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AIR FORCE ACADEMY Wholesale Denzel Ward Jersey , Colo. (AP) The New England Patriots spent some time after practice bird watching.

A swooping falcon tends to get a team to gawk.

This has been far from an ordinary week for the Patriots (7-2), who are training at the Air Force Academy (elevation 6,621 feet) to acclimatize to altitude for their trip to Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium (7,200 feet) to face the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

As a side benefit, it’s given the players time to hang out – a lot of time.

While in town, they’ve visited the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, the zoo  Adidas Claude Giroux Jersey , the mountains, had some Air Force parachute specialists drop in during practice, learned all about cadet life from Air Force coach Troy Calhoun and on Thursday were treated to an up-close falcon demonstration at Falcon Stadium.

All this, along with a five-game winning streak, has galvanized an already tight team.

”We all found out we kind of like each other,” cracked defensive back Devin McCourty, whose team made the trek to the Air Force Academy shortly after their 41-16 win in Denver over the Broncos on Sunday night. ”We’re just trying to have fun. We understand the most fun is usually winning games. We’re trying to bridge that of liking each other http://www.kansascitychiefsteamonline.com/armani-watts-jersey , having fun and winning.”

McCourty had a gentle reminder, though.

”This is not a vacation,” he said. ”We’re here and we’re going to Mexico for one reason – to play a football game and try to win a game. The best part of all these trips that you remember the most is how you played in the game. Everything throughout the week has been fun and that’s great, but what makes a trip worth it is going out there and winning on Sunday.”

They will have their hands full with Derek Carr and the Raiders (4-5), who were off last weekend. The same goes for the Raiders with this maligned New England defense, which has been solid of late. With a bend-don’t-break mentality, the Patriots have held their last five opponents under 20 points to jump all the way to the middle of the pack in points allowed per game.

”It’s that time of the season Authentic Bob Feller Jersey , where you need to understand how you play well and then go do it each week,” McCourty said.

Usually, about this time of year, the Patriots hit the gas pedal and speed toward the playoffs. Asked if he saw any similarities with the way this team is coming together, McCourty responded: ”I hope so.”

”I mean, it probably would be terrible if I say yeah and then we go on a five-game losing streak,” McCourty added. ”I can see the headline: `McCourty was wrong.’

”I think why we end up usually improving is the understanding of there’s no tomorrow. We have to not just improve Wholesale Bo Scarbrough Jersey , but play good football if we think we’re going to win games.”

As for the elevation, it’s not proving to be an issue for McCourty.

”Altitude doesn’t matter. I’ve been the same,” he said. ”Lungs don’t care about altitude.”

Some of his teammates may beg to differ a bit.

”You feel it,” running back Dion Lewis said. ”Tempo in the game is way different than tempo in practice. You’ve got to be ready for it.”

The Patriots will go through one more practice Friday before departing for Mexico City the next day. Defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. can’t wait.

”I’ve never left the United States at all,” Wise said. ”I’m looking forward to playing in this game and getting a win.”

One of the things Wise enjoyed while in town was his visit to the Olympic training center. He and his teammates saw a few elite athletes train.

”I’m sure some of that stuff will be instituted somewhere in the future back in Foxborough,” McCourty said. ”It’s been a good week of preparation. … This whole experience has been kind of eye-opening.”

And team building.

”During the week we’re always around each other. Here, we’re around each other even more Wholesale P.J. Hall Jersey ,” Lewis said. ”It definitely gives us a chance to get closer as a group. Hopefully that will help us on the field.”

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GLENDALE Logan Paulsen Super Bowl LI Jersey , Ariz. (AP) The San Francisco 49ers had made Larry Fitzgerald almost irrelevant on Sunday, until the final play that won the game for the Arizona Cardinals.

Carson Palmer threw 19 yards to Fitzgerald with 32 seconds left in overtime for the contest’s only touchdown and the Cardinals escaped with an 18-15 victory that kept the 49ers winless under new coach Kyle Shanahan.

”He’s the best I’ve ever seen,” Palmer said of his star receiver, ”and I’ve seen some really good ones.”

The scoring had been limited to nine field goals on an ugly afternoon in the desert before Palmer directed a seven-play, 75-yard drive with 1:52 to play.

”We’re in two-minute, it worked better,” Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. ”We protected better. We gave him a chance. They were giving us Andre (Ellington) underneath, and he was taking it. Andre was making things happen.”

So, eventually Wholesale Donte Jackson Jersey , was Fitzgerald.

