| sakura698 |
Posté le:
12/12/2019 06:41 | Sujet du message:
team to beat early. Ottawa is brand new, | |
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. Lucius Allen Jersey . - A two-year playoff absence is barely a hiccup in most NFL cities. In Pittsburgh, its a drought that forced one of the leagues most successful franchises to rebuild itself on the fly.Consider the project right on schedule.Ben Roethlisberger passed for 220 yards and a touchdown, LeVeon Bell added a score and the Steelers locked up a post-season berth with a methodical 20-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.Pittsburgh (10-5) faces Cincinnati next week for the AFC North title. Either way, the Steelers will be playing January football for the first time since Tim Tebow and Denver stunned the defending AFC champions in the wild card round three years ago.Now, Roethlisberger, Bell and Antonio Brown lead one of the NFLs best offences, and the defence is starting to show some snarl for the only franchise with six Lombardi Trophies.Alex Smith passed for a season-high 311 yards but was sacked six times as the fading Chiefs (8-7) lost for the fourth time in their last five games. Kansas City had little trouble moving the ball but couldnt seem to get the one big play that mattered.Instead, the big plays — and most of the smaller ones — went to the Steelers. A roster thats undergone a youth movement since a Super Bowl appearance four years ago is growing up quickly, though with a few familiar faces leading the way.The Steelers win also eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs. The Chiefs need to beat San Diego next Sunday and receive plenty of help to make it back to the playoffs for a second straight year under coach Andy Reid.Roethlisberger wasnt as dynamic as hes been at times this season but led a pair of long touchdown drives. The second ended with a 3-yard strike to Brown that gave Pittsburgh a 17-6 lead late in the third quarter. Roethlisberger briefly went to the locker room with a right knee injury but returned after a Kansas City field goal to guide a 12-play, 70-yard march that ended with Shaun Suishams 23-yard kick with 4:04 remaining to all but clinch it.The teams spent the first half trading methodical drives, but Kansas City kept getting bogged down near the end zone, a rarity for a team that came in second in the league in red zone touchdown percentage. Three times the Chiefs drove inside the Pittsburgh 20. Three times they failed to cross the goal line.The first drive ended with Cairo Santos 23-yard field goal.The second included a flip from holder Dustin Colquitt to tight end Travis Kelce on fourth-and-4 at the Pittsburgh 11. Kelce converted it into a first down, but three additional downs produced a single yard and another kick from Santos.Pittsburgh responded to go in front 10-6 when Bell ended a crisp 80-yard drive with a 1-yard dive over right tackle. Smith deftly guided the Chiefs back downfield when a rare moment of aggression by Reid wound up costing Kansas City a chip-shot field goal.Facing fourth-and-inches at the Pittsburgh 12 with 27 seconds left in the half and no timeouts, Reid sent the offence back onto the field. Charles was drilled by Lawrence Timmons behind the line of scrimmage, and when Will Allen piled on, the Steelers had the ball and the momentum with a post-season berth just 30 minutes away.___Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Donte DiVincenzo Jersey . HEROES Alex Ovechkin – Scored a pair of goals in Washington’s 4-0 win over Pittsburgh. With 13 goals in the past 13 games, Ovechkin now has 29 goals on the season to lead the league. Milwaukee Bucks Pro Shop . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/ . Nine years later, he might have finally figured it out. He had only five rounds in the 60s in his previous eight trips.This is going to be a good team. I realize I tend to say that about almost every team in my CFL previews this year, but with Montreal it is easy to express analytical optimism for many reasons. First is quarterback Troy Smith. There is nothing really physically outstanding about Smith; he is 60, 224 pounds with a good arm and good mobility. I sum him up as thick and quick. But there is something about him, a genuine confidence expressed through experience in football at a high level. An articulation and intelligence that you "pick up on" when he is in front of a camera talking about himself and the league. And a unique level of humility that says in order to perform, I have to learn; not the other way around. I have always looked at humility as a strength and maturity; arrogance as a weakness and insecurity. When you consider the short amount of preparation time Smith experienced last year, his solid on field performance in yes, limited games, was very impressive. You have to feel good that as the teams starter from the outset, improvement is inevitable. I know of the other Alouettes QBs, but I would be immensely surprised if, outside of injury, Smith is not the No. 1 quarterback wearing No. 1. And with Anthony Calvillo retired, I am sure Smith looks at this training camp as a career opportunity, not a wait-and-see situation. On the defensive side of the ball, the Alouettes have an exceptional unit with just one unknown: who will play middle linebacker now that Shea Emry is an Argonaut? This issue is more a ratio adjustment problem than a personnel problem. It would be great if you could replace a Canadian with another good Canadian but if not, you will have a market of linebackers ready throughout the United States. The two positions of numeric wealth in NCAA football are running back and linebacker; simply said there are a lot of them. Last year Montreal was first in some significant defensive categories: fewest yards allowed at 314 per game, fewest rushing yards allowed at 88 per game; fewest 2nd down conversions allowed, most two and outs forced, most quarterback sacks with 59, and a key one, most takeaways with 56. All they need is to find or develop a new middle llinebacker. Khris Middleton Jersey. Thats a manageable situation. On offence, Brandon Whitaker will be back and with Jamel Richardson and SJ Green it is hard to argue that the two best slot receivers are anywhere but Montreal. The Chad Johnson experiment will be an interesting one. Hes closer to 40 than 30 but the bottom line is can he still move like he is 20? Answers will be given early but if he is competing for a roster spot with someone younger and equal in talent, the younger guy will get it. The single biggest mediating factor in athletic performance is age. You know it is coming but you cant stop it, you can only slow it down. Special teams will improve with Larry Taylor and Duron Carter as returners, but also a rededication to blocking effectively for the returners as a priority. And finally there is Tom Higgins, the new Alouettes head coach. More than a few years removed from coaching, Higgins is about as much a polar opposite from the previous full-time head coach as you can get. And that is a good thing. Higgins is pragmatic and calculated; hes an administrator and no one knows the rules better. Hes been named CFL coach of the year and is a Grey Cup-winning coach. He is not the next youthful flash of success, quite the opposite. This decision comes from the experience of decades being the front man of the organization. This one is logical and safe compared to last years decision, which was risky and a novelty. It does not happen very often but every now and then games are determined by experience or inexperience with CFL rules. This year, thats an advantage with Higgins in Montreal. In the East, Toronto has to keep Ricky Ray healthy for 18 games because assuming the next Zack Collaros is on the roster is unrealistic. Hamilton has to continue to improve and may be the team to beat early. Ottawa is brand new, if they make the playoffs it will be a successful season. So where does that leave Montreal? With a new coach, new quarterback, new receivers, and maybe more adversity than any CFL team last year, they still finished 8-10, only three games out from first place. Another 8-10 finish this year is very unlikely; expect Montreal to surprise come November in BC. ' ' '  |
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