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26 sep 10 Week 3 Vikings Fantasy Preview

What offensive struggles? The Lions are in town – get ready for some points! Your Week 3 Vikings fantasy preview:
Brett Fare
Rusty smutty. What Fare really needs is a date with a creampuff defense. Thankfully, the NFL schedule-makers agreed, and obliged by sending the hapless Lions to Mall of America Field this weekend. After allowing the most passing yards (4,358) and passing Tads (35) to opposing Abs a year ago, the cheap nfl jerseys
Lions have rung in 2010 by playing at about the same level, despite the addition of a boatload of talent along their defensive line. Only 2 teams have fared worse against opposing Abs this year than the Lions, who allowed 372 yards and 2 Tads to Jay Cutler in Week 1, followed by 284 and 2 to Michael Vick in his 1st start with the Eagles. The Vikings didn’t need Fare to put up big numbers in either match up last year – both easy wins – but he did have 2 TD passes in the Week 2 match up and 344 yards and 1 TD in the Week 10 rematch. If not for the disheveled state of the Vikings WR corps, I’d whole-heartedly endorse Fare as a fantasy starter this week. But with Percy Hardin’s status up in the air, Fare remains on the fringe of the QB1 rankings this week. If Hardin plays, start Fare and bank on a bounce-back. If not, look for an even heavier does of Adrian Peterson than usual, and start Fare only if you have no other viable options.
Adrian Peterson
Peterson blamed himself for not scoring on last week’s fateful 4th and goal play, but in my opinion it was one of his best games since the end of the 2008 season. That also happens to be the last time the Vikings had to rely primarily on Peterson, rather than on the arm of certain #4, which could be the case again this week. The much-touted additions of defensive linemen Ndamukong Such, Corey Williams and Kyle Vander Bosch haven’t exactly turned around what was the 6th easiest defense to run on in 2009. Through 2 games this season, no team has been more lenient on opposing fantasy Ribs than the Lions, who surrendered over 200 total yards and 2 Tads to Matt Forte in Week 1, then watched helplessly as Leeann McCoy racked up 120 and 3 Tads against them last week. Peterson has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in 4 of his 6 career meetings with Detroit and scored 3 times in the 2 matches last year. This is your classic case of unstoppable force facing off against easily-movable object. Expect AP to take full advantage.
Percy Hardin
The hip injury Hardin aggravated in Week 2 is apparently not an issue, but now the ubiquitous migraines have reportedly made a return. Hardin is easily the most reliable and explosive WR at Fare’s disposal, but his status for Week 3 will likely remain up in the air right up until kickoff. Hardin secured 5 grabs for 41 yards and a TD last time Detroit came to Minnesota (Week 2 of last year), and the Lions finished 2009 as the 3rd worst defense against opposing Wars. Hardin managed to fight through the migraines and perform well despite not practicing during the week on more than 1 occasion last year, but the uncertainty surrounding his current condition makes him a fantasy WR3 this week.
Bernard Berrien
If Hardin sits, it’ll be even more important for Berrien to pick up his game in Week 3. Despite being roundly criticized after the Week 2 loss to the Dolphins, it’s a good sign for Berrien’s fantasy value that Fare was throwing it Bernard’s way in crucial situations – both deep downfield and in the red zone. One long TD would go a long ways towards silencing the critics, and few NFL defenses offer a better opportunity than the Lions. Berrien had 6 catches for 46 yards in last year’s 1st match up against the Lions and was targeted another 8 times in the Week 10 win in which Sidney Rice (7 catches, 201 yards) went bonkers. Nobody in their right mind would trust Berrien as a fantasy starter this week, but don’t bail on him completely just yet.
Greg Camarillo
Surely, Camarillo has picked up the offense at this point, right? After another game of Colts jersey
serving limited duty, Camarillo could get pushed into action whether he’s ready or not on Sunday. He’d be the logical replacement for Hardin as the slot receiver should Percy miss the game, and it’s a role he’s very capable of playing. You’re not touching him from a fantasy standpoint, but Camarillo still has the potential to emerge as a usable commodity, especially in PPR leagues. If he plays a significant role against the woeful Lions secondary, he’ll be a trendy pickup on next week’s waiver wire.
Greg Lewis
Despite serving as one of the team’s top 3 Wars in each of the first 2 games, Lewis has just 2 receptions for 26 yards. Even if Hardin sits, I have to believe it would be Camarillo that sees the up tick in attention from Fare, and from a fantasy perspective Lewis remains an extreme long shot to emerge as anything more than a warm body.
Hank Basket
He isn’t Vincent Jackson, but Basket has had a couple of big games when given an opportunity over his 5-year NFL career. Having come from Philadelphia, Basket should be somewhat familiar with the similar Vikings playbook, and he figures to get at least a handful of snaps in Week 3 if Hardin is limited or can’t play. He’s still behind both Camarillo and Lewis in the pecking order, though, so doesn’t get too excited.
Visa the Since
Since once again shone through as the lone bright spot in the Vikings passing game last week, amassing 6 catches for 86 yards as Fare’s favorite pass-catching option. Against a Lions defense that yielded a league-worst 13 Tads to opposing Tees last year, since is once again a no-brainer fantasy starter in Week 3.
Ryan Long well
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Lions were exploited more than any other team by opposing kickers in 2009. Thanks to a whopping 55 Pats allowed, no team even came close to allowing as many kicker points as did the Lions.
Vikings Defense
Detroit Abs threw 32 Nits in 2009, and the team as a whole turned the Cowboys jersey
ball over more times (41) than any other team. They were merely bad (rather than horrendous) at protecting the QB, but the Vikings got to them for 5 sacks and 4 forced turnovers in the 2 matches last year. RB Avid Best appears to have added an element of explosiveness their offense lacked a year ago, but QB Shaun Hill isn’t scaring anyone under center, despite his impressive numbers against the Eagles last week. It’s all systems go for the Vikings defense this week.

26 sep 10 Lions-Vikings Preview


A home match up with the Detroit Lions on Sunday would appear to be just what the Minnesota Vikings need to avoid a 0-3 start.
The Vikings, though, will face a Lions team that's showing signs of improvement two years after its 0-16 finish.
Minnesota will try to post its 13th victory in a row at the Metronome over Detroit, but it enters this contest seemingly out of sorts on offense after finishing one win away from the Super Bowl last season.
The Vikings have scored one touchdown in each of nfl jerseys
their first two games and didn't record their first points in last week's 14-10 loss to Miami until Adrian Peterson’s 1-yard run late in the third quarter.
Peterson was also stopped on fourth down on the 1-yard line with 2:16 remaining with his team trailing by four, and Brett Fare threw three interceptions for the first time in 18 games with Minnesota, which fell to 8-1 at home with him under center.
"It's a 14-game season now and we're sitting at the bottom of it," Fare said. "What we do with it from here remains to be seen. It won't be any easier."
Injuries to Fare’s top two receivers from last season haven't helped. Sidney Rice, who had team bests of 83 receptions and 1,312 yards, is expected to miss the first half of the season while recovering from hip surgery.
Percy Hardin has battled migraines and a strained right hip that he aggravated last week. Before they signed Hank Basket on Wednesday, the Vikings' only healthy receivers were Bernard Berrien, Greg Lewis and Greg Camarillo, who have combined to catch seven passes for 85 yards.
Last season, Rice and Hardin accounted for 143 of the team's 377 receptions and nearly half of its 4,403 yards. Chester Taylor also caught another 44 passes out of the backfield, but he signed with NFC North rival Chicago in the off-season.
"We can't make excuses," Fare said. "There will be what-ifs or Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
should, could, would as. That's part of it. You go down swinging and you win swinging. If we don't make it, we don't make it."
Fare is 275 yards shy of 70,000 in his career and two Tads away from 500 as he tries to help Minnesota avoid its worst start since going 0-4 in 2002. The Vikings have won five straight and 19 of the last 21 meetings with the Lions.
Detroit, however, has been competitive in its first two games this season despite losing both. The Lions nearly snapped their lengthy road losing streak in their opener against Chicago, but wide receiver Calvin Johnson's apparent go-ahead touchdown catch was ruled incomplete in a controversial 19-14 loss, their 21st in a row away from home.
Detroit set an NFL record with 24 consecutive road losses from 2001-03.
After falling behind 18 points in the fourth quarter last week at home, the Lions scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 4:13 against Philadelphia before falling 35-32.
"I'm proud to stand among the players," Coach Jim Schwartz said. "This is a tough team, a team that's resilient, that fights through a lot of situations."
Avid Best showcased the potential that made him one of Detroit's two first-round picks in April, catching nine passes for 154 yards and a TD and rushing for another 78 on 17 carries with two scores.
Shaun Hill passed for a career-best 335 yards with two Tads and two interceptions while starting in place of Matthew Stafford, who is also not expected to play this week due to a shoulder injury.
Hill, who played one game as a rookie in Minnesota in 2005, lost both of his previous matches with his former team while with San Francisco, including 27-24 in the Metronome last season.
Fare has won seven consecutive matches with the Lions and has Minnesota Vikings jersey
eight touchdowns and no interceptions in his past four meetings.
Detroit previously beat Minnesota at the Metronome on Dec. 14, 1997, when Herman Moore caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with three seconds left for a 14-13 victory.

