11-29-2019, 05:29 AM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Jim Palmer Jersey . - After three days of light, make that very light, workouts, Team Irvin and Team Carter are ready for Sunday nights Pro Bowl.Tony Romo will start at quarterback for Team Irvin, Andrew Luck for Team Carter in the second year of a format concocted to bring some life to an event that had become a show of halfhearted effort, little defence and practically no blocking.The players returning from last season say the intensity was up.There were some big hits last year, Denver safety T.J. Ward said.Not that it was anything close to a regular NFL game, and not even in the same stratosphere as what will be happening on the same field a week later when Seattle and New England meet in the Super Bowl.The Pro Bowl comes at the end of a long, long season. Some played in 18 games. They are looking forward to the off-season, vacations with their families, and the last thing anybody wants to see is a significant injury.Youve got to respect guys careers, Carolina inside linebacker Luke Kuechly said. You cant go out there and try to smoke everyone. Youve got to understand guys are here to have fun, but at the same time guys are competitive and thats going to come out. The bottom line is youve just got to respect each other.Its a format where teammates can go against each other. Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford joked that he could make a deal with Lions safety Glover Quin that Quinn would allow Stafford to throw a touchdown, and Stafford would throw Quinn an interception.There are those who miss the old AFC vs. NFC format, New York Jets centre Nick Mangold chief among them.I think there was something about coming out here and saying Im from the AFC and this is my team, he said earlier in the week. Now that its not, Id be the first to say Im not a fan of how they do it.New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said reports that in games past players havent given much of an effort were exaggerated.I think there were a few plays here and there where you might look at it and be like that was a lack of effort or just wasnt full speed, he said. So I think it got a bad rap just because of a few plays.But thats what stuck out in certain peoples minds. The league was the one threatening to shut it down, which I think would be an absolute shame. This is a tradition. Its a way to reward players for hard-fought season.Hall of Famers Michael Irvin and Cris Carter chose the teams in a draft carried on with much hoopla Wednesday night. Dallas Jason Garrett and his staff will coach Team Irvin, Baltimores John Harbaugh and his staff Team Carter.The teams went through their final practice Saturday at Scottsdale Community College, doing a little work with position coaches, a few reps in their shorts of 11-on-11 and a lot of autograph signing and picture posing.Last year, the team of Jerry Rice beat the one of Deion Sanders 22-21, a definite departure from the high-scoring Pro Bowls of the recent past.The game is taking a one-year break from its usual site of Honolulu. And while there are a few wistful mentions of the beach, nobody was complaining at least publicly about the desert weather, with temperatures in the mid-70s on Saturday and high 70s forecast for 70. University of Phoenix Stadium, which is sold out for the event, has a retractable roof.The Pro Bowl returns to Hawaii next season.There will be some unusual rules in the game Sunday night. Most noticeable will be the PATs. The gap between goal posts will be narrowed from the standard 18.6 feet to 14 feet and the kick will be moved back to the 15-yard line, essentially making it a 25-yard kick. Team Irvin kicker Adam Vinatieri hasnt missed a PAT in five seasons. Team Carters Cody Parkey didnt miss one in his rookie season.There were the usual rash of withdrawals from the original team, including six quarterbacks. Injuries, major and minor, were usually given as the reason. That, and of course, players who have a much bigger game to play next Sunday.___AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Dwight Smith Jr. Jersey . So he and his Toronto FC teammates say they will have no problem getting up for their Amway Canadian Championship final against rival Montreal Impact, even if the result doesnt count toward Major League Soccer standings. Trey Mancini Jersey . Detroits powerful offence made that unnecessary. Scherzer allowed two hits and struck out seven, and the Tigers backed their star right-hander with three early homers in an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night. https://www.cheaporioles.com/1688i-alber...ioles.html . So heres what I do when I want to get into the baseball mood—I delve into "The Baseball Project". LANDOVER, Md. -- Never much