being able to get into a groove has been great,” he said. “Right now, my Saints jersey
confidence is high.”
This will be the first time Hudson faces the Pirates, who need a victory to win the season series against Arizona for the first time since 2005
With Zach Duke(notes) likely pitching for his spot in the rotation, Pittsburgh gets the chance to accomplish both feats Sunday afternoon.
After snapping a four-game skid Friday with a 4-3 victory, the major league-worst Pirates (50-98) tagged Diamondbacks pitching for 12 hits in Saturday’s 9-6 win. John Bowker(notes) and former Diamondback Chris Snyder(notes) each went 3 for 4 in Pittsburgh’s highest-scoring game of nfl jersey
the month.
“We didn’t pitch very well tonight but we had several opportunities on the other side, too,” said Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson, whose team has lost 11 of 14 to clinch its second consecutive last-place finish in the NL West. “We battled back, but I think guys are frustrated right now.”
The Pirates, meanwhile, have won eight of 12 at PNC Park and will go for their first three-game sweep since May 4-6 versus the Cubs. Duke (7-14, 5.78 ERA) will try to help the Pirates complete their first three-game sweep of Arizona since that franchise’s 1998 inception.
After going 0-2 with a 22.85 ERA in his last two starts - he didn’t make it out of Bills jersey
the second inning of Tuesday’s 9-1 loss at the New York Mets - Duke was in danger of being removed from the rotation. The left-hander, though, impressed manager John Russell enough during a bullpen session on Thursday to earn another start.
“The kid has worked hard,” Russell told the Pirates’ official web site. “We’d like to give him the opportunity to work some things out. He went into the bullpen today and worked on a better tempo, arm speed and looked really good. Hopefully, that’s something he can build off of going into his next start. It’s more Zachish.”
Duke, who has allowed 20 runs in his last four outings, allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings of a 6-3 win at Arizona on April 10. He evened his record at 3-3 lifetime against the Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks (59-90) will counter with Daniel Hudson(notes) (6-1, 1.67). The 23-year-old right-hander goes for another quality start after striking out eight and giving up four hits in eight shutout innings of Tuesday’s 3-1 win at NL Central-leading Cincinnati.
Hudson has surrendered three runs or fewer in all nine starts since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox on July 30.
“Being able to get into a groove has been great,” he said. “Right now, my Saints jersey
confidence is high.”
This will be the first time Hudson faces the Pirates, who need a victory to win the season series against Arizona for the first time since 2005
2010年9月18日星期六
No Rooney worries for Fletcher
MANCHESTER (AFP) - Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher believes Wayne Rooney will start scoring goals again soon, regardless of the problems in his personal life.
Rooney has been at the centre of a media storm since the News of nfl jerseys
the World tabloid alleged earlier this month that he had repeatedly frequented a 21-year-old prostitute while wife Coleen was pregnant with their son.
Last weekend United manager Sir Alex Ferguson left England forward Rooney out of the side for the Premier League match away to Everton, the striker's former club, because of concerns about possible crowd reaction
However, Rooney returned to action in Tuesday's goalless Champions League draw against Scottish side Rangers at Old Trafford, United's home ground.
Despite playing in front of a largely supportive crowd, Rooney was far from his best in the 0-0 stalemate.
Liverpool, United's arch north-west rivals, visit Old Trafford on Sunday and that has heightened concerns over the form of Rooney, who scored 34 goals for his club last season.
But Fletcher insisted: "There is nothing to worry about with Wayne.
"Wayne is a top player and the goals will come because he has so much quality," the Scotland international added.
"It is up to us create the chances for him and give him the opportunities to score. Maybe we have not done that lately. Against Rangers we didn't create anything for him. He will be frustrated with that but it will come."
However, Antonio Valencia, one of the key creators of Dallas Cowboys jersey
goals for Rooney last term, suffered an ankle injury against Rangers that is set to rule the Ecuador winger out for the rest of the season.
"It looked really bad," said Fletcher of Valencia's injury.
"Hopefully the scans show it is not as bad as we fear.
"After arriving from Wigan he had a great first season and was looking to push on this year. That is why the injury is a real blow."