Britt, McCourt find going home easier 2nd time

Going home is easier the second time around. Just ask Kenny Britt and Jason McCourt.
The former Rutgers stars played in front of more than 50 family members in the old Meadowlands stadium a year ago when the Tennessee Titans lost that game to the New York Jets.
Now they are visiting the New Meadowlands Stadium to play the cheap nfl jerseys
New York Giants on Sunday.
''Last year I was real excited to get in the game and do some things and make some plays,'' Britt said. ''This year I'm real calm and focused on what we've got to do this week to get a win.''
Britt left Rutgers after his junior season to enter the 2009 NFL Draft and was selected by the Titans with the No. 18 overall pick. The receiver was the first player from Rutgers ever taken in the first round.
The Titans also grabbed his Rutgers teammate McCourt in the sixth round with the 203rd pick.
The rookies went back home during Week 3 last season and it wasn't pretty against the Jets, as the Titans slogged through a 0-6 start. Britt made four catches for 59 yards in front of 45 friends and family. He wound up leading Tennessee for the season with 701 yards receiving.
McCourt was busy that day on special teams with three tackles before injury pushed him onto the field at cornerback.
''Last year I think it was a bigger deal,'' McCourt said. ''I had a lot of family and friends wanting to come to the game. This year, with my brother also being in the league he played there last weekend, so I don't have as many family and friends hitting me up for tickets so that's a plus.''
His identical twin brother, Devin, was selected in the first round by the New England Patriots this year. The McCourt brothers played in the secondary together for Rutgers, sticking close to their Nyack, N.Y., home when they headed off to college. Jason left college a year ahead of his brother, who red shirted.
That's why Jason McCourt is busy scrounging up 10 tickets instead of Cowboys jersey
20 like he did a year ago, but he can't wait to see the new stadium.
''It should be fun just as a football fan just to go to the new football stadium and be able to play in it,'' said McCourt, who splits his time between Nashville and Nanuet, N.Y.

He's going back as the Titans' starting cornerback opposite Cortland Finnegan. Safety Michael Griffin said McCourt will be much more prepared.
''This time he has a lot on his side going into this game,'' Griffin said Thursday. ''That's home-field advantage for him. He's used to everything. He's probably seen everything growing up as a kid, and he's going into this game with a lot of confidence because I'm sure there's going to be a lot of friends and family watching him.''
Britt is getting only 10 tickets for family to watch the Bayonne, N.J., native. He noted he has a 1-year-old son and another child on the way, so he can't afford to be as generous this time around.
Loyalties will be split Sunday, and Britt warns that plenty of people will be wearing Giants' blue hats paired with his No. 18 Titans' jersey.
''It's really special to me because all the people at home that want to see me in a game live instead of on TV can see me there. This year they've got to pay for their ticket,'' Britt said.
They aren't the only Titans (1-1) who will be looking around the new stadium. Kerry Collins played quarterback for the Giants (1-1) between 1999 and 2003, including their 2000 Super Bowl loss. Now he's backing up Vince Young even though he came off the bench to finish off last week's 19-11 loss to Pittsburgh.
''I certainly have a lot of great memories for the old Giants' Stadium. I know they've done it first class. I know the Mara family and the whole organization. Everything they do is first class. I expect nothing less from the stadium,'' Collins said.
Notes: DT Tony Brown (right knee) did not practice again but is expected to play Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
Sunday. DE Jacob Ford (right leg) did not practice, and neither did OT Mike Otto (right knee). ... Titans coach Jeff Fisher was asked about New York's bedbug epidemic and if he had discussed the issue with his team. ''No. Thanks for bringing it up though,'' Fisher said.

24 sep 10 Espinosa’s 2-run homer lifts Nats past Astros 4-3

September call-up Espinosa’s fifth homer barely cleared the out-of-town scoreboard in right field off the second pitch from reliever Jeff Fulchino(notes) (2-1). Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez(notes) walked Justin Maxwell(notes) leading off the inning.
Espinosa scored Washington’s first run of nfl jersey
the game after tripling in the third, coming home on Ian Desmond’s(notes) infield single. Morse’s 12th homer came on Rodriguez’s first pitch of the fourth.
Tyler Clippard(notes) (11-6) earned the win despite allowing two inherited runners to score in the seventh.
Nationals starter Jason Marquis(notes) pitched into the seventh, allowing seven hits and two runs. He’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in five of his last seven starts, showing signs of coming back after having right elbow surgery in May.
Jason Michaels(notes) led off the seventh with a double for his third hit of the game, and that was it for Marquis. Doug Slaten(notes) came in and walked the only batter he faced.
Clippard entered and promptly walked pinch-hitter Anderson Hernandez(notes). After getting Rodriguez to pop up a bunt attempt, Clippard walked Jason Bourgeois(notes) to load the bases, and Angel Sanchez(notes) lined a two-run single to right to put Houston in front 3-2.
Clippard was followed by Joel Peralta(notes), who struck out three batters in 1 1-3 innings. Sean Burnett(notes) got the last two outs for his third save in four chances.
Houston’s first run came in the fourth inning. Marquis got the first two batters out, including Carlos Lee(notes) on a hard liner that left fielder Roger Bernadina(notes) caught with a spectacular dive on a full sprint. But Marquis hit the next batter, Chris Johnson(notes), and gave up two singles in a row, with Michaels San Francisco 49ers jersey
driving in the run.
Washington went back up 2-1 in its half of the fourth, on Morse’s homer to straightaway center.
Rodriguez went 6 1-3 innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He also hit Adam Dunn(notes) with a pitch in the fifth inning. Dunn remained in the game to play first base until his at-bat in the seventh, when he was replaced by pinch-hitter Kevin Mench(notes). The Nationals said Dunn had a bruised right elbow.

Notes: Espinosa made his major league debut Sept. 1. He was a third-round pick in the 2008 draft out of Long Beach State. … It rained briefly during batting practice, and during the game, bolts of lightning flashed beyond the outfield every so often. … Lee was doubled off first base after leaving the bag too early on a fly to center in the sixth. … Astros RF Hunter Pence(notes) was out of the starting lineup, as expected, after hurting his right hip flexor while running out a grounder in the first inning Tuesday night. … Houston also was missing OF Michael Bourn(notes), who sat out a third consecutive game after straining a right side muscle Sunday. … The Nationals signed a two-year player development contract with Single-A Hagerstown of the South Atlantic League. … The Astros Buffalo Bills jersey
claimed RHP Cesar Carrillo(notes) off waivers from the San Diego Padres and designated INF Edwin Maysonet(notes) for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old Carrillo was a first-round pick in the 2005 amateur draft and went 1-2 with a 13.06 ERA in three starts for San Diego in 2009. Carrillo was 5-14 in 27 starts at Triple-A Portland this year.

Will Revis, Jets eat their words today?

First off, Tom Brady today needs to toss a Merriam-Webster onto Revis Island. "Slouch" used as a slang noun means one who is lazy and incompetent. Brady's buddy Randy Moss is neither.
Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, however, associated "Randy Moss" with "slouch" during a nonsensical word-association game instigated by the NFL Network's Deion Sanders in January.
In NFL history, only Jerry Rice has grabbed more football jerseys
touchdown passes than Moss' 149. There is nothing lazy or incompetent about being so acquainted with the end zone.
Yes, Moss-Revis is just the latest foolishness in an overrated Patriots-Jets border war that, for all its bluster through the years, has produced few games comparable to the Patriots-Colts rivalry.
Brady is 13-3 against the Jets as New England's starting quarterback. That is not a rivalry, it's a rout. The games are often the least-entertaining part of Patriots-Jets.
Back to Moss. His production since back-to-back outbursts against Miami and Indianapolis last November (combined 15 catches, 326 yards, 3 TDs) certainly is not in keeping with the NFL's all-time leader in yards per game (77.7) among receivers who have played at least 100 games.
Including the Patriots' playoff loss to Baltimore in January, Moss has not hit his career average in any of his last nine games, averaging 53.3 receiving yards per game over that time.
In the Patriots' 38-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, Moss had five catches for 59 yards, including a 32-yard gain. Is Moss overdue for a statistical outburst, or starting over the hill at age 33?
On two trips to Revis Island last season, Moss had a total of nine catches for 58 yards and one touchdown, so it is understandable why 25-year-old Revis might think this old man is a slouch.
Still, while Moss was trying to turn coconuts into radios, other Jets encountered rough seas trying to contain Patriots slot man Wes Welker during the teams' second meeting last season. Welker had 15 catches for 192 yards in a 31-14 Patriots victory in Foxboro.
And that is the idea: To win the game. (The teams split two games last season.)
"I know they feel very good about Revis. I know it's pretty entertaining for Vikings jersey
the fans," Brady said of the Revis-Moss spat. "Ultimately, what it comes down to is our offense against their defense. It's never one guy against one guy. It's about 'can we get the ball in the end zone?' There's no one keeping score on these one-on-one battles. Really, what we're keeping score (on) is the scoreboard."
Moss in full gallop is still a breathtaking sight. Nothing else with only two legs and wearing pads covers so much ground so gracefully fast. Defenders being drawn to No. 81 presents Brady with opportunities elsewhere. But against the Jets, Moss is Revis' alone.
While Revis sat out the Jets' "Hard Knocks" training camp to coerce the Jets into appreciating him more (result: new four-year, $46 million contract with $32 million guaranteed), Moss had his best training camp in four seasons as a Patriot. Moss' rant for a new contract was poorly timed (moments after New England's season-opening victory last Sunday), but he is honoring the final $6.4 million year of his current three-year pact, probably in part because he is eager to get after Revis. Moss said his off-season work was driven by his showings against Colts jersey
Revis last season.
Meanwhile, Revis' name this past week showed up on the Jets' injury report linked to a tight hamstring (a phony excuse just in case?). He fully participated in practice on Friday.

