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Geregistreerd op: 04 Jul 2019
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 Geplaatst: 25-12-2019 07:01:55 Onderwerp: per Bowl, Sharpe |
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| LATROBE, Pa. - LeVeon Bell kept watching the tape over and over, equal parts pleased and puzzled by what he saw. There were times during his rookie season when the Pittsburgh Steelers running back would place his hand on an offensive linemans back and wait patiently for the hole to open. Sometimes, one would appear. Sometimes it wouldnt, mainly because whatever sliver of daylight existed had already been swallowed by darkness while Bell was still trying to read the blocks in front of him. Guess which plays kept eating away at him during the off-season? Not the ones that turned into one of his eight rushing touchdowns during a record-breaking year he grudgingly gives a "C-plus." "At the time, I thought I was doing pretty good," Bell said. "Then when I started breaking it down, I realized I wasnt doing what I thought I could." So Bell spent the spring focusing on his footwork to avoid the mincing steps that hes certain cost him valuable yardage a year ago. His Instagram feed is peppered with video of the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Bell doing his best "Dancing With the Stars" impersonation. During one he jabs his way through four octagons, does a pair of 360-degree spins around yellow cones then nimbly races over rope placed about 6 inches off the ground. The goal is to avoid outstretched hands from fallen defenders while also developing a more aggressive style. "Its definitely going to help me with my burst and my explosion coming out of cuts," Blount said. It might be the one thing that was missing during an otherwise productive 2013 in which his 1,259 all-purpose yards broke the club rookie record set by Hall of Famer Franco Harris more than 40 years ago. Bell proved to be a workhorse after missing the first three weeks with a foot injury, averaging more than 22 touches in 13 games. Problem is, too often those touches didnt go anywhere. His 3.5 yards per carry ranked 38th in the league. Part of the blame goes to an injury-ravaged offensive line that didnt really find its footing until late in the season. Yet Bell allows he also missed plenty of opportunities to make something happen because he waited too long to get going. "If I could have got my feet down quicker, I could have gotten a lot more yards," he said. "When its third-and-1, youve got to go get it. If its a first-and-10 run, take your time run, let the play develop and get what you can. " The Steelers will be asking for more from Bell in 2014 in hopes of taking some of the pressure off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh hasnt had a 1,000-yard rusher since Rashard Mendenhall ran for 1,273 yards in 2010 while helping the franchise to its eighth Super Bowl. The past three seasons have seen a steady decline in production on the ground. The Steelers finished tied for 27th in yards rushing last year, a number they believe needs to go up. Though Roethlisberger expects to be more effective while expanding the shotgun-heavy no huddle offence that worked so well during a 6-2 finish to 2013, Bell knows some of that production needs to come when the quarterback takes the snap, turns to Bell and gets out of the way. "I think this year is going to be more open," Bell said. "Guys are going to be doing more different things. I cant wait to see what this offence can do." Even if he finds himself watching from the sideline. Bell became firmly entrenched as the starter a year ago as Jonathan Dwyer, Isaac Redman and Felix Jones struggled to stay healthy or productive. Hes still atop the depth chart, but hell be pushed by free agent signee LeGarrette Blount. The Steelers signed the burly Blount to a one-year contract during the spring after Blount ran for 772 yards (and a whopping 5.0 average) for the Patriots last year. Bell insists hes not looking over his shoulder. "I love coming in and competing, getting my work in," he said. "Last year for the Patriots I felt like (Blount) was the best runner over there watching on film. Im glad we got him, Im not arguing over it ... hes a guy that is going to help us win." Saints Jerseys China .com) - Wayne Simmonds, Scott Laughton and Jakub Voracek each posted a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-1, on Saturday. Fake Saints Jerseys .com) - DAngelo Harrison posted 21 points to guide No. https://www.saintsjerseyssale.com/ .com) - The NBA will be on display overseas Thursday with the New York Knicks taking on the Milwaukee Bucks at O2 Arena in London. New Orleans Saints Store . -- When Steve Blake checked in at the scorers table with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter, Stephen Curry shook his head and shouted across the court, asking Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson not to take him out. New Orleans Saints Gear .The McLaren MP4-30 was launched on Thursday, with chief executive Ron