Our list of things every fan of the scouting combine should be looking forward to."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2016 NFL DraftInjuriesFree AgencyGame FilmNFL Combine5 Things to look for at the Scouting CombineOur list of things every fan of the scouting combine should be looking forward to.ESTShareTweetShareShare5 Things to look for at the Scouting CombineKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsIt’s here! It’s finally here! The 2019 NFL Scouting Combine kicks off today as head coaches and general managers will meet with media at the Indiana Convention Center. From there it only gets better.Player interviews 2019 Mike Edwards Jersey , live broadcasts, workouts and more! All will be covered from just about every angle imaginable.So, for fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - or fans in general really - what should you be looking forward to the most? Here are the five things you should be watching for above all else when things get rolling in Indianapolis.5. COACHES AND GENERAL MANAGERSFor Tampa Bay fans, any chance to hear Bruce Arians talk about football and winning is one which should be taken.This week is no different, and if anything it’s an occasion to listen even closer. The team has a lot of questions surrounding the NFL Draft and some of it’s more notable players.Guys like Gerald McCoy and DeSean Jackson will be discussed surely, and if there is a trade made at any point in the off-season, you can almost be assured it either started or gained steam here.Oh, and then there are the prospects. Which ones are they keeping an eye on, which positions are they super focused on, and of course which answers are truth and which are lies!?You never can trust everything you hear this time of year, and it’s part of what makes the darn thing so much fun.4. KYLER MURRAY INTERVIEWSI don’t care if you’re a fan of the guy or not, or if your team needs a quarterback or not. Kyler Murray is entertaining.Sure, he’s answered the question about whether or not he’ll play football or baseball or both. But, has he really made up his mind? One false word or hesitation on an answer and the drama will ramp right back up to 100!If your team doesn’t need a quarterback, you should be thankful they aren’t in the middle of trying to untangle this twisted web of intention and commitment. Instead, you can just sit back and watch every awkward moment with your Michael Jackson popcorn GIFs in hand.3. DE-FENSE!!!Experts have said it, analysts have said it, even Bruce Arians himself said it. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are focused on getting better defensively above all else.Yes, the running game is hopefully getting better and yes the offensive line will get better. But if everything else fails, the defense is the focus of the conversation.But does it mean the Bucs will draft defense in the first round? Nobody knows. What we do know is there are a lot - A LOT - of defensive prospects who can reasonably contribute to an NFL roster in 2019.And they’ll all take the field on Sunday, March 3rd and Monday, March 2nd to show off what they can do.Make sure you tune in if you can, because there’s going to be a ton of talent on the field for those days. If you can only catch one of them though DaQuan Jones Jersey , make it Sunday.2. BUCS NATIONThat’s right, this year Bucs Nation is on ground in Indianapolis to cover the scouting combine from up close and personal. James Yarcho and I will make the draft nerd pilgrimage to land of Lucas Oil to bring you as many news and notes as we possibly can.Of course we’ll comment about some of the same things everyone else is, but what we can do is bring you to the building. Have a question or thought you’d like satisfied? Hit up either one of us here or here or even here, and we’ll do the best we can to make sure the Nation gets their answers.Then, check out the Locked On Bucs Podcast where we’ll be laying down our thoughts on the day that was and what we hope to learn from the following day.1. RUN RICH RUNBrian Spurlock-USA TODAY SportsI mean, let’s be real, this is the reason we all tune in to the scouting combine coverage every year anyway.NFL Network’s own Rich Eisen has been running the 40-yard dash in his network best four what will be his 15th year. Why? To support the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.In a press release from the league, Eisen commented on what the event means to him,What the NFL is asking fans to do is video themselves running the 40-yard dash and sharing the clips online. This, along with donating directly will ensure the message is loud and clear in support of combating childhood cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.It’s a great event and a wonderful way to cap off the week’s events.So, there you have it. The five things every fan should be looking forward to at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine. Come back regularly during the week to catch up with everything going down in Indianapolis!Todd Monken Addresses Media Before Saints Match-Up Todd Monken has his work cut out for him ahead of the week one match-up in New Orleans. He’s working with a backup quarterback, his starting left tackle is injured, and they’re playing a solid defense on the road.Not the most stellar hand to be dealt.Monken, however, shows no fear regarding Ryan Fitzpatrick taking the snaps in place of Jameis Winston, and knows that Fitz has proved himself as a viable starter in the past that has won games for the Buccaneers;“Well I don’t think it’s very big at all. We went 2-1 last year with Fitz as our quarterback. It’s a team game. We’ve got to play well around him. I thought we played well around him last year. I think we’ve played well around him in the preseason, so I don’t see that at all as an issue,” Monken said.The Buccaneers’ chances may be slim, but they aren’t impossible. A lot will hinge on the defense’s ability to create pressure, Peyton Barber’s ability to control the clock with solid runs, and my X-Factor’s ability to take advantage of the one-on-one looks he will get. Monken knows this and had nothing but glowing things to say about wide receiver Chris Godwin;“Well, he’s big, fast Lee Roy Selmon Jersey , smart, physical, the consummate pro, takes care of his body, always studying the game. He knows all the spots on the field, so it gives him an opportunity to take advantage of his skillset. That’s really what it does. He’s improved steadily from the time he got here until now and you guys have seen it. We’ve seen it and he’s a good player.”At the end of the day, it’s all about the swagger the Buccaneers have. They can’t walk into the game with the same concerns and fears the fans have. They can’t be worried that they aren’t good enough without Jameis Winston. They can’t be worried that the defensive line won’t be improved enough to pressure Brees. They can’t be worried that the corners are going to be dissected by the Saints’ receivers. They have to know that they have every bit the chance to win as the Saints do - and that whoever wins this game is going to earn it.Monken is more than confident in his offense’s ability to put up points and stand toe-to-toe with the best in the league - as long as they don’t shoot themselves in the foot;“Well, first, as I talked about, is the turnovers. I think that’s the start. That’s where it all starts. I think as you mentioned, the weapons: Chris Godwin’s a year older, O.J. Howard’s a year older, we brought Cam (Brate) back, I think Mike’s (Evans) played better, Hump (Adam Humphries) is a year older, our O-line, bringing Ryan (Jensen) to the mix. So I just think – Caleb Benenoch a year older – that’s probably as much as anything, just you still have the same core guys that are you older players, but I the think the younger players are only going to continue to get better.”Now, if only we knew that Monken was going to call the plays...

Wide receiver Tyler Lockett is back to full strength and producing more than ever for the Seattle Seahawks.Another year removed from the broken leg that ended his 2016 season Tedric Thompson Jersey , Lockett again looks like the explosive threat he was in his first two years in Seattle. Lockett has already matched his career-high in touchdowns in just seven games played this season."He's been a big factor early in the year," head coach Pete Carroll said.He caught six touchdowns as a rookie in 2015 but had managed just three over the last two seasons combined. He's on pace to set career highs in catches, yards, yards per reception and touchdowns through the first seven games of 2018."He's really at his top speed right now and rolling, which his top speed is pretty fast," quarterback Russell Wilson said.Even though Lockett played in all 16 games for Seattle last year, he never got back to 100 percent. He said he struggled to make it through practices last year."It's hard to get somebody an opportunity who can barely make it through practice," Lockett said. "Even though I was finding ways and still looked like myself and (could) run around in the games, it was just harder to be able to put myself in a position to help the team in an expanded role."But even though Lockett has caught a touchdown in all but one game for the Seahawks this season, he quickly shot down any notion that it's a significant achievement to him."Nothing," Lockett said. "I just go out there and play and have fun with my teammates and try to make the best out of every opportunity. You never know when you're going to get the ball or the ball is going to be thrown your way."While it may not mean anything to Lockett Tyler Lockett Jersey , it has meant a great deal to the team.With Doug Baldwin a bit slowed this year due to a pair of knee injuries, Lockett has helped carry the scoring output for Seattle. His six receiving touchdowns are among the best in the NFL. Antonio Brown (8), Tyreek Hill (7) and Eric Ebron (7) are the only players with more receiving touchdowns, though Hill and Ebron have each played one more game than Lockett."He's come through so many challenges," Baldwin said. "That injury he had a couple years ago, that wasn't a little injury. That was a very significant injury when it happened. I was on the field and saw it and it was heartbreaking. ... You don't know how people respond to that. If they have the mental fortitude to come back from something that significant. Tyler has done a miraculous job to say the least."Notes: RB Chris Carson (hip), LB K.J. Wright (knee) and SS Bradley McDougald (knee) are all questionable to play against the Chargers on Sunday. Carroll said Wright and McDougald should be good to go while Carson will be a game-time decision. ... CB Neiko Thorpe (groin) and G Jordan Simmons (calf) are doubtful. While rumors of a Frank Clark trade had been circulating for more than a month since the Seattle Seahawks applied the franchise tag to Clark in early March, the bombshell still shocked fans of not..."While rumors of a Frank Clark trade had been circulating for more than a month since the Seattle Seahawks applied the franchise tag to Clark in early March, the bombshell still shocked fans of not only the Hawks, but across the league as well when the team actually traded him on Tuesday. As I’d noted in the comments section of an article at some point, any trade for Clark was likely to take place prior to the draft because of the fact that he had not signed the franchise tag tender. Since the tender remained unsigned Germain Ifedi Jersey , he was technically not under contract with the Hawks, and therefore could not be traded. Thus, any trade of Clark would require Clark to sign the tender, however, Clark had refused to sign the tender until he agreed to terms on a long-term deal. Thus, in order for any trade of Clark to take place he would have needed to first agree to terms on a deal with the new team and then sign the franchise tender so that he would be under contract and could be traded. Getting that done in the ten minutes that teams have on the clock during the first round seems like a tall order, so the fact the trade took place in the days before the draft makes sense. In any case, following the trade fans from across the league weighed in on Twitter. Here are just a few of the responses.

