Zurück zur Hauptseite » back next year as coach of the Jets,

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Charlotte Hornets finally figured out a way to beat the Miami Heat: Play them without LeBron James.Charlotte was 0-for-LeBron against the Heat in the James era, losing 16 straight regular-season games before getting swept in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by Miami last season.But with James in Cleveland, Al Jefferson scored a season-high 28 points and added 10 rebounds as Charlotte defeated Miami 96-89 on Wednesday night.Nobody in the Charlotte locker room had ever beaten the Heat as a member of the then-Bobcats.Its good to get the monkey off our back, said fourth-year point guard Kemba Walker, who was 0 for 16 against James including the post-season.With Chris Andersen still out with a rib injury, the Heat had no answer for Jefferson in the low post.They tried Shawne Williams and Justin Hamilton on the 6-foot-9, 289-pound centre, but the Hornets continuously pounded the ball into the paint and Jefferson scored with relative ease, finishing 13 of 25 from the field.I feel like Birdman is a guy who does give me a challenge because hes a little taller, but all of the guys out there today I felt like I had an advantage, Jefferson said.Jefferson has now scored in double digits in 30 straight regular-season games dating to last season. He has scored at least 20 points in 23 of those games.The third-team All-NBA selection had everything working in his bag of tricks.Jefferson was fouled on the wrist on the way up by Williams in the third quarter and threw up a prayer hoping the ball would go in. It hit the top of the backboard and lazily fell down on the rim, bounced a few times and went in for a three-point play.Walker had 16 points and seven assists, and Cody Zeller turned in another solid game off the bench with 13 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets (2-3), who snapped a three-game losing streak.Chris Bosh had 23 points and 13 rebounds for Miami (3-2). It was Boshs fifth straight 20-point game to open the season. Dwyane Wade added 23 points for Miami, which has lost back-to-back games after starting the season 3-0.Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he likes the way Wade is rounding into shape.Ive been very encouraged by his commitment, Spoelstra said.The Hornets trailed 57-56 late in the third quarter before Walker put them ahead for good with a pair of free throws and rookie P.J. Hairston knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing, helping ignite a 21-7 run.Spoelstra went with rookie point guard Shabazz Napier down the stretch instead of Norris Cole, who struggled from the field and scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting. Napiers driving layup with 2:07 left in the game cut Charlottes lead to 88-85 with 2:07 left.But Walker buried a 3-pointer over Napier, his former Connecticut teammate, from the right wing to give the Hornets some breathing room.___TIP-INSHeat: Josh McRoberts was a key player in Charlottes starting rotation, but hes seen limited playing time with the Heat this season while working his way back from a toe injury. He played less than eight minutes.Hornets: The Hornets drafted centre Bismack Biyombo with the seventh pick in the 2011 NBA draft, but hes fallen out of the teams rotation and hasnt played in five games this season. ... Lance Stephenson was charged with a flagrant-1 foul for a screen he set on Mario Chalmers in the fourth quarter.STRUGGLING STEPHENSONStephenson, Charlottes big free agent acquisition, continued to struggle from the field. He was 3 of 12 and is shooting just 27 per cent through five games.WHO IS AWAY?The Hornets wore their away purple jerseys, giving their fans a look at all three of their primary jerseys. The team wore their teal and white jerseys in their previous two home games.UP NEXTHeat: Host Minnesota on Saturday night.Hornets: Host Atlanta on Friday night. Cheap Soccer Jerseys China .Under the agreement announced Monday, the Cuban defector is guaranteed $68.5 million over six seasons.Tomas gets a $14 million signing bonus that is payable within 30 days of the deals approval by Major League Baseball, and then salaries of $2 million next year, $4 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017 and $10 million in 2018. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . If there is one club built to handle an off-field controversy, its the Bill Belichick era Patriots. Even if New Englands offence stumbles a bit out of the gate, their defence can help them stay in games, especially in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in the first two weeks. http://www.chinasoccerjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-chelsea-jerseys . The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made. By releasing Bailey, the Broncos would open up cap space with the 12-time Pro Bowl player scheduled to make around $10 million next season. Wholesale Football Jerseys .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes hope they now have the leadership tandem in place to turn the franchise around. Cheap Football Jerseys . There are practical ideas, like this Chewbaca inspired Star Wars jerseys. Star Wars themed jerseys for the Toledo Mud Hens.It is somewhat amazing that within 24 hours of one of the best NFL Sundays in memory, six head coaches (and likely most of their staffs) are unemployed. Think about this though: Mike Shanahan leaves with $7 million in his pocket, while Greg Schiano and Rob Chudzinski had three more years on their contracts, and will be paid out handsomely. I realize not all are as fortunate, but the majority of the time if you reach the head coaching level in the NFL, your bills are paid and debts are nonexistent. Its not the financial blow that hurts. It is more of a punch to the ego and a humbling moment. When you realize your mission is not going to be accomplished, that is taken personally, and its hard to take. Now, full disclosure – in general, I am not a fan of football coaches. I have no doubt that is because my experience with most coaches was not very good. Most were anything but teachers. The majority of my coaches were experts at applying pressure and then dis-associating from the players when that tactic did not work or their own skill set did not provide an alternative. There are some great coaches in football – no doubt – but in my experience I have also seen a level of incompetence that is shocking. And it is prevalent at all levels. I often get asked why I dont coach, and I always answer with, "why should I?" Being a former player doesnt qualify me to be a coach, a teacher. That being said, there are a lot of good coaches without jobs today, and there are other teams still wavering on a decision. DECISION IN DALLAS In Dallas, I think they need to keep Jason Garret and stay the course. Look at Ron Rivera in Carolina and Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati. Logic may have dictated coaching