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MIAMI (AP) Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake has noticed his team’s inconsistency Authentic DJ Moore Jersey , much as an 8-year-old might notice the up-and-down nature of his first roller-coaster ride.
Four times the Dolphins have come from behind to win close games. Four times they’ve been drubbed. And once a late comeback fell short.
”We’ve had some fourth-quarter rallies,” Wake says, ”and then we have had some games when we were just weren’t in the game. That’s the thing that blows my mind. The inconsistency is kind of baffling, honestly. It’s the thing that’s killing us.”
Article continues below ...Miami’s erratic behavior has been all bad lately, with three consecutive losses by a combined score of 112-45, all in prime time. The slump has left the Dolphins (4-5) desperate for a win as the favorite Sunday against Tampa Bay (3-6), another model of inconsistency.
Good luck with a forecast on this Sunshine State matchup. Here are things to know about the game Authentic Jordan Whitehead Jersey , which was rescheduled from Week 1 because of Hurricane Irma:
UNPREDICTABLE BUCS: Tampa Bay won as an underdog with backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick against the Jets last Sunday to snap a five-game losing streak. Fitzpatrick will make his second consecutive start for the injured Jameis Winston against Miami.
The Bucs play their next three games on the road, where they’re 0-4, with ugly losses at Minnesota, Arizona and New Orleans, and a fourth-quarter collapse in Buffalo. They also lost the final two road games last season.
The problem, coach Dirk Koetter says, is inconsistent play.
”It has nothing to do with the road. We’ve had the same issues at home Authentic Malik Jefferson Jersey ,” Koetter says. ”We also won five games on the road last year. We know we can win on the road. We’ve got to prove it this year. … Inconsistent football, whether you are at home or on the road, is going to get you beat.”
GOING SOFT: The Dolphins’ run defense has collapsed during their losing streak. They’ve allowed 184 yards rushing per game in the past three weeks, compared with an average of 83.2 in the first six games.
Carolina ran for 294 yards, averaging 8.2 per carry. In the past three weeks, the Dolphins’ NFL ranking in run defense has slipped from fifth to 20th.
But the Bucs may lack the weapons to test Miami on the ground. They rank
fifth-worst in run offense, and leading rusher Doug Martin is averaging only 3.3
yards per carry.
LESSON LEARNED: Bucs leading receiver Mike Evans is back after sitting out last week’s victory while serving a one-game suspension for his role in a sideline incident.
Evans says he allowed his emotions to get the best of him.
”If we were winning Authentic Patrick Omameh Jersey , I don’t think I’d do that,” he says. ”But we were down, 30-3, game out of reach. … I’ve got to play more calm. I like playing with passion and effort, but I’ve got to be smarter.”
BACK IN MIAMI: Cornerback Brent Grimes faces the Dolphins for the first time since he left them following the 2016 season to sign with Tampa Bay as a free agent.
Grimes had his 32nd career interception last week. Miami coach Adam Gase says he’s not surprised Grimes is still playing so well at age 34.
”The thing he does best is he makes quarterbacks think somebody’s open,” Gase says. ”That’s why you see guys throw the ball at him, and then all of a sudden he has the ball.”
BURNED: Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard was beaten for three touchdown passes Monday night against the Carolina Panthers. The second-year pro has yet to make his first career interception Authentic Nyheim Hines Jersey , but Gase says Howard’s future is bright at the challenging position.
”If you’re not getting beat, you’re not playing,” Gase says. It’s very rare you’re going to see corners that never have gotten beat. When you’re a young player, as long as you don’t lose confidence, you’re eventually going to make those plays.”
The Dolphins have totaled only three interceptions this season.
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AP Sports Writer Fred Goodall in Tampa, Florida contributed to this report.
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.ARE Cheap Ronnie Harrison Jersey , Sweden (AP) This was a bonus win for Sofia Goggia.
Having packed away the World Cup downhill title a day earlier, Goggia claimed victory in the final super-G of the season on Thursday.
Goggia dominated, finishing 0.32 seconds ahead of Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany.
Article continues below ...Meanwhile, Tina Weirather successfully defended her discipline title.