The Philadelphia Flyers might want to stay out of the penalty box in Saturday’s home game against Tampa Bay.The Lightning Dalton Prout Jersey Womens , the Eastern Conference leaders through their first 19 games, scored four power play goals — three of them by Brayden Point on the same power play — in Thursday night’s 4-3 victory in Pittsburgh. Entering play Friday, they were second in the NHL with 27 power play goals.Not a great omen for the Flyers, who were next-to-last in the league in penalty killing percentage (71.2) and tied for league lead in power play goals allowed (19).Article continues below ...Point scored three power-play goals in 1:31 — the sixth-fastest hat trick in NHL history — Thursday night.“That’s a first for me,” Point said after his team ended a two-game losing streak to improve to 13-5-1. “They told me after the game, so it’s pretty cool. Guys made good plays and I was able to score.”Nikita Kucherov assisted on all three goals to get to 200 assists in his career, as the Lightning won in the first game after losing Andrei Vasilevskiy to a broken foot.“I thought we moved the puck well,” Point said. “Obviously Elias Lindholm Jersey Womens , 5-on-3s are pretty tough to defend, and I thought we weren’t getting too cute with it. I thought we were making good plays to the net and shooting the puck.”While the Lightning were evening their record to 1-1 on a four-game road trip, the Flyers were stymied by Keith Kinkaid and the New Jersey Devils in the third of five straight home games. It was the second straight low-scoring loss for the Flyers, who have come off a 5-0-1 streak with only one goal in two games.They hit five posts — one by Oskar Lindblom with his team down 1-0 in the third period — in the loss that dropped them to 9-9-1.And they also lost goaltender Brian Elliott to injury for the second time this month to a pulled groin. He was relieved by Calvin Pickard, who replaced him for two games on the 3-0-1 road trip and went 1-0-1.Friday, the Flyers said Elliott, whose injury could be related to previous core muscle and hip surgeries, should miss two weeks. Alex Lyon was recalled from the minors and there’s a chance the injured Michal Neuwirth could return while Elliott is out.Pickard was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs Oct. 2.“I’m confident Alan Quine Jersey Womens ,” Pickard said after Thursday’s loss. “I had a couple good starts last weekI just have to have a good sleep tonight, wake up tomorrow and get back to work.”Louis Domingue has replaced Vasilevskiy, expected to miss three to four weeks after getting hit with a routine shot in practice, after the starter was injured in practice. He is 1-1-0 in two career games against the Flyers.The Lightning have surrendered the first goal of the game in nine of the last 10 and continue to come from behind.“We didn’t quit,” Steven Stamkos said Thursday. “We knew we would probably get some calls after the flurry of penalties we had in the first. We were able to get fortunate and get a couple 5-on-3s, which the old cliché is if you don’t score on your 5-on-3, you probably don’t win the game. We get two there, and then one right after on that extended power play. So special teams were huge tonight.”Pickard is 0-0-1 in his only career start against the Lightning.While the Lightning power play was potent Thursday Petr Mrazek Jersey Womens , the Flyers are 2-for-32 with the advantage over the last 11 games after going 0-for-4 Thursday.They got James van Riemsdyk back Thursday for his first game since Oct. 6and he caused a power-play goal to be waved off because of goalie interference.“If you’re out for six weeks, especially at the start of the season when you’ve been off already for three or four months, you’re definitely not as sharp as you’d like to be,” said van Riemsdyk, a major offseason signing. “I’m sure I’ll be fine; it’s just one of those things that’s a work in progress.”Radko Gudas, who missed Thursday’s Flyers loss because of illness, was back on the ice Friday. Cassie Campbell-Pascall entered the 2006 Olympics knowing it could be the final time she played for Team Canada. Determined to end her tenure as Canadian captain standing atop the podium as an Olympic champion, she led with passion and pride as Canada asserted its dominance as the best the women鈥檚 game had to offer.Like so many before her Jordan Schroeder Jersey Womens , though, a concussion almost cost Campbell-Pascall the opportunity to retire on her own terms. Having already sustained previous head injuries, Campbell-Pascall received another in April 2004 that jeopardized her Olympic hopes. 鈥淥riginally, I thought it was more of a neck problem,鈥?she said. 鈥淏ut I realized the concussion was so severe the impact actually bruised the spinal cord in my neck. That鈥檚 something that really never goes away.鈥漈he misconcepti... All-Access +All-Access Member AreaPremium content and in-depth analysis from our team of experts exclusively for magazine subscribers. Simply login to unlock the content or become a member for less than $2.50 a month.LoginBecome a Member

Five weeks in to the 2018 NFL season Brynden Trawick Jersey White , the Titans top receiving tight end is Luke Stocker with 5 catches for 63 yards. Delanie Walker — who was injured midway through the opening game in Miami and is unlikely to return any time soon — is second with 4 catches and 52 yards. The guy that everyone expected to step up when Walker went down, second year tight end Jonnu Smith, has just 2 catches for 21 yards for the entire season. The Titans entire tight end room has been blanked in the box score two weeks in a row and has just 4 catches for 35 yards combined over the last four weeks. The problem extends far beyond catching passes though. The Titans aren’t getting much from their tight ends as run blockers either. Luke Stocker ranks 30th among tight ends in run blocking on PFF, while Jonnu Smith checks in at 42nd. The Tennessee running game is being hurt by missed blocks from this position group far too often right now.The fallout from the tight end struggles ripples through the rest of the roster as well. The lack of a viable receiving threat out of this group puts more pressure on the young receivers and depth receivers like Darius Jennings and Nick Williams. We’ve seen how that has worked out to this point. The blocking failures have virtually crippled the play that should be the staple of this rushing offense, the outside zone. That’s been reflected in Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis’ statistics through five weeks. Bad tight end play is hampering virtually every aspect of this offense right now.Jonnu Smith played pretty well during his rookie season as the No. 2 to Walker’s No. 1, leaving most to believe that he could prove to eventually be become the team’s top option at the position. He followed that up with a great offseason, finishing a close runner up to Derrick Henry for the coaching staff’s offseason recognition. By all accounts — including my own — Smith looked like a player poised to take the next step in 2018. All that build up makes his performance over the last four weeks that much more frustrating. His blocking has been a problem and he’s not offsetting it with any production in the passing game. Worse, it seems as if he may have lost some of Marcus Mariota’s trust when he dropped that easy 3rd down pass against the Eagles. Since that drop, there have been multiple plays where Mariota has seemingly passed up an open Smith to throw elsewhere, including the ill-fated throw to Nick Williams in Buffalo. The coaches may be losing some faith in their young tight end as well. Smith’s snap count dropped to 78% of snaps against the Bills, marking the first time it’s been under 90% since Walker got injured. Stocker was the primary beneficiary, jumping from 35% in Week 4 to 59% in Week 5. It’s not as if Stocker has been tearing it up this season either. He’s clearly a better blocker than Smith, but even on his best day he’s not a serious threat as a receiving option. Playing Stocker more and Smith less could yield more consistency at least, but it certainly lowers the ceiling of what the offense can be. The only other options on the roster currently are MyCole Pruitt and Anthony Firkser who was just promoted from the practice squad. Pruitt has gotten a little playing time over the last couple weeks, primarily as a blocker, but he entered the league as a big time athlete who was quite productive as a receiver in college. Firkser may be the best receiving tight end on the roster right now given what we’ve seen from Smith to this point. He’s not strong enough to hold up as a point of attack blocker though which limits what the team can do with him on the field. The free agent market is pretty barren at tight end. The two options that have performed at the level of a TE1 previously in the NFL are Coby Fleener and Martellus Bennett. Fleener was last seen being released by the Saints after failing to be medically cleared to return from a concussion. Bennett has recently tweeted that he won’t be planning on returning to the NFL because he can’t pass a drug test. Neither of those guys are realistic options. There isn’t a Kenny Vaccaro type free agent tight end that can come to the rescue. A trade for a tight end could be possible in theory, though midseason player trades are pretty rare in the NFL. Cameron Brate would make the most sense in my opinion. O.J. Howard has supplanted him as the top tight end in Tampa Bay which makes him somewhat expendable. He also has ties with Titans GM Jon Robinson who was part of the front office that brought Brate to Tampa as an undrafted free agent in 2014. We’ve seen Robinson come back to guys he has connections with before so that model fits here. The problem is that Brate just signed a 6 year, $41M contract extension earlier this offseason so it would appear that the Bucs see him as a part of their long term future, even if he’s not the top tight end. As the Titans are proving right now, a second tight end can be pretty important. That’s also a big contract for the Titans to take on considering they just handed out an expensive extension to Walker earlier this offseason and will have possible extensions to discuss with Mariota and Kevin Byard this spring. I just don’t see how a Brate deal gets done realistically and there isn’t another deal out there that makes a ton of sense for both sides.So what do the Titans do to make it better?Obviously, the Titans were never going to replace Delanie Walker. You don’t just lose a 3-time Pro Bowler and rattle right along like nothing happened. This was always going to be a team effort to pick up the large amount of slack left by his injury. Wide receivers like Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor, and Tajae Sharpe must continue to improve. The Titans need their offensive tackles to get healthy and stay healthy so the tight ends don’t have to chip and help in pass protection so often. However, Tennessee is going to need to find a way to get something out of the tight end spot. The most optimistic solution would be to stay the course with Smith and continue to coach him up and that’s ultimately what I expect they’ll do. He’s a young player with plenty of physical ability. It’s just about getting the mental side of the game to slow down for him. If I was Matt LaFleur or Marcus Mariota, I would be trying to find a way to get Smith an easy catch or two early on in the Ravens game to try to get him