He had three catches for 13 yards before the winning grab as the 49ers made him the emphasis of their defense, except on the last play.

Palmer said he noticed two defenders were changing sides of the field, leaving Fitzgerald 1-on-1. Palmer loves those odds.

Arizona’s standout receiver, in his 14th pro season, rose to catch the ball under tight coverage by Rashard Robinson.

Fitzgerald, who matched a career high with 13 catches in last Monday night’s loss to Dallas, came down with the ball under his ribs, knocking the wind out of him.

”Consciously, I knew that we had just won the game http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/ryan-jensen-jersey ,” he said, ”but I couldn’t breathe so it was hard to really kind of be animated and celebrate.”

Robbie Gould kicked his fifth field goal, a 23-yarder with 2:24 left in overtime to put the 49ers ahead 15-12.

Phil Dawson – who had uncharacteristically missed a field goal in each of the first three games – made four for the Cardinals (2-2), whose two victories both have come in overtime.

The 49ers (0-4), losing to the Cardinals for the fifth time in a row, won the coin toss to start the overtime. They used up 7:36 of the extra session, which was shortened from 15 to 10 minutes this season.

Palmer went 6 of 7 for 77 yards on the winning drive. Under duress all day behind an injury-riddled offensive line, he completed 33 of 51 for 357 yards and was intercepted in the end zone on a tipped pass on the game’s opening series. Palmer was sacked six times, four in the fourth quarter Wholesale Weston Richburg Jersey , by a 49ers team that had three sacks total in the first three games.

Gould, who hasn’t missed a field goal since 2015 (21 for 21), connected from 49, 39, 47, 48 and 23 yards.

Dawson, replaced by Gould as 49ers kicker this season, was 4 for 4, making field goals of 29 Ryan Switzer Jersey Elite , 43, 50 and 32 yards.

San Francisco failed to score a touchdown for the third time this season and has lost its first four games for the first time since 2010.

There were a combined 23 penalties for 193 yards, 13 against the 49ers for 113 yards, 10 against Arizona for 80.

Carlos Hyde gained 68 yards in 16 tries for the 49ers. Brian Hoyer completed 24 of 49 for 234 yards with one interception.

”You got to throw and catch better,” Shanahan said. ”It is as simple as that, at least it was in this game. Guys are open, you got the time, you got to hit them. When he does hit you, you have to catch it. I know nobody is perfect but there was way too much of that between both positions.”

Arizona took the opening kickoff and went 71 yards in 13 plays to the San Francisco 4. But on third down Wholesale Chukwuma Okorafor Jersey , Jimmie Ward tipped Palmer’s pass and Ray-Ray Armstrong intercepted in the end zone.

The Niners took the lead by moving from their 24 to the Arizona 31, where Gould’s 49-yard field goal made it 3-0. And the field goal fight was on.

ANTHEM: The 49ers, with whom the national anthem issue began with Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during it more than a year ago, had their first chance to react to President Donald Trump’s criticism of athletes kneeling during the song. The players formed two lines. Those in the front kneeled and the players in the back remained standing, setting off a round of boos at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Many of the standing players placed one hand on their heart, the other on the shoulder of a kneeling teammate in a sign of solidarity.

INJURIES

The most significant injury appeared to be a knee to Arizona outside linebacker Markus Golden in the overtime. Arians said he had no idea how serious it is. San Francisco lost wide receiver Marquise Goodwin with an apparent concussion and defensive back Adrian Colbert with a hamstring injury.

UP NEXT

49ers: At Indianapolis next Sunday.

Arizona: At Philadelphia next Sunday.

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HOUSTON (AP) The right side of his No. 10 jersey was torn almost completely apart and white paint that had rubbed off the field peppered his long dreadlocks.

DeAndre Hopkins had a long day dealing with near-constant double teams and multiple defenders pulling and grabbing at him in Houston’s loss to Baltimore on Monday night.

But everything he went through against the Ravens wasn’t anything new to Houston’s star receiver. He’s accustomed to it and actually revels in the attention he garners from defenses every week.

In fact http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/braden-smith-jersey , the self-described best receiver in the league likes that teams put such an effort to attempt to slow him down.

And as the Texans (4-7) try to salvage a disappointing and injury-filled season with a strong finish, Hopkins is intent on doing everything he can to help.

”I’m the highest-paid player that’s out there on the field for this organization, so of course I feel like it’s on me if I’m double-teamed or triple-teamed to still come down with the play,” he said.

