Forum Posts

• lluggg580 lluggg580

  • 5 posts
  Posted in the topic 't necessarily executed well t in the forum Supplements

  June 29, 2014 6:54 PM MDT

  Broncos game not one

  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)

  (Eds: Updates, stands.

  The quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs likes to run an up tempo offense, wing the ball all over the field, tuck it under and scramble when things get hairy. But slow things down? Keep the other offense off the field? That's a hard idea for him to accept.

  It might be the Chiefs' best shot at beating Denver on Sunday.

  While the intoxicating matchup of Peyton Manning and the Broncos' high flying offense against Tamba Hali, Justin Houston and the Chiefs' ferocious defense has garnered the spotlight this week, what happens when they're off the field could prove just as critical to the outcome.

  After all, the Broncos (8 1) can't win if they can't score, and they can't score if Manning and his trusty lieutenants are standing on the sideline.

  ''I've heard that strategy before, keep away, but that's certainly not something we're even talking about or focusing on at all,'' Smith said. ''We have to go out there and execute. I think if you go out there and play keep away, it's hard for good things to happen.''

  Then again, it's easy to keep bad things from happening, too.

  Smith has earned a reputation for being a ''game manager,'' and that's not necessarily a bad thing. He may not throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns like Manning, but he's also not prone to interceptions and fumbles the kind of egregious mistakes that can cost a team a win.

  That's the biggest reason why he's 28 5 1 as a starter since 2011, second to Manning (21 4) among active quarterbacks who have made at least 20 starts over the past three seasons.

  ''He's done a nice job of landing on his feet there,'' said Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, who is also serving as interim coach while John Fox is recovering from heart surgery.

  ''We're getting ourselves prepared for him,'' Del Rio said. ''He can throw it, he can run it. He can do a lot of different things. He brings a lot of different elements.''

  Even if he's unwilling to admit it, one of Smith's best attributes is simply keeping the Chiefs' offense on the field. They are fifth in the NFL in time of possession despite ranking in the bottom half in most other categories a big reason why their cheap nfl jerseys defense is so successful. They get to spend most of Sunday watching from the sideline.

  Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson acknowledged Thursday cheap nfl jerseys that the Chiefs (9 0) prefer to grind games away. The fact that running back Jamaal Charles leads the AFC in rushing not only is a testament to that fact, but underlies the reasons for it.

  Might as well lean on your best player, right?

  As much as Smith might dislike it, though, Pederson also admitted that the Chiefs have a better chance of beating the Broncos if they can maintain control of the ball. Denver is averaging an absurd 487.7 yards and 41.2 points per game, both easily the best in the NFL.

  ''You know what's on the other side of the ball,'' Pederson said, ''and any time you have guys like Peyton, or Tom Brady, that can scored, you know you have to execute your offense.

  ''You can't really worry about, We have to keep the ball for x amount of minutes or x amount of plays,'' Pederson added, ''because you still have to score. But it comes down to execution.''

  The Chiefs haven't necessarily executed well the past few weeks.

  Their only two touchdowns in a win over Buffalo prior to their bye came on Hali's short fumble return and Sean Smith's pick six. In fact, the Kansas City offense hasn't reached the end zone since late in the second quarter of a win over Cleveland on Oct. 27.

  ''We have to score touchdowns,'' Pederson said. ''That's just an obvious thing.''

  The Denver defense has shown a propensity for giving them up, too.

  The Broncos are among the league's bottom third in total yards, passing yards, points really, just about every significant statistic. Part of that is the effectiveness of their offense, which often puts the defense back on the field quickly, but part of it is futility.

  ''It's a challenge to be the best defense out there on the field,'' Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard, ''and that's something that we are definitely going to do. We're going to go out there and play as hard as we can try to be the best defense Wholesale NFL Jerseys out there.''

• lluggg580 lluggg580

  • 5 posts
  Posted in the topic confined to athletics in the forum Supplements

  June 29, 2014 6:54 PM MDT

  Lance Armstrong's Drug Confession and the Psychology of Elite Athletes

  For elite athletes, competition is like a drug. How many times have we seen professional or Olympic athletes retire (or say they will retire), only to return again, inevitably older and with varying levels of success? For every Michael Jordan, who said he had played his last game three times and was still able to lead his team to league championships after coming out of retirement the first time, there are dozens of formerly great athletes whose decision to return only exposes how human they are. Brett Favre flirtations with retirement are so frequent it hard to keep track, hockey great Mario Lemieux retired in 1997 but laced on his skates again just three years later, and Deion Sanders retired from his dual careers in professional baseball and football, only to pick up the pigskin again several years later. And Lance Armstrong? After years of adamantly insisting he had not used performance enhancing drugs to win seven Tour de France titles, he's reportedly fessed up to Oprah because he can't stand being out of the competitive loop.