Ferguson made 10 changes to the side that played against Rangers from the one he sent out against Everton at Goodison Park, a decision that was much questioned after the team's failure to score on Tuesday.
"We have a big squad and everyone has a lot of ability," said Fletcher, the only player to have retained his place for both matches.
"It is difficult for the players coming in because they don't have that match sharpness.
"But training is intense and everyone is good enough to play in this team. The manager felt things needed freshening up and the team was good enough to win the match. I agree.
"What happened last night was that we came up Indianapolis Colts jersey
against a team with five defenders and three centre-halves.
"Usually when you are up against teams who get men behind the ball, they have the extra man in midfield. It proved difficult to break down."
Del Neri could shuffle pack for Lech Poznan visit
ROME (AFP) - Juventus coach Luigi Del Neri has hinted that he may make changes to his team for the visit of Polish side Lech Poznan in their opening Europa League Group A game on Thursday.
"In certain positions, you have to make a choice," said Delneri.
"We can't calculate, but we've got enough matches nfl jersey
to play that we'll absolutely have to give a rest to those who've played all the matches and who've trained less, like our internationals."
Juve qualified for the Europa League, Europe's second-tier cup competition, after a disappointing seventh-place finish in Serie A last season, but Del Neri said winning the tournament was a top priority.
"We have a great motivation for this competition, particularly when you look at the opponents we will face," said Del Neri, whose side must also contend with Manchester City and Red Bull Salzburg in their group.
"Juve don't set limits and that's that."
Delneri arrived from Sampdoria in the summer and has overseen a 1-0 defeat at Bari and a 3-3 draw at home to Sampdoria in his first two league games in charge.
BERLIN (AFP) - Bayern Munich said Wednesday they have started legal action against a senior member of European football's governing body UEFA over unsubstantiated allegations of corruption made in German magazine Stern.
The complaint, filed in the Munich offices of the state prosecutor, is against UEFA's head of their disciplinary service Peter Limacher and his colleague Robin Boksic.
According to Bayern, the pair made comments that were "totally untrue and slandererous" in Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
an article to appear in Stern on Thursday.
"In the edition of Stern magazine, to be published on Thursday, we read that these two people have discredited the club and individuals in professional football," read a statement issued by Bayern.
"Bayern Munich will do everything in its power to see that these people are made to account for their comments, and we have already taken appropriate measures."
The Stern report outlines how Bayern Munich was wrongly suspected of throwing their UEFA Cup semi-final match against Zenit St Petersburg in May 2008 following comments made by a Russian gangster involved in a court case.
The article claims Boksic was the source of those allegations.
At that time, German prosecutors said they had no evidence to start an investigation.
According to Stern, the UEFA Minnesota Vikings jersey
employees told a Spanish prosecutor and several journalists from the magazine they had evidence of corruption linked to Bayern, but never presented any proof.
Bayern said the UEFA officials "must be sanctioned heavily" and also called on UEFA President Michel Platini to look into the matter and make a statement.
2010年9月17日星期五
Chargers put long snapper Binn on injured reserve
SAN DIEGO (AP)—Long snapper David Binn(notes), who accurately delivered the ball to San Diego Chargers punters and kickers since 1994, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday because of a hamstring injury, meaning his season is over.
The popular 17-year veteran was the only player left from the nfl jersey
Chargers’ 1994 Super Bowl team, and the last player left from Bobby Beathard’s tenure as general manager.
Binn was hurt in Monday night’s 21-14 loss to Kansas City. It was his team-record 179th straight game played.
The low-key Binn was so reliable that he was almost taken for granted. He was recently selected a team captain for the first time.
“It’s tough for me and I know if it’s tough for me it’s tough for him,” coach Norv Turner said. “That’s a great honor, and it might be a first for me through all the years, being picked as a captain. It just shows how much our guys care about him and the respect they have for him.”
Turner said he didn’t want to put Binn on IR, but he wouldn’t have been able to play for six to eight weeks. “And once he could play, he’s still at the risk of reinjuring it,” the coach said.