changes for those teams in recent years, but they stuck with their people and now the Panthers are the NFC South winner and the Bengals are tops in the AFC North. Patience can pay off and too many teams dump good coaches too early. Take a close look at Dallas and you will see that almost getting to the playoffs was actually a pretty good accomplishment. Football teams are built around controllable programs that the coaches put in place, but much of their success comes down to pure luck. Things like drafting, teaching, developing and capitalizing on the "window of opportunity" are all relatively controllable. But luck can get in the way, especially when it comes to injuries. If you can keep your 22 starters completely healthy and on the field for a whole year – thats good luck, not good coaching. And Dallas was destroyed by bad luck for the second year in a row when it comes to injuries. This was highlighted Sunday when they had to play a winner-take-the-division game against Philadelphia without their best player on offence (QB Tony Romo) and their leader on defence (LB Sean Lee). Good coaching kept the controllable parts moving effectively, though, and Garrett almost got the Cowboys to the playoffs despite the injuries. KELLYS HEROES On the opposite side, how about the job Chip Kelly did with the Eagles? Hes an endearing personality and he "did it his way." Kelly is known as an offensive guy, but one of the most impressive examples of his coaching ability was reflected in the development of linebacker Mychal Kendricks, a second year player out of the University of California. Great linebackers have to know what is going to happen before it actually happens, and Kendricks has developed that ability. That is not just a natural talent – its partly a matter of studying and learning about your opponent in advance, which is a controllable issue – a coaching issue. There is no luck involved in his development under Chip Kelly. NEVERMORE We will see a new Super Bowl champion now that Baltimore failed to make the playoffs – something you could feel coming. After three narrow victories down the stretch, the Ravens lost by 34 to New England and then were dominated in Cincinnati on Sunday in a must-win game despite making four interceptions. I have all the respect in the world for Joe Flacco, but his body language on the bench sure seems to reflect disinterest. Compare his demeanor with Philip Rivers of the Chargers – there is no comparison! It makes you wonder if the Ravens were suffering from burn out. It is never expected but it does happen in many occupations, and following their success last year, they sure looked burned out in Deecember to me.dddddddddddd DEAD MONEY DANGER In Oakland, they played the 2013 season with an astounding amount of dead money (roughly $45 million). Thats money they had to pay former players – all of which counted against their salary cap. With the dead money off the books for 2014, the Raiders are suddenly cap rich. This is very dangerous as rarely can a football team be bought. Teams have to be developed, and the Raiders need to remember that they are exhibit A in that discussion. So how do they use that money wisely and successfully? Well if youre going to overpay somebody, than overpay a good quarterback. That is obvious. But depth players are critical. Your fifth defensive lineman, your sixth offensive lineman, those fourth and fifth receivers who can push for starting spots. On a 53 man roster, you have to project that the bottom third will eventually be your starters. Some may have to step in sooner than later because injuries always happen in football, so these players need to be ready and able. This off-season for the Raiders is critical for making decisions on these key personnel. They need to find a quarterback and then build a roster that can develop over time into a winning team around that quarterback. They cant shoot for the moon all at once. Ask Washington owner Dan Snyder how that works out. Speaking of the Redskins, Snyder has an interesting dilemma with quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins. With RG3 shut down for the season, Cousins played well against Atlanta, was okay against Dallas and not so good against the Giants. There is no doubt that RG3 will be the starter next year, but what does the team do with Cousins? Do you keep him as an above average back-up or test his increasing value on the open market? Just one of many problems facing the Redskins. KEEP CUTLER Marc Trestman has a similar problem with the Bears. He inherited a 10-6 team from Lovie Smith and finished 8-8. But under Trestman, the Bears offence flourished . Receiver Brandon Marshall is already a star, and Alshon Jeffery looks like another one. Matt Forte is a Pro Bowl back. Kyle Long and Jordon Mills played 16 games as rookies and played well. Jermon Bushrod and Matt Slauson earned their free agent value. The problem is what to do with the quarterback position after two players did well in the role. Jay Cutler is a pending free agent and after the big money has been thrown at Brees , Manning, Rogers, Flacco and Romo, he will looking for his fair value. Can the Bears afford his expensive ticket, and the mistakes that come with his gun-slinging ways? Especially when the much-cheaper Josh McCown was so good while Cutler was hurt? I think its a no-brainer for both sides. The Bears need to bring Cutler back, and he needs to re-sign fast. With all the weapons in Chicagos arsenal, and Trestman to guide the way, its a great fit. Especially because of Terstmans ability as a developer of quarterbacks. He may deserve a critical comment or two about the way the Bears defence folded, but he was brought in to turn the offence around and he succeeded in spades. Look for the Bears to go after defensive help in the off-season, something that is easier and cheaper to find than offensive skills players. REX STILL KING I usually watch the NFL Network for an hour a day to keep updated, and when I saw Woody Johnson announce that Ryan was to be back next year as coach of the Jets, I expected mild applause and pats on the back. What I saw instead was a unique reaction of adulation and sincere appreciation. That surprised me. Maybe Ryan is better in dealing with motivating and generating positive energy than I could understand, but that reaction said a lot of positive things about him. So from 32 teams starting the season as Super Bowl hopefuls, we are down to 12. All logic says it will be Seattle and Denver in New York come the 2nd of February, but if I had to pick to surprise participants, I like the Eagles and the 49ers. And finally, I always have to take a moment and remember that for 20 teams, the season is over. For the players, that means going from complete structure to no structure at all. No meetings, no practices, no games, no responsibility. Its a great feeling and dangerous time wrapped up into one. For these players, next season starts now. And off-season responsibility is step one to a championship. ' ' '