  Still training as if he preparing for cycling biggest race,Armstrong could have gone quietly into the retirement night. But facing a lawsuit from a former teammate that he used public money to buy doping products, Armstrong is apparently hoping for some leniency in the lifetime ban from the sport that the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) imposed last summer, along with revoking his Tour de France titles, in exchange for his decision not to contest the doping charges the agency filed against him. Maintaining his innocence at the time, Armstrong left the question of did he or didn officially unanswered, presumably for perpetuity (although that wasn the case in the court of public opinion). But according to the Wall Street Journal, Armstrong met with Travis Tygart, CEO of USADA in December in an effort to lift the ban so he could continue his athletic career as an endurance athlete competing in triathlons. Tygart apparently told Armstrong that if he came clean, he could expect his lifetime ban to be reduced to eight years. Armstrong angrily responded: one person who holds the keys to my redemption, and that me, and walked out of the meeting.

  David Howman, director general of the World Anti Doping Agency, agrees that nothing short of a complete confession from Armstrong is necessary before he would even consider any leniency on the ban. when Mr.

  Why couldn Armstrong live with the longer ban and stripped titles? Why compete in triathlons rather than make the rounds on the speaking circuit or continue his admirable efforts in raising awareness and funding for cancer research? On a practical level, sports stars miss the training and the structure that competing lent to their lives. Plus there's the feel good factor: winners bask in the public's adulation, which isn't forthcoming when sports are played far from the limelight.

  And for athletes at the top of their game, competing can be an act of self affirmation, says Gavin Kilduff, an assistant professor of management at New York University who studies competition and rivalry. "His identity is probably very strongly tied to competing in endurance events," says Kilduff. "He's not living out how he sees himself if he's not doing that. For highly competitive people, it's hard to stay away." Not long ago, he tweeted a photo of himself relaxing on his sofa with his yellow prize jerseys festooned on the wall: "Back in Austin and just layin around."

  (MORE: Why Lance Armstrong Couldn Stop Himself (And Still Can fact, Kilduff says that the very nature of intense competition, and the features that make the best competitors, may explain not just Armstrong yen to feel the adrenaline rush of racing again, but the seeming incongruity of athletes who cheat. Certainly the drive to win can, on the one hand, be an inspiration for achieving excellence. Still University in Arizona and the president of RaceRx, a private sports conditioning and performance enhancement company. Competition also motivates people to work harder, as Rhea found in a 2003 study he conducted of weightlifters. When amateur athletes performed both in front of bystanders and competed against others, they lifted about four pounds more than during training sessions. "We have measured a dramatic increase in performance during competition, which is one reason why so many records are broken at the Olympics," says Rhea. "You don't want to be an average Tour de France cyclist; you want to be the greatest. That's what makes these athletes so unique and driven."

  But that same drive also tends to promote higher levels of unethical behavior, justified by the win at all costs mentality, which isn just confined to athletics. In academia, the most competitive students are more likely to cheat.

  So in the end, it likely that the very characteristics that made Armstrong a good athlete the discipline to train, the unconditional commitment to achieving a goal, and the single minded trust that he would succeed may have fueled his doping and, ironically, his need to confess in order to regain his status as a competitor. "In their efforts to be viewed as legendary, they at times might cross the line when it comes to the law or to the rules of sport," says Rhea. "Once you've experienced the thrill of victory, it's really hard to go back to the agony of defeat."

  MORE: How Lance Armstrong Lost His Tour de France Titles

  What you say is certainly true but I think a more immediate motivation is to head off the government joining the whistleblower/qui tam suit being brought by Floyd Landis. If the government joins they have the resources to pursue Women's John Brown Jersey it to its conclusion and almost certain victory, given the damning contents of USADA's report. Landis , who is currently broke, gets a % so he has no motivation to settle if the govt helps. LA's hope is that if he provides the names of others involved in the scheme the govt will back off and Landis will settle for a much lesser amount.