“I know there’s some people who say, ‘Well, he’s a deep snapper,’ but it’s as pressure-packed a job as you can have and he’s been almost perfect for a long time.”
Binn wasn’t available for comment.
“I feel for him on a personal level and a professional level,” kicker Nate Kaeding(notes) said. “We all put a lot into preparing for a season, and then to have it taken away from him on a freak injury like that, it’s tough. It’s tough for him to deal with, regardless of Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
how many seasons you’ve played. You never take the opportunity to get another shot at this for granted. I know he’s pretty beat up about it.”
Binn played in a team-record 256 of the last 257 regular-season games and all 12 of San Diego’s playoff games dating to 1994. He only missed one game in the previous 16 seasons, due to a shoulder injury in 1998.
The Chargers signed James Dearth(notes) to replace Binn.
Kaeding said Binn was “amazingly consistent” at a job that requires taking a pounding.
“Dave’s whatever, 230, 240 pounds, and you’ve got these 300-pounders lining up over top of him. It’s really a credit to how fit he is as an athlete, to be able to go that many years without getting hurt, either, but you’re out there moving your body around in weird ways, and it’s gonna get you eventually.”
Mike Scifres(notes), the punter and holder for placements, said every snap by Binn “was absolutely perfect. Every field goal snap, there was never a question that I’d have to spin the laces. There was never a punt snap I’d have to jump for, and I knew it wasn’t going to hit the ground. Going on the field with Dave snapping, I was just real comfortable, because I knew every time the snap was gonna be perfect.”
Scifres said that Binn would know if his snap was even a little off.
“If I had to spin laces at all, we’re walking off the field to the sideline and Minnesota Vikings jersey
Dave’s looking at me like, ‘Well, you had to turn it a quarter to the left or to the right,’ and I’m looking at him like, ‘How in the world did you know that?’ It just proves how good he is and how serious he took what he did. That’s why he’s been there for so long, that’s why he’s been so good at it. He’s still going to be around. We’re going to have a shoulder to turn to and tug on during games.”
Report: Hawk open to trade out of Green Bay
A.J. Hawk(notes) would love to play for a team willing to use the linebacker on three downs.
If that means a trade out of Green Bay, he’s welcome to a change of scenery.
Hawk’s agent Mike McCartney told Rob Demovsky of nfl throwback jerseys
the Green Bay Press-Gazette this after Hawk, a former first-round draft pick, did not play a single snap on defense in Sunday’s victory at Philadelphia.
“A.J. is a pro’s pro and wants to do his part to help the team win, and his first priority is to be the best Packer he can,” McCartney told Demovsky. “But if some team called and wanted him to play on all three downs, I think he’d be excited about that.”
Per Demovsky, Hawk has not lost his starting spot in the 3-4 defense, but the Packers played exclusively in sub packages against the Eagles with three and four wide receivers. In the sub packages, Brandon Chillar(notes) replaces Hawk.
What’s interesting is Packers coach Mike Mccarthy said during camp Dallas Cowboys jersey
that Hawk was enjoying his best summer as a pro. He is earning $4.623 million this season and is due a base salary of $10 million in 2011, a figure he surely won’t receive at this point. Who knows? Maybe the Packers will find a trade partner before then.
It’s a good bet the only packages in the locker room Clinton Portis(notes) will be talking about moving forward will be the parcel kind that, you know, can be overnighted.
A day after Portis made remarks that drew sharp criticism when it comes to female journalists in the locker room and then apologized in a statement released by the team, coach Mike Shanahan sat down with his running back.
Shanahan said the meeting would remain “private,” according to Jason Reid of Minnesota Vikings jersey
the Washington Post. You better believe Portis will be a little more careful choosing his words next time he’s on 106.7 The Fan in D.C. That is the station he let his words fly on when it came to the brouhaha the New York Jets have going over their locker room issue.
Browns sign Clayton, Wright to practice squad
The Cleveland Browns have signed running back Thomas Clayton(notes) and defensive back DeAndre Wright(notes) to the practice squad.
And the team waived running back Andre Anderson(notes) and football jerseys
defensive back DeAngelo Smith(notes) from the practice squad.
Originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, Clayton spent the entire 2007 season and the first 14 weeks of the 2008 season on the 49ers’ practice squad before being elevated to the 53-man roster for the final two games. He then spent last season on injured reserve.
Clayton signed with the New England Patriots as a Indianapolis Colts jersey
free agent in June and was waived on Sept. 4.
A three-year letterman at Kansas State, he rushed for 1,075 yards on 232 carries with seven touchdowns.
Originally drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round last year, Wright spent time on the practice squads of the Giants, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings before being waived by the Vikings on Sept. 4.
A four-year letterman at the University of Minnesota Vikings jersey
New Mexico, Wright started 43 of his 48 career games, ending his collegiate career with 10 interceptions.
2010年9月15日星期三
Communication a growing problem for Niners
The growing tension between San Francisco 49ers players and the coaching staff bubbled to the surface in the team’s surprisingly lopsided loss at Seattle on Sunday. While coach Mike Singletary took quick action to call a team meeting Sunday night to get the coaches and players back nfl jersey
on the same page, the reality is that Singletary is navigating some very choppy waters.
It’s the kind of problem that could spoil not only a season expected to yield a division title, but also Singletary’s career as a head coach.
On Sunday, the 49ers wasted three timeouts and were called for a delay-of-game penalty on three first-half possessions when they got inside the Seattle 10-yard line. By the end of those three possessions, the 49ers had only two field goals (though a touchdown was negated during one series following a booth review). Ultimately, that’s the definition of ineffective football, allowing Seattle to gain momentum on the way to a 31-6 victory.
After the game, quarterback Alex Smith pointed the finger at the coaching staff, saying the plays weren’t getting in fast enough. Smith was right and Singletary tried to cover that fact by claiming there were problems with the team’s headsets.
According to multiple sources familiar with the circumstances, the real problem has been more than a year in the making and became more significant following changes the 49ers made within the coaching staff this offseason.
In Singletary’s first full season last year, offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, one of the more respected veteran coaches in the league, was calling plays from the coach’s box upstairs. Raye would call plays down to offensive assistant Jason Michael, who would then send the play into the quarterback. That system worked effectively even at times when Raye struggled to find exactly the right play or say it exactly the right way.
“It seems like Jimmy calls plays from memory a lot of Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
the time and not exactly the way it’s written down,” said one of the aforementioned sources, adding that the plays often get garbled. “He knows the plays and he knows the right thing to call, but he’s fumbling through his papers and it’s like, ‘Hey, we need to get a play called.’ ”
Michael, who worked closely with Raye, was good at filling the gaps in communication. However, one of the problems created by the Raye-Michael relationship was that it began to alienate quarterback coach Mike Johnson(notes), whose involvement in building the game plan had diminished. In addition, some players began to resent Raye’s tendency to blame them if things went wrong.
As a result, several players went to Singletary this offseason to complain about Raye and the overall situation. Singletary’s solution was to change the mechanics of how the plays were sent in. He replaced Michael, who is still on staff, with Johnson in the play-calling process. On Sunday, that became a problem because Johnson couldn’t decipher what Raye was saying during tense moments when the Seattle crowd was making noise. Singletary was seen several times yelling at Johnson on the sideline when plays didn’t get relayed in a timely fashion.
The fear among those who know the situation is that this could put Raye, Johnson and Singletary at odds with each other. Worse, it could undermine the already tepid trust the players have in the coaching staff.
Singletary and Raye declined a request to talk to Yahoo! Sports directly about the situation, but the head coach addressed Sunday’s miscommunication during Monday’s media session: “We will take a hard look at it and we will have an answer for it. We will figure it out in the next few days exactly how we are going to do that and exactly how this is going to get better.
“Whether Jimmy comes on the field or however it is, we’re going to figure it out and nip it in the bud.”
Though Singletary said he was listening in on the headsets, the sources claim he isn’t an X’s and O’s guy and doesn’t know what a correct play call would be compared to an incorrect call. Surprisingly, that’s not completely unusual in the coaching profession, but it Dallas Cowboys jersey
creates a problem for Singletary on who to blame for the problem and how to fix the issue.