Don't dilute NFL with 18 games

The sobering realities of football were manifest Saturday night as an ambulance rolled onto the UB Stadium field and to the aid of Bulls offensive tackle Matt Ostrowski, who had just suffered a gruesome leg fracture. The play had seemed innocent enough. There was no scrum, no mass of tangled bodies that usually precedes such frightful injuries. Instead, a Central Florida player was blocked into Ostrowski behind the ongoing play, and his falling body struck Ostrowski's leg in a fashion that afforded it no give. Some might say this particular nfl jerseys
misfortune was a one-in-a-million occurrence, and they'd probably be right.
Ostrowski's season is over, just like that, the injury not dissimilar to the one that felled Buffalo Bills guard Eric Wood last season. The nature of the game guarantees that players will be hurt, sometimes in a devastating fashion that requires long, lonely and anguishing recoveries.
Because injuries are inherent to football, because the game often debilitates its participants over their lifetimes, the notion of an 18-game NFL regular season comes across as sheer greed -- a quest to maximize revenues at the expense of those who make the sport their livelihood.
Certainly points of persuasion avail themselves to those in support of expanding the season. The schedule already includes four preseason games that push the overall total to 20. The league merely would replace two preseason games with two regular-season games, a tradeoff that at face value gives fans more for their dollar. Who wouldn't rather see a game that counts instead of a practice tilt?
But do those who support their franchises through season-ticket purchases truly benefit in Buffalo Bills jersey
the long run? The New York Jets lost nose tackle Kris Jenkins for the season from an injury suffered in the opener. The Green Bay Packers will play the rest of the schedule without starting running back Ryan Grant, another opening-day casualty. Surely those teams are no better as a result.
And is there any doubt that swapping preseason games for regular-season games is something less than fair trade? Starters typically see spot duty in the preseason, for no reason other than to protect them. Wouldn't teams give their regulars extended duty, iron out more of the wrinkles, if the threat of injury was nonexistent? Isn't the idea to be nearing top form once the games count in the standings?
Doubtless injuries sometimes unveil new talent through opportunity. Post-draft free-agent signings have become almost as noteworthy as the draft itself. There is no shortage of competent players willing to subject themselves to the sport's brutality either for love of the game, glory or financial gain. There comes a point, however, when the depth pool draws shallow, when the quality of play suffers as injuries mount. And if that becomes the case how does the fan benefit?
Besides, the one place where the talent pool is lean happens to be the most important position on the field. There might be little difference in the Bills if Brian Brohm replaced Trent Edwards, but how about Indianapolis without Peyton Manning, New Orleans minus Drew Brees?
The NFL need only regard the workings of the NBA and the NHL toSteelers jersey
see that more is less. In those leagues, the onslaught of back-to-back games scheduled to maximize prime scheduling dates (and profits in general) have weakened the quality of play and made the regular seasons less compelling. Players take nights off, and with good reason, because the demands of the schedule are excessive.

SERBY'S SUNDAY Q&A WITH. . DAVID HARRIS

The Post's Steve Serby chatted with the Jets' 26-year-old middle linebacker.
Q: Your mentality on the field?
A: Once you step between those lines, you know that the guy on the other team is trying to take your head off, and you have to be in that same mindset to do the same thing to him. It's battle - I don't want to say war because it's not war - there's nothing like this on earth. It's kinda hard to explain. The level of cheap nfl jerseys
intensity and focus reaches its highest level . . . adrenaline is always rushing.
Q: Your best hit?
A: It was against Ohio State, against Troy Smith. He faked a reverse to Ted Ginn, ran around the edge, and . . . that was it. Smacked him. (Laughs) I gave him my all to try to kill him, but he's a tough player, he got up, and finished the game, and had a heckuva game against us.
Q: Do you see yourself as an intimidator?
A: I think I intimidate people like by the way I play. 'Cause I'm always hustling, I'm always running to the ball, and I'm always trying to make a tackle, so I think that stands out on film.
Q: Do you want people to look at you as an intimidator?
A: Sure, why not? (Laughs). What's wrong with that?
Q: I would think playing your position, that would be a plus, right?
A: Yeah. I want people, when they watch film of me, they say, "I don't want to go against this guy . . . for 60 minutes a game.
Q: Because you're going to be out there for 60 minutes.
A: Sixty minutes going hard every play.
Q: The Patriots selected Brandon Meriweather instead of you in the 2007 draft.
A: A lot of people don't know it but, I think I can run pretty good to be the size I am. That was one of the knocks on me coming out of college - everybody said I was too slow, couldn't run sideline-to-sideline, couldn't cover anybody but . . . (I) try to go out every day and prove 'em wrong I guess (chuckles).
Q: Because you're so low-key, do you feel unappreciated around the league?
A: I might not get a lot of fanfare, I guess, but the thing that gets me going after a game is the opponent players call to me like, "You do a heckuva job, keep it up, I've been watching you." That's what (gets) my juices going.
Q: Do you think you can evolve into a Ray Lewis player?
A: That's hard to do. He's one of a kind. I don't think nobody can be compared to Ray Lewis.
Q: Do you talk trash on the field?
A: Only when I have to (laughs). I really don't talk trash 'til somebody talks trash to me.
Q: What do you want Jets fans to say about you?
A: If I play long enough, hopefully I'll go down as one of the all-time great Jets linebackers.
Q: How painful was your ankle during the playoffs?
A: It was very painful but I knew that I had to play. I had to play. Me and Bart (Scott) are key components of this defense, and I wasn't gonna miss a game - especially a playoff game, especially how hard it is to get to the playoffs.
Q: Most elusive running backs?
A: Chris Johnson . . . LaDainian Tomlinson. . . he still is elusive (laughs).
Q: You think he's got plenty left?
A: Yeah he has plenty left . . . Reggie Bush.
Q: The most physical guards?
A: My rookie year, it was Shawn Andrews for the Philadelphia Eagles. When he was in his prime, that guy was a monster (laughs). The guy is 6-6, 340 . . . he plays hard . . . every . . . play. When you watch film of that guy, he's chasing linebackers 20, 30 yards down the field just trying to clean 'em up. He got my respect. Logan Mankins was another great guard up in . . . that team up north (laughs).
Q: You don't have to worry about him this week.
A: Oh yeah, hopefully he don't come back 'til after the season.
Q: Jets fans?
A: They let you know how they feel, one way or the other, and I love New Orleans Saints jersey
it! (Laughs). We have the most loyal fans of any NFL team. We have diehard fans. You wouldn't want it any other way.
Q: You haven't received a contract extension.
A: It's not gonna do me any good thinking about it right now.
Q: Favorite tattoo, other than your wife's name on your right wrist.
A: Yeah, she'd kill me if I said anything different (laughs). Probably this one (1840 on left arm). That's my home address I was born and raised in - 1840 Union, in Grand Rapids. It symbolizes that no matter what happens in life, always remember where you come from.
Q: Compare Lloyd Carr and Rex Ryan.
A: (Laughs) Complete opposites. Lloyd Carr, he's more conservative, more behind-thescenes type of guy. But two great leaders.
Q: Boyhood idol?
A: Derrick Thomas. Super Tecmo Bowl on Nintendo, those people who were playing that, they know Derrick Thomas, 'cause he was a beast. And I always wanted his jersey, but couldn't find it nowhere in Grand Rapids, so I was stuck with getting a Marcus Allen 32 jersey (laughs)
Q: Growing up in Grand Rapids, Mich., weren't you a Lions fan?
Q: I was a Barry Sanders fan. I won't say I was a Lions fan. But, I watched the Lions because of Barry Sanders.
Q: You were a hyperactive kid - what did your parents punish you for?
A: I got three spankings in one day (laughs). I tried to set a pizza box on fire that was on the stove, and I turned the stove on.
Q: Was there pizza in the box?
A: I have no idea, I was like 3 or 4 years old. Then I tried to climb a china cabinet to get this model big rig off the top at my uncle's house. I don't know why I got whupped for the third one.
Q: Detention in second grade?
A: Yup. Miss Benjalink. I talked too much in class, and she had enough of San Francisco 49ers jersey
it (laughs).
Q: You met your wife Jiali at Michigan.
A: She got her Masters in nuclear engineering and I'm a football player so people are like, "How'd you get her? [Laughs]. She's out of your league." We act silly around each other. . . . She has a real good heart. . . . She's unselfish . . . very driven, very dedicated . . . very loving woman.