• lluggg580 lluggg580

  • 5 posts
  Posted in the topic season of competition in the forum Supplements

  June 29, 2014 6:54 PM MDT

  Small Colleges Want Your Rich

  Though generally it's difficult trying to get your child to draw the interest of college sports teams, a piece from Inside High Ed posted on the USA Today website explains how some small schools are using the promise of a spot on a varsity lacrosse team to attract a certain demographic: rich, white families who can pay full price for a college education.

  According to the story, since 2010, "17 private colleges in the Midwest have added Division III men's lacrosse programs and 16 have added women's programs." That Cardinals Troy Niklas Jersey is in response to suburban, Midwestern white kids' booming participation rates in lacrosse, and in response to these small colleges trying to find a way to attract families who can afford a private education at the sticker price, and who are happy to pay it so their kids can be called college athletes.

  As the story points out, though lacrosse is not inherently more expensive than many other sports, its players are more well heeled, according to USA Lacrosse, the sport's national governing body: "Less than 10% of lacrosse players come from households with incomes of less than $50,000, and nearly 75% of all lacrosse playing families value their primary residence at $200,000 or more."

  Middle class suburban students, who are not only able but willing to pay the high price for private education, used to be liberal arts colleges' bread and butter. Now they're increasingly lured to other types of institutions. Lacrosse is a weapon in the fight to keep them.

  "We're trying to compete more effectively for a smaller demographic," said W. Kent Barnds, vice president for enrollment, communication, and planning at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., which added men's and women's lacrosse programs last year and is in its first season of competition.

  Now, I presume it's not the intention of lacrosse, or small colleges, to be racist and exclusionary. But the sport has attracted mostly a suburban white audience (with exceptions such as Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who in the clip below is kicking lacrosse behind during his All American days at Syracuse University).

  Meanwhile, the colleges want people with money, who more often than not happen to be suburban whites. And small colleges quoted in the Inside Higher Ed article say that demographic is shrinking as white suburban families' interest in lacrosse is growing. And, thus, an idea was born.

  So rich, white parents, don't count on a scholarship for your lacrosse playing child. However, at these small schools adding the sport, you can count on a very, very warm welcome for you, your child, and your checkbook.

  Most importantly for this blog, Bob is a father of four who is in the throes of being a sports parent, a youth coach and a youth sports economy stimulator in an inner ring suburb of Chicago. He reserves the right to change names to protect the innocent and the extremely, extremely guilty.

• lluggg580 lluggg580

  • 5 posts
  Posted in the topic Three very impressive victorie in the forum Supplements

  June 29, 2014 6:54 PM MDT

  Pittsburgh back on the map

  A familiar face in the AFC playoff chase is stirring again.

  Left for dead after a 0 4 start, the Steelers remember them? are starting to climb out of that hole and up The Post's NFL Power Rankings on the strength of back to back impressive victories over the Jets and Ravens that have Terrible Towels waving again in Pittsburgh.

  And unlike the Raiders, who have the same record but already appear dead and buried in the loaded AFC West, the Steelers know the North where the 5 2 Bengals are no one's idea of a powerhouse is still ripe for the taking.

  Pittsburgh was written off as old and thin during its winless start, but injuries now look like the real reason because the improving health of key pieces on both sides of the ball the past two weeks has made a noticeable difference.

  That's especially true of rookie running back Le'Veon Bell, whose return from an early season injury has made Pittsburgh's running game formidable again and taken the pressure off Ben Roethlisberger. Bell's 93 yards against Baltimore on Sunday paved the way for the Steelers to run for a season high 141 yards and, well, look like the Steelers again.

  The defense is still uncharacteristically struggling to force turnovers (they have only two on the season), but is returning to form otherwise. Pittsburgh has allowed just 22 points the past two games combined after giving up an average of 24 points during the 0 4 stretch.

  The Steelers still don't loom as a Super Bowl threat, especially with a remaining schedule that is anything but easy. But they look a lot more like a contender for the playoffs than the No. 1 overall pick, which is a lot better than Pittsburgh http://www.nflcardinalsofficialshop.com/Deone_Bucannon_Jersey_Cardinals could say less than a month ago.