It also furthers the credibility gap for the coaching staff with the players.
The fortunate part for the 49ers is that they return home this week where the home crowd will make it easier to communicate. The unfortunate part is they play New Orleans, which will have had three extra days to prepare for the game coming off the Thursday opener.
2010年9月14日星期二
Steelers’ defense, Mendenhall’s burst differences vs. Falcons
On Sunday, the Steelers found themselves underdogs at home for the first time in a regular-season game since 2004. And, after PK Jeff Reed(notes) missed a 40-yard field goal with 43 seconds left and the game tied 9-9, they very much looked the part. Atlanta, which strung together a pair of football jersey
13-play drives ending in field goals in the fourth quarter, got the ball to start overtime.
However, the Falcons' drive stalled after a penalty, and they had to punt. On Pittsburgh's first offensive play of the sudden-death session, RB Rashrad Mendenhall ran through a hole off right tackle and sprinted 50 yards for a touchdown. Pittsburgh had secured a 15-9 victory, its eighth consecutive Week One win.
The Steelers' next opponent: Tennessee, which rolled over Oakland in Week One. The Titans' star RB Chris Johnson, rushed for 142 yards against the Raiders and has exceeded 100 yards rushing in 12 consecutive games.
The PFW Spin
It's only one win, but the Steelers' victory over Atlanta is loaded with positive indicators for a team without QB Ben Roethlisberger(notes) for three more games.
For starters, the defense held Atlanta out of the endzone, shut down RB Michael Turner(notes) (42 yards rushing on 19 carries) and did not allow a pass play of greater than 23 yards. OLBs LaMarr Woodley(notes) and James Harrison(notes) each had sacks, and SS Troy Polamalu(notes) made an Minnesota Vikings jersey
impressive interception late in the fourth quarter. The Steelers' defense bent at times, but it was excellent when it had to be for Pittsburgh to win.
On offense, the Steelers got a relatively solid performance from QB Dennis Dixon(notes), who was making just his second career start. While Dixon did throw an interception, he completed 18-of-26 passes for 236 yards, and he connected six times with Hines Ward(notes). Dixon was sacked three times, and the Steelers' pass protection looms as a concern with OLT Max Starks(notes) reportedly expected to miss Week Two and possibly longer.
The Steelers also have to be pleased with their running game. Mendenhall had just Dallas Cowboys jersey
70 yards on 21 carries before the game-winning score, but his final run was a big time effort, as he burst into the secondary, stayed on his feet after a last-ditch tackle attempt and secured victory for his team.
The Steelers again find themselves underdogs, but if they can hold Johnson in check — not an impossible task for a defense that has allowed just nine rushers to rack up 100 yards or more on the ground in the past seven seasons — they could position themselves to pull off another upset.
Kubiak pleased with complete victory
HOUSTON (AP)—Houston coach Gary Kubiak presented Arian Foster(notes) with the game ball after his record-setting game against Indianapolis. Foster immediately handed it to his offensive linemen, saying they deserved the credit.
Kubiak said Monday that just about everyone merited some nfl jersey
praise after the Texans’ convincing 34-24 win over the defending AFC champions.
“It was a good, solid effort by our team,” Kubiak said. “Our effort was very good, our conditioning level was very good, the things you worry about going into the first game. Our guys responded.”
And then some. Foster ran for a team record 231 yards against the Colts, the second highest rushing total in history on the opening weekend. The offensive line paved huge holes for him, and Kubiak said fullback Vonta Leach(notes) had his best game in four-plus seasons here.
The Texans defense pressured Peyton Manning(notes) all day and sacked him twice. The linebacking corps played well without 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing(notes), and the young secondary held up and forced a key turnover.
Even the new kicker came through. Neil Rackers(notes) connected from 30 and 49 yards to give Houston the early lead. Rackers won a preseason competition with Kris Brown(notes).
The Texans had boldly talked for months about challenging Indianapolis in the AFC South, even though the Colts won 15 of the first 16 meetings. Houston dominated both lines on Sunday, and hung onto a fourth-quarter lead this time to earn one of the biggest wins in the franchise’s eight-year history.
