2014-10-25

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. Womens Bruce Smith Elite Jersey . -- Falcons running back Steven Jackson, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, is expected to practice on Wednesday. The news raised hopes around the practice facility that he will play this week at Arizona. But coach Smith cautiously hedged, saying Monday the Falcons "anticipate" Jackson will return to the teams first practice of the week. The running back has been held out since pulling the hamstring on Sept. 15 against the Rams. Smith said Jackson will be watched closely, especially on Wednesday. "This is all based on what the doctor will say in terms of how much he will participate in practice as we go through the week," Smith said. "When we left out of here on Friday, everything was very good in terms of his testing and the opportunity to return to play. "We are anticipating well get him in and well see how he handles it. Youve got to go in and take it one day at a time when youre coming back from an injury. Obviously youre not going to go out there and have him participate fully in a practice the first day hes back." Smith said adjustments and corrections made during the bye week played a big role in Atlantas 31-23 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday. Smith said he and his staff spent the bye week "looking at everything we do" before the Falcons ended their three-game losing streak. "A number of things we did during the bye week I think paid dividends," he said. Some of the biggest changes were on defence, including a deeper rotation on the defensive front with rookie defensive ends Stansly Maponga and Malliciah Goodman added to the mix. Maponga was limited in training camp while recovering from ankle surgery. The Falcons used the bye week to add depth to the defensive line rotation. "I thought it worked very well for us," Smith said. "We had much better pressure. We were able to sack the quarterback three times. We had opportunities for a couple other plays, but I thought it was nice to see some of the younger guys stepping up." Also, rookie cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford had new roles with Trufant playing the nickel back and Alford moving outside in passing situations. Smith said the Falcons also wanted to play more of an attacking style on defence. The more aggressive style showed when safeties William Moore and Thomas DeCoud each blitzed on Tampa Bays second play of the game. Moore sacked quarterback Mike Glennon, forcing a fumble, and DeCoud returned the recovery 30 yards for a touchdown. Defensive co-ordinator Mike Nolan moved to the field from the press box level for the game so he could have better communication with the players, including the two-safety blitz which produced the defensive touchdown. "It was a great play call by coach Nolan," Moore said. "He called it and we executed it perfectly and got a big turnover." The offence also made some changes. Darius Johnson was promoted from the practice squad to add depth at receiver following Julio Jones season-ending foot injury and Roddy Whites hamstring and ankle injuries. White was inactive for the first time in his nine-year career. Johnson had two catches and Drew Davis had a 24-yard catch, his first of the season. Harry Douglas led Atlanta with seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. Smith wouldnt update Whites status on Monday. Jacksons return could provide another boost for the Falcons (2-4), who managed only 18 yards rushing against the Buccaneers. Jackson, 30, signed a three-year, $12 million deal with Atlanta after posting eight straight seasons with more than 1,000 yards rushing at St. Louis. Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling have shared the carries the last four games. Rodgers caught two touchdown passes from Matt Ryan but neither had success running the ball against the Buccaneers. The Falcons biggest gain on the ground was only seven yards. The good news was Ryan was not sacked while completing 20 of 26 passes for 273 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. "I thought our pass protection probably was as good as it has been all season long," Smith said. "Obviously we have to do better running the football." Custom Buccaneers Jersey . 23. Launched last month in both High Definition (HD) and standard definition (SD), RDS2 delivers more than 1,500 hours of live and exclusive major league sports action each year. In addition to being available on Vidéotron, carriage of RDS2 has already been launched by Bell TV and Shaw Direct (see below for channel listings). Mens Autographed Tom Brady Elite White Jersey .C. United is parting ways with Canadian international Dwayne De Rosario after declining to pick up its option on the 2011 Major League Soccer player of the year. http://www.billsproshop.us.com/Womens-Aaron-Williams-Authentic-Jersey/ . "I didnt really understand the magnitude of what it meant until that moment: skating out there in front of 19-20,000 people, flags flying everywhere," Nieuwendyk said. "It was a special feeling. Womens Randall Cobb Elite Jersey . CC Sabathia pitched six innings in the start for the Yankees, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out seven. The New York bullpen shut down the Tigers from there, tossing three perfect frames. cheap jerseys from china . -- Brian Unk shot a final round of 5-under 65 Sunday to finish one shot ahead of Calgarys Wes Heffernan and win his second Canadian Tour Seaforth Country Classic title.INDIANAPOLIS -- Dan Wheldons friends shed a few tears and shared lots of laughs Sunday. Some couldnt even bear to say goodbye a week after the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner was killed in a fiery crash at Las Vegas. The 87-minute memorial service was a fitting tribute to Wheldons life, with