”And I hold myself to that mindset every time I’m on the field. I feel like it’s on me. I want the game to be on me … I want that pressure.”

Some receivers shy away from contact and complain when dealing with tight coverages and the kind of yanking and pulling that would cause the destruction of a jersey. Hopkins is not among them. It’s a mindset that came from years of playing defensive back as a youngster in South Carolina.

”Just kind of getting down there in the trenches,” he said. ”And that’s kind of how I play at wide receiver a little bit with that physicality of: `I’m not going to let anyone out-tough me on that island.”’

He thinks that sets him apart from other receivers.

”I would say so Wholesale Daniel Kilgore Jersey ,” he said. ”I see on film where some guys get beat up at the line of scrimmage or when the ball’s in the air.”

Quarterback Tom Savage loves the toughness of Hopkins and raved about what he brings to the offense.

”It just puts so much confidence in the quarterback to know that there’s a guy out there that’s going to fight for it,” Savage said.

”I know if I throw it to him, he’s not going to let anyone pick that ball off and he’ll go up and get it … he’s the best receiver in the league and yeah, it’s a blessing to have a guy like that out there.”

After signing a five-year $81 million extension last offseason, Hopkins has put together one of the best seasons in his career despite dealing with struggles at quarterback in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s injury.

He’s fourth in the NFL with 1 Authentic Jason McCourty Jersey ,009 yards receiving and his nine touchdown receptions rank first. Fifty two of his 69 receptions this season have been for first downs, to rank second in the league. He’s been particularly potent in the fourth quarter this season where he leads the NFL with 407 yards receiving.

When told of that statistic a smile crept across his often serious face.

”The way I train my body is to be prepared in the fourth quarter,” he said. ”Because I see a lot of guys and their stamina is at an all-time low in the fourth quarter and I feel like mine is still where it was in the first quarter of the game.”

That training includes running five miles a day, something the 25-year-old said he’s done since high school.

”He’s definitely in good shape,” coach Bill O’Brien said. ”He can run all day. He practices that way. He’s definitely in top condition Justin Jones Jersey Elite , no doubt about it.”

As Hopkins has risen to the ranks of the NFL’s elite receivers, he is double-teamed so often that when he finds himself facing single coverage he has just one thought.

”I just hope that when they do single me (Savage) sees it because it’s rare,” he said. ”In the back of my head I’m just like: `Come to me.”’

Regardless of what coverage he’s facing the Texans do all they can to get the ball in his hands. And as much as he’s been targeted this season, O’Brien thinks he should be going to him even more.

”The ball went to him 10 times, it probably should have gone to him 20 times Authentic Jordan Whitehead Jersey ,” O’Brien said of the Baltimore game. ”I think it’s very, very difficult to cover him. I don’t care how you try to cover him. I think he’s one of the best guys that I’ve ever coached at that position … he’s got a great ability to make catches away from his body, get two feet down. He can run any route, (you) can line him up anywhere and he knows what to do.”

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If someone was holding a gun to my head and asked me..."what is the quickest and easiest way to improve a golfers score"....I'd have to say Authentic Chris Herndon Jersey , "improve your putting." Because if you shot over 90 in your last game of golf and you had 6 three puts then you don't have to be a genius to work out that if you 2 putted instead of 3 putting then you'd score 6 shots better.

Ok, we've worked out that you need to practice your putting Cheap Mason Cole Jersey , but how?

Well it's been proven that the better the putter is the better they are at long putts, so that's where you should spend most of your time practicing. And you shouldn't just practice you putting line but instead you should practice hitting putts the correct weight. Because it doesn't matter if your ball is on the correct line if it's 10 feet short or long. And think about how often your putts are 10 feet wide of the hole. It's not often is it?

So you need to practice long putting. And one of the best drills to improve your distance control is to putt balls to the edge of the putting green. Get about 5 balls and start about 30 feet away from the fringe and try to putt the balls so they end up as close to the fringe as possible.

During this exercise don't worry about direction Kerryon Johnson Super Bowl LI Jersey , only speed. Keep doing this and vary the distance from the fringe for each 5 balls you stroke. Do this at least 6 times so you practice at least 30 putts.

Also, to make this exercise more effective Trent Murphy Super Bowl LI Jersey , putt with your eyes closed. And after you've hit each putt guess how close the ball has come to your target (i.e. the fringe). Once your ball has stopped rolling, open your eyes and see how correct you were.

Now here's another great distance control putting drill.