jump started and build a little confidence. Another option is to elevate Stocker to the TE1 role. That at least improves the team from a blocking standpoint. They could then bring Smith on for certain packages or even take a look at Pruitt or Firkser in a potential “3rd down tight end” role if Smith continues to struggle. It’s a less than ideal solution because it limits how multiple you can be out of the same personnel package Womens Logan Ryan Jersey , but being multiple may not be a luxury the Titans have right now.Tight end is one of the toughest positions on the field to play. You have to know the route tree as well as pass protections. You have to run like a receiver one play and then block like an offensive lineman the next. Right now Smith is offering neither and it’s really hurting this offense. I don’t think it’s time to give up on him altogether, but it is time for the Titans to admit that there is a problem at this position and start addressing it one way or another.Top 5 takeaways from Titans OTAs and minicamp The Titans wrapped up minicamp on Thursday with a visit to the shooting range to learn gun safety with the Metro Nashville Police Department replacing the final practice session. We won’t see the team on the field again until they kickoff training camp on July 26th, but I wanted to take a quick moment to recap the offseason program and what we learned from it — if anything — about the 2018 Titans.1. Team health is very important to Mike VrabelThe health of the roster is important to every NFL coach, but Vrabel seemed to really be focused on it during OTAs and minicamp. When asked if he learned anything from his first time going through OTAs and minicamp as a head coach, Vrabel responded “I think you learn every day that the health of the team is critical to your success. There’s nothing more important than the health of our football players. You’re in constant communication with Todd [Toriscelli] and the training staff to try to balance conditioning with practice.”The team appeared to be pretty cautious with guys that may have had minor injuries or conditioning issues. Corey Davis, Rishard Matthews, Michael Campanaro, Phillip Supernaw, Will Compton, and Jack Conklin all missed at least parts of team activities over the last few weeks. Outside of Conklin’s recovery from the torn ACL he suffered in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, all the injuries have been described “minor” and Vrabel said that he expects to have the entire roster (besides Conklin) full-go by the start of training camp.Davis and Matthews are certainly the most critical pieces out of the group that were held out. Davis participated in individual drills — and looked good doing it as you can see in the video below — but was held out of team periods. Vrabel said that “we felt like the best thing for Corey was to, at times be out there full-go, and at times not be” before mentioning that he’ll discuss the injury report when they get to training camp. Both of those receivers need to be healthy for the Titans offense to reach its potential in 2018 and they really need a chance to get as many reps as possible with Marcus Mariota in the new offense. Vrabel is smart to be cautious with the team’s health at this point in the offseason. The dirty little secret of the NFL is that outside of teams on the extreme ends of the talent spectrum, a lot of success and failure comes down to how healthy a team stays and how much turnover luck they get throughout the year. 2. The Titans secondary is both talented and deepTennessee added Malcolm Butler to a secondary that was already trending up and early reports indicate this position group could be the backbone of the defense. Butler has gotten a few rave reviews. One came from John Middlekauff, a former NFL scout who now covers the Raiders and 49ers for The Athletic. Middlekauff visited Titans practice recently and wrote this about Butler based on his observations. Middlekauff also noted that Butler was the second Titans player on the field after Marcus Mariota, something that aligns with Jon Robinson’s comments about Butler being on the field running sprints at 8:00 AM the morning after signing his free agent contract. Butler’s work ethic and competitiveness are part of what makes him so good and it seems that the big contract hasn’t changed that.The addition of Butler isn’t the only reason for optimism though. Adoree Jackson is heading in to his second season after a rookie year that saw him get better and better each week. By the end of 2017, Jackson was playing at a very high level. Combine that trend and his first offseason focused entirely on football without track or combine training (which is essentially track training) and you have a recipe for a potential breakout season. In addition to Jackson, the remainder of the Titans starting secondary — Logan Ryan, Kevin Byard, and Johnathan Cyprien — all head in to their second year as starters. That familiarity with each other, even if they are playing in a new system, should help this unit function more consistently at a high level in 2018. Not to be forgotten, LeShaun Sims has created some buzz with his play during OTAs and minicamp as well. His experience and ability makes him one of the best 4th corners in the NFL. Jon Robinson used Sims as an example of a player that he was proven to be right about during his excellent interview with Paul Kuharsky. That’s a pretty strong compliment for the 3rd year cornerback.As a group, the Titans secondary dominated during team drills in offseason workouts. While it must be noted that they were often working against backup receivers with Davis and Matthews sidelined, it is encouraging to hear that the defensive backs are living up to their billing so far. That group has certainly come a looooooong way in the last couple years. 3. The offense is a work in progressGiven the zero sum nature of practicing against yourself http://www.thetitanslockerroom.com/authentic-ryan-succop-jersey , the defense dominating means that the offense struggled. Obviously, the absence of Davis and Matthews has something to do with that, but I expect the offense would have struggled even if they had their top two wide receivers healthy. The transition the defense is making from Dick LeBeau’s defense to the system that Dean Pees is going to use will be little more than a small speed bump in comparison to the complete overhaul that the offense is going through. Everything about the offense that Matt LaFleur is installing is different than what the Titans ran under Terry Robiskie the last two years. The running game will be transitioning from a power-gap heavy attack to one that is primarily built about zone blocking and outside zone-stretch runs. The passing game will move from a vertical, down-the-field attack to more of a traditional west coast scheme featuring short-to-intermediate routes with an emphasis on getting receivers the ball in space with a chance to create after the catch. Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback who spent last season in Rams camp working under Matt LaFleur, does a great job of breaking down this offense and what makes it different from other schemes. For one, the Shanahan style offense that LaFleur has been raised in as an NFL coach is one of the more verbose when it comes to the wording required to communicate plays. You can see some of that in this video. The passing offense is largely based on timing and the reads are very structured compared to other offenses. Orlovsky describes the process of learning this offense for a quarterback as being broken down and then rebuilt from scratch. Footwork is critical as the wide receivers routes and the quarterback’s reads are all designed to be synced with the footwork of the drop from center. This offense is not easy to learn, but it has proven to be quite effective once installed and understood by the players. The wordy playcalls allow for tweaks and adjustments to be made on the fly to take advantage of what the defense is presenting during the game. There is a good chance that the defense will remain ahead of the offense throughout much of training camp as they continue to work through this transition. The hope is that LaFleur is able to get Mariota and the Titans up to speed as quickly as he and Sean McVay were able to get Jared Goff and the Rams ready last year. Last year LA opened up the season scoring 46, 20, 41, and 35 points in their first 4 games. I wouldn’t set the expectation level quite that high for the Titans — after all, the Titans open with three of the best defenses in the NFL in the first four weeks in Houston, Jacksonville, and Philadelphia — but you should hope to see the offense start closing the gap on the defense by the end of the preseason. Now is not the time to panic on the offense.4. Rookie first impressionsIt’s very hard to tell much about the play of the rookies so far because of the NFL’s rules about what reporters are allowed to say about practice. For example, they aren’t supposed to say things like “Player X is working with the 1’s” unless the coach acknowledges it during a press conference first. However, there have been a few comments about Rashaan Evans and Harold Landry that have stood out to me. Vrabel said Evans “is not where he needs to be to start for our defense, and that’s OK”. And that is OK, he’s only got about 20 practices under his belt in a brand new system with brand new teammates. That also shouldn’t be read as Evans being off to a bad start. Vrabel has praised how conscientious his rookie linebacker is and his presence in the defensive huddle. Landry has been drawing attention on the practice field already. Kuharsky commented that he’s “been impressed with how much Landry is out there” in a recent periscope. The Titans second round pick has certainly seemed to adopt the right attitude as a newcomer to the veteran-led outside linebacker group as shown in this great profile from Jim Wyatt.It seems extremely likely to me that Landry will have a significant role as a rookie in this Titans defense. Again, we will know far more once camp gets here and information about where players are in the pecking order starts getting reported. 5. Marcus Mariota’s wider baseOne of the big talking points surrounding the Titans most important player has been his focus on widening his base both in the pocket and when delivering his passes. Quarterback coach Pat O’Hara discusses the importance of a strong base in the video below. A wider base should help Mariota get more zip on the ball as well as reducing the number of high misses. You can see the difference already. Here is a shot of him with his narrower base from 2017.Now take a look at the shot below and you can see quite a difference in how wide Mariota’s feet are set both in his drop and when he delivers the ball. Obviously, one example is from game action with 300 pound men chasing him and one is from a controlled practice setting with no rush, but the Titans are trying to get this worked in to his muscle memory so that it will be second nature by the time the season starts. Matt LaFleur, like many west coast offense practitioners, is a footwork fanatic and is largely credited with adjusting Jared Goff’s lower half mechanics last offseason. This is the kind of thing that Mariota didn’t have the chance to work on while recovering from his leg injury last offseason, but can make a big difference in a quarterback’s performance over the course of a season.