“A lot of our offseason was geared toward trying to achieve something as a team,” Kubiak said. “A lot of things we’ve been working on came up, and we handled it pretty good. There’s a long, long way to go, but it’s a dang nice start.”
The Texans (1-0) play at Washington (1-0) on Sunday. This week, Kubiak said the team will look for a free agent defensive end after Connor Barwin(notes) was lost for the season with a broken right ankle. Barwin was Mario Williams’(notes) backup and will have surgery on Wednesday.
Houston contacted Aaron Schobel(notes) during training camp, Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
but the former Bills defensive end retired.
“Anybody who’s out there as a free agent is a possibility,” Kubiak said. “I think all doors are open. We continue to listen to every possible avenue.”
Barwin had the only significant injury for the Texans. Tight end Owen Daniels(notes), seeing in his first action since the eighth game of last season, played about 40 snaps and said his surgically repaired knee held up fine.
Daniels and Leach helped the offensive line dominate the Colts up front. Houston finished with a team record 257 yards rushing.
Kubiak said center Chris Myers(notes) had his best game as a Texan, Antoine Caldwell(notes) and Mike Brisiel(notes) ably split duty at right guard and former first-round pick Duane Brown(notes) held his own at left tackle against Colts All-Pro Dwight Freeney(notes).
The Texans hardly needed their passing offense, which was the best in the NFL in yards last season (291). Matt Schaub(notes) completed 9 of 17 passes for 107 yards, his lowest totals since joining the Texans in 2007. All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson(notes) made only three catches for 33 yards.
“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to win,” Kubiak said. “There was no doubt, once we started the second half and throughout that first drive, we had some momentum running the ball. We weren’t going to stop.”
One of Kubiak’s main concerns before the opener was his secondary, where rookie Kareem Jackson(notes) was making his debut and Glover Quin(notes) was starting only his second season.
Manning had a huge day, throwing for 433 yards and three touchdowns. But while the Colts scored 24 points, they went just 4-for-12 on third-down conversions.
“When you play this group, you don’t worry about the yards,” Kubiak said. “They’re going to move the ball, he’s going to complete passes. You worry about big plays, you worry about third downs, you get off the field and you make them punt. Do you gain a possession during the game with a turnover? Those are the things you worry about.”
Safety Bernard Pollard(notes) forced a fumble in the fourth quarter, Dallas Cowboys jersey
and Quin recovered. Foster broke a 42-yard run on the next play, and scored two minutes later to virtually secure the victory.
“I was impressed with what we did,” Kubiak said. “I won’t let those guys get caught up in the passing yardage. I worry about the final result.”
Bears MLB Urlacher shines in return
The Bears barely held on to beat the Lions, 19-14, Sunday, but their defense was dominant for much of the game. Detroit put together just three drives of more than 11 yards and the Lions' rushers gained only one yard per carry.
Bears DE Julius Peppers(notes) had the hit to remember, nfl jerseys
knocking Lions QB Matthew Stafford(notes) out of the game with a shoulder injury that will keep the young passer sidelined indefinitely. Peppers forced Stafford to fumble on the play and it was recovered by DT Tommie Harris(notes). The turnover set up a Robbie Gould(notes) field goal before halftime.
Peppers had a good Bears debut, but it shouldn't overshadow the performance MLB Brian Urlacher(notes) had in his first game back since injuring his wrist in last year's season opener.
The PFW Spin
Urlacher played a major role in shutting down the Lions' running backs, as he consistently won battles at the line of scrimmage, and he also was effective dropping back into coverage. The 11th-year veteran made eight tackles — including a nine-yard sack on a blitz — and three of Minnesota Vikings jersey
his eight tackles were for loss.
The Bears have some things to be concerned about — pass protection for QB Jay Cutler(notes), who was sacked four times, comes to mind — but it appears everyone can scratch an aging Urlacher off the list of potential problems.
"(Urlacher) went out and balled today," WLB Lance Briggs(notes) told reporters after the game. "All the guys that people have question marks (about) went out and balled today. We played good defense."