On a practice putting green measure 30 feet from the fringe. Then place about 15 balls down there. Then putt your first ball and try to get it at as close to the fringe as possible. Once you've done this then hit your second putt and try to get it to finish as close to your first ball as possible without going past it. Then hit your third putt and try to get it to finish as close to your second ball as possible Authentic Dante Pettis Jersey , without going past it.

Keep doing this and see how many balls you can get between yourself and the fringe. But if any balls go past the previous ball then it's game over. You have to start again.

This is a fun putting game to see how many balls you can get between the fringe and yourself and it will improve your distance control at the same time. Plus you can keep record of your personal best and try and beat it.

By practicing putting drills like this it allows you to concentrate solely on feel and weight of putting without being concerned about whether the ball has gone in the hole. And if you improve your long putting your scores will improve and it will be easier than working on your swing.

You see, there's no point in hitting the ball great but then 3 putting. So improve your putting first and then work on improving your swing.

Article Tags: Distance Control

If someone was holding a gun to my head and asked me..."what is the quickest and easiest way to improve a golfers score"....I'd have to say Authentic Chris Herndon Jersey , "improve your putting." Because if you shot over 90 in your last game of golf and you had 6 three puts then you don't have to be a genius to work out that if you 2 putted instead of 3 putting then you'd score 6 shots better.

Ok, we've worked out that you need to practice your putting Cheap Mason Cole Jersey , but how?

Well it's been proven that the better the putter is the better they are at long putts, so that's where you should spend most of your time practicing. And you shouldn't just practice you putting line but instead you should practice hitting putts the correct weight. Because it doesn't matter if your ball is on the correct line if it's 10 feet short or long. And think about how often your putts are 10 feet wide of the hole. It's not often is it?

So you need to practice long putting. And one of the best drills to improve your distance control is to putt balls to the edge of the putting green. Get about 5 balls and start about 30 feet away from the fringe and try to putt the balls so they end up as close to the fringe as possible.

During this exercise don't worry about direction Kerryon Johnson Super Bowl LI Jersey , only speed. Keep doing this and vary the distance from the fringe for each 5 balls you stroke. Do this at least 6 times so you practice at least 30 putts.

Also, to make this exercise more effective Trent Murphy Super Bowl LI Jersey , putt with your eyes closed. And after you've hit each putt guess how close the ball has come to your target (i.e. the fringe). Once your ball has stopped rolling, open your eyes and see how correct you were.

Now here's another great distance control putting drill.

On a practice putting green measure 30 feet from the fringe. Then place about 15 balls down there. Then putt your first ball and try to get it at as close to the fringe as possible. Once you've done this then hit your second putt and try to get it to finish as close to your first ball as possible without going past it. Then hit your third putt and try to get it to finish as close to your second ball as possible Authentic Dante Pettis Jersey , without going past it.

Keep doing this and see how many balls you can get between yourself and the fringe. But if any balls go past the previous ball then it's game over. You have to start again.

This is a fun putting game to see how many balls you can get between the fringe and yourself and it will improve your distance control at the same time. Plus you can keep record of your personal best and try and beat it.

By practicing putting drills like this it allows you to concentrate solely on feel and weight of putting without being concerned about whether the ball has gone in the hole. And if you improve your long putting your scores will improve and it will be easier than working on your swing.

You see, there's no point in hitting the ball great but then 3 putting. So improve your putting first and then work on improving your swing.

Article Tags: Distance Control

KANSAS CITY Giants Kyle Lauletta Jersey , Mo. (AP) There is little disputing Alex Smith has had the best season of his 13-year professional career, whether you want to quantify that claim with individual stats or team success.

He’s set career bests in yards passing and touchdowns. He threw just five interceptions. He led the league in quarterback rating.

And he led the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC West title, giving the franchise back-to-back division championships for the first time.

All of that success could be forgotten as quickly as Saturday night, though.

That’s when the Chiefs play the Titans in the playoffs.

Kansas City hasn’t won a home playoff game in nearly a quarter century, a maddening drought that Smith can help to end with a victory at Arrowhead Stadium.

And in doing so, Smith would turn what has been a largely successful five-year tenure with the Chiefs into a memorable one, elevating him from a cluster of merely good quarterbacks to an echelon where only Len Dawson currently resides.

”Everybody is good at this point Cheap Dorian O'Daniel Jersey , right? Everybody still left playing is really good,” said Smith, who already snapped the Chiefs’ long postseason winless streak with a victory in Houston two years ago. ”The season is on the line, you win or go home. I think that adds to the intensity.”