SANTA CLARA Alfred Morris Jersey White , Calif. (AP) — Opportunity is slipping through San Francisco’s young defensive backs’ hands.Through 12 games, the 49ers have just two interceptions — the fewest in the NFL — and it isn’t always for lack of being in position to make big plays. Their pass defenders simply can’t secure the football when it does come their way.“Every game it seems like the ball’s on the ground or we’re missing an opportunity,” 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “They are going to come in bunches, but it’s baffling to me that we haven’t been able to get (more interceptions).”Losing the turnover battle goes a long way toward explaining the 49ers’ 2-10 record as they prepare to host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.San Francisco’s minus-20 turnover margin is the worst in the league. The 49ers have turned the ball over 25 times but generated just five takeaways themselves.Part of that, at least in terms of pass defense, can fairly be attributed to the youth and inexperience in the secondary.Former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman lends veteran wisdom in his first year with the team. But second-year cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon has been picked on by opposing quarterbacks on numerous occasions this season.Witherspoon also failed to haul in a potential interception on a slant pass that he defended well last week against Seattle.Due to injuries, the 49ers are expected to start a pair of rookies at the safety positions Sunday in D.J. Reed and Marcell Harris, who have a combined 15 games and two starts of NFL experience between them.Reed, at free safety, is replacing the injured Adrian Colbert, who is only in his second season himself.Sherman said young defensive backs often get themselves in position to make plays but lose concentration on the most important part – wrapping up the football for an interception.“The old saying was the reason they play ‘DB’ is because they can’t catch, but I don’t think that’s as true anymore,” Sherman said. “Some of it is just guys panicking. Guys getting big eyes and seeing the end zone and seeing space in front of them and not going through the last second of looking the ball in.”But Sherman, a four-time Pro Bowl player in his eighth season, hasn’t helped in this department either. He entered the season with 32 career interceptions, most among all active players since 2011, but has yet to record one in 2018.In Sherman’s defense http://www.49erslockerroom.com/authentic-k_waun-williams-jersey , he isn’t getting that many opportunities since opponents are choosing to target Witherspoon in coverage more.Never has Sherman recorded fewer than two interceptions in a season.Is he aware of that stat?“Yeah, (but) the ball will get where it gets,” he replied.Denver quarterback Case Keenum threw 10 interceptions through the Broncos’ first eight games, but he hasn’t been picked off a single time over the past four.NOTES: Receiver Marquise Goodwin practiced for the second day in a row and looks poised to return to the lineup after missing the past two games while being away from the team for personal reasons. With fellow starting receiver Pierre Garcon (knee) not having practiced Thursday, there seems a decent chance that rookie Dante Pettis draws the start opposite Goodwin against Denver. Pettis is coming off a breakout game against Seattle (5 catches, 129 yards, 2 TD’s). … Safety Antone Exum (knee), cornerback K’Waun Williams (knee) and linebacker Malcolm Smith (Achilles) were limited in Thursday’s workout.Three keys for a 49ers’ victory against the Cardinals Amidst a five-game stretch where the 49ers play the Chiefs, Chargers, Packers and Rams, the most winnable game is this Sunday against the Cardinals. Arizona comes into San Francisco winless on the season, with rookie quarterback Josh Rosen making his second start. On the other sideline, quarterback C.J. Beathard suits up as the starter for the second straight week after Jimmy Garoppolo went down for the season. Both teams are trying to find their footing after rough patches to start the season. Kyle Shanahan possesses the better roster and more experienced quarterback, so it’s time for the 49ers to go out and be the better team on Sunday. If they’re going to be successful on Sunday, here’s where San Francisco should start.1. RB Matt Breida must have a season-high in rushing attemptsWhile 49ers’ running back Matt Breida is third in rushing yards in the NFL, he’s only attempted 11, 11 K'Waun Williams Jersey White , 10, nine rushes in the 49ers’ four games. What’s awaiting Breida and the 49ers’ rushing attack on Sunday? Oh, only the third-worst rushing defense in the NFL in the Cardinals. Arizona has given up 565 yards on the ground, just slightly ahead New England and Detroit.Week 1 vs. Washington, running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 96 yards and one touchdown against Arizona. Last week, Seahawks’ running back Mike Davis rushed for 101 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, helping pave the way for a victory. So the 49ers aren’t going up against the ‘85 Bears on Sunday. Other than Rams’ Todd Gurley II, Matt Breida’s likely the most talented running back that the Cardinals’ defense will be facing up till now. The second-year running back is averaging 7.6 yards per attempt on the ground, leading the NFL in that category. If San Francisco can feed Breida the ball at least 15 times, then they’ll be able to move the ball, while keeping Rosen and the Cardinals’ offense — and the 49ers’ shaky defense — off the field. If Breida finishes the game with at least 100 rushing yards and 15 attempts, the chances of a 49ers’ victory is pretty high.2. Cardinals’ WR Larry Fitzgerald needs to have a quiet afternoonDespite various ailments, it looks like veteran wideout Larry Fitzgerald is going to suit up on Sunday, much to the disappointment of 49ers’ defenders. The Cardinals’ No. 1 receiver has absolutely torched San Francisco in years past.Last season, Fitzgerald had 12 catches for 132 yards in one game, while he hauled in six catches, 81 yards and a touchdown in the other matchup. Two seasons ago Dwight Clark Jersey , the Cardinals’ receiver had 19 catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Historically, Fitzgerald has been a thorn in the 49ers’ side and he has a chance to be a problem again. Rosen is known to be an accurate passer and nothing helps a young quarterback like a large target. San Francisco is likely going to be without corner Richard Sherman, leaving either Ahkello Witherspoon, Jimmie Ward or Greg Mabin on duty. The trio of corners will need to slow down Fitzgerald, otherwise it could be a long afternoon for the 49ers’ defense.3. 49ers need to get off the field on third downsWell, duh Akash. Obviously, the 49ers’ defense needs to get stops on third downs and force the Cardinals’ offense off the field, this is mostly common sense. Let’s add some numbers to it, to spice it up.Till this point in the season, Arizona’s offense has been the fourth-worst at converting third downs, only moving the chains 29 percent in a third-down situation. That’s only ahead of Dallas, Seattle and Buffalo.On the flip side, the 49ers have been middle of the pack defending on third down. Their opponents are nearly converting 43 percent of the time — a number that’s not good enough on Sunday. They’re playing an offense that’s struggling on third down and they’re going to need to get off the field when they can. San Francisco should — key word should — come away with the win on Sunday. They are the more talented team, playing at home and if they are to prove that this rebuild is on the right track, it starts Sunday.

