To land Kyle Shanahan, 49ers must be willing to give

Elite Womens Orlando Cepeda Jersey
The process of elimination has left the San Francisco 49ers with just two of their original candidates for their open head-coaching position still available.

Most players hear a heckler in the stands and let that fan’s words go in one ear and out the other. But as Jimmy Butler proved again during the Chicago Bulls’ surprising 108-104 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, he isn’t like most players. Not only did Butler score nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday night, he did it while having a back and forth with a fan seated a few rows behind the Bulls’ bench.

After coming within two wins of the NBA Finals and winning gold in Rio over the summer, Lowry is playing the best basketball of his life. He is averaging a career-high 22.4 points and 5.0 rebounds. His 7.2 assists are a shade under his career high of 7.4. The only other guys to average 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds this season go by the names of Harden, Westbrook and James.

With plenty of tough choices to be made across both conferences, Marc Stein makes his picks for the NBA All-Star starters.

Elite Womens Luke Joeckel Jersey According to ESPN Stats & Information, Lowry is attempting to duplicate something that has been done only once in NBA history, when Curry averaged 22 points and seven assists and shot 44 percent on 3s in 2014-15.

The Raptors point guard, who is third in Real Plus-Minus behind Chris Paul and Jimmy Butler, spoke to ESPN.com about losing to the Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals, winning gold with Team USA, playing in the golden era of point guards and his impending free agency — once he opts out.

The Texans made critical mistakes in each phase against the Patriots

Geneo Grissom Authentic Jersey
The Texans made critical mistakes in each phase against the Patriots, but a good quarterback can help overcome that. On Saturday, Osweiler could not. Though the Texans were able to keep it close in the first half — the Patriots led by just four points at halftime — Osweiler¡¯s second-half turnovers put the game out of reach.

If Osweiler isn¡¯t the answer for the Texans, they have to look elsewhere. The problem is, the answer has to be cheap.
Darren Woodson Authentic Jersey
The four-year, $72 million contract Osweiler signed last offseason is not all guaranteed; the final guaranteed money comes next season. But Houston still owes Osweiler $16 million next year no matter what.

¡°There¡¯s going to be nobody that works harder this offseason to clean up our offensive issues and be better than we were coming up and in the future,¡± Osweiler said.

Context: Ryan talks a big game, much bigger than his 61-66 career record supports. As the Boston Herald expertly chronicled, Ryan has predicted/projected/guaranteed a Super Bowl appearance or victory at least five times. It began with his introductory news conference with the Jets and continued into his first year with the Buffalo Bills.

It took you nine years to get this far. In a week, you’ll play in your second NFC Championship Game. The winner will advance to Super Bowl LI in Houston. These opportunities don’t come often. Your Atlanta Falcons? They have advanced this far only four times in their 51-season history.

The Seahawks had them pinned against their goal line just before halftime. But 99 yards later, the Falcons found the end zone to seize momentum on their way to victory. Listen to how it all went down.

Dotson is one of the top starting right tackles in the league

It was a rough day for right tackles across the league. First, Minnesota Vikings right tackle Phil Loadholt went down with an injury early and had to be carted off the field against the Buccaneers. Unfortunately, it quickly came out that Loadholt had suffered a torn Achilles, which will effectively end his 2015-16 season.

Then it was Demar Dotson of the Buccaneers who went down. Dotson is one of the top starting right tackles in the league, but he left late in the half with a left knee injury. Dotson was playing longer than expected as the Buccaneers were trying to give Winston more time with the starters.

Finally, Chiefs right tackle Jeff Allen, who was only named the starting right tackle recently, left the game with a knee injury and was declared out for the game by Kansas City.

Darius Hamilton, DL (senior): Hamilton was a five-star prospect coming out of high school and has NFL pedigree (his dad Keith Hamilton was an All-Pro with the New York Giants). He played defensive tackle, but he’s undersized for the position (6’3, 255 pounds) and would likely have to move to defensive end in the NFL. Due to his size, he’s limited strength-wise, but he uses his quickness to beat bigger offensive linemen. He could be an intriguing prospect for certain teams because of his versatility.