”It’s crazy because I wasn’t even thinking about this race,” Goggia said. ”After Korea (where she won Olympic downhill gold) I had made winning the downhill title my goal. So I was exhausted yesterday after achieving that.
”But today I felt good and I had hardly any problems on the way down, without any pressure whatsover,” the Italian added. ”This just rounds things off.”
Also, Vincent Kriechmayr made it two wins in two days by taking the final men’s super-G.
In a shortened race, the Austrian finished a narrow 0.04 seconds ahead of Christof Innerhofer 49ers Jeremiah Attaochu Jersey , while Aksel Lund Svindal and Thomas Dressen tied for third, 0.08 behind.
Kjetil Jansrud, the Norwegian who had already clinched the season-long discipline title, finished sixth.
Lindsey Vonn was faster than Goggia at the first checkpoint but lost her balance briefly midway down and finished third, 0.53 behind.
”It’s nice to close out the season with a podium in super-G and to end the season on a high note,” said Vonn, who achieved only one other podium result in the discipline this season – a victory in Val d’Isere, France, in December.
Vonn’s focus for next season will on breaking Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 86 World Cup wins. Her victory on Wednesday in the downhill was her 82nd.
”I’m four (wins) behind and I feel like I’m in a good place Cheap Will Hernandez Jersey , picking up steam, confident and relatively healthy, so that will be my focus from here on out,” Vonn said.
Weirather finished sixth, while Lara Gut, the only skier who had a chance of catching the skier from Lichtenstein, lost control early in her run.
Ester Ledecka, the surprise Olympic super-G champion, also went out early.
Weirather ended the season with an 86-point advantage over Gut. Anna Veith placed third Authentic Harold Landry Jersey , 122 points behind.
Weirather’s second title adds to a large family haul that includes seven small crystal globes won by her mother, Hanni Wenzel, three for her uncle, Andreas Wenzel, and one by her father, Harti Weirather.
It was the fifth win of Goggia’s World Cup career.
Attacking a course set by her coach Giovanni Rulfi, Goggia bowed to the crowd upon seeing her time in the finish area.
It was a sparse crowd, though, on a day when the temperature dipped to minus-17 degrees C (1 degree F).
”It was a pretty tricky super-G and I tried to ski smart Lions
Da'Shawn Hand Jersey ,” Goggia said. ”I told my coach, `Hey
Gianluca, you put poetry on the slope today.”’
It was the third career victory for Kriechmayr, who tied with teammate Matthias Mayer to win the downhill on Wednesday.
Jansrud ended the season with an 80-point advantage over Kriechmayr. Svindal was third, 126 points behind.
”It’s been a very good season. I started it off with a victory and managed to get on the podium in most of the other races,” Jansrud said. ”But I’m very happy to have decided the result in Kvitfjell when I look at the results today.”
Counting four of Svindal’s five titles and Jansrud’s third, Norwegians have won the super-G globe for seven straight seasons.
”Seven times in a row is pretty insane,” Jansrud said. ”If there’s a secret I’m not going to say what it is.”
.CHICAGO (3-4) at NEW ORLEANS (4-2)
Sunday Authentic Kendall Wright Jersey , 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE – Saints by 8
Article continues below ...RECORD VS. SPREAD – Chicago 5-2, New Orleans 4-2
SERIES RECORD – Bears lead 15-14
LAST MEETING – Saints beat Bears 31-15, Dec. 15, 2014
LAST WEEK – Bears beat Panthers 17-3; Saints beat Packers 26-17
AP PRO32 RANKING – Bears No. 23, Saints No. 8
BEARS OFFENSE – OVERALL (30) Authentic Rashaan Gaulden Jersey , RUSH (7), PASS (31).
BEARS DEFENSE – OVERALL (7), RUSH (11), PASS (9).
SAINTS OFFENSE – OVERALL (1), RUSH (17), PASS (2).