Jim Thome delivers another dramatic moment to beat his former team

The slugger seemed to float, his heavy stride lifted by the screaming crowd, his quiet nature overcome by the thrill of this win against his former team -- the team that didn't think Jim Thome, now nine days from his 40th birthday, had enough left in his hall of fame career for one more season on the South Side.
Thome rounded third base and let out a holler. His two-run nfl jersey
home run, the first walk-off homer in Target Field history, one he rocketed 445 feet to right field, had just clinched a 7-6, 10-inning win over the White Sox and boosted the Twins' lead over Chicago in the American League Central to four games.
And now, with third base behind him, Thome headed into the throng of teammates ringing home plate who were jostling with excitement about the celebration to come. To prep for the host of jabs and slaps he was about to receive, Thome threw his helmet high in the air, a spontaneous action that caused home plate umpire Bill Hohn to backpedal in fear of getting hit by the falling helmet.
Thome appeared thrilled, joyous even. But he apparently was not surprised.
"I think Thome told people he was going to do something here," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He did it."
Of course this man, with a career almost mythical by now, would call his shot. And of course afterward his humility would not allow him to admit such a bold statement. Michael Cuddyer didn't hear the pronouncement but said with a grin, "I wouldn't put it past him."
Minutes earlier Thome blinked back the shaving cream pie shoved in his face by Jon Rauch, the pitcher on whose arm the loss in this back-and-forth ballgame would have rested.
Long before Rauch jogged in from center field, Gardenhire, perched atop the dugout bench during batting practice, spoke hopefully of a plan for his former closer. Gardenhire wanted to limit Rauch, dispatched from the bullpen's most important role to one of uncertainty and waning confidence, to game situations that would help the right-hander bolster the belief in his pitches.
A 10th-inning entrance with the score tied 5-5, safe to say, was not the situation the Colts jersey
manager was searching for, but Gardenhire had little choice. His starter, Scott Baker, lasted only 4 2/3 innings and blew a 4-0 lead, and innings later his new closer, Matt Capps, asked to protect a one-run edge, did the same, giving up a 5-4 lead by allowing a leadoff homer to Alexei Ramirez. Capps finished the ninth with the score tied, but Rauch gave up the go-ahead run in the 10th.
All that was erased later, swept away by the flick of Thome's giant wrists, the ones that caused the Twins a fair amount of heartbreak over the years, the ones that have hit 12 homers like this one -- game-ending smashes that led to home plate celebrations.
The Twins' 10th started with Delmon Young, whose homer in the fifth gave the Twins a 5-4 lead. Young singled on the first pitch he saw from Chicago reliever Matt Thornton, and now up came Thome. Both dugouts know how this story can end, they'd seen it too many times, though now the elation of watching Thome stride to the plate as the potential game-winning run belonged in the Twins' dugout, the appropriate dread transferred from Gardenhire to Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen.
Thome, Chicago's beloved slugger for four years, had spent a great amount of time watching Thornton but never from this close, never with a bat in hand, never in the batter's box. Now he had three chances to end this ballgame. He needed only two.
With the sellout crowd of 40,714 standing, Thornton's first pitch came in as a fastball at 95 mph. Thome swung through. The next one, a fastball at 93, he muscled high and deep to right field. Thome dropped his bat and watched the ball speed through the black sky, but there was never any doubt this ball would land over the fence. The question was when it would finally fall.
The final estimation, that it fell 445 feet from home plate, made it the longest home run in Target Field history.
"For me that's got to go down as one of the better games I've ever played in," Thome said. "In moments like that, in that situation, you're not going to do it all the time."
Perhaps not, but when Thome walks to the plate -- a vision Cowboys jersey
Gardenhire likens to watching Babe Ruth step in -- there is always the chance.
"We brought Thome in here for a reason," the manager said. "And that's one of them."

three-week stretch has been quite an odyssey

It's finally over: the Homeric 20-games-in-20-days odyssey that was extreme, even for the Cubs.
Having coined the term ''Cubbie Occurrence,'' what would Lou Piniella have called this nearly three-week stretch between days off that has left its mark on the franchise like perhaps no other similar in-season stretch in a generation or more?
That is, if he had made it through the nfl throwback jerseys
stretch instead of starting his retirement early and suddenly after the game Sunday.
''I tell you, man,'' Alfonso Soriano said. ''Too many things going on with this team.''
And almost all, it seems, coming in the last 20 days, including:
- The face of the franchise, Piniella, leaving for four games to tend to family business at home in Tampa, then less than two weeks later leaving for good to take care of his ailing mother;
- The other face of the franchise, first baseman Derrek Lee, taking four days of bereavement leave for his ailing grandfather and less than a week later getting traded to Atlanta;
- Mike Fontenot, another member of the 2008 division champs, getting traded across the diamond to the Giants while the Cubs were in San Francisco;
- Six guys getting called up from Class AAA Iowa;
- Five guys getting sent down to Iowa;
- Micah Hoffpauir getting called up, sent down and called up again -- not counting the time in between he was told to go to the big-league club only to be told a few hours later a mistake had been made and he wasn't eligible;
- Marcos Mateo, Darwin Barney and Welington Castillo becoming the Steelers jersey
seventh, eighth and ninth Cubs to make major-league debuts this season;
- Setting a pre-September record by using six rookie pitchers in a loss to the Padres;
- Beating Cy Young winners Tim Lincecum and Chris Carpenter;
- Losing to Kevin Correia, Jake Westbrook and 11 other guys;
- Knocking the Cardinals out of first place in the National League Central;
- Getting swept in a four-game home series by the Padres for the first time;
- Going 1-9 at home and 6-4 on the road;
- Losing Carlos Silva for the month after he underwent a minor surgical procedure to correct arrhythmia;
- Employing three managers along the way in acting manager Alan Trammell (1-3), manager Mike Quade (3-0) and retiring manager Piniella (3-10).
''Hopefully, the last 30-something games, we can just focus on playing baseball,'' Soriano said. ''The trades, new managers, those things -- we don't need no more. So far, it's not a good season for the team, and having some of these makes it worse.''
That doesn't even count the night of 11 consecutive hits by Colorado, followed by the Vikings jersey
Ted Lilly/Ryan Theriot trade, followed by Silva's night in a Denver hospital -- all of which happened in the days leading up to this 20-day, 20-game grinder.
It has all been enough to make even Quade feel the need for a day off after only three days in the new gig.
''I can't remember looking forward to a day off in Cincinnati like I'm looking forward to [today],'' he said. ''The timing couldn't be any better at this point.''

San Francisco Giants update: Looking to block Padres, Giants end up with outfielder Cody Ross in

Looking to block Padres, Giants end up with Ross
ST. LOUIS -- Ah, the vagaries of the waiver process.
The Giants put in a claim last week on Cody Ross, essentially to block him from the San Diego Padres. But now the Giants must scramble to find roster space for the right-handed outfielder, after the Florida Marlins foisted him upon the club Sunday.
Already stuffed with outfielders, the Giants must add Ross football jerseys
today; they're responsible for the remaining $1.1 million on his contract, too.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy declined comment, saying the transaction was still being completed. Club officials were unprepared with a subsequent move; with rosters expanding Sept. 1, they might make creative use of the disabled list with a player such as Nate Schierholtz rather than designate him for assignment.
The Giants' 40-man roster also is full, but they have a few candidates to designate.
Ross brings something to the table, though. The 29-year-old is a solid defender at all three outfield positions and has a robust .864 OPS against left-handers, suggesting a possible platoon in center field with Andres Torres (who is hitting .226 from the right side).
Ross hit 24 home runs and drove in 90 last year, earning him a $4.45 San Francisco 49ers jersey
million salary through arbitration. He is eligible for arbitration one more time this winter, but the small-market Marlins hadn't planned to tender him a contract. It's unlikely the Giants see him as a long-term piece at the salary he'll command, either.
Ross is batting .265 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs in 452 at-bats but has been slumping in recent weeks.
The New Mexico native is a bit hyperactive on the field, and his hot-doggish body language has annoyed some Giants pitchers over the years. But those who knew him in Florida described a team player and good clubhouse presence.
Ross told reporters in Miami that he had mixed emotions on the move.
"You play your heart out for this organization, and the next thing you know, you're gone," he said. "But there's a bigger plan for me, and I'm excited to get on that team. It is going to be a fun rest of the year for me."
The Giants claimed Ross to keep him away from the NL West-leading Padres, Buffalo Bills jersey
who are in need of a center fielder after Tony Gwynn Jr. broke a bone in his right hand.
One-time setup man Guillermo Mota has plummeted in the bullpen pecking order. After another rough outing Sunday, he has allowed runs in six consecutive appearances.