With the New York Rangers playing their best hockey in months as they went into their extended break Tim Heed Jersey , veteran goalie Henrik Lundqvist hopes his young teammates don’t focus too far ahead when they return.The Rangers have won four of five to pull within nine points of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. After beating Boston last Saturday, they are on their bye week heading into this weekend’s All-Star break and don’t play again until hosting Philadelphia next Tuesday night.“We can’t look at the big picture, ‘Can we get in, are we still in the race?,'” he said. “We just got to take it week by week and continue to improve.”New York, expected to miss the playoffs for the second straight year after making seven consecutive appearances that included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, went into the nine-day layoff 6-6-1 while playing 13 games in 24 days. The stretch was capped by the Rangers’ first three-game winning streak since Nov. 19-21.“Awesome feeling going into the break with a win,” said Mika Zibanejad, who has totaled five goals and four assists in the last five games. “It’s been a hectic schedule here with a lot of hockey, so try to get away from it a little bit. We’ve got a few days before the game to come back … it’s easier to come back with a win before the break than if we had lost.”In rebuilding mode this season, the Rangers have struggled for consistency. They won nine of 11 to move to 12-8-2 heading into Thanksgiving, but then followed that with just five wins in 21 games (5-11-5) before the recent five-game stretch.Lundqvist, who has earned each of the victories during the Rangers’ current streak, didn’t mind the timing of the break.“I’ve been waiting for this week,” the veteran goalie said. “It’s been a grind. It’s been for different reasons up and down and I think it’s good to get a break. And also reflect on why did we have a really good week. I hope we all do that and understand how focused, and (how we) paid attention to all the details in our game. … That’s what wins you games in this league and its very important that we understand that.”First-year coach David Quinn was pleased with how his players maintained their focus with the long time off approaching.“I’m really proud of the way we’ve played, understanding you see a nine-day break you could get distracted,” he said. “Your mind could be in different places but we did a heck of a job … of really being dialed in and wanting to finish on a high note. Hopefully they keep in mind what we did the last three games to put us in this position.”Zibanejad, who leads the team with 44 points, isn’t the only one who has played well lately, as he and linemates Mats Zuccarello (three goals, five assists) and Chris Kreider (two goals Alex Pietrangelo Jersey Kids , three assists) have combined for 10 goals and 12 assists the last five games.Quinn wasn’t concerned with the layoff breaking his team’s rhythm, noting that every team has an extended break around the All-Star Game in San Jose this Saturday with a bye week either heading into the weekend or immediately following.There have been some bright spots during the first 48 games. Kreider has upped his total to a team-high 22 goals, and Zibanejad is tops with 27 assists. Several youngsters have also come through as Jimmy Vesey (16 goals, 11 assists) is one away from his career high in goals and points, and two in assists. Defenseman Neal Pionk has 20 points, 19-year-old forward Filip Chytil has nine goals and nine assists in his first full season, and 20-year-old Brett Howden has 15 points.Lundqvist, who has moved past Terry Sawchuk for sixth place on the NHL career wins list with 446, eight behind Curtis Joseph for fifth place, won’t be off the entire time like his teammates, as he will be making his fourth All-Star appearance.“You go there to enjoy it, meet all the guys,” he said. “You just try to have a blast. I’m going to bring my family and have a good time.” ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The patience Minnesota Wild general manager Paul Fenton exercised last summer during his first offseason in charge has yielded to a more aggressive approach.Fenton’s conclusion about the roster he inherited has become clear: The Wild needed to change their core of forwards before making some long-awaited advances down the Stanley Cup championship contending track.Over the last six weeks, Fenton has dealt Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund leading up to the NHL trade deadline that passed Monday and served notice that the reshaping process will likely resume once the season is over.Reaching the playoffs six straight times to match Anaheim for the longest active streak in the Western Conference has only produced two series wins, and Coyle and Granlund were on all six of those teams. Niederreiter was on all but one.“That’s what I was brought here for, to make some changes,” Fenton said, later adding: “It has nothing to do with cap space or anything. It has to do with the talent level and where we are.”Niederreiter, Coyle and Granlund, all of whom were drafted in the first round in 2010 http://www.officialpenguinsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-derick-brassard-jersey , were each shipped off at age 26, just entering their prime years, but they each fetched a forward in his early 20s. By average age at the start of the season, no team in the league was older than the Wild.“We were trying to get younger, faster and more skilled,” Fenton said, “and the last couple of acquisitions have done that.”Here’s the twist: The Wild are still in control of a postseason spot. They’re tied with Colorado for eighth place with 19 games remaining for each team, taking a three-game winning streak to Winnipeg for a matchup Tuesday with the Central Division leader.“I think that this team has the potential to make the playoffs,” Fenton said, “and if you make the playoffs, you never know.”Niederreiter was sent to Carolina on Jan. 17 for Victor Rask (age 25), who had only one goal and one assist in 10 games after the trade until suffering a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the last six games. Niederreiter, meanwhile, has nine goals and six assists in 16 games for the Hurricanes.But on Wednesday, Coyle was swapped for Boston’s Ryan Donato (age 22), who has one goal and three assists in three games. Fenton said he noticed a “different energy” since that deal. Granlund went to Nashville for Kevin Fiala (age 22). The trades, plus the season-ending knee injury to captain Mikko Koivu , have elevated the roles of youngsters Joel Eriksson Ek, Jordan Greenway and Luke Kunin.Predators coach Peter Laviolette moved Fiala, who has 32 points in 64 games, up one line the past two games to play with Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen. Fiala had two overtime goals in the playoffs before turning 21 and scored five times in his first 18 playoff games, but he broke his leg in a second-round game against St. Louis in 2017 when Nashville reached the Stanley Cup finals. Fiala followed up with a career-best season in 2017-18 with 23 goals Youth Evgeni Malkin Jersey , 48 points, 13 power-play points and 80 games, but the 11th overall pick in the 2014 draft is a dismal minus-11 this season with only 10 goals.Fenton drafted him as the assistant general manager for the Predators, however, and remained sold on his potential to provide the unique skill and speed on the rush that the Wild have been lacking.“He’s got an electric stick. His vision is unique,” Fenton told reporters Monday at team headquarters. “He’s got this ability to find people in really close quarters.”Fenton, who also reached a deal with center Eric Staal on a two-year extension after deciding not to trade him and his expiring contract, apologized for the timing of the Granlund deal. His fiancée went into labor Monday, expecting their first child. Granlund also had his 27th birthday Tuesday.“We wish them nothing but the best, especially, hopefully, with a happy, healthy baby,” Fenton said.Granlund, who was second on the Wild with 49 points, but like Niederreiter and Coyle never quite fulfilled the potential he came with, spoke optimistically after the Wild’s overtime win over St. Louis on Sunday about keeping the team intact.“It’s a whole new feeling in the locker room. It’s much more fun,” he said. “We’ll just try to keep it up.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three’s a relief for the St. Louis Blues.Thanks to three goals in under five minutes http://www.officialhockeyjetsshop.com/authentic-adidas-bryan-little-jersey , St. Louis beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals 4-1 Monday night to put together its first three-game winning streak of the season.The Blues were the only team in the NHL not to win three in a row, and after a rough start are now just three points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.“It took a while,” said winger David Perron, who has five goals and nine assists during his career-best 11-game point streak. “It’s a lot of steps in the right direction, and I think we can start feeling that our games are getting important.”This game featured goals by Ivan Barbashev, Vince Dunn and Perron in a span of 4:42 to bounce back from Alex Ovechkin’s league-leading 33rd goal of the season. Dunn banked the puck in on a double deflection for his first goal since October and assisted on Perron’s goal with a back-handed pass from along the boards.Just as Dunn dealt with some frustrating times during his 33-game goal drought, St. Louis is finally feeling good and getting rewarded. With the victory, the Blues climbed above .500 at 13-11-1 since interim coach Craig Berube took over for Mike Yeo.“We’re really building confidence,” Dunn said. “I think we’re now kind of all buying in together, we’re playing as a team and everyone’s really doing their part.”And the Blues are getting good goaltending. Following the lead of rookie Jordan Binnington, who went 3-0-0 last week, Jake Allen made 28 saves to pick up his first victory since Jan. 3 — which also came against the Capitals.Vladimir Tarasenko scored on the power play in the third period and has eight goals in his past eight games. St. Louis has won six of its past seven on the road, and Allen is among the league’s best goalies away from home.“Ask my magic genie,” Allen said. “I guess it’s fun shutting teams down in their own building. I’ll take it.”Ovechkin took over sole possession of sixth in NHL history with his 238th career power-play goal and tied Dave Andreychuk at 14th on the all-time list with the 640th goal of his career. But that was little consolation for the Capitals after a flat performance in their second consecutive loss.“We didn’t play the right way, we didn’t play well and you can see the result,” Ovechkin said. “It was bad play Womens Connor Hellebuyck Jersey , bad game.”Capitals backup Pheonix Copley allowed four goals on 37 shots in his first game against his former team. Copley got the start over All-Star Braden Holtby, who injured his left eye Saturday when he took a stick to the face through his mask.This game wasn’t as much on Copley as an example of the Blues showing they might be the playoff contender they were supposed to be before the season.