Especially considering Smith doesn’t know where home will be pretty soon.

The cash-strapped Chiefs could be forced to release Smith and turn the future of the franchise over to first-round pick Patrick Mahomes II next season.

Smith watched his understudy lead the Chiefs to a victory in Denver last weekend, sitting out the regular-season finale with nothing on the line.

So, the playoffs could also serve as Smith’s audition for other teams, a pressure-packed chance to show that the 33-year-old former No. 1 pick is only now reaching his peak.

”The ramifications are so big Authentic Jay Bruce Jersey ,” he said, ”but it’s still football at the end of the day.”

History suggests that Smith tends to rise to the occasion.

Even though he’s just 2-4 in the playoffs, and 1-3 as the quarterback in Kansas City, the losses have largely come despite his performance.

One of his best statistical games came in a shootout loss in Indianapolis in 2013, when he threw for 378 yards and four touchdowns without a pick, and Smith was relatively efficient in a cold loss to the Steelers that ended last season.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid mostly wrote off the idea of playoff experience helping on Wednesday, but he acknowledged that quarterback may be the one position where it’s at least a little beneficial.

”Alex has been there Hayden Hurst Jersey Elite , done well there,” Reid said. ”I can’t tell you we sit there and evaluate that. We have Alex, we build on what he does and kind of go with it.”

One area Smith hasn’t done well: Playing against the Titans.

Few other teams in the NFL have given him fits as Tennessee, which has beaten him three out of four meetings. The past two have been at Arrowhead Stadium, which is supposed to provide the home team – and especially the home quarterback – a distinct advantage.

But he was 19 of 35 for 202 yards with a touchdown and three picks in a September 2014 loss, and just 15 of 28 for 163 yards with a pick and no touchdowns in a December 2016 defeat.

Most of the Titans’ coaches and personnel from that game will be back on Saturday.

”It’s hard to go beyond this last year,” Smith said. ”Close game Authentic Marshall Newhouse Jersey , came down to the end – physical game. But beyond that it’s hard to read too much into those. You learn from that a little bit, but there’s the whole chess game. New players, new schemes. Things like that.”

New stakes, too. That game that Tennessee won on Ryan Succop’s field goal last season was late in the regular season, and this one is the win-or-else wild-card round of the playoffs.

NOTES: The Chiefs put WR De’Anthony Thomas (broken leg) and RB Akeem Hunt (ankle) on injured reserve. They elevated WR Marcus Kemp from the practice squad and signed RB C.J. Spiller, who has been on and off the roster much of the season. … WR Albert Wilson (hamstring), CB Phillip Gaines Wholesale Da'Shawn Hand Jersey , DL Jarvis Jenkins (knee) and DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (ankle) missed Tuesday’s practice.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) The Las Vegas Stadium Authority has signed the final documents necessary to build the future home of the Raiders.

Team President Marc Badain and authority chairman Steve Hill signed the lease and development agreements on Wednesday for the $1.8 billion Authentic Josh Sweat Jersey , 65,000-seat stadium that also will serve as home to the UNLV Rebels.

The two shook hands before Hill declared, ”Let’s build a stadium.”

The move came a day after NFL owners voted 31-1 to approve the stadium plans and financing Lions Sylvester Williams Jersey , including a $200 million loan from the league. The domed stadium is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 1, 2020.

The Raiders have said that the total cost of the move from Oakland to Las Vegas, including a training facility and headquarters Wholesale Jason McCourty Jersey , will top $2 billion.

The signing of the lease agreement – more than a year in the works – clears the way for the Clark County Commission to consider issuing construction bonds for the project. A total of $750 million in Clark County hotel room tax revenue will go toward the project.

As part of the deal, the 62-acre stadium site that the Raiders purchased last year for $77.5 million is scheduled to be transferred to the Stadium Authority on Friday.

The climate-controlled stadium where the team wants to kick off the 2020 season will feature 80-foot-tall retractable doors that will give fans a view of the casino-resorts on the Strip. Nevada officials expect 450,000 people a year to travel to Las Vegas primarily to attend an event at the venue Cheap Kentavius Street Jersey , whether it’s a Raiders or college football game, a concert or motorsports event.

Don Webb, an adviser to the Raiders Cheap Kareem Martin Jersey , told the authority board last week that the stadium roof will be made of a polymer that will allow natural light in, and an exterior ribbon-like structure that will help push fresh air into the venue and exhaust out. He said the light transmitting portion of the roof is about 550 feet (167 meters) wide by 750 feet (228 meters) long.