SAINTS DEFENSE – OVERALL (4) Authentic Anthony Miller Jersey , RUSH (10), PASS (3).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – Both teams coming off consecutive wins, Chicago
two straight and New Orleans four straight. … Saints have won past three
meetings. … Bears rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky has thrown only 23 passes in past
two combined, completing 12 with one TD, no INTs in that span. … Rookie RB Tarik
Cohen had career-long 70-yard catch last week and is one of two rookies with
reception for 70 yards or more. … TE Zach Miller has TD catch in two of past
three matches. … Rookie S Eddie Jackson had 76-yard INT TD and 75-yard fumble
return TD last week to become first in NFL history with two 75-plus-yard
defensive TDs in one game. … DL Akiem Hicks spent first three-plus NFL seasons
with Saints Authentic
Frank Ragnow Jersey , who drafted him in third round in 2012. He
has four sacks in past three games. … LB Leonard Floyd has 4+ sacks, forced
fumble in past seven road games, had sack last week. … LB Danny Trevathan had
sack, INT last week. He has sack in two straight outings. … LB Pernell McPhee
has four sacks in past five games. … QB Drew Brees passed for 331 yards, TD last
week. But Brees has thrown four INTs in past two games. … RB Mark Ingram has 219
yards rushing, three TDs in past two contests. … Rookie RB Alvin Kamara had 107
scrimmage yards last week Authentic
Brandon Parker Jersey , his first career game with 100-plus. Kamara
has 28 catches, third most among NFL rookies. … WR Ted Ginn Jr. had seven
catches for 141 yards vs. Packers. … WR Brandon Coleman leads Saints with three
TDs receivi
ng. … DE Cameron Jordan has five sacks and INT TD in past six matches
at home. … DE Alex Okafor has sack, forced fumble in two straight games. … S
Kenny Vaccaro had INT last week, third this season. … Fantasy Tip: With Bears
among best pass defenses, expect Saints RB tandem of Ingram and Kamara to get
ample opportunities as runners or receivers out of backfield.
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.BLOOMINGTON http://www.philadelphiaeaglesteamonlines.com/avonte-maddox-jersey , Minn. (AP) Halftimes in the NFL are typically a 12-minute sprint. Players rush back to the locker room, maybe take a bathroom break, get a few words of advice from their coaches and head back out for the second half.
That pacing completely changes at the Super Bowl when the elaborate halftime shows lead to a 30-minute break that leads to more time for adjustments, distractions and the need to stay loose.
”You have to waste time,” said Philadelphia receiver Torrey Smith, who played in the 2013 game with Baltimore.
Article continues below ...”There’s only so much you can really do. We have a plan to stay warm and things to stay active.”
Eagles coach Doug Pederson is aware of the change that he even staged a 30-minute break during practice on Wednesday to get his players acclimated to the rare downtime.
The second part of practice was not nearly as crisp Cheap DaeSean Hamilton Jersey , which Pederson hopes will be a lesson for his players on how to handle it on Sunday against the more experienced Patriots.
”That’s why I did the break, was to put us in that situation, now we understand it,” he said. ”It was a very teachable moment for our guys, our coaches and how to prepare for the second half of a football game.”
Smith said after the adjustments that are made, players might spend the time listening to music Authentic Calvin Ridley Jersey , watching film on their iPads or even playing games on their phones.
Players might even be able to hear Justin Timberlake’s halftime show in the background as the fans enjoy a concert while the players get ready for the final 30 minutes of the biggest game of their lives.
”You’re so focused that you don’t worry about all that,” said Eagles linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who also played on the Ravens in the Super Bowl. ”But we did want to see Beyonce.”
Former Colts receiver Reggie Wayne remembers listening to Prince perform in 2007 in Miami, thinking he’d love to be able to watch if he didn’t have a football game to focus on.
Three years later when Indianapolis played New Orleans, Wayne believes the long halftime played a role in the Saints victory. New Orleans started the second half with a surprise onside kick and took its first lead of the game on a TD pass from Drew Brees to Pierre Thomas.
”It can take the air out of the balloon of the winning team,” Wayne said. ”If it was a shorter halftime they might not have had enough time to ramp that up. We may not have been lackadaisical. It can get catch you off-guard. You come back out there and you might have had momentum but you no longer have it.”