  (Last week's ranking in parentheses)

  1. Seahawks (2): They don't face another decent team until Dec. 2, so they're staying here awhile.

  2. Chiefs (3): They already have won almost as many games (seven) as they did the previous two seasons combined (nine).

  3. Broncos (1): So much for Von Miller's return being the tonic for Denver's awful defense.

  4. 49ers (4): Four very impressive victories in a row have made that 1 2 start a distant memory.

  5. Bengals (5): They don't make it look pretty, but first place is first place especially in a bad division.

  6. Packers: How many devastating injuries can one team stand?

  7. Colts (11): The big win over Peyton's Broncos was overshadowed by the even bigger loss of Reggie Wayne for the season.

  8. Saints: Pity the Bills, who must travel to face an angry team that's had two weeks to stew over a giveaway loss to New England.

  9. Patriots (7): You'd think Bill Belichick would know the rules by now.

  10. Cowboys (14): The defense has actually gotten better without DeMarcus Ware. Go figure.

  11. Lions (9): Still no consistency whatsoever from this talented but mystifying team.

  12. Chargers (16): Winners of three of their last four, but two games remaining against both the Broncos and Chiefs loom large.

  13. Jets (19): It looks as if Mike Tannenbaum left behind more talent than anyone thought.

  14. Bears (10): Goodbye, Jay Cutler. Sayonara, playoffs.

  15. Panthers (22): Three very impressive victories after an 0 2 start signals this is a team that shouldn't be overlooked.

  16. Ravens (12): Losers of three of their last four, and the rest of the schedule looks tough. Forget about a repeat.

  17. Eagles (13): Maybe they should have re signed Donovan McNabb last month instead of retiring his jersey.

  18. Titans (15): Three losses in a row, then the owner dies. A sad month for football in Nashville.

  19. Bills (26): There isn't much time to savor the win in Miami with the Saints and Chiefs (combined record: 12 1) up next.

  20. Steelers (23): Better health is translating into a better record. Imagine that.

  21. Dolphins (17): The new definition of rock bottom: Losing at home to a team whose undrafted quarterback (Thad Lewis) had been waived twice by the Browns.

• lluggg580 lluggg580

  • 5 posts
  Posted in the topic were originally descended f in the forum Supplements

  June 29, 2014 6:53 PM MDT

  Celts descended from Spanish fishermen

  A team from Oxford University has discovered that the Celts, Britain's indigenous people, are descended from a tribe of Iberian fishermen who crossed the Bay of Biscay 6,000 years ago. DNA analysis reveals they have an almost identical genetic "fingerprint" to the inhabitants of coastal regions of Spain, whose own ancestors migrated north between 4,000 and 5,000BC.

  The discovery, by Bryan Sykes, professor of human genetics Danny Green Jersey at Oxford University, will herald a change in scientific understanding of Britishness.

  People of Celtic ancestry were thought to have descended from tribes of central Europe. Professor Sykes, who is soon to publish the first DNA map of the British Isles, said: "About 6,000 years ago Iberians developed ocean going boats that enabled them to push up the Channel. Before they arrived, there were some human inhabitants of Britain but only a few thousand in number. These people were later subsumed into a larger Celtic tribe. The majority of people in the British Isles are actually descended from the Spanish."

  Professor Sykes spent five years taking DNA samples from 10,000 volunteers in Britain and Ireland, in an effort to produce a map of our genetic roots.

  Research on their "Y" chromosome, which subjects inherit from their fathers, revealed that all but a tiny percentage of the volunteers were originally descended from one of six clans who arrived in the UK in several waves of immigration prior to the Norman conquest.

  The most common genetic fingerprint belongs to the Celtic clan, which Professor Sykes has called "Oisin". After that, the next most widespread originally belonged to tribes of Danish and Norse Vikings. Small numbers of today's Britons are also descended from north African, Middle Eastern and Roman clans.

  These DNA "fingerprints" have enabled Professor Sykes to create the first genetic maps of the British Isles, which are analysed in Blood of the Isles, a book published this week. The maps show that Celts are most dominant in areas of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. But, contrary to popular myth, the Celtic clan is also strongly represented elsewhere in the British Isles.

  "Although Celtic countries have previously thought of themselves as being genetically different from the English, this is emphatically not the case," Professor Sykes said.

  "This is significant, because the idea of a separate Celtic race is deeply ingrained in our political structure, and has historically been very divisive. Culturally, the view of a separate race holds water. But from a genetic point of view, Britain is emphatically not a divided nation."