Briggs, who had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a Indianapolis Colts jersey
fumble recovery, and SLB Pisa Tinoisamoa(notes) (three tackles, one for loss) looked good as well, and the Bears might be back to having one of the better linebacking corps in the league.
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2010年9月11日星期六
FIFA delegation concludes tour in Houston
HOUSTON (AP)—The United States made its pitch for the World Cup. Now it’s time to wait.
FIFA’s World Cup inspectors wrapped up a three-day, five-city visit in Houston on Thursday, touring Reliant Stadium as they weigh potential venues for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
The 24-member executive committee of nfl jersey
soccer’s governing body will vote on Dec. 2. Europe is expected to be awarded the 2018 tournament, with England, Russia, Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Netherlands competing. The U.S. is facing Australia, Japan, Qatar and South Korea for 2022.
The inspectors also visited New York, the White House, Miami and Dallas before Houston.
Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the head of the inspection delegation, said the group gathered all the necessary information to present a complete report to FIFA’s executive committee. He said he was confident that the U.S. could fulfill all the necessary standards set by FIFA to host the World Cup.
“All the stadiums we have visited, with some very small adjustments, would be great World Cup venues. There is no doubt about that,” Mayne-Nicholls said. “We have seen a number of excellent locations. All requirements and expectations should be met.”
U.S. soccer head Sunil Gulati, head of the U.S. bid committee for the World Cup, told Mayne-Nicholls that the next World Cup here would likely set records for attendance, ticket sales and international visitors. The U.S. drew a total of 3.6 million fans when it hosted the event in 1994, still a record.
Gulati doesn’t see a negative in the fact that the U.S. is lobbying for its second World Cup in Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
three decades, while Australia and Qatar are vying for their first.
“I don’t think hosting a successful event and setting multiple records should be a disadvantage,” Gulati said. “It will have been 28 years, if it’s 2022. Clearly, that’s an issue for some, going out to new and uncharted water, but we think there’s some advantages.
“FIFA knows we can do this, we’ve done it well, and we can do it again.”
The FIFA delegation visited the White House on Wednesday, and Mayne-Nicholls came away with confidence that the event would have the full backing of the American government.
“As you know, a World Cup only works if it becomes a fully national treasure,” he said.
Gulati was asked to compare this effort with Chicago’s failed bid to land the 2016 Olympics, also backed by the White House. Gulati said the process is totally different, and that effort has no bearing on this one.
“I’m not sure we learned very many specific lessons from the Chicago experience,” he said. “We’ve tried to do everything possible to make sure that we present a case for the U.S. that’s irresistible.
“We have a terrific infrastructure, but in the end, it’s not about having the infrastructure and having top-level stadiums,” Gulati said. “It’s about convincing 24 people that’s in the best long-term interest of the sport to come to the United States, and that’s what we’ve been doing for some period of time.”
Brazil defeated Italy at the Rose Bowl in the 1994 final.
While the inspectors didn’t visit California this time, Gulati wouldn’t rule out the possibility of including stadiums there if the U.S. was awarded the World Cup in 2018 or ’22. He also invited the chance of new stadiums being built there between now and then.
“Is it likely that some stadium would be built between now and 2018 or 2022 that could become part of the eventual World Cup? The answer is yes,” he said. “Since the decision is made in 75 days or so, it wouldn’t enhance our bid at all.”
The delegation’s visit to Reliant Stadium included a meeting with Bob McNair, the owner of the NFL’s Houston Texans, who open their season there on Sunday.
For Thursday’s occasion, the field was set up for soccer, exactly as it was for the Major League Soccer All-Star game on July 28. MLS banners ringed the field, and “FIFA Delegation Tour” flashed on the lighted ribbon signs that encircle the stadium.
The venue has lured huge crowds for international matches in recent years, many of Indianapolis Colts jersey
them involving teams from Mexico. The MLS All-Star game, featuring Manchester United, drew 70,728, the largest attendance for an MLS All-Star game since the first one in 1996 drew 78,416 to Giants Stadium.
McNair was encouraged by Thursday’s meeting.
“They know the great success that we’ve had with soccer games in Reliant Stadium,” McNair said. “That’s very impressive. I hope Houston succeeds in attracting them.”
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