for words, Colin Kaepernick summed up the best statistical game of his NFL career with typical understatement: "I think this was a good step for us in the right direction." Always one to speak at length when theres a camera around, Robert Griffin III reflected on one of the worst games of his young career by referencing "demons" that need to be conquered and the people who are supposedly "trying to character assassinate" him. While their playing styles may be similar, their public personas are as divergent as their performances were in their first face-to-face matchup. Kaepernick clearly outplayed Griffin on Monday night as the San Francisco 49ers broke a two-game losing streak with a 27-6 win over the Washington Redskins. Kaepernick completed 15 of 24 passes for 235 yards -- the first time in five games hes topped 200 -- with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a career-best 134.5 passing rating. He made a couple of throws to Anquan Boldin that looked worthy of a veteran drop-back quarterback. That should quiet the critics. For a few days, at least. "Some people have baby deer skin," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Hes got the armadillo skin." It will take more than an armadillo to quiet the angst surrounding the Redskins and Griffin, who completed 17 of 27 passes for only 127 yards and was sacked four times. His rating was 58.7, and Washingtons offence amassed a mere 190 total yards. Here are five ruminations on the 49ers (7-4), who remain tied for second with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West, and the Redskins (3-8), who sit alone in the cellar of the NFC East. HEY, WE KNOW THAT OFFENSE: The 49ers did to Griffin what other defences try to do to Kaepernick -- take away the run and force the QB to throw. Alfred Morris rushed for only 52 yards on 14 carries. The Redskins, playing catch-up, gained only 30 total yards after halftime. San Francisco linebacker Aldon Smith had his first two sacks since undergoing treatment for substance abuse. RG3 AND DAD: Before Griffin headed to his postgame news conference, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year spoke with an unusual locker-room visitor: his father. RG2 then tagged along for the news conference. When RG3 returned to finish removing his uniform, the two men chatted for several minutes, sitting face-to-face. Griffin started the evening with four inncompletions. Tanner Scott Jersey. When he finally completed his fifth pass, the play lost a yard. His sixth attempt was intercepted. "Weve got to conquer some of the demons that we have going on as an offence," Griffin said, "and just as a team in general." CRABTREE JOINS THE CREW: Injuries to the 49ers receiving corps have often been cited for Kaepernicks lacklustre passing numbers. Mario Manningham (four catches, 45 yards) recently returned to the lineup, and now 2012 leading receiver Michael Crabtree is set to be activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list and play next week. Crabtree returned to practice Nov. 5 for the first time since tearing his right Achilles tendon in May. "We need them all," Harbaugh said. "This is only for the tough. Where our team is headed, its only for the tough." SHANAHAN DISAPPOINTED: Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said his team got "embarrassed." He said he was "disappointed in the way we performed." He acknowledged that his team had not been "dominated like that since Ive been here." The Redskins are 24-36, including playoff games, since Shanahan arrived with a $35 million, five-year contract. They are currently on pace for their third last-place finish in his four seasons. The defence made Kaepernick look fantastic, and cornerback Josh Wilson was particularly generous, repeatedly getting beaten by receivers. There was a sloppy sequence at the end of the first half for Washingtons offence, including a timeout called while the clock was already stopped on a hurry-up drive. And with the score still only 10-6 early in the second half, Shanahan decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 at the 41 and gave the ball to backup tailback Roy Helu. He was stopped short, and the Niners took over and drove 60 yards for a TD. Still, after all of it, veteran linebacker London Fletcher called Shanahan "a great leader." 49ERS LOOKAHEAD: San Francisco now heads into the stretch run and has to be feeling better about its playoff chances. Of their five remaining games, two are against division foes the Niners beat already -- including St. Louis next Sunday -- and two come against also-rans Tampa Bay and Atlanta. The most intriguing matchup comes in two weeks, at home against NFC West rival Seattle, which leads the NFL with a 10-1 record and beat visiting San Francisco 29-3 in Week 2. ' ' '