The stadium will look black from outside during the daytime, but on the inside it will be transparent to the outside. At night Mark Walton Super Bowl LI Jersey , the lights inside the venue will be visible from outside.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) Nick Foles contemplated retirement after a miserable season with the Rams in which he ended up losing his starting job to Case Keenum.

That’s just one spin of a unique quarterback carousel that’ll be on display when Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) host Keenum and the Minnesota Vikings (14-3) in the NFC championship game Sunday.

”It pretty wild Eagles Richard Rodgers Jersey ,” Foles said. ”Case’s success and the way he plays doesn’t surprise me because him and I were together and we prepared together. We were around each other every day. But I think the big message there is no matter what happens, you’ve just got to keep believing in yourself, keep working hard and just never give up.”

The cycle began when former Eagles coach Chip Kelly traded Foles to the St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford in March 2015. A day later, the Rams acquired Keenum from the Houston Texans to back up Foles.

Foles went 4-7 in 11 starts for the Rams before he was benched for Keenum. Meanwhile, Bradford had a decent season with the Eagles, but was traded to Minnesota a week before the 2016 season opener to pave the way for Carson Wentz. The Vikings needed Bradford to replace the injured Teddy Bridgewater. Bradford had a career year in 2016.

Foles asked for his release from the Rams after they moved to Los Angeles and drafted Jared Goff No. 1 Wholesale Braden Smith Jersey , one pick ahead of Wentz. Foles seriously considered hanging up the cleats before Andy Reid – who drafted him in third round in Philadelphia in 2012 – persuaded him to join the Kansas City Chiefs as a backup to Alex Smith.

Foles played well in two games in relief and then returned to Philly on a two-year deal to provide insurance behind Wentz this season. Keenum helped groom Goff in Los Angeles last year and then went to Minnesota to back up Bradford.

Keenum stepped into the lineup in September after Bradford was injured and had by far the best season of his career, passing for 3,547 yards, 22 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Foles took over in Philadelphia after Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14.

Now, the former teammates are one win away from starting in the Super Bowl.

”I know this is what all of you guys predicted back in the day, a Foles vs. Keenum NFC championship Buccaneers Alex Cappa Jersey ,” Keenum joked. ”So good job to all of you guys who predicted that.”

The Eagles are fortunate Foles chose to keep playing a year ago.

”I talked a lot to my wife and I remember just saying a prayer,” Foles recalled. ”Going to back to play for coach Reid, I am a better person because of that decision. It wasn’t an easy decision. But I leaned on my wife, I leaned on my family and I leaned on my faith in those moments, and I’m very grateful I made the decision.”

Foles started six games his rookie season, going 1-5 on a 4-12 team that got Reid fired after 14 seasons in Philadelphia. He began 2013 as the backup to Michael Vick in Kelly’s first season in the NFL and ended up having a sensational year Authentic Isaac Yiadom Jersey , leading the Eagles to an NFC East title.

He threw 29 TDs and only two picks – including playoffs – and posted a passer rating of 119.2, third highest in league history. He tied an NFL record with seven TD passes in a game at Oakland in November 2013.

Foles wasn’t quite as spectacular in 2014, but the Eagles were 6-2 in his eight starts. He tossed 13 TDs, 10 interceptions and missed the final eight games after breaking his collarbone.

Then he went to St. Louis and struggled on another one of Jeff Fisher’s losing teams. Keenum, an undrafted free agent in 2012 who bounced around from with the Texans and Rams, also didn’t have much success playing for Fisher. Neither did Goff. All three have thrived playing for other coaches.

”You’ve just always got to believe and you always have to prepare Kalen Ballage Jersey Elite ,” Foles said. ”Sometimes things happen where unfortunately guys get injured and you have to step in and it’s your job to lead the team. (Keenum) has really done an amazing job. It doesn’t surprise me. That was my job stepping in for Carson to lead this team like I have before.”

Foles completed 77 percent (23 of 30) for 246 yards in a 15-10 win over Atlanta last week.

Keenum, 9-15 as a starter before joining the Vikings, followed his breakout season by leading Minnesota to an improbable comeback win against the Saints, tossing a 61-yard TD pass to Stefon Diggs as time expired.

The two quarterbacks are good friends off the field.

”Nick is a great guy,” Keenum said. ”Great faith, great family. My wife and his wife are great friends. His entire family are good people. Great football player. Prepares well Authentic Andrew Ladd Jersey , extremely talented, big arm and he’s really, really athletic, too. I know he’s got a lot of confidence and I’m looking forward to playing against him.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell contributed.