The longer halftime also provides the chance for more adjustments Cheap Barkevious Mingo Jersey , which can be hard to do in the regular season with so little time. Teams are able to see what worked well in the first half, what didn’t and even hold back some plays that can be utilized in the second half just to keep the opponent off-guard.
”It’s definitely something we don’t do except for once a year if we’re lucky enough to be in this game,” said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who will make his eighth Super Bowl start.
”Just try to deal with what we got. Obviously there’s time to make corrections, time to just regroup depending on how the first half went. It’s a good opportunity for you to really understand where you’re at what you need to do and how you need to approach the second half.”
That proved crucial last year in New England’s comeback win over Atlanta when the Patriots trailed 21-3 at the half before rallying for a 34-28 overtime victory.
Brady exploited one-on-one matchups on the outside in the second half after realizing Atlanta was taking away the middle of the field and the Patriots defense played more aggressively.
The Eagles are prepared for more of that this year against coach Bill
Belichick’s team.
”Did you see the Patriots last year? Do you think they made a lot of adjustments at halftime. You definitely can make a lot of adjustments,” said Eagles defensive back Corey Graham.
”When you play like a guy like Belichick Lions Kerryon Johnson Jersey , who’s so smart in making adjustments and things like that, if you give him an extra 20 minutes, can you imagine the adjustments he’ll make.”
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.CRANS MONTANA Cheap John Kelly Jersey , Switzerland (AP) Tina Weirather won a World Cup super-G Saturday to overtake Lara Gut for first place in the discipline’s standings with one race left
The Olympic bronze medalist from Liechtenstein overtook Gut to go top of the standings. Weirather will carry a 46-point lead over her Swiss rival, who finished the race in seventh, into the final event on March 15 at the World Cup finals in Are, Sweden.
Weirather won the globe for the best super-G racer last season, edging Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia by five points. Set for another close showdown with Gut, Weirather called winning the trophy again ”very important.”
Article continues below ...”It’s the biggest prize you can win in our sport Cheap Luke Falk Jersey ,” she said. ”This means more than an Olympic medal, which is just one race and where luck always plays a part. But a globe is never a matter of luck.”
On a shortened course due to weather conditions, Weirather timed 1 minute, 2.17 seconds to beat Olympic silver medalist Anna Veith of Austria by 0.36. Wendy Holdener of Switzerland trailed by 0.38 in third for her career best super-G result. Gut finished 0.59 off the lead.
The surprise gold medalist from the Pyeongchang Olympics, Ester Ledecka of Czech Republic, didn’t compete as she started in a snowboard parallel giant slalom in Turkey.
Also http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/connor-williams-jersey , overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin and her American teammate Lindsey Vonn both sat out the race. Shiffrin was preparing for next week’s technical races in Ofterschwang, Germany, while Vonn will only race again at the finals.
Shiffrin’s lead over Holdener, her only remaining rival for the overall championship, was reduced to 611 points on Saturday, but the Swiss skier has been left with only a mathematical chance of closing the gap with seven races remaining.
Wearing bib No. 7 Cowboys Connor Williams Jersey , Weirather was able to learn from problems at the final jump before the finish for most of the early starters, including runner-up Veith. They came wide and lost time in making the next gate.
”I did a good job today. At the start I watched the first four skiers and saw they had big problems,” said Weirather, who competed in a Europa Cup super-G on the same course last Wednesday.
”This is the most difficult hill all year,” she said. ”Every time I misjudge
something, so it was important to find out how the rolls are
, how the course feels.”
Veith acknowledged she probably lost the victory just before the finish.
”Everything was possible today,” the former two-time overall champion said. ”I felt like I wanted too much and that’s why I made the mistake at the bottom part.”
A combined event, adding the results of another super-G and a slalom run, is scheduled for Sunday.
.The first thing you may be wondering is what exactly is a 3D Relief Map (or raised relief as it is often referred to)? It is a map of a selected area that is wall mountable Bills Marshall Newhouse Jersey , printed on plastic and features raised and detailed features to represent real life features. The Relief map has all of the features you would expect from a traditional paper map such as scale, contours and shading however it is presented in a professional artistic way. The raised relief maps also include local detail such as forests, rivers, lakes and the names of every peak Cheap Martavis Bryant Jersey , town and village. When buying a map, you have the choice of a dark or light frame which look great, or the option of having it unframed on a hardened foam base.
