SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.
[b]Jakobi Meyers Jersey[/b] . - After three days of light, make that very light, workouts, Team Irvin and Team Carter are ready for Sunday nights Pro Bowl.Tony Romo will start at quarterback for Team Irvin, Andrew Luck for Team Carter in the second year of a format concocted to bring some life to an event that had become a show of halfhearted effort, little defence and practically no blocking.The players returning from last season say the intensity was up.There were some big hits last year, Denver safety T.J. Ward said.Not that it was anything close to a regular NFL game, and not even in the same stratosphere as what will be happening on the same field a week later when Seattle and New England meet in the Super Bowl.The Pro Bowl comes at the end of a long, long season. Some played in 18 games. They are looking forward to the off-season, vacations with their families, and the last thing anybody wants to see is a significant injury.Youve got to respect guys careers, Carolina inside linebacker Luke Kuechly said. You cant go out there and try to smoke everyone. Youve got to understand guys are here to have fun, but at the same time guys are competitive and thats going to come out. The bottom line is youve just got to respect each other.Its a format where teammates can go against each other. Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford joked that he could make a deal with Lions safety Glover Quin that Quinn would allow Stafford to throw a touchdown, and Stafford would throw Quinn an interception.There are those who miss the old AFC vs. NFC format, New York Jets centre Nick Mangold chief among them.I think there was something about coming out here and saying Im from the AFC and this is my team, he said earlier in the week. Now that its not, Id be the first to say Im not a fan of how they do it.New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said reports that in games past players havent given much of an effort were exaggerated.I think there were a few plays here and there where you might look at it and be like that was a lack of effort or just wasnt full speed, he said. So I think it got a bad rap just because of a few plays.But thats what stuck out in certain peoples minds. The league was the one threatening to shut it down, which I think would be an absolute shame. This is a tradition. Its a way to reward players for hard-fought season.Hall of Famers Michael Irvin and Cris Carter chose the teams in a draft carried on with much hoopla Wednesday night. Dallas Jason Garrett and his staff will coach Team Irvin, Baltimores John Harbaugh and his staff Team Carter.The teams went through their final practice Saturday at Scottsdale Community College, doing a little work with position coaches, a few reps in their shorts of 11-on-11 and a lot of autograph signing and picture posing.Last year, the team of Jerry Rice beat the one of Deion Sanders 22-21, a definite departure from the high-scoring Pro Bowls of the recent past.The game is taking a one-year break from its usual site of Honolulu. And while there are a few wistful mentions of the beach, nobody was complaining at least publicly about the desert weather, with temperatures in the mid-70s on Saturday and high 70s forecast for 70. University of Phoenix Stadium, which is sold out for the event, has a retractable roof.The Pro Bowl returns to Hawaii next season.There will be some unusual rules in the game Sunday night. Most noticeable will be the PATs. The gap between goal posts will be narrowed from the standard 18.6 feet to 14 feet and the kick will be moved back to the 15-yard line, essentially making it a 25-yard kick. Team Irvin kicker Adam Vinatieri hasnt missed a PAT in five seasons. Team Carters Cody Parkey didnt miss one in his rookie season.There were the usual rash of withdrawals from the original team, including six quarterbacks. Injuries, major and minor, were usually given as the reason. That, and of course, players who have a much bigger game to play next Sunday.___AP NFL website:
www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed:
http://twitter.com/AP_NFL [b]Stephen Gostkowski Jersey[/b] . Kyle Shanahan was hired as offensive co-ordinator Monday after spending the previous four years in the same role with the Washington Redskins.
[b]John Simon Jersey[/b] . - Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in the NBA, announced Wednesday his retirement from the league.The 35-year-old Collins made the announcement in a first-person story for Sports Illustrated. Its the same forum he used in April, 2013, to publicly reveal his sexuality and become the first openly gay man in any of the four major North American professional leagues.He joined the Brooklyn Nets in February and played 22 games for the team, but was not on the roster this season.It feels wonderful to have been part of these milestones for sports and for gay rights, and to have been embraced by the public, the coaches, the players, the league and history, Collins wrote.Collins started his career with the New Jersey Nets in 2001 and rejoined the franchise in Brooklyn. Nets spokesman Aaron Harris said Collins is expected to address the media at the Barclays Center on Wednesday night before the Nets game with the Milwaukee BucksBucks coach Jason Kidd was Brooklyns coach last year, and Collins singled him out for the courage he showed in bringing him on board.It had been argued that no team would want tto take on a player who was likely to attract a media circus from the outset and whose sexuality would be a distraction, he wrote.
[b]Steve Grogan Jersey[/b]. Im happy to have helped put those canards to rest.Collins wore No. 98 during his final seasons in the league— 1998 was year that Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming — was killed.Collins said his most poignant moment came during his third game back last season, when he met Shepards family in Denver.Following Collins revelation, Missouri defensive end Michael Sam came out in February and was drafted by the NFLs St. Louis Rams. He was later cut by the Rams and was released from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad last month.In April, University of Massachusetts guard Derrick Gordon became the first openly gay player in Division I mens basketball.But Collins noted Wednesday that there are still no openly gay players in the NFL, NHL or major league baseball.He wrote that someday, when we get to the point where hes not compelled to hide his true self and is able to live an authentic life, being a gay athlete wont be a big deal.But were not there yet, he said.
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