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PITTSBURGH (AP) The request comes near the end of practice most Wednesdays. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley will be standing off to the side when running back Le’Veon Bell inevitably jogs by to make an all-too familiar plea.

”I’ll take another 35 (carries) Cheap Brian Allen Jersey ,” Bell will say.

He’s only half-kidding.

The player who believes he’s redefining his position – and believes he should be compensated as such – spent the early portion of the season politely asking for the ball. Haley has responded by giving it to his franchise back at near-record pace. Bell is averaging nearly 29 touches a game for the first-place Steelers (5-2). If the 25-year-old maintains it over a full season, he’ll come within shouting distance of James Wilder’s 492 touches for Tampa Bay in 1984.

It sounds like a lot because it is a lot. And while everyone from Haley to the training staff to head coach Mike Tomlin to general manager Kevin Colbert meet regularly to discuss Bell’s workload and the thin line between enough and too much, considering how well Bell is playing and how fresh he looks, it’s hard for Haley to find a compelling reason to take him out.

When Pittsburgh’s season appeared to be at a crossroads following a loss to Jacksonville earlier this month, the Steelers put the offense in Bell’s hands. He responded with 191 total yards in a victory at Kansas City and followed it up with 192 more in a dominant win over Cincinnati, a performance that included a stiff-arm on Bengals defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick instantly immortalized on social media .

”If anybody saw something different Cheap Cody Latimer Jersey , our approach might change,” Haley said. ”He’s out here on Wednesdays finishing to the end zone and doing the things that he did when he first got here, maybe even better and harder.”

Maybe because the Steelers have as much at stake this season as Bell. Pittsburgh placed the franchise tag on him in February and when the two sides couldn’t agree to a long-term deal, Bell opted to skip the entire offseason program , training camp included. It wasn’t a protest necessarily as much as self-preservation.

Bell understood the decision not to sign his one-year tender until Labor Day made him look selfish. It’s a stand he was willing to take because of the potential long-term benefits for both himself and his team.

”(It took) a lot of cuts off my body, me cutting and planting in the ground and obviously hits from not being there for 4-5 weeks http://www.arizonacardinalsteamonline.com/christian-kirk-jersey ,” Bell said. ”Obviously the first couple weeks getting back into pads and things, I was slow getting started but now I feel good.”

And Pittsburgh’s offense suddenly looks good. After spending the early portion of the season trying to keep everyone happy, Haley seems to have settled on letting Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown do the heavy lifting and if anyone else can chip in, all the better.

It’s a formula that served as the jet fuel for a nine-game winning streak last fall that lifted the Steelers from a 4-5 midseason malaise all the way to the AFC title game. The stretch ended, however, when a left groin issue that’d been bothering him for some time flared up in the first quarter against New England. The player who led the NFL in average yards from scrimmage last season watched from the sideline as the Patriots pulled away for a 36-17 victory.

It marked the third consecutive season Bell wasn’t on the field for Pittsburgh’s final offensive snap. A hyperextended left knee in the 2014 finale against Cincinnati forced him to sit out a playoff loss to Baltimore. In 2015 he tore ligaments in his right knee in Week 8 while getting dragged down from behind by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.

Bell is essentially playing on a one-year deal. While he’ll make $12 million this season – tops among running backs – he wants more because he believe he can do more. To get a payday that will reset the market Cheap Saquon Barkley Jersey , however, he understands he needs to stay healthy. He’s taken steps to help make it happen, from adjusting his diet to making sure he avoids the kind of direct hits that can shorten careers.

”I don’t kind of run into guys,” he said. ”I’m patient. I pick my spots and I get to the ground. I don’t think I take a lot of hits.”

Bell estimates he only took four to five clean shots during his 35-carry day against the Bengals. If he can keep the number in that neighborhood, he’ll take his chances, particularly as the clock winds down and the game hangs in the balance.

”I figure guys out and how teams are trying to play me Authentic Russell Bodine Jersey ,” Bell said.

Which helps wear defenses down over the course of four quarters. It’s not just hype. Bell is averaging 4.5 yards per carry in the second half of games during his career, compared to 4.3 in the first half. If it’s late and the ball is in his hands, he’s in his element.

”I cannot place a guy that has the ability he has,” said Detroit head coach Jim Caldwell, who will get a close-up of Bell on Sunday night. ”He’s very patient with exception of vision, and he can start and stop Wholesale Vinny Curry Jersey , and hit it into third and fourth gear in a hurry. He’s an unusual guy, really. I mean just pretty special.”