former teammates and bosses providing dozens of stories about the roles Wheldon played -- fierce competitor on the track, comedian off of it and loving father and husband. "At first Dan was pretty much the little brother we didnt want," four-time IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti said drawing laughter before pausing to collect his thoughts. "And now wed do anything to have him back. Well miss you D.W." With an estimated crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 filling Conseco Fieldhouse, it was a shared sentiment on yet another dark day in the racing world. Hundreds of fans signed two large banners that will be given to Wheldons wife, Susie, who attended the ceremony but did not speak. Some of the communitys most prominent organizations -- the Colts, Pacers, Indianapolis 500 Festival and Indiana General Assembly Motorsports Caucus -- sent floral arrangements. A few fans wore Wheldon No. 4 shirts from his days with Panther Racing, and others delivered flowers, contributed to the family trust fund or dropped off personal mementoes. "Thank you for the many wonderful memories," Rebecca Nix wrote on a folded flag with a photo of Wheldon pinned to it. The day was full of emotion -- from the moment of silence organizers observed in honour of MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, who was killed Sunday in a crash at Malaysia, right down to Garth Brooks final song, "The Dance." But after touching eulogies from IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard and Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and CEO Jeff Belskus, most speakers interspersed light-hearted moments from Wheldons life with sombre farewells because they said thats how Wheldon would have wanted it. Tony Kanaan, the 2004 series champion and one of Wheldons closest friends, recounted the pranks he, Franchitti and Bryan Herta pulled on Wheldon when the four were teammates with Michael Andrettis team. He remembered stealing the left shoe from each of Wheldons pairs in Japan and shipping them back to the U.S., the time they threw everything out of the self-proclaimed neat-freaks tidy locker and then had to help him clean it up and the countless times they joked about Wheldons "tight" racing suit. From his supply of hair products to his boy-band looks, the teammates teased Wheldon mercilessly. And everybody had some sort of funny story. Panther Racings Mike Kitchel recalled the "phone-stealing" game often played with the public relations staff. Wheldon would take the staffs cellphones and send messages to someone from the contact list, setting up meetings, lunches or worse. Business manager Mickey Ryan called Wheldon the Imelda Marcos of race-car drivers. But in the end, everyone was emotional. "Our time together is not over. We have our friends, we have our memories, and one day well be together again," Kanaan said. Corey White Womens Jersey Elite. "It is for this reason that Im not saying goodbye because goodbye is final. So today, I say see you later." Some of the sports biggest names attended the service. In addition to Franchitti, Kanaan and Herta were current drivers Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal; former IndyCar star Sam Hornish Jr. and three-time Indy winner Johnny Rutherford. Team owners John Barnes, Sarah Fisher and Roger Penske and speedway chairwoman Mari Hulman George also were in the crowd. So were a handful of National Guard members, the people Wheldon represented while driving for Barnes Panther Racing team. None of them spoke during a service that included a photo collage of Wheldons greatest moments in racing -- from his racing days as a child to the moment he kissed Indys famed yard of bricks as his two-year-old Sebastian sat next to him. Wheldons father and Wheldons siblings also sent a videotaped message thanking fans for their support. Country music star Reba McEntire and The Band Perry also performed during the service. The stage was decorated with a Borg-Warner Trophy and a winners wreath from the 500, two bottles of milk, symbolic of his two Indy wins, and Wheldons 2005 points championship trophy. Mike Hull, managing director for Target Chip Ganassi, brought his own prop -- a pair of sunglasses to mimic Wheldons trademark look around the track. Everybody laughed. "This guy was in the middle of everything we were doing at Chip Ganassi Racing," said Hull, Wheldons boss when he left Andrettis team. "I had never, up to that point, been around someone like Dan Wheldon." On the track, Wheldon was a hard-nosed racer with a penchant for finding his way to the front. Wheldon began driving go-karts as a four-year-old, and racing stayed with him as he attended school in England as a child, winning eight British national titles along the way. He moved to the United States in 1999, quickly trying to find sponsor money to fund his dream, and by 2002 -- after stints in some lower-profile open-wheel series, such as the F2000 championship, Toyota Atlantic Series and IndyLights -- he was on the IndyCar grid for the first time. By 2005, he was not only the funniest driver on the circuit but the most dominant. He won his first Indy that year, giving Michael Andretti his first victory lap around the famed Brickyard, and later went on to win the points championship. But over the years, Wheldon grew up in front of everyone. After winning his first Indy, his business managers said, Wheldon partied until 4 a.m. After becoming the 18th two-time winner in May, he reserved the celebration for his wife and two young sons. And thats how most in the racing community will remember Wheldon. "Dans legacy on and off the track lives on in each one of us and we should remember that," Herta said. "God bless you Danny and thank you. We all appreciate it. ' ' '

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