Every football coach will tell you that in order to make a difference in the game, you have to take full advantage of your opportunities.
[b]Brian Dawkins Youth Jersey[/b] . Now, on the field that could mean scoring after your defense creates a turnover or moving the football offensively when you have the wind at your back. On Thursday, the CFL Board of Governors will have their opportunity to make a difference when they vote on the proposal to make pass interference a reviewable call. A "yes" vote means that for the first time since video review was implemented, the system will be used on a judgment call by the refs. Coaches will not get extra challenges but if the rule change is passed, they will be able to challenge a called pass interference or challenge a missed called PI. Critics call it a drastic shift in philosophy which turns the on-field refs into robots, while proponents call it a small expansion of the current video review system that will help the on-field officials make the toughest and most controversial call in the game. The rules committee, which is made up of football people, passed the rule change proposal over a month ago but while it was a strong majority, it wasnt a unanimous "yes" vote. Sources contacted on Tuesday were divided on whether or not the fact that it wasnt unanimous will influence the Governors. While they couldnt come up with actual numbers, one source felt that rule change proposals that did not get a unanimous vote from the rules committee were almost always voted down by the Governors. A separate source didnt think that the fact that it wasnt a unanimous vote would make any difference at all to the Board. One thing both sources agreed on was that this is one of the most important rule change votes in recent memory and if passed, will be a rule change that will be watched closely by the National Football League. The NFL rules committee decided to put a much more drastic proposal to a vote this year when they tabled the idea of giving coaches the chance to challenge all personal foul penalties. That is a drastic change in philosophy with regards to video replay and it was, not surprisingly, voted down. However, if the CFL Governors vote "yes" to this PI rule change, you can bet the NFL will be paying close attention. In fact, a source close to the process said that there are many coaches in the NFL that are pushing for a chance to review pass interference, so if it is voted in by the CFL board and runs smoothly in year one, then it is safe to say it wont be long before the NFL tables the idea again. There is also a sense of urgency with this decision in that, when a rule change proposal gets defeated by the Governors it typically cant be reintroduced for two years. Which means, if you are a fan that gets frustrated with the inconsistency of the PI call, you are going to get two more years of a whole lot of the same. The CFL head office was contacted Tuesday and refused to comment, but football fans should not read into that. With the current CBA negotiations on going, the "no comment" response may becoming automatic. There has been interesting debate on this topic, however, the question football fans have to ask is; what is the downside and the upside of a "yes" vote? Without debating all aspects of this rule change proposal again, it is still tough to find a real downside. Even if this change is a one year experiment and the league finds out that it has created more questions than answers when it comes to pass interference, nothing is really lost. If it doesnt work, it was at least attempted, all teams in 2014 will have played by the same rules, and the idea is dropped in 2015. However, if it works; if it does help refs get the game changing penalty right more often and if it does improve the game, then the CFL will be looked upon as innovators. On May 13, a new crop of young football players will be drafted into the league and will be looking to take full advantage of their opportunity to play the game they love for a living. On the field, a defensive back can make a difference with an interception if he takes advantage of an opportunity when the quarterback throws and errant pass. On Thursday, an opportunity will present itself to the Board of Governors. If they vote "yes," they have a chance to make a difference. If they vote "no," it will be two more frustrating years and an opportunity lost.
[b]Carson Wentz Eagles Jersey[/b] . Balotelli was out at dinner with his brother Enoch and came home to discover he had been burgled. The car was later found abandoned. Balotelli wrote Saturday on Twitter: "I feel empty! No emotions .
[b]Brian Westbrook Eagles Jersey[/b] . Raonic, the No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., fired 11 aces and did not have a double-fault as he comfortably advanced to the third round at the Masters Series event.ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Jim Schwartzs emotions have gotten the best of him at least a few times publicly as coach of the Detroit Lions. The latest example happened in what might be the last time he leads the Lions at home. When Detroit ran the ball instead of having turnover-prone Matthew Stafford throw late in regulation of Sundays 23-20 overtime loss to the New York Giants, the crowd reacted with a loud chorus of boos. Schwartz responded by looking away from the field and toward the stands to shout something. "I probably should have done just what I did at the end of the second quarter and just kept it in my mind," Schwartz said Monday. The previous day at his postgame news conference, the embattled coach insisted he wasnt responding to the fans who voiced their displeasure with the decision to play for overtime. Detroit had the ball at its 25 with 23 seconds and two timeouts left, needing to gain about 40 yards to give David Akers a legitimate shot to attempt a winning kick. The Lions ran it once and let the clock run out in regulation, leading to perhaps a predictable response from a crowd that has endured a lot of losing and lost opportunities by the hapless franchise. But it was unusual to see an NFL coach shout back at jeering fans. "I just wanted to say, Dont you know what the situation is and the risk reward of doing something other than what we did right there?" Schwartz explained. Schwartzs temper has flared up in the past for everyone to see. He negated a video review and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct by angrily throwing a challenge flag last season when Houstons Justin Forsett scored after two Lions tackled him, leading to a defeat during an eight-game, season-ending slide. The previous year, Schwartz had a heated exchange with San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh and had to be separated following theirr postgame handshake.
[b]Miles Sanders Eagles Jersey[/b]. Losing, though, is what may get Schwartz fired. The Lions eliminated themselves from the NFC North title race by losing five of their last six games -- blowing fourth-quarter lead in each of those setbacks -- after a 6-3 record put them in a favourable position. If Detroit (7-8) won one more game, it would be closing the regular season at Minnesota (4-10-1) with a chance to earn its first division title since 1993 because both Green Bay and Chicago lost on Sunday. "That made it even tougher to swallow for sure," Schwartz said. Schwartz got his first shot to be a head coach in 2009 when the Lions were coming off the NFLs first 0-16 season. The Lions improved in each of his first three seasons, including in 2011 when they ended the franchises 11-year post-season drought. They flopped to a 4-12 record last year and are falling apart again this season. "Weve come up short the last two years," Schwartz acknowledged. Schwartz is 29-50 overall and his .367 winning percentage is the worst by an NFL coach in his first five full seasons since John McKay won fewer than 30 per cent of his games with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976-1980, according to STATS. "I know where we were when I took over and I know where we are right now," he said. "Were still working. Were still battling. We still have another game to play this year." NOTES: Schwartz said WR Calvin Johnson, slowed by knee and ankle injuries, wont be kept out against the Vikings unless theres a medical reason to put him on the inactive list for the game. ... TE Dorin Dickerson and CB Bill Bentley will be evaluated this week after getting concussions against the Giants. .. Schwartz said Dickerson didnt report his concussion to the team during the game and said Bentley was briefly unconscious. ' ' '
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