Forum » showed like they belonged in the

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The New York Jets issues at cornerback this season could be summed up with one look at the guys who finished the game last Sunday.Marcus Williams and Josh Thomas.Wait, who? Well, exactly.One — Williams — was signed off the practice squad five days before the Jets played at Kansas City. The other — Thomas — was signed a month ago as a free agent and made his Jets debut against the Chiefs. Its not exactly Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie patrolling the secondary, as coach Rex Ryan had back there for a few years.Its also one of the biggest criticisms of general manager John Idzik, that he didnt sufficiently bolster the cornerback spot through free agency and the draft.Last week, defensive co-ordinator Dennis Thurman half-jokingly — maybe — said: I know a couple of their numbers.And, just when the Jets didnt think things could get worse, Ben Roethlisberger, coming off two straight games with six touchdown passes, is coming to town with the Pittsburgh Steelers.Scary doesnt come to mind, Ryan said Thursday when asked of the task his secondary is facing. Yeah, youre concerned, but its more about what youre facing. The guys we have in the building, theres some good players over there that we have and its the collective effort of all 11. It doesnt just fall on whos playing right corner or left corner.We have some guys that can play. They all can play.And, they all have. Ryan and Thurman have used several combinations at cornerback throughout the season because of injuries, inconsistency or ineffectiveness. Ryan also acknowledged that he has played much more zone coverage than man-to-man, which is usually a constant with his defences.When Dee Milliner went down with a high ankle sprain during training camp and third-round draft pick Dexter McDougle was lost for the season with a knee injury, safety Antonio Allen was switched to cornerback in what was called an experiment by Thurman.It lasted more than halfway through the season.Milliner was lost for the year with a torn right Achilles tendon and free-agent addition Dimitri Patterson was cut after he was first suspended for an unexcused absence before a preseason game. So, Allen ended up starting opposite Darrin Walls on opening day. After weeks of struggles, though, Ryan hinted that Allen might be moving back to safety for the rest of the season.You can complain about it or you could just be quiet and go to work as usual, Allen said. Thats what I came and did. I did my best. I probably gave up a touchdown every game but, hey, that was the sacrifice that I was willing to give up.Its difficult to blame Allen, who showed promise last season at safety before being forced into the position switch.He has tried to do everything that we have asked him to do, Thurman said.Ryan acknowledged that the Jets held an in-season competition at cornerback last week, with the reward being playing time. Williams, despite being a newcomer, outperformed everyone and earned the start. The undrafted rookie out of North Dakota State spent the first month of the season on Houstons practice squad, was released at the end of September — and is now looking at potentially making his second straight start for the Jets.He has picked up the defence fairly well, Thurman said. He has had a couple of breakdowns, but for the most part he went out and competed and I thought he fared pretty well for his first start. Well give him more playing time.But it remains to be seen who might be on the opposite side of Williams. It appears Walls, dealing with a calf issue, wont play for the second consecutive game.So, it could be Philip Adams, who has started one other game at cornerback and has the Jets only interception this season. Or, Kyle Wilson, a first-round pick in 2010 who has been plugged in as the regular nickel back. Or, perhaps Thomas, who had two tackles and a pass defenced against the Chiefs.At times, Phillip has done a good job, Ryan said. You had last week with Josh Thomas and Williams. They havent been with us the whole time, but theyve been with us long enough. They know what we do. ... Were confident in our guys.NOTES: WR Jeremy Kerley missed practice because of an unspecified personal reason, and Ryan said Kerley also will likely miss Fridays session but is expected to play Sunday. ... DLs Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson and RT Breno Giacomini all returned to practice after missing Wednesday with illnesses. ... The embattled Ryan on the Jets being scheduled to play the Miami Dolphins in London next season: Ill say the obvious: As long as Im on that plane, itll be a great trip. Im looking forward to it.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Giants Jerseys 2020 . Doug Fister allowed two runs over seven innings and Washington hit three solo homers in a 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. Fake Giants Jerseys . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/. Basketball fans around the globe will be watching as Kobe Bryant makes his season debut - 240 days after tearing his left Achilles - against Toronto, a team he has used as his own personal punching bag. Stitched Giants Jerseys . Bilbaos first victory in four rounds lifted it four points clear of Real Sociedad and kept it in command of Spains last Champions League berth for next season. In contrast, Betis was left 11 points from safety after a dismal performance that at times bordered on self-destruction amid some questionable refereeing decisions. San Francisco Giants Shirts . The 23-year-old Poland international is back as first choice at Arsenal after losing his regular spot in the team on occasions over the last three seasons.TORONTO -- Wasted season or expensive experimental test run? The much-vaunted 2013 Toronto Blue Jays returned to the drawing board after a season rife with underachieving closed Sunday. Questions abound after the dismal campaign. "We got off to a slow start and obviously it continued the entire year," GM Alex Anthopoulos said by way of understatement. The season opened April 2 with a home sellout of 48,857 fans at Rogers Centre for a 4-1 loss to