NOTES: DE Stephon Tuitt (back), TE Vance McDonald (knee) and RT Marcus Gilbert (hamstring) did not practice Thursday. … WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion) was a full participant.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) One week after the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl Authentic Anthony Miller Jersey , chants of ”Fly, Eagles, Fly” could be heard roughly 2,500 miles away from the City of Brotherly Love.

A loud and exuberant contingent of Philadelphia fans donning orange among the 18,220 in attendance watched Sean Couturier score a goal and two assists to help the Flyers beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 on Sunday.

And just like backup quarterback Nick Foles led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship, backup goalie Michal Neuvirth stepped up for injured starter Brian Elliott by shutting the door on back-to-back nights for the Flyers.

One night after coming off the bench to stop five shootout attempts and help Philadelphia to a 4-3 win in Arizona, Neuvirth stopped 14 shots to improve to 7-7-2 on the year by defeating the Western Conference’s top team.

”It was huge coming off the bench yesterday and shutting the door Authentic Malik Jefferson Jersey , it gave me a lot of confidence coming into this game,” said Neuvirth, who was forced into Saturday’s game when Elliott was injured while making a shootout save. ”It was a great game right from the start, great atmosphere, great crowd, and it’s so much to fun to play in front of a crowd like that.

”On the way to the rink from the hotel I saw so many fans wearing our jerseys. Back-to-back wins, with our tough schedule Wholesale Josey Jewell Jersey , it’s huge for us.”

The Flyers became just the fourth team to beat Vegas in regulation at T Mobile Arena.

Andrew Macdonald, Claude Giroux and Radko Gudas also scored for Philadelphia, which improved to 20-8-2 since Dec. 4 – when it ended a 10-game winless streak with a 5-2 victory at Calgary.

”Coming off a back-to-back it’s kind of tough to get the legs going, but we grinded it out,” Couturier said. ”They’ve got a good team. I think they probably outplayed us most of the night. Neuvie kept us in the game and we got a few lucky bounces to get us going a little bit. Every game matters, every point is important. We found a way to win and that’s all that matters.”

The Flyers have won four straight to move into third place in the Metropolitan Division, just one point behind second-place Pittsburgh.

”For a night like tonight Authentic Trent Murphy Jersey , to win on a back-to-back, you have to have good goaltending, and you have to have a whole bunch of guys that are willing to lay it on the line and scratch and claw and find a way,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. ”I think that sums up a little bit about our hockey team.”

Brayden McNabb scored the lone goal for Vegas, which is 19-4-2 at home this season. Marc-Andre Fleury, now 27-18-2 lifetime versus Philadelphia, finished with 38 saves.

The Golden Knights Marshall Newhouse Super Bowl LI Jersey , who have 12 power-play goals in their last 10 games, had registered a goal with a man advantage in each of their previous nine games, which tied for the longest power-play goal streak this season. Vegas was 0-for-1 with their only power-play opportunity against the Flyers.

”We got a ton of shots but nothing that was really dangerous – that was the difference in the game,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. ”I thought we played well in the first, thought the second was a bad one for us. They did a good job protecting the lead in the third. We weren’t hungry enough tonight. We just weren’t competitive enough to score those goals tonight.”

McNabb opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season at 11:22 of the first period, when he took a pass from Reilly Smith and skated in to beat Neuvirth with a blistering wrist shot on the goalie’s glove side to give Vegas a 1-0 lead.

After some nifty passing in the attacking zone, Couturier one-timed a pass from Travis Konecny through the legs of Fleury Authentic J'Mon Moore Jersey , tying the game at 1-all with a little more than 2 minutes left in the first. It was Couturier’s team-leading 28th goal of the season.

The Flyers scored twice late in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. First it was Couturier firing a shot that Macdonald deflected past Fleury with 2:52 remaining. Then, with 5.8 seconds left, Fleury’s poke check turned into a pass for Giroux, who scored his 199th career goal.

Gudas’ empty-netter with 2:26 to go provided the final margin.

NOTES: Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek snapped an eight-game scoring streak. … Couturier needs just three goals to reach 100 in his career. … Vegas’ Deryk Engelland is one point away from tying his career high at 17. … William Karlsson, who assisted on McNabb’s goal, is two points shy of 100 for his career.

UP NEXT

Philadelphia: Hosts New Jersey on Tuesday.

Vegas: Hosts Chicago on Tuesday.