There are a number of options available to those wanting to purchase a Raised Relief Map. If you want a large size map, there is a choice of certain UK national parks available. For instance it is possible to get a Lake District Raised Relief Map and Snowdonia Raised Relief Map available with the dimensions 670 x 760mm. If you want a smaller map then there is a Peak District Raised Relief Map available with the dimensions 550 x 430mm and makes a great choice if there is limited space available. On The other end of the scale
, if you want a map that is truly spectacular,
there is a world edition available which encompasses all of the Earths major
peaks as well as raised sea ridges and polar caps.Overall a 3D Relief Map makes a wonderful gift for the outdoor enthusiast and offers something a little different and more personal than outdoor gear or the corporate gifts we are used to. They also make a great collectors item for those wanting to collect local memorabilia. Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;mso-para-margin:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:#0400;mso-fareast-language:#0400;mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
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.SANTA CLARA Raiders Nick Nelson Jersey , Calif. (AP) Carlos Hyde talked about the San Francisco 49ers as a Super Bowl team – at least for next season. The mood in the Jacksonville Jaguars was much more low-key even though they clinched their first division title.
It was hard to tell which was the 10-win team heading to the postseason and which was the 10-loss team with just one game left in the season.
Jimmy Garoppolo passed his toughest test yet in his near-perfect start to his 49ers tenure, throwing two touchdown passes and running for a third against the NFL’s top scoring defense to lead San Francisco to a 44-33 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
Article continues below ...The win was the fourth straight since Garoppolo took over as starter for San Francisco (5-10) and left Hyde predicting big things in the future for a franchise that looked lost a little over a month ago during an 0-9 start to the season.
Garoppolo, who was well schooled by New England coach Bill Belichick in avoiding bold proclamations, seemed a bit surprised by Hyde’s prediction.
”I’ll talk to him about that http://www.miamidolphinsteamonline.com/albert-wilson-jersey ,” he said. ”I don’t know. We’re dealing with the Rams next weekend. We’ll look at everything else after that.”
That there is even that kind of lofty talk in San Francisco is remarkable considering where this team was just past the midpoint of coach Kyle Shanahan’s first season.
But Garoppolo has changed all of that with his top-flight play since taking over as starter following the mid-season trade from the Patriots. What he did against a Jaguars defense that entered the game as the top-ranked unit in scoring and passing defense might have been his best performance yet.
”As long as you have a good quarterback, you have a good chance of winning the game,” Hyde said. ”That’s been our thing right now. Things haven’t always been good here but it’s definitely changing and things are definitely getting better and the future is bright.”
The Jaguars (10-5) still have plenty to play for after clinching the division with Tennessee’s loss earlier in the day. But they lacked composure as evidenced by a sideline argument between Malik Jackson and Aaron Colvin and three personal fouls that helped fuel two touchdown drives.
The loss left Jacksonville needing a win next week and two Pittsburgh losses to get a bye.
”It’s tough. When we’re on the field we can’t allow things like that to happen,” Colvin said. ”That’s probably our biggest opponent is ourselves http://www.cincinnatibengalsteamonline.com/malik-jefferson-jersey , when we beat ourselves. We have to fix that issue. We can’t go into the playoffs like that. Today was just an odd situation. We’re not really that kind of team. We’ll be better.”
Here are some other takeaways from the game:
GIVEAWAYS: Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles entered the game on perhaps the best three-game stretch of his career as he had seven TD passes, no interceptions and 903 yards during the streak. But he threw three interceptions against the 49ers, including one returned 50 yards for a TD by Donate Johnson in the first half.
”It wasn’t our best performance,” Bortles said. ”We’re a better football team than that. We’re a better offense than that. Can’t turn the ball over and put our defense in some tough situations.”
PARTY SPOILERS: The 49ers heard all week how the Jaguars wanted to celebrate
a division title by handing out championship T-shirts and hats and did their
best to make sure that didn’t happen on their home field. While Jacksonville did
clinch 
, there was no celebration because of the
loss.