Cleveland. Fast forward to Sunday and only two players -- shortstop Jose Reyes and catcher J.P. Arencibia -- remained in the starting lineup. And Reyes missed some 66 games inbetween with an ankle injury while Arencibia came into the season finale batting .195 with 21 home runs and 147 strikeouts in 473 at-bats. It seemed fitting that prior to the ceremonial first pitch Sunday, the PA system played "Pick Up the Pieces" by the Average White Band. The Jays finished last in the American League East at 74-88, compared to 73-89 last season when they finished fourth in the division. Fan Appreciation weekend closed out with an exciting but failed comeback in a 7-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays before a loud crowd of 44,551. Despite Sundays six-run rally, its has a been a rocky road for the Jays -- and a long long way from the optimism of spring training. "Its an exciting season. Everybodys seen the moves," star outfielder Jose Bautista said back in February. "All the bodies are here now. Its all on us now to perform. "We love that challenge and we have a confident, good group of players together. I think were going to go out and have a lot of fun and hopefully we remain healthy. If all that happens, the season should take care of itself. We should be in the playoffs and hopefully the World Series." Manager John Gibbons was slightly more circumspect back then. "We expect to win some things this year ... Weve just got to step up and answer the bell and fulfil those things. But that wont be easy. Theres a lot of good teams in the league." Owner Rogers dug deep into its expansive wallet to fund the new-look Jays, with the 2013 opening day roster coming in at a season salary cost of US$119.3 million (up from $83.7 million) the previous year. The expected starting rotation -- R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow, Josh Johnson and Ricky Romero -- cost $46.75 million alone. It went south quickly, finishing with a combined 30-36 record -- with Dickey and Buehrle accounting for 26 of those wins. "I never would have expected the rotation to be the weak link on this team coming into the year. I would probably have said the bullpen was the area we were most exposed in," said Anthopoulos. Johnsons 2-8 season came at a cost of $13.75 million. Anthopoulos hardly mentioned the big right-hander Sunday, which suggests a qualifying offer might not be forthcoming. He did speak optimistically of Morrow making a return, however. The Toronto GM said he expects to learn his payroll number in October, although the figure will be fluid with case by case re-evaluation. "Were certainly not going to go backwards, from that standpoint," he said of the salary total. "Well continue to move forward." In his end-of-season media meeting, Anthopoulos kept returning to stability of starting rotation, or lack thereof. "Right now we have (pitching) voluume.dddddddddddd The question is is the quality of that volume enough? .... Were going to look to improve, no doubt about it. We have to." For Anthopoulos, even with great everything else, the team wasnt going to get to the playoffs with the kind of starting pitching it got this year. The Jays starting ERA (4.77 going into play Sunday) ranked 29th in the 30-team majors. And it seemed somehow fitting that pitching coach Pete Walker made a trip to the mound after just two outs in the first inning to speak to Todd Redmond, with a reliever already warming up in the bullpen. The bullpen was far better on the season, ranking 10th in the majors with a 3.39 ERA. Toronto ranked 16th in hitting in the majors, with a .252 average prior to Sunday. The team ranked fourth in homers, with 185. In addition to shoring up the starting rotation, help is needed at second base while the verdict may be out on catcher. And the team needs depth. Its bench was threadbare many games. Injuries certainly cost the Jays. Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Melky Cabrera, Brett Cecil, Maicer Izturis, Johnson, Morrow and Colby Rasmus, almost a third of the opening day roster, finished the season on the disabled list. Some of the injuries were of the rare or freak variety. Doctors found a benign tumour on Cabreras spinal cord. Pitcher J.A. Happ was sidelined after getting hit on the head, injuring his knee as he toppled. Rasmus exited after talking an accidental ball in the face from a teammate. The season also started on a disconnect with players missing a chunk of spring training due to the World Baseball Classic. Anthopoulos has decisions to make. He said the team will likely look to improve via trades more than free agency, saying the available menu does not look that strong. He said he has bullpen assets that could be used in trades. Nothing seems off the table. "No one has a no trade clause," the GM noted, adding "If we can improve in any area ... well look to do that." The team has options on Adam Lind, Mark DeRosa, Munenori Kawasaki and Casey Janssen. Topics up for discussion include what can be done to reduce the injuries that have ravaged the team the last two seasons. Also whether anything can be done to improve the artificial turf before the plan to replace it with natural grass is put into place. On the plus side, Gibbons will return as manager with a vote of confidence from Anthopoulos. "His in-game (management) is outstanding. Thats always been a strength of his. I think it comes down to myself as a general manager giving him a better rotation to work with." Ryan Goins and Anthony Gose showed like they belonged in the final weeks of the season. And Toronto has a choice of arms when it comes to fifth starters and beyond. But while there is an upside to those pitchers, says Anthopoulos, theres isnt a level of certainty. And there was a buzz about the team, with Kawasaki becoming an unlikely fan favourite for his quirks and occasionally timely hitting. Season attendance at the Rogers Centre was 2,536,562, up 436,899 from 2012. "Support has been great ... Whats been proven to everybody is this is definitely a baseball town," said Anthopoulos. "It has tremendous interest in the game." The question is what will the team need to do next year to keep the fans coming back? ' ' '