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Geregistreerd op: 05 Nov 2016 Berichten: 208
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PITTSBURGH -- The chip is still there, Lance Moore insists, just as weighty and sharp as ever. Phillip Gaines Chiefs Jersey . Eight years in the NFL and a Super Bowl ring have done little to make the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver forget his modest roots. He can still rattle off the name of the players who beat him out for a job with the Cleveland Browns during his first training camp nearly a decade ago even though he was a long-shot undrafted free agent at the time. Most of them are long gone. Not Moore. Hes still around, still trying to prove himself, still nervous he could find himself out of a job at any minute. "I dont know if I ever really let myself get comfortable," Moore said. Even if Moore spent eight productive seasons helping Drew Brees and Sean Payton turn the New Orleans Saints into one of the NFLs most consistent winners. On a team of undersized and underappreciated talent, the 5-foot-9 Moore found a home. He caught 38 touchdown passes in 101 games with New Orleans, morphing from special teams ace to indispensable red zone target. Until, of course, the math got in the way. A hand injury limited Moore to just 37 receptions and two scores in 2013. Knowing he was owed $3.8 million in 2014, Moore wasnt surprised when the Saints cut him loose this spring. "Thats how it goes in this game," Moore said. "A lot of teams are trying to get younger and cheaper at the same time." Moore turns 31 in August. He understands hes well into the second half of an NFL journey that is already longer than he ever anticipated. Yet there is something about the opportunity with the Steelers that intrigues him. Maybe its because playing slot receiver in Pittsburgh is like discovering the NFLs fountain of youth. Hines Ward was effective well into the final days of his 14-year career before retiring in 2012. He was replaced by Jerricho Cotchery, who scored a remarkable 10 touchdowns for the Steelers in 2013 at age 31. Cotchery turned all those scores into a lucrative contract with Carolina. Enter Moore, who lacks Cotcherys size and Wards tenacious blocking skills but makes up for it with what he describes as "football savvy." "Ive been little for a long time," Moore said. "I am not getting any bigger. I am 30 years old. I am happy in this body. I feel like I have made a lot of plays and will continue to do that." Its exactly what the Steelers had in mind when they signed Moore to a two-year deal in March, an agreement that came with more than a little help from backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who spent four years rooming with Moore when the two played at Toledo. Gradkowski started calling Pittsburgh coaches about Moore the second his good friend was released by New Orleans. It didnt take long for something to get done. Moore wasnt about to sit around and wait for a more lucrative offer than the one that will pay him a total of $3 million if he makes it through the 2015 season. "You look at this franchise, what it stands for and you know theyre about winning," Moore said. "You get a chance to play with somebody like (quarterback) Ben (Roethlisberger) and you dont turn it down." It hasnt taken long for Moore to win over Roethlisberger, who called his newest target "a pro" who hasnt needed much time to pick up the nuances of an offence that is reshaping itself, particularly at wide receiver. Pro Bowler Antonio Brown is the units unquestioned leader, but the departure of Cotchery and Emmanuel Sanders a year after Mike Wallace bolted for Miami has spearheaded a youth movement. The list of players jockeying for position with Moore include second-year players Justin Brown and Markus Wheaton and rookie Martavis Bryant. Moore admits its a little weird being the old guy in meeting rooms. Hes nearly five years Browns senior and will be one of only three players in their 30s among Pittsburghs offensive regulars, joining Roethlisberger and tight end Heath Miller. It could be worse. Moore couldnt be here at all. If this is the beginning of the end, hell take it. Hes close to his boyhood home in Ohio on a team expecting to win after a pair of mediocre 8-8 seasons. His new team expects to play a lot like its new wide receiver: with a chip that likely wont go away anytime soon. "Youve got to keep that," Moore said. "In this league, that can make the difference." Marcus Peters Chiefs Jersey . Johansen scored twice and Derek MacKenzie, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson also had goals to lead the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing skid. Ron Parker Chiefs Jersey . Since coming to the big leagues in late May, La Stella is 6 for 7 with the bases loaded, driving in 13 runs in those at-bats. http://www.prochiefsauthentic.com/Youth-Kyler-Fackrell-Elite-Jersey/ . The biggest collapse in franchise history was a long time ago, and he was too busy trying to make sure it didnt happen again.