Saturday’s National League Capsules

LOS ANGELES(AP) —Troy Tulowitzki(notes) hit two more home runs, tying a modern major league record with 14 shots in a 15-game stretch, and the Colorado Rockies kept up their playoff push by routing the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-2 Saturday.
Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer in the first inning, doubled in the third and added another two-run homer in the fifth against rookie John Ely(notes) (4-8). Tulowitzki fouled out with the bases loaded in the eighth, but Melvin Mora(notes) hit a grand slam later in the inning.
Tulowitzki joined Albert Belle (1995) and Barry Bonds (2001) as the football jerseys
only players since 1900 to homer 14 times in a span of 15 games.
Jhoulys Chacin(notes) (9-9) threw 111 pitches over eight innings and was pulled three outs shy of his first big league shutout and complete game.
Brewers 2, Giants 1=
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Yovani Gallardo(notes) struck out six in seven innings and Milwaukee knocked the Giants out of first place in the NL West.
San Francisco fell a half-game back of San Diego after the Padres won 8-4 at St. Louis. San Francisco dropped two games behind Atlanta in the NL wild-card race.
Jonathan Lucroy(notes) hit a two-run single in the fourth inning that held up for Gallardo (13-7). The right-hander matched his career high for wins also done last year. Gallardo outpitched Tim Lincecum(notes) (14-10).
Giants manager Bruce Bochy pulled his ace after five innings and a season-low 72 pitches. San Francisco trailed 2-0 when Lincecum left.
Reds 11, Astros 1=
HOUSTON (AP) - Jay Bruce(notes), Jim Edmonds(notes) and Drew Stubbs(notes) hit home runs and Cincinnati beat the Astros to increase their lead in the NL Central.
The Reds opened a seven-game edge over second-place St. Louis. Cincinnati stopped a six-game road losing streak.
Bronson Arroyo(notes) (16-10) pitched four-hit ball for six innings, striking out five and walking one.
Bruce’s two-run homer highlighted a four-run fifth as the Reds took a 7-1 lead. Joey Votto(notes) started the inning with a double and Bruce connected one out later off Nelson Figueroa(notes) (5-3) for his 21st home run.
Phillies 5, Nationals 2=
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Ryan Howard(notes) hit a two-run homer to lead the Phillies to their sixth straight victory.
Jayson Werth(notes) and Raul Ibanez(notes) also homered for Philadelphia, which maintained a three-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
Howard’s drive in the third gave him his fifth straight seasons with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs, setting a new franchise record previously held by Hall of Famer Chuck Klein.
Kyle Kendrick(notes) (10-9) gave up two runs and six hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Washington right-hander Jordan Zimmerman (0-2), making his fifth start of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last August, allowed six runs on nine hits in three innings.
Braves 4, Mets 2=
NEW YORK (AP) - Tim Hudson(notes) snapped a three-start losing streak and Nate McLouth(notes) homered and drove in two runs, giving Atlanta’s playoff push another boost.
Holding a two-game in the NL wild-card race, the Braves got a two-run double from Alex Gonzalez(notes) and won their second straight game at Citi Field.
Billy Wagner(notes) struck out all three batters in the ninth against his former team for his second save of the series and 35th this year.
Hudson (16-8) allowed solo homers to Jose Cowboys jersey
Reyes(notes) and Luis Hernandez(notes), who connected one pitch after breaking a bone in his right foot on a foul ball.
McLouth hit a run-scoring double in the second off rookie Dillon Gee(notes) (1-1) and a solo shot in the ninth against Bobby Parnell(notes).
Padres 8, Cardinals 4=
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Ryan Ludwick(notes) snapped a ninth-inning tie with a three-run homer, helping San Diego beat his old team and end an 11-game losing streak in St. Louis.
Will Venable(notes) and David Eckstein(notes) had three hits and an RBI apiece for the Padres, who snapped a three-game skid overall and moved back into first the NL West when San Francisco lost to Milwaukee.
Ludwick and Matt Stairs(notes) hit back-to-back homers off Kyle McClellan(notes) (1-4).
Mike Adams(notes) (4-1) was the winner.
Cubs 5, Marlins 3=
MIAMI (AP) - Marlon Byrd(notes) drove in two runs, Casey Coleman(notes) pitched six solid innings and the Cubs won their season-high fifth straight.
Aramis Ramirez(notes) and Blake DeWitt(notes) also drove in a run for the Cubs.
Carlos Marmol(notes) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 33rd save in 38 opportunities.
Marlins rookie Logan Morrison(notes) had three hits to extend his streak of reaching base to 37 games, tying Cliff Floyd(notes) for the third-longest string in franchise history.
Coleman (2-2) allowed three runs and five hits. He struck out five and walked four.
Anibal Sanchez(notes) (12-10) was lifted after the fifth. He allowed four runs.
Pirates 9, Diamondbacks 6=
PITTSBURGH (AP) - John Bowker(notes) and Andrew McCutchen(notes) each hit two-run homers, James McDonald(notes) extended his scoreless-innings streak to 20 innings before giving up two runs and Pittsburgh beat Arizona.
Ryan Church(notes) hit a three-run homer and Kelly Johnson(notes) also Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
connected for Arizona, which has lost 11 of 14 and assured itself of its second consecutive last-place finish in the NL West.
McDonald (4-5) improved to 4-1 at home with Pittsburgh and 4-4 overall since joining the Pirates in a trade with the Dodgers.
Barry Enright(notes) (6-5) allowed six runs on six hits and three walks in 3 2-3 innings.

NL Capsules

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Troy Tulowitzki(notes) hit two more home runs, tying a modern major league record with 14 shots in a 15-game stretch, and the Colorado Rockies kept up their playoff push by routing the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-2 Saturday.
Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer in the first inning, doubled in the third and added another two-run homer in the fifth against rookie John Ely(notes) (4-8). Tulowitzki fouled out with the bases loaded in the eighth, but Melvin Mora(notes) hit a grand slam later in the inning.
Tulowitzki joined Albert Belle (1995) and Barry Bonds nfl jerseys
(2001) as the only players since 1900 to homer 14 times in a span of 15 games.
Jhoulys Chacin(notes) (9-9) threw 111 pitches over eight innings and was pulled three outs shy of his first big league shutout and complete game.
Brewers 2, Giants 1
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Yovani Gallardo(notes) struck out six in seven innings and Milwaukee knocked the Giants out of first place in the NL West.
San Francisco fell a half-game back of San Diego after the Padres won 8-4 at St. Louis. San Francisco dropped two games behind Atlanta in the NL wild-card race.
Jonathan Lucroy(notes) hit a two-run single in the fourth inning that held up for Gallardo (13-7). The right-hander matched his career high for wins also done last year. Gallardo outpitched Tim Lincecum(notes) (14-10).
Giants manager Bruce Bochy pulled his ace after five innings and a season-low 72 pitches. San Francisco trailed 2-0 when Lincecum left.
Reds 11, Astros 1
HOUSTON (AP)—Jay Bruce(notes), Jim Edmonds(notes) and Drew Stubbs(notes) hit home runs and Cincinnati beat the Astros to increase their lead in the NL Central.
The Reds opened a seven-game edge over second-place St. Louis. Cincinnati stopped a six-game road losing streak.
Bronson Arroyo(notes) (16-10) pitched four-hit ball for six innings, striking out five and walking one.
Bruce’s two-run homer highlighted a four-run fifth as the Reds took a 7-1 lead. Joey Votto(notes) started the inning with a double and Bruce connected one out later off Nelson Figueroa(notes) (5-3) for his 21st home run.
Phillies 5, Nationals 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Ryan Howard(notes) hit a two-run homer to lead the Phillies to their sixth straight victory.
Jayson Werth(notes) and Raul Ibanez(notes) also homered for Philadelphia, which maintained a three-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
Howard’s drive in the third gave him his fifth straight seasons with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs, setting a new franchise record previously held by Hall of Famer Chuck Klein.
Kyle Kendrick(notes) (10-9) gave up two runs and six hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Washington right-hander Jordan Zimmerman (0-2), making his fifth start of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last August, allowed six runs on nine hits in three innings.
Braves 4, Mets 2
NEW YORK (AP)—Tim Hudson(notes) snapped a three-start losing streak and Nate McLouth(notes) homered and drove in two runs, giving Atlanta’s playoff push another boost.
Holding a two-game in the NL wild-card race, the Braves got a two-run double from Alex Gonzalez(notes) and won their second straight game at Citi Field.
Billy Wagner(notes) struck out all three batters in the ninth against his former team for his second save of the series and 35th this year.
Hudson (16-8) allowed solo homers to Jose Reyes(notes) and Luis Hernandez(notes), who connected one pitch after breaking a bone in his right foot on a foul ball.
McLouth hit a run-scoring double in the second off Vikings jersey
rookie Dillon Gee(notes) (1-1) and a solo shot in the ninth against Bobby Parnell(notes).
Padres 8, Cardinals 4
ST. LOUIS (AP)—Ryan Ludwick(notes) snapped a ninth-inning tie with a three-run homer, helping San Diego beat his old team and end an 11-game losing streak in St. Louis.
Will Venable(notes) and David Eckstein(notes) had three hits and an RBI apiece for the Padres, who snapped a three-game skid overall and moved back into first the NL West when San Francisco lost to Milwaukee.
Ludwick and Matt Stairs(notes) hit back-to-back homers off Kyle McClellan(notes) (1-4).
Mike Adams(notes) (4-1) was the winner.
Cubs 5, Marlins 3
MIAMI (AP)—Marlon Byrd(notes) drove in two runs, Casey Coleman(notes) pitched six solid innings and the Cubs won their season-high fifth straight.
Aramis Ramirez(notes) and Blake DeWitt(notes) also drove in a run for the Cubs.
Carlos Marmol(notes) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 33rd save in 38 opportunities.
Marlins rookie Logan Morrison(notes) had three hits to extend his streak of reaching base to 37 games, tying Cliff Floyd(notes) for the third-longest string in franchise history.
Coleman (2-2) allowed three runs and five hits. He struck out five and walked four.
Anibal Sanchez(notes) (12-10) was lifted after the fifth. He allowed four runs.
Pirates 9, Diamondbacks 6
PITTSBURGH (AP)—John Bowker(notes) and Andrew McCutchen(notes) each hit two-run homers, James McDonald(notes) extended his scoreless-innings streak to 20 innings before giving up two runs and Pittsburgh beat Arizona.
Ryan Church(notes) hit a three-run homer and Kelly Johnson(notes) also connected for Arizona, which has lost 11 of 14 and assured itself of its second consecutive last-place finish in the NL West.
McDonald (4-5) improved to 4-1 at home with Pittsburgh Colts jersey
and 4-4 overall since joining the Pirates in a trade with the Dodgers.

The victory kept Tampa Bay one-half game behind the Yankees in the AL East.