Christian Hackenberg, QB (junior): Hackenberg has been projected as an NFL draft pick from the day he set foot on campus. He throws an excellent deep ball and has the arm strength to put the ball anywhere he wants. He can fit the ball into extremely tight windows and puts ferocious velocity on his passes. Last season was a struggle for Hack. Disappointing offensive line play, coupled with an extremely green receiving corps, forced him to play on the run for most of the season. His numbers took a hit as a result and his accuracy began to falter as time went on. Hack looked like his old self in the Pinstripe Bowl, after a few weeks off.

Butler’s strength extends beyond the field, and that’s what has impressed teammates like McCourty

On Saturday night, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Butler is prepared to be matched against DeAndre Hopkins or Will Fuller.

“No matter who I’m up against, I’m ready to play,” he said.

And the Texans are prepared for his best.

“He’s a very unique player. We all have a lot of respect for him,” O’Brien said. “He’s very, very difficult to go against because he’s smart. He’s got great playing strength. He has very strong hands. He’s got a very strong way of playing the game.”

Butler’s strength extends beyond the field, and that’s what has impressed teammates like McCourty.

The question is what will happen with Wade Phillips, whose contract with the Broncos is up. Joseph and Phillips were together on Kubiak’s staff in Houston.

If Joseph wants to call plays or play a 4-3, Phillips would likely look elsewhere. Many in the league believe he could be headed to the Los Angeles Rams if Sean McVay is hired as head coach. Secondary coach Joe Woods would be leading candidate for defensive coordinator if Phillips leaves.

If Phillips leaves, several of the Broncos defensive assistants could follow. Then, Joseph will have a complete makeover of the offensive and defensive staff.

That’s all for the days to come. Elway has picked Joseph for the job that comes with high expectations given the level of talent on the roster.

Game Womens Terron Armstead Jersey Or as Elway said: “The goal has not changed. The goal is still the same.”

Game Womens T.J. Yeldon Jersey Joseph knows that, he’s heard it at least twice. He dislocated the shoulder again in the Bucs’ Week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers. He attempted to reset the joint out on the field and resumed playing, finishing the game with 45 snaps (64 percent) on defense.

Broncos defense wins when Peyton Manning can’t

Through five weeks, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning hasn’t been perfect, far from it, but he hasn’t had to be perfect. The Broncos themselves are now 5-0 on the season after beating the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, and the game showcased a recurring theme for Denver early in the season: defense winning the day.
Authentic Womens Justin March-Lillard Jersey
Going into Sunday, the Broncos led the NFL in total defense, allowing the fewest yards in the league. They’ve allowed the fewest passing yards, and the 10th-least rushing yards, and ultimately have given Manning and the offense plenty of breathing room.

Denver’s defense stepped up big time. They held the Raiders to just 65 total rushing yards despite 25 carries, and also managed an interception of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. That interception was grabbed by Chris Harris, who proceeded to take it 74 yards for a touchdown. It came when the Broncos were leading by less than a field goal, and it made it a multi-score game.

Authentic Mens Paxton Lynch Jersey It’s unclear how he suffered the injury. After scoring, Beckham celebrated then was spotted hobbling back to the sideline, where he was quickly surrounded by Giants training staff, but Beckham reportedly said after the game that he suffered the injury roughly five or six plays before the score.

After the game, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said that Beckham was taken out after the receiver “felt a little tug on his hamstring,” according to Kimberley Jones of the NFL Network.

Shortly after Beckham left, receiver Reuben Randle was ruled out for the game with a hamstring injury of his own. Randle finished the game with five catches for 42 yards.

