The Mike Kelly era, as short-lived as it was, kicked off a troubling five-year period for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Save for the season after their Swaggerville run to the Grey Cup – one that ultimately didnt pan out – Bombers fans have been subjected to the same hope-filled off-season rhetoric; what makes this the year they turn it around when the same pre-season confidence a year ago led to just more troubling results? And in a lot of ways this year could be similar. New general manager Kyle Walters was part of the old guard and new starting quarterback Drew Willy, he of just 147 career CFL passing attempts, cannot be considered the for-sure answer at quarterback. That isnt to say these things wont turn around this season, but old GM Joe Macks hiring got a lot of people excited in 2010, returning to the city where he won a Grey Cup before gaining extensive experience in NFL front offices; and Stefan LeFors, Buck Pierce, and Alex Brink all had failed tenures as quarterback of the future. But there is some tangible evidence the team could be breaking out of their five-year fog. Mike OShea leads the list of smart moves the team made in the off-season to quietly start a foundation that could lead to success. Its been a while since the Bombers landed a coveted candidate at head coach. OShea has been ticketed as someone to watch for years now after following up a very impressive playing career with a promising stint as special teams coordinator in Toronto. The Canadian football lifer oozes leadership and has the opportunity to set the standard for the Bombers roster as he helped to do with some strong Argonauts rosters the past couple years. Keeping Marcel Bellefeuille around as OSheas offensive coordinator gives the team a play caller with both head coaching and successful coordinator experience on his resume. And adding Danny McManus, by all accounts an up-and-comer in the player evaluation world, should be of benefit to Walters in the front office. And aside from losing out on the Zach Collaros sweepstakes – Willy was a decent consolation prize – the team added some important free agents to help in the culture change Winnipeg is undertaking. Nick Moore, who some had tabbed for the NFL after his breakout season, should be a fine replacement for Terrence Edwards as the go-to option in the receiving corps. And Korey Banks, who was added after a contract squabble with the BC Lions, still has a lot of game left to go along with his leadership and winning mentality. Maybe this year wont be any different than ones previous, theres really no way of knowing if the new regime fits together to make a winner or not. And there likely wont be an easy team to pick off in the East Division. But aside from bringing with them a fresh air and new way of thinking, OShea and company have a winning attitude that could finally reverse the fortunes in Winnipeg. If youre apt to believe a change of culture is a noticeable step on the way to respectability, the Bombers could finally be making the first moves towards contending this season. Notes West Division The Blue Bombers are returning to where many CFL fans feel they belong, the West Division. With the Ottawa Redblacks joining the league and East Division, Winnipeg will jump back to the West, alongside the Lions, Stampeders, and Eskimos, and of course their longtime rivals in Saskatchewan. Terrence Edwards Retires Blue Bombers fans havent had a lot to cheer about the past couple years but one constant was Terrence Edwards tremendous play at receiver. Edwards spent seven of his nine CFL seasons in Winnipeg, five of which he surpassed 1,000 yards receiving, scoring a combined 46 touchdowns. Expansion Draft The Redblacks used the first two rounds of the expansion draft to nab from Winnipeg a promising young receiver in Wallace Miles, and a strong special teams player in FB James Green. The Bombers didnt suffer a loss in the third round however as the Redblacks selected impending free agent Rory Kohlert, a non-import receiver. Ottawa never signed Kohlert to a contract extension and he returned to Winnipeg just months later as a free agent. Free Agency Winnipeg should be relatively pleased with their off-season haul. They locked up some solid players on their own roster and landed a star receiver to replace Edwards in former BC Lion Nick Moore, and a quarterback they hope can lead the team now and in the future in former Saskatchewan Roughrider Drew Willy. CFL Draft With the second overall pick the Blue Bombers landed a solid offensive line prospect in Matthias Goossen, who they hope will be a mainstay for years to come. Winnipeg also selected McGill LB Jesse Briggs in the second round, Simon Fraser DB Derek Jones in the fourth round, Mount Allison DL Quinn Everett in the sixth round, and McMaster LB Aram Eisho in the seventh round. Daeshon Hall Panthers Jersey .Y. - Terry and Kim Pegula have no immediate plans to tinker with their new NFL team. Daeshon Hall Jersey . The Twins announced Thursday the 28-year-old Albers cleared waivers. He will join the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization. http://www.nflpanthersgearofficial.com/i...mas-jersey/.com Tours season-opening Colombia Championship on Sunday, breaking the course record with an 8-under 63 in the completion of the third round before rain washed out play. DaNorris Searcy Jersey . The match, billed as a "next-gen" encounter between two