A late rally gave the Tampa Bay Rays a chance to build some positive momentum heading into a key division showdown.
For that to happen, they’ll need Jeff Niemann(notes) to continue to improve.
Niemann will take the mound Sunday as the Rays close cheap nfl jerseys
a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, who hand the ball to Scott Kazmir(notes) in his first visit to Tropicana Field since being traded last year.
Tampa Bay (89-58) avoided back-to-back losses with a 4-3, 10-inning win over Los Angeles (72-76) on Saturday, its fifth straight game decided by one run.
The Rays, who lost 4-3 to the Angels on Friday after giving up a ninth-inning home run to Brandon Wood(notes), got a game-tying single from Carlos Pena with two outs in the ninth Saturday, then capitalized on Wood’s throwing error with two outs the following inning to score the winning run.
The victory kept Tampa Bay one-half game behind the Yankees in the AL East. The Rays open a four-game set in the Bronx beginning Monday.
“This is big game for us,” Rays shortstop Reid Brignac(notes) said of Saturday’s win. “We let one slide away (Friday night). We bounced back and made some plays.”
Tampa Bay can conclude its homestand with a 4-2 record with a victory Buffalo Bills jersey
Sunday. However, it will need a good start from Niemann (10-6, 4.32 ERA), who has struggled over the past month.
Niemann, who went on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 9 with a strained right shoulder, is 0-3 with a 15.60 ERA in four starts since his return. He’s lasted a combined 15 innings in those outings.
The right-hander’s first start off the DL was against the Angels on Aug. 25. He gave up 10 runs and eight hits in 3 1-3 innings of a 12-3 defeat.
He pitched somewhat better last Sunday, going five innings at Toronto while allowing three runs, two hits and four walks in a 5-4 loss. He did not factor in the decision, but was pleased with the results.
“A lot of positives came out of today,” Niemann told the Rays’ official website. “A good one to build off of.”
Niemann is 1-1 with a 9.15 ERA in four career starts against the Angels. Mike Napoli(notes) is 5 for 10 with a double, a triple and a home run off him.
The Angels will try to bounce back from Saturday’s loss when they hand the ball to Kazmir (8-14, 5.99), whose 26 career wins at Tropicana Field are second all-time behind current Rays starter James Shields’(notes) 30.
Kazmir broke into the majors with Tampa Bay in 2004 and helped the Steelers jersey
club win its first AL pennant in 2008, but was traded after posting a 5.92 ERA in 20 starts last season. The left-hander is 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA in two starts against the Rays this season.
Kazmir is 0-5 with a 4.58 ERA over his last seven outings. He pitched 5 2-3 innings at Cleveland on Tuesday, giving up four runs while allowing two homers in the Rays’ 4-3 loss.

Squaring off with Antwan Odom

OWINGS MILLS, Md.—The Baltimore Ravens have to contend with Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom(notes), one of the top pass rushers in the league.
Odom is facing a four-game suspension for violating the nfl jersey
NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, but is being allowed to play while he goes through the appeals process.
“Is he going to be in the game?” Harbaugh said. “Darn, I still had my hopes up for that. He’s a premier pass rusher, got to account for him. Got to know where he’s at all times.”
As a rookie last year, Michael Oher(notes) shut down Odom after the veteran entered the game with a league-high eight sacks.
“He’s a good player,” Oher said. “He’s a proven player. You definitely got to come to play.”
Odom ended last season on injured reserve after tearing his Achilles’ tendon.
The Ravens don’t plan to change their offensive line configuration. Marshal Yanda(notes) will remain at right tackle and Chris Chester(notes) will start again at right guard.
Odom wasn’t especially effective in a loss to the New England Patriots last season, but he has the Ravens’ full respect.
“He’s a darn good football player,” Yanda said. “It looks like he’s back and healthy, so he’s a good pass rusher. He gets a bunch of sacks. We need to look out for him and do our best against him.”
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)—Beanie Wells(notes) was limited in practice again on Friday and Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt says the running back’s participation against Atlanta on Sunday will be a game-time decision.
Wells has been limited in practice all week because of Indianapolis Colts jersey
a bruised right knee. He gave the knee a strong test on Thursday and insisted afterward that he would “definitely” go through a full practice on Friday. But Whisenhunt said the knee swelled up a bit overnight so Wells was limited again.
The second-year pro from Ohio State, Arizona’s leading rusher last season, sat out last week’s season-opening victory at St. Louis. He was injured against the Washington Redskins in the final preseason game on Sept. 2.
Wells was listed as questionable for Atlanta, as were teammates defensive end Kenny Iwebema(notes) (knee) and safety Hamza Abdullah(notes) (groin).
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP)—Atlanta Falcons receiver Michael Jenkins(notes) will miss Sunday’s game against Arizona because of a shoulder injury.
Jenkins had not practiced all week and the Falcons ruled him out Friday. He was injured six weeks ago in a scrimmmage before the first preseason game and hasn’t had any contact since then.
Harry Douglas(notes) started in place of Jenkins in the season opener, a 15-9 loss at Pittsburgh.
Safety Erik Coleman(notes) has not practiced all week because of Dallas Cowboys jersey
an injured left knee. He was hurt against the Steelers but returned to finish the game. The team listed him as questionable for Sunday.
If Coleman can’t go, second-year player William Moore(notes) would likely get the start.

Hunter Hillenmeyer uncertain about his future

Three days after he was placed on season-ending injured reserve with lingering effects from a concussion, Hunter Hillenmeyer(notes) said he feels “totally fine.”
But the Chicago Bears linebacker, an eight-year veteran, is nfl throwback jerseys
at peace with the organization’s decision to shut him down.
Hillenmeyer suffered a concussion in the Bears’ third preseason game with the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 28 when he had a helmet-to-helmet collision with a lineman. He’s known to have had one previous concussion in the 2006 season opener at Green Bay, and Hillenmeyer acknowledged he’s had “several,” meaning there have been others.
The academic All-American from Vanderbilt has been out front with the NFLPA when it comes to discussions about concussions. He’s already pledged to donate his brain to research after his playing days are over.
But he can’t say at this point if he will play again.
“I don't know," Hillenmeyer said. "That's kind of a big question. One of the hardest things with concussions is you don't really know. I wouldn't have played in the first game if I didn't think I was better. Even when I got checked out at halftime of that game the doctors say there's no way to know for sure that this is a lingering effect of a concussion. It could be from allergies, there's 100 things that could cause dizziness, it could be from taking too many energy supplements before the game.
"With my history, I've had a few of these so, as hard as it was to stomach after ending up on IR after playing one half of one game I respect their decision to err on the side of caution.”
Hillenmeyer was cleared to return before the season opener Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
last week. He suffered dizziness in the first half of the game and was pulled at halftime.
“I still fought a battle at halftime of that day," he said. "I'm like, 'I know I should tell the doctors but I don't want to come out of the game.' I feel like if I am fighting that battle in my head, then you know there are guys who have a much less secure roster spot and aren't vested veterans who know that they don't have to worry about the financial part of the situation, they might not even know and not care.
"The system is never going to be perfect. Anything they could do like that whether it's adding people to the roster or finding something where it's not an all-or-nothing, IR-and-you're-done for-the-year situation, I think would set up incentives for players to be more candid about their symptoms."
Will he consider retirement?
"One of the reasons I wanted to wait a couple days before I talked to you guys because I wanted to kind of let things like that digest," Hillenmeyer said. "I'm certainly not ready to say that at this point. I know I'm obviously done for the year and that gives me at a minimum eight or nine months before I'm doing football-related activities again and that's certainly enough time to evaluate what I'm going to do down the road.
"I have friends around the league that have been done or Minnesota Vikings jersey
while they were still playing it would get to May or whatever when they start running around for OTA's, and they would have symptoms again and I have never had anything like that, and in that respect I feel like I am one of the lucky ones that has had these things managed correctly."

Seahawks’ Leroy Hill back from suspension

RENTON, Wash. (AP)—Seattle linebacker Leroy Hill(notes) finally has a game to look forward to.
After a rough few months filled with off-field drama, Hill returned from his 888one-game suspension and rejoined the Seahawks on Wednesday. He’ll play on Sunday in Denver, although no one is quite sure how Hill will be used against the Broncos.
“I feel like I’m 18,” Hill said. “I’m ready to roll.”
Hill missed the season opener as punishment from the NFL for his arrest on a marijuana-possession charge in Georgia. He began 12 months of football jersey
probation for that in April.
Hill could have faced an additional suspension after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah in April. Hill, who turned 28 on Tuesday, entered into a stipulated order of continuance at a hearing on his misdemeanor charge of fourth degree assault/domestic violence on Aug. 19.
Prosecutors said Hill is essentially on probation for 18 months and must complete a one-year state-certified domestic violence treatment program—26 weeks of weekly therapy and counseling, then monthly sessions for six months— plus 25 hours of community service.
Hill’s also recovering from a sprained knee. Additionally, Hill restructured the Minnesota Vikings jersey
six-year deal he signed with Seattle before the 2009 season. Instead of making the $6 million in base pay he was originally scheduled to make this season, Hill is taking a nearly $4 million pay cut. He’ll also be a free agent at the end of this season.
Even though he couldn’t be with the team, Hill went to Qwest Field to watch the opener.
“I had a long offseason. To get from where I was at the beginning of the offseason to were I am now it’s just a smile on my face,” Hill said. “I don’t know my role this week yet, but at the same time whatever they need me to do I’ll do it.”
How much he plays against the Broncos is yet to be determined, although coach Pete Carroll said it’s likely Hill will be asked to contribute on special teams. Hill laughed, saying he’s played five games in his career on special teams.
“We’re bringing him back to play. We’re Indianapolis Colts jersey
not bringing him back to sit. We’re bringing him back to play and get involved,” Carroll said. “So we’ll see what that information tells us. But I’m hoping he’s going to be in there playing and he’ll get in the rotations.”