“That’s our goal,” center Ryan O’Reilly said. “We’re fighting to get in. We have an opportunity here and that’s what we want.”NOTES: With two assists, O’Reilly now has seven in his past seven games. … Capitals D Brooks Orpik played in his 1,000th regular-season game. Orpik is the first player in NHL history to reach 1,000 with fewer than 20 career goals. … Copley was originally signed by Washington, traded to St. Louis in 2015 and traded back in 2017. … Capitals 2013 draft pick Zach Sanford, who went to the Blues in the 2017 trade between the teams, played his first game against Washington.UP NEXTBlues: Binnington is expected to start in goal when they visit the New York Islanders on Tuesday.Capitals: Look to end their two-game skid when they travel to Nashville to face the Predators on Tuesday. DETROIT (AP) Evander Kane showed his skill, scoring a wraparound goal under the watchful eye of many NHL teams evaluating him in person.Kane had a go-ahead goal late in the second period and Marco Scandella scored with a second left in overtime, lifting the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.About a dozen scouts were at the game checking out Kane as a player to possibly acquire and they had a great view of his 20th goal, which was scored directly in front of them in the press box. Kane told reporters earlier this week he expects to be traded before Monday’s deadline.He was glad the Sabres didn’t scratch him to protect against injury.”I understand the business so I can see why some teams choose to do that, but that’s not what I want,” Kane said. ”I want to be on the ice with my team, no matter what is going to happen. I don’t want to watch.”Some teams already out of the playoff race, including Buffalo and Detroit Dmitry Kulikov Jersey , are trying to trade players with expiring contracts for draft picks to potentially bolster the future of their franchises.Kane is definitely a candidate to get dealt and perhaps one of the best players available.The 26-year-old forward is expendable at least in part because he’s in the last season of his deal with a rebuilding team led by first-year general manager Jason Botterill. The Sabres have not appeared to express an interest in re-signing Kane, who could command a lot of money as a free agent in July.Kane, drafted No. 4 overall by Atlanta in 2009, was acquired by Buffalo from Winnipeg in 2015 a few weeks before the trade deadline in a deal that sent a first-round pick that year to the Jets. He has 20 goals this season, ranking second on the team, and 177 in his career.”Talented player,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. ”Real fast.”Blashill was quick to bash the league’s goaltender interference rule, which he said wasn’t properly applied during a challenge of Kane’s goal.”We have a rule as grey as grey can be,” he said.The Red Wings scratched veteran defenseman Mike Green for a fourth straight game with an upper-body injury, but he might play Saturday at home against Carolina.”If he’s healthy to play, he’ll play,” Blashill said. ”There’s risk in playing and there’s risk in not playing. There might be teams that want to see him.”Rasmus Ristolainen scored early in the game to put the Sabres ahead and Robin Lehner finished with 35 saves, including some key ones in the extra period.”I know the fans love overtime, but that’s a lot of stress for the coaches,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said. ”I think we were probably taking too much risk in overtime, but Robin bailed us out with a couple huge saves.”Jimmy Howard stopped 27 shots for the Red Wings.Detroit’s Jonathan Ericsson tied the game at 1 early in the second period. Justin Abdelkader pulled the Red Wings into a 2-all tie with 1:25 remaining in the third. They had a chance to win early in overtime Youth Dustin Byfuglien Jersey , but Tomas Tatar failed to get a shot off on a breakaway.”We’ve got to make sure we’ve got to keep our fight,” Blashill said. ”When that (Kane) goal went it, it took our fight away and we can’t let that happen.”NOTES: Nashville, New Jersey, Chicago, San Jose, Colorado, Philadelphia, Winnipeg, Tampa Bay, the New York Islanders, Washington and Los Angeles had scouts assigned to seats in the press box. … The Sabres acquired forward Scott Wilson from Detroit in December for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft. After 10 pointless games with the Red Wings, he began the game with five goals and five assists in 27 games with Buffalo.UP NEXTSabres: Play at Washington on Saturday night.Red Wings: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.—

on Sunday with a 27-20 road loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Tampa Bay outplayed its opponent for most of the day Peyton Barber Jersey , but penalties and turnovers prevented Dirk Koetter and his team from playing spoiler. With just one week left in the 2018 season, the Bucs are seemingly headed for another last-place finish in the NFC South. There have been plenty of negatives to go through all year, but this Buccaneers of the Week series aims to highlight the more notable performers in each game. Let’s get going with our top guys from week 16.5. Jameis Winston (One point)Deciding whether or not to place Jameis Winston on this week’s list took some significant time. Overall, his performance and the lack of any other standouts in the game led to his inclusion. The numbers for the 24-year-old quarterback look pretty good for the most part. He completed 34 of his 48 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown. That was the good. Putting up those numbers against a defense like the one Dallas has isn’t very easy. Plus, Winston did all of that while missing some open throws. His offensive line was virtually no help throughout the day, so the fact that he played the way he did against that defense was encouraging.There were some positives, but Winston also was charged with two costly turnovers that led to 14 points for the Cowboys. The first was a fumble that came outside the pocket, with Winston looking to scramble before being blindsided and stripped of the ball. That fumble was returned 69 yards for a touchdown. He later was charged with another fumble on a bad exchange with Bobo Wilson. It can be debated whether or not that fumble was on him, but it set Dallas up for another score regardless. It’s hard to say Winston was one of the top players in this game when two of his plays, plus his mismanagement of the clock, negatively impacted the final score for Tampa Bay. But the fact of the matter is, the rest of the team failed to do anything too noteworthy to replace him at the No. 5 spot. His effort may not wholly deserve it, but Winston is awarded with one point this week. 4. Carlton Davis (Two points)This is just the second appearance on this list for Carlton Davis. It comes after the rookie cornerback quietly had a very good game against one of the hotter receivers in the NFL right now. Davis’ numbers weren’t too flashy, as he recorded just two tackles (one solo), with one going for a loss. But what he did in coverage was impressive. Tasked with defending Amari Cooper for much of the day, the former Auburn Tiger more than held his own. Cooper finished the day with four catches for 20 yards on just five targets. Davis also forced a fumble, though Tampa Bay failed to recover it.Sunday really wasn’t a bad day for the Tampa Bay defense. It allowed 20 points, though seven came on a drive that started inside the 10-yard line. Three more came on a 59-yard field goal that capped a five-yard drive. The Bucs were constantly putting their defense in tough positions throughout the day, but the unit responded pretty well. Davis’ play in the passing game was part of a wider effort that saw Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott throw for just 161 yards. Davis did his part in keeping Cooper in check, which is good enough for two points in this week’s standings.3. Vita Vea (Three points)There aren’t too many guys on this Bucs roster that have displayed such visible improvement this season like Vita Vea has. The 2018 first-rounder missed significant time in August and September, leaving him behind in his first NFL season. However, he has slowly but surely developed into a pretty good player in a short amount of time. In recent weeks, he has been putting his power and raw talent on full display. In Sunday’s loss to Dallas, Vea finished with three tackles (two solo) and a sack. He would have had two sacks on the day if not for what looked to be an inadvertent facemask. Of course, whether it was inadvertent or not doesn’t change the fact that it should be called Ryan Smith Jersey , but it seemed like a sure sack before his arm reached up and landed on Dak Prescott’s facemask. With the benefit of more snaps each week, Vea is figuring out how to play in this league. His power is more than apparent, as you can see him getting significant push on a lot of plays. Some of those pressures that he comes up with won’t show up on a stat sheet, but they will impact a game. His first sack was important in that it ended any hopes of a last-second field goal to close the half for the Cowboys, but one other specific pressure ended a Dallas drive early in the third quarter. Vea pushed his man into Prescott, causing an errant throw on third down. That kind of stuff can easily be forgotten. The Washington product is playing well right now, earning three points in these standings for a second straight week.2. Mike Evans (Four points)There was definitely a back-and-forth between the top two spots on this week’s list, so any disagreements with Mike Evans being No. 2 are expected. The star receiver caught six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown in the loss, finishing the day five yards shy of breaking Tampa Bay’s record for receiving yards in a single season. Add to that the fact that he was reportedly sick throughout the game and you have a gutsy, inspiring performance. Consistency has been a staple of Evans’ career to this point, and his importance to the team can’t be overstated. He often makes the offense go, even when other receivers are off. His day against the Cowboys was quietly very good, making up for the lack of production from DeSean Jackson, Chris Godwin and Cameron Brate.Evans could have been No. 1 on this list. However, he narrowly missed that top spot for a couple of reasons. He did have six catches, though they were on 10 targets. That’s not necessarily a terrible mark, but when it’s compared to the guy that tops this week’s standings, it doesn’t look so hot. Additionally, 38 of his 90 yards came on one play early in the game. That’s not a bad thing by any means, but in terms of overall impact over the course of the game, he comes in a close second. Despite missing out on the full five points, Evans passes Jason Pierre-Paul for the top spot in the overall standings with just one game to play.1. Adam Humphries (Five points)The top spot of this week goes to Adam Humphries, who continued to give the Bucs more reasons to bring him back after this season. He caught 10 of his 12 targets on the afternoon, going for 79 yards. He was the team’s second-leading receiver behind Mike Evans, but his overall involvement in the offense throughout all four quarters was what gave him the top spot. There were plenty of times throughout the day when Tampa Bay’s offense struggled