Dennis saying it marks the start of a lengthy journey back to winning grands prix and eventually world championships.McLaren, which hasnt won a grand prix since 2012, will be using Honda engines for the first time since 1992, and has signed two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to partner Jenson Button for the upcoming season.Richard Sherman gave Tom Brady an earful and trolled him on Twitter a few years ago.Now the All-Pro cornerback says the star quarterback isnt really a choir boy.Sherman vs. Brady. Jeremy Lane vs. Rob Gronkowksi. Doug Baldwin vs. the world.This Super Bowl between the New England Patriots (14-4) and Seattle Seahawks (14-4) will feature some epic yapping from some of the best trash-talkers in the NFL.I think people get a skewed view of Tom Brady, that hes just a clean-cut, does-everything-right (guy), and never says a bad word to anyone, and we know him to be otherwise, Sherman said.Sherman said he dared Brady to throw his way during Seattles 24-23 win over New England in 2012. He didnt like the three-time Super Bowl champions response.He was pretty much saying that we were nobodies and that we should come up to him after they get the win, Sherman said.Sherman intercepted one of Bradys passes in that game and got in his face after Seattle rallied to win on Russell Wilsons touchdown pass to Sidney Rice in the fourth quarter.Sherman then posted a picture of the confrontation on Twitter with the caption: U mad bro?In that moment of him being himself, he said some things and we returned the favour, Sherman explained. Unfortunately, he apparently didnt remember what he said.Brady was too busy talking about deflated footballs to fire back this week. But hell get plenty of chances in Arizona before the teams meet next Sunday.I just thought he came up and said, Good game. So that was all a bit of a surprise to me, Brady said about Shermans postgame taunting in 2012.Brady doesnt back down from anybody and is quite animated during games so expect to see these two go back-and-forth in the Super Bowl.It also will be interesting to see if Gronkowski tries to bounce Lane after the slot cornerback dissed the All-Pro tight end.I actually dont think hes that good, Lane said Thursday.Those are fightin words for Gronkowski. When Sergio Brown riled him up in November, Gronkowski tossed aside the Colts safety and joked that he threw him out of the club because he was talking too much.Then theres Baldwin, the wide receiver known as Angry Doug to teammates.Baldwin launched into a tirade directed at reporters after Seattles overtime win over Green BBay in the NFC championship game.dddddddddddd Baldwin claimed the media counted the Seahawks out when they were 3-3 and also took a shot at Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who criticized Seattles receivers.Here are some of the best trash-talking moments from past Super Bowls:JOE NAMATH: Broadway Joe guaranteed the underdog New York Jets would beat the Baltimore Colts in the third Super Bowl. The Colts were 18-point favourites against the Jets, but Namath made his bold prediction three days before the game. Namath backed up his declaration, leading the Jets to a 16-7 victory.LYLE ALZADO: The intense defensive end was one of the NFLs wilder personalities. Alzado tried to intimidate opponents and often backed up his brash talk. Before the Los Angeles Raiders played the Washington Redskins in the 1984 Super Bowl, Alzado said: Im gonna take off Joe Theismanns head. Alzado didnt get any of the six sacks on Theismann, but his Raiders beat the Redskins 38-9.THOMAS HOLLYWOOD HENDERSON: The flamboyant linebacker known for his self-promotion caused a stir before the Dallas Cowboys played the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1979 Super Bowl. Henderson questioned Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaws intelligence: Bradshaw couldnt spell cat if you spotted him the c and the a Henderson said. Bradshaw got the last laugh, leading the Steelers to a 35-31 win.SHANNON SHARPE: The Hall of Fame tight end never stopped yapping throughout his career. After Atlanta Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanon said Sharpe looked like a horse before the 1999 Super Bowl, Sharpe responded: Now I know he aint talkin with them big teeth in his mouth. I think hes ugly. Sharpe had just two catches, but his Denver Broncos beat Atlanta 34-19.JERRY JONES: On a team with notorious trash-talkers Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders, the Dallas Cowboys owner irked some of the Pittsburgh Steelers before the 1996 Super Bowl when he said: Nothing against the Steelers, but we are the better team. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Irvin and Sanders made sure Jones didnt eat crow. The Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-17, handing Pittsburgh its first loss in a Super Bowl after starting 4-0.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org___Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_RobMaaddi ' ' ' |
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