Chargers expect home opener to be blacked out

SAN DIEGO (AP)—Fans accustomed to watching San Diego Chargers home games on local TV will have to find something else to do Sunday afternoon—and perhaps several other Sundays this fall, as well.
With roughly 8,000 general admission tickets still unsold, nfl jersey
Southern California’s only NFL team expects Sunday’s home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars to be blacked out.
That will end a streak of 48 straight sellouts, including the playoffs. The last Chargers home game blacked out was against New Orleans on Nov. 7, 2004, when Marty Schottenheimer was their coach and Drew Brees(notes) was their quarterback.
“We’re disappointed, but from a couple weeks out we thought this was a possibility,” executive vice president A.G. Spanos said Wednesday.
The deadline for reaching a sellout is 1:15 p.m. PST Thursday. Teams can request a 24-hour extension from the NFL, but that’s usually done only when a team is confident it can sell reach a sellout.
Spanos, grandson of owner Alex Spanos, said the only sure sellout is against New England on Oct. 24. The next game with the best chance of selling out is a Monday night game against division rival Denver on Nov. 22.
Spanos said there are more than 10,000 tickets left to sell for a game against Arizona on Oct. 3.
Spanos said the slow economy is the top factor for Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
slow ticket sales.
There likely are other factors affecting ticket sales in a city where the Chargers have long been the favorite team.
One is that many fans were left grumbling after the Chargers’ dismal performance in a 21-14 loss at Kansas City on Monday night. The Chargers, trying to win their fifth straight AFC West title, were coming off an embarrassing 17-14 loss to the New York Jets in the playoffs.
Then there’s the divisive issue of general manager A.J. Smith’s hardball tactics against two of the team’s best players, Pro Bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson(notes) and left tackle Marcus McNeill(notes). When the two restricted free agents didn’t sign their contract tenders for more than $3 million by June 15, Smith slashed their pay by more than $2.5 million, giving them less incentive to end their holdouts. He then placed them on the roster exempt list, meaning that if they do sign, they’ll be suspended for three games.
Jackson already is serving a three-game NFL suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Besides the Patriots, there’s a lack of Indianapolis Colts jersey
marquee teams on the home schedule. The Chargers’ other home games are against Tennessee and San Francisco, as well as division rivals Oakland and Kansas City.
“I know fans will be disappointed, and we’re disappointed,” Spanos said. “We appreciate that they’re passionate about Chargers football.”
The Chargers aren’t the only ones having a hard time selling tickets. The San Diego Padres, who’ve led the NL West for most of the season, have played before thousands of empty seats at Petco Park, including during a key four-game series against the San Francisco Giants.

Colombo, Kosier back at practice, could play Sunday

The Cowboys welcomed back two offensive linemen who have been missing since training camp on Wednesday as ORT Marc Colombo(notes) and OLG Kyle Kosier(notes) practiced for the first time in a month.
The two O-line starters both suffered knee injuries in training camp nfl jerseys
and have been out ever since. ORT Alex Barron(notes) and OLG Montrae Holland(notes) have struggled at times to replace them and the Cowboys' offense has had a tough time putting points on the board.
If all goes well this week, the Cowboys are hopeful that both Colombo and Kosier will be able to play Sunday against the Bears in the home opener. Just in case, Dallas gave Barron and Holland first-team snaps during practice, too.
"Certainly having Kosier and Colombo, guys who have been starters for us for the last three years, back in the lineup will help," Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said. "We'll see how they do in practice, but the other guys have to be ready to go."
The way we see it
The return of two starters can do nothing but bolster the offensive line in its protection of QB Tony Romo(notes) and its run-blocking for Felix Jones(notes), Marion Barber(notes) and Tashard Choice(notes).
Holland has not done a bad job filling in for Kosier, so that move will be more subtly felt. However, Colombo can't return fast enough for the team and its fans as Dallas Cowboys jersey
Barron is coming off a disastrous Week One that saw him be flagged for a false-start penalty and three holding calls, including one on the final play of the game that negated the game-winning touchdown.

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 Indianapolis Colts 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.

A tip of the cap to former quarterback Joe Theismann

• San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers(notes) is a good person and a really good leader. When he gets frustrated and starts yelling, as he did numerous times Monday night during the 21-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, he’s not doing it for show. He’s legit. However, if Rivers really wants to solve what’s ailing the Chargers, he should expend some of that frustration on Chargers management for not trying to get deals done with wide receiver Vincent Jackson(notes) and offensive tackle Marcus nfl jersey
McNeill(notes). On Monday, the Chargers missed Jackson in a big way. Aside from two busted coverages by Kansas City that allowed a 59-yard TD catch by Legedu Naanee(notes) and a 34-yard reception by tight end Antonio Gates(notes), the Chargers vertical game was pretty limited and the Chiefs were basically daring the Chargers to throw deep by the end of the game. If anybody can get San Diego to change its stance on Jackson and McNeill – Jackson apparently is willing to do a one-year contract at this point – it’s Rivers and he should realize that San Diego’s hope to win a title rests on having all its weapons.
• A tip of the cap to former quarterback Joe Theismann, who again is advising people, particularly men in their 60s, to get screened for abdominal aortic aneurysm (a.k.a. AAA). Theismann took time last week to call reporters around the country in the battle against the “silent killer.” Kmart is giving free screenings for AAA, which Theismann’s 90-year-old father was discovered to have five years ago. “There are a million people walking around with this and it has a 90-percent chance of fatality if not caught,” Theismann said. “But it has a 90-percent success rate of being treated if you find it.” Theismann also described the screening as being “like a pregnancy test with ultrasound.” In other words, it’s non-invasive, simple and quick. Get it done.
• Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano is a terrific coach in Indianapolis Colts jersey
many ways. He sees the big picture, he knows how to communicate with players and he’s very organized. However, he’s a butcher at game management and Sunday was the latest example. On third-and-13 from the Buffalo Bills’ 36 with 32 seconds left in the first half, the Dolphins called for a screen that gained 8 yards and put the team in position for a 46-yard field goal. Nice work. However, Sparano inexplicably called timeout with 21 seconds left rather than allowing the play clock to run down to three or four seconds so that the field goal attempt would be the last play of the half (or at least force Buffalo to call the timeout if the Bills wanted to stop the clock). When the Dolphins missed their field goal, the Bills got the ball with 16 seconds and all of their timeouts remaining. That gave Buffalo enough time to get in range for a 63-yard field goal attempt that missed. In a game the Dolphins won 15-10, Sparano’s timeout could have proved costly.
• As a postscript to the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday night when the last-second, game-winning touchdown was erased by a penalty against right tackle Alex Barron(notes), people associated with the St. Louis Rams are getting quite a chuckle. St. Louis took Barron in the first round in 2005. By 2008, the Rams had come to the conclusion that he was one of the laziest players in team history. They kept him only because they had no alternative. The fact he was so lazy with his technique Sunday should be of surprise to no one. The fact that the Cowboys have him on the roster is ridiculous.
• While I’m all for decorum in the locker room and at practice, I also find it a little ridiculous that TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz is tweeting about how she was “very uncomfortable!” in the Jets locker room last week as she waited for an interview with Mark Sanchez(notes). There is no excusing the catcalls that Sainz got from players and Kris Jenkins’s(notes) claim that “this is our locker room” is just plain stupid. When reporters are there, it’s a working environment. It’s not too much to ask players to act like gentlemen for a few minutes each day. At the same time, it’s a little hard to take Sainz seriously when she tweets (translated from Spanish), “I die of embarrassment!” A quick Internet search of Sainz will find at least one page full of glamorous photos, complete with posed swimsuit shots. Among the easy-to-find pictures of Sainz is one with her dressed in tight jeans and a sleeveless shirt sitting on the shoulders of two Indianapolis offensive linemen prior to the Super Bowl in February. In other words, Sainz, despite being a reporter, isn’t above using her looks to get attention. Fair enough, that’s your business if you want to play the Charo card. But don’t act surprised when Dallas Cowboys jersey
sometimes the attention goes the wrong way.
• Finally, on a personal note, congratulations to Henry Pierson Cole, who officially became an Eagle Scout on Monday night. You couldn’t make a father any more proud than I am today.