of the sports rising stars, lasted two and a half hours. The loss kept Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., from reaching a third fourth-round spot in Melbourne over the past four years. Donte Jackson Jersey . Heather, the first Gaiter to win the award, set a Canadian Inter-university Sport record with 3,132 passing yards in eight league games, an average of 391.5 yards per game. That beat the mark of 3,047 set only one week earlier by Westerns Will Finch, a Hec Crighton finalist.TORONTO -- The Brooklyn Nets limped into Toronto missing several key players. But the Raptors may as well have been missing a few of their own. DeMar DeRozan poured in 27 points while Kyle Lowry had 24, but -- until the final frantic few minutes -- the two had little help from their Toronto teammates in a 102-100 loss to the Nets on Tuesday. "We didnt play with that desperation attitude and weve got to have that every time we walk out because were not going to out-talent anybody," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "Were a team thats got to be scrappy and again, we didnt play that way until the last five minutes." Andray Blatche had 24 points to top the injury-depleted Nets (4-10), who came into the game on a five-game losing streak, last in the Atlantic Division, and with the third worst record in the NBA. Joe Johnson had 21, while Paul Pierce had 16 points and Kevin Garnett has 12 points with six rebounds. The Nets were missing Deron Williams (sprained ankle) Andrei Kirilenko (back spasms) and leading scorer Brook Lopez (sprained left ankle). But it was the Raptors (6-8) who could have used some more help. Steve Novak was the only other player to score in double figures with 12 for the Atlantic Division leaders, who lost for the first time in three games. Rudy Gay had nine points, while Tyler Hansbrough and Jonas Valanciunas had seven rebounds apiece. "We definitely didnt (score) in the paint too much, second-chance points, we missed a couple of rebounds that we shouldve had, they were just trying to bully us," DeRozan said. "We waited too long to lock down and throw a punch back." The Raptors trailed 81-76 heading into the fourth quarter of a game that saw neither team -- save for a handful of individual performances -- play particularly well. The Nets had assembled a 15-point lead with a little more than five minutes to go and the game seemed out of reach, but the Raptors came to life in the final two minutes. Gay drained a three with 24 seconds to pull the Raptors to 101-100. Shaun Livingston missed one of two free throws with 11 seconds left, but Gay passed off to an open Amir Johnson in the corner whose three-point attempt clanged off the rim. "Rudy couldve shouldve had a shot, he didnt take it," Casey said. "Amir had a clean look, it was straight, right on line, and he works on that shot eevery day in practice.dddddddddddd But (Gay) made that decision and I trust Rudy in that situation." The Raptors had one of their worst defensive efforts of the season, allowing the Nets to shoot 51 per cent from the field. The Raptors shot 44. Brooklyn outscored Toronto 48-28 in the paint, and outrebounded the Raptors 39-34. "They did whatever they wanted, whether it getting to the rim, jump shots," Casey said. "There was no redeeming qualities with our defence until the end, we got scrappy at the end." Nets coach Jason Kidd, who played for the same 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks team that Casey was a coach of, rubbed his hands over his face in sheer relief after Johnsons miss at the buzzer. "Those guys in that locker-room, I think they finally said they had enough," Kidd said. "They were talking for 48 minutes. The schemes defensively and offensively werent always perfect but those guys stayed the course. "Theres a bunch of guys in there with pride and they understood what they had to do tonight against the division leading Raptors. A big win on the road." Casey had kind words for Kidd before the game, saying he was "a reason why a lot of us (Dallas coaches) are around, his play as a player. We owe him a lot, just for what he did for us in Dallas as a player." But Casey said he wouldnt spend any time Tuesday catching up with Kidd, saying "Friendship is for the summertime." DeRozan got off to a strong start, making all five of his shots -- including three three-pointers -- in the opening 10 minutes, to put Toronto on top 28-26 heading into the second quarter. The Nets shot 55 per cent against Torontos lackadaisical defence in the second quarter, and seven straight points by Joe Johnson put the Nets up by four and the visitors took a 55-51 lead into the locker-room at halftime. DeRozan carried Toronto with 11 points in the third, but the Raptors couldnt make up any ground on the Nets, and a driving jumper with three seconds left in the quarter put Brooklyn up 81-76 with a quarter left. The game was the second of a four-game homestand for the Raptors, that has Toronto hosting the Miami Heat on Friday and Denver on Sunday. NOTES: The Nets roster features former Raptors Reggie Evans and Alan Anderson. . . Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic was at the game and helped chuck balls up into the crowd during a timeout. Cheap Jerseys Store Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Camo China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap Authentic Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap ' ' '