Beckham had seven reception for 121 yards and a score on 11 targets before leaving, outpacing all other Giants pass catchers. The game is his second with more than 100 yards receiving this season, the first coming in Week 2 when he posted seven catches for 146 yards and a score against the Atlanta Falcons.

Giants have a chance because GM Jerry Reese hit the free-agent jackpot

The route the New York Giants took to rebuild their defense was unorthodox, twined through the most dangerous of webs. It’s a place most franchises don’t want to travel given the perils of past history.
Game Dennis Rodman Jersey
The following season, Wake emerged as one of the NFL’s best ends. His 14 sacks ranked third in the NFL. After a 15-sack season in 2012, Wake was selected first-team All-Pro.

He was selected second-team All-Pro twice (2010, 2014) and is a five-time Pro Bowler. During an era in which edge rushing has never been more important because the NFL is all about the passing game, Wake, who’s also stout against the run, has been one of the most consistently dominant players at his position. Of course, all of that leads to an obvious question: How in the heck did the NFL whiff so badly on Wake?

Scouting, to say the least, is an inexact science. Team officials evaluate countless hours of game film on players. They analyze seemingly endless computer files that list heights, weights, 40-yard dash times, reps in the bench press, etc.

Game Carl Nassib Jersey They interview potential draft picks and test their intellect. No football person to date, however, has devised a method to definitively determine who will thrive in the NFL spotlight. Wake is proof of that. Among undrafted players, Wake has the second-highest sack total in NFL history (Hall of Famer John Randle tops the list).

“Jerry knows this is on him. I’ve had that discussion with him,” Giants co-owner John Mara said last January. “He can’t hide from the record. It’s up to you to get it fixed because the last three years just were not acceptable.”

He did it with an unprecedented dip in free agency. And now the Giants have a chance to make some noise in the postseason because of it.

World Juniors 2017 scores: United States survives a Switzerland scare to advance to semis

The United States withstood one of their roughest games of the 2017 World Junior Championships to advance to the semifinal round on Monday.

Switzerland proved to be a difficult out, but a late goal from Jordan Greenway gave the United States a 3-2 win and a date with Russia in the semifinals on Jan. 4.

Tyler Parsons was the USA¡¯s best player, stopping 14 of 16 shots against for the win.

No one can put a finger on Portland¡¯s issue. They retained Allen Crabbe, added both Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli in free agency, and have a team built around the dynamic backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Yet, somehow things haven¡¯t panned out the way that head coach Terry Stotts envisioned.
Authentic Mens Kevin Minter Jersey
Authentic Mens Margus Hunt Jersey The talent is undeniable. Both teams have the roster, on paper, to make noise in their respective conferences. But as the calendar year comes to a close, both are sub-.500 on the outside looking into the playoff picture.

There¡¯s still a lot of time left in the season for both teams to right the ship, but there could be some serious shake-ups next summer if things don¡¯t get on track quickly.

Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg opted not to play his starting point guard in the second half, instead choosing to go with youngsters Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams. Rondo did not score and had only one assist. Indiana outscored Chicago by 20 in the 10 minutes he was on the floor.

NFL playoff picture 2017: Standings, scenarios, who’s in, who’s out

This is it. Week 17, the last week of the regular season. And with the Packers’ win over the Lions we now know the complete, finalized playoff standings. Green Bay’s victory gives the Packers the NFC North title and the fourth seed in the NFC. But first, let’s digest the AFC playoff picture and standings.

During the 1 p.m. slate, the New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins to lock down the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. They’ll have a bye next week and then get to play at home in the divisional round and the conference championship, if they make it that far.

Bradford carved up the Chicago Bears in Week 17, completing 25 of 33 passes for 250 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He took a seat in the fourth quarter with the Vikings leading, 38-10.

Bradford wasn’t even on the Vikings’ squad in preseason — at the time, he was competing for a starting job with the Philadelphia Eagles. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and when Teddy Bridgewater went down with a devastating knee injury, the Vikings made an aggressive move. They traded 2017’s first-round pick and a 2018 fourth-round pick to acquire Bradford from the Eagles.