”We heard that this was their t-shirt and hat game where they would clinch the playoffs and all that,” Hyde said. ”Guys took that personally. We’re at home. This is our last home game. We felt some type of way about that so we came out today trying to make a statement.”
BIG-TIME THROW: Garoppolo has had plenty of highlights since taking over as quarterback in San Francisco. One of his best came on a fourth-quarter throw to Trent Taylor . Garoppolo was forced to scramble to his left and then threw sidearm across his body to Taylor for a 5-yard score that made it 30-19.
”Jimmy does such a great job of extending plays and making off-schedule plays,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. ”If you study offenses in the NFL, all the biggest plays are on off-schedule plays. If you have a guy who can do that and convert third downs it will just help your offense so much.”
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.EAST RUTHERFORD http://www.neworleanssaintsteamonline.com/marcus-davenport-jersey , N.J. (AP) New York Giants right guard D.J. Fluker is going to miss the Thanksgiving game against the Redskins in Washington.
The Giants also announced that tackle Justin Pugh (back) and middle linebacker B.J. Goodson (ankle) also will miss the game.
The injury to Fluker means the Giants will have to use their eighth offensive line combination in 11 games. It is expected that veteran John Greco or first-year player Jon Halapio will replace Fluker.
Article continues below ...Calvin Munson, who replaced Goodson
, is doubtful after aggravating a quad
injury.
Linebacker Jonathan Casillas (neck), long-snapper Zak DeOssie (trapezoid muscle) Bills Taron Johnson Jersey , defensive tackle Damon Harrison (ankle/elbow), receiver Sterling Shepard (illness) Cheap Vincent Valentine Jersey , linebacker Kelvin Sheppard (groin) and defensive end Olivier Vernon (shoulder) are questionable.
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.Brett Favre says he might have had ”thousands” of concussions during his Hall of Fame career.
The three-time NFL MVP who played from 1992-2010 and was known for his aggressive approach to football said Thursday on NBC’s ”Megyn Kelly Today” that he is experiencing short-term memory issues.
Favre Bengals Logan Woodside Jersey , 48, has become an advocate for concussion research and said he had three or four known concussions during his lengthy career, which spanned 302 regular-season games and 24 in the postseason.
Article continues below ...”But as we’re learning about concussions,” he told Kelly, ”there’s a term we use in football and maybe other sports, that I got `dinged.’ When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that is a concussion.
”If that’s a concussion Bengals Mark Walton Jersey , then I’ve had hundreds, probably thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening.”
Favre added that he worries about developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) as he ages.
”My football career has meant a great deal to me and has provided a lot of
things, a lot of joy not only for me, but for my family,” Favre said. ”Now, my
family doesn’t have to face the physical problems that could potentially
arise 
, or the mental problems that could, but they
are directly associated with me in that regard. It’s kind of a blessing and a
curse.
”I grew up playing football. My dad was the coach, he was tough on me, he was a hard-nosed, just in-your-face-type of guy, and he didn’t know what concussions were about. We knew basically what a concussion was, but the thought process in those days was you would never come out of a game or practice because you had a little head ding. You would be considered, for lack of a better term Cheap Billy Price Jersey , a sissy.
”My point in this is 30 years ago, there wasn’t a problem in anyone’s mind from playing football. It was just a matter of being tough, and the ones who stuck it out and made the most of it. Now, what we know, is it has nothing to do with toughness and that’s a lot scarier. So I look at my career as something wonderful. I didn’t know; had I known in Year 5, I would have looked at my future a bit closer as my career unfolded.”
Favre appeared on Kelly’s program with three other retired star athletes: soccer’s Abby Wambach, baseball’s David Ross and Favre’s fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer and former teammate Kurt Warner. All four have invested in a company developing a concussion-treatment drug that is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Favre said he would not encourage youngsters to play football.
”The brain and just the skull itself, for (8- to 15-year-olds) http://www.sanfrancisco49ersteamonline.com/fred-warner-jersey , and maybe even older, is not developed enough and they should not be playing tackle football,” Favre said. ”We should protect them, especially when there is no treatment solution out there.”
