Allgemein » a no-go at cornerback against New York and is lis

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Drew Brees wore a uniform -- and even eye black -- but never played. Ryan Tannehill also watched from the sideline, laughing at the Kiss Cam when it showed during a timeout on the scoreboard video screen. The final preseason game for the Saints and Dolphins was for reserves, and Miami third-string quarterback Pat Devlin rallied his team to a 24-21 victory Thursday night. Devlin threw for 259 yards, including a 56-yard pass to Marvin McNutt on fourth-and-4 with 3:02 left for the winning score. "A lot of games in this league are decided inside five minutes," coach Joe Philbin said. "It was nice to see our guys step up and make some plays." Many of the players who took part will be out of work by Saturday, when teams must reach their 53-man roster limit. The fans knew it, which is why the stadium was two-thirds empty for the wrapup to the exhibition season. "Youre glad its over," Saints backup quarterback Luke McCown said. "The hays in the barn. Now its time to get down to what really matters." The Saints (3-1) open the season Sept. 8 against Atlanta eager to rebound from a 2012 season that went wrong from the start following their bounty scandal. The Dolphins (2-3) open at Cleveland the same day, hoping to end a streak of four consecutive losing seasons. Philbin said the Dolphins are better than a year ago, when they went 7-9 in his first season as an NFL head coach. "We had an excellent training camp," he said. "Weve covered a lot of ground and a ton of different situations." By the start of the season, the final exhibition game will be long forgotten. A neutral zone infraction by the New Orleans defence on the first play signalled the quality of what was to come. The game was the Saints first in Miami since they beat Indianapolis in the Super Bowl four years ago, but this New Orleans team bore little resemblance to that one. The only first-teamers to start were receiver Marques Colston and centre Brian de la Puente. McCown played one series, directing a 14-play touchdown drive, and went 4 for 7 for 44 yards. Ryan Griffin, an undrafted rookie, went 15 for 31 for 198 yards and one interception to end the Saints final scoring threat. Undrafted rookie Khiry Robinson ran for 115 yards in 22 carries and caught six passes for 50 yards, while Mark Ingram scored on an 8-yard touchdown run. Both lost a fumble. New Orleans had four turnovers and committed 11 penalties. "We did some good things, but we killed ourselves in a lot of ways," Ingram said. "We have to clean that up. Weve got to take care of the ball." Robinson said he didnt know whether he helped his chances of making the team. "Im just waiting to see whats going to happen, waiting and praying," he said. "I went out there and gave it all I had. Its a numbers game. You never know." Right guard John Jerry was the only Miami first-teamer to start. Devlin, just hoping to make the roster, went 22 for 38 with two touchdowns and two interceptions. "Pat has an excellent mastery of the system," Philbin said. "He has very good poise, and he stepped up and made a play when we had to have one." McNutt caught four passes for 99 yards. Hes also battling for a spot on the roster. "I dont know what theyre thinking," McNutt said. "You just have to pray for the best." Rishard Matthews helped his chances of winning the No. 4 receiving job by making three catches for 37 yards. Rookie Dion Sims, who is challenging Charles Clay for playing time at tight end, caught four passes for 36 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown. Rookie Mike Gillislee ran for 47 yards in 14 carries. Rookie kicker Caleb Sturgis, who won a job in training camp, went 3 for 3 on field goals and finished 9 for 9 in preseason. Top draft pick Dion Jordan missed his third consecutive game because of a lingering shoulder injury but said he hopes to play in the opener. "Its really testing my patience," said. "Its a hill to climb. Im climbing that hill." Notes: The Saints had 24 first downs and outgained Miami 417-289. ... The Dolphins had fewer penalties than their opponents in every exhibition game. Yan Gomes Jersey .com) - Chris Kreider tallied a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers capped a successful California road trip with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Roenis Elias Jersey . Catch the game on TSN starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. Tampa Bay currently holds the last of the Atlantics three automatic bids to the playoffs, but the Maple Leafs are just one point behind. https://www.cheapnationals.com/ . Speaking on TSN Radio 1050s TSN Drive with Dave Naylor on Monday, Colangelo said he had no intention of tanking the shortened 2011-12 season, but definitely wanted a high pick in the draft. "I wish that word wasnt used for headline reasons," said Colangelo, "but the story behind it was: how can we fix the system? How can we tweak the system to make it less likely that teams are rewarded for losing records? "I do believe that if youre as transparent as we were at the time - with our season seat holders, our fans, the market place and the media - everybody knew what the plan was and what we were going through. Jayson Werth Nationals Jersey . According to various reports, the striker is about to sign a five-and-a-half year extension with Manchester United worth a reported 300,000 pounds a week that would see him at Old Trafford until 2019. Joe Ross Jersey . At quarterback, all agree that Andy Dalton has been a wonderful surprise, but to truly progress he has to play his best in the playoffs. The two losses in the wildcard rounds keep the evaluation on Dalton open -- just like it did for Peyton Manning many years ago and Matt Ryan until last year.