The trade was widely panned at the time, but Bradford and the Vikings ran out to a 5-0 start, seemingly quieting the critics. Unfortunately, everything fell apart. With a poor running game and abysmal offensive line, the Vikings’ offense stalled out and the team collapsed. They’ll finish with an 8-8 record and miss the playoffs.

Kobe settled a civil suit for an undisclosed sum in which he apologized but did not admit guilt

Authentic Youth Mike Purcell Jersey
The case was so atomic that most people who know anything about Kobe Bryant instantly recognize the reference to the 2003 sexual assault allegation made against him by a woman who worked at a hotel in Edwards, Colorado. Bryant was arrested. The case never went to trial as the woman declined to testify, and the charges were later dropped. For many people, Colorado remains a troubling section of his life story that never digests.

Kobe settled a civil suit for an undisclosed sum in which he apologized but did not admit guilt. Neither party may discuss details of the case.

The world shunned him. All but one of Kobe’s sponsors dropped him. He’d alienated his teammates when it was revealed that he had told police details of O’Neal’s extramarital affairs.

But come on, did you really think la Mamba Negra, the Black freaking Mamba was going to fade away?

He’s been planning his basketball death for years now. Scripting it down to his final words.
Authentic Youth Khari Lee Jersey
Chopra and his crew set up an office closer to Kobe’s house in Newport Beach, California. Kobe invited them to film everything. Family time, doctors’ appointments, hours and hours of mind-numbing rehabilitation sessions.

If the cameras weren’t following him, he would have been alone as he stared into the abyss of his basketball mortality. Instead, as he says in the trailer for Muse, “it became therapy on film.”

He’d show up at the office as early as he used to show up at the gym to get shots up before practice. They’d talk craft well into the night.

“Like someone would say we should do the beginning like the beginning of ‘Black Swan,'” Chopra said. “And the next morning, not only would he have watched ‘Black Swan’ but, like, every Darren Aronofsky movie. He’d be quoting from his student films.”

Johnson is also one game shy of a perfect 16-for-16 game season scoring double-digit fantasy points in each

Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins: Though he padded his stats during overtime, the result was impressive nevertheless, as Ajayi tallied at least 200 rushing yards for the third time this season, becoming only the fourth player in history to have that many games in a single year (Earl Campbell 4, Tiki Barber 3, O.J. Simpson 3), per ESPN Stats & Information. The result was 26 fantasy points, the third-highest score in his career, with the two higher scores coming Authentic Mens Max Pacioretty USA Jersey in his other games with at least 200 yards rushing: 32 in Week 6, 27 in Week 7. Ajayi was started in 79.8 percent of ESPN leagues Saturday, 13th-most among running backs.

Sammy Watkins, WR, Bills: What Kids Chance Warmack Jersey a way to try to salvage a season largely lost to a foot injury. On Saturday, Watkins scored 21 fantasy points, his season-high and tied for the fifth-best output of his three-year, 36-game career. He was started in just 24.1 percent of ESPN leagues.

Ty Montgomery, WR/RB, Packers: After setting a new personal best with 28 fantasy points in Week 15, Montgomery was held to a quiet three fantasy points Saturday. His was an example of the reactionary nature of many owners; his 72.6 start percentage set a new career-high, after he was active in just 33.6 percent of ESPN leagues last week.

DeMarco Murray, RB, Titans: He picked a bad week to post his season-low in fantasy points (five), letting down owners in the 98.5 percent of ESPN leagues in which he was active (fifth-highest among running backs). In all likelihood, Murray will finish outside the top 25 in scoring at the position — 20 running backs had already outscored him as of 5 p.m. ET Saturday — which would snap his streak of 14 consecutive games ranked within the top 25 weekly scorers to begin the season. That leaves only Ezekiel Elliott (plays on Monday Night Football) and David Johnson as running backs who have been top-25 scorers every week.