Mexican TV reporter says she received apology

MEXICO CITY (AP)—Mexican TV reporter Ines Sainz said Monday she has received an apology from New York Jets team owner Woody Johnson for the way players and coaches treated her during a visit to the team’s practice.
Sainz, a reporter for Mexico’s TV Azteca, said in an interview with football jerseys
The Associated Press from New York that she had received the apology in a telephone call from Johnson.
“I don’t want to make it a bigger deal,” said Sainz, who said she talked Sunday with NFL officials. “I have confidence in the NFL and the Jets’ management and I know that this will serve as a precedent so that this does not happen to another women.”
Sainz said on Twitter that she felt “very uncomfortable” in the Jets’ locker room following a practice Saturday during which a coach appeared to throw footballs in her direction and players called out to her.
During defensive back drills on Saturday, Jets assistant coach Dennis Thurman seemed to deliberately throw to players near where Sainz was standing on the sideline. Even linebacker Jason Taylor, who normally doesn’t participate in those position drills, went out for a pass.
At the end of the drill, head coach Rex Ryan threw a pass to Thurman, who Indianapolis Colts jersey
caught it, ran toward Sainz and appeared to speak to her very briefly.
The Association for Women in Sports Media said a board member spoke to Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum on Sunday about the reports.
“Of course you feel it when you are being stared at and when you are being spoken of in a certain way,” Sainz said in the telephone interview. “I opted to ignore it … I tried to not even pay attention.”
She said waiting in the locker room to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez may have been the most uncomfortable. She tweeted in Spanish on Saturday night that she tried “not to look anywhere!!”
“It was an uncomfortable moment because you are in the team’s dressing room and they are obviously changing clothes, showering—doing what they do every day in the locker room,” Sainz said. “So being a woman, obviously it was a bit uncomfortable.”
TV Azteca promotes Sainz both as a journalist and as a model. The network’s website includes photo collections of Sainz and has an article in its “Bad Girls” section headlined, “Inez Sainz, the perfect woman.” The article describes her as intelligent and having a good sense of humor, and is accompanied by a photo of her in a bikini.
She has covered the NFL before, including several Super Bowls. At a media event before the Super Bowl in 2009, she measured the bicep of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Steve Breaston. The year before, she asked Patriots quarterback Tom Brady what it would take for Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
New England to beat the Jets. The Pats actually were playing the Giants.
The Jets, meanwhile, were preparing to open their season against the Baltimore Ravens in their first regular-season game at the new Meadowlands Stadium on Monday night.
AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in New York contributed to this report.

Camarillo’s goal: Get Vikings playbook down ASAP

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—Greg Camarillo(notes) left almost his whole life behind last month when the trade sent him out of Miami.
Perhaps it’s best for now to be free of nfl jerseys
potential distractions. He has a lot of homework to do with Minnesota’s playbook.
“It’s getting there,” Camarillo said. “Every day I’m trying to learn more and pick up more, and my goal is by the end of the practice week to know everything in and out.”
This isn’t an ordinary week for Camarillo, with the Dolphins due in this weekend. He had one catch for 29 yards in his Vikings debut, the season-opening loss at New Orleans, but he’d love to have a more prominent role in the offense on Sunday.
“What more could you ask for? From the minute I got traded, I’ve been thinking about this,” Camarillo said, adding: “Last week how the whole team felt about the Saints and wanting to get their second swing at them, that’s how I feel about the Dolphins. It’s all my friends. No ill will toward the team, but I want to come out there and kick their” rears.
The fifth-year wide receiver from Stanford, who had 50 receptions for 552 yards for the Dolphins last season, was acquired for cornerback Benny Sapp(notes) last month after the Vikings learned Pro Bowl pick Sidney Rice(notes) needed hip surgery. After beginning his career with the San Diego Chargers, Camarillo had finally settled in Miami.
“That’s home. Well, was home,” he said on Monday. “It took a while to kind of get going there, but I felt like the community embraced me. I did some good work in the community there and really enjoyed it. That makes it all the more fun to play against them knowing everybody in town is going to be watching.”
Camarillo added: “My fiancee is there. My house is there. My dog is there. My car is there. Most of my clothes are there. So that is home. If someone asks me where is home, I’d tell them Florida.”
He said he’s beginning to make Minnesota feel Minnesota Vikings jersey
like home, a sentiment that will surely be stronger once he gets comfortable with the offense and quarterback Brett Favre(notes). The Vikings like his reliable hands and versatility at the different receiver spots, and they’re planning to give him a chance as a punt returner, too.
Though he had only one catch against the Saints, so did the rest of the receivers. It was an important one, too, on third-and-4 to get across midfield in the fourth quarter with the Vikings trailing. Camarillo said he hopes he’s gaining Favre’s faith.
“All I can do is catch it if he puts it out there. The more we do in practice, the better it will look in games,” he said.
The Vikings have only four wide receivers—Percy Harvin(notes), Bernard Berrian(notes), Greg Lewis(notes) and Camarillo—on the active roster with Rice on the physically unable to perform list.
They’re bringing in some free agents for a workout at Winter Park on Tuesday, but coach Brad Childress said it’s a matter of routine and not a sign of a desire to sign another wide receiver.
The group includes Reggie Brown(notes), who spent five seasons with Philadelphia before being let go by Tampa Bay last week. Disgruntled San Diego star Vincent Jackson(notes) has been linked to the Vikings in trade rumors, too, but Childress again said on Monday he’s “completely comfortable” with the four wide receivers he has.
At some point, Rice will rejoin the cadre. He was at Winter Park on Monday, using crutches as a precaution.
“No soreness at all,” he said. “I can move my leg and everything like that.”
The earliest he’s eligible to return is mid-October, after the sixth week of the season, but he declined to declare a timetable.
“I’ll be on these for a couple of more weeks,” Rice said, “and hopefully after that as soon as my muscles can start back to firing I’ll be back out there on the field.”
Notes: Rookie cornerback Chris Cook(notes) and rookie Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
running back Toby Gerhart(notes) each participated in at least part of practice after knee injuries had them on the inactive list in New Orleans. Cook, though, has a long way to go to be cleared to play. “He doesn’t look completely comfortable,” Childress said. “As always, it’ll be how he comes back in and treats and how he shows back up tomorrow.”

Raiders plagued by same old problems

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)—All that offseason optimism in Oakland was erased by a season-opening blowout that brought up the same problems that have plagued the Raiders the past seven seasons.
There was an offensive line that gave quarterback Jason Campbell(notes) little time to throw the ball, receivers who struggled to get open down the field, a run defense that once again got gashed by the big play and 10 penalties that hurt the team on both sides of cheap nfl jerseys
the ball.
It added up to a 38-13 loss to Tennessee on Sunday that showed the Raiders have plenty of work to do if they want to end a streak of seven straight seasons with at least 11 losses.
“It’s a wake-up call for our guys,” tight end Zach Miller said Monday. “We had a lot of confidence, maybe we were overconfident going into the season. Maybe because of the things we did we thought we could just show up.”
As hard as it is to imagine a team being overconfident after going 29-83 over the past seven seasons, the Raiders had so much excitement after their offseason that it apparently was a factor.
The biggest change was the trade that brought Campbell in from Washington and led to the eventual release of former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell(notes). With the hiring of Hue Jackson as offensive coordinator, the Raiders expected bigger things from an offense that scored the second-fewest points and gained the second-fewest yards in the league a year ago.
Instead, the Raiders gained just 106 yards in the first half and failed to convert a single third down as the Titans defenders seemed to be quicker off the ball than the Raiders offensive line.
This marked the 10th time in Tom Cable’s 29 games as coach that the Raiders lost by at least 20 points.
“We had a bad day,” coach Tom Cable said. “We’re not going to sit around and overanalyze it or overcook it. We’re going to look at what the issues are and fix it. We feel great about our team. We just really did not play very well yesterday, but the cool thing is you can put your hand on what it is. It’s unfortunate at the same time.”
Rookie center Jared Veldheer(notes), who was a starting tackle at Division II Hillsdale College a year ago, had problems with the loud noise and the stiffer competition in his NFL debut.
That was part of a bad day of pass protection from the entire Indianapolis Colts jersey
offensive line. The line committed four false starts, one holding call, and allowed four sacks. Cable said getting better play from tackles Mario Henderson(notes) and Langston Walker(notes) will be a big focus this week.
“It’s like anything in life, little things here, little things there, and the outcome is totally different,” Walker said. “So, I think it’s very fixable. The world isn’t caving in on us.”
The Raiders also made big changes on defense in hopes of shoring up a unit that has been the worst in the NFL the past seven seasons.
They brought in a whole new starting linebacking unit, led by first round pick Rolando McClain(notes), and also put second-round pick Lamarr Houston(notes) in as a starting defensive end.
While the Raiders did a good job at times controlling last year’s NFL rushing champion Chris Johnson, they allowed him to get loose for a 76-yard touchdown run late in the first half to break the game open, gave up a 20-yard run to Vince Young(notes) on an option play and gave up a 15-yard touchdown run right up the middle by backup Javon Ringer(notes).
In all, Oakland allowed 205 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground.
“We were, I’d say, somewhat nervous,” linebacker Quentin Groves(notes) said. “Nervous for the simple fact that with a young team, you never know how we’re going to handle expectations, and there’s been a lot of expectations placed upon this team. We handled it with nervousness, and that’s one thing we’ve got to get out of our system.”
This marked the third time in the past five seasons that the Raiders opened the year with a blowout loss. The biggest difference from the 27-0 loss in Art Shell’s first game as coach in 2006 and the 41-14 loss to Denver in Lane Kiffin’s final season as coach in 2008, is that this game wasn’t in prime time in front of a home sellout.
Those losses ended up defining those seasons. The Raiders never solved the blocking and scheme problems that plagued the offense during the 2-14 campaign in 2006. And in ’08, the conflict between Kiffin and owner Al Davis that were evident leading up to the opener grew until Kiffin was fired four games into the season.
The Raiders are confident these problems can be fixed in time for the home opener against St. Louis on Sunday.
“About as easy as it is when you got to go get an oil Dallas Cowboys jersey
change from the body shop, that’s all it is,” cornerback Stanford Routt(notes) said. “It’s that easy. It’s not hard. Like I said, the Titans didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves, which is probably the most frustrating loss, but it’s probably the one with the most silver lining because it’s the easiest to fix.