(SportsNetwork.com) - Oh, to be in the NFC South in 2014. If the Baltimore Ravens could jump regions and conferences prior to Week 14s slate of games, theyd head to Miamis Sun Life Stadium on Sunday with a comfortable two-game lead and at least one eye toward finalizing arrangements for a home playoff game in early January. Instead, the trip to South Florida - given the jumbled competitive reality that is the AFC this year - is far more in the class of full-on business desperation than leisurely holiday comfort. The Ravens and Dolphins are two of six conference teams with 7-5 records through 12 games, which means their get-together takes on particular urgency as the seasons final quarter gets under way. Baltimore seemed destined for a more stable 8-4 record and a firm hold on playoff destiny heading into the fourth quarter last week, but instead saw a 10-point lead evaporate into a 34-33 loss to San Diego. It was a second straight prolific performance for an opposing quarterback, with Philip Rivers amassing 383 yards and three touchdown passes just six days after Drew Brees threw for 420 yards and three scores in a game the Ravens ultimately won, 34-27, at New Orleans. Ravens QB Joe Flacco had two TD passes last week before the late meltdown. Miami enters the game with just 27 completions of more than 20 yards and just one TD pass of that length, but Baltimore coach John Harbaugh isnt lessening the emphasis on secondary performance. Weve got to make some plays, he said. Thats really what it boils down to. The return of starting cornerback Asa Jackson from an injured toe could help. The third-year man last played in Week 5 before being placed on the returnable injured reserve list. He had 16 tackles and a pass deflection in early season action before the hiatus. The loss of Pro Bowl defensive lineman Haloti Ngata certainly wont help. Ngata was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the leagues policy on performance-enhancing substances Thursday. Ngata said he took Adderall and apologized for the transgression that will keep him out of Baltimores remaining four games of the regular season. I made a mistake, and I own this, said Ngata in a statement Thursday. I took Adderall and take full responsibility for doing this. I am deeply sorry and broken up over this. I let down my family, my teammates, Ravens fans and myself. My hope is that the Ravens make the playoffs, and I believe they can do this. And, then I can come back and help us win. Ngata, in his ninth season with the Ravens, is the center of Baltimores defense as the prominent run stopper in the clubs 3-4 scheme. He has 31 tackles with two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in 12 games this season. This is disappointing news for the Ravens, said general manager Ozzie Newsome. We are disappointed with Haloti, but no more than he is with himself. The Dolphins defeated the New York Jets on Monday to improve to 7-5, but theyve allowed better than 200 rushing yards to two consecutive opponents for the first time in 24 years. Coincidentally, the Ravens backfield is occupied by Justin Forsett, who leads the NFL with a 5.6-yard average per carry and has gained 400 yards whhile scoring four times in Baltimores last three games.dddddddddddd Flacco has four passing TDs and no interceptions in the same three-game stretch, and Baltimore for the season is sixth in the league with an average of 27.3 points per game. Its hard to overload the box because they have those threats on the perimeter, Miami coach Joe Philbin said. I think the key for them has been balance. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed just 21 of 40 passes in a three- point home loss to the Ravens in 2013, but hes been among the hottest QBs in the league lately - completing at least 70 percent of his throws in five consecutive games. The last two passers with six-game runs of 70 percent or better were named Favre (in 2007) and Manning (Peyton, in 2008 and 2012). Tannehill was 25-for-35 for 235 yards against the Jets. Their offense is a spread-option type of an offense that Tannehill runs very effectively - a lot of weapons, Harbaugh said. They spread the ball out, they spread the formations out, they run the read option, they run the dive, quarterback keepers, quarterback-follow plays. Miami, which is tied with Buffalo in the AFC East - two games behind New England - faces the Patriots next week before finishing with Minnesota and a home rematch with the Jets. The Dolphins last made the playoffs in 2008. Weve talked to them more about the month of December and the importance of each and every game in December, Philbin said. This one that we have coming up, Baltimore, both on paper and on film, is as good as team as weve seen. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Elvis is in the Backfield Baltimore pass rusher Elvis Dumervil has 12 1/2 sacks in 2014 and was a chronic thorn in Rivers side last week, forcing three hurries and hitting the San Diego QB twice. Right tackle Dallas Thomas draws the assignment against him after allowing three pressures, but no sacks, in Mondays defeat of the Jets. Thomas could be aided by Tannehills ability to throw while moving away from rushers. Beating the Replacement Miamis Cortland Finnegan was a no-go at cornerback against New York and is listed as questionable for this week. If hes again unable to play, or less than 100 percent, it tilts a matchup in the favor of Ravens veteran Steve Smith. R.J. Stanford started in Finnegans place Monday, but hell be much more challenged by Flacco and Smith than he was by the Jets tandem of Geno Smith and Eric Decker. OVERALL ANALYSIS Though the Dolphins have won five of their last eight games - and only dropped the other three by a combined 10 points - a noticeable theme across 12 games is that theyve feasted on lesser foes, and struggled with better ones. The five losses have all come against teams with at least seven wins, while the seven wins include Jacksonville, Oakland and the Jets. Baltimore is good, and matches up well. We have a huge game down in Miami, Harbaugh said. There will a lot on the line and theyll be ready and theyre good. Well have a great opportunity to make a move. Its going to be very competitive (and) down to the wire to make the playoffs, to win the division, and we are in the thick of it. Sports Network predicted outcome: Ravens 28, Dolphins 27 ' ' '