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.THOUSAND OAKS http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/lamar-jackson-jersey , Calif. (AP) Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead has to put together a complicated puzzle this offseason.
And he still isn’t sure whether All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s contract extension will be the first or last piece to fall into place for the surprising NFC West champions.
Negotiating with Donald is the highest-profile task awaiting Snead, who will also have to address uncertainty in the secondary, if he will use the franchise tag on wide receiver Sammy Watkins, and whether to cut players such as linebacker Mark Barron and wide receiver Tavon Austin.
Article continues below ...”That’s the biggest piece of the puzzle is, all right, how do we stay in this window where we expect to compete for a division, expect to win the division. And we do have a young team so it is sustainable, but it’s solving that riddle,” Snead said Wednesday.
The Rams spent much of their efforts last offseason trying to address their struggling offense, hiring Sean McVay as head coach and bringing in established veterans including left tackle Andrew Whitworth Buccaneers M.J. Stewart Jersey , center John Sullivan and wide receivers Robert Woods and Watkins to assist quarterback Jared Goff.
Those efforts were more successful than Snead could have imagined, finishing as the top scoring offense in the league this season after ranking last the previous season.
Los Angeles went 11-5, with the franchise earning its first division title since 2003, before losing to the Atlanta Falcons 26-13 in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday.
Snead said the emphasis in the upcoming months will now be on defense, including trying to finalize a new contract with Donald. Donald held out of training camp in hopes of getting that deal and didn’t report to the team until one day before the regular season started.
Still, he finished with 15 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in 14 games, solidifying his status as the game’s dominant interior lineman.
Snead and Donald’s representatives both agreed to stop negotiating during the season. There is no timetable for an agreement, but even a basic framework of what will likely be the richest contract for a defender in NFL history would give Snead the ability to respond accordingly in other areas.
”Like I’ve always said with Aaron, hey, we want him to be a Ram a long time Cheap Mark Walton Jersey ,” Snead said. ”So when we ink that deal, or not, I can’t put a timeline on it, but it is a major priority, as it always will be until we get it done. And for Aaron’s sake, and for doing business, with our other players as well because that contract obviously will affect basically your salary cap.”
While Donald will almost certainly remain the anchor up front for a long time, there are fewer guarantees at defensive back. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson has played the past two seasons under the franchise tag, and starting safety Lamarcus Joyner and slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman are unrestricted free agents.
Cornerback Kayvon Webster, one of the few significant signings on defense last offseason Cheap Trenton Cannon Jersey , is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
Snead held off on committing to Johnson on a long-term basis before seeing how he would fit in defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ system.
Snead said making sure a player can thrive in a specific scheme is a must before committing big money. Johnson played well with 57 solo tackles, 14 passes defended and two interceptions.
”They definitely have to be ideal scheme fits, or I always call it you’re putting a rectangle in a square and I think that’s how things get a little off-kilter when you’re building a team,” Snead said.
There could also be turnover at linebacker, where Barron and edge rusher Robert Quinn could be cut to avoid significant salary-cap hits.
The same might be true for Austin, who had 13 receptions for 47 yards and ran for 270 yards and one touchdown. Austin fell behind Woods, Watkins and rookie Cooper Kupp in the rotation after being limited by a hamstring injury in training camp.
If the 2013 first-round pick were to go, it could increase the likelihood Watkins remains with Los Angeles.
Watkins led the Rams with eight touchdown receptions in the final season of his rookie contract after being acquired in a trade from Buffalo in August.
Watkins could be one of the top options in a relatively weak group of free-agent receivers, making him a potential option for the franchise tag.
”The goal is to make sure we can fit everybody into the budget,” Snead said.
”Because sometimes saving money
, that kind of means we’re attacking an
individual player just to save money.
”But it’s really looking at the budget, the cap situation for this year, and the cap situation for next year, and the next. Then we go `18, how do we improve and then keep the core together? So, it’s not necessarily looking at just salaries.”
NOTES: Defensive tackle Michael Brockers is not expected to require surgery for the knee injury he sustained against the Falcons, Snead said.
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.