Chris Conte Jersey , but Humphries often broke through and got things going again. He seemed to come up with about 100 first downs, helping the Bucs move the ball pretty well on a good Dallas defense.There are plenty of reasons to like Humphries, but his toughness is almost unmatched. For the second or third time in recent weeks, he managed to hold onto a ball after taking a vicious hit across the middle of the field. He has had a largely underrated 2018 season, as he is now up to 750 yards and five touchdowns on 71 catches. The Bucs face a decision regarding his future beyond this season, but it shouldn’t be a tough one. He should absolutely be in a Tampa Bay uniform when the 2019 season comes around, regardless of who the quarterback is. For his performance against the Cowboys, he takes the full five points in these standings and moves into the top five for the overall season standings.Updated Buccaneers of the Week Standings through week 16:Mike Evans— 30 pointsJason Pierre-Paul— 27 points(TIE) Lavonte David/Peyton Barber— 20 points(TIE) Ryan Fitzpatrick/Carl Nassib/Jameis Winston— 17 points(TIE) Adam Humphries/DeSean Jackson— 11 pointsVita Vea— 9 pointsO.J. Howard— 8 pointsChris Godwin— 7 points(TIE) Kwon Alexander/Chandler Catanzaro— 6 points(TIE) Andrew Adams/Cameron Brate— 5 pointsCarlton Davis— 3 points(TIE) Offensive Line/Jacquizz Rodgers— 2 points(TIE) Vernon Hargreaves/Bryan Anger— 1 point Stacking in daily fantasy football is important because when a quarterback has a huge performance there will naturally be pass catchers who also benefit.When a QB throws for 300-plus yards and multiple touchdowns, a receiver by default will rack up yardage and scores. Pairing a QB and pass catcher together increases the potential upside for a lineup because fantasy owners get double the points each time they hook up.The high total in the Texans-Patriots game in Week 1 is likely to garner a lot of interest from daily players, leaving others stacks with lower potential ownership. One such stack is the Drew Brees-Michael Thomas connection in New Orleans as the Saints host the Buccaneers. The Saints are 9 1/2-point favorites over Tampa Bay and missing one of their top running backs. And the Saints offense projects to be one of the most concentrated in the league.Thomas is projected to have 28.3 percent target market share, the fourth highest in the league according to DailyRoto projections, following a 28.1 percent target market share in 2017. Target market share is a pass-catcher's share of all of a quarterback's targets 鈥?and it's no secret where Brees will likely throw.Last year, the Buccaneers ranked 31st in passing defense, according to Football Outsiders' defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) statistic. Vernon Hargreaves, one of their starting corners, allowed a whopping 1.61 yards per coverage snap. It's a beatable matchup that Las Vegas sports books have factored into their wagers offered.In the unlikely event Thomas is slowed down, it would be either due to the Bucs defense shutting him down or a dominant performance from running back Alvin Kamara 鈥?the other guy to consider stacking with Brees.Just a season ago, Kamara caught more passes than any running back besides Le'Veon Bell and scored more receiving TDs than any RB not named Todd Gurley. Bucs linebacker Lavonte David graded as one of the top linebackers in coverage and the team still ranked 25th in DVOA versus RBs in coverage and allowed nearly 50 receiving yards per game (48.0) to the position.If the Saints are up late, running out the clock with Kamara would almost surely be the game plan.Kamara attempted 56 rushes in the first half of games last year and 64 total in the second half of games. DailyRoto's model projects him for 49.5-percent of the rushing market share, 50-percent of the rushing TD market share and over 5.0 yards per carry (YPC) which even factors in some expected regression following his 6.1 YPC last year 鈥?which tied with Barry Sanders for the third highest by a running back since the 1973 season.Mark Ingram's four-game suspension opens up the potential for Kamara to touch the ball at least 20 times, something he didn't do at all last year.This column was provided to The Associated Press by DailyRoto, ://dailyroto

Richard Sherman made headlines in the lead up to the first matchup between the Hawks and his new team Rasheem Green Jersey , the San Francisco 49ers, when he referred to Seattle as a middle of the road team. Frank Clark had a beautiful response to the middle of the road remark, but Sherman’s comment brings attention to the fact that the Seahawks 2018 has been both top heavy and bottom heavy, without a lot in between. If the NFL draft were to scheduled based on the records as they stand through the first 14 weeks of the season, the Seahawks schedule would include:five games against the teams drafting 1-2-3 (San Francisco 49ers twice, Arizona Cardinals twice and the Oakland Raiders), five games against the teams drafting 28-31 (Los Angeles Rams twice, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears) andjust six games against teams drafting 4-27 (Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings). I’m more than well aware that the postseason will establish the draft order for the teams that make the playoffs, and I know that the Chargers and Chiefs played their Week 15 game Thursday, but the postseason isn’t here and the KC-LA game didn’t change the top five teams in the league. Point is, fans expected the Seahawks to be somewhere in the middle of the pack, but we have relatively little information about exactly where they stand in the middle of that pack. It certainly helps that they’ve beaten five of the six teams that fall into that middle range Womens Steve Largent Jersey , so they would seem to be a team that should be somewhere towards the top end of that middle of the pack. However, with the Vikings threatening to drop out of the playoff picture with three teams just a half a game behind them, it is possible that the Seahawks could end the season with a record of 1-5 against playoff teams and 9-1 against non-playoff teams. For that to happen the Vikings would have to to be pass by either the Philadelphia Eagles or Washington Redskins taking over the final NFC Playoff spot. Further, the Hawks would have to drop the Week 16 game against the Chiefs, a game that all of a sudden has a whole lot of meaning for K.C. and the Patrick Mahomes Band. I’m not saying that is what will happen, just that it’s a very real and very interesting possibility.And an interesting possibility that I’d love to see that happen because I know that the talking heads in the media would jump all over those records and flaunt them all week int the build up to the game. Because once the talking heads figured those numbers out, they’d complain endlessly about how the Seahawks only made the playoffs because of a weak schedule.That is something I absolutely want to have happen, because we all know what happens when the national media starts complaining about how the Hawks don’t deserve the playoff spot they’re occupying. RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Jordan Simmons was basically an unknown when the Seattle Seahawks claimed him off waivers from the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 2.He’d barely played in college at USC due to injuries. His NFL tape was limited. But Seattle offensive line coach Mike Solari saw tools he could work with. Solari saw strength and footwork that created a good foundation, and knew the rest could be taught and developed.Solari has done a lot of teaching this year and it’s paying off. After several seasons of Seattle’s offensive line being a major problem, it’s become a solid position group that is clearly not the weakness it’s been in the past. And the line’s overall performance is part of the reason Seattle’s on the cusp of a postseason berth heading into Sunday’s game at San Francisco.“It’s the whole unit working together as one,” Solari said. “They’re just getting better. It’s exciting how they are coming along and come together functioning as one.”At times in previous seasons, Seattle couldn’t run the ball effectively. Other times, the Seahawks couldn’t adequately protect Russell Wilson. Too often it was a case of both happening in the same game.That has changed. Seattle is the No. 1 running team in the NFL. The Seahawks have the most carries and are the only team to reach the 2,000-yard mark — exactly — after 13 games. They’ve also done an adequate job of protecting Wilson outside of the first two weeks, when he was sacked six times each by Denver and Chicago. Since the start of Week 3, Seattle has allowed just 27 sacks Chris Carson Jersey , tied for 13th best in the NFL. And while that’s not an astounding number, consider that during the same stretch Wilson has the second-highest passer rating of any quarterback in the league.“They all can play and carry their own,” coach Pete Carroll said. “They’re smart, they know what’s going on and it’s a credit to the job that Mike (Solari) has done with these guys but it’s a very positive outlook for this group for the coming years, too.”Simmons is a small part of Seattle’s success, but he speaks to the improvement of the entire unit. The two times Simmons has been thrust into starting this season — Week 10 against the Los Angeles Rams and last week against Minnesota — there was no fall off in the performance of the offensive line. It may just be coincidence but those two games Simmons has played were the two best running games by the Seahawks all season.The improvement in the run game has really highlighted how much better Seattle has been along the offensive line. The additions of D.J. Fluker and J.R. Sweezy at the guard positions and a much better season by right tackle Germain Ifedi has led to the massive jump.A year ago, Seattle ranked 23rd in the league, averaging 101.8 yards per game. A huge chunk of those yards came from Wilson’s legs. This season, Seattle is averaging 153.8 yards per game. And in the two games Fluker missed due to injury and Simmons started, Seattle ran for 273 yards against the Rams and 214 against the Vikings.“I think it’s good I can come up and not miss a heartbeat from what we’ve been doing,” Simmons said. “But that goes to the four other guys on the line, not just me. I think with all of us being able to do the run game and get numbers like that is pretty big.”Solari has gotten the bulk of the credit for improving a unit that had stagnated under previous offensive line coach Tom Cable.But there’s been a stronger commitment to staying with the run by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, better options at running back with Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and Mike Davis, and some creative ideas about how to make a run-first offense function. A perfect example has been the use of tackle George Fant reporting eligible as a tight end for several games and getting another big body on the line — and last week catching his first pass.“It’s a group that’s worked so hard on and off the field. They do a great job in the classroom. They do a great job in being accountable to each other and they take pride in their work,” Solari said. “It doesn’t matter who is in there. They’re working as one and it’s a credit to them.”

RALEIGH http://www.officialcoyotes.com/authentic-adidas-oliver-ekman-larsson-jersey , N.C. (AP) — closed out their February schedule by bolstering their playoff chances.Dougie Hamilton had two goals and an assist and Teuvo Teravainen added a goal and three assists as the surging Hurricanes beat the Los Angeles Kings 6-1 Tuesday night.The sinking Kings have lost nine straight (0-6-3) and are in last place in the Western Conference. The Kings haven’t won since Feb. 7, and are in the midst of their worst losing streak since dropping a franchise-record 11 straight in 2004.Dustin Brown scored Los Angeles’ lone goal.Carolina finished the month with a 10-3 record and solidified its wild-card position in the Eastern Conference race with its sixth win in seven games. Jordan Staal had three assists and Micheal Ferland added a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes.“If we play like that, we’re going to have a really good chance to be in the playoffs,” said goalie Petr Mrazek, who made 22 saves. “We have 19 games left and we have to do the same job we did in February.”The Hurricanes haven’t made the playoffs since 2009. They’re trying to end that streak in coach Rod Brind’Amour’s first season.Brind’Amour, who led the franchise to a Stanley Cup title as a player in 2006, wasn’t quite in the mood to celebrate Tuesday’s win. Not with defenseman Justin Faulk and Ferland leaving the game early with undisclosed injuries and then a third player, defenseman Calvin de Haan, suffering an apparent injury in a postgame workout in the locker room.“There’s a bunch of things going on,” Brind’Amour said. “We’ll know more (Wednesday). We know we need everybody here to be successful. Everybody is so important to our group.”The Hurricanes have gotten a boost from the return of Staal, who had missed 32 games since mid-December with a concussion. Staal’s three assists gave him four points in the two games since he has been back in the lineup.Hamilton got the scoring outburst going for the Hurricanes at 5:56 in the first period. He added his second at 5:19 of the second.Sebastian Aho scored his team-leading 25th goal at 11:15 of the first period after a steal by Teravainen.Ferland tipped in a shot by Staal 25 seconds into the second period, extending Carolina’s lead to 3-0.Jaccob Slavin beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (14 saves) on the power play at 2:19 of the second to make it 4-0.Teravainen’s one-timer, from an odd-angle in the right circle, made it 5-0. Hamilton then added his second goal, off of a screen by Ferland, before the end of the second period.Ferland collided with Quick and appeared to be injured on the play. He did not play in the third period. Faulk also got hurt in separate incident during the second period.“This is a tough night for (injuries),” Brind’Amour said. “We have to assess the damage here.”NOTES: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended Tuesday’s game with Carolina owner Tom Dundon. They toured N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium earlier in the day. Dundon is hoping to host a “Stadium Series” outdoor game in Raleigh for the 2020-21 season. … On the plus side for the struggling Kings Richard Panik Jersey , goalie Jack Campbell stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third period after he replaced Quick. … Aho’s goal gives him a team-best 70 points on the season. He is the second player in Carolina history to register 70 points before turning 22. Former captain Eric Staal, in 2005-06, was the other.UP NEXTKings: Host Dallas on Thursday.Hurricanes: Host St. Louis on Friday. Twenty-three years after Fox’s glowing puck made its debut, the NHL’s next big technological advancement will be on display this weekend during All-Star festivities.NBC will showcase puck and player tracking as part of its broadcast of the skills competition Friday night and then as the centerpiece of a digital-only broadcast of the All-Star 3-on-3 tournament Saturday night. It’ll be the first chance for American hockey fans to get an up-close look at the system that could be in place as soon as next season.With each player and puck fitted with a microchip, the amount of available information could be overwhelming. Look for everything from bubbles over players’ heads to skating and shot speed to ice time and even a small trail behind the puck as NBC takes tracking technology in hockey for a test drive.“Eventually it’ll go to possession time and more advanced (data), but right now it’s mainly focused on speed, shift time, distance traveled, mph on the shot and virtually connecting players on a goal,” NBC Sports producer Steve Greenberg said. “We’re scratching the surface here, and what we’re able to display this weekend is not what we’re going to be able to display next year and in the future, but it’s going to be able to be a really good first look at what these chips are going to be able to give us.”The NHL privately tested puck and player tracking in two regular-season games in Las Vegas earlier this month, but this will be the first time the data is available for public consumption. While other types of tracking technology were tested at previous All-Star games and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, this is something of a dry run for the radio frequency system the NHL has been working with developers to perfect.Much like the glowing puck was criticized by purists, there’s the danger of overloading fans with too much, too fast. NBC will experiment with how much puck and player tracking data can and should fit onto a TV broadcast.“It’s a balancing act,” NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood said. “Think about years ago when the yellow line came in for the first down in football. It’s now universal. There are going to be elements that’ll become universal in hockey telecasts based on what we learn over the next period of time.”Kenny Albert Womens Shane Doan Jersey , who will call the puck and player tracking-heavy telecast available on NBC Sports’ app and online, likens this to the kind of ball-tracking technology that has become ubiquitous in golf coverage. He was with Fox in the 1990s when the glowing puck was perhaps ahead of its time but thinks fans are ready for puck and player tracking on TV.“We live in an age of information overload and people want stuff like ice time and the mph on a shot for example or how fast a player’s skating,” Albert said. “I have two teenage daughters and I don’t think anybody in that generation now just sits there and watches TV. They want information, whether it’s looking at their phone, their iPad, their computer, and there’s so much information out there.”Eventually, once the NHL implements player and puck tracking, fans will be able to take a deep dive into all the numbers and there will be an element of real-time sports gambling. But Commissioner Gary Bettman and other league executives have pointed out that the first goal was always to make it TV-ready.“The most obvious thing that (viewers will) probably notice is just sort of the correlations tied to speed,” NHL senior vice president of business development David Lehanski said. “It’s kind of the thing everybody talks about: how fast the game is, how fast the players are, how fast the puck moves.”KARLSSON CONUNDRUMSharks defenseman Erik Karlsson missed the final three games before the break with a lower-body injury, but there’s somehow still a chance he takes part in All-Star Weekend in San Jose. Obviously, coach Peter DeBoer said, the organization would love to have Karlsson on the ice in its home arena, but not at the risk of making it worse.“If there’s more damage to be done, no one in their right mind would play Anders Bjork Jersey ,” DeBoer said. “So I think it’s pretty simple.”Karlsson returned to California for tests, and defenseman Brenden Dillon said it’s a positive for the team to play it safe with the two-time Norris Trophy winner. Karlsson has fit in well with San Jose after an offseason trade from San Jose and gives the Sharks the look of a Stanley Cup contender with the deepest blue line in the league.“He’s an unbelievable talent and a guy that’s fit in our locker room great too,” Dillon said. “It’s something where collectively as a group we realized that it was going to be a little bit less whether that’s in minutes or situations … I think for everybody it’s kind of been a little bit less is more and understanding the kind of common goal. So far, so good.”SINKING CAPSThe defending champion Washington Capitals have lost six in a row for the first time since the disastrous 2013-14 season that led to the firing of general manager George McPhee and coach Adam Oates. After players-only meetings didn’t solve the problem, the latest gut punch was allowing a goal with 1 second left to cough up a two-goal, third-period lead to the Sharks on Tuesday in what turned into an overtime loss.“I think it doesn’t matter how many meetings we have,” captain Alex Ovechkin said after his hat trick against San Jose wasn’t enough. “It’s all about us and we know how to play hockey. We know when we play the right way we’re going to get success.”GAME OF THE WEEKThe Buffalo Sabres get an early test in the second half of the season when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday in each team’s first game after the All-Star break.LEADERS (through Tuesday)Goals: Ovechkin, 36; Assists: Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), 56; Points: Kucherov, 78; Ice time: Drew Doughty (Los Angeles), 26:41; Wins: Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas), 27; Goals-against average: Robin Lehner (N.Y. Islanders), 2.02; Save percentage: Lehner, .931.