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard couldnt believe when he got a clear look at the rim. With the final buzzer about to sound, he took his shot. "I got my feet squared up and it felt real good leaving my hands," Portlands point guard said. "Once I saw it on line, I said, Thats got a chance." Lillards shot fell and the Trail Blazers stunned the Houston Rockets 99-98 to take their playoff series in six games and advance to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time in 14 years. In the frenzied postgame celebration, Lillard took the public address microphone and shouted "Rip City!" The hometown crowd roared. Portland, making its first playoff appearance since 2011, had been eliminated in the first round in its last six trips, and hadnt advanced to the second round since 2000. "Its a great feeling," said fellow guard Wesley Matthews. "Im excited for Portland, of course excited for us. The grind of the season: Youre a competitor, you want to win, you want to play, you want to advance, you want to be a champion. ... Its unbelievable." Dwight Howard made four consecutive free throws to tie the game at 91 before making a bank shot that put Houston ahead with 3:04 to go. Robin Lopez scored on a tip shot to give the Blazers a 94-93 lead with 2:15 left, setting up a wild finish. Howards layup and foul shot put the Rockets back up 96-94 before Nicolas Batums fadeaway jumper tied it again with 39.9 seconds left. Chandler Parsons scored on a reverse layup with 0.9 seconds left to give Houston the lead. Lillard prevented the series from going back to Houston with his 3-pointer as time ran out. He finished with 25 points. The Trail Blazers said Lillard is the first player to make a buzzer-beating shot to win a playoff series since John Stocktons 3 that led Utah over Houston in 1997s Western Conference finals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. "He made a hell of a shot," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said of Lillard. Portland will face the winner of the series between San Antonio and Dallas. The Mavericks forced a deciding Game 7 with a 113-111 victory over the Spurs on Friday night. There are five first-round playoff series that have gone to seven games. Eric Berry Chiefs Jersey. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 30 points and 13 rebounds. He averaged 29.8 points during the series. After losing the opening two games in Houston, then claiming one of a pair in Portland, the Rockets staved off elimination with a 108-98 victory on Wednesday night to narrow Portlands advantage in the series to 3-2. Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Jeremy Lin redeemed himself from a poor performance in Game 4 with 21 points off the bench. James Harden led the Rockets on Friday night with 34 points. Howard had 26 points and 11 rebounds as Houston -- which earned the nickname "Clutch City" back in the mid-1990s when the team won back-to-back NBA championships -- failed to become the ninth team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series and advance. "It hurts," Howard said. "When you put everything youve got on the floor and somebody hits you with a dagger like that, its a tough pill to swallow." After Lillards 3, Howard went over to congratulate his friend and told him he was proud of him and to go win the title. Aldridge helped the Blazers steal the first two games in Houston, scoring 46 points in a 122-120 overtime Game 1 win, then 43 in a 112-105 victory. The Rockets claimed the first of two in Portland, 121-116 in overtime, led by Harden with 37 points. The series third OT game ended in a 123-120 Blazers win. Aldridge gave the Rockets credit for making the Blazers better. "We felt like they definitely helped us grow. Were so young in the playoffs, but they definitely helped us grow and we feel we should be better for the next round," Aldridge said. "Were happy now, but were not satisfied." NOTES: The Blazers honoured former coach Jack Ramsay, who led the team to its lone NBA championship in 1977, in a moving pregame ceremony. Ramsay died Monday after a long battle with cancer in Florida. ... A fan at the game held a sign reading: "Play like its 1977." ... Lillard has multiple 3-pointers in six straight playoff games, a franchise record. ... It was the first time that the Blazers had defeated Houston